Glenn and V.V. arrived moments later with bagful of crosses, stakes and holy water.
"We got your message." Glenn said, eying the debris warily. Ray was tortured badly and lying on one of the spare beds. Blaze's right side of his face had been burnt but otherwise he's fine. Terra had friction burned into the flesh of her left arm, so that the skin is red and in danger of peeling. Jake and Lance were unhurt, but shaken.
Lloyd, who still haven't fully recovered, was putting on his clothes, causing Dr Chang, who had arrived earlier to the noises and screams to go, "What do you think you're doing?"
"We got to rescue Hor- I mean, Tiffany." Lloyd averted his gaze to Blaze, who is holding Tiffany's card in his hands.
"Tiffany? Who's Tiffany?" V.V. said, looking confused.
"Hornet." Blaze answered hollowly.
"Hornet? That's the girl called Tiffany, right?" Dr Chang said, consulting his notes. "Well, I can only hope that she's safe. But with her current condition, I can't guarantee for sure."
"Well, we can't sit down and do nothing!" Lance snapped. "My partner's out there with her life in danger!"
"But why would Revarie wanted Hor- I mean, Tiffany?" V.V. frowned. "That doesn't make any sense..."
"He said that he's feeling thirsty..." Jake said.
Glenn sucked in a hollow breath. "Uh oh."
Lloyd turned to him. "How bad is it?"
"I think... He's going to....sire her."
"Sire?"
"I been doing research on vamps lately." Glenn said, blushing slightly. "A vampire reproduce by siring his offspring, usually a dying victim by drinking their blood."
"Hornet's, I mean, Tiffany is not dying, for God's sake." Lance spluttered. "How can he think that way???"
"The girl is between life and death..." Dr Chang said shakily. "If what you say is true, then the vampire might try to make her drink his blood."
Everyone paled at the thought.
"We got to find her, fast!!!!" Blaze yelped.
***********
Hornet feel weak. Really weak. There were times when she seriously feel like letting Death embrace its pale white hands around her so that she can drift off. Other times she feel nausea swimming all over her, making her feel pain.
And there are times when she can feel her friends, companions, saying soft-spoken words of encouragement, telling her not to give up hope. Terra's constant prayers of caring, Ray's grunt of encouragement, Blaze's demanding voice not to give up, Jake's shyness but with kind words behind them.
And Lance... Her long life companion and partner. They had been long life childhood friends, and the radioactive incident, they had been supporting each other throughout the ups and downs. Although she had never heard him muttering encouragement, she had felt his presence by her side a lot, especially when it came to taking care of her. Even though Lance's from Edinburgh, Scotland, whereas she's from Yushu, a town in Jilin province of northeastern China. Despite the fact that they're from different places, they had worked together like a dynamic duo, partners-in-crime, but more than that, friends... Beyond that, brother and sister...
She was suddenly aware of something brushing her arm. She tilted her head to one side and saw a pale long fingered hand like spider legs with black fingernails drawing circles on her arm. The hand belonged to a very good looking young man. He has long dark hair that hung like curtains around his very pale angular face and eyes as red as blood rubies. There's something about the way he looks. Like nobility, or aristocratic. He's wearing a very loose white shirt that was opened at his chest, revealing a silver pendant which hung on a chain around his neck.
Who is that, Hornet thought weakly. I think I've seen him before.
The man moved in closer to her, smiling angelically at her, opening his mouth a little wide to reveal shiny white teeth that seems to be fangs. He then bit his wrist hard till blood flowed from the punctured wound, trickling down like a thin ribbon.
Hornet's mind gave a gasp as he put his bleeding wrist near her lips, forcing it down her throat.
Stop it, leave me alone!!! Hornet's mind feel like screaming but the man held her head so that she had no choice but to drink.
After a few moments or so, he took away his bleeding wrist and murmured, "That should be enough..."
Hornet suddenly feel light-headed and drowsy just as she remembered who he is... The vampire from before. Revarie...
************
Revarie left the room where Hornet, or should he say, Tiffany was held captive. As soon as he had brought her back here, he had made sure no one gets into the room except him. He hadn't worried about binding her because she's too weak and frail to even escape. All he had to do is make sure to weaken her before siring her.
"Whatcha going to do with her?" Allen asked, holding a tray of nectar and honey in jars. Food for the hornet.
