Malik carried Sarah like a child and took off with supernatural speed. Sarah's mind was numb, she couldn't feel anything or say anything. She just kept replaying the brutal violence she had witnessed over and over again in her head. Malik didn't seem to notice or if he did he didn't care.
As they sped across the city, the sharp wind bit at Sarah's pale face. Her eyes stung and her messy brown hair waved around. Her stomach lurched when they had initially took off and it lurched again when they came to a sudden stop. Sarah distantly recognized where they were at, a fancy apartment complex in the more well to do area of Tyler.
"Do you humans live in these?" Malik asked, pointing up at the massive apartment complex with random windows lit up in the late night hours.
Sarah simply nodded in response, she found that words wouldn't come out. Malik nodded and started walking to the front of the building before stopping in front of the nice glass double doors.
"Oh, right. You're a mess."
He looked around and seemed to weight his options for a few seconds before carrying her over to a row of large but neatly trimmed hedges.
"Stay."
Sarah would have normally bristled at being commanded like a dog but that anger refused to rise. A part of her wondered if she would ever be able to feel anything again. She simply watched in silence as Malik walked off and vanished into the building. He too was covered in blood which struck Sarah as odd given he refused to take her inside.
He had only been gone for a couple of minutes when he returned and picked her up again like a child. He looked up and counted to himself before leaping straight up the side of the building with incredible strength. Sarah's stomach felt like it had been left behind on the ground, hidden by the hedges. When Malik's jump ended he quickly struck the side of the building with his fingers which dug into the stone like a knife passing through butter. Malik finished climbing up the side of the building using his hands and feet to propel himself forward. It was a surreal experience for Sarah who had never seen anything like this before.
When they reached the desired window, Malik slid it open and tossed her unceremoniously inside. Climbing through the window, he quickly shut it and drew the curtains. The apartment they were now in was furnished with basic things like a couch, a refrigerator, and a stove. Sarah had no idea how Malik managed to pay for this apartment, he didn't seem like the type to carry a large wad of money on him and even if he did, the currency of two hundred years ago was not exactly the same as the currency of modern times.
Malik left her sitting on the living room floor and vanished into another room adjacent to the living room. Sarah heard the sound of water rushing and realized that Malik had discovered the shower. This was followed by several flushing noises as Malik was clearly inspecting the toilet.
She glanced at the apartment door and briefly considered making a run for it. How far could she get before Malik caught her? She felt like his prisoner although he hadn't exactly threatened her or even harmed her physically. Her pain was emotional and mental at this point.
"You can leave anytime you want." His voice floated out from the doorway of the bedroom which made Sarah jump and wince in response. She said nothing to him and looked away from the door, focusing her gaze on the soft blue carpeted floor.
Malik silently walked over and picked her up by the scruff of her neck and stood her upright. "I meant what I said. Leave anytime you want. You should probably bathe first though, you are covered in blood and vomit."
He gave her a small shove towards the bedroom door and when she didn't walk any further, he picked her up again by the scruff of the neck and marched into the bathroom with her. He deposited her on the bathroom floor and motioned at the shower. Sarah saw a neat row of clean towels and washcloths that someone had stacked recently.
"You can bathe yourself, I may be a monster but even I have my limits."
The door closed behind her with a gentle click and nothing more was said. Sarah stared at her reflection in the mirror. Disheveled brown hair, empty green eyes, and a pale, blood and vomit covered face stared back at her. She didn't recognize herself.
The shower was easy to turn on and Sarah turned the knob to maximum heat. The hope was that the hot water would be able to burn her sins away, that she could somehow purify herself from the darkness that she had willingly unleashed.
She stripped out of her destroyed, filthy gore covered clothes and let them fall silently onto the floor. Steam billowed out of the shower as she gingerly stepped in and began washing her body. The hot water didn't purify her or remove the stains from her soul but it did lessen the numbness she was feeling. Tears welled up and she spent a good twenty minutes crying under the running water.
***
The towel was wrapped tightly around her and she stared miserably at the destroyed clothes. She hadn't considered the fact that she had nothing to replace them with and she had no desire to reveal her nakedness to Malik. She didn't have to worry for too long though as she saw a large oversized black tee shirt with a pair of underwear laying on the bed. The bedroom door was closed and she could hear some sort of odd rock music coming from the television in the living room. She quickly got dressed and left the towel on the bedroom floor. Thankfully, the shirt was huge on her thin athletic frame so it hung below her knees and felt more like a dress than a shirt.
She took a few deep breaths and took stock of her current mental and emotional state. The crying and the showering had actually helped and she felt significantly better than she had before. Still, there were unanswered questions that needed to be discussed and she needed to know where they stood.
Stepping out into the living room she saw Malik lounging like a panther on the couch, his red eyes fixed on the television screen which was showing some sort of all girl rock band playing on stage.
"Fascinating. Is this music for modern humans? It used to be so much more simple and overly religious."
"I guess. What are you even listening to?"
"I have no idea. The window said something about DeathbyRomy. I find this performance thrilling and sexual."
"I didn't need to know that. Also, it's not a window. It's called a television screen."
"This box is a television? Does it just play moving pictures?"
Sarah was sharply reminded of the time she had tried to teach her grandmother how to use a smartphone.
"Sure. Moving pictures."
She sat on the edge of the couch, as far from him as she could manage. His relaxed state was so much more different from the violent side she had witnessed earlier this evening. It was hard to imagine being asleep for two hundred years and not having any idea of what the modern world was like.
The song ended and Malik hit the red power button, shutting the television off. He turned and examined her, his eyes scanning her from head to toe, as if he was a doctor and she were his patient.
"I have made my decision. I will kill vampires for you."
Sarah perked up, she couldn't help it. "Why?"
