Let The Wrong One Out (Fan Fiction)

[andmker]

Part 3.... the final part hopefully coming next weekend

[andmker]

Random question required for my final chapters

Do you think Eli would intentionally kill someone if it was NOT for the purpose of feeding, getting blood, or to stop infecting them.

I know she would kill (and did kill) to protect and rescue Oskar. I also have a similar sitution in part one of my fan fiction.

But what about if someone who had wronged her had asked Eli to do something that she knew would kill them, but they didn't know. Do you feel she would do it to escape, to end an "arrangement" or to simply serve jusdice. Specifically someone who was getting her blood, but who was also abusing her (unlike Hakan who "asked premission") and treated her like a boy/girl/freak.

I feel like there is a contrast (in the movie) between what she feels in terms of remorse and regret when killing Locke in the underpass, compared to the almost indifference, 3 seconds and move on moment when she killed Hakan. At the same time I don't see Eli as someone who would kill if it was not necessary?

Thoughts?

[Blood]

Random question required for my final chapters

Do you think Eli would intentionally kill someone if it was NOT for the purpose of feeding, getting blood, or to stop infecting them.

I know she would kill (and did kill) to protect and rescue Oskar. I also have a similar sitution in part one of my fan fiction.

But what about if someone who had wronged her had asked Eli to do something that she knew would kill them, but they didn't know. Do you feel she would do it to escape, to end an "arrangement" or to simply serve jusdice. Specifically someone who was getting her blood, but who was also abusing her (unlike Hakan who "asked premission") and treated her like a boy/girl/freak.

I feel like there is a contrast (in the movie) between what she feels in terms of remorse and regret when killing Locke in the underpass, compared to the almost indifference, 3 seconds and move on moment when she killed Hakan. At the same time I don't see Eli as someone who would kill if it was not necessary?

Thoughts?

I think Eli felt guilty about killing everytime it happened. With Hakan I think it was almost like giving him an escape. The cops were not going to let him kill himself, he definitely couldn't go to prison because of his past, and he loved Eli. I think Eli like any person would kill someone that wronged him or others, just like how Oscar wanted to hurt those that bullied him.

[metoo]

I don't know.

Eli is remarkably indifferent about killing for survival, but hesitates taking Håkan's blood because he would have to kill him afterwards.

”Men du dödar folk!”
”Ja. Jag dödar folk. Det är tråkigt.”

"But you kill people!"
"Yes. I kill people. That's unfortunate."

”Vad vill du jag ska göra?«
Håkan tog bort sin hand från Elis kind och pekade på sin hals.
Eli skakade på huvudet.
"Då måste jag … döda dig. Sen.”

"What do you want me to do?"
Håkan took his hand off Eli's cheek and pointed at his neck.
Eli shook his head.
"Then I have to … kill you. Afterwards."

I don't think Eli is the type of person who bear grudges. He wouldn't try to get revenge on an abusive helper, but would rather leave as soon as possible and then forget about it.
Still, I believe he wouldn't hesitate to kill an abusive helper that posed a threat to him.

[andmker]

Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines. "I kill people to survive." Yeah, he was almost a mercy killing, and she had no other choice really in order to stay hidden.

Thoughts?
[/quote]

I think Eli felt guilty about killing everytime it happened. With Hakan I think it was almost like giving him an escape. The cops were not going to let him kill himself, he definitely couldn't go to prison because of his past, and he loved Eli. I think Eli like any person would kill someone that wronged him or others, just like how Oscar wanted to hurt those that bullied him.
[/quote]

[andmker]

Its a difficult one, as after 200+ years I imagine Eli has came across most imaginable situtions. I always got the impression Eli minimised what he did, saying things like "that's just the way it is" sort of attitute. Gotten used to having to kill to survive but never looking forward to having to do it.

I always found what Eli said to Hakan a bit suprising. Eli seemed to keep him at arms length.

So do you think Eli would have an approach sort of like "I don't like being with this person, I going to leave and find someone else" is he is not under threat?