"I was hoping to sire her, add her into my collection." Revarie's punctured wrist had stopped bleeding, but the blood had stained his sleeves, like drops of red petals.
"What did you do?"
"Gave her a little medicine..." He smiled. "Made sure to keep her in a stable condition."
**********
"Wait..."
Jake was holding the ribbon that Tiffany usually use to tie her plait. The ribbon is well-worn but still acceptable as an item to trace her whereabouts.
"What is it?" Lance asked. He's sitting on a vintage Yamaha sport bike that he had nicked few months ago. Jake is using a Vespa scooter that they had managed to salvage from a junk site.
"I felt her aura. It's not very strong. It's as though she was purposely hidden." Jake shut his eyes. "I can't track her. What about Lupercus?"
"I'm calling him now." Lance nodded, holding out his cell phone.
Ray and Terra were running down a district. Well, Ray is in his wolf form, Terra is running, her pigtails trailing behind her. Back in her school days, she was often teased for being short, but she makes up for it by having steady legs that are good for running and sprinting.
"Hold it, Lupercus." She yelled. "Are you sure this is even the right way?"
Lupercus only howled in response.
"Hey, wait up. My phone's ringing..." She waved her bejewelled cellphone.
Lupercus halted and shifted back to Ray, who said, "Well, make it quick, will you?"
Terra pressed the call button. "Hello?"
"What's your status?"
"Not much." She muttered.
"I think we might've gotten a lead. Jake reckons her aura is at North."
"Well, pass it on to Blaze and the other three..."
Without waiting for an answer, Lance cancelled her call and dialled Blaze's number.
"Blaze, I think we may have gotten a lead..."
*************
Blaze was riding on the back of the Land Rover with V.V. as he said, "Can't this piece of junk go any faster?"
Lloyd, who was taking the wheel, with Glenn as his passenger, snapped, "Shut up, Hot-Head. This piece of junk had actually been with me for a very long time."
"God, you're so serious..." Blaze shrugged, leaning against his seat.
"You mind your manners, young man, and we'll help you out..." Glenn said, turning to face him.
That was when Blaze's cell phone rang loudly with Shakira's Hips Don't Lie ringtone, causing Glenn and Lloyd to snicker in the front.
"Quit it. I love her music." Blaze yelped, blushing a deep tomato red. "She's hot."
This only cause them to snicker even more. Only V.V. was kind enough to say, "I think she's pretty too. Why don't you answer your phone?"
Blaze gave her a look of respect and nodded. "Hello?"
"Hello, Pyro.... Head North. I can track her aura coming from there." Jake said, driving his scooter.
"Alright." Blaze then said, "Head North. Jake can sense Tiffany's aura coming from there."
Lloyd nodded, but couldn't resist adding, "You mind putting Shakira's music while we drive???"
"SHUT UP!!!!" Blaze roared, blushing even more deeply.
************
"They're coming..." Allen said to Mind's Shadow. "How did they find us?"
"I'm guessing that they have a skilled tracker..." Mind's Shadow then loomed to Revarie. "Hey, vamp, looks like hiding her aura doesn't seem to work."
"Be quiet, shadower. It doesn't seem to affect any of my plan of siring her." Revarie then turned to Reo. "You had better use that against them."
Reo was carrying the two cloth-wrapped parcels that he always carry with him. Up till now, no one even knows what inside, except for himself.
Reo's eyes flashed sharply for a moment. "Don't give me orders. I know what I'm doing."
That was when his phone ring. Reo flipped it open and said, "Yeah? Dario? You wish to speak with Revarie? Alright." He held out the phone. "For you."
Revarie stared at the phone suspiciously. He may have lived a long time but somehow, technology and him don't seem to get along. Gingerly, he took the phone and said, "Yeah?"
"Well, well , well, you finally grasped the basics of modern technology..." Dario's cold drawl came on the line. "So, did it work out fine?"
"Of course." Revarie smiled to himself. "I didn't touch Lloyd. Too bad the failure wasn't there."
"Yes, well, make sure you don't kill him off."
"What about the other two?"
"I don't care about the other guy, but don't break V.V. will you? She's my property."
Revarie then hand the phone back to Reo, saying, "Keep an eye out."
Reo briefly glanced at his way, but he nodded.
Revarie then ran out with such speed. One minute's he there, next minute he's gone.
