Chapter Thirty-eight

Chapter Thirty-Eight

It was not the sort of place you would take a hostage. On the busy high street of this small town was a small popular wine bar, and that was apparently when Alex was holding Lisa. Everyone in the bar look liked they were having fun, relaxed piano music played over the laughter and small talk. Everything in the bar was blue, promoting a relaxed atmosphere. Dim lights glimmered over blue bar stools, French voices gave the whole thing more romance than it should’ve done.

I searched for Lisa, but as I imagined her angry eyes I wished I had gone after Elizabeth. Lisa could handle herself, Elizabeth, I guess, could handle herself too. But I kept remembering that she didn’t push me away until the last moment, she was sweet and trusting. I would never forgive myself if Doctor Stewart was hurting her, or experimenting on her, because she was so capable, unlike the others. From what Lisa had described, it sounded like he treated her as some kind of pet.

So, there was a plan, as I pushed through happy couples and groups of friends I looked out for Lisa, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to fight Alex, I would take the cowards way out and run. Hopefully, I could persuade Lisa to help Elizabeth, Lisa wouldn’t like this, but if the Doctor was hurting her, we had no choice. Then again, Alex might have lied to me, Elizabeth might be in no danger at all, or Lisa might be in no danger, she might not even be here.

The people around kept bumping into my cast and apologising, it was getting irritating and the bar was hot and stuffy. I was about to give up finding Lisa when I spotted a long sheet of dark hair sitting by the bar. Lisa hardly ever wore her hair down, so that’s why I missed her. She was always wearing that tight pony tail which meant she was ready for action.

Her chair was directly parallel with the door, so why wasn’t she running? She was just sitting there, she had a drink in front of her, some pink cocktail, and she was idly turning a straw through it. She looked gorgeous, she was wearing a blue dress with some kind of glittery sparkles that caught the light dazzlingly, she also had dark eye make up on, which made her face look exotic and dramatic. At her ears big crystals sparkled.

‘Lisa,’ I placed my hand on her shoulder and she jumped.

‘What are you doing here?’ She was smiling broadly at me as she spoke, something I had only seen when she was about to cause trouble.

‘Coming to rescue you?’ I said it as a question, because she looked so happy. Maybe Alex had lied to me, Lisa didn’t seem to be in any danger at all.

She giggled, it was shocking, not Lisa at all. ‘It’s not going that badly,’ she said through her strange laughter. Her eyes looked blank.

‘Lisa,’ I breathed, ‘what are you doing here?’ Things were starting to slide into place in my mind.

‘I’m on a date!’ More of that blank laughter, school girl giggles that made me cold.

‘Who are you on a date with,’ I said, I tried to stay calm, I began surveying the room, he had to be here somewhere.

‘His name is Alex, I just met him today.’ This laughter and her breathy tones were creepy, she was acting like a bimbo valley girl. I knew if she could see herself she’d be disgusted, and I knew Lisa was in here somewhere screaming at herself. My eyes darted madly wherever they could reach, if he was controlling her right now, he had to be really close.

‘Lisa,’ I breathed, ‘we have to get out of here.’ I tried to take her hand, determined to stick to my get out and run plan.

‘But I’m in the middle of a date.’ Her eyes narrowed in shallow frustration. She pushed my hand away and pouted. ‘You leave.’

‘No Lisa please you’re not-’

‘The lady asked you to leave.’

Too late for get out and run.

Alex was blocking my way to the exit, Lisa giggled and blushed when she saw him, I felt sick. He looked relaxed, lazy, there was nothing to separate him from anyone else in the bar. He clutching a beer, just another person out for the evening. His eyes sparkled maliciously, he knew we were trapped.

‘You made the right choice,’ he smiled, ‘or did you?’ Then he tossed his head back and laughed. I positioned myself between him and Lisa, the real Lisa would hate me for that.

‘Tell me,’ he leaned in closer, resting casually against the bar. ‘Was it jealousy? You realised she’s been opening her legs for him all this time, but she wouldn’t fuck you.’ He shook his head, laughing. My hand tightened on the back of the bar stool, I gritted my teeth.

‘You sure you don’t want to save Elizabeth?’ he smiled again, as if we were having a nice chat, as if we were friends. ‘She’s strong, but he’s got all kinds of sedatives to play with, all those medical instruments-’

‘Shut up!’ My knuckles had gone white on the leather, my hand numb I was clutching it so hard.