I don't know.

Eli is remarkably indifferent about killing for survival, but hesitates taking Håkan's blood because he would have to kill him afterwards.

”Men du dödar folk!”
”Ja. Jag dödar folk. Det är tråkigt.”

"But you kill people!"
"Yes. I kill people. That's unfortunate."

”Vad vill du jag ska göra?«
Håkan tog bort sin hand från Elis kind och pekade på sin hals.
Eli skakade på huvudet.
"Då måste jag … döda dig. Sen.”

"What do you want me to do?"
Håkan took his hand off Eli's cheek and pointed at his neck.
Eli shook his head.
"Then I have to … kill you. Afterwards."

I don't think Eli is the type of person who bear grudges. He wouldn't try to get revenge on an abusive helper, but would rather leave as soon as possible and then forget about it.
Still, I believe he wouldn't hesitate to kill an abusive helper that posed a threat to him.

[metoo]

[...]
So do you think Eli would have an approach sort of like "I don't like being with this person, I going to leave and find someone else" is he is not under threat?

Realistically, few people would be willing to take on the task to bring "food" to Eli, so for Eli to find one must be both difficult and dangerous.
Thus, Eli would most likely rather would stay with the one he has got than try to find a better one, notwithstanding abuse.

[andmker]

I have replied to your message, but it seems to have been "stuck" in my outbox for the last day lol

Random question required for my final chapters

Do you think Eli would intentionally kill someone if it was NOT for the purpose of feeding, getting blood, or to stop infecting them.

I know she would kill (and did kill) to protect and rescue Oskar. I also have a similar sitution in part one of my fan fiction.

But what about if someone who had wronged her had asked Eli to do something that she knew would kill them, but they didn't know. Do you feel she would do it to escape, to end an "arrangement" or to simply serve jusdice. Specifically someone who was getting her blood, but who was also abusing her (unlike Hakan who "asked premission") and treated her like a boy/girl/freak.

I feel like there is a contrast (in the movie) between what she feels in terms of remorse and regret when killing Locke in the underpass, compared to the almost indifference, 3 seconds and move on moment when she killed Hakan. At the same time I don't see Eli as someone who would kill if it was not necessary?

Thoughts?

I think Eli felt guilty about killing everytime it happened. With Hakan I think it was almost like giving him an escape. The cops were not going to let him kill himself, he definitely couldn't go to prison because of his past, and he loved Eli. I think Eli like any person would kill someone that wronged him or others, just like how Oscar wanted to hurt those that bullied him.

[Blood]

I have replied to your message, but it seems to have been "stuck" in my outbox for the last day lol

Random question required for my final chapters

Do you think Eli would intentionally kill someone if it was NOT for the purpose of feeding, getting blood, or to stop infecting them.

I know she would kill (and did kill) to protect and rescue Oskar. I also have a similar sitution in part one of my fan fiction.

But what about if someone who had wronged her had asked Eli to do something that she knew would kill them, but they didn't know. Do you feel she would do it to escape, to end an "arrangement" or to simply serve jusdice. Specifically someone who was getting her blood, but who was also abusing her (unlike Hakan who "asked premission") and treated her like a boy/girl/freak.

I feel like there is a contrast (in the movie) between what she feels in terms of remorse and regret when killing Locke in the underpass, compared to the almost indifference, 3 seconds and move on moment when she killed Hakan. At the same time I don't see Eli as someone who would kill if it was not necessary?

Thoughts?

I think Eli felt guilty about killing everytime it happened. With Hakan I think it was almost like giving him an escape. The cops were not going to let him kill himself, he definitely couldn't go to prison because of his past, and he loved Eli. I think Eli like any person would kill someone that wronged him or others, just like how Oscar wanted to hurt those that bullied him.

My reply to your last message was stuck for about a day too. I don't know why it happens.

