Something Dark - Chapter One

“This has to stop.” Kai opened the door to his best friend Eva. She stumbled through the door, sobbing and hiccupping, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth. Her makeup was smudged and her startling green eyes clouded with tears and confusion, ringed with black, plagued with deep shadows. Ignoring Kai’s tall, imposing form, she made a beeline for the kitchen, and as Kai correctly assumed, the alcohol cabinet.

‘No, come here’ commanded Kai, but there was a soft, caring tone to his voice, as he caught Eva from behind, pulling her into his arms. He knew there was no point trying to ask her what had happened yet, he knew how the story usually went. He held Eva’s shaking body close, her tiny body overcome with fear and regret. Eva pulled away, took Kai by both of his hands and stared directly into his eyes. It hurt him to see her like this, it had happened before, but he could tell that this time it was worse.

“Kai, do you love me?” Asked Eva in a pleading voice, her eyes never leaving his. The way her hair was messed up, the look on her face, everything about her resembled a little girl, so different from the normal Eva he knew so well.

“Of course I love you,” replied Kai. Eva noticed the questioning look that passed briefly over his eyes, and wondered if he could ever continue with these feelings if she told him. No, she corrected herself, not if, when. Eva knew she could hide nothing from Kai, on any normal occasion she would have no reason to want to, but she had promised him that last time would be the final time.

Breaking her stare, Kai led her through the front room of his small, darkened London flat and into his bedroom. He turned on the blue tinted lights, but dimmed them; he couldn’t bear to see Eva’s troubled face too clearly.

Sitting her down on the bed, he enveloped her with his comforting arms. Eva buried herself in his shirt, and inhaled his familiar scent.

“Eva, listen to me, you have to tell me what’s happened, I’ll get Alex to help, and we’ll put a stop to this.” Said Kai in reference to his Wiccan friend, but he was met with a new wave of sobs.

After a few minutes, Eva hesitantly looked up.
“No, no Alex, she never helps anything.” She said softly, jerkily, but Kai noticed the venom in her voice, although he didn’t pick up on the jealousy that had crept into her words.

“She tries to help, you know she does, I don’t know what you have against-”

“NO ALEX!” Screamed Eva, her face reddening with passion and anger in an outburst that shocked Kai into silence. After taking a few breaths to calm herself, Eva proceeded.
“I was out at The Pit with a couple people from Uni,” Kai nodded in recognition of the local club he and Eva frequented. “I had a bit to drink, I don’t remember how much, but we were on our way back when I got separated from the others, there was a big crowd leaving The Pit. I wandered off on my own, I didn’t really realise what I was doing, but I found myself in this tiny back alley, everywhere was dark, but I turned around and there was this guy… I just couldn’t stop myself.” She broke off, overcome with tears once more.

“It’s ok, carry on,” urged Kai, wiping tears from her bloodshot
eyes.

“He was so innocent, he’d come to see if I was ok, he saw I got separated and asked me if I needed a hand getting home. I can’t believe I did it. I pushed him back, against the wall, he couldn’t believe his fucking luck.” She paused to smirk, her voice had taken on a sneering tone, but her face darkened, and despairing tears filled her eyes as she continued. “I couldn’t help myself, just sunk my teeth into his neck and drank. You should have heard him scream. He was expecting sex and got Count fucking Dracula. What the hell’s wrong with me? I felt this strength surging through me that I’ve never felt before, it was… wonderful…’ Realizing she was smiling, Eva guiltily shifted her position and stared at the floor, her face darkening once again.
“I… I didn’t stop… I just kept on drinking until he stopped struggling. I killed him Kai, I fucking killed him!”

Kai opened his mouth to speak, but Eva suddenly got up and ran to the bathroom. Putting his head in his hands, Kai sighed, and tried not to listen to the sound of Eva retching into the toilet.