[THREE] - All the pretty little horses

[jackson]

She told me to close my eyes. Now I wish I would've. She whisked me up into her strong grip and threw me over her shoulder. I always wondered what it was like to fly, or to move at the speed of light, now I knew first hand if you weren't built for it, it wasn't glamourous. The closest I've ever felt to this was being on shrooms at the carnival. Everything flashing so quickly and feeling dizzy. My stomach started to rumble and I could feel the vertigo with her every move, "Sca - -Scarlett." I murmurd as we reached my room in the basement of the church. No sooner she sat me down I raced to the toilet and started to puke up my insides. I slummed over the toilet, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, "Bed." I said to her, knowing I wouldn't make it there on my own. "How do you do that?" I asked in amazement she wasn't puking her guts out too.
That was one ride I wasn't sure I would ever want to go on again.

I watched her, her beauty still astonishing to me, even after everything. Why had she stayed to help a man who moments ago ran her to the ground? A man who despised her for coping with her situation the best she could? It must've been the illness inside of me and the fact I wasn't able to think clearly that caused me to reach up and touch the side of her face with my hand.

[Scarlett Devereaux]

"Sca - -Scarlett." He mumbled my name as we reached the basement and I set him down on his bed. No sooner than he was out of my arms, he was up and in the bathroom losing his lunch. I waited at the door until he was finished and when I peeked around the corner, he spoke to me. "Bed." His voice was harsh with exhaustion as I helped him to the bed. I laid him down and sat down on the edge of the bed beside him. "How do you do that?" I gave him a weak smile, "It comes along with the rest of this." I made a wide gesture to myself and my illness.

I put my hand on his chest and closed my eyes. I was listening to his slowing heart when I felt his hand press to my cheek. I gasped and my eyes went wide at the feel of his cool skin on mine. I stared down at him and marveled at the feel of his palm on my cheek. He was so sick now that our skin was practically matching in temperature. I was naturally cold now and only moments ago, he had felt hotter than the gates of hell to me.

I was still shocked at the gentle touch, but my body was moving with it. My head rested in to his palm and my eyes closed for a different reason now. I sighed contently, loving the feel of him touching me. I took his scent in through my nose once more and noticed that he was losing that healthy honeysuckle scent he had bore in the street earlier. I opened my eyes, realizing that I was stealing moments from him now. "You need.. I don't know, something. I.. I don't want you to die. I don't know why, but I don't. What do I do?" My voice was almost pleading.

[jackson]

"You need.. I don't know, something. I.. I don't want you to die. I don't know why, but I don't. What do I do?"

I motioned to a cabinet in the corner of the room, it was a gray old filing cabinet that I turned into a make shift safe, "There's a key under the...," I started to cough and choke up blood. I had to stop talking to catch my breath, once I felt like I had enough wind to speak again I continued, "Under the baseboard of the dresser. Reach up under there, it's hidden there. Unlock the filing cabinet. I have some antidote already mixed. " It was a long shot considering the toxins rapidly mutated, but it was my only chance. Honestly I didn't have the heart to tell her there was nothing we could do. Nothing we could do except wait and see if my body could fight it. In fact I was almost sure I had no chance at survival at this point. I was in for the fight of my life. I studied this thing when the quake first happened, it's how I figured out how to stop some of the effects. Once it mutated that's when people became really ill. I hadn't thought about the effects of vampiric blood or continous medication use. I was clueless what would happen once they stopped the medication or took of vampiric blood. I closed my eyes as my muscles started to feel like they were ripping, "I need to drink it now." I grunted, "I need...I need to slow this again."

She wanted me to live. She wanted me to live and I held onto those words. I needed to live. I started to say a little prayer to myself as I did in the woods. 'God please'. I opened my eyes, "Talk to me." I pleaded her, "it gets my mine off the pain."

[Scarlett Devereaux]

"There's a key under the..., Under the baseboard of the dresser. Reach up under there, it's hidden there. Unlock the filing cabinet. I have some antidote already mixed." His breathing was labored and he shouldn't have been talking. I got up off the bed and to the key and then the file cabinet in a matter of seconds. I knew time was of an essence and I wasn't going to waste any. "I need to drink it now." He grunted, "I need...I need to slow this again." I held the vile to his lips and poured the liquid in to his mouth. He swallowed, but it was a trial for him.

He closed his eyes and began to whisper to himself. I set the vial down on the table next to Jackson's bed and turned back to him as he opened his eyes. "Talk to me." He pleaded with me, "it gets my mind off the pain." I took in a deep breath and stood up from the bed. I turned away from him as I slipped my jacket off again. "What do you want me to talk about. My Mama always told me, that if I didn't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all." I set my coat on the only chair in the room and turned back to him. "And over the last year, I haven't had too many nice things to say."

