Hoax Read online

  Was this some type of a messed up complement?

  “I don’t blame him thought” August muttered.

  “What?”

  “Nothing” he said a little too loudly. He was lying again. But she didn’t have strength to argue with him. “But it’s good for us.” he said.

  “What? His lust after my blood?” it seemed weird how normal she sounded at that moment.

  August smiled, “No, but yes.” He shrugged. “He won’t able to feed properly until he kills you. This gives us a chance, the more time that passes the more weak he gets.”

  “Then you can kill him?” She asked hopefully. He shook his head. Erina frowned.

  “I can’t kill him. It’s against the law. But we can complain about him and possibly get them to kill him for us. My sister is already on it.”

  “You just don’t wanna die, do ya’?” she arched an eyebrow, gently elbowing him in the arm.

  August just shook his head again, relaxing into the couch. “I’m not allowed, no-one is. If a vampire breaks a rule, we complain to the authorities. Then they come and fix it.”

  The redhead scoffed. “What types of ‘authorities’? Like ‘The Volturi’ or ‘The Originals’?”

  He arched a perfect eyebrow and smirked. “The originals” her smile brightened and August started to laugh. “Anyway” he continued, still smirking. “They are called ‘The Deus’.” He air coated the word by rolling his blue eyes. Erina chuckled. “They make the rules and we've got to follow them. Van Helsing and The Deus made a truce that we don’t kill humans and the human doesn’t kill us.”

  “Wait! We can kill you guys? How?”

  He arched an eyebrow, hands behind his head. “Sorry love, but that’s a secret” Erina turned ahead, her hands over her chest. She was trying to pout. “It’s odd” he continued, “How calm you are. Aren’t you suppose to be having a mental breakdown or something”

  Erina shrugged. “I guess I’m used to have weird stuff happening with me”

  August hummed, another question on the tip of his lips. “What did you friend mean when she said you ran away? And what was that woman talking about? What’s your story, Red?”

  Erina didn’t turn to look at him. Her eyes focused on the pale yellow walls. “I was 7 when my parents were murdered. The police never found out who killed them or why.” Her voice didn’t shake or broke. They didn’t have any emotion in them what so ever. August had bad feeling about this. Erina continued. “I had been in the foster system ever since. When I was 11, somewhere in Washington. One night, the house I was living in at that time told me to go to the neighbors to get some sugar. I didn’t care much; I just wanted to get out. When I reached her house, there was man inside, with her. I didn’t see his face but I heard his voice. The next morning we found her dead. There was nothing in her body, no marks, no injury except” here she stopped, looked at him, a small smile playing in her lips. “except two little holes in her neck. I've been kind of obsessed with vampires ever since.” she said sheepishly.

  She leaned on the couch, legs on top of the tea table, facing the ceiling. “I was moved out of there soon, when I told police what I saw and everything. They got me into witness protection. Changed my name, place everything. But I never stayed in one place for long. I didn’t want to. Then” here her voice raised, some sort of happiness in them. “I was brought here. Lynette is a social worker, excited to help. I-I didn’t like here much. A month in, I ran away from here to all the way back to Seattle. I was impatient, I wanted to know. I was there for five weeks, under the radar, invisible. I found some-people who were willing to help.”

  “We broke in to the evidence room. But somehow the police found out” she rolled her eyes. “It was a stupid idea but” she shrugged. “The others ran, leaving me. They stole some evidence about a jewellery heist that happened a few weeks ago. The police charged me for that, threw me in Juvie. That place sucked” she shuddered at the memory. “But somehow Lynette found about me, again. Went there to talk. If I listened to her, she would get me out. I wanted to get out of there so badly that-that I agreed. Best decision I ever made.” She looked at August, who was staring at her. “That’s my story”

  He looked away, blinked. “Wow. And I thought I had it bad” Erina shrugged. “So…” he questioned “Is Erina even your real name?” He wiggled his eyebrows, trying to break the tension.

