Returning to Tommy’s house with the supplies the bomb maker had asked for, Vanadine found the wreck of a man mixing something that looked a lot like wet rice in a bucket. The stench of petrol filled the room and Vanadine’s nose wrinkled at the smell.“Ah, excellent,” Tommy said as he looked at the items Vanadine had brought. “You got the cash too?”Vanadine threw a wad of notes on the bench beside Tommy, held in a roll with a rubber band and handed him the bags he had brought back.“What do you need all this for?” Vanadine asked as Tommy opened the pair of mobile phones Vanadine had bought.Tommy stared at him as if he was an infant, his eyes larger than they should be through the glasses he wore.“Your bomb?” He asked as if this should be obvious. “Ooh, coffee!”Vanadine handed him the cup and sipped at his own, feeling the hot liquid flow down into his stomach,Last time I had coffee I was with her. He thought as anguish grabbed his chest. Anger fought with sadness as thoughts of Ca
She could feel Marrin trying to pull her through the door but her hand refused to enter. It had connected with the wood and stopped utterly. As if she was trying to shove her way through, Carine pressed her hand against the wood.Nothing. Her hand turned white where she shoved against the unforgiving wood, despair spurring her on.I’ve got to get out of here. I have to!Roughly dragging Marrin back through the door, Carine grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly until the girl winced.“It’s because I wasn’t touching your skin!” Carine declared. “I was touching your clothes so it didn’t work!”“And it will not work now,” Marrin said sadly. “You are hurting me,” she added in a small voice.Yet Carine did not care or even hear her fully, obsession with her plan working overriding everything else.Now I can leave! Now I can get out!She shoved Marrin through the door again and waited until she was almost entirely gone, her hand the only thing left in Carine’s room. She watched with eager a
A cool wind ruffled the shadow’s mid length hair as he stared down at the soup of humanity. Four storeys below him the city of Bichester spread away in an urban sprawl. Perched above the lights that illuminated everything with a sickly, yellow hue, he was invisible to all, even if they happened to look up at the bank’s Victorian edifice.Vanadine watched as large groups passed below him, laughing and yelling, pushing and playing. Due to his exile, Vanadine felt an intense jealousy for these people and their lives, envious of something he could never be a part of. The anger began to descend over him at the unfairness of his life, darkening his thoughts and he moved along the narrow, sandstone ledge, the face dirtied by traffic fumes, with an agility and grace that belied his size.He leaped across from the bank to another building, this one brick and slithered up an iron drainpipe that probably removed sewage from the toilets within. On the roof, he slipped through the shadows as if he
Staring at the two disgusting men before her, Carine felt a chill run up her spine and across her scalp when the younger one had said about cutting things. Even so there was no way she was about to give these two the satisfaction of dancing for them. They would do what they would do and nothing she did, no sordid act, was going to change her destiny. They were brutal rapists who liked to pick on the vulnerable and weak.Let’s just see how weak I really am. She thought. I’ll scratch eyes and bite faces before they make me submit.While her conscience felt this way, Carine felt the shiver and tremble across her body, the ice crystals forming in her guts and the tightness in her chest and throat when she tried to breathe.How did this happen? How did I end up in this situation?The night had started perfectly, a few drinks and light snacks with some of the animal shelter workers and a few of their sponsors. She had been charming and polite, helping to raise money and awareness of the she
Darkness swam through his mind as he fought for control of the raging madness that sought to overtake him. It had been her voice, her plea, that had stopped him from choking Hann until his heart stopped. Even so Vanadine thought there might be some permanent brain damage and a savage joy thrilled up through him. His thoughts turned to the woman and how easily he could end her life. Ten different scenarios played across his psyche as he gripped the concrete upright, his fingers aching. Yet the pain and discomfort grounded him, allowed the darkness to abate and his human side reasserted itself, bringing a calm and banishing the chaos.The intensity of his emotions drained him and he slowly let go of the concrete pillar, noticing the cracks radiating from where he had gripped it so hard. Now in control of himself once more, Vanadine knew he had to get away, protect this innocent woman from what he was. Yet as he turned to see her, shivering and in a heap, clothing tattered and face bruis
Footsteps echoed in the concrete tomb as she followed the stranger up the steps and into the darkness.Why can I only hear mine? She wondered as she ran a hand along the rough wall due to the blackness being all consuming. She walked into something hard and warm, squeaking at the surprise before she realised it was him.“Vanadine,” he said.“What?” Carine asked in confusion.“My name,” he mumbled. “It’s Vanadine.”“Oh, pleased to meet you,” she said, hearing the tremble in her own voice. “I’m Carine,” she added. “Um, where are we?”“Inside a derelict hospital or clinic,” Vanadine stated the obvious.“Yeah…” Carine said. “But where are we in relation to the exit?”“Not far,” Vanadine said, his voice devoid of any inflection or emotion. “Follow me,” he told her.“Well I would but I can’t see anything,” Carine said, inhaling the warm scent that wafted from him.A mix of the clothing he wore and something undefinable she was drawn to on a primitive level, Carine smelled no artificial scen
Sickened by his loss of control in the hospital cellar, Vanadine swept through the night towards one of the thins, an area where his world met the human world. There were a few such places he knew of but the closest was in a park a mile or so away. Few people were out at this hour so he risked taking the streets, running along at an inhuman pace and pausing as soon as he saw someone. He hopped over the fence and headed into the darkness again, taking comfort and solace in the shadows.Tearing himself away from Carine had been the hardest thing he had been forced to do in years and Vanadine was surprised at the hollow that grew in his chest when he thought of her face.So small and helpless. He thought. Maybe I should go and see if she is all right.No! another part of his snapped. You know what you are and that is a threat to her. Stay away, stick to the shadows and remain alone for her sake.Vanadine knew his conscience was correct. Carine would be at risk if he was near her and stay
Returning home she had showered and changed, throwing her torn and ruined clothes away but keeping Vanadine’s coat. She examined it, finding nothing in the pockets and not even a label to say where it had been made. Yet she could tell from the weave and stitching it was a quality garment and probably expensive. With Laura still out, Carine lay on her bed and covered herself with the coat, trying to get some sleep. Yet despite the comfort and safety she gained from his scent surrounding her and the soft touch of the cloth, every time she closed her eyes all she saw was the grinning, leering faces of Glenn and Hann, ready to grab her again.She woke with a start, a scream on her lips as something grabbed her leg. Thrashing and fighting against the bedclothes and coat, she kicked and grunted, mewling sounds escaping her throat as she tried to escape. When her eyes opened and she saw the lamp beside her bed was on, she looked down to see the bed was undisturbed and the coat lay over her l