[jackson]

"What do you want me to talk about. My Mama always told me, that if I didn't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all." "And over the last year, I haven't had too many nice things to say."

I adjusted myself in the bed, "Well those are good rules to go by." I felt another pain shoot through my side and I laid my hand on the area it hurt. It somehow soothed me to do that, it was like cradling the pain. "You can tell me more about yourself." I said hoping to understand her better. I didn't have much time left possibly and I wanted to know the person I was spending my last moments with. I turned and reached into my night stand, pulling out an old picture frame. The frame was rusted gold and the picture was taken about 14 months ago. It was of my mother and father. My mother had long dark brown hair and she was a little on the plump side. She cared a lot about how she looked, so her clothes were perfectly fitted for her. She had a smile that was contagious. My father was a little plump as well, but he was tall like I am. He wore a salt and pepper beard and mustache to match his hair. His glasses would remind you of Roy Orbison.
I handed it to her, "These are my folks." I said proudly.

I missed them so much it hurt. My life felt incomplete without them, and I was lonely. They taught me everything I knew.
I let out a sad sigh, "I still don't know. I can only assume." As we looked at the picture the lights started to flicker. Before long the place was pitch black, "There's a flashlight in here somewhere." I felt through the door until my hand landed on it, "Here it is." I handed it to her, "There's candles in the other room, in a cabinet to the right." The fact there was no electric had me even more concerned.

[Scarlett Devereaux]

I watched as he fumbled through the drawer in the side table and he pulled out a tattered picture frame. "These are my folks." He said with a small smile on his face. I looked down at the picture and then back at him in time to see the smile fade and a sad look take over his face. "I still don't know. I can only assume." I knew what he meant, that he didn't know if they were still alive or not and if they were alive, what were they. "Me neither." I said to him, my voice low. I didn't want to talk about myself, it only made things worse. Thinking about my family only made me more angry, more desperate.

But, before I was forced to elaborate on my family, the lights began to flicker and then there was just darkness. I heard him shifting on the bed uncomfortably, "There's a flashlight in here somewhere." He reached in to the drawer once more and eventually pulled out a flashlight. "Here it is.There's candles in the other room, in a cabinet to the right." I pushed the flashlight back at him, "I can see just fine in the dark. I'll get the candles." I opened up the cabinet and there was more than just candles.

The cabinet was filled with medical supplies, books, some clothes, and candles. "Aren't you just so prepared." I said mostly to myself, as I grabbed a couple white candles. I walked around the room, setting candles here and there and lighting them with the old lighter I had in my pocket. It was one of the metal flip open kind and it had belonged to my grandfather. How ironic that he had once used it for lighting candles to see and now so was I.

I tucked the lighter back in to my jacket pocket and sat down on the end of the bed. I was far enough away for him to be comfortable and close enough to him for me to be. "It's probably just another rolling blackout. The power company hasn't been the same since the disaster." I found myself turning the ring on my left hand, spinning it around my cool finger. It was a fidget that my mother had coaxed out of me long ago but now, sitting here in the dark with him, I was nervous and I fidgeted when I was nervous.

[jackson]

Nothing good ever comes out of the dark. Darkness is an oppurtunity for evil doers to come out of the wood work.
Darkness possessses secrets and betrayals.
My mother use to warn me when I was into drugs and alcohol, that what I did in the dark would be brought to the light. That no matter how long the dark period, there was light coming.
Light reflects good. It makes evil and fear dissipate. It shines down on a guilty man, and allows justice for his wrong doings. No secrets are ever safe once the sun comes up. I laid there as she lit the candles wondering if our time spent together should be kept in the dark. People would frown upon us if we acted on our hidden feelings.

Her voice called me back to reality, "It's probably just another rolling blackout. The power company hasn't been the same since the disaster." She was right, this was probably just a passing moment for us. There's no connection or longing on her part. "Yeah, probably." I answered.

[Scarlett Devereaux]

"Yeah, probably." His voice sounded strained and it was obvious that he did not like the dark. I on the other hand, loved the dark. I could see better, I could hear better and the people I preyed on couldn't see me or hear me. Dark was a time for stalking, hunting, it was a great time for dinner.

I stood up from the bed and paced the room a bit. I took in a deep breath and tried to pull myself together. I was NOT going to hurt him again. If I needed to feed, I'd leave. I'd have to soon. I went back to him and put my hand on his forehead without thinking I might scare him. "You feel cooler, less clammy. Whats in those vials you keep drinking?!"