  Erina laughed out. “Why do you care? You don’t call me that anyway” August nod his head, smiling. Suddenly he stopped. Erina frown. He quickly stood up. Erina stood with him. “What happened?”

  He looked at her as if he just remembered she was here. He blinked, his eyes in that weird blueish-grey color again. “Nothing” he said. “You need to shower.” He smirked, “You stink.” Erina rolled her eyes at him. She knew something was happening inside of his head. But she didn’t question. “And we need to leave too. I think a shower will do you good”

  “Fine” she told him, walking toward the stairs. August following her. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m just checking” he said, walking into the rooms. He first went to Lucy’s room, her wash room. Then Erina’s. “You weren’t kidding when you said you have been obsessed with vampires” August chuckled but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Whatever” she muttered embarrassed. “Everything’s good?”

  He nod, his eyes fixed on the window in her room. “I will check outside, while you shower.” With that he was gone.

  Erina took a deep breath walking inside of the bathroom. A shower will do some good.

  * * *

  The whole house was silent when she came out. Was August still checking outside? “August?” she called. But no answer came except for eerie silence. That's not good – she thought to herself. She walked towards her room. But she didn’t needed to.

  In front of Erina, leaning on to her bedroom door was the guy she was dreading to see. Now dressed in a pale grey shirt and his blond hair combed back neatly. His eyes were still the same grey color that she remembered. He stood there, almost relaxing in the door, arms folded on his chest. A smile decorated his face in a way that was too sinister. He pushed himself up, walking towards her.

  She took a step back.

  “Hello Erina” His voice low, deep. He had a slight accent.

  “August!” the red head yelled, taking another step back. Her eyes darted back and forth from him to the main door downstairs.

  The man only smiled. “That’s what his name is, August?” he nodded to himself. “He's a little -” he paused, his smile getting even more ominous. “busy, you know”

  Erina open her mouth to scream once more. But the next second he was in front of her, hand gripping her mouth. His body pressed up against hers. Tears gathered in her green eyes as last night’s memory raced through the redheads mind. She closed her eyes shut.

  “I don’t understand why you like him though” he started, his other hand lazily tracing patents in her arm, causing goosebumps to form. “I do know why he likes you” and like last night the man sniffed her auburn hair. “But why do you like him?” his voice tickled in her ear.

  Her heart pounded in its place as she tried to stay strong. In every book she read or every movie or every TV episode she watched, she knew one thing. You can’t let them know you are afraid. But it was hard, not to be afraid. It was hard when a killer was in front of you, a killer who could break your neck in a second. A monster who wanted you to be afraid of him.

  “I’m not afraid of you” she said, her voice nothing but a whispered.

  The man laughed, “Darling, of course you are”

  “No” she said her voice firm.

  “Then why don’t you open you pretty little eyes –” he didn’t finish. The next second his hand was gone. Then a loud thud. Erina open one of her eye first then another. He was gone.

  “Erina!” She heard August yell.

  She looked over the stairs, pushing herself over the railings. There the man was, in August’s
arm, backed up against the wall as the raven haired boy lands punch after punch. August turned over to look at her, than made a strangling-like noise, his ears turning a little red. Is that possible for a Vampire? – she thought.

  “Erina, put some clothes on and get out of here!” he yelled and it was then she remembered that she was still in robe. She nodded, darting toward her room, locking the door behind her.

  She quickly pulled on a pair jeans, a blouse and jacket on top. Taking a duffel bag from the closet, she started throwing stuff in to it. Another thump came from downstairs but she ignored it, stuffing as much as clothes inside of it as she could. When she left this house, she wanted to leave for good. She took the picture of her parents and a picture of Sara, Parker, and Lynette with Lucy and herself from the bed side table. It was taken the very first day of their senior year – Lynette had insisted.

