章 10: Junkie

One of the men in black turned the door handle and tried pushing it open only to discover it was locked. He brought out a lock-picking tool and inserted it into the keyhole, while the other waited beside him.

Right before the lock gave way, the door next to Ellie's was pulled open. Mrs. Casey walked out of her apartment only to be met with the tip of a gun pointed at her head.

Her heart flew to her throat and it took extra strength for her not to drop to the ground due to the shock.

"Oh, God!" She exclaimed, placing her hand on her heaving chest.

"Shh…" The one holding the gun lifted his index finger and placed it on his lips, a gesture that told her to refrain from speaking. "It would do you much good to make no further sounds or movements. Doing otherwise will force me to pull the trigger. Understood?" His low baritone voice echoed in her ears, and she nodded.

With eyes stretched wide, she scanned the one who spoke to her, then shifted her gaze to the other, who just successfully pushed Ellie's door open.

They were bold enough to leave their faces open, and although her eyesight was not as good as it used to be, she could see that they didn't look like ordinary robbers. These were more dangerous.

Saying a small prayer in her heart for Ellie and Nicholas, she fought to stop her hands from trembling, but it was no use. What did these people want?

The second man, who opened the door, walked into the apartment, and without a second wasted, his eyes went toward the bed. His brows knitted and confusion registered on his face when he saw a little boy sleeping.

Without looking around, he tapped on the device in his ear. "She's not here." He reported.

"What do you mean she's not there? Are you at the house?" The person on the other end questioned.

"Yes. There's only one person sleeping inside, and it's a little boy."

Silence reigned for a short while before the other person spoke again.

"Hold on for further directives."

***

Ellie continued walking along the streets, moving at a pace she believed to be normal and not suspicious.

Earlier, she had considered staying back and waiting at least a day before going for the next raid, but she changed her mind at the last minute.

That was because the news about vampires attacking usually had intervals, so the people of Alada would not expect anything further to happen tonight. The real fear and apprehension would begin after two or more days when they would be expecting another piece of news.

So she decided it was best to attack when people were less expecting it. After today, she will give it a few days before she goes for the third and final one.

She was just a few blocks away from her new favorite alley when a fast car zoomed past her, going in the opposite direction. Though she was on the sidewalk, and the car didn't bother her, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at the car, wondering why whoever was behind the wheel was driving with so much speed.

Deciding it was no business of hers, she resumed walking, but the loud screeching of tires made her look back again. She discovered the car was now in reverse mode and was coming back toward her.

Her brows pulled together and she instantly realized she was not supposed to garner any sort of attention to herself for now. So her legs moved and she increased her pace, hoping whoever it was didn't know her and wasn't reversing for her sake, since there were a few other people walking on that street.

Unfortunately, the person in the car was targeting her. The vehicle stopped a few meters in front of her and the door beside the sidewalk swung open.

A leg wearing white heels touched the ground first before the owner finally stepped out, revealing her face – a face which Ellie was very familiar with, in fact, she last saw the face about three hours ago.

That face belonged to no other than Clara, her co-waitress at the restaurant, who had boldly confronted her, and even wished her death by overdosing.

There was a sinister smile on her face as she took staggering steps toward Ellie and in her hand was a glass filled to the brim with what looked like wine, or was it beer? Ellie wasn't sure.

As she came closer, Ellie stood still, locked gazes with her while wondering what she wanted. She had never spoken to this girl despite the fact that they worked at the same place. So she didn't understand why her life and anything that concerns her was of any interest to Clara.

"What do you—" Ellie started to ask, but she couldn't complete the question as Clara poured the contents of the glass she held, emptying it on Ellie's head.

As the cold liquid, which Ellie now recognized to be beer, ran down her hair and face, shock also registered on her face, and anger roused from within her.

"That… is for calling me a bee, junkie." Clara chuckled, and Ellie released the bag she was holding, letting it drop to the ground.

She landed a harsh slap on Clara's left cheek, shocking the girl and sobering her up a little.

Just then, the car door on the opposite side of where Clara sat, flew open and a guy rushed out of it, toward the scene of the fight.

Clara's face shifted to the side as a result of the force of the slap, and her palm flew to her stinging cheek. Her brain was still processing what just happened when Ellie's fist made hard contact with her face, sending her staggering backward and almost falling.

"I'm glad you know that I'm a junkie. The next time you mess with me, I'll show you what it means to spend three years with the baddest gang in college." Ellie threatened, but it seemed fury didn't let Clara get the message, because the next second, she lurched forward in an attempt to attack Ellie.