Requiem for Blood (18 page)

“Olivia!” she barked.

Olivia looked up at her, studying her face as if reading the expression looming on it and gauging how she should react but instead stayed quiet.

“We're going hunting.”

Felicity couldn't recall much of the fight or how Olivia had gotten the upper hand and managed to beat her but she wasn't angry at that. No, not at the outcome of the fight. She just couldn't help how angry she had been at herself, for being so weak at this very moment. She was in immense pain, but she tried to cover it with rage and began taking it out on everyone, even Randy who had come to her side and tried to whisper something. She shoved him away before he could speak and he knew she was projecting, so he didn't take offense to it. Olivia knew it as well and as usual, she was unaffected by her passionate display of emotion. Olivia had long since felt the sting or jolt of any extreme emotion. She didn't know how to show pure affection or pure hate, only indifference, except when it came to her sister. There was always something about being next to Alexa that drew happiness out of her, and when she had left, it was like she had lost a part of herself. Only Noah and sometimes Allison had been able to draw out any humanity she had left, but even that was rare. She stood up and dusted her pants off and walked to Felicity, several inches shorter than her when they were opposite each other.

“Why do you want to hunt with me?” she asked.

“I don't.”

Olivia nodded, the realization setting in but it was Noah who had spoken up.

“The Matriarch wants you two to hunt together?”

Olivia was aware of his appearance yards before he was upon them and she figured Felicity had as well, as she didn't bother to acknowledge his existence, keeping her eyes on Olivia. “Shall we go?”

“Yes, of course.”

Felicity had already turned to leave when Noah grabbed onto Olivia's arm and tugged her back. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Just as you said, my mother wants us to hunt together.” She briefly wondered what her mother had hoped to accomplish in forcing them to hunt together, but nothing she could say or do would get her out of it.

Noah bent down and leaned in close. “But haven't you stopped to think why? I mean, it's Felicity....I'm pretty sure she is deranged and psychotic. She'll probably try to get you to kill someone.”

She sighed as if it were still natural.
If only you knew
, she thought,
how many I've killed just being outside this colony
. But she only said, “It'll be alright,” and walked forward.

He pulled her back, his hand still tight on her wrist.

“Like hell it will,” he said. “Take this.” Noah pulled out a blood bag from his pocket and pulling her palm forward, he placed it in her hand.

Fangs threatened to come down but she fought the thirst, pushing it aside. “Where did you get this?”

“My mom's stash, just take it with you.”

She nodded her head with thanks and then ran to catch up with Felicity. At least she wouldn't have to feed off of another human again. She pondered for a minute if she really minded feeding off of a human but Felicity's sharp tone when she called to her stole her away from her thoughts.

They stood in the parking lot of a strip mall, a thin sheet of sweat lining Felicity's body. Felicity wiped it from her forehead and with the same hand, motioned Olivia forward. She crashed an item that was in her hand into the glass window without much subtlety. A loud alarm had gone off but it went unnoticed by the two. Olivia saw that she used her bow to break the window and was still using it to knock away the excess glass that clung to the sides of the door. She stepped over the glass and with her bow again, slammed it into a glass casing that held expensive jewelry.

“Why are we raiding a jewelry store?” asked Olivia, between the shatters.

“My Marc Jacobs stopped working,” she said, holding her arm out to Olivia. “I have to know what time it is to avoid the sun.”

Felicity undid the watch and threw it to the ground, replacing it with one she randomly picked up. She held her arm in the air and nodded in approval at it then turned to leave but not before grabbing a few other pieces of jewelry. “Here,” she tossed a silver watch at Olivia but she avoided it.

“What is wrong with you? It's just a watch.”

“I do not need one,” she said as she eyed the silver piece of jewelry.

They dashed out of the store and slid into the dark crevices of the strip mall just as Olivia heard police sirens wailing. She figured they were still a few miles out as Felicity didn't make mention of their sound. When they had gotten enough distance between themselves and the store, Felicity stopped and started heaving profusely, fighting for air as she gripped her aching body parts.

