"Shhhh!" she whispered, still. "Please, don't wake them up. Please! I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to be there. It was a terrible accident. Let me help you. They don't need to know anything. Oh, God, please be quiet. Let me-"
"How the hell are you supposed to help me?" He lifted his chin and stared into her eyes. "Can't you see that I'm burned?"
Becca's pupils dilated and her breathing became shaky. The nerves rattled through her, too, but her expression became blank. She pulled the dark hair away from the left side of her neck and tucked it behind her ear, revealing her blotchy neck. The scars grabbed Iggy's attention, yet again. They were indeed biting scars, but how it was possible was beyond him. The sweet vanilla aroma filled his nose, but it wasn't perfume. It was the sweetness of her blood seeping through her pores at levels much too high for someone who was normal and healthy. Her chin lowered and her mouth opened, displaying her cavity rich teeth.
"I know what it feels like to be burned," she said, drawing his attention down to a patch of wrinkly thick skin on her wrist, a white blanch on brown. The thunder of her heart beat hummed in his ears like the ocean. Her face inched closer. The vanilla filled his lungs even more. Her flesh. The stinging across his neck and shoulder numbed down as he gazed upon her ugly scar. "Please don't tell them…" she begged. "Please, don't make them do it to me again. I swear, it was an accident. I didn't mean to hurt you."
He brought his hand down from his shoulder and looked into it expecting to see blood or something, but something he expected least of all happened instead. She kissed him on his cheek.
She kissed him.
He whipped his head up only to realize that she had moved a lot closer to him. The tips of her hair brushed his nose and the smell of vanilla became overwhelming. The ache in his stomach twisted into a solid knot and the sizzling down his throat was so hot that he could have sworn to have heard it.
But, just as quickly as it had happened, they pulled away from one another. Becca stammered up to her shaky feet. "I'm so sorry. Please, don't say anything." She walked backwards toward the door. "I'll make it up to you. I promise." She scrambled out of the room and went upstairs to the kitchen to unload the grocery bags as if to cover herself with an alibi.
Iggy leaned back against the bed and drew his knees up. He investigated the injury with his hand, and amazingly, it no longer stung. Becca really did help, somehow.
As time passed, Iggy listened through the walls. He heard Becca enter her room, crawl into her bed, and say under her breath, "if I die before I wake, my soul is free to take." He imagined the smell of her. He could still feel the press of her lips against his cheek. He envisioned her soft neck… the heat in his throat boiled. He smiled. Regardless of how much he wanted her, he was still, not seeking nor prowling nor hunting her. There was a silver lining.
Finally he heard movement that indicated that night had arrived. Lot and Aster's shadows trailed across the floor as they walked through the hallway to the upstairs. After granting them a small head start, Iggy made his way up, too.
They sat at the dining table watching the local news on a small portable TV. Even upon entry, Iggy could clearly see the shadows of thirst looming over each of their eyes, yet the dimness in their eye colors couldn't give the shadow the exaggerated affect as it did for him. Up until that moment, he had no idea that there were different levels of infection, nor did he realize how the virus worked in people in different ways, but it was all becoming quite apparent.
He sat down at the table next to them and politely rested his hands in his lap. The television reporter announced, "the investigation of the Candurbury murder is still open. We do have confirmation that both Jessica and Andrew McLaren were pronounced dead at the scene. The search for baby Madison is still underway. If anyone has any information or sees any suspicious persons, please report it to the military."
Lot grinned and nodded his head toward the TV. "Should we give em' a call, Bobby? I think we could give em' a few leads."
Aster slapped the tabletop with her palm. "That's a dumb joke," she huffed. "We're not going to report anything."
Lot folded his arms high over his chest and leaned back. "Maybe we should've taken that little kid after all. If she was just going to end up lost anyways."
Aster rolled her eyes and turned her head toward Iggy. "Good morning handsome," she yawned. "You slept for two days, almost."
Iggy nodded slightly, acknowledging that she was correct, yet resisted the urge to demonstrate how good he felt about it. "I needed it," he admitted. "I had a hard week."
"Ahhh…" Lot turned off the TV. "So, that's what you were ripping people apart for? A little stress relief, huh? Well, I gotta say that I'm feeling really stressed out right now, and you promised us a good time."
Iggy lifted his chin. "What do you mean?"
"While you slept in-" Lot smacked his lips "-we guarded your sweet baby ass, and your end of the deal was that you'd show us a good time when you woke up."
Aster smiled. "I've had my eye on this lil' old lady in the rurals for weeks now. She'd never see us coming. So, how about you show us how someone of your status tears into flesh?"
Lot grinned, just as eager as she was. "Better yet-" he stood from his chair "-we can eat in!" His body vibrated with excitement as he rounded the table and stomped down the stairs, knowing exactly where he was going.
Aster's smile faded. Her arms crossed over her large bosom and she leaned back, as well. "I hate it when he gets like this."
"Like what?" Iggy dared to ask.
Down below, Lot opened the door to Becca's bedroom and flipped on the light switch. "Wakey, wakey-" he kicked her bed "-Poppa and friends are hungry. Get up!"
Becca roused from her sleep, shaking inside. Her voice was groggy and confused. "But… today is Wednesday. Saturdays are the deal, remember?"
From the table, Iggy heard light smacks, ruffling, and the dragging of what he assumed was her body. He stood up and came to the top of the stairs just in time to meet Lot trudging up the stairs with his hands tightly wound up in Becca's hair, pulling her up after him. Wearing nothing more than an oversized T-shirt and underwear, her narrow hands clung to his, trying to pry him off and her feet trampled over the steps, unable to keep up with the demand.
Lot howled in laughter. His body was loose and comfortable, for no one was going to step in and stop him. Without any kindness, he whipped her around and flung her onto the table, planting himself right in between her legs. Her arms hit him, her legs kicked, but he stood over her solidified. His free hand wandered under her large shirt, pulling it away from her soft belly, and ventured even further until his fingers caressed her breast. "Baby, you know the drill. You don't have to fight to impress our guest. Just give me a lil' pop of sugar, already!"
It was all wrong. It needed to be stopped. But instead of moving, Iggy's heart beat faster, itching and irritating. His mouth went dry. His stomach hurt. The truth was, he wanted to see it. He wanted to see all of her skin. He wanted to feel it for himself. He wanted to taste it.