Two Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Ren/Brody)

[ZZZ - R.I.P. - Ren Mercer]

Nashville, TN-

She had gotten the information from a solid source, at least one she thought was a solid source. By the sounds of the types of victims she was looking for a lone vampire at leas she thought so. Of course this part of the city itself wasn't exactly safe for a girl alone or even a girl with a beagle, but she didn't care. If this was the key to leading her to the vampire pack that killed her family it was worth the risk.

She left her jeep in a secured parking lot a few blocks away. The attendant tried to stop her, telling her she was headed to the bad part of town, but she just shrugged him off. With Hunter on his lead and her bow bag over her shoulder she headed out into the night.

Before she had left the little hotel she had gotten for the night (pet friendly of course) she had packed up her bow case with other essentials to the task at hand. A machete, a water gun of holy water, and a crucifix, just in case that rumor might be true. Her first mistake was not telling anyone she knew about her little hunting excursion. If she got into trouble here she'd be on her own, no one to miss her.

As she passed by people on the streets, homeless, her little heart broke. The girl honestly hadn't been anywhere so bleak before. As she passed by a few homeless people they asked her for any money she could spare. Her heart, going out to them, couldn't allow her to pass them by. She reached into her pocket and pulled out what little money she had, handing it out to as many people as she could.

Hunter stayed near her, sniffing all the people as she pasted them, giving no indication that any were anything other than human. Her little beagle's nose was invaluable to her in this type of situation because knowing the trap was there was half the battle and she wanted a warning before she had to try to kill something tonight.

When she didn't anticipate was the stench that emanated from the abandoned warehouse. As she stepped inside she lost what little food she was able to eat came lurching back up. She turned into a corner, careful not to touch anything, as he dinner came back up. Hunter, on the other hand, had ventured into the warehouse deeper, scenting something or someone within. He was pretty sure it wasn't something dead, his nose able to discern the subtle differences in the blood.

[Deleted]

It had begun. As soon as Brody felt the pressure building up in the palms of his hands, he knew he was set on a course he could not steer himself away from, no matter how hard he tried. Stigmata was inconsiderate like that. Unrelenting. Painful. Inexplicable. And though he’d been through this before dozens of times, it was always a shock when he first felt the invisible nails being driven through his hands.

“Naarggh!” His cry of pain wasn’t restrained in any way, he shamelessly screamed because out here, in what appeared to be some kind of abandoned warehouse, there probably wasn’t anyone around to hear him. Moments before he had been somewhere else, trapped, in a prison with people he’d never met before and now he was somehow here. Wherever that was. He’d barely had time to wonder what had happened when both his hands suddenly began to pour blood from the palms. Moments before there had been a brilliant white light, or so he’d thought, but he could just as easily have imagined the whole thing. Maybe he’d been asleep and had dreamt it all? More likely he was finally going crazy.

Please still be dreaming….please still be dreaming…

This would be more of a nightmare than a dream if it didn’t feel so painfully real. His hands were shaking now as he brought them up to look at the damage, realising that he still had his gloves on. He didn’t need to pull them off to see what was underneath, he already knew that the perfectly round scars on either side of each hand would be through and through wounds now, just about wide enough that you could see right through his hand. The first time it had happened, that sight had made him pass out. He was sort of used to it now, but wasn’t rushing to remove his gloves to get a good look.

The blood underneath them ran out of the fingerless ends, dripping from his dirty fingertips to leave a steady trail of red dots on the floor as he hurried himself along. The chain of events meant that soon he wouldn’t be able to walk anywhere, his feet baring the same scars as his hands would be the next to start bleeding, but before that happened he wanted to find somewhere secluded where he could lie down and ride out the whole process without being disturbed.

He’d learnt long ago to keep this secret because people generally didn’t know how to help him. They couldn’t really. He just had to let time pass, allow his scars to bleed as much as they needed to and then eventually, it would all just stop. The only thing he’d have to do then would be clean himself up, replace his bloody clothes and find food to get his strength back up. The one good thing about having gone through this before was he knew it wasn’t fatal. It seemed impossible when he thought about just how much blood he lost everytime, yet he always survived and carried on just the same as ever. Pretending like it never happened until, just like now, it did.

Using only his instinct to guide him, Brody headed deeper into the ruined warehouse building, aiming for the darkest corner to collapse in. As he hastily pushed through doors, he left smears of crimson on the handles, drops of blood marking a trail as they ran off the ends of his fingers. He didn’t notice, didn’t think it would matter because no-one would come looking for anyone in here.

Suddenly, halfway down a dishevelled corridor, Brody’s feet spiked with pain and he went down to his knees, ineffectually bracing himself with hands that just wouldn’t take the pressure. With a harsh cry he went down completely, his cheek hitting the grimy floor hard enough to shake his teeth but it was his feet that really hurt. In a way he was grateful that it was a sudden, sharp kind of pain rather than a long, drawn out torture, but never the less, it brought tears to his eyes. He could feel the blood pouring into his boots now, soaking the threadbare socks he was wearing until it would gradually begin to seep out through the worn holes in the soles of his battered old leather boots.