  She threw the bag over her shoulder and slowly opened the door. One could hear the noises coming from downstairs. Erina didn’t looked down, she just ran straight to Lucy’s room. The young blonde played hockey and Erina knew that there was a wooden hockey stick lying somewhere around in her closet.

  The redhead slowly made down the stairs, her bag in one hand and the hockey stick in another. A plan forming in her mind. It was gonna work. It had to work. As she turned away from the stairs, she saw them. But the first thing that caught her eye was the red blood.

  August was desperately trying to stay on his feet but was failing. He was bleeding from his lips. His green t-shirt ripped from one side, showing of his not so pale skin, she thought he would had. But it made sense; he wasn’t pale in the first place. The blond man had held him, twisting him in the air before making him land on to the floor with a bang. The whole house shook.

  But the next second August was gone. Only to reappear behind the man. He held him by the neck. The man tried to get away but August spun him into wall. His face smashed into it, a few of the pans rattling with him.

  Then he was gone. A leg appeared out of nowhere and a kick sends August flying into living room floor. The man reappeared in front him, holding down with his hand, ready for another punch. Midway, he stopped. The blond man turned his face, looking at Erina. His left hand still half-way to punch August as the right one held his neck. He loosened his grip and standing up whilst August stayed on the ground.

  “Erina” the man said, turning to look at her, smiling. She gulped, tightening her grip in the stick. His smile brightened. He was in front of her then. But it didn’t surprised Erina like before. This time she was ready for him. She raised the stick and hit him in the arm. There was throb and then a snap. Then silence.

  The stick had broken in two parts, barely sticking together, rough with sharp edges. Half done –she thought looking at it.

  She looked up at him. His eyes dark grey and glowing, lips in a thin line. He didn’t like the idea of hitting him with the hockey stick. He took it from her hand. Erina yelped as he threw in behind him.

  “You know Erina” he said a low voice, walking toward her. “I like when you are scared. You know why?” She didn’t answer. He smiled, slowly pushing her toward the wall. “Because I can see it. In your eyes. You have such beautiful green eyes. And they changes, they change colors when you are scared. Did you know that?” She shook her head. His smile brightens. He lowered his head, near her ear and whispered. “And I love how you smell, when you are scared” her heart was beating a thousand times a minute. She could hear it and Erina knew he could too.

  He was enjoying this. He was enjoying this way too much. “And I love the way blood rushes in your veins. I love the sound of it.” He trailed his cold finger down her neck, slowly trailing down the carotid artery. She didn’t move. She couldn’t. She could only pray for her plan to work. Because there was nothing else she could do. He had her pinned between him and the wall.

  “Did you got my note?” he asked and she nod. Buying time – she said herself. He hummed, his finger trailing down her arm. “Would you mind I bite?” he asked huskily. His mouth still hovered over her neck. She swallowed. “I-I just can’t stop thinking about how warm and sweet it tasted last time” His nose sniffed in her wet tangled hair. “I like brunettes” he said suddenly. “They taste nice. But you, Erina, you taste like old fine scotch. Smooth and fine. Do you know how your blood tastes?” he kept on saying as his hand roamed around to her cheek to neck to hand, gently. “It like a little bit of licorice and spice.” He poked his nose in to her collarbone, said huskily “I like spice”

  “W-what's your name?” she quaked, her hand bundled into fists.

  Her question startled him and Erina knew it. The man brought his face out of her neck to look at her face. Erina sighed in relief. Suddenly he smiled. “Avery” he answered. “You like it?”

  She nods. “Yeah. But he doesn’t.” Erina smirked, her green eyes sparkling. “and it doesn’t matter anyway.”

  His brow narrowed together in confusion. His head tilted a little to the left. “What do yo-?”