[andmker]

Part 2: Chapters 18 -19


Chapter Eighteen

“A goldfish?” asked Eli baffled at the concept. “Why?”
Oscar shrugged and smiled simultaneously.
“I don’t know. It could be fun, to have a pet.”
“A pet? You already have Amelia,” she teased.
The pair had been locked in the conversation since waking up tonight. It was the first thing on Oscar’s mind and he didn’t really know why. He had thought about it before, quite a while ago but now had seemed like the right time to suggest it. Their apartment flat was comfortable, and at some point, had really started to feel like a home, especially since they weren’t as socially isolated now. Oscar felt happier here than he ever did back in Blackeberg. In the company of Eli and Amelia, in a place that was safe, where no one bothered him. He was even beginning to feel more like a native Dane, seeing that Danish flag in the window every day. His pronunciation of words, when out in public, was becoming more Danish-like. Maybe he was just in a good mood, refreshed from their session the previous night. Still, he was happy that their arrangement with Amelia was working for everyone and more importantly no one gets hurt, apart from her arms but he was working on that. He had a wild notion to try using thin plastic tubes next time. Like you see on a proper blood transfusion. That way they could drink from them, instead of biting into her arms.
“What do you do with a goldfish exactly?” asked Eli after toying over the notion.
“Well. You feed it...”
“...like Amelia,” she interrupted.
“Yeah, and you look at it...”
“...like Amelia.”
“We can also teach it tricks...”
“...like, tricks really?”
Oscar bit his lip to try and keep a straight face and then sat upright energetically on the sofa. Eli was sitting comfortably at the table, she would have perhaps joined Oscar on the sofa but he had been hogging it tonight, spread out like a starfish.
“Yes, we can teach it how to jump through a hoop and rollover. With a bit of practice, they can even learn how to play hide and seek.”
“Oscar. You suck.”
“What?”
“I was not born yesterday.”
Oscar laughed and pointed out that technically “they both suck.” His fabrications were worth a try especially if they had convinced Eli that they should get a goldfish.
“Besides,” continued Eli. “I really could show you an amusing trick with a goldfish.”
“Ok, now we definitely need to get one.”
They both laughed.
“Shall we go out tonight?” she asked.
“To get a goldfish? I want to see your trick!”
“No. Well...maybe,” said Eli who couldn’t help but let her mouth pull up into a smile looking at the excitement on Oscar’s face. “But if we get one, then I will stop going easy on you at Chess.”
“I beat you the last three games!” shouted Oscar.
“I let you.”
“Rubbish! I taught you how to play it. You didn’t even know what the pieces were called.”
The pair playfully argued for a short time, before heading out to do nothing of importance. They walked down the stairs talking fast, both of them happy and energised. It was like the weight of the world had been lifted. No more having to kill to survive, no more starving herself for weeks because she can’t bring herself to do it. No more having to enlist the help of others like Hakan to do it for her. Oscar didn’t know how many months they could keep feeding on Amelia without her suffering ill effects. Maybe she would need a break from it every now and again, and he was absolutely fine with that. But...knowing Amelia like he now did, he suspected that she might object to having a weekend off.
As time went on, perhaps they could ask if she had any close friends that they could trust and who would also be willing to help them. Oscar at times did wonder exactly why she had been and remained so eager to help them. It had to be painful and debilitating even for a short time. Still, he vaguely recalled glancing at her face when he was feeding from her, she almost looked like she was enjoying the experience. He recalled Eli’s comment that she “isn’t doing this for the money,” but whatever her reasons, he appreciated Amelia more than he could convey. It was good that she was spoiling herself a bit, buying that gold pendant.