It had been a hard learned lesson years ago, but there was no point in even trying to walk now. His body wouldn’t be able to handle the abuse on what was effectively fresh wounds, so instead he dragged himself across the floor using his forearms and elbows as best he could, careful not to put any weight down on his hands. He was aiming for a door just a couple of feet away, somewhere he wouldn’t feel so exposed and vulnerable when the final strike came. Belly down on the ground and breathing hard through the pain and discomfort, he slowly but surely made progress, oblivious to the large red smear he was leaving in his wake.

Finally, and on the verge of exhaustion, he managed to nudge the door open and drag himself inside, rolling onto his back so that he could sit up and lean against the wall just in time for the final scar under his ribs to abruptly take his breath away when it felt like someone was stabbing him. He screamed again, the sound coming out more as a sob of despair as he wrapped his arms around his body. The warm wetness of blood pouring from his side started to soak into the layers of worn shirt he was wearing, running down to stain the hip of his jeans too, but by this point the didn’t care. This was the worst it would get, from now on, all he had to do was wait and everything would be fine again. He was safe enough, alone here so no-one could see the freak that he was. He just had to wait.

His eyes fell shut as he tried to relax his panicked breathing, concentrating not on how much it hurt, but on how quiet this place was. Peaceful in a bizarre kind of way. It helped to ease the shaking his shocked body couldn’t quite get a grip on and slowly he calmed down, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth until he was practically meditating.

Just got to wait…in…out…nice and slow…breathe nice and slow…god I’m so tired now…how’d I get here..? Figure it out later…just gonna sleep a little…it‘ll be fine when I wake up again…hope there’s no rats…

…what was that noise..?

Before he could find out, Brody passed out, his heavy body sliding sideways against the wall until he was lay on his bloody side, his legs sticking out in front of him at ninety degrees. While he slept, the bleeding continued, spreading gradually out under him until his clothes were soaked through with the stuff. It spread lazily across the floor, finding cracks in the floor boards to drip through, meandering out under the gap in the door like a river of red to attract hungry vermin. Though in this case, it wasn’t the rats he had to worry about. Spilled blood was like a siren call to a vampire.

[ZZZ - R.I.P. - Ren Mercer]

The little hound followed the copper red scent of the blood deeper into the warehouse. As he walked he picked up the scent of something else, a sickly rotten scent mingled with decay. It had a copper undertone to it as well but the little hound knew that decay scent meant it was something that his master believed was a threat. Normally Hunter would be giving the signal to Ren, sitting down, to tell her that something dead was walking near them, but with his master left behind to be sick, he knew that the first scent meant that someone was here and hurt. He was intelligent enough to know that finding the hurt human was something he should focus on, nose to the ground he left little paw prints of blood as he followed the trail of it.

Ren on the other hand, was recovering from losing what little dinner she had ate. As she looked around the warehouse, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She wished now she had though to bring a flashlight. She stood there a moment, getting her bearings. The way the shadows hit the room she could swear she saw bodies lying on the ground. Of course it could also just be rubble from the disheveled warehouse and her mind was playing tricks on her, but with that smell her heart raced as her mind filled in details that may not be there. She finally closed her eyes, shook her head, and focused on the task at hand. If there was a vampire here she had a duty to find it and end it. There were people around who could fall prey to it if she didn't. Yes the majority of the people who lived in this part of town were homeless but that didn't mean anything to the little hunter. She had agreed to protect people against the horrors of the world and she wasn't going to back down from that agreement no matter who the person was.

She unzipped the bag with her equipment in it, pulling out a machete for one hand and the crucifix in the other. She figured that if the crucifix didn't work it might buy her some time while the vampire laughed at her for the attempt. Had she been in a more open area she'd had opted for the bow, but in close quarters it would be no good to her. She then considered the water gun with holy water, pulling it out too and sticking it in her pocket. Another possible weapon that she would try.

As Hunter took the twists and turns into the warehouse his ears perked up at the cries. He stood there a moment, eyes glowing as they caught the ambient light in the area. He saw the scents the way that a person might see neon lights in a dark room. First it was the pool of blood he walked through, leaving the aforementioned bloody paw prints as he walked. He followed then the drops of blood on the floor, each glowing brightly to his sense of smell. He looked up, sniffing the air, seeing the smear marks of the blood on the ground, then on the door. He moved into the room, finding finally the person he had been searching for, lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Hunter then moved to the human's side, first nuzzling him with his nose, then giving the human a small lick on the face. Worried, he gave a little bark, to let his master know that he found the person who he wanted to rescue and where they were.

Ren's heard the cries herself, just as she was zipping her bow bag back up. Her heart jumped into her throat, imagining that somewhere in the darkness there was someone being fed upon by a vampire. Not only that but her partner, her dog, had headed in the direction of the cries. What happened if he came upon a vampire alone? That was enough to motivate her into action, moving down the hallway at a quick pace.

