Chapter 14

Katelina squeezed her eyes closed and leaned heavily against the bathroom door, trying to hold it closed, trying to keep the monsters out. If they got in, she could just imagine what they'd do. If only Jorick was there-

Despite her efforts, the door began to crack with a loud, splintering sound. The vampires put more and more pressure on it and the sound grew. Katelina's feet began to slide dangerously. She locked her knees against it, but she knew there was no way to stop them. They were both stronger than she was, and if they hadn't enjoyed playing with her would already be inside her tiled sanctuary. She pushed back with the last of her strength; palms slipping with the lubricant of her sweat and screamed out for the only one who might save her, "Jorick!"

With a loud crack the door splintered apart. A chunk of wood and pressboard fell in on her, leaking needle sized splinters. A groping hand reached through the hole. Katelina threw herself from the searching fingers and into the chipped bathtub, her last bastion of hope. Her eyes wildly danced around for some kind of defense, but found nothing. She recalled a horror story she'd read and, like the heroin had, she grabbed the showerhead from its cradle and wrapped the hose around her wrist. She turned the hot water on full blast and aimed the steaming stream into the drain. Drops of hot water splashed on her jeans and shoes, but she ignored it and readied herself to soak them down even as the door came crashing open.

"Jorick!"

The vampires tried to squeeze into the tiny room in unison. The shorthaired vampire hissed at his companion and shoved his way through. He stood just inside the threshold, on top of the ruined door fragments. "Where is he?" He demanded and moved towards her.

She trembled as she turned the shower head on him. Hot water splattered him and bounced off to run down the walls. Thick steam billowed in transparent white clouds.

The vampire swore and jerked back, caught by surprise. Then, shaking his soaked arms, he chuckled ominously and gave her a stare that had her death written in it. "What the fuck? You think hot water can hurt me? This isn't the Wizard of Oz, girly!"

He started towards her and she aimed the jet of water at his face and screamed for Jorick one final time.

As if he'd finally been summoned, Jorick appeared. He threw the lurking companion against the wet tiled wall with a sickening crunch. The limp body slid to the floor where it lay like a broken doll in a pool of steaming water.

The remaining vampire spun around, abandoning Katelina and her feeble defenses to deal with Jorick. "There you are, you son of a bitch!"

Relief swept through Katelina and she bit back a shout of joy. She'd never been happier to see anyone in her whole life. Somehow she suddenly knew it would be all right. Jorick would deal with this and then it would be all over, like a terrible nightmare.

Jorick gave the broken body on the floor a final kick before he seized the other by the shoulders. "Claudius sent you?"

"Of course, why else would I bother with you?" He half twisted away and slammed his fist into Jorick's stomach. "Where is she?"

Jorick stumbled back a step, more from shock than pain. "As if I know." He regained his posture and closed the gap between them. His dark hair fell across his face and made him look almost as sinister as his inhuman attacker.

"Don't play stupid. We know you're involved in it - you and your friends." He grabbed Jorick and threw him through the door and against the bedroom wall, with a loud thud. He snickered as he stepped quickly through the ruined doorframe and out onto the bedroom carpet.

Jorick was on his feet in a movement so fast that Katelina almost didn't see it. "Says who?" He charged the vampire, throwing him back into the bathroom. His body struck the floor and nearly collided with the tub where Katelina stood, gripping the shower head and trembling.

Jorick bounded into the room, easily clearing the broken body in front of the door. The remaining opponent stood, but before he had reached his full height Jorick slammed him into the wall opposite the sink. "You're a pathetic slave."

"I'm not the one fighting for sloppy seconds," the vampire spat as he tried to free himself.

Those were the last words he spoke. Jorick spun and threw him head first into the mirror, showering the room with shining glass shards and blood.

Katelina dropped the shower head. Water sprayed up the wall as she shielded herself from the broken glass.

Slowly, she lowered her arms. Every detail flashed before her eyes in crystal clarity: the water dripping down the wall, the shimmering pieces of glass scattered around like giant raindrops, the steam curling into the humid, heavy air. An inch of water covered the floor, and dark splashes of blood were slowly mixing with it, turning it into a pale crimson pool.

The short haired vampire hung off the sink. His head was inside the porcelain bowl and his body trailed limply down to the floor. From the angle of his neck and back, she could tell that his spine was broken. Blood ran from the gouges in his head and collected in the sink to pool around his still snarling face. Strange, gurgling noises came from him, but it was only a matter of time until he died - wasn't it?

Jorick stood between her and the crumpled bodies of the vampires. He wiped a streak of splattered blood from his face, then gently took hold of her shoulder and gave her a tiny shake. She roused slightly, her mouth open and her eyes blinking rapidly as her mind fought to push away the onslaught of information.

A car horn sounded outside. The harsh noise jerked her back to reality. Her mouth began to work furiously and she thoughtlessly repeated "Oh God. Oh God. Oh God," over and over again.

"Our ride's here," Jorick said softly, giving her another light shake to stop the flow of useless words. He jerked his thumb towards the broken vampires. "I suggest we go before their friends show up."

Katelina nodded and allowed him to lead her out of the ruined bathroom. The glass crunched beneath her feet like snow from a terrifying fairytale and she had to bite back a wave of fear and disgust as she climbed over the crumpled bodies.

Jorick led her through the bedroom, and she glanced back at the trail of wet, bloody footprints she'd left behind. They were like the symbols on some macabre board game that led to hell; a hell she'd only barely escaped.