Paths of Thorn and Flame by Nathan Wrann

Author:Nathan Wrann
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: dracula, twilight, vampire
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

19

“Where’s Cor?” Taylor asked, leaning against the empty doorframe. His legs were rubber. He gulped at the air to catch his breath after having had the wind knocked out of him.

Dr. Benson jumped up from his seat at the dining room table, startled by the shotgun wielding trespasser.

“Wait!” Miss Duncan yelled from the kitchen sink. Her outburst made Dr. Benson pause. “He’s okay.”

“Who the hell are you?” Mr. Murray asked from the couch next to his wife.

“I’m Taylor Jensen. Cor’s friend.”

“He shot Carver,” Miss Duncan added.

“Where are you holding Cor? In the basement?” Taylor took a few steps into the house. “I need to talk to him. If you don’t mind.”

“He’s not allowed visitors right now,” Dr. Benson said.

“Okay, well I’m gonna go talk to him so that we can find Diana. You guys can just hang out up here.” Taylor stepped into the house, broken glass crunched beneath his feet. “You can clean up this mess,” Taylor said toward Miss Duncan washing her hands. “Or comfort each other. Or call all the friends you want,” he said with a nod at the cell phone in Dr. Benson’s hand. “But none of those things will lead you to Diana.”

“Cor knows where Diana is?” Mrs. Murray said, sitting up.

“You’re not going to talk to anyone.” Dr. Benson stepped in front of the basement door.

“No, he doesn’t know where she is yet. But if I talk to him, we might be able to figure it out.”

“I said you’re not—“ Dr. Benson was cut off when Taylor leveled the barrel of the shotgun at him.

“We’re on the same side and you’re wasting time. This might not kill you, but it’ll hurt like hell, and if I shoot it, I would bet that you’re gonna hurt me pretty bad or kill me and if you do, you won’t find Diana alive.” He tried to keep his voice low to prevent it from cracking or quivering but it came out with a growl instead. The menace in the threat startled Taylor himself. He loosened his grip on the weapon to keep it from visibly shaking in his hands.

“I’ll go with him,” Mr. Murray said.

“I go alone.”

Dr. Benson glanced back at the Murrays sitting on the couch. Mr. Murray nodded and Dr. Benson stepped aside.

Taylor eased by him, glancing into the kitchen as he passed the countertop bar separating it from the dining room. Carver’s body lay in a lake of blood. The corpse’s shoulders and neck were covered with a red-smeared, white kitchen garbage bag. Another bag, cinched by the drawstring, sat on Carver’s chest. Bile rose to the back of Taylor’s throat but he quickly swallowed it back and fought the gag that heaved through his body. Embarrassed that he still got queasy after all he’d been through, he hoped nobody noticed.

*

“Taylor! What the hell’s going on up there? Holy crap! Was that your gun blast?”

Taylor checked the knob to make sure the door wasn’t locked from the outside and closed it behind him.

“Are you okay? Have you eaten anything?”

“Yeah.

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