As she moved down the hallway, almost tripping over a loose piece of flooring. She looked down, letting her eyes adjust, and for a moment thought she saw streaks of blood on the floor, but her mind dismissed that thought. She continued forward, hearing the bark of Hunter, leading her into a room. At that moment a helicopter passed overhead, the searchlight shining into the room, illuminating it to the point where Ren was able to take in the image of Brody. She cringed in horror, blood everywhere making her stomach lurch again. She kneeled down next to Brody, reaching a hand out to his neck to check his pulse, making sure he was still alive, dropping the crucifix to do so. As she felt for a pulse, Hunter kept on licking his face, trying his little doggie hardest to wake the human.

Ren should have been paying more attention, because behind her the young vampire who had taken up residence in the warehouse. As she sat there trying to figure out how she was going to get Brody out of the there the vampire reached out, taking her free hand, to spin her around. This is where it got weird, like the girl had some sort of lucky charm. As she was spun around, the machete in her other hand came swinging around, and with the momentum, and the aforementioned luck, it sliced cleanly through the vampire's neck, it's head falling to the ground and rolling to right in front of Brody's face. She let out a little scream, dropping the machete as the body hit the floor, the vampire's blood on her now. Had she really just killed something? Wow, I guess there is a first time for everything.

[Deleted]

Thanks to the attention of a very persistent dog, Brody slowly began to stir from his deeply unconscious state, the faintest movement under his eyelids showing signs that he was still alive. However, it wasn’t exactly Brody whispering the words over and over again under his breath, but rather a part of his psyche that was usually dormant, except for times like this when his stigmata became apparent.

“Terminus of dies est super nos.” He whispered softly, the latin words falling so easily off his tongue it was as though the language was his own. In truth, Brody didn't know a single word of Latin and to his knowledge, he'd never even attempted to speak it before. Even if he was aware he was talking, he wouldn't have had a clue what he was saying anyway.

“Apocalypse est nox noctis. Sexaginta six signum ero infractus.“ Hunter kept nudging his cheek with his wet nose, urging Brody to wake up properly, but all Brody could manage was a small flutter of his eyelashes, revealing pure white underneath where his eyeballs had rolled so far back in their sockets.

“Is vadum orior oriri ortus quod ingredior orbis terrarum. Equitatus mos veho. Mucro ero infractus.” He continued to mutter, sounding for all the world like he was trying to warn Ren of something catastrophic that was out of his control.

“Unus can servo nos. Unus can servo nos. Unus can servo nos. Terminus of dies est super nos. Is vadum orior oriri ortus quod ingedior orbis terrarum.”

Then, just as abruptly as he’d begun to speak, he stopped, his eyelids falling shut again, the moment of speaking in tongues passing.

((Roughly translated latin via the use of unreliable internet sources…

Terminus of dies est super nos = the end of days is coming.
Apocalypse est nox noctis = the apocalypse is nigh.
Sexaginta six signum ero infractus = the sixty six seals will be broken.
Is vadum orior oriri ortus quod ingredior orbis terrarum = He will rise and walk the earth again.
Equitatus mos veho = the horsemen will ride.
Mucro ero infractus = swords will be broken.
Unus can servo nos = only one can save us.

I make no apology for the failures in translation. It sounds random enough to be Latin to me. Unless you can actually speak or write Latin, use your imagination and pretend it‘s flawless.))

[ZZZ - R.I.P. - Ren Mercer]

Ren stood there, dazed, till Brody started to speak. She then slowly turned to him. Having been Catholic she knew what Latin sounded like, they have masses in them a lot (not to mention that handy, dandy exorcism she had committed to memory). This did not sound like either.

She picked up a few words, Terminus-sounded like terminal, dies-sounded like, well, dead. Maybe he was trying to tell her about someone who had died from a terminal illness? Then she heard that word, Apocalypse, that one she knew. The rest went over her head.

As she listened, she knelt down next to Brody, jumping a little when she saw the whites of his eyes. Was she watching someone die right in front of her? She checked his pulse again as he went quiet, it was there and steady. She knew that someone who lost that much blood might not be able to make it without help, but then there was the problem of the dead vampire near them. She knew she couldn't lift the guy, he was to big for her to drag out of here, and what if that made it worse? She finally decided that the only thing she could do was call for help and move the vamp body.

She got up and grabbed the vamp under the arms, making slow progress. She gets it out into the hallway and into the shadows enough to hopefully hide it, then turns back into the room, wiping blood off her hands onto her jeans, and pulling out her cellphone and dialing 911. She can't really tell the dispatcher the address but gives him a good enough general direction to it. It's not like on this side of town there were many addresses. She then hung up and walked back into the room.

Hunter, on the other hand, was happy to see the human was coming around. He redoubled his licking efforts when he passed out again. The good dog's tail wagging softly, not caring about the amount of dirt and grime on Brody's face, each lick cleaning away it but leaving behind a small layer of drool.

