Sooner Or Later
New Friends
It was warm and soft. That was the first things Frank felt other than the throbbing pain that was slowly dulling away into a memory.
He groaned
"Claire” he muttered.
His eyes opened, it was dark in the room, a fire in the corner in the fireplace, heavy drapes around the bed that Frank was in. The moon was out, he groaned and sat up. No one was in the room with him but he could hear low voices and footsteps and the door creaked open.
"You've woken." Frank looked at the man in front of him
"How did I get here? The hunters…they..."
"Were knocked out long enough for me to get you and myself out of there..."
"Why did you help me?! Who are you? And where's Claire?" Frank stood up and glared the man in the eyes.
"For every hunter of our kind, there is a hunter for their kind. You're lucky night. And ‘Claire’… I saw no other vampire there, unless she's human..."
"Claire's a vampire. I have to find her" Frank looked around the room for his things.
"The sun will be up soon. You can't go out now.”
"You can't tell me what I can and can not do!" Frank grabbed the black haired man by his neck, which wasn't as easy as it could have been, considering Frank's height.
"Look out the window. The moon is setting; the sky is starting to change. If you want to go out there, fine, but its suicide! If you don't...you can stay. You can search tomorrow evening." Frank glanced out the window and he relaxed his grip on the strangers' neck.
"Fine."
“There's a good Frank."
"How do you know my name?"
"It’s not important." The stranger turned to head out of the room.
"Wait. What's yours?"
"Gerard" he answered, not bothering to turn around, and shut the door behind him.
Claire and Stormy walked back towards where she had lived with Frank, briefly anyway even if the house still gave her the creep. Stormy went ahead, her fangs hidden best as she could, just in case. It was quiet. Claire went around the back, underneath the window she had jumped out of. She looked in the bushes and found pieces from her shirt...and part of Frank's pants. She gasped and picked it up. Stormy came around
"It's quiet. Nothing in there."
“He..." Claire looked around; she dropped her jaw to yell for him, Stormy clasped a hand over her mouth.
"Don't. It's not wise. The hunters know that two vampires lived here, they'll be back." Stormy let go of Claire's mouth. Claire sighed and looked around, she smelt the air.
"Blood."
"Not a vampire’s. A hunters' most likely." Claire went over to where the body of the bitten hunter had been the night before and touched the grass.
"What happened here?" Claire looked up at Stormy, who shrugged.
"Come on, I think it's safe to go in and get a few of your things." Claire nodded and the two of them went in. Claire packed a bag of just the bare essentials, after all she didn’t own much anyway. She stopped by Frank's door on the way out.
"What?" Stormy asked.
"I should leave him something, so he knows I'm alright, in case he comes here."
"No notes…" Claire nodded and looked at her wrist, the bracelet he had given her for her birthday. She nodded and took it off and placed it on his pillow, kissing it, and headed out with Stormy.
The moon was hanging low again in the sky. Claire walked up the stone path that led to Stormy's house. She looked over next door.
"Someone's moving in."
“Looks that way." Stormy stopped and looked at the car that was in the driveway next to her home.
"I Wonder who."
Claire felt a tight knot forming in her stomach and the sound of the slamming front door made her look up. Claire's eyes looked over at the door and what she saw made her jaw drop. She stepped back and stood behind Stormy.
"Hi. I'm your new neighbour, Ray." He said holding out his hand.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Stormy" A coy smile grew on her face, "and this is..."
"Oh my...CLAIRE?"
"Hi Ray." she said feebly, "It's been awhile huh."
"Yeah, do you live here now?"
"I'm staying here for the time being."
"What about Frank?" Ray asked, his eyes prodding at her for an answer.
"We…got separated."
"Separated?"
At this point Stormy cut in, "It's a long story Ray, I'm sure Claire would love to tell it to you at another time but right now, we have things we have to do. Please, don't be a stranger."
"Uh yeah, sure, nice to meet you. And I'll see you later Claire." She nodded and headed inside.
Once they were in the house Stormy turned to Claire,
"Who was he?"
"An old friend, that's all."
"Does he know what you are?” Stormy asked, stirring her cup of blood up a bit that she had just taken from the microwave. Claire shook her head and took a drink of her own.
"Such a shame. Where you two close?" Stormy gave Claire a knowing gaze, as though she already knew the answer.
"Kind of. I mean, yeah, we were. It's complicated."
"Love always is." Stormy chuckled and headed upstairs to her room. Claire sat there in the kitchen, drinking her blood and feeling a tangle of feelings. Part of her wanted to run over to Ray's and cry in his arms, to tell him to hold her, to just stay there with him, forever and part of her wanted to run out of the door and just run down the street until either she found Frank or the sun found her.