[jackson]

I flinched as she reached her hand out to touch my forehead. Trust wasn't exactly an established thing between us. She felt my head and said, "You feel cooler, less clammy. Whats in those vials you keep drinking?!"

It wasn't a secret. The vile was nothing special, just a few drugs thrown together, "Umm, I found the AIDS Cocktail and a few other meds mixed together slowed the virus." I said as I slowly raised up, if she were to understand I would need to show her. I swung my legs to the side of the bed and motioned for her to help me stand up. "Follow me." I said as I walked slowly into the room with all the medicines and supplies. I pulled a notebook out of a draw next to a few lab supplies I had smuggled from the hospital. I looked at the supplies feeling a little guilty I took them. I felt as if I needed to explain it to her, "I've never taken anything in my life, but I really needed those to help people." I looked from the lab supplies to her and back to the supplies. I sat the book on the counter and opened it up. It had notes and pictures from my findings, "The fumes the quake unleashed affected people's blood, right? Therefor my toxic state and your vampiric needs are blood diseases," I flipped a few pages over, "HIV/AIDS is a blood disease correct? The cocktail slows the disease, and since toxic poisoning is a blood disease, it slows it as well." I flipped another page over, "However it slows it but doesn't help the pain, so I added a pain killer. " I flipped to the last page, "Problem is it doesn't cure it, and unlike HIV/AIDS, it mutates quick, so you have to take the vile twice a day." I looked at her, waiting to see if she understood it.

[Scarlett Devereaux]

"Umm, I found the AIDS Cocktail and a few other meds mixed together slowed the virus." He started to get up and he looked to me for help. It was the least I could do, so I helped him out of the bed. "Follow me." He said as he slowly walked in to a side room. It was filled with medical supplies and all kinds of equipment.He pulled a notebook out of a drawer and looked at me guiltily. "I've never taken anything in my life, but I really needed those to help people." I poked around, touching things, looking at everything. "You don't have to justify anything to me. I steal from people everyday." Granted, I was stealing their lives, their blood, their existence.

He gave me a look, but it was gone quickly and he opened the notebook up on the table. "The fumes the quake unleashed affected people's blood, right? Therefor my toxic state and your vampiric needs are blood diseases," He flipped a few pages over, "HIV/AIDS is a blood disease correct? The cocktail slows the disease, and since toxic poisoning is a blood disease, it slows it as well." He flipped another page over, "However it slows it but doesn't help the pain, so I added a pain killer. Problem is it doesn't cure it, and unlike HIV/AIDS, it mutates quick, so you have to take the vile twice a day."

I listened intently and tried to read over his notes as he flipped the pages. I wasn't book smart, it was a known fact back home. I wasn't stupid, but I wasn't gonna be valedictorian of any college. I sighed heavily as he finished talking and looked to me for understanding. "Slows it. But, doesn't cure it." I said in a low whisper. It was just like everything else they've tried for the poisoning. Nothing cured it, nothing fixed it. I turned around and began looking around the room again. He had all kinds of blood samples in a little refrigerator on the counter. I looked inside and couldn't see any differences in the blood. "You want some of mine?" I asked him in regards to the blood. My voice was low but there was none of that sing song sound that came with it. I was just a sad, sick girl trying to help out any way I could.

[jackson]

I was in shock that she offerd so I hesitated a moment, "Umm-- yeah." I started to gather the supplies needed to draw on her. I hurried collecting a needle, syringe, and test tubes, "Are you sure you want to give your blood? " I asked her knowing her blood would allow me to do even more research. I motioned her to sit down and place her arm on the table. It had been a while since I drew blood on anyone else. All those samples she seen were mine.

Her blood would open up doors for me to try things I haven't tried before. New combinations of drugs. It would also allow me to study what happened when she gave me her blood.
This was a rare oppurtunity. I fastened the needle on the syringe and laid it beside me. Before I could do anything I needed to sterilize the sight, and I rubbed it with alcohol. I reached over and put the turnique on the lower part of her bicep and started to feel for her vein. Once I foudn it I looked up at her, grabbing the neelde with my right hand, "You'll feel a poke." I put the needle into her flesh and started to feel the tubes. At the last tube I loosened the turnique.
After I had got all the blood I needed I reached to get a cotton ball to slow the bleeding but when I turned back it was like I never stuck her, "It really amazes me how quick you heal."

