'Oh no, he is NOT escaping from me again!' She went up after him. The door to his room was locked. "AJ, what are you doing in there?"
"Nothing."
"If you're doing nothing then why is your door locked?!"
"Because."
"Because what?!"
"Because it is!"
"What are you hiding from me?!"
"I'm not hiding anything!"
"Yes you are!"
"How do you know?!"
"I can feel it! If you don't open this door I am going to knock it down! You know I can!"
"If you knock it down, you're going to have to pay for it being repaired!"
"I don't care!" Denise stepped out of the bathroom and walked to Toni alarmed by all the racket.
"What's going on?"
"Jimmy here locked himself in his room and won't tell me what's going on!"
"What did you just call me?!"
Denise rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'll handle this. AJ, what are you doing in there and why don't you want to tell us?"
"I'm not doing anything BAD and there's no reason for you to know!"
"AJ, just open the door!"
"I don't want to!"
"Alexander James McLean, open the damn door this instant!"
"Aaarrgghh, can't you two just leave me alone?!"
"NO!" they both shouted simultaneously.
"My God! Hold on a minute!"
They heard shuffling of papers and the creaking of a door. Then they heard him unlocking the door. He greeted them with a frown.
"See? Nothing's going on!"
They walked in and looked around suspiciously. Toni put her hands on her hips.
"Ok, what are you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding anything! I told you!"
"Yes you are! Why are you being so secretive?! Why don't you trust us?!"
"Toni please, I don't want to have another fight! And I'm not being secretive!"
"This isn't a fight! We're having a very loud discussion and yes you are being secretive! First you show up looking like a goth, then you disappear on nightly walks, and now you're locking yourself in your room! Explain, please!"
"I…I…"
Denise's eyes looked back and forth at AJ and Toni until she noticed his closet door was opened just a crack and a little corner of rolled up paper was sticking out. Denise went over to it and was about to open it. AJ saw her.
"Mom, don't---"
Too late. The door opened and a whole bunch of scrolls spilled out onto the floor.
"Dammit!"
Toni looked at AJ then picked one up and unrolled it.
"What's this?"
"It's…"
She scrutinized it.
"This is a list of weapons and soldiers!" She picked another one up. "And these are military plans and targets! What's going on? Why do you have this? Don't these belong to your leader?"
"Yes they do."
"Then why---I don't understand."
AJ walked over to her and looked at the ground. "I'm the leader."
"What?!"
"I-i-it was Valencia's last wish." He gazed into her emerald eyes. "I've taken over my clan. I have those because…I'm leading the Desmondontidae into war."
"You're lying."
"I swear on my own grave that it's the truth."
"B-b-but why you? You don't know anything about this war or anything!"
"That's what I thought when they first told me! But I've learned and now I know! That's why I was gone so long before! I had to train myself and after I learned all that military stuff I needed to know, I had to command our battalion and fight every time the Daemoniacus came too close to our new location."
Toni needed a moment for all of this to sink in. Denise was frozen in shock.
"O-o-ok. You're the new leader, I got that. Why were you so afraid to tell us?"
"I didn't think you'd be ready to know yet. I mean, you flipped out on me when I left just for a few hours! I didn't know how you would react when I told you that I'd have to be leaving for months or even years at a time!"
"YEARS?!!!"
"Well not yet! But when the time came…My nightly walks are…I meet with Hans. He lets me know what's going on over there and how things are and if the Daemoniacus are advancing. Things have been pretty quiet these past few days, but if anything major turns up, I…I have to go."
Everyone was silent.
"Mom? Toni? Is there anything you would like to say?"
Denise looked at him. "I…I…I have to go to bed. Good night."
"That's it?"
"Me, too," replied Toni.
"Wait a second." They walked out into their rooms and closed their doors. AJ stood there gaping after them. "Huh? They wanted the truth, so I told them the truth, and what do they do? They walk out without saying a word, just like that!" he muttered to himself. "Ok, fine. I have to get to work anyway, dammit!" He locked himself in there again and did whatever he had to do. He remained in there days without ending. This war had taken over his life. He rarely came out and when he actually did, it was to find out about news from Romania. He didn't eat or sleep. Those weren't absolutely necessary on a daily basis for vampires, but after a while, it could become harmful. He's hardly talk to them. When he did, his voice came out cold and emotionless, like he didn't appreciate them ruining his concentration. He no longer said 'I love you' or showed his affection. He had changed drastically and it scared them. He had become one of…them.