“What's wrong?”

Felicity shot her an angry glare. “Nothing is wrong.”

“If there is nothing wrong,” said Olivia, “let's continue.”

Felicity was standing upright again, as if all the pain had left her but Olivia knew she was just biting it down. She stood up on the tips of her toes, stretching her arms in the air then turned to Olivia. “Let me ask you something, how did you get the upper hand on me?”

“You threw your
shuriken
,” she said, holding out her arm and then pulled it back but not before Felicity took notice and pulled it forward.

“If I threw the shuriken,
at you
, where is the wound?”

Olivia pulled her arm free.

“You missed, but it allowed me the opportunity to gain the upper hand.”

“But how?” she demanded.

“It doesn't matter how.”

“If you don't want to admit that you cheated, that's fine. But I will figure out how.”

Good luck
, she thought. “OK,” she said.

The area which they were walking through had grown increasingly unfamiliar to Olivia, who eyed everything cautiously. It had an odd smell, dank as if they had stumbled upon a landfill but no, it couldn't have been. Trailers were scattered on top of the area, a web of weeds crawled up their faces and wooden boards lined their windows. As they went further down and found themselves away from the street, a mist grew overhead, fogging Felicity's vision but Olivia pressed on. Felicity had grabbed onto her arm, and Olivia barely felt the tug of another body on her. They continued through the area. There were houses further in, while not looking much better than the trailers, they gave the sense that they had been lived in unlike the others. Small toys were situated at the foot of the cracked steps and old cars sat on the dead grass to which Olivia's senses led her to.

“Where are we?” she asked under her breath.

Hearing the question that was probably not directed to her, Felicity answered, a smile in her voice. “Off the beaten path.”

Olivia had stopped and turned toward her. “What?”

“Best to kill those who the world wouldn't miss, right?”

“Is this what you do?” asked Olivia. “Kill people in run down neighborhoods?”

“This area and I have an understanding. I've personally provided medical care to the residents, ensuring that I get what I need without getting sick and that they're taken care of—until I kill 'em.”

Sounds had interrupted Olivia and she focused in on a conversation. Several yards ahead, came the sounds of a boy whose words were riddled with fear as they came out. She heard a woman try to console the young boy, who couldn't have been more than five or six years old. He sounded terrified as he murmured about being taken and the names of those who had disappeared. If Olivia wasn't focusing so intently on the words they were exchanging, she would have been devoured by the scent that was slowly drifting into her nose. She fought it away, staring deeply at Felicity who couldn't quite make her out in the fog.

Olivia caught the sounds of the something else, coming up behind them, like footsteps across the pavement. A man called to them.

“Is anyone there?”

Olivia remained still and quiet but Felicity, her sight disabled, turned to the sound of his voice.

“I'm armed and with the neighborhood watch,” he shouted through the fog.

His words didn't stop Felicity as she continued to walk toward him, the fog slowly clearing as if it cowered in fear of her now intimidating presence. She could see the scowl the man wore on his young face, no older than twenty six but lined with age. For the most part, he looked clean and well kept, someone she hadn't seen here before and a smile formed on her face.

“And I'm merely passing through,” she said.

“This isn't the kind of area that someone would pass through,” he said with an accusatory tone. “What are you doing here?”

Felicity half turned her body toward Olivia who was a few steps behind. The man placed his hand on her shoulder and was met with her right elbow to his nose. He stumbled backward, both of his hands holding back the blood pouring out of his nose. Felicity moved quickly, raising her right leg high in the air and rounding out for a kick but was caught by his free hand and he knocked it back to the ground. She stepped back gracefully, unaffected by his counter. After she had stabled herself, feet pointed toward him, she pulled an arrow from her quiver, arranging the bow and arrow in her hands. The man was spitting out blood and was unaware she had a fix on him. She breathed once and let the arrow go.