Detective Kevil Dually was making his fourth coffee of the night and his shift had started less than two hours ago. This was meant to be his night off, but a local girl had been killed in the early hours of the morning, and he was needed just to help man the station while those assigned attended.
“At least it’s not another murder. At least it’s not linked to my bloody hotel case,” he reassured himself mumbling into the coffee as it reached his lips.
He felt unusually tired this last week or so. Having spent too many hours brainstorming his case both while at work as well as off work. Too many hours spent drinking coffee and absinth thinking about little else. Kevil felt older and knew himself that he needed a break sooner rather than later. Things were taking their toll, and he was even losing sleep over his upcoming meeting with Gareth, who had claimed to know ‘almost’ where Oscar and Eli were.
The officers that had been assigned to the girl who had been killed this morning, had more or less already concluded that she had somehow accidentally been hit and killed by the tram. Well, killed was a bit of an understatement to be honest. The tram driver who reported it, in his shocked state, had said “I’ve split her into two pieces.” That was another reason why Kevil was working tonight, to cover the shifts of the officers who initially attended the accident scene. They were automatically given time off to...well, a lot of his fellow officers didn’t need much of a reason these days. Still, tram against a girl, maybe this time they really needed it to recover from seeing the end result.
The accident was of course still under investigation, and the majority of spare officers were attending to keep the scene secure. Despite his tiredness and everything else, Kevil didn’t mind. He understood, the accidental death of anyone was always distressing. Never mind a teenage girl who was killed in such a manner. He blamed the parents, he didn’t know them, but he still blamed them. Why they would allow her to be out alone at such a late time of night by herself, in a remote area with so many murders having happened in previous months. God knows why she was down that way anyway.
“You not on this K?” asked a younger officer who had just entered the kitchen where Kevil had been observing the empty toaster for an eternity.
“No not me.” He answered plainly. He didn’t much like the nickname “K” that he had appeared to have been assigned.
“I thought it would be a break for you?”
Kevil took a deep but quiet breath. This was becoming a frequent conversation with more and more of his colleagues. They all felt he was obsessed with the hotel case, that it was a lost cause. All of them delighted in telling him how he was wasting his time on it, granted some of the comments arose from genuine concern. But they didn’t understand. He had been assigned this case, and he had spent endless hours investigating every possible avenue with very few resources. He had come up against so many obstacles and while he hadn’t managed to break through many of them, he had found a way around most of them. He had progressed from pools of blood in the Connelly Hotel, to almost tracking down a missing Swedish schoolboy and some random girl who was somehow connected to everything. Still, the time was coming, and soon he would be meeting his informant. At that moment he concluded that should this lead be a bust, he would most likely give up. This entire case had consumed him for so long now. Maybe they were vampires after all.
“Nah,” he smiled and spoke out loud. “Dracula in Copenhagen?”
“Dracula?” asked the colleague in the room.
Kevil had forgotten he wasn’t alone.
“Never mind, I was just...thinking about a movie. Any ID on that accident victim yet?”
“Nope. Your guess is as good as mine on how long THAT will take. She was sliced cleanly in two like a baguette.”
“Thanks for that” Dually replied sarcastically screwing his eyes shut briefly. The younger generation of police were like that, they didn’t care. They all seemed accustomed to violence and gore, they all seemed to forget that she was the victim. She was someone’s daughter.
“I heard Lofty speaking, defo sounds like an accident.”
“Oh?” answered Kevil faking an interest. He didn’t really want to know and more to the point, he didn’t want to hear it from this guy. Someone who had been in the job about three years, and already thought they knew everything and had seen everything.
“Yeah, guess she was running to catch the tram. Guessing she slipped and hit her head on the rail.”
Kevil screwed his eyes shut once again. This was another thing wrong with the next generation, they seemed to guess a lot. Personally, he doubted someone would run on, or near tram tracks in the first place to try and catch a tram. It would be much easier to run to the station itself, after all there is always a path or a road heading into the station. She would most likely have had to run across dirt, mud and whatever to reach where she did.
“I do feel bad for the tram driver. He thought that he had run over a manikin or something at first. A blonde manikin at that, but still.”
Kevil rubbed his eyes hoping that either the caffeine would kick in very soon, or this idiot would leave, but he had to ask, even if it was just to end this conversation.
“Why did he think that?”
“There was pretty much no blood. A big mess obviously, but not really any blood considering she was bisected.”
Kevil turned to look at him, just to confirm that he was being serious and that this wasn’t some wind-up about his bloody hotel case.
“No blood? No blood?” he spoke with his voice raising. “Don’t you think that is unusual?”
“Err...well, I thought...it was because...”
“A girl bloody gets sliced in half by a tram and there was not that much blood?” He slammed his coffee cup down. “Where do you think it went? Evaporated into the air? It was reported by the driver as soon as it happened, not like she was laying there undiscovered. Not like it could be put down to the rain washing it away or wild animals feeding on her remains like the others is it?”
“Others?” whimpered his colleague, slowly backing off from an enraged Kevil.
The infuriated detective Dually didn’t bother to respond, he simply walked out at a fast pace to grab his jacket and then head down to the scene. Why exactly escaped him, her remains would have been removed by now. They were just coving over every square inch of the scene, taking photographs and ensuring that no one tampered with anything. Nonetheless, he was pissed that no one had bothered to mention her total blood loss to him before now.

