Free Living in Darkness (Bloodbreeders) by Robin Renee Ray Page B

arm.
    “You’re right,” I replied, with a small sigh. “I’m sorry. You’re only
trying to help, and I know you mean well, it’s all too much right now.”
    “Come,” Rebecca said as she walked me up to a
broken window. “We’ll have plenty of time to work things out.”
    Once inside, we found the door to the cellar, and began our descent. The
smell was about as bad as my last home—the crypt—but here, there were no
candles or makeshift beds. There were just a bunch of cobwebs and dirt. There
were also a few discarded items scattered around, a broken rocker here and a
wooden barrel there, but that was about it.
    “Sorry we don’t have a bed for you, like he did,” Omar commented
with disdain in his tone.
    “That is about enough, Omar,” Rebecca scolded. I can’t say why, but
this man didn’t like me; I could see it in his eyes.
    The four of them found a place for themselves on the floor, so I did
the same. No one spoke. We all just drifted off to sleep.

 
    *****

 
    When I awoke, the four of them were in what seemed to be a heavy
discussion. I could tell it was about Martin and me, because the instant they
noticed I was awake, the conversation stopped and they all turned my direction.
    “Oh, you’re awake. How does your arm feel?” Rebecca asked.
    “It’s better, thank you. Um, is there a problem?” I asked, looking from
her to the men.
    “No, everything is fine. We just had a small disagreement, it’s nothing
to worry   yourself about,” she said.
    I didn’t know what was going on, but I wasn’t about to ask in the
presence of the three men. I just wanted to be gone from here. I knew Martin
was already looking for me, I could feel it. Even if he wasn’t I knew it
wouldn’t be long until he was.
    “So, where do we go from here, did ya’ll find
a car?” I asked.
    “Yes,” Rebecca answered. “Ronny has one ready outside.”
    “Then can we leave? He’s looking for me, I know it,” I said.
    Omar looked at Rebecca and gave her a small smile, one you wouldn’t
notice unless you were looking straight at him. I didn’t try to question his antics;
I just got up and started for the stairs. I didn’t have any intention of having
a conversation with the likes of Omar, even if I did want to know what that
little smirk was all about. He made my skin crawl the first time he opened his
mouth, and has had my nerves on edge ever since.
    We all loaded in the vehicle, and traveled throughout the night,
stopping only to steal gas. No one spoke much, though Rebecca asked how I was
several times. Along our way, we found abandoned houses to seek refuge from the
day, even staying in a cramped little crypt in a rundown cemetery. We were
usually crowded, but once the sun came up, it didn’t really matter where we
slept. The days and nights passed uneventfully. On the fourth night as we were
huddled in a dank cellar, the pain in my stomach returned with
a vengeance .
    “She needs to feed. We don’t need her weak,” Omar told Rebecca.
    “No,” I cried out. “I won’t hurt another person, I can’t.”
    Omar opened his mouth as if to say something, but Rebecca grabbed his
arm.
    “We will teach her to feed without taking life. That is Martin’s way,
not ours,” she said looking at me. “We can show you how to survive without
causing harm to a normal. Even animals can serve us well.”
    I thought about it for a moment before agreeing. “Ok, then I’ll feed. I
don’t want to slow us down, and give that bastard a chance to catch up. I would
rather die than go back with him,” I said.
    I knew that was only part truth. Despite everything, I missed him, or
at least some part of me did. The other part wanted his neck hanging from a
noose. I could still feel the kiss…our last kiss. How could I have been so
stupid? How could I have thought it was real? Just another of his tricks, I
told myself. The neigh of a goat brought me back to reality. I looked up the
cellar stairs to see Ronny and Marcos