Altered Path

When I woke the next morning, I was surprised to realize I had slept for so long. Again.

I looked around as I stretched and woke up.

“Gideon?” I said softly.

I needed to know if he was up but if he wasn’t I didn’t want him to think anything was wrong.

When I didn’t hear anything for a few minutes, I got up. It was time to get dressed, get out of this house and get some stuff done.

“Yeah, totally up for this,” I mumbled.

As I readied myself on the outside by showering and making sure I looked neat, I readied myself mentally by going over my plan for seeing Erik today.

First thing I had to be sure of was that he was alone when I found him. If he had any of his ‘employees’ around he would try to be the big man and make me stay. I hoped if he was alone, I could talk calmly with him.

Then I would explain that I would not be returning to him, and he would not be fathering this baby.

“He’s totally not going to kill me,” I mumbled, feeling anxious.

Next part of my plan was to offer him the cash I had in exchange for leaving me alone. He obviously had no feelings for me if he could hand me to a stranger this way. Would he let me go for a chunk of cash?

I dressed in the sweats and tees I had and imagined the new clothes I would be able to buy soon.

“Five thousand dollars a week!” I whispered to my reflection, “We’re set!”

I made sure I had my new cellphone, my new ID, and the envelope full of cash. I would definitely need to get a purse but for now I shoved it all in my pockets and headed for the garage.

It was sunny and warm when I stepped out. I looked up at the sky and saw no clouds. It seemed like a good sign.

The garage was away from the house, so I walked to the door and poked my head inside the dark building.

“Hello?” I called.

I don’t know who I expected to answer.

I reached my hand around the wall and tried to find a light switch. There!

Light filled the garage and I stepped inside and looked around. Four vehicles: the one we arrived in, some red sporty thing that was sleek and low to the ground, some old timey looking car with a crank and, lastly, a big, shiny black SUV.

I pushed the button on the key fob and heard a “chirp” as the lights on the SUV flashed.

“My car,” I said, giggling.

Before I lost my focus and decided to drive around all day just enjoying the freedom, I hopped into the driver's side and started it up, pushed the button on the garage door opener clipped to my visor and pulled out.

The big gate opened for me when the car got near. I would have to ask Gideon how that worked. I punched my old address into the navigation system, and I was on my way.

I felt a sense of hope blossoming inside me as I planned what to say to Erik. My head felt clear, and I believed this would go well. If I stayed calm, maybe I could keep him calm.

It was pretty early by drug dealer standards, so I knew Erik would still be at home. I parked in front of the apartment building where the shiny car stuck out like a sore thumb.

I smiled nervously at the other tenants who collected outside to smoke and gossip as I engaged the alarm on the car. They didn’t say a thing to me, so I was pretty sure word had gotten around that I was ‘not around’ anymore.

“Nice to see you guys.” I said.

No reply and I was already inside and climbing the stairs to my old apartment.

I knocked three times.

“Go ’way,” Erik called, sleepily.

I tried the knob and since it was unlocked, I went in.

There was Erik, sprawled across the double bed we had shared, and lying next to him was one of my former co-workers from the strip club.

“Nice, Courtney, you piece of trash!” I said, loudly.

She and Erik sat up and looked at me suddenly.

“The hell you doin' here?” Courtney asked me, grumpily.

“Shut up. Get out,” Erik said to her, then he shoved her out of the bed and reached for a cigarette.

I stayed quiet, watching Courtney as she gathered her clothes and shoes and ran out the front door wrapped in a sheet.

“Classy.” I said, looking back at Erik.

“Get over here.” he said, holding open the sheet he had just shoved Courtney out of.

“Ew, no thanks. I came to tell you that we’re done. I’m not ever coming back to you, and you will never see this baby,” I said all at once because I was scared and wanted to run, but I stood my ground, shaky as I felt.

Erik took a pull on his cigarette, then said, “Shut your mouth and open your legs, bitch.”

He laughed and took a pull on his cigarette.

I swallowed hard and kept on with my plan.

“I hope this won’t be a problem. You did give me to another man.” I said, then I flipped him off, “Jerk.”

“You think he’s going to take care of you and that kid?” Erik asked me, then laughed loudly.

“I know he is. I’m working for him. He gave me a whole suite of rooms. He’s paying me and giving me clothes and food,” I said, but I saw Erik’s eyes wander down to my sweats as if unimpressed, “He gave me a car.”

That caught his attention.

“What kind of car? His dead wife’s hooptie?” he said, then laughed loudly again.

I went to the window and pointed down to the street where the SUV was parked.

“Does that look like a hooptie to you, Erik?” I said, with a smirk.

He took his time getting up and sauntering to the window, then he glared at me for a few seconds in that intimidating way he always did. Finally, he looked outside.

