The Undead Journey - Chapter 5

I went rigid; I had been shot before, and I knew it wouldn't kill me, but it wasn't an experience I was willing to repeat. Besides that, this gun might be different; what if it really hurt me and killed me? I shivered at the thought. I was already dead, but I would take this kind of dead before I would ever give into the actual death, the kind that made you leave this place forever. Alex was silent, still, and from I could tell, he was calm. Frowning slightly, my gaze flicked to him and then back to the guy with the revolver. Though I couldn't see too much of him because of the scarf and hat, I got the feeling that he was just crazy enough to do it. It was a darkened part of town, and pretty much remote, so he could probably get away with killing two people here. I wasn't paying attention when he said something, but then caught it the second time when his voice grew a little harsher. He was ordering for Alex to turn around. Alex did so, with an annoyed little sigh. The guy snarled lowly, and even though it was muffled fromt he scarf, I could hear it as if it were right next to me. The guy's gun swiveled from me to Alex, and my heart, soundless, jumped to my throat. Was Alex like me? Could he live through the bullets? Sure, he was a vampire, but to each his own. Not everyone was exactly the same; perhaps the gun could really hurt him. I hadn't known him long, sure, but he was nice and had taken me in and didn't judge me. The guy's hat tipped back when he lifted his head a little, and the look in his eyes gave me the chills. He looked like a killer, alright. His eyes were like frozen stones, chilling and harsh. I heard a clicking sound and knew he had fixed the gun. I stiffened instantly, an instinct of mine, and subconsiously moved my foot back. Wrong move, because his gun moved back to me, centering on my chest.

"Don't move," he snarled unkindly. "Or you'll regret it."

Alex glanced at me, took in my stiffened form, and looked back at the guy. "Okay, what do you want?" his voice was calm and reasonable, like mine had been last night with the guy from the car.

"Money," the guy answered easily enough.

"Mmm," said Alex, nodding as if it made perfect sense. "Sorry, but I'm out."

"Him?" he gestured at me with the gun.

"He doesn't have any either. He was with me."

I paused. Did I have any money? I hadn't checked the night before. Now I did, and found my pockets to be empty. Those damn bastards who had killed me had robbed me as well. A growl escaped my lips, and the guy wrapped his finger around the trigger.

"Careful," Alex whispered to me in a voice that I knew only I could hear. "He's got an itchy trigger finger. It'll hurt."

I frowned again, and then nodded slowly.

"Look, buddy," said Alex, taking a step forward. The gun centered on him again, aimed at his chest. "We don't have any money, else we'd give it to ya, y'hear? We'd just like t' get outta here, is all." he raised his hands as he continued forward, showing that he was helpless, that he was unarmed. I watched him cautiously, unsure of what he was planning. "We don't want any trouble."

"The hell with this," the guy snarled, and emptied four shots into Alex's chest. I was pretty sure I cried out with alarm when he tumbled back and hit the ground, lying perfectly still. It was too dark to see if there was any blood, but then I was beginning to panic. The guy centered on me. "Any last words?"

Speechless, my gaze flickered from him to Alex's inert form, to the gun, and back through again. He laughed and emptied two shots into me, sending me flying back and hitting the wall of a building. I slid to the ground, feeling dizzy and sore, but not quite dying. As his footfalls echoed through the shadows and disappeared, I blinked and glanced at my chest. There were holes in my shirt and jacket, but there was no blood, and though there was pain, it would soon subside and leave me with only the holes for memory. Shakily, I crawled toward Alex and reached a hand out, gripping his shoulder. "...Alex...?" I asked slowly.

His eyes snapped open, and I was slightly puzzled by the amount of relief I felt when they did. "He gone yet?" he asked, looking at me as if getting shot were the most normal thing in the world. I shrugged and nodded my head, and he sat up, popping his back. "Now I'm going to have to get new clothes. Again." he sighed.

"...This has happened before?" I asked softly.

He nodded. "Yeah. Things like that happen around here at times. No one hardly ever hears about it, but when you've had to go through it, you learn to be cautious. Playing dead helps." he got to his feet.

"...What if he sees you later and learns that you're not dead?"

He shrugged. "The lighting wasn't good for him. He won't recognize me. Maybe by my voice, but I dunno. If I seem familiar to him, then he'll be left with trying to figure out why, when he's clearly killed me and made an escape."

I sighed.

"About that movie," he said. "We can still catch it, but that's only if you're still up to it. You looked a little shaken back there."

I frowned, slightly embarressed. "Well...maybe a little..."

"I understand," he said. I nodded, because he probably did. "Why don't we go back to my place, change, and then we catch the next showing of whatever?"

"But...I don't have any clothes..."

"So you can borrow some of mine. Granted, they'll be a bit big, but they'll do until you can get some of your own."

"Okay...thanks."

He flashed me a smile. "Welcome, kid. C'mon." he turned on his heel and began walking out of the shadows, acting as if nothing had happened. I frowned after him, wondering how he could be so calm. But then, he'd been a vampire longer than me; he was probably used to it. Sighing, I followed after him.