Ren found a place on the floor not coated with blood and sat next to Brody, reaching over and picking the machete up. She had totally forgotten about the head in her rush to move the body out. She takes her eyes off the door for an instant and all of a sudden her breath is caught in her throat. She hadn't taken the time to actually see Brody before, only worrying over his condition. She tears her eyes away from him, feeling that noticing how handsome he was in this moment was inappropriate, she looks out to the doorway again. Anything come through it that wasn't human she would gladly step in between it and Brody.

[Deleted]

It was like waking up from a very long, very deep sleep when the true Brody began to stir and it took him a good few minutes to pinpoint what it was that kept persistently nudging his face.

Is that someone licking me?

Considering that he hadn’t gotten lucky in years, the chances of this being the amorous advances of a lady lying next to him were pretty much nil, which left him with the only other explanation he could muster in his foggy brained state.

It’s gotta be a cat or a…

Blearily, he opened his eyes - now back to how they should be in their sockets - to find a very excitable beagle sniffing around his face as if he were made of dog chocolate.

…stray dog.

With the groan of someone unhappy about being woken up too soon, Brody moved his arm up, aiming to brush the mutt away with his hand, until he remembered the reason he was sleeping on the floor in the first place. The groan became a full on teeth clenching grunt and he pulled his hand back to his chest, fingers curling weakly, impulse making him want to tighten them into a fist but his wounds voiding the idea as impossible.

“Not again…” He sighed to himself, blinking his eyes a few times to clear away the blurred image of the dog still hovering in front of him.

In hindsight, he should have known he was due an episode, he’d gone too long without one it was just a matter of time, only this particularly time he couldn’t recall what had triggered it. Usually it was some sort of danger, an act of violence he’d stepped in front of to defend someone else, but right now, he couldn’t even remember where he was, much less what had lead up to him being there, bleeding all over the place.

“Okay, okay…’m awake. Stop licking.” He said, finding that the stray animal was surprisingly obedient. Of course, once it had moved out of the way, he wished it hadn’t when his gaze automatically landed on the fallen head of the vampire staring directly at him.

“Jesus!” He jumped, now fully awake enough to jerk himself back away from the grotesque sight, scrambling to sit upright, scaring himself a second time when he realised there was someone else - with head intact no less - on the other side of him.

“Gah!” Natural instinct to back up kicked in again, only he was already against the wall, the only thing he could do was to smack his skull on it.

“Agh…” He winced, confusion and badly hidden fear all over his face at the same time.

“What..? Who..? Where..?”

[ZZZ - R.I.P. - Ren Mercer]

As Brody stirred awake Ren didn't notice, her thoughts were on watching for the EMTs, ready to guard him against any other vampires, and admonishing herself for her having the audacity to notice a good looking guy in a situation like this. Plus there was also the explanation she'd have to try to give them as to what she was doing in an abandoned warehouse next to a guy who was bleeding...holding a machete. It was times like this that she wished that there was some sort of manual for hunters which detailed what to do when dealing with civilians. All she knew was that she wasn't going to leave his side with the threat of more vampires.

“Okay, okay…’m awake. Stop licking.”

She heard him talking to Hunter and had turned to tell him it was okay, help was on the way, when he saw the vampire head. She winced having forgotten completely about the vampire head in her rush to move the body and call for help. As she opens her mouth to say something...

“Jesus!” “Gah!”

When he moved to her she jumped, pulling the machete to the other side of her, away from him, surprised at how quickly this guy who was half dead a moment ago was now moving. Reaching up a hand, trying to calm him but not moving any closer to him she set upon him as gentle of a look as she could muster, being covered in two kinds of blood, Brody's and the vampire's. She winced for him when he hit his head on the wall, hoping that he wasn't going to add concussion to bleeding to death. Her first instinct was to reach up and touch him, give him some sort of comforting contact, but she knew that might freak him out even worse.

“What..? Who..? Where..?”

“My name is Ren Mercer, just be still, I don't know how badly you're hurt.”

She moved across to where the vampire head was, getting in front of it and trying to think how exactly she was going to explain it to him. Again, need to get a manual for this kind of thing. She could see he was afraid and who could blame him. She hadn't seen any bite marks when she checked him for a pulse but it could be that the vampire just hadn’t gotten to him yet, of course how did that explain all the blood. Well it was a rough part of town, it could be he got jumped and beat up. It could also be that the vampire she just killed knew her, knew the horror of what the other vampires had done to her, and was just leaving another body for her to find to make all those memories flood back. If that was the case it was working. Part of her no longer saw Brody in front of her but saw the people she had lost. He was her mother, her father, Simon, all rolled into one. Maybe this time she had a chance to do what she couldn't do before, she could save someone.

”I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. You're safe with me.'

Her voice was full of concern and kindness, she hoped she didn't just make a statement she would later regret. All she really cared about in that one moment was getting him to stay still and calm down. A racing heartbeat might pump more blood out of him and kill him, she was sure he had already lost enough to be dead in moments by now. Dead like her parents. Dead like Simon. If he died here it was just another person to add to her list of failures.