************
All of them gathered in front of a Italian-looking manor with a huge courtyard. It looks odd in contrast to the other American houses, somehow this makes it stand out a lot. Although it may looks grand, it looks abandoned. The paint had long since faded away, the glass are dusty-looking with heavy drapes blocking the sunlight, and the garden is overgrown with weeds. The brick walls surrounding the place has been vandalized by hoodlums who had spray-painted the entire thing with vulgar words and drawings.
"You mean Hornet's here?" Terra wrinkled her nose in disgust. "That vamp is going to pay..."
"I heard ya, Terra." Lance nodded, putting wooden bullets into his gun.
Ray took a few stakes and tested its sharpened point. "We get in and beat the crap out of him."
"Watch your back, kiddos." Lloyd said, taking out his blade and pouring holy water onto the blade. "He might have accomplices."
Blaze smirked. "We're not that dumb, Mister Lloyd."
Lloyd slammed the boot shut and said, "Let's go."
************
The front door is nearly off it's hinges. Nevertheless, it was locked with chains and padlock that looks unrecognizable.
Terra touched the lock, melting it into lumps of metal. "Done."
Lupercus burst the door open and the rest troop in like SWAT teams. All with their weapons positioned.
"Right. Well," Blaze struggled, trying to find the right words. "I think we should split up...So that we can move much more easily and...we can search much more faster for Tiffany..."
"Sounds like a plan." Lance nodded, taking Jake with him.
"Works for me." Terra said, taking Lupercus with her.
"I'll be with Glenn." Lloyd said, nodding.
"Then that just lefts you and me." V.V. said to Blaze.
"Well, that's fine by me..." He said with a tinge of awkwardness. "Let's go."
*************
Terra was holding a flashlight with her with Lupercus beside her. His ears up for hearing any of the faintest of sounds.
"This seems too quiet..." She said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "Don't you think so?"
Lupercus gave a nod of agreement.
They had walked into what looks like a living room, long since abandoned. The entire furnitures, all from Victorian times, are covered in cobwebs and dust bunnies. A beautiful swirly lampshade with colourful patterns that would once awe people has long since became dull as a pearl that had lost its shine. The carpet is also thick with dust. With each step they took, a cloud of dust erupts in front of them.
"Ah-Ah-CHOO!!!!" Terra sneezed. "I don't like this..."
Lupercus suddenly growled, his hairs standing up.
"What is it?"
Lupercus was growling at the darkest corner of the room. The shadow seem to be become bigger, menacing and evil with darkness.
"What on earth-" Terra gasped.
There was a huge laughter and suddenly, the room turned pitch black.
She couldn't even remember hitting the floor.
**********
Jake was tracking a long narrow corridor with doors on each sides. Lance was watching him anxiously while checking his watch non-stop. Every minute seems to make the fear inside of him grow bigger and bigger.
"I can't take this anymore..." He muttered. "I just can't."
"What do you mean?" Jake asked, still tracking the corridor.
"I can't stand here not doing anything. I'm worried about Hornet."
"She'll be fine." Jake said reassuringly. "She's tough as nails. She won't go down without a fight." He suddenly became alert. "I tracked her."
"What???"
"Over here." Jake went to one of the many doors and threw it open. Instead of a room, it's a narrow stone staircase, chipped and cracked on the surfaces, making it impossible to go down without tripping.
"No way is Hornet down there." Lance yelped at the condition of the staircase.
"My senses are telling me she is."
"How are we suppose to get down there, then?"
"Allow me to help." A voice said.
"Who's there?"
They were suddenly lifted off their feet and yelling, plunged into a freefall.
***********
Lance was the first to stir. His head is pounding hard as though it's about to split. His body feel as stiff as stone. Taking in his surroundings, he felt his stomach lurch. Everyone was captured, two to a cell each. Each cell is decorated exactly the same, a steel bed with a thin mattress, no blankets and pillows. A steel chair sat on its lonely corner and a steel bucket to be used as a toilet. Each of the steel bars may have rusted but they still provide a very good cell to prevent prisoners escape.
"Oh my God." Terra gasped from the opposite cell. "They got all of us..."
"I can't believe this!" Glenn yelped from another cell.
As if by magic, bat-shaped torches sprung to life, throwing harsh glares in the dim darkness. At first it seems bare, then Terra gave a loud scream.