He groaned
"Claire” he muttered.
His eyes opened, it was dark in the room, a fire in the corner in the fireplace, heavy drapes around the bed that Frank was in. The moon was out, he groaned and sat up. No one was in the room with him but he could hear low voices and footsteps and the door creaked open.
"You've woken." Frank looked at the man in front of him
"How did I get here? The hunters…they..."
"Were knocked out long enough for me to get you and myself out of there..."
"Why did you help me?! Who are you? And where's Claire?" Frank stood up and glared the man in the eyes.
"For every hunter of our kind, there is a hunter for their kind. You're lucky night. And ‘Claire’… I saw no other vampire there, unless she's human..."
"Claire's a vampire. I have to find her" Frank looked around the room for his things.
"The sun will be up soon. You can't go out now.”
"You can't tell me what I can and can not do!" Frank grabbed the black haired man by his neck, which wasn't as easy as it could have been, considering Frank's height.
"Look out the window. The moon is setting; the sky is starting to change. If you want to go out there, fine, but its suicide! If you don't...you can stay. You can search tomorrow evening." Frank glanced out the window and he relaxed his grip on the strangers' neck.
"Fine."
“There's a good Frank."
"How do you know my name?"
"It’s not important." The stranger turned to head out of the room.
"Wait. What's yours?"
"Gerard" he answered, not bothering to turn around, and shut the door behind him.
Claire and Stormy walked back towards where she had lived with Frank, briefly anyway even if the house still gave her the creep. Stormy went ahead, her fangs hidden best as she could, just in case. It was quiet. Claire went around the back, underneath the window she had jumped out of. She looked in the bushes and found pieces from her shirt...and part of Frank's pants. She gasped and picked it up. Stormy came around
"It's quiet. Nothing in there."
“He..." Claire looked around; she dropped her jaw to yell for him, Stormy clasped a hand over her mouth.
"Don't. It's not wise. The hunters know that two vampires lived here, they'll be back." Stormy let go of Claire's mouth. Claire sighed and looked around, she smelt the air.
"Blood."
"Not a vampire’s. A hunters' most likely." Claire went over to where the body of the bitten hunter had been the night before and touched the grass.
"What happened here?" Claire looked up at Stormy, who shrugged.
"Come on, I think it's safe to go in and get a few of your things." Claire nodded and the two of them went in. Claire packed a bag of just the bare essentials, after all she didn’t own much anyway. She stopped by Frank's door on the way out.
"What?" Stormy asked.
"I should leave him something, so he knows I'm alright, in case he comes here."
"No notes…" Claire nodded and looked at her wrist, the bracelet he had given her for her birthday. She nodded and took it off and placed it on his pillow, kissing it, and headed out with Stormy.
The moon was hanging low again in the sky. Claire walked up the stone path that led to Stormy's house. She looked over next door.
"Someone's moving in."
“Looks that way." Stormy stopped and looked at the car that was in the driveway next to her home.
"I Wonder who."
Claire felt a tight knot forming in her stomach and the sound of the slamming front door made her look up. Claire's eyes looked over at the door and what she saw made her jaw drop. She stepped back and stood behind Stormy.
"Hi. I'm your new neighbour, Ray." He said holding out his hand.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Stormy" A coy smile grew on her face, "and this is..."
"Oh my...CLAIRE?"
"Hi Ray." she said feebly, "It's been awhile huh."
"Yeah, do you live here now?"
"I'm staying here for the time being."
"What about Frank?" Ray asked, his eyes prodding at her for an answer.
"We…got separated."
"Separated?"
At this point Stormy cut in, "It's a long story Ray, I'm sure Claire would love to tell it to you at another time but right now, we have things we have to do. Please, don't be a stranger."
"Uh yeah, sure, nice to meet you. And I'll see you later Claire." She nodded and headed inside.
Once they were in the house Stormy turned to Claire,
"Who was he?"
"An old friend, that's all."
"Does he know what you are?” Stormy asked, stirring her cup of blood up a bit that she had just taken from the microwave. Claire shook her head and took a drink of her own.
"Such a shame. Where you two close?" Stormy gave Claire a knowing gaze, as though she already knew the answer.
"Kind of. I mean, yeah, we were. It's complicated."
"Love always is." Stormy chuckled and headed upstairs to her room. Claire sat there in the kitchen, drinking her blood and feeling a tangle of feelings. Part of her wanted to run over to Ray's and cry in his arms, to tell him to hold her, to just stay there with him, forever and part of her wanted to run out of the door and just run down the street until either she found Frank or the sun found her.