late. Even around the bars there wouldn’t be anyone out - if anyone went outside it would be brief due to the cold. After a substantial walk, they reached the grotty area. Daniel was more alert than ever. Music pounded out of a venue ahead and they ducked inside, finding themselves instantly in a crowd. Sarah felt Daniel tighten his grip on her. Her heart pounded, it felt like something could happen any minute and she had no idea how this evening was going to go. She could barely believe that she might try and kill Jo. Or Sebastian - not that she’d stand much chance against him. Their best chance would be to tackle Jo alone, they might be able to kill him.
But could she do it? She saw his image from earlier flash back into her mind. I could do it if he was acting like that. She didn’t think she could if he acted normal. She wouldn’t be able to believe what had happened earlier. What if she had hallucinated the whole thing? What if Jo wasn’t a monster at all? What if she was actually going mad, seeing things?
Music thudded around her. It was dark and people bumped into her. The place smelt bad; smoke, spilt drinks and sweat. She pushed through, looking for any sign of Jo, Daniel holding her hand. He had explained to her what Sebastian looked like. Very tall, thin, longish hair, dark eyes. Probably dressed much like Daniel. She hadn’t seen a photo though so really was trusting in Daniel to spot him. Sarah looked hard, investigating every corner, but couldn’t see any sign of either of them. She looked at Daniel and he gesticulated towards the door.
As the fresh air hit her Sarah breathed it in, relieved to be in the open.
‘Next place?’ she asked.
‘Yes, but first…’ and he leant in and kissed her. She felt warmth spread through her, feeling giddy with attraction, and broke into a smile as he pulled away.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked towards the next place, looking intently down every alley. It was much of the same; dark, crowded, smoky. When they left this one Sarah’s unease increased. It seemed likely they would have to face some kind of situation soon.
The next bar was quieter. Sarah kept thinking she saw Jo in the dark, but at second glance realizing it was just her paranoia. She kept looking for his short hair and warm brown eyes, or his chunky well-built frame. The thing was, these weren’t uncommon features - it was easy to think that she was seeing things in the dark. She was also keenly looking for blood, inspecting necks, seeing if there were any signs of bites.
She followed Daniel to the bar and he bought her a coke. Not what she would usually choose, but she didn’t want alcohol obscuring her judgment. The sugary liquid did perk her up, and soothed her throat from the smoke. She leant into Daniel, feeling his hard muscles beneath his leather jacket, but kept looking about. She didn’t want Jo to see her first.
They finished their drinks and decided there was definitely no sign of either Jo or Sebastian, and that it was time to move on. Back out in the cold Sarah held Daniel’s hand, tightly. She kept her other hand in her pocket, gripping onto a stake. It was so quiet, there were only distant sounds - the odd drunken shout in the distance, music muffled by heavy walls. It started to rain again and Sarah pulled her hood further over her face, catching Daniel’s eye and trying to smile. He gave her a gorgeous smile back, making her feel a little easier.
They rounded the next corner and saw another bar ahead. This one looked rough, the sign only just readable under the poor lighting, curtains drawn, front door closed. It didn’t look very welcoming.
She felt Daniel tense and looked up at him, then he pulled her into the shadows. Her heart pounded hard, she felt it in her throat and ears, but Daniel held onto her and she felt protected. It didn’t escape her mind how much older and stronger Sebastian supposedly was. She knew Daniel wouldn’t necessarily be able to protect her.
In the dark Daniel pulled at her chin so her eyes met his, ‘Calm down,’ he said. She lost herself in his eyes, feeling his influence seep in and her heart rate slow. She took a deep breath.