In a damp basement that strangely smelt like sulphur was Gareth, who was ready to explode with pure and nearly uncontrollable suspense. In two nights time, between nine and ten, he and that Police detective would confront Eli and Oscar. Two nights and he will have his revenge. He felt more alive now than what he ever did before he became like this. That blonde girl had been an immensely satisfying kill. Knowing that he had so easily ended her, like she had been a twig, or a doll, or maybe a doll made out of twigs. Gareth never held much of an imagination, but that didn’t matter as he was lost in the ecstasy of his reality. He had tried to help Albin after his ejection from that window, and after Eli had mutilated him. In two nights, it would be his turn. The idea of what he would do to her was making him salivate. Everything she had done to Albin but much, much more. This was her fault, he was like this because of her. He didn’t blame Albin, he blamed Eli.
Gareth was hiding in a building block less than a five-minute walk from Eli and Oscar’s apartment, but he really wanted to shout at the top of his voice.
“I killed whomever that person was that was feeding you, and I’m coming for both of you next.”
He didn’t of course, being just about able to contain the urge. He needed to stay out of the way and to stay hidden at all costs. If Eli had any suspicions or inclination that he was here, and who he was, then she and Oscar would most likely run. Gareth did not intend to spend decades like Albin had trying to find her again. He felt a welcome warming wave of achievement flood through every fibre of his being, wondering if Oscar and Eli knew about the death of whoever that girl was yet. Being in this building’s basement was driving him crazy, the thing inside him was stirring again. He did the only thing he could to try and lessen his hunger and to stop him from doing something stupid this late in the game. Gareth repeatedly hit his head against the stone wall saying to himself over and over again “soon, soon, soon.”




Chapter Nineteen


In the darkest of dark nights, Oscar was sitting crouched down into a ball around the back of their apartment. He was swaying back and forth slightly in the breeze and his eyes were red and swollen as if he had been cutting onions all night. Eli once told him that “we vampires are only allowed to cry once a century.” Whether or not that was a joke or a genuine quirk of their biology, it was Oscar’s turn to cry.
For the first time since he became like Eli, he was seriously considering really hurting himself or even ending everything. This was his fault, he was responsible, and she was dead because of him.
“I should have walked her to the tram station, I should have got her there safely, I should have known she was tired,” he repeated like a mantra while crawling so violently at his legs that he had shredded the fabric and started to cut into his own flesh with his nails.
He had been in a state of almost shock since finding out, just before eight o’clock last night. It was now nearly five in the morning and he hadn’t moved much since coming back here. The night that she died, the night before last night, he and Eli had fed on her, and she had seemed fine afterwards. But she obviously wasn’t if...that happened. She left here, she must have started to feel confused or dizzy, or maybe just sleepy, and then...that happened. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, and it was his fault. She had been hit by the tram. Amelia was dead. That stupid and insensitive front page newspaper headline that grabbed his attention when he arrived in Copenhagen central.

‘Local Waitress Killed: Tragic Tram Accident.’

