November 27th, 2014. Near the Algonquin River.
Esperanza: Cold. Everything was so cold.
The right side of her body was on fire though, and somewhere in the back of her mind that seemed strange to her. She shuddered violently as the snow beneath her turned crimson. Something else that felt warm nuzzled her hand, and slowly she opened her eyes. A pair of bright black eyes stared at her; it was the rabbit she'd rescued the other day. She smiled. "I guess... I guess rabbits have good memories, too," came the murmur. The small brunette struggled to keep her eyes open. Falling asleep here wouldn't be a good idea. She reached her blood covered hand out--the right one--to pet the soft white fur. "Make sure... I stay awake.. okay..?" Silly talking to a rabbit. She hoped the cop from earlier wouldn't find her and finish the job. She had to stay awake.
Victor: Tonight hadn't gone as it was supposed to at all. Granted, he'd not had any plans so he guessed **** went better than expected. But none of it really mattered anymore. He dropped off Kenlie at the Vita and removed himself from the area post haste. Just couldn't be around anyone else that night. Couldn't figure his head out from the rubiks cube it had become. He was a simple man...and these emotions and this stress… it was more than he could understand. Everything had been so simple. So at ease. And then he turned someone he thought would bring more light into his life. Into everyone's. But here he was speeding off into the night and snow beside the river.
Once he was far enough away though, he pulled off onto the side of the road and cut the engine. Everything went dead silent from blanketing snow falling around him. The river to his left was black and half covered in ice, the center still rushing passed. The sound alone was able to blur out the noise in his head and he walked closer to the bank. **** wasn't this hard. It couldn't possibly have been this hard and he just been oblivious to it. He just couldn't fathom the ********. And the sound of the river rushing was the first soothing sound he'd heard in a long while. He took his cut off and slipped off his boots, placing them all in a neat pile. Without testing the waters, because ****..he knew it was gonna be cold, Victor dove into the water and swam deep. It was freezing, refreshing, numbing. Better than any booze. He stayed beneath the water line for quite a while before coming up to float.
Much further down the river, he glanced about, getting his bearings. Something seemed off to him the moment he broke surface tension. It was a scent in the air, something he'd smelled before. Death, but not quite. It was the scent of dying, an idea he never knew possible until he was turned. Who knew dying had a smell? He was hungry suddenly, but not overwhelmingly so. Victor couldn't really feel anything that would have been necessary for man or vampire. Didn't really want it to end either. So now he debated. Continue on lazy river and let it suck him under for good or give a **** and inspect the possible animal that was probably freezing to death.
Esperanza: Esperanza let out a weak cough, and each time her eyes closed the rabbit would nip her hand. She didn't need to lose anymore blood. That damned cop.. She hadn't been doing anything wrong--not really. Just stealing to survive in a new place. She highly doubted anyone would hire a girl who'd ran away from a halfway house. Another tremble wracked her tiny frame.
"Someone help... please... it hurts..." she said, though no one would hear except for that rabbit. It pushed its warm fuzzy face against her cheek, then turned and hopped off. "Hey... wh.. where are you going...?" she called after the fluffy creature. There was blood in its fur. Vaguely she wondered what people would think. She could hear the river rushing in the distance, and thought it was a good thing she could swim.
Stupid cop, she thought and wished she had a fire to keep her warm. A huge bonfire so marshmallows could be roasted. Usually it was a summertime thing; s'mores were good any time of year, damn it. A small part of her hoped that rabbit had gone to find help, and then she let out a breathless laugh. Chances were the rabbit--who she decided to call River--would just decide to hop all the way back to his family. Just as well, since there were hunters and such about. At least the burning in her right side was slowly going away. Stay awake. Stay awake. She didn't have the strength to pinch herself.
Victor: Yeah, stay in the water and just float away. Sounded like a great plan to him. And what he chose for at least another five miles. He was getting closer to town and could hear some of the police sirens in the distance. This ******* city was rank with cops now..shitty bastards that were becoming more trigger happy than anything. But he didn't have to worry about it right now. Not while he floated, numb, atop the river current. He breathed in. And nearly choked on the scent of spilt human blood. It was what carried the scent of dying. The shock nearly got him tugged further into the current and swept away into oblivion. But powerful arms brought him closer to shore so he could stand from the water.
****. He was so close to getting rid of this damned headache. Inhaling the scent once more, he followed it about a quarter mile back the way he came. There was a trail of dark red blackening against the snow. Didn't take long for it to congeal in this cold. But there was more fresh just further ahead which was piquing his interest all the more. The **** could have been out here at this hour and bleeding like a stuck pig? That's when those dark tresses came into view, splayed out over the snow. The small body barely moving in the dim moonlight.
"Holy ****..." He knelt down to the girl and felt to see if she was breathing or not. "Hey....are you ok? Wake up?"
Esperanza: The eyes opened to reveal bright blue orbs, and their owner blinked once. She was breathing, but it was shallow. Her heart beat slowly. Why was her throat so dry?