At the very end, there's an altar, also made out of stone. A blood red cloth was draped over it, held together by a pair of golden candelabra covered in wax, the candles burning very low. But what's horrifying is actually behind the altar. An unusually huge spider web has been woven by using strong steel wires. On the pseudo web, hanging like a broken marionette, was Hornet. Her head lolled on to her chest, her hair hung loose on either sides. One arm was above her, as though she's waving, the other dangled at her side. Her legs were wide apart and crooked. Her clothes were ripped and torn, covered in dirt and sweat. The sleeves of her off the shoulder blouse were ripped, exposing her skinny arms, where the bones were visible. She is also barefooted, exposing her toes which are painted a honey thistledown colour. The sight of her makes everyone sick. Jake clasped his hand to his mouth and hurried over to the steel bucket. Something hit the bottom with a thud and he gasped for air.
"That's sick." Blaze muttered, locked with Lloyd. "Seriously sick."
"Be quiet!"
Mind's Shadow had loomed up to them, connecting from Allen's shadow. Majority of them had fallen victim to him, engulfed in the dark and brought here, to witness a horror out of a real nightmare.
Revarie emerged from one of the darkest corners, grinning wickedly like some grotesque character out of a horror film.
"Benvenuto, my prisoners." He said in a falsely host-like voice.
"What are you trying to achieve?" Glenn said.
"One with the tainted blood have no right to talk with me." Revarie spat.
"Why do you have to bother Hornet?" Ray snapped. "She has nothing to do with you."
"Oh, she does." Revarie raised an ancient looking knife, wickedly sharp in the light. With one brief swipe he sliced the web cleanly. Hornet would've crumpled to the floor in a heap if he haven't caught her into his arms.
Ray, who saw what was happening, could not contain a small sob. "Please. She doesn't have anything to do with this."
Revarie gave a smile, revealing his fanged canines. He pushed Hornet's hair back to reveal the sickly pale throat.
Terra was trying to melt the bars but to her horror a weapon was being pointed at her. It looks like a sword, with silver blade and all. But what is unusual is that instead of a proper hilt and handle, it's a gun's handle, pewter in colour with an ancient handle with rune like markings. The edge of a sword is sharp and thin, but this one, well, it's thicker by a few centimetres and has the mouth of a gun.
Oh no no no no no.
"Don't bother." Reo said. "I could shoot you right here and now in a blink of an eye."
"Mizutsuchi, don't." Terra pleaded.
"We're not allies anymore. So stop calling me that."
Revarie then lunged at Hornet's throat, sinking his fangs and drawing out the blood. Although she's not councious, her body jerked in pain. They also noticed the dark circles under her eyes.
Ray couldn't stop howling in anguish, at the same time. He started to slowly shift into the wolf within him. Skin started to become furs once more, the clothes that he's wearing slowly get absorbed into his body...
Lloyd, Glenn and V.V. had never seen Ray transformed into a wolf before, well not in front of their eyes. The process seems fascinating. His wild hair became longer and morphed into fur matching his body. Hands and feet morphed into paws respectively, with huge black claws. As his muzzled grew out, his tail appeared, swishing back and forth. His amber tilted eyes had changed into blood red eyes that seems to show grief. Howling, he threw himself against the bars, shaking the whole cell in the process, causing Reo to stumble to the back and a quick thinking Lloyd grabbed Reo and knocked him out by slamming him against the iron bars. His weapons, whatever they are, drop onto the floor with a loud clang.
Glenn snatched one of it up and said, "Cool. It looks like a gunblade." Without any hesitation, he fired one of the bullets to divert Revarie's attention. One of the bullet embedded itself deep into shoulders, which caused him to say, "That hurts."
With Hornet still bleeding, he then bit his wrist, puncturing two holes, which oozed out some blood. This, he forced it to Hornet's mouth, all the way down to her throat.
CRASH.
Lupercus had smashed the bars down, with Terra, melting everyone's cells.
"Thanks, kiddo." Lloyd said, retrieving his blade, where it was heaped in a corner together with Glenn's pistol and an assortment of rusted weapons, ranging from steel chains, antique swords, pole arms and axes.
"Wonder what are all these doing here?" Glenn said, picking up his gun and tossing the gunblade aside.
"Who knows." Lloyd swung his blade to get the feel of it.
Shadows suddenly loomed over him and bind him with shadow tendrils.
"You have forgotten about me." Mind's Shadow cackled.
"But not me."