“Holy shit!” he said, “No way is that yours.”

I held up my keys and pushed the alarm button causing the car to blip bloop as if to say, ‘ha ha’.

Erik went back and sat on the bed.

“So, who is this guy? What else can we get from him?” he asked.

It was my turn to laugh. I even made a point to bend over and hold my stomach as if the comment had set off a volcano of laughter that may explode at any second.

“You…. can’t…. take,” I started to say through the laughter.

Suddenly, pain exploded in my back. It started in the middle and radiated outward quickly.

I screamed and dropped to the floor, writhing in pain.

Erik stood over me with a hammer in one hand and a maniacal gleam in his dark eyes.

“I take what I want. You should know that. You ain’t leavin’.” he said, dropping the hammer on the floor just in front of me.

I was in so much pain, but I had to fight back if this was how this was going to go. I would not let him hurt me anymore.

I grabbed the hammer and before Erik could turn and walk back to the bed, I smashed it down on his foot as hard as I could.

He screamed a word I should not repeat and fell to the ground beside me.

I wasted no time. I climbed on top of him and held the hammer over my head in a threatening manner. I was mad. I was not thinking.

“You want to know why you will never take a single thing from Gideon? Because you’re a weak, stupid little man and he’s a god damned vampire.” I said, grinning like a psycho.

Erik was still cursing me for the pain in his foot, but I saw a different look in his eyes as he processed the word ‘vampire’. He started to take deep breaths and after the fourth one he burst out laughing loudly.

“You’re even crazier than I told people you were. Dumb bitch.” he said as the laughter died.

I was mad at myself. I wasn’t planning to tell him about vampires, but he made me angry, and I had wanted to make a point. Now he thought I was insane.

“Erik, do you remember what you did to me at the club?” I asked him, turning my face to the side to show the lack of bruising or cuts where he’d kicked my face.

“Yeah, so? You’ve always been good with the makeup.” he said.

I got up off of him and grabbed a shirt off of the floor. I rubbed it vigorously on the cheek I was displaying and showed him the clean fabric.

“There’s no makeup, Erik. He used his blood to heal me. Then he drank my blood and I got so high from it. I passed out and he was worried, and he brought a werewolf to check on me,” I blurted out quickly.

Erik looked at me and I could see the wheels were turning in his head. It made me nervous.

“Made you high? What do you mean?” he asked.

“His blood made me high, too. Like…. like the strongest drug I’ve ever had.” I said.

He was interested now, I could tell.

“Bring him to me. We can make a deal for you.” he said.

I laughed and said, “No deal, Erik. He doesn’t like you. I’m just done with all of this. So, get over it.”

I headed for the front door and was suddenly grabbed by my arm and thrown backwards. I fell to the ground after my head hit the wall particularly hard.

I will not pass out, I thought to myself.

Then Erik was on me. He hit me over and over in the face.

My nose started bleeding and stained the front of the white tee I was wearing.

He backed up and kicked my stomach, my chest and then my back. He circled me like a rabid dog.

“No….” I whimpered through the excruciating pain that burned through me.

Erik went to the nightstand and pulled out a knife.

Suddenly, I was terrified. Was he really going to stab me? What about our baby? I had to get up, but I hurt so much. I wished I had not come here.

I’m sorry, Gideon. I thought to myself, because I knew I had messed up.

Suddenly, I felt a burning pain down my arm. I jerked away from the feeling.

Erik grabbed my hair and yanked me back as he continued to slice my skin.

“Gideon….” I said softly, wishing he was there to help me.

Then, I felt him. Not Erik. Gideon.

I tried to look around to see if he was there, but I knew he couldn’t be. It was daylight out. He had no way to reach me.

In my mind, I felt irritation, anger and frustration. Gideon was not happy.

“You think you’re the only one who knows about vamps?” Erik suddenly shouted.

He was looking around wildly, holding the knife out as if he was being threatened.

I tried to crawl to the door, but the pain was too much. I laid back down and watched Erik.

“I’ve heard things. Vamps don’t like it when you mess with their food.” he said, leering at me, as if in triumph.

I didn’t say a word.

“Only way he’s taking you, is if he agrees to give me his blood. I could make a damn fortune! I’d have to market it right, but I can handle that….” he trailed off, but not for long,

“I guess I made the right choice giving you to that vamp. He coming yet? They say there’s a psychic link.” he said.

I shook my head and whispered, “Daylight.”

It was the only response I could give him. I was fading fast.

“Oh shit! That’s right,” he said, “Looks like a long day for you.”

He punched my face hard. Then harder.

As he continued, my vision went black, I felt nothing and finally, thankfully, I was unconscious.