Chapter 1
Chapter One
APRIL
“So, you see, luck has nothing to do with right or wrong.” Pointing to the soggy fry, brandishing it like a knife at the dirty mutt sitting next to me, I give him a stern look.
His short black fur could be white for all I know, but he is as dirty as I am.
Which is probably the only reason we are alive.
“It has everything to do with time. Timing is the key.” His tongue lolls from his snout, his tail lashing excitedly behind him.
Snorting, I shove the fry in his mouth and chuckle when he swallows it whole, not bothering to chew.
“She’s doing it again, Sara.” The whispered words coming from behind me make me shake my head, my lips twitching. “She’s talking to the mutt.”
“Eddie, that’s not nice.” Sara admonishes her sixteen-year-old brother. “Sorry, April. He hasn’t been around many people.”
“Neither have I.” Glancing over my shoulder, I smirk at the embarrassed look on her face. “Leave the boy alone. He can say whatever he wants. It doesn’t bother me.” Turning back to the mutt, I frown at him, “You, on the other hand, bother me a lot. You should go back to wherever you came from.”
“We really should send him away. He might give out our hiding spot,” Sara adds, reluctantly.
I found Sara and her brother huddled in the tunnels a couple of weeks ago.
Those not wanting to be blood banks and live under the thumb of the Council and the monsters hid wherever they could.
While the rest of the humans continued with life like nothing bad happened, trading corporations and enterprises for monsters that sucked their blood in their spare time, the rest of us hid.
We ran and hid like rats in sewers, forests, and any other undesirable place from the mighty gods.
In other words, the smellier the place, the higher the demand is for it.
The monsters have heightened senses, so if they can’t smell us, they can’t find us.
Many groups have crossed my path over the years.
I’ve always watched them warily, staying away from them until they realized I wanted nothing to do with them.
Not many of us were lucky enough to stay out of sight and not get killed, but there were still plenty.
After a few attempts to get me to join them, the groups would give up and leave me to my fate.
Being alone was better. It made it a lot easier to run and hide, and much more comfortable to live with yourself because nobody could leave you and never come back.
Seeing Sara and Eddie changed that. It might be because the boy reminded me of my own brother when he was his age.
I don’t know what it was exactly, but I started talking to them, and we’ve been together ever since.
The stupid mutt joined us a couple of days ago.
When I was scavenging around dumpsters and dark alleys, I found him digging through the trash looking for food.
I chased him away, making sure he stayed away from our food source only to find him following behind me a few minutes later.
He never barked, never made a noise, but he made sure I see him.
He would stand still until my eyes landed on him and the tail would start flicking so fast, I kept wondering how he didn’t lift up in the air like a helicopter.
When I looked away, all movement would stop.
For the same reason I stayed with Sara and Eddie, I let him follow me here. He has been like my shadow for two days, even sleeping with one eye open in case I decide to go somewhere without him. But Sara is right. We can’t afford to gamble with our lives for an animal.
“You need to go!” Snapping at the mutt, I add a glare as well, hoping he will turn and run through the tunnels.
The tail does the helicopter thing again.
Sara snorts.
“You’re not helping.” Turning my glare at her, I cross my arms over my chest.
“Sorry.” The second snort tells me she’s not sorry at all. She loses the battle and laughs right in my face. “You acting stern is like seeing a Chihuahua thinking it’s a Great Dane.” Even Eddie giggles at that.
“What’s that supposed to mean? I’ll have you know I’m plenty scary, thank you very much.
” A ridiculous urge to stomp my foot almost overwhelms me, but I stand still, grinding my teeth.
The stupid mutt decides to pee on said foot at that moment.
“Sonofa…” Jumping away does nothing for my soaked sneaker and sock while the mutt wags his tail happy that he marked me.
Sara and Eddie burst out laughing, pressing their hands over their mouths to stifle the sounds.
My blood is boiling, and a throbbing starts behind my eyes that tells me I’m going to end up with one of the headaches I’ve been suffering from a lot lately.
The giggles continue until I finally can’t stay angry.
Instead, my lips start twitching at the ludicrousness of the situation.
Chuckling, I rub my hands over my face, slowly lowering myself on the ground.
Taking my shoe and sock off with two fingers, I fling them towards the brother/sister duo—that’s enjoying my predicament way too much—before rummaging through the bag with my belongings and putting the boots on. The only other pair of footwear I have.
Squealing, they jump away from it, and my laughter joins theirs.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve smiled, much less laughed.
Hearing it now, the sound seems foreign to my ears.
The mutt crawls closer, his belly scraping the floor.
Smiling, I reach behind his ears and scratch him.
He grunts softly, pushing his head harder under my hand.
My smile freezes, my fingers stopping the movement when Eddie’s laughter is replaced by an awful cough.