"Because I'm bored. Also, because I hate them. You're just a convenient excuse."
Sarah didn't buy that, he clearly didn't want to talk about his true motivations though and she had a feeling she shouldn't push her luck.
"What are you wanting in return?"
Malik grinned at her, his eyes were shining with excitement that made her feel even more uneasy. "I want you to guide me in this new world. Help me learn and blend in."
"Why do you need me for that?"
"It's faster and easier than trying to learn everything on my own."
Malik stood and stretched, he was still shirtless and apparently had forgotten to secure clothes before securing the apartment.
"Where did you get these clothes by the way?"
"I took them from the apartment next door. Security in this place is really shit." Malik said this as if the idea of stealing something meant absolutely nothing to him. Given his violent nature and ruthless streak, Sarah reasoned that stealing was probably not even on the moral radar for him.
"If you are going to blend in, you need clothes too."
Malik looked down at himself, he was muscular but not overly so, more athletic than gym rat. His skin was pale, smooth, with no hint of blemish or scars. His abdominal muscles were well defined and Sarah forced herself to look away as heat rose to her cheeks. She scolded herself silently, she was a grown woman acting like a teenager.
"You raise a good point, I had forgotten that I was half naked. I'll have to secure some clothing tomorrow. I'll steal them from a different apartment."
He walked into the bedroom and Sarah followed, wondering if they were going to continue this odd conversation.
"You can have the bed. I'll take the floor."
Sarah blinked at him. "It's your apartment, I can sleep on the couch."
He looked offended by her suggestion and shook his head firmly. "Absolutely not. Sleep in the bed. Feel free to leave when you wake up or stay if you want, I can always find you later."
Sarah didn't detect any semblance of a threat in his statement, it was a matter of fact and there was a sense of understanding there. If he was going to kill for her, he would need information.
Climbing into the bed, she was surprised by how comfortable it was. "How did you get this apartment? This place has to cost a small fortune."
Malik's voice rose up from the floor, "I compelled the mortal at the front desk. He's now convinced that I spent something called two hundred grand and that the paperwork was completed a week ago."
"You really don't care about just taking things from people, do you?"
"Not in the slightest. I let them live, don't I?" He said this as if this was the only answer she needed.
She got comfortable and pulled the blankets up over her body. The apartment was cool in the Texas summer evening thanks to the central A/C that was currently running. As she lay there, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what in the hell she was going to do when she woke up, a question burned in her mind.
"Hey Malik, why did you save me?"
There was silence for a few minutes and Sarah began to wonder if he had fallen asleep, "because you remind me of someone. Now go to sleep."
Sarah nodded and laid back, who did she remind him of and why was that important? Was it one of her ancestors or someone completely unrelated?
***
A persistent knocking on the apartment door woke her up. She was groggy and still felt tired. Glancing at her almost dead phone she saw that it was nearly 7:45 PM. There was also thirty missed calls from her grandma and aunt followed by a string of worried text messages.
"OH SHIT!" Sarah yelled out, stumbling awkwardly out of bed. The knocking brought her back to reality and she flew out of the bedroom towards the door. She glanced through the peephole and saw an extremely angry looking grandmother and aunt standing in the hallway. Her heart sank and her knees started to shake. She didn't feel like a 19 year old woman at this point, she felt like a kid about to get into serious trouble she knew she couldn't talk her way out of.
Closing her eyes she tried to come up with an explanation of any kind that would hide the truth from her family. She also felt extremely guilty by the idea of lying to her grandmother and aunt but what choice did she have?
She cracked open the door and saw relief cross both of their faces. "About time! What have you been doing all day? You never came home last night, never called, never texted. Are you okay?"
Her grandmother was more worried than angry at this point but Sarah knew that wouldn't last long, especially when she found out about Malik.
"I'm sorry! I got distracted and I didn't have a charger. I lost track of time and it won't happen again."
Her grandmother looked suspicious and her aunt peered over her shoulder, into the apartment with a skeptical look on her face.
"Whose place is this?" Her aunt asked with a hint of a smile.
"It's uh… well, you see… the thing is…"
Her grandmother looked at the oversized shirt she was wearing and sighed heavily. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crisp twenty dollar bill that she handed to aunt Janine with a sideways glance.
"Why did you give her money?" Sarah asked, perplexed by the sudden odd action.
"She didn't think you would lose your virginity until you were in your thirties," her aunt answered with a large grin.
"Wow, okay, that's totally inappropriate and really none of your business." Sarah's face turned beet red and she fumed at the fact that her own grandmother and aunt had placed this lewd bet on her sex life.
"Chill out, there's nothing wrong with taking a man or woman to Pleasure Town."
"No, Grandma, just no." Sarah gasped out while her aunt nearly died of laughter.
"I'm shutting the door now."
"Wait, hang on! We did a whole blood tracking spell to find you, at least let us meet your new lover?"
"Absolutely not." Sarah said firmly, the idea of Malik being seen as her 'lover' terrified her. He was the farthest thing from that not to mention, her grandmother would probably immediately know what he was. His eyes were a dead give away afterall.
"Alright, be a prude then." Her grandmother gave her a teasing wink and shuffled off towards the elevators.
"Try to call or text next time, yeah?"
"I will, I promise."
Her aunt nodded and walked off, joining her grandmother.
Sarah shut the door and laid her forehead against the wood, it felt cool on her flushed face.
"Pretty powerful witches."
Malik's smooth voice made her jump and she swiveled around to find him leaning in the bedroom doorway, still half naked and grinning like the Cheshire cat.
"Yeah, well, they are my family and they trained me so…"
He nodded and walked past her, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway.
"Where are you going?"
"To find clothes." His reply was simple, as if he was explaining two plus two equals four.