He looked up, immobilized by the sight of the arrow, as if everything had slowed before him. He awaited the strike but it never came. Olivia moved in quickly, her hand extended out and caught the arrow, breaking it into two with her one hand. The man took off running, yanking his cellphone out of his pocket and punching the buttons as he turned down a road. Felicity yelled a few curses at her but Olivia was gone before she heard any of them. She grabbed onto the man and ripped the cellphone from his hand just as he started his words. She stepped on the phone, crushing it to pieces then sat him down to the pavement, her fist bunching up his jacket collar. Forcing him to look into her eyes, she repeated the phrase over and over in her head until it sounded good enough to say aloud. “I don't want you to remember any of this,” she commanded.

He blinked and then grew stiff, his chest thrust forward.

Olivia looked up and saw Felicity standing a few feet behind him, the bow at her side. The arrow had pierced right through him, a deadly first strike straight through his heart.

“Why did you do that?” Olivia yelled.

Felicity leaped forward and retrieved her arrow, leaving the man's body to slouch onto Olivia. She smelled the blood and felt it dripping onto her hands. She pushed the man's body back and stared down at the blood, her fangs growing in her mouth.

Felicity dragged his body back, pulling a small knife from her pocket jacket. She turned to Olivia. “Well go on. Weren't you yelling at me for some stupid reason?”

She cut his wrist and more blood poured out of him, hypnotizing Olivia as she breathed it in. Olivia stood up and turned away after an unsuccessful attempt to force her fangs up. “No. I'm going home.”

“Come over and,” Felicity began but cringed in pain before she could finish.

Olivia came to her side. “Are you alright?”

“I'll live,” she said, shrugging as she bent down to the man's wrist. After tasting a bit of his blood, she turned upward to Olivia, “Nothing like a little energy. You have to try.”

She brought her hand to Olivia's face, finger tips dancing as they hung just outside the corner of her mouth. Olivia slapped her hand away and Felicity let out a playful yet sadistic laugh. She brought her fingers back up to Olivia's mouth and wiped her bloody finger tips across his lips. Olivia stilled, the blood on her lips, tiny drops invading her mouth and...

She pushed Felicity back and grabbed the man's wrist, biting down forcefully as her eyes darkened. Felicity looked on, pleased, and drew the knife again, piercing another part of him. It was something in Felicity's need for thrill that ran through Olivia, filling her with that same need as she relished in the taste, not concerned if anyone saw them. It felt amazing.

Olivia made sure her fangs went back up before she pulled her mouth away from his wrist. She turned to see Felicity doing the same, wiping the blood from her mouth. “Definitely O negative,” said Felicity. “I hate O negative. I want something better.” She stood up and started walking away, but not before quietly calling back to Olivia, “Would you do something with that body? I'm not exactly in the best position to move something so heavy.”

Olivia looked down at the man, his limp and cold body curled up on the pavement and drenched in blood. She searched his pocket and found no identifying items then swung him over her shoulder and walked to a wooded area just outside the neighborhood. Just as she did the man from the beach, she began digging a deep grave, but this time with no tools in sight, she used her hands and then rolled his body into it. She could hear Felicity's footsteps against the soft earth, just a few feet back and continued to throw dirt into the hole. By the time Felicity had come up behind her she was finished, her arms and hands darkened by the dirt.

“Buried him already?” asked Felicity, suspicious.

“Yes,” she said, and turned away from the makeshift grave. Although there was something about being out at night, hunting humans with Felicity that made her feel good, she was still hesitant to continue. Olivia was physically at her peak, the blood of the watchmen coursing through her like a rush of liquid energy burning in her veins. She had always felt weak, her body frail due to only eating real food on limited occasions, but now she felt stronger than ever and at the same time, drained. She watched the man die in her hands, looked on with pity, buried his body and now she just felt drained from it all. Maybe even a bit guilty, but it all went away when Felicity spoke.