  He didn’t get to finish but he got his answer anyway. When August turned ‘Avery’ toward him and plunges the torn apart hockey stick in to his stomach. Avery took a few steps back, his face ashen. Blood gushing out of the wound. “Because you're gonna be dead dude” She bent down, pushing the hockey stick further in to him. He screamed and Erina would be lying if she said that it didn’t made her smile a little more. “Get over it”

  “Are you done quoting?”August asked next to her. She looked up at him. His cuts had healed. The blood stains still had ruined the t-shirt. Erina shrugged, August rolled his eyes, grabbing her hand pulling her toward the door. “Well too bad, because he's going to recover soon and we need to leave before Round 2 starts” He muttered, stretching his neck. “I’m not up for round two”

  Erina got her bag off the floor. Looking at the house one last time. The walls were broken as well as the kitchen island. The floor had a few punch holes in them. Lynette’s gonna have a fit when she sees this – Thought Erina as she shook her head – Thank god for insurance.

  Swinging the main door open, they walked out of the house toward his car. August waited until she fastened her seat belt then started the car. “Thanks for distracting him, while I recovered” he spoke quietly. Erina nods looking at the road. “We are going to my place first. I need to get some stuff and then we will be out of this town.” Erina nodded again. August continued, “I talked to Vytas before the whole thing, he's gonna be here in an hour or so. He'll keep an eye on everyone. I texted him all the details and everything. So there is nothing to worry about.”

  “That’s good. But what about the house?” she asked.

  August shrugged. “I don’t even he can fix it all. It’ll take some time.” He looked at her then back at the road. “Erina, people will –”

  “It doesn’t matter” she interrupted him. “I don’t care about that. I don’t care if they think I’m a bloody murderer.”

  * * *

  They stopped in front of his apartment. He didn’t even lock the car as he rushed toward the stairs with Erina’s hand in his. It was then she noticed that August wasn’t as cold as Avery was.

  What that’s supposed to mean? – she pondered.

  August let go of her when they reached his flat. He went inside and then vanished. Erina stood awkwardly in the living room, until a minute later he came back in different clothes. His hair was wet and the white t-shirt he wore clung to his chest. She turned away. He threw a duffel bag like hers on the couch and open few drawers. It was already filled with some clothes.

  Two pistols were sitting on top of some of the clothes in which August then threw in the bag. AMT AutomagV with seven cases of bullets and a BUL M-5 IPSC. She raised a eyebrow at him.

  “We only need the guns for protection. Don’t worry.” he glanced up at her. “Do you know how to use this?” then he shook his head. “You probably, don’t” She looked at him and rolled her eyes.

  “I know” she answered shocking him
. Erina cleared her throat “I know how to use the AMT.”

  August raised an eyebrow back at her but didn’t question it. They left the apartment next. August locking the door behind them. He did took some of the food from the fridge and that red ice case that she saw earlier. Once back inside the jeep, his hand put in the keys in its place, August looked over at her. “You ready?”

  She turned at the road ahead, strengthen her shoulder and breathe in. She nods, “Let’s start”.

  * * *

  Epilogue

  * * *

  “Red, wake up!”

  Erina’s eyes snapped open. She sat, breathing heavily. “What-what happened?” she asked.

  August looked at her for some time before answering. “You were screaming.” She nodded. She knew that. She always screams.

  “What time is it?”

  “7” August replied getting of the bed, “I’ll get you some coffee” She nods again before pushing herself off the bed. She slowly walked into the living room. “What do you want for breakfast?” August yelled from the kitchen.

  Erina snorted, “Like you can make anything else except eggs and bacon”

  He glared at her, pushing the cup full of coffee at her way. “Says the person who can’t even boil water.”

  Erina shook her head. “I warned you before. I’m good for nothing.”

  “I know that now” August shaking his head, but smiling.

  Erina smiled too, walking away with the cup.

  That’s how their morning started, everyday, for the last 31 days.

  31 days. That was how long they have been on the run. Running away from family and friends only to protect them and it was working. Vytas – August’s brother – called them almost regularly updating them about everyone.