V.V. had pulled one of the blazing torches out of the wall and threw it down onto Mind's Shadow, who scream in terror and fled to Allen, who telekinetically lifted all three of them in the air and threw them against the wall.
Before Glenn could pick himself up, a pair of hands seized him and gave him a swift punch onto his solar plexus.
"That's payback for touching and taking my gunblade..." Reo said, his eyes cold. "Hey!"
V.V had clambered on top of him and was raining blows after blows on him. Despite the fact that she's small, she has a surprisingly brutal strength.
"You leave him alone, you monster!" She yelled, her legs hooked on to his back and refusing to let go. "You leave him alone!"
Water suddenly erupted from the ground and blasted her away, drenching her in icy cold liquid. Lloyd slammed a fist onto his face, knocking him off balance.
Blaze conjured a fireball and blasted it towards Revarie who ducked for cover, dropping Hornet.
"Get Hornet!" Blaze yelled.
Jake and Terra had hurried over to her and pulled her gently to safety. Terra had torn a fabric off her dress and pressed it onto Hornet's throat to stop the blood from flowing.
"Tiffany? Tiff? Can you hear me?" Terra murmured.
Hornet, or rather Tiffany, opened her eyes just by a little. "Don't...." She slurred over the words. ".....call me... Tiff...any. It's Tifa....."
"Are you...alright?" Jake said anxiously.
For a moment Tifa opened her eyes fully, trying to take in the surrounding. Without warning, she screamed. It's not even a scream of terror. It's pain.
"Tifa? Tifa? What's wrong?" Terra gasped, holding her down, who is thrashing around wildly while screaming in pain.
"My body hurts!" She screamed. "The pain is unbearable!!! Make it stop!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!" Her last three words rose into a glass-shattering scream that seems to cause their eardrums to burst.
"What's wrong?" Jake yelled.
Revarie gave a throaty laugh. "It's already in process. The transformation, that is."
"You-" Jake let out a swear word.
"My work here is done. I wonder if she will survive the process, or die..." Revarie then sprouted out bat wings and flew off. Reo retrieved his gunblades and said to Glenn, "Next time we meet, I won't go easy on you."
"I'll be waiting." Glenn said, accepting the challenge.
Reo turned on his back and left, sheathing the gunblades into their respective holders. Allen hurried after him, with Mind's Shadow yelling, "This isn't over, you humans!!!! I'll be back!!!!"
All of them hurried over to the altar, where Tifa is screaming in agony thrashing around wildly. Her entire face is sweating, and her hornet characteristics seems to be sprouting out wildly.
Three pairs of hornet wings, insect-like and a pretty sunset red in colour, with sharpened tips a brilliant crimson, sprouted out from her back. Two feelers, also a sunset red in colour, sprouted out from the top of her head. Her nails seemed to become stingers, sharpening to a sting-like tip and turning into a golden yellow colour that seems venomous. Pale red-tinged veins spider-walked just below the skin of her wrists and hands. Her dark hair that falls to her hips, is tipped with crimson, like flames licking around her. Her eyes, originally a deep brown, turned maroon.
"Isn't there any way to stop the transformation?" Ray, who is back into a human, was wiping his tears roughly off his face.
"There might be a way." Lloyd said unexpectedly.
"Tell me!"
Lloyd turned to Glenn, who was watching all of this silently. "Can you draw out the blood?"
"Me?" Glenn yelped.
"Your fangs seems to be sharp enough to pierce her skin. And you are his descendant, after all."
Glenn gave s small smile. "Do I?"
"Just do it!!!" Blaze yelled.
Lance touched Tifa's hand to hold it down while avoiding the stinger-like nails and yelped. "Her temperature is dropping."
"Please!!!!" Ray sobbed.
Glenn stared back and forth and said to Terra. "Let me see the wound."
Terra nodded and removed the fabric. The punctured wounds are still there like two holes. Is it his imagination or do they seem to be turning smaller by the minute?
"This is going to hurt." Glenn murmured.
"We'll hold her." Lance said. "You just make sure to draw the blood out."
Glenn could practically hear his heart beating fast against his chest. Silently begging the Universe's forgiveness, he let his teeth sink in.
The sound of Tifa's screams is unbearable. Everyone's eardrums feel like bursting like how a balloon pop into nothing, but still, they kept holding on. After what seems like eternity, she finally stopped. Tears like jewels slowly dripped onto her hair, and to her throat, mixing with the blood.