Denise and Toni sat in the living room, quietly discussing this situation. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help him. This war's become a dangerous obsession. I know it was Valencia's last wish that he lead her clan into victory, but this…this is too much," said Toni sorrowfully.
"I know what you mean. He's not the same AJ I once knew. You think I could remind him…somehow?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"I was thinking that I'd convince him to take a walk with me and I'd bring up all these old memories and maybe…he'll remember."
"I don't know. He won't come out unless it's for the latest on the advances. But you could try."
"Yeah, when he goes out, I'll just tag along. Sorry, Toni, but I think this calls for just a mother-son moment."
"I understand. We have to do something or else we've lost him." They heard his footsteps coming down so they quickly changed the subject.
"Uh uh, so Denise! What happened on Dawson's Creek tonight? I'm afraid I overslept and missed most of it!"
"Umm, it was the one when Andy and Dawson get drunk and he makes an ass out of himself at his birthday party…"
"Oh." AJ didn't even turn his head to look at them. He was wearing his sunglasses again. Creepy. He just walked out like a zombie.
"Denise, I think it's time for you to go now," hissed Toni.
"Yeah, wish me luck!"
"Good luck!"
She grabbed her jacket and flew out the door. She caught up to AJ quickly since he was walking fairly slow.
"Hi!"
"What are you doing?" he asked coldly not even facing her.
"I'm joining you for a walk."
"No you're not."
"Really? That's funny because it sure looks like I am to me!"
"Mom, can you please go home? It's not safe out here for you."
"I'll be fine."
"Mom---"
"No, AJ, I'm not going back so save your breath!"
"I don't have breath."
"Whatever. Why does my company bother you so much?"
"It doesn't bother me. It's just that this isn't the right time for a nice peaceful walk."
"You're doing it!"
"I have to. You don't. And besides, it doesn't matter to me because no one can hurt me. You, on the other hand, are mortal."
"Oh please. I never get to see you anymore!"
"I'm sorry. I have no choice in that matter." He sped up. So did she. He wasn't going to shake her off that easily.
"That God damn war has taken over your life!"
"That war is my life."
"No! You could change that! You can take control of it again!"
"No I can't. My life isn't mine to control anymore."
"That's bullsh---"
"Stop right there!" A hoodlum holding a gun jumped out from nowhere. AJ and Denise stopped dead in their tracks.
"Give me all you got or I'll smoke you both!" Denise, trembling in terror, was about to say something but AJ stopped her. He took a step closer to the guy.
"Nah ah ah, don't you move any closer!" he threatened. AJ smirked and stepped forward. The mugger took a step back. "Back off! I mean it!" AJ could smell his fear. AJ continued to advance. "Stop it! Are you crazy?! You wanna die?!" AJ didn't listen. Denise was horrified. So was the criminal. He pulled the trigger. AJ bent over in pain. Denise screamed and ran to him, forgetting that he was immortal.
"Oh my God!" Suddenly, AJ slowly straightened up, laughing insanely. Denise and the
gunman looked at him confused.
"Hey, that felt good! Can you do it again, please!" AJ joked. He fired again, hitting AJ in the left shoulder. But he didn't flinch. He kept moving forward.
"What the---What the fuck are you?!" shouted the gunmen terrified. AJ didn't answer him. He just walked towards him wearing a sardonic grin. He continued to fire, one shot after another, while stumbling backwards. All of a sudden, a scream pierced the silence of night and AJ's heart. It was a scream of pain. AJ quickly turned around and was horrified by the sight before him. Denise was clutching her right arm. Her face contorted by agony and little rivulets of blood running in between her fingers and down her arm.
That drove him over the edge. Pissed beyond belief, AJ charged at the gunman, wrapped his hand around his throat and picked him up off the ground. He was gagging, choking, and kicking to no avail. AJ could have snapped his neck like a twig right then and there, but he had a better idea. He exposed his fangs for the first time and growled. The helpless gunman's eyes widened. "I've always wondered what human blood tasted like. Now I guess I'm gonna find out," AJ stated evilly. He cocked his head to the side and drew his fangs closer and closer to the guy's throbbing carotid artery on the side of his neck. The guy jumped as they penetrated his skin and AJ started slurping, purring like a cat. Denise looked up and was stunned by the scene. AJ was killing a man.
"AJ?" she said weakly. "AJ, stop!" AJ didn't listen. He was enjoying himself too much to heed her plea. He continued to imbibe the warm liquid, loving the sensation of it trickling down his throat. He had no intention of stopping. "AJ, no! Stop!" She staggered over to him and tried freeing the frightened criminal from his deadly grasp. "Don't do this! AJ, let go of him! You are NOT one of them! You are not a KILLER!"