Oscar had gazed at it for an unknown amount of time, completely frozen by the news. The photograph of Amelia below the headline, stood outside the cafe giving away free cakes, which meant it had to be true. Strangely one of the first things that entered his mind when he was able to think again, was how stupid the headline was. “A waitress?” he thought to himself. “She wasn’t just a waitress.” At first, the headline made him angrier than anything else, including the fact she was dead. Amelia was much more than just a waitress. She was...Amelia. Someone who was kind, fun and energetic. Someone open to helping anyone with anything. She was...amazing. Oscar had been planning on visiting her in the cafe. That is why he had gone into the capital a little over nine hours ago. He had been planning on surprising her as she locked up. Maybe jumping out of the shadows and shouting “boo!” but he hadn’t fully committed to that yet. Then that stupid bloody headline. So, he got back on the tram, no point in going to the cafe now, and headed home.
Oscar had told Eli as soon as he got home. He didn’t really want to, he just wanted to find a corner and cry, but she knew as soon as she looked at him that something big was wrong.
“Amelia,” was all he could say at first.
“Yes?” Eli had asked with confusion in her voice.
“Tram.”
It took Eli longer than Oscar would have liked to stick the pieces together, but he and his one- or two-word clues being “Amelia,” “tram,” and “last night,” were not the most helpful. Her response was equally as simplistic.
“Oh.”
Eli then frowned, looked to her feet, then at Oscar before down at the floor again. She twisted her face in a manner suggesting that in a few short seconds, she had felt every negative emotion at once. She exhaled sadly, something Oscar didn’t know was possible to do, before stepping forward to comfort him. When Oscar stepped back, Eli stopped on the spot. She didn’t really know what to do now. Death was as common to her as a haircut is to many others. She had seen it so many times in the last two centuries; she could almost call it a common acquaintance. But she had started to grow to like Amelia as a person. Not as much as Oscar did, but she had briefly entertained the idea of having two real friends for once.
All Oscar could muster to break the increasing silence between them was the word “can’t,” before walking out, leaving her standing in the hall.
He was glad that she hadn’t followed him out here. To be honest, she knew him better than anyone else, and knew that he wanted to be alone. His mind was throwing him unwelcome and disjointed thoughts. One of the most distressing being that no one would even have known why she was down this way in the first place. No one would ever know how she was willing to suffer to save others. He couldn’t tell anyone that she was helping save them. In Oscar’s mind, Amelia was dead because of him. Not just that, but he and Eli would both have to go back to killing people to survive. The guilt of Amelia’s death and the guilt yet to come was unbearable. Oscar felt like his insides were being ripped apart, like he had been stabbed repeatably with his own knife. He felt cold inside, for the first time since being shot by Albin.

Around the same time that Gareth was spending two nights in a basement, struggling to contain his excitement, and Oscar was crouched into a ball behind his apartment block, Detective Dually was lying in bed unable to sleep. His typical liquid diet of coffee and absinthe which usually kept him awake when he needed to be awake, and sleep when he wanted to sleep, wasn’t working. Five o’clock in the morning and one thing was on his mind. This time tomorrow night, he would be meeting the person claiming to know where Oscar was living. When that night came, he could potentially be face to face with the missing Swedish schoolboy. His appearance in Copenhagen had trigged a continuing onslaught of death and murders. So long spent trying to find them, so many delays and dead ends, and so many people saying they didn’t believe he could solve this case. If he cracked this, if he stopped the endless trail of mysterious deaths, he would be a hero. Normally, he wasn’t that vain. He didn’t become a detective to become a hero, all he wanted to do was protect the public. His career however hadn’t been very eventful. It would be good to retire as the detective who solved what no one else in two different countries could. Plus, it would be nice to go back to Yester in the bar and let him know it wasn’t the Chinese or vampires after all.
Something as equally as pressing was also on his mind. In his long carrier as a detective, Kevil had never been fond of carrying a firearm. He had never needed to use one, never been close to taking a life. He didn’t feel he had the right to kill anyone, as that is not why he was here. He was interested in justice, and how could it be called justice by killing a suspect? Still, he was in two minds about whether to arm himself or not for what was to come. On one hand, Oscar and Eli were just teenagers, surely they couldn’t be responsible for all these deaths. They were clearly involved and very central to everything that had happened. Yet he couldn’t see two kids being capable of killing on this scale. The idea that they could so easily kill their victims, who rarely if ever had appeared to put up any struggle was silly. However, maybe that is how they had done it. If they look harmless, people wouldn’t expect any trouble from them...until it was too late. He was cold, tired and concerned about what would happen. He would perhaps take some support with him, just in case. A few officers would be the sensible thing to do. Hopefully, there would be a few others available who were not tired up with the death of that waitress, or off sick for whatever reason.

