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The bang of the garage door brought me out of my sleepy stupor. I shifted to a sitting position on the couch and rubbed my eyes before turning my attention to the homeowners.
“I’m heading to bed,” Valerie said and disappeared down the hall without so much as a glance at the noise emanating from the television. I reached for the remote and turned the tuner off, silencing the idiotic monologue of late night tv.
Ted just gave me a tired nod and headed the same direction Valerie went.
Michael took a seat on the couch next to me and yawned.
“Where’s Damian?” he asked once his yawn and stretch ceased.
“He opened the tunnel to the garage.”
His eyes popped open and he sat stalk straight, turning his irritated gaze in my direction.
“I think he’s taking stock of what he’ll need to fix up the cars,” I added. When Michael’s glare continued, I added, “What?”
“I’m not sure the garage is safe,” he said.
“Oh bullshit.” I stood and started toward the basement door. “It’s probably safer than this place.”
“Nothing is safer than this place,” he snapped.
“Damian’s fine.”
“When was the last time you checked on him?”
Michael’s condescending tone was beginning to irritate me and I glanced at the clock. “I’ve only been up here for an hour and a half.”
Michael shot to his feet and stalked off toward the basement.
Anger burned through my reason and I stormed after him. “We aren’t children, you know,” I said when I caught up to him.
“You most certainly are.”
I should have expected his response, but still, it had the same effect as pouring gasoline on a fire. I huffed and stomped forward in the dark, muttering under my breath until his hand clasped my upper arm and stopped me.
“What?” I snapped and he covered my mouth.
“Shush,” he whispered and I stopped my struggles and listened.
The sound of rattling chains set my heart into hyper-drive and my body followed. I yanked out of Michael’s grasp and bolted into the dark. The scene in the warehouse five years before kept flashing in front of my eyes, propelling me forward faster than I thought possible.
Michael’s footfalls echoed behind me, but I didn’t stop, instead I barreled up the stairs and skidded to a stop in the middle of the floor. It took a second for my mind to catch up and when it did, I pressed my lips together.
Damian glanced around the body of the car; the crease between his eyes conveyed his confusion.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he wiped his hands on a cloth.
Michael stepped beside me scanning the array of vehicles in the dimly lit garage. Each one elevated on jacks or hanging from chains. Not one of the bunch had tires and a line of batteries lay flush against the wall. The room stunk like oil and grease and Damian’s jeans sported oil splatter.
“You did all this in an hour and a half?” I waved my hand around the room.
Damian gave me a shrug. “It’s not like I did a tune up on each, I just stripped tires, batteries and drained the oil.”
“Yeah, but you’ve got, like, a dozen cars here.”
A smirk appeared on his lips and he glanced at his watch.
“Do you think having any light in here is wise?” Michael asked.
Damian looked at the high windows almost covered with platinum-steel plates and then back down at us. “I wouldn’t worry too much. No one can get in.”
“But they will notice the light. This place has been dark for ages and this gives an indication of activity. That’s going to spark some interest from a host of beings.”
Damian reached over and flipped the flashlight balanced on the hood off. “Better?” he asked but did nothing to disguise the snark in his voice as we were drenched in darkness.
Michael huffed and headed toward the stairs where a fan of light bled from the tunnel, creating long shadows on the steel. “You need to tread lightly for a while, boy,” he said. He climbed down the stairs and a moment later, the pure black of a moonless night encompassed the garage.
“He is such a dick,” Damian muttered.
I stood still, blinking and trying to get my bearings. I didn’t know how many paces away from the hole I was and I couldn’t make out a thing. Normally I would give Damian grief for his slight, but the total absence of light left me blind and uneasy.
The distinct tick of a ratchet wrench filled the thick air.
“Um, Damian, you think you can give me a hand so I don’t fall down the stairs and break my neck?”
“Oh, sorry.” The clink of metal on metal informed me he put down the wrench. He was almost soundless as he approached and I jumped when his hand clasped around my upper arm.
“I keep forgetting you don’t have the benefit of vampire vision anymore.” He led me down the stairs and through the dirt entry to the concrete pipes. “Do you have your phone with you?”
“Yes,” I sad and his hand released my arm. I dug in my pocket and pulled the phone out, engaging it and illuminating the small space. “Thank you,” I added and stood on my tiptoes to give him a peck on his cheek.
He stepped back in a flinch before my lips even touched his flesh and his eyes flashed in a wince. I lowered my heels, stunned at both his conditioned response and the pain that flared in my chest. The reality of our situation hit home yet again, leaving me hollow.