Alex looked almost shocked, ‘you really care so much about one of us?’ Lisa had started to blow bubbles in her drink, it seemed as if her IQ were dropping by the minute. ‘You know what she is don’t you? She plays innocent, but I’ve seen inside her mind, and it’s dark. Just like the rest of us.’

I found courage from somewhere, ‘you don’t know anything.’ I sneered, changing position so I could cover Lisa, who was twirling on the bar stool.

He laughed again, ‘when I was born into this new life,’ he sighed, ‘everything changed, I can do this,’ he pointed to Lisa, ‘and I can see inside your head, and I know what you want.’ My thoughts flickered back to my dream before I could stop them, then they sent me straight to my moment of shame ad regret, Elizabeth crawling away from me. He smiled, had he seen what I had seen?

‘I know it made you feel good,’ he carried on despite the screaming in my ears trying to block out his words. ‘They panicked when you entered the room with her, a wild animal that could destroy you, and just for a moment she was helpless under you. Doesn’t matter how much guilt you heap on yourself, you know that’s true.’

‘No,’ my defiance was wavering.

‘Yes,’ his smile deepened, ‘you know what you are.’

Lisa was gargling her drink and spinning on her stool, every one in the bar was avoiding staring at her. ‘Please,’ I asked, ‘stop it.’

‘That’s not very gallant of you,’ he smiled, ‘you were supposed to charge in and stop the baddie, save the fair maiden.’ Just below his t-shirt sleeve was a long bloody gash. I smiled, Lisa had taken on a Vampire and managed to injure him, this calmed me and reassured me.

I felt in my pocket and grabbed my lighter, without thinking I threw the flame at Alex, it caught his t-shirt and he let out a very unvampireish yelp. Someone in the bar screamed as he ran with lighting speed towards the door, his movements fast and fluid I stumbled after him as people shrieked and jumped out of the way.

It was raining outside, the smell of singed material permeated the air, the hole under his t-shirt was black, it looked like cracked tarmac. Fire, fire killed them.

‘YOU THINK THAT’S ENOUGH TO KILL ME,’ he shouted at me from across the street, laughing, and then he was gone, swallowed up by the rain and wind, still with a touch of maniacal laugher ringing through my ears.

I knew where he was going. It was the same place I wanted to be. Before this moment I had to choose whether to save Lisa or Elizabeth, and now I had to save everyone. I reached into my pocket, at least now I had a weapon.

* * *

‘Lisa,’ I tried shaking her again, but she was just sat on the curb, staring into space, getting soaked in rain ‘Lisa.’ I took her left shoulder in my one working arm and shook her harshly. Her blank eyes blinked twice before all the pain and weight rushed back through her expression, her shoulders sagged and her brow dropped.

‘Lawrence,’ she stared at me, ‘how did-’

‘Don’t worry,’ I said, brushing her hair off her face, it was such a relief to see her sullen worried face again.

‘But I do worry,’ she frowned. ‘I remember Alex, I managed to hurt him,’ a ghost of a smile, ‘but then he hurt me,’ she pointed to a fresh bruise on her forehead, ‘and then…’ her face screwed up in concentration, ‘then I don’t really remember.’

‘He used the touch on you,’ I explained. ‘He made you… well it wasn’t pretty.’

‘I want to know.’

‘You were stupid,’ I winced, ‘he just kept making you more stupid. I had no idea they could control you like that. The way Doctor Stewart described it, it sounded like science, but this-’

Lisa shuddered, ‘I don’t remember any of it.’ She said, ‘and I’m happy. How’s your arm?’

‘Okay,’ I shrugged, ‘I thought you didn’t want to be around me.’

‘I don’t’ she said honestly, looking me in the eye, ‘but I ended up with you. I always seem to end up with you.’

‘I came here to save you.’

‘So where’s the vanquished demon?’ She asked, with that promising ghostly smile.

‘He ran away,’ I answered pathetically. Lisa snorted. ‘Look,’ I felt the snort was a gateway. ‘I hate what I did okay, but it happened and I’m dealing with it. If you want to help me then you’ll have to deal with it too.’

‘What am I helping you with?’

‘You were right about fire, it kills them,’ I said, ‘and we know wooden stakes do, sunlight is out of the question at the moment, anything else?’

‘Beheading,’ Lisa said with her eyebrows raised, ‘silver hurts them, maybe crosses and holy water, garlic. Why are you asking this?’

‘Alex is about to attack Project 45,’ I said grimly, set on my path. ‘We’re going into battle.