Oscar could feel the entire back of his body starting to sizzle like a slice of bacon slowly coming up to temperature in a frying pan. The weak sun had started to dissolve the night, and while it was still early, it was almost like it knew exactly where to find him. He should be back inside, back in his wardrobe sleeping but he didn’t exactly care right now. He hadn’t noticed that he came out here with just a shirt on, having automatically taken off his jacket when getting home. He did wonder how the sunlight was managing to “burn” through the shirt, as his back was sizzling as much as the back of his neck and head. It felt virtuous to feel pain right now. After what Amelia had suffered because of him. While the sunlight was still pale, and wasn’t powerful enough to make him combust yet, it did feel very uncomfortable nonetheless. Almost like immense drops of boiling candle wax raining down onto his skin, and then evaporating with extreme heat instantly. Just to make way for the next drop to land and boil a split second later. The thing inside him, that had been rather silent over the last month or so owing to his hunger being managed, was making itself known.
“Get out of the sun, get out of the sun,” it was shouting at him. Oscar could even feel his legs twitching, like the thing inside was trying to force him to run for shelter.
Oscar still couldn’t believe it, and he hoped the heat from the sun would force him to wake up and all this would have just been a nightmare. He couldn’t help thinking that just last year, he picked that cafe at random on a random day. He met Amelia there and made an ass of himself. He then chose to go back a second time, where she left him her phone number. Then he had chosen to contact her, chosen to tell her everything, and then ask her to help them. The bottom line was she was at their place because of him. Maybe Eli was right, maybe it was best just to generally avoid people.
“Playing with the sun again?”
Oscar jumped slightly and looked over where he saw Eli standing in the shadows against the building. He felt the side of his face tingle in the brief second it took to do so.
“I REALLY don’t know how you can still sneak up on me so successfully,” he replied.
“Oscar come inside, we’ll talk about it,” she spoke calmly.
“No, just leave me here.”
Eli’s twitched, the last time he had said those words was after she had dragged him out of that hotel and he just wanted to be left on the ground like a fallen warrior.
“So, you want to give up this easily? Because in a few minutes you’ll be...like her.”
“Killed by a tram?” he answered sharply.
“Dead.”
“Don’t care, she’s dead because of me.”
“Amelia would care.”
Oscar didn’t reply, he knew what she was trying to do.
“She really liked you.”
Again, he didn’t answer.
“How do you still do it? Really, I mean? After all your years, you must have known hundreds of people who have died, and you’ve probably fed on hundreds to survive,” he asked.
“Oscar, I told you once before. Some who live deserve to die, and some who die deserved to live.”
He screwed up his face, both from the increasing burning pain, but also trying to understand what she meant. It was true she had told him that exact thing before, and he didn’t understand it back then. He felt now, after losing Amelia, that he did.
“It doesn’t change anything Eli. Go inside.”
“Come inside with me. If you don’t, then I will come over there and lay on top of you. I’ll protect you from the sun.”
“You won’t.”
“Oscar, if this is the end for you, then it is the end for me. You know that.”
Oscar could now smell himself starting to burn.
“Then I’ll run away, out into the open.”
“You know I’ll catch you.”
“Why? Why?” he demanded to know. “What is it about me? Why me? What makes me so special?”
There was a short silence before Eli took a single step forward into the pale sunlight.
“Because you accepted me unlike anyone before. Because you reminded me how to live. Because you are my Oscar.”