"... I... I'm... awake..." she said with a tremble. Gods above she was cold. "I got.. a.. a cop.. shot m-me three times.. Been hiding e-ever since." That explanation probably wouldn't make sense. Disorientation did funny things to the human brain. "Wh.. where's River..? He's a-a rabbit I saved a couple days a-ago... and he hopped away." Would he think she was nuts? More than likely. "I'm cold, mister.."
She thought he looked kind of like Santa Claus with that beard. But why would he be here? It wasn't Christmas Eve yet. Her frozen fingers were curled tightly around the strap of a well-cared for messenger bag, its contents protected from the elements. "I'm tired, too.. I know going to sleep out in the cold isn't a good idea.."
Victor: There would be many thinking right now, 'Isn't he ******* cold?' 'How is he capable of function much less thought?' But it was those blue eyes that peeked out from behind dark lashes that seemed to send an electric current through his body that fought every icy sensation that had been creeping into his muscles. He had not known there to be a blue of that color in the world. Strange, they almost reminded him of Kae's. Man shook his head to get the thoughts back, there was no need for such **** right now. Now..he had to get this little one out of the snow and stop the bleeding. He couldn't ******* deal with another dead child on his hands.
Even though the blood that slowly drained from her body had his stomach growling, spurred on his hunger like gasoline to a fire, he fought it. He fought fang and nail to ignore the need to drain her over the life vitae that had his mouth watering. Victor listened to her slurred speech. He imagined from her point of view, she made less than perfect sense but from where he was kneeling in the snow, it was all a jumbled mess. She'd lost way too much blood. Arms slipped beneath the girl's knees and shoulders and he lifted her up from the snow. "Hey..I'm going to take you to the hospital, sweetie. Just stay with me a little longer."
Esperanza: A quiet whimper of pain broke through and she curled weakly against his chest. Stay awake. He didn't smell like she thought Santa would. Plus he was too skinny and had a desperate air about him. This man was a complete stranger, yet her trust in him was implicit. Her ears picked up the word "hospital". Maybe there was a hospital somewhere close to that alley. She wondered if they would ask who shot her.
But where was her new rabbit friend? Had he gone back home? Did he decide to follow her? She didn't have the strength to lift her head and check. Her eyelids grew heavier. The man carrying her felt fit, like he visited the gym almost every day. Her dad did the same thing, only it was an exclusive membership. She frowned and pressed closer to this stranger. Why was he so cold?
The right side of her body was on fire though, and somewhere in the back of her mind that seemed strange to her. She shuddered violently as the snow beneath her turned crimson. Something else that felt warm nuzzled her hand, and slowly she opened her eyes. A pair of bright black eyes stared at her; it was the rabbit she'd rescued the other day. She smiled. "I guess... I guess rabbits have good memories, too," came the murmur. The small brunette struggled to keep her eyes open. Falling asleep here wouldn't be a good idea. She reached her blood covered hand out--the right one--to pet the soft white fur. "Make sure... I stay awake.. okay..?" Silly talking to a rabbit. She hoped the cop from earlier wouldn't find her and finish the job. She had to stay awake.
Victor: Tonight hadn't gone as it was supposed to at all. Granted, he'd not had any plans so he guessed **** went better than expected. But none of it really mattered anymore. He dropped off Kenlie at the Vita and removed himself from the area post haste. Just couldn't be around anyone else that night. Couldn't figure his head out from the rubiks cube it had become. He was a simple man...and these emotions and this stress… it was more than he could understand. Everything had been so simple. So at ease. And then he turned someone he thought would bring more light into his life. Into everyone's. But here he was speeding off into the night and snow beside the river.
Once he was far enough away though, he pulled off onto the side of the road and cut the engine. Everything went dead silent from blanketing snow falling around him. The river to his left was black and half covered in ice, the center still rushing passed. The sound alone was able to blur out the noise in his head and he walked closer to the bank. **** wasn't this hard. It couldn't possibly have been this hard and he just been oblivious to it. He just couldn't fathom the ********. And the sound of the river rushing was the first soothing sound he'd heard in a long while. He took his cut off and slipped off his boots, placing them all in a neat pile. Without testing the waters, because ****..he knew it was gonna be cold, Victor dove into the water and swam deep. It was freezing, refreshing, numbing. Better than any booze. He stayed beneath the water line for quite a while before coming up to float.
Much further down the river, he glanced about, getting his bearings. Something seemed off to him the moment he broke surface tension. It was a scent in the air, something he'd smelled before. Death, but not quite. It was the scent of dying, an idea he never knew possible until he was turned. Who knew dying had a smell? He was hungry suddenly, but not overwhelmingly so. Victor couldn't really feel anything that would have been necessary for man or vampire. Didn't really want it to end either. So now he debated. Continue on lazy river and let it suck him under for good or give a **** and inspect the possible animal that was probably freezing to death.
