Carin and Theo sat in a bar facing each other. The bar was dimly lit and warm with the soft sound of jazz music filling their ears. Theo signaled with his fingers at the bartender and the bartender, who was a beautiful brunette woman, walked up to them.
"Hello, what can I get for you?", she asked, flashing them a smile that looked as plastic as the cups that were lined up in a corner.
Theo smiled back at her, a wide, cheeky smile. "If I told you that what you can get for me is you, would you be able to give me that?", he asked.
The bartender was used to different men taking shots at her, so she smiled widely. "I'm afraid that will be impossible, sir. Maybe you can try something else like vodka or bourbon, for example". Her tone was professional but friendly.
Before Theo could give another flirty reply, Carin intercepted him and said. "Don't mind my brother, he says a lot of stupid shit when he's drunk"
"Hey! I'm not drunk", Theo replied, giving Carin a dirty look.
"That's exactly what a drunk person would say" Carin whispered to the bartender. She laughed heartily and then nodded her head. "So what will it be, vodka or beer?", she asked.
"A good old bottle of whiskey would be good right now," Carin replied. The bartender gave a curt nod and walked away.
Theo whistled as she left, "Look at that, big bro. She is smoking hot", he said, his eyes shining with desire.
Carin rolled his eyes. He was fed up with his brother's inability to keep himself in check. "Everybody's smoking hot to you, you animal", he teased.
With that, Theo laughed so loudly that everyone in the bar turned to look at him. He had missed his brother's jabs and the little banters they would have.
"Good to have you back, brother", he told Carin and he meant every word. After the death of their sister, Carin had shut down. He was usually fun, but their sister's death stole the fun right away from him.
"Good to be back", Carin replied, looking at something in the distance. There was a couple there being all touchy with each other and laughing like they were the only people in the bar. A strange feeling tugged at Carin's chest and he averted his eyes from them.
It was in these kinds of moments that the thoughts of Ember snuck into his mind. He spanked himself inwardly and snapped out of those feelings. Ember was gone and hopefully, he would never have to run into her again.
Just then, the bartender approached them and set the bottle of whiskey and two glasses before them. "Enjoy your night, gentlemen", she flashed them another wide smile before gliding away.
Carin watched as his brother stared lustfully at the bartender. He tapped the back of Theo's head playfully. "Come on, will you stop that?", he asked in a playful tone.
Theo shook his head at Carin. "Can you blame me? Look at her", he replied. Carin poured a glass of whiskey and passed it to Theo, before pouring one for himself. "We need to talk", he said.
Theo understood that his brother's tone had gone from playful to serious. It was like an 'everybody stop what you're doing, dad is back home' kind of serious.
Theo drank up his own glass of whiskey in one gulp. "Talk about what?", he asked.
"We need to talk about you", Carin said as a matter of fact. He knew that his brother had always been crazy, but lately, it was over the top. His behavior had to be addressed.
"What about me?" Theo asked, sounding oblivious. Deep down, he knew Carin wanted to go into big bro mode and probably start talking about some shit he had done. He didn't think he was in the mood for that.
Carin softened his eyes. He said "You know that you didn't have to kill him" "Kill who?", Theo asked, feigning obliviousness.
Carin was already starting to get a bit irritated by Theo's responses. "The priest. We promised his wife that we would spare him", he replied.
Theo rolled his eyes. He said, "Mind you, you promised her. I didn't". Theo's nonchalant responses pricked Carin like a hundred pins in his skin.
"You had no reason to kill him! We got the answers we went there for", Carin declared. He was really trying to rein his anger in.
His brother, on the other hand, was just as agitated as Carin. "He lied to us. Several times. He had to be punished" Theo stated.
"And you punished him by killing him?"Carin asked and this earned him an eye roll from Theo. "You never used to care about these kinds of things. You used to be so much fun in the past"
Carin took a deep breath, then said. "Fun is the thing that gets you killed. You're being reckless. What do you think will happen when bodies dried up of blood start turning up everywhere? We will be uncovered and hunted down"
"All right, all right. You nag like a wife." Theo said and Carin laughed at that. He was glad that he was able to talk some sense into Theo's thick skull.
They both carried on with their drinking, laughing and telling jokes.
An Hour Later…
The bartender approached them once more. She looked exhausted, but there was a hint of new make up on her face. A blue handbag hung from her shoulder and she was wearing casual clothes instead of her usual bartender clothes.
"Done for the night already?" Carin asked, flashing her a compassionate smile. She nodded, looking extremely tired. "My shift is over", she announced. "It seems you guys will still be here for a while"
"Maybe another thirty minutes", Carin replied.
She said, "There is another bartender that will attend to you. You can leave the paycheck with him". Carin nodded his reply and the bartender scurried away.
Five minutes later, Theo, who had been quiet, suddenly got up. "Just give me a minute", he said to Carin and hurried away. Carin let the cool music wash over him. He didn't let himself think about Ember. He didn't allow himself remember her smell and her smile and fuck… he was thinking about her.
Where the hell was Theo, anyways? It had been another five minutes already and he still wasn't back. Carin shuffled to his feet and made his way outside.
"Theo?", he called into the darkness but there was no reply. The night was still and the stars twinkled in the sky. Carin thought it was a really beautiful night.
"Theo?", he called out again but was met with the sound of his own voice. He walked through a row of cars parked in a corner. As he got closer, Theo's scent hit him and he relaxed a bit knowing his brother was safe. Then there was the smell of something else, something metallic and sharp. Human blood?
Carin tensed up and sped off to the direction of the blood. "Theo", he called out as the sight he saw made him freeze in shock and disappointment. Right there, Theo was bent over the figure of the bartender, his fangs were buried deep in her neck as he sucked her dry. The bartender's blood was all over him: his hands, his mouth and even his shirt.
A red, hot rage blurred Carin's sight as he charged for Theo. He pulled him away from the lifeless body of the bartender and smacked him on the ground with great force. Carin raised his right fist and landed it on Theo's face over and over again.
Blood oozed out from Theo's nose and mouth from the punches that Carin landed him. "You fool, what the hell did you do?" Carin asked angrily.
Theo's face was bloodied and swollen but he chuckled. "I was hungry. I had to feed", he said in a nonchalant manner. Carin shook his head, puzzled. He couldn't believe that his brother could be that heartless.
"You are a fucking disgrace" Carin spat angrily at him. "You are no brother of mine". Carin had never felt this kind of anger in ages. It hurt him more that even after he had talked to Theo, his brother had blatantly ignored him.
He just had to go and kill the kind bartender.
Anger clouded Carin's eyes and his blood thumped in his ears in rapid motions. He got up from his position on his brother's torso "From now moving forward, we are no longer brothers. I will advise you to stay away from me", he said.
Before walking away, he added. "And don't go to Wyoming in search for our sister. If I ever see you there, I will kill you"