AJ stopped and looked at her. Her face was pale and her eyes were dull as the result of horror and blood loss. AJ hated himself for what he did.
"AJ, please, leave him alone." He glared at his prey, growled, then flung him to the ground. He was very weak, but he still managed to pick himself up and scramble away. AJ turned back to Denise.
"We have to get you to the hospital!"
"Yeah, the car's just---aaaaahhhhhh!!!" He scooped her up and flew to the nearest hospital, bursting through the emergency room.
"Someone help her please! She was shot in the arm!" He gently placed her on the gurney. "Don't worry, Mom, you're going to be ok." She began to cry and was wheeled into a small room . AJ phoned Toni to let her know what happened.
"Oh my God! She's going to be ok, right?!" she asked.
"Yeah, luckily the bullet didn't hit anything major, but my God, I have never been so scared in my entire life than at that moment when I heard her scream!'
"I don't even want to imagine it! What happened to the guy?"
"I let that son of a bitch go and he took off! I would've killed him if it wasn't for my mom!"
"Aren't you worried that he might, you know, expose you?"
"No. Who's going to believe him?"
"Well, I guess you're right. Umm, AJ, don't think I'm being untrusting or anything, but uh…did you like what you tasted?"
"You mean did I enjoy drinking his blood?"
"Yes," she said meekly.
"Actually I did. Human blood is much better than animal blood, but, don't worry, I haven't developed a thirst for it or anything. I can never kill someone just for their blood."
"Oh ok." She was relieved and worried at the same time. Maybe he wouldn't kill someone for their blood, but he had really come close tonight at ending a life. The victim wasn't innocent of course, but still. "Do you want me to go over there? I'll take a cab right now, if you want me to."
"No, it's ok. You don't have to. She's being released tonight."
"Oh. That's good. Ok. Tell her that I'm glad she's all right and I'm looking forward to bowing to her every whim." He smiled. His first in a very long time.
"I'll be sure to tell her."
"Bye. I love you," she added hopefully.
"I love you, too. Bye."
She hung up and sighed in relief. AJ stood there for a minute then went back to Denise's room. She was sitting up on her bed with her arm in a sling.
"How's your arm?"
"A little sore."
"Oh. Good."
"Good? How's me getting shot in the arm good?!" she joked.
"It could've been a lot worse. You were lucky." He sat down next to her. "I told you you shouldn't have come with me. You're so stubborn."
"Yeah, well, that's where you got it from. Did you call Toni?"
"Yes. She says she's looking forward to bowing to your every whim."
"Aw, how sweet."
"Yeah."
There was silence for a moment.
"AJ?"
"Yes?"
"Those bullets did hit you, didn't they?"
"Yeah, they did."
"It didn't hurt you, right?"
"Actually, it hurt like hell, but lucky for me, bullets can't kill us. I'm glad Toni didn't decide to tag along."
"Why?"
"Because her kind are vulnerable to a shot through the heart."
"Oh. So…you're just going to leave them in there?"
"I'll take them out myself."
"Oh my God! Won't that hurt?!"
"Probably, but I don't have a choice. I can't leave them in because they're really starting to bug me. I can't ask a doctor to do it because they'll be a little suspicious when they find out that I'm walking around with five bullets in my body. Also the fact that they can't take my pulse because, well, I don't have one."
"Right. I guess sometimes it's good to be undead."
"Very rarely."
The doctor walked in with her x-rays.
"Mrs. McLean, you are one of the luckiest people I've ever met. Your x-rays revealed that you just have a flesh wound. The bullet exited near your elbow, but just grazed your humerus. Everything should heal in a couple of weeks."
"Will it leave a scar?"
"Two little ones."
"Oh ok. Thank you, doctor. When can I go home?"
"Well, if you think you're well enough, you can leave now."
"Really?"
"Well, I don't mean right this minute. You know, after you've gathered all your things and you check yourself out. Please take your time. I don't think you'd enjoy the feeling of a tear and more stitches," the doctor joked smiling.
"Oh no, sir! I'll be sure to take my time, thank you."
"No problem. Good night, take care."
"Good night."
He walked out of the room.
"Ok, get my jacket. Let's split this popscicle stand."
"Slow down, you heard what the doctor said."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to tear anything. Please hand me my jacket?"
AJ did as he was told and helped her put it on.
"Thank you, let's go."
She checked herself out and then they left.
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