[Deleted]

Oh great. Just what he needed. A good Samaritan, looking out for his well being when all Brody really wanted was to be left alone. He’d been in this position before and he understood why people felt the need to help the guy who looks like he’s bleeding to death, but they simply didn’t realise that it was causing him more trouble than just letting him deal with it on his own.

Of course, he can’t tell them that because to make them understand that there’s really nothing to be worried about, he has to confess that he’s stigmatic and he’s tried that one before too. It tends to get the, ‘huh?’ look in response or the, ‘you’ve lost a lot of blood, you’re not thinking straight’ patronising tone. In either case, he’s forced to endure their sympathy and kindness because he can’t exactly go anywhere under his own steam until his feet heal up. He has to admit, sometimes it’s sort of nice to have someone give a damn, he’s out of practice when it comes to being cared for, but the itch, the need to distance himself from prying eyes always wins out and he bails before the dust gets chance to settle.

This time he senses that the dog who’s so fond of licking him, who is still sniffing around him as though he’s the last bone at the butchers, won’t let him give Ren Mercer the slip so easily. This dog looks like a tracker, a blood hound, and with a nose that big it could probably find him a mile away from here even if he wasn’t leaving a trail of red in his wake, so he’ll have to talk her out of wanting to help him instead.

“I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. You're safe with me.”

“Is that what you said to the guy who‘s head is on the floor?” Brody blurted out before he could worry whether or not it might provoke her into lopping his melon off too. If it wasn’t for the machete in her hand which she‘s dutifully doing her best to hide even though it‘s bigger than any knife he‘s ever seen before in real life, he could so believe she was telling the truth. She had that kind of softness about her that just seemed to radiate calming innocence and her eyes shone with honesty that he rarely saw these days. He had no idea what she was doing in a dump like this with random heads on the floor and blood everywhere, looking out for a guy who smelt like he was a week away from a decent wash, but if she was to be believed and he had to draw a conclusion in a hurry, which he really did right now, he was putting two and two together to make a hunter. A very sweet looking, out of place hunter, but to peg her as a lady who bakes cookies for a living when they’re in the ass end of the worst part of town would just be unlikely.

A hunter of what though? Well that was another brain mushing question in itself. Brody had brushed shoulders with a couple of people who turned up just when his life was taking a turn for the scary-weird, and those few brave souls- or overly violent vigilante nut jobs, depending on your perspective - often referred to themselves as hunters. Some specialised in one thing or another, but typically they always knew more about what was going on than he ever did, which was why he usually just let them get on with whatever it was they needed to do without getting in the way, especially if it resulted in him not being eaten by a monster. Or taken hostage by a demon. Or just generally freaked out by spooky crap in some old mansion.

My life is weird…

[ZZZ - R.I.P. - Ren Mercer]

“Is that what you said to the guy who‘s head is on the floor?”

At that she looked down, ashamed now, she felt like an idiot for forgetting about the head. Did it matter the vampire was going to kill them both if she hadn't stopped it, right then and there? No, cause well she screwed up again now.

”I'm sorry it was an accident. He came up behind me and was going to bite me.” Wow she was actually apologizing for killing a vampire? Yea she was. It was in her nature to apologize first and ask questions later. She glanced over at the head, those rows of teeth still showing, that gave her the creeps, she couldn't help but shudder, remembering teeth like that from her past and from every nightmare she'd had since then. In the end, even though she went looking for trouble like this, everything supernatural still scared her so much. It was only her persistent need to try to save the world that kept her going. Insane, probably, but she wasn't going to be able to just sit by and watch the world burn.

She pulled her gaze away from the head and looked back to Brody. Her eyes, always a weakness when it came to betraying her emotions, held that mixture of fear and regret that she felt. He might very well be a casualty and she was sure if it was any of the other hunters in the world that they would have handled this better. Yea, need to get her hands on that manual, if there was one out there.

”I know it sounds crazy but that was a vampire and he wanted to kill us both, cause that is what they do. I get that you probably think I am off my rocker but even so I don't want to leave you alone and hurt where there may be more of them, okay?” She had to offer him some sort of explanation, maybe help him see she wasn't the enemy here. Her voice again that tone of calmness and concern, hoping that he would just go along with what she said and not make anything worse right now. She got that what she was saying wasn't exactly calming, no matter what soft tone she used, but the fact was she'd rather him understand the situation they were in and stay put till help arrived. Right now he was her concern.

She knew that keeping him awake would be key to keeping him safe so she changed the subject. ”I never met someone who spoke Latin before. I'm afraid I don't but I did hear something about someone who died of a terminal illness?” Mention the Apocalypse? No she wasn't going to do that right away. The idea here was to get him talking, distract him, keep him with her till help came. It wasn't that she didn't want to know what he had said about the end of days but she also didn't want to make him talk about any scary stuff, and really what was scarier than the Apocalypse? Well that vampire head was running a close second, she could almost feel like those dead eyes were trying to calculate how best to kill her, with or without a body.