[Scarlett Devereaux]

"Umm-- yeah." He started moving around, collecting supplies. It was obvious that he was getting his strength back. Which was good, because after I gave blood, I was going to need to replace it. Which meant leaving Jackson. "Are you sure you want to give your blood? " I just nodded to him and let him begin. He had a look in his eye, something intent. He was happy that I was letting him take my blood and I knew what it would mean for him. He would have a severely poisoned testing subject with my blood. It would help him make progress in an antidote, in a cure for all this.

I watched as he wiped my arm clean and I couldn't help but smirk. I couldn't get sick anymore. Well, not the normal kind of sick. I was already too sick to let anything else have a turn in my body. "You'll feel a poke." He put the needle in and I turned my head away. How fucking ironic. I can kill ten people a night but I still can't stand the site of a needle in my arm. He finished up and turned around with all the viles. I turned back to my arm and watched as the skin quickly healed over the tiny hole that was there only seconds ago. He came back to my arm and stopped short with what looked like some cotton and a ban aid. "It really amazes me how quick you heal."

I pulled my arm back and stood up. Only, my feet didn't feel the need to keep me up and I fell right on my ass. My head swam and it wasn't the hunger that was getting me, it was the blood loss. That was how the poisoning worked in me. I had to feed.. All the time. Or things went bad, real bad. I cleared my throat and got to my feet. "Yeah, I heal fast. But not from everything. I should get going." I stumbled to the door in the damn dark and had to stop and the entry way to catch my balance. Shit, I was in trouble.

[jackson]

"Yeah, I heal fast. But not from everything. I should get going."

I could tell there was something wrong with her. She seemed totally off balance and a little woosy. I walked quickly over to her, reaching out and grabbing her arms as she struggled to get her balance. "What's wrong?" I asked with concern. She had saved my ass, it was time to pay it forward. Once I seen she got her two feet back, I walked over to my jacket laying on a chair and swung it on. I pulled my keys from my pocket, "You need to feed don't you? " I waved my keys in th air, "I'll drive, I don't think you should be doing that fancy stuff you usually do right now."
I opened the door stepping out into the cool night air. I turned back to face her, "You saved me, let me help you." I reached my hand out to her.

I knew either way this would be the last I would see of her. We were two different types of people. I believed in everything. She believed in nothing. I helped people, she killed people. But I couldn't stand by and watch her die after she spared my life. I looked at her still awaiting her answer, "Well?"

[Scarlett Devereaux]

I felt like I was going to be sick. I knew I wasn't, but the symptoms were still there. My stomach roiled as I tried to pull it together. "What's wrong?" I just shook my head. I was afraid that if I tried to talk, I'd lose control. I heard him grab his jacket and even the sound of the fabric sliding on was an annoyance to me now. I heard his keys then and I shook my head again. "You need to feed don't you?" He waved his keys in the air, "I'll drive, I don't think you should be doing that fancy stuff you usually do right now."

He opened the door, letting the cool night air in as he did it. It was welcomed on my part, the cool air made me feel a little better. "You saved me, let me help you." He reached his hand out to me and I just stared at it. I wasn't going to kill anyone today, I had made myself a promise. It was still my mothers birthday and I had made her a promise. Even if she hadn't heard it. "No. I.. I can't. I promised." I got the words out, but it was already too late. I felt the dark coming over me as I slouched down to the ground. Passing out was a funny thing. You always seemed to concentrate on the most trivial of things.

For instance, I stared down at the pool of black silk that surrounded me as I sat on the ground. What a beautiful dress, it was too bad it was covered in blood and now dirt. Such a waste. My dress was my last thought before my lights went out like the rest of the town.

[jackson]

"No. I.. I can't. I promised."

I looked blankly at her, somewhat confused, "Promised who?" I asked not sure what she was talking about. For all I knew she was starting to talk out of her head. Before she could even answer me, I watched as her petite frame fell to the floor. "Scarlett!?" I said her name as I dropped to her side. I wasn't sure what to do. Was she alive? She didn't have a pulse to start with so I couldn't check for one. And she seemed to barely breathe, and if she were breathing it was barely noticeable. I placed my hands on her shoulders and gave her a little shake, "Scarlett?!?" I stood back up needing to think quickly. "Blood." I said to myself running back to the lab. I opened the freezer that contained different specimens I had drawn from people. I grabbed a bag of a healthy human blood, knowing it would be best for her right now. Healthy human blood was like fillet Minoan to vampires. It was rare and most nutritious.

I ran back to her side and took a knife I had brought back with me slitting the bag, hoping the fumes and aroma of the blood would be enough to wake her. I took her head in my arms and put the blood to her lips, "Eat. Scarlett. Eat."