Esperanza: Esperanza let out a weak cough, and each time her eyes closed the rabbit would nip her hand. She didn't need to lose anymore blood. That damned cop.. She hadn't been doing anything wrong--not really. Just stealing to survive in a new place. She highly doubted anyone would hire a girl who'd ran away from a halfway house. Another tremble wracked her tiny frame.
"Someone help... please... it hurts..." she said, though no one would hear except for that rabbit. It pushed its warm fuzzy face against her cheek, then turned and hopped off. "Hey... wh.. where are you going...?" she called after the fluffy creature. There was blood in its fur. Vaguely she wondered what people would think. She could hear the river rushing in the distance, and thought it was a good thing she could swim.
Stupid cop, she thought and wished she had a fire to keep her warm. A huge bonfire so marshmallows could be roasted. Usually it was a summertime thing; s'mores were good any time of year, damn it. A small part of her hoped that rabbit had gone to find help, and then she let out a breathless laugh. Chances were the rabbit--who she decided to call River--would just decide to hop all the way back to his family. Just as well, since there were hunters and such about. At least the burning in her right side was slowly going away. Stay awake. Stay awake. She didn't have the strength to pinch herself.
Victor: Yeah, stay in the water and just float away. Sounded like a great plan to him. And what he chose for at least another five miles. He was getting closer to town and could hear some of the police sirens in the distance. This ******* city was rank with cops now..shitty bastards that were becoming more trigger happy than anything. But he didn't have to worry about it right now. Not while he floated, numb, atop the river current. He breathed in. And nearly choked on the scent of spilt human blood. It was what carried the scent of dying. The shock nearly got him tugged further into the current and swept away into oblivion. But powerful arms brought him closer to shore so he could stand from the water.
****. He was so close to getting rid of this damned headache. Inhaling the scent once more, he followed it about a quarter mile back the way he came. There was a trail of dark red blackening against the snow. Didn't take long for it to congeal in this cold. But there was more fresh just further ahead which was piquing his interest all the more. The **** could have been out here at this hour and bleeding like a stuck pig? That's when those dark tresses came into view, splayed out over the snow. The small body barely moving in the dim moonlight.
"Holy ****..." He knelt down to the girl and felt to see if she was breathing or not. "Hey....are you ok? Wake up?"
Esperanza: The eyes opened to reveal bright blue orbs, and their owner blinked once. She was breathing, but it was shallow. Her heart beat slowly. Why was her throat so dry?
"... I... I'm... awake..." she said with a tremble. Gods above she was cold. "I got.. a.. a cop.. shot m-me three times.. Been hiding e-ever since." That explanation probably wouldn't make sense. Disorientation did funny things to the human brain. "Wh.. where's River..? He's a-a rabbit I saved a couple days a-ago... and he hopped away." Would he think she was nuts? More than likely. "I'm cold, mister.."
She thought he looked kind of like Santa Claus with that beard. But why would he be here? It wasn't Christmas Eve yet. Her frozen fingers were curled tightly around the strap of a well-cared for messenger bag, its contents protected from the elements. "I'm tired, too.. I know going to sleep out in the cold isn't a good idea.."
Victor: There would be many thinking right now, 'Isn't he ******* cold?' 'How is he capable of function much less thought?' But it was those blue eyes that peeked out from behind dark lashes that seemed to send an electric current through his body that fought every icy sensation that had been creeping into his muscles. He had not known there to be a blue of that color in the world. Strange, they almost reminded him of Kae's. Man shook his head to get the thoughts back, there was no need for such **** right now. Now..he had to get this little one out of the snow and stop the bleeding. He couldn't ******* deal with another dead child on his hands.
Even though the blood that slowly drained from her body had his stomach growling, spurred on his hunger like gasoline to a fire, he fought it. He fought fang and nail to ignore the need to drain her over the life vitae that had his mouth watering. Victor listened to her slurred speech. He imagined from her point of view, she made less than perfect sense but from where he was kneeling in the snow, it was all a jumbled mess. She'd lost way too much blood. Arms slipped beneath the girl's knees and shoulders and he lifted her up from the snow. "Hey..I'm going to take you to the hospital, sweetie. Just stay with me a little longer."
Esperanza: A quiet whimper of pain broke through and she curled weakly against his chest. Stay awake. He didn't smell like she thought Santa would. Plus he was too skinny and had a desperate air about him. This man was a complete stranger, yet her trust in him was implicit. Her ears picked up the word "hospital". Maybe there was a hospital somewhere close to that alley. She wondered if they would ask who shot her.
But where was her new rabbit friend? Had he gone back home? Did he decide to follow her? She didn't have the strength to lift her head and check. Her eyelids grew heavier. The man carrying her felt fit, like he visited the gym almost every day. Her dad did the same thing, only it was an exclusive membership. She frowned and pressed closer to this stranger. Why was he so cold?