”I'm just gonna move that, it's creepy.” She said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. The body, that she was able to move just fine but the head, it had all those teeth that she dreaded. Maybe it was an unconscious decision she had made not to move it, not wanting to be any where near a vampire's teeth, no matter how dead it might be. Now however she didn't want it looking at her, or him.

[Deleted]

He didn’t know why, because he was already doubting his own theory that Ren was a hunter in favour of a much simpler scenario where she turned out to be a sadistic serial killer who disguised herself as a sweet and innocent girl to throw people off the fact she liked to carry around a big damn machete, but lashing out verbally at her made him feel instantly bad, particularly from the shame faced look she gave him in return.

Serial killers don’t feel shame about killing…

And then she started to apologise to him for accidentally killing someone else that he didn't even know. Which was…really not what fitted the profile of a psychopath.

Huh.

So Brody reverted back to his original gut instinct that she was a hunter out on a mission to…to do what exactly? The clue was in her explanation, that she thought the head on the floor was going to bite her and now that he was more aware, when he looked back at the seriously disgusting face with no body, the sharp rows of fangs that no ordinary human possesses were all the evidence that he needed to believe her.

Vampires. Why’d it have to be vampires?

Without realising it, he unconsciously went to touch the old bite mark on his neck, a scar faded by time and partially obscured by dirt and grime, almost forgetting that using his hands was a bad idea. Vampires were his first real introduction to this crazy new world he kept finding himself in, if you didn’t count his affliction. One very strange invitation to a creepy old mansion in the middle of no-where had brought him face to face with not one, but three bloodsucking monsters who’d decided that his unusual brand of blood was to die for. Even now, he still couldn’t recall everything that happened after that initial pain of teeth sinking into his neck, but he was pretty sure he’d been saved by hunters.

”I know it sounds crazy but that was a vampire and he wanted to kill us both, cause that is what they do. I get that you probably think I am off my rocker but even so I don't want to leave you alone and hurt where there may be more of them, okay?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head at her as he tried to sit up straighter against the wall, “I don’t think you’re off your rocker.” The wound in his side pulled with the movement, making him hiss and press his arm against his ribs to counteract it.

“And I don’t want to hang around here if there are more of them, but I’m not hurt…” he paused mid-sentence and thought about his choice of words considering how he felt and the colourful state he was in.

“Okay, I know what you‘re thinking, but really, I’m fine. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

”I never met someone who spoke Latin before. I'm afraid I don't but I did hear something about someone who died of a terminal illness?”

Brody was slightly distracted by Hunter resting its head on his thigh, looking up at him with the sad eyes of a dog that really wanted some ear scritches but knew that it wouldn’t be getting them just yet. It made him want to reach out and ruffle the adorable little guy’s fur, but then it dawned on him what Ren had just said and he shifted his gaze from the hound to her.

“Uh, okay? That’s not random at all.” He said, thoroughly confused as to why she was suddenly rambling on about Latin and terminal illnesses.

Wait, does she think I have a terminal illness? No, that doesn’t make any sense, she only just met me and, well yeah, I’m bleeding and all, but how would that lead her to think I’ve got a terminal illness? And what’s with mentioning Latin?

I think this girl’s been hanging around with her dog for too long…

[ZZZ - R.I.P. - Ren Mercer]

Ren, unable to bring herself to actually picking up the head, kicked at it till she was sure it was out of the way of prying eyes. She even considered throwing her boots away, not liking that it had even touched the dead vampire's face.

As she turned back to Brody, she saw his hand go to his neck and panic passed through her eyes as she kneeled down next to him and looked over his neck to see if there were bite marks or blood there. She placed one hand on his shoulder as she checked, not even aware of the fact she was touching him in her fear that he had gotten bitten.

”Did it bite you?”

A little panic escaping in her voice as she checks. She didn't see a bite, so she settled again next to him, her hand staying on his shoulder. Maybe she left that hand there for comfort, perhaps just as a gesture that she would protect him, she really didn't know herself. Her eyes went back to the doorway, trying to pick out any movement in the dark and hear for the sirens.

“No,” he said, shaking his head at her as he tried to sit up straighter against the wall, “I don’t think you’re off your rocker.”

So not the response she was expecting. She let her hand slip off his shoulder, looking over at him, opening her mouth to put words to a question of why he didn't think she was crazy, honestly hearing herself she even thought she was crazy. Then he winces, and his hands go to his ribs, instantly her eyes move there. She turned to face him, a look of concern came over her features.

Oh God, it really has hurt him. Why wasn't I faster? Wait, why doesn't he think I'm crazy for saying something about vampires? Is he a hunter........maybe? Why isn't he staying still?!?

He didn't look very much like a hunter, unless the homeless have their own brand of hunters. There also was the total lack of weapons, that was a clue that she wasn't dealing with a hunter. Then how did he know about vampires? Would it be prying for her to ask?

“Uh, okay? That’s not random at all.”

”But you were speaking it, just before...”