The sound coming from his tiny chest resembles the old Toyota I found a few years back.
It rumbled, sputtered, and coughed, but it never started.
Sara rubs his back in gentle circles, worry scrunching up her round face.
Looking closely at them now, I can’t believe I never noticed that they look paler than usual, the dark circles under their eyes a glaring reminder we all sleep, just like the mutt, with one eye open in case we need to run.
Sara is around my age, a year or two younger than my twenty.
Her blonde hair is braided, a few wisps escaping and curling around her smeared face.
The dark red t-shirt and blue jeans she is wearing are dirty with stains all over them, looking darker gray than any other color.
Her blue eyes dart my way quickly before she looks away, noticing me staring at her.
Eddie’s dirty blonde hair, however, is plastered to his gaunt face, and the longer he coughs the more sweat gathers around his hairline.
The shirt and pants he is wearing look two sizes too big on him, swallowing his gangly body.
How have I not noticed something is wrong with him?
Fear starts inching like icy fingers up my spine, but I push it away. It’s useless, remember? I sternly tell myself as I crawl closer to them.
“What’s wrong with him?” Sitting on my heels next to Sara, I can’t look away from the boy.
“It must be the flu or a cold…” Her hands are shaking while she looks anywhere but at me. “It’ll pass.”
“Sara.” Stopping the frantic movement of her hands, I take them in mine tugging gently until she looks at me. “I can’t help if you guys don’t tell me what’s wrong.” When she says nothing while tears run unchecked down her cheeks, my heart stops beating for a second. “Can I help? What does he need?”
“I’m coughing out blood now,” Eddie says weakly, remnants of the cough still shaking his body occasionally. Sara bursts out crying, pressing her face into her hands.
“What do we do?” My mind is spinning, no clear thought staying long enough to help me come up with an answer. “What do we need?”
The mutt whines softly, having crawled with me next to Eddie.
His head is laid on top of the boy’s legs, and sharp, round brown eyes watch me intently.
Sara and Eddie are both looking at me too.
Startled, I realize they are not just watching me but are looking at me to find answers.
Even the stupid mutt. I want to jump up and run, to scream that I’m just as lost as they are, maybe more so.
Then Eddie coughs again, a splatter of blood coating the left side of his thin, dry lips.
Something in me breaks like a crystal glass dropped on a marble tile.
“We need to find a doctor.” The words coming out of my mouth sound distant and faint.
“No!” Sara grabs my arms in a death grip, so strong you’d think I was getting ready to leave.
I wasn’t. My body is frozen solid in this spot.
“He needs help, Sara. Help that you and I can’t give him.” Shaking off her grip, I reach my hand out, pushing the damp hair off Eddie’s forehead. “I’ll find help, Eddie, I promise. Just hang on, okay?”
“It’s okay, April. It’ll pass. Please don’t leave.” His gray eyes are glossy with fever, making me stare at him, dumbfounded for not noticing it before. “No one will help us; we know that. It can only get us all killed.”
Silence follows his words, and the sounds of drops hitting a puddle in the tunnel are too loud to my ears. Like a nail to my brain, they keep pounding.
Plop…plop…plop…
“No!” My shout makes Sara jerk back. Startled at my outburst, Eddie’s eyes open wide.
Even the mutt perks up his floppy ears. “No one is getting killed, and no one is dying. Do you hear me?” My brain is rattling in my head, coming up with a dozen ideas and dismissing them the same second.
Grabbing Sara by the shoulders, I stare at her sternly.
“We don’t need a doctor. I’m going to find some medication.
You need to keep him breathing until I come back, understood? ”
“No…but…no,” Sara stutters, flinging her head violently left and right, her braid slapping both our faces.
“Yes!” Shaking her until she stops and stares at me wide-eyed, I breathe through my nose to stop the panic that is building inside me.
“I’m not sure how long it’ll take me, but you must promise not to leave this place and keep your brother alive, Sara.
I will find medication, and I will come back.
Do you understand me?” Stressing that I will come back, I wait until she nods jerkily.
“Good.” My shoulders sag before I push myself up on trembling legs.
“That’s good. Everything will be fine, you’ll see. ”
Sara nods more firmly, grabbing her brother’s hand in both of hers.
Eddie watches me, hope shining brighter than the fever in his eyes.
There it is again—hope, that cruel bitch—but I’m adamant about beating her at her game this time.
Ten years and one dead monster proves I have luck on my side.
I can do this. Walking up to the metal ladder leading up towards the streets above us, I look over my shoulder one more time.
Both of them give me wobbly, encouraging smiles that gut me on the spot, making my hands grip the metal tighter.
Climbing up with determination I haven’t felt before, I keep praying for one thing.
I pray that I can keep my promise and come back.
I pray that I don’t turn out to be a liar just like my parents.