Watching her step forward so willingly into the sunlight was too much for him to bare. He couldn’t let her, he leapt forward and tackled her back into the shadow being cast by the building. He couldn’t let her burn, this wasn’t her fault. She was his Eli. Oscar started to wrench with pain on the ground. The flesh on his back had fallen off when he moved. Eli looked genuinely relieved beyond words to see him. She could have made the choice for him, she could have dragged him back inside kicking and screaming, but it wouldn’t have helped. She helped Oscar off the ground and carried him back inside.
The pair took their time walking up the flights of stairs now that they were away from the quickly rising sun. Oscar was finding it difficult to walk.
“Oscar, we need to leave soon.”
“Leave? Like, leave here?”
Eli nodded as they reached their landing and the front door which she had left open.
“People would have seen you in the cafe with her, or in the park. Someone would have likely seen her coming down in this direction at some point. It’s all too close to us, the tram station is not that far.”
“But she didn’t get, I mean she...it was an accident.”
“Oscar, it’s not safe to stay here. Far too much attention will be given to this area now. People pay more attention when it’s someone young who dies. Things like this...it makes people talk about what they’ve seen, even weeks ago.”
Oscar lacked the energy to argue and simply agreed, at least for the moment. As they entered through the door. Eli allowed him to stand and support himself as they did so.
“Sore?”
“Just a little bit,” he understated. “When will we have to leave?”
Eli briefly paused to think. They had made themselves comfortable here. It had mostly been for Oscar’s benefit, but she liked enjoying the modern comforts with him. There lay the problem, they would potentially have to leave a lot of things behind. It’s not like they could do what they did before, and what Eli would normally have done. Have everything in a few large suitcases. They could start again where ever they ended up, furniture and things could be replaced. The important thing was they left before everything within half a mile of them were put under a microscope.
“You need a night to rest, or at least...”
“I’m not going out to feed just to feel better,” he interrupted.
Eli smiled which did make Oscar feel a tiny bit better already.
“Don’t worry, we’ll work it out.”
Oscar didn’t know what to say or think about everything. He was exhausted and in pain, and grieving.
“Good night...good morning, whatever,” he said.
“No,” replied Eli almost stepping in front of him to stop his path to the bedroom. She pointed to the bathroom door. “With me, just for tonight.”
“I won’t go out in the sun again, I promise,” he told her, as honestly, he didn’t have the strength to get back down those stairs. “Besides, the tub isn’t big enough for both of us.”
Eli’s face became serious and she pointed to the bathroom door once more, just this time more compellingly.
“Fine,” surrendered Oscar feeling his legs becoming weak.
The pair climbed into the bathtub and settled down, both of them on their sides as Oscar was too sore to lay on his back.
“You’ve ruined your shirt, it’s a mess,” whispered Eli.
“Yeah, a mess. Just like Amelia would have been.”
She folded up a blanket to push against his back. A natural barrier between her and his blood-soaked fabric, but also to try and encourage healing. She had learnt something new tonight, the blood of another vampire didn’t smell nice, and it didn’t stir her hunger in any way. Oscar’s blood had the complete opposite effect to what it did previously. It smelt somewhat like vomit that hadn’t been cleaned up for a few days. It was a strange smell, and couldn’t help but wonder why there was such a difference. No one like them had ever said that her blood smelt “bad,” but then again her vampire senses were much more attune to the red stuff.
It only took a few minutes for Oscar to crash out. Before that, he briefly wondered why Eli had insisted he join her tonight. They had fallen asleep together before on the sofa, and Eli sometimes used to sneak into his bed when he used to sleep in a bed. The tub however, was usually “her space.” Maybe she wanted to make sure he was safe and sound, and judging by her arms wrapped around his stomach, make sure that he didn’t venture out again. Maybe she was genuinely upset by Amelia’s death and simply wanted comforted.