She turned her head curiously at him. Was he possessed? Is he playing bait to lure her into a trap? Well if he was then where were the vampires jumping her and killing her? Then again what is the matter with him? Asking would really be prying wouldn't it? No, wait what was I taking about? He's really cute...that's right Latin.

”Right after I killed the vampire you started speaking in Latin. I'm not sure exactly what you said, I only really know two things in Latin myself.”

He might have lost to much blood to remember it...just gotta keep him here till help comes, keep him here and keep him safe.

[Deleted]

”Did it bite you?”

“Not this time.” Brody replied without thinking, distracted by the hand on his shoulder and the soft fingertips brushing against his neck. She genuinely looked scared for him and it took him by surprise. No-one cared about what happened to a homeless drifter, so long as it didn’t interfere with their daily routine or get blood on their shoes. Brody could be mauled to death by wild dogs in the middle of town and no-one would really give a crap.

All his friends were long gone, left behind with his old life when the stigmata started, and family? Even back then he didn’t know who his family was. Orphaned, or so he was told, growing up in various foster homes with no real knowledge of where he came from or even how old he really was. The only good thing about that was, he got to pick which day he wanted his birthday to be. But here this strange woman, this serial-killing/vampire hunting/cookie baking woman was worried about him being hurt. Who knew that there were still people out there that had hearts.

Don’t read too much into it Brody…she probably just wants to make sure you’re not going to turn into a vampire too, though I have no idea how that actually happens…They drink your blood first and then get you to drink theirs, isn’t that how it works in the movies..? Or is it the other way around..? Man, I haven’t seen The Lost Boys for ages…that was a cool film…the dog in that was adorable too…is that a beagle..? Poor guy looks worried, he needs his ears scratching…ow…okay yeah, hands, not working at the moment, shoulda remembered that…kinda obvious…wow this lady smells nice…why‘d I have to meet her like this..?

Having gotten lost in his thoughts, his mind tiredly drifting again, Brody had to blink a couple of times before he processed that Ren was talking about him speaking Latin again. His brow furrowed into a confused frown, wondering if she was maybe mixing up something he might have mumbled with a dead language that he really didn’t know anything about.

“Okay, firstly," he began, quite matter of factly, "I don’t remember you killing anything because I think I’d passed out, and secondly, I don’t speak Latin. Like, not even a word. I wouldn’t know Latin if you tattooed it onto my forehead and told me it was Latin. The only languages I speak are English and bad English. And a few words of Spanish that will get me by if I ever want to know where the swimming pool is. Maybe you just mis-heard something?”

[ZZZ - R.I.P. - Ren Mercer]

“Not this time.”

There it was, that cold feeling in the pit of her stomach again. It had been a constant companion, creeping up on her just to remind her how much of a freak she really was. Here was someone else who was bitten by a vampire, like she was, but he probably fought back, he probably didn't have dreams about it at night where the terror and pleasure mixed to make her wake up and want to scrub herself clean in a cold shower. She just tucked away that fact for possible later discussion. A discussion where she wasn't to distracted to accidentally let something slip. She wasn't letting anyone know about what happened that night because then they'd see her for the aberration she was and probably end up hunting her. She especially wasn't letting Brody know about that night, because she couldn't take it if she saw disapproval on that level in those warm brown eyes.

Her eyes trailed down to Hunter who was giving Brody cute puppy dog eyes. She wondered a moment if she had been giving him that same look, that please pet me cause I'm cute look. She reached out to give Hunter a quick scratch for a job well done, making sure to make it in the spot behind the ear that he loved the most. For Hunter's part he stayed where he was, accepting the love gratefully but more interested in getting love now from Brody.

Do I even have a pet me cause I'm cute look? Why is Hunter staying on his leg? Does my dog like him now too? Wait, did I touch his neck? Gah....do I even know his name? Focus damn it...sirens, keep him distracted, get him help, then run away as fast as your feet can take you, he don't need any of the hang ups you have. He doesn't need the problems that you being part of his life would bring....why am I even thinking this? I DON'T EVEN KNOW HIS NAME?!?!

“Maybe you just mis-heard something?”[/b]

“You're probably right, I'm not all that smart.”

Giving in to self doubt and her own wish to keep from arguing with Brody she relented in the questions about Latin. Maybe he was a psychic and didn't know it, maybe it was God speaking through him, or maybe (and more likely in her mind) she had finally lost it and was seeing things. She'd ask Bobby about it the next time she saw him, he'd probably be able to explain it to her.

That's when she heard it, a faint sound of sirens. They couldn't be that far away and now he'd get help. Relief washed over her as she turned to him, still wanting to keep him talking, she said the first thing that came to mind.

”My dog's name is Hunter but I don't think we caught yours. I get it if you don't want to tell me cause we didn't meet in the greatest of circumstances. Abandoned warehouse in Nashville, vampires....machete....you're bleeding.”