Glenn slowly pulled himself up, his mouth covered in drops of blood, panting hard.
She is slowly reverting back to her normal self. The wings shrunk back into her shoulders, the veins crawled away, leaving her skin bare, the nails shrunk into human nails, the feelers absorbed back into her skull. The crimson tips slowly turned back to ink black.
And she's her own again, though weakened and pale and limp.
"Is she-" Ray began.
"She should be fine." Glenn said. "I drew out a lot of the blood. She's going to need a transfusion to replace all the blood she has lost."
Blaze slowly turned to them, his face seems hollow, struggling to say the right words. Without warning, he finally uttered. "Thank you..."
Glenn nodded as Lloyd handed him a tissue and said, "There's drops of red beads on your mouth."
"Urgh. Gross!" Glenn yelped, wiping as hard as he could to erase traces of blood on him. "I am never going to eat raw meat ever again at this rate!"
"Be grateful we didn't have to get you animal blood from the butcher."Lloyd countered.
"And we don't have to stock up on garlics." V.V. couldn't resist adding.
"Not funny, V." Glenn moaned, roughly erasing the traces of blood on him.
Blaze then turned to his companions. "Come on guys. Let's get her back to the hideout."
"What are you going to do?" Lloyd asked.
"We have our own ways, Mister Lloyd." Blaze's tone has turned back into being his sarcastic usual self.
"If you don't mind... I would like to make an offer."
Glenn and V.V. turned to him with surprise. An offer? He never mentioned anything about offers.
"Adoption..."
Blaze's eyes popped. "W-WHAT?!!!"
"If you don't mind, I could help you arrange an adoption."
"What was that?!!!" Blaze yelled.
"Are you favouring Blaze over us???" Ray snarled.
"Just shut up and let me finish." Lloyd barked. When he was certain that Blaze nor Ray weren't going to interrupt, he then sighed. "Look, well, you came to me about Tiff's condition with sincerity, and well, I spoke with Dr Chang and if you want, he is willing to adopt you. Any of you."
"No thanks for me." Ray said.
"Nor me." Lance interjected.
"Not me either." Terra shook her head, her crucifix dangling.
"I wouldn't mind." Jake mumbled.
Ray and Lance both whirled around to face him. "What was that, Jakey?"
"I always wondered how a cosy home looks like." Jake mumbled, his head bowed as though he's is prayer.
"Oh, Jakey..." Lance sighed, patting his back.
Blaze shuffled slightly and murmured, "I might consider..."
Ray's eyes widened. He was about to open his mouth to protest when Terra shook her head, silencing him. Then she turned to Blaze and said, "Are you really sure?"
Blaze shrugged and said, "My family were a bunch of-" He let out some creative swearing. "Everything I do, they would beat me. It might be nice to get some new ones for a change. Or not..."
"Don't worry, Blaze. Whatever you do, we'll support you." Terra nudged Ray hard in the ribs. "Right?"
"Er-yeah." Though he looked unconvinced. "As long as you don't get sent to some lunatic asylum."
"Me too." Jake said.
Lance gave him a nod of agreement.
Blaze eyes all of them one by one. For a very long moment, neither of them, nor Lloyd, said anything. It's like a World War going on. Blaze's team on one side, Lloyd's on the other. The tension in between them is solidifying the area like ice.
It was Blaze who finally broke the silence, like shattering the ice wall in between them. "Alright. But on one condition." He added hastily at Lloyd's expression. "There are always conditions."
"Name it." Lloyd said challengingly.
"If I go, then all of us must go." Blaze said. "We're all in a package. Take it or leave it."
All of his companions stared ta him in awe, shock, and disbelief. But there's no way to hide the flicker of hope that is bubbling inside them.
Lloyd barely flickered, nor skip a beat. "Alright." He held out his hand, which Blaze grasped it tightly.
"Are you serious, Lloyd?" Glenn said, looking uncertain. "Wouldn't Dr Chang flip out if you suddenly brought-" He made a quick headcount. "-Six kids all of a sudden?"
"He won't." Lloyd said confidently, taking out his cellphone. "I just have to make a quick phone call..."
*************
Moments later, all of them, including Blaze and his gang, stood outside Dr Chang's house. It's more like a cottage really, surrounded by a small courtyard that is planted with herbs. A small border collie eyed them warily from her kennel. The house itself is a cerulean blue, the colour of tranquility. The door is painted in lavender with old fashioned shutter like windows. Oddly, whenever people walked by, they can't help but feel attracted to look at it. Because, the cottage looks as though it's smiling at you.
