#18: Make It Stop

A Chapter by Brytt

This is terrible... simply terrible.

“Hi, Dezzy.”

Angie was sitting in her hospital bed, stirring a plate of mashed potatoes with a fork. She grinned up at me for reasons I could not grasp. Trying to remain nonchalant, I put on a sad smile of my own as I stood by the door.

“Are you hungry, Desmond?” she asked. “I don’t really want these potatoes anymore. You should eat them.”

I noticed a hint of mockery in her tone. I frowned. What game was she playing? How much did she know about us? As hungry as I was, and I really, really was, eating human food was a bad idea. I had to keep up looks, though, in case another human heard or saw me.

“No, thanks,” I grimaced, “I’m, uh, allergic…?”

“Yeah?” she continued. “Too bad you left. They gave me another transfusion a while ago. You should have seen it. It was weird.”

“Angie…,” I sighed.

“It’s so great to be alive right now, isn’t it?” she giggled.

She took a deep breath in. I glared at the human, who laughed at my expression. Angie was pushing me, and I mean pushing. I would not have gone as far had she stood up and physically shoved me.

“We could open the curtains. The sun should be coming up soon,” she whispered with a snicker.

“We could work on your attitude,” I replied. “Two more holes in your throat may do the trick, don’t you think?”

Angie pouted, “Well, that’s no fun. I was hoping to at least get to the one about how my life was at stake…”

“Your jokes suck,” I pointed out.

“Ha!”

I smacked my face with my hand and swore softly.

“And people say I’m a pain in the neck…,” Angie hummed.

“Seriously, Angie, it’s not punny- funny! I said funny!” I panicked.

Angie lost it. She started laughing so hard, I thought her cardiogram would explode.

“Come on, Des, live a little,” she smirked. “Ah! Live a little!”

Her face went bright red, and she began tearing up. I felt myself smile, then chuckle, and the next thing I knew, I could no longer breathe either because I was cracking up. But while it was not a great concern to me, it was to Angie-Bee.

“Why do you have to be so funny?” I cried to her.

“I can’t help it,” she snorted. “It’s in my blood.”

This time, I doubled over, unable with even my superhuman stamina to continue standing.

“Please, Angie!”

“I’m sorry, Dezzy, but you need this. You’re always so cross with me…”

“Oh, God, please…” I laughed.

“I don’t wanna… die like… this, not like this… not laughing!” Angie continued.

“Do I have to make you stop?” I chuckled.

“Please,” she whined, still giggling like a child.

In no time, I was sitting next to her on the bed, my nose brushing her throat. It took a minute, but the laughter subsided and gave way to a different, more relaxed feeling.

“This seems familiar,” I breathed, “doesn’t it?”

Angie closed her eyes, taking slow deliberate breaths as I nuzzled her. I turned her head towards mine and resumed what we had been doing before Sissy had interrupted us. I would have known she had just eaten even if I had not seen it. Her mouth was salty and peppery and lemony. It was all the things I hated.

I liked it.

Kissing Angie was like being trapped in a place where time stood still, but even that was not long enough. Eventually, I did find the strength to pull away. When I did, Angelica licked her lips.

“So… so it’s true then?” she asked me. “You’re-?”

“Yeah,” I murmured.

“Are you impressed?”

“Impressed?”

“That I figured it out?”

I snickered.

“Angie-Bee, I love you, but you couldn’t figure out that you were in a paper bag, let alone how to get out of it.”

She raised one arm and slapped me, in slow motion, as if it would faze me in the slightest.

“Take that, you knave.”

“Oh, ow,” I scoffed.

“Are you staying then?”

“At least for the day. If you want me to, longer.”