At that she pulled her bow bag to her, tucking the machete away along with picking up the crucifix as well. She didn't think she should leave any weapons out, might prove kinda hard to explain to the EMTs why she's sitting next to a bleeding guy with a big ass knife. She already had enough to explain when it came to that, she did have two kinds of blood on her, a change of clothing at Shelby was in order. Maybe a shower at a motel somewhere too. Before motel though she was going to make sure that Brody was okay. Go to the hospital with him and stay as long as he wanted her to. She wasn't the kind of person to save someone and then ditch them, she had to see it through, make sure he was going to be okay, maybe give him her phone number...

[Deleted]

Brody heard them too, the sirens, but where the sound brought relief to Ren, it brought panic and a sense of impending trouble to Brody. He didn’t want doctors prodding and poking at him, trying to figure out the cause of his mysterious inability to stop bleeding, and when he finally would and the wounds miraculously healed over, then what? More questions, more tests, more prodding and poking him like he was a scientific experiment and he definitely didn’t want that.

Got to think of a way out…

”My dog’s name is Hunter, but I don’t think we caught yours. I get it if you don’t want to tell me ‘cause we didn’t meet in the greatest of circumstances. Abandoned warehouse in Nashville…vampires…machete…you’re bleeding…”

“Brody.” He said, surprising himself that he’d actually told her his real name. He hadn’t intended to, usually in circumstance like this he gave up a fake name, typically Steve McQueen or something along those lines, so that when they tried to find him after he ditched them, they’d end up with a list of great movies to watch which he hoped would distract them long enough to forget he even existed. But no, for some odd reason he’d told her his real name and even more strangely, he was sort of glad he had. No wonder really when he saw the kind of affection she was giving the pooch…Hunter…good name…. It was clear Ren was a warm hearted woman. Maybe he secretly wanted her to scratch him behind the ears too.

Don’t be stupid…

The sirens got louder and it became evident that they were heading in their direction. Brody’s discomfort ramped up a notch and it had nothing to do with the holes in his body.

“You didn’t call an ambulance did you?” He asked, worried that his dog-loving saviour was the quick thinking type who liked to help the needy.

Of course she has, just look at how happy she is that help is on the way…she’s even tidying up in a dump like this…or wait, no, she’s just hiding her weapons so that the EMT’s don’t suspect she’s the one who stabbed me…even though if they look closely, it’ll be obvious that no-one stabbed me because there’s no holes in my clothes or boots and for the love of pastries, why does it have to be on my feet?! I need to get out of here and I can’t walk! Thank you God, if you’re even real, for sticking me with this crap gig that I don’t deserve! Why me? What did I do wrong to get stuck with a freak show of a life like this? Jesus, who am I talking to…you don’t even exist…I’m losing my mind along with about ten pints of blood…and I liked those boots too…

[ZZZ - R.I.P. - Ren Mercer]

“Brody.”

"Brody."

She wanted to try saying it out loud, even if it was only her saying it softly, she liked the sound of it. It might be a fake name but she was in no position to question it. It made sense to her that he’d lie to her; she might even lie to herself in this position. Course she probably was already lying to herself, thinking this guy was going to want her company after help came. He’s probably only keeping her around because she can protect them both from any more vamps in the area.

“You didn’t call an ambulance did you?”

She swallowed, had she done something wrong? Was he wanted for something? Would he get into trouble? Maybe she could get them out before the EMTs got there. Maybe there was a back door out of this place. Maybe….wait is he still bleeding? She turned back to him, instinctively placing her hand on his, trying to reassure him.

”Okay I know you just met me and the circumstances are not that great, but could you just explain to me what happened to you?”

She turned, fully, to face him, kneeling next to him and started to look him over, really look him over. She kicked herself for not having done this sooner. She had basic first aid skills thanks to her search and rescue training; along with the experience she got treating Simon’s wounds when he came home after a hunt.

Looking, she saw where the blood was freshest, most prevalent. She noted on his side, his feet, then she noticed the wetness under the hand that hers was on…his hands were bleeding too. He stomach lurched again, an image of what could have caused these kinds of wounds coming to mind, an image of Brody being….crucified? She was no religious expert but being raised Catholic she knew what Christ on a cross looked like. She heard the story of Christ’s crucifixion enough to know what went into it.

She saw in her minds eye Brody’s face, replaced by Jesus’, as he’s pushed onto a cross. Then a solider feels his hands for a place to drive the nail through. She can see the panic and terror on Brody’s face as the nail is held to his hand and driven in by a hammer. She can almost hear Brody’s anguished cries as his hand is fastened into the cross’ wood. Her heart breaks for him, seeing the image repeated twice more, once for the other hand and then his feet. Damning herself for seeing it she tries to stop thinking about it but her mind then presses forward, he’s hanging there, in agony, as other solider stabs him with a spear in the side. She shivered, wishing with everything that was in her that she was wrong.

She took a few deep breaths, meeting his eyes, horrified and scared for him and not hiding either emotion well. Actual tears welled up in her eyes as she took his hand into both of hers. Her voice cracking as she spoke, she tried to take his glove off to see the wound better.

”Did someone crucify you?”