As soon as they have came out of their respective trasnportations (For Blaze and his companions, stolen bicycles, motorcycles and scooters...), the lavender door swung inwards and Dr Chang hurried out to greet them.
"At last." He said cheerily. "I was beginning to think neither of you would make it. Or pulling my leg."
"Doc, are you sure it's fine?" Lloyd said, eyeing Blaze and his companions, who are all looking tired covered in dirt. All of them had carried what little possessions they have left, scavenged what's left of the hideout. Their personal belongings, their rations and their leftover emergency cash, which is safely tucked into Ray's faded jeans waistband. Tifa, who seems to be in a comatose, was being carried on Lance's back. Her neck has a piece of fabric wrapped around her neck.
"Absolutely. The more the merrier. And I've got two spare rooms, one upstairs and the other downstairs. The girls can take the upstairs room, whereas the boys can take the downstairs room." Dr Chang then caught sight of Tifa. "Tiffany, is it? Bring her to the couch in the living room. Set her down gently now. One of you can fetch some water from the kitchen tap and boil it in the kettle. Mind it is warm. I'll treat her wounds later."
Lance carried Tifa into the house, with Ray and Terra following from behind, leaving Jake and Blaze with them.
"What about me, what can I do?" Jake said, looking uncertain.
"I'm planning to make dinner later." Dr Chang said kindly. "Why don't you go and prepare some? Fruit salad, some hamburgers and chips perhaps, and roasted potatoes. It's all in the kitchen."
Jake hurried away, looking relaxed and excited. Now Blaze is the only one left alone, eyeing the cottage with distaste.
Lloyd, who has been eyeing him the whole time, went, "So what do you think?"
"It...has a very homey feeling to it." Blaze muttered, his face red with embarrassment, awkwardness and a little...anger.
"Blaze is it? While we're waiting for dinner, why not go and take Colette out for a walk?" Dr Chang handed him a worn out leash.
"W-WAIT!!!" Blaze yelled, now his face is red with embarrassment. "I have another condition!!!"
"Another one, kid?" Glenn moaned.
"Don't interrupt." V.V. nudged him. "Let's just listen."
"This one is not for you guys." Blaze eyed Dr Chang face to face. "I get to call you Doc. The others too. Dad sounds very weird to us, me anyway."
"But of course." Dr Chang said. "And I perhaps, should bring out my own condition as well? I get to call you and your companions by your first name, Blaze?"
"Deal." Blaze gave a smile, a real smile on his face as he went over to Colette, who is eyeing him with distrust and curiosity.
Lloyd then said, "Thanks, Doc."
"On contrary, Lloyd, I should be the one to thank you." Dr Chang said gratefully. "I have the feeling that I have aged about 10 years younger when I saw those poor kids." He then smiled to himself. "So it's Blaze, Ray, Lance, Jake, Tiffany and Terra. Plus Colette and I. We should get along just fine."
"Doc, if there's anything important, I'm only a phone call away." Lloyd said.
"I'll take good care of them." Dr Chang prodded him firmly on the chest. "You looks after yourself. Try not to get injured too much." He then turned to Glenn and V.V. who were watching all of this in silence amusement. "You two take care of him, alright?"
"No problem-o." Glenn gave a mock salute. V.V. just nodded.
"Doc!!! HELP!!!!"
Blaze was lying on the ground, shielding himself from Colette who is frisking around him and licking him. She looks hyperactive, thinking that he's a new toy for her to play with.
"Duty calls, Doc." Lloyd nodded at them.
"Of course." Dr Chang nodded. "Remember now, Lloyd. Take care of yourself." He then went over to soothe Colette so that Blaze successfully put the leash around her.
The remaining three then headed back into their Land Rover, with Glenn getting behind the wheel. V.V. clambered onto the back and Lloyd on the front passenger seat.
"So, where to next?" Glenn said, starting the engine.
"I was thinking...Home." Lloyd said with a smile.
"Me too." V.V. yawned. "I want to sleep on my comfy bed."
"That sounds fine to me." Glenn shifted the gear stick to one. "Let's head back."
The Land Rover leapt forward with a growl and sped off into the starless night under the skies of Manhattan.
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