The Taste Of Blood *2*

∞   ...C.h.a.p.t.e.r.T.w.o...   ∞1

Lawrence Harvey watched the houses pass by out his car window. He was being sent to live with his Grandmother in the small, Massachusetts town. His parents had both died of unknown causes. The authorities were thinking it was murder, but nothing made much sense. 2

When they were found they had been drained of all their blood, but there were only three wounds on their bodies. The marks looked like bites from a small animal, like a raccoon or a cat, but neither animal would drain another creature of it’s life. Even if the thing was rabid, no one believed it was possible to do that to anything. 3

Lawrence was seventeen. Most people took one look and assumed that he was trouble. There was something about his build that put that thought in their heads. He was only five foot seven, but he was very fit looking. His body was muscular from years of playing football and soccer. He dressed like the people he spent most of his time with. Button down shirts, clean jeans, and his dark hair was always spiked just a little. He never was into their shoe styles though, he only ever wore Converse high-top Chuck Taylors because they were really comfortable. 4

His grandmother’s house came into view. If he had his way he would go live on his own, but the police suggested he stay with the elderly woman. His grandfather died in Vietnam, so he never met him. The poor woman had lived alone for years. The only difference there was now was her recent accident. She’d fallen down the stairs and hurt herself, not enough to break anything, but enough to be unable to stand sometimes.5

He turned his pick-up into the driveway and knocked on the door. She slowly made her way over and opened it for him. She directed him to the guest room and he unpacked his stuff. He didn’t have much, since he never really had any money or any desire to have anything other than a computer and some sports gear. 6

There wasn’t much for him to do when he was done unpacking so he went for a walk to check out the surroundings. Most of the houses seemed pretty normal, and it reminded him of his old neighborhood. 7

Only one house grabbed attention. It was old looking and sent eerie shivers down his spine. He saw the door was open and couldn’t help walking up the hill to shut it. He had a habit of shutting doors that were left open, even if they weren’t his own, sometimes he ended up getting in trouble, but it was his pet peeve to see front doors swinging wide open. 8

In this case there weren’t even any cars or signs of life in the driveway, so it just made the urge to shut it even more controlling. He got to the door and climbed up the set of three stairs. He put his hand on the doorknob to shut it. He saw a tiny kitten, only about two months old, staring at him longingly.9

It licked around it furry mouth and started coming towards him. He bent down to pet it, and his license fell out of his shirt pocket. He bent forward to pick it up and the chain around his neck came out from under his shirt. On it hung a small cross that he’d gotten when he was younger. His family had always been religious, and it had passed down to him.10

The cat took one glance at the cross and let out a deafening screech. Its eyes blackened and it arched its small back and hissed. Lawrence took the cross in his hands and looked at it, and brought it closer to the little, demonic animal. It darted away when he was about two feet away. He thought he smelled burning, but he decided it was just his mind playing tricks on him.11

He finished his task of shutting the door and walked away. As he walked away he felt like he was being watched, and he turned and looked into the window of the house. He saw a dark figure move away from his line of sight and he felt extremely unsafe.12

Lawrence started to walk a little faster to get away from the Hellish house. Fear swam throughout his veins and took over his body like cancer. He tried his hardest to ignore it, but he found he was getting no where.13

As he fought himself he heard the door open. He couldn’t help but turn around, only to see it was closed. He turned back, but heard it again. It happened three or four more times before he decided to walk backwards and stare at it.14

Without a doubt the door swung open and smacked itself against the front of the house. As it swayed in the breeze, Lawrence saw a shady figure make its way to the opening, which was only about ten inches now. From his distance it appeared to be a girl.15

Her face was pale and her eyes were just black holes in her head, from where he was standing. Her mouth was painted with crimson lipstick and her clothes, a black skirt that ended just below her knees and a black, long sleeved shirt, were ripped and mangled. He hated to judge her, but she looked like a witch. Beside her, the evil cat was curled around her bare foot. The sight sent a shiver through his body. He wanted to look away, but the girl had him mesmerized. Her eyes seemed to burn holes through his body and as a scream lodged itself in his throat he swore he saw her mouth curl into a hateful smile.16

He looked up to the sky and saw that the sun had hidden itself behind the gray, storm clouds and it wasn’t shining. The girl in the doorway stepped out into the shadowy world just barely. Lawrence didn’t stay any longer to see what she was going to do. He broke into a sprint and didn’t stop until he had shut his grandmother’s door behind him and locked the door.17

“Why did you lock the door, Lars?” She asked.18

He didn’t say anything. He knew that he couldn’t tell her what was going on because she had nightmares. Sometimes they were so bad that she’d wake up screaming and the neighbors would come. She never talked about them, all she told was that she always was awake at thirty-four past midnight. To this day she didn’t talk about her nightmares, it was a subject everyone steered clear of.  19

“Lars? Is something wrong?” She asked.20

‘No, it’s just... I’m just paranoid,” He told the truth, just not all of it. He was paranoid. Anyone in their right mind would after what he’d just seen. After feeling what he did in that house and when that girl was staring holes in him.21

He helped his grandmother make dinner and then he went off to his room. He turned on the TV and watched a pay-per view special of some old Jackie Chan movie. He fell asleep when the movie stopped, but no before shutting and locking all the windows.22

Sometime in the middle of the night he was aroused from his sleep by a noise outside. He tried to look out the window but he saw nothing. 23

He looked at the clock and groaned. It read twelve thirty-three. The clock switched to twelve thirty-four after about three seconds. He heard something hit the glass on the window. Startled, he turned around to see no one. It took another look to see what whoever, or whatever, hit his window had done. In red paint, or blood, he couldn’t tell which, it said let me in. 24

“Sick bastards!” He mumbled.25

He looked back at the clock. A minute had passed. He glanced back at the window and the writing was gone. Once more he looked out the window and saw a dark figure running in the direction of the house where he first saw the cat and the girl. 26

He crawled back into his bed, but he didn’t sleep. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering what was going on and why anyone would play a prank like this. Unless it wasn’t...27