She darted to the trunk coffee table and opened it. Just a blanket. Closet? Empty. She tried the balcony door. It started to turn. Unlocked. Okay, that was good, had potential. She decided to not open it yet. She glanced down at her bare legs and bare feet. She wasn’t even wearing underwear; only a black dress shirt that thankfully covered her bottom but only came to her thighs. She dashed into the bathroom. There was nothing in here that she could use as a weapon or to get dressed with. She resisted the queasiness and the urge to climb back into the bed. She had to figure this out. This was going to be complicated.
If she could get the blond guy back in here and overpower him and then lock him in the room maybe she’d find clothes on the other side of the door. But she wondered if Joseph was a vampire, too. She wasn’t a very tall girl but she was no wallflower and could hold her own in a fight. Maybe she wasn’t as strong as that guy but perhaps she could catch him off guard and knock him over the head with something. She eyed the large heavy-looking white porcelain vase of roses on the bathroom vanity.
Where had Tristan gone? Was he gone looking for a more willing female to abduct? Was he in the building? How much time did she have before he got back? She looked out the window and guessed it might be late afternoon or early evening. She didn’t even know where she was but she knew it would be best to get out of here before dark as who knew what was out there? The thought lingered in her mind for a moment. Since vampires were real what else was out there? Witches, warlocks, werewolves, and other shape-shifters? She shuddered. Then she started to pace.
Was this a golden opportunity to get out of here that she was about to blow with inaction? She glanced out the windows again. They led to a courtyard, so a big pit, essentially. But there would be a door on the main level inside of the courtyard and then that would lead to the outside. She wondered about the bathroom window. She found that it was on an outside wall, facing the courtyard but that it was too high and too small. Was the balcony too exposed to take a chance with?
Fuck! What then? Come on, Kyla. Think! Your life depends on this!
She stared at the two-way radio and pondered what to do for ages. She paced, carrying it, then walked with it into the bathroom and eyed the vase of flowers on top of the vanity again. She lifted the flowers out and a thorn pricked her finger and revealed a droplet of blood. She dropped the flowers on the vanity top and dumped the water into the sink. It was a heavy ceramic vase. It must’ve weighed 10 or 15 pounds. It’d have to do.
She wiped her finger on the shirt she was wearing and pressed the call button on the radio. A voice came out of it.
“Yes?”
She pressed the button again.
“Yes? I’m here,” he repeated.
She pressed it again and waited. A moment later she heard noise out in the bedroom. She waited behind the bathroom door, holding the heavy vase up above her head. Her knees were knocking together and her arms ached from the weight of it.
There was a knock on the bathroom door. “It’s Joe. You alright in there?”
He got louder, “Hello?”
Kyla chewed the inside of her cheek.
“I smell blood!” His voice sounded urgent. She glanced up above her head at her finger where she’d caught the thorn. There was only a tiny droplet but there was a bloody smear on the vase.
Shit. He’s a vampire, too.
He knocked on the door. “Are you okay in there? I’m coming in.” She took a step back, in time for him to turn the knob. They made eye contact. He eyed her bleeding finger. Fangs protruded slowly from him mouth and his eyes widened and darkened. It looked like the colour was draining from his face leaving his skin with a greyish hue.
With all her might she smashed the vase over his head, cracking it in two before it smashed on the ceramic floor into what looked like hundreds of small pieces. He stood, dumbfounded and then started to sink to the floor in slow motion. She didn’t wait for him to land, but hopped over and ran past him. She didn’t look back, just bolted for the door. It was unlocked. She shut it behind her, noticing that a key was still in the lock. She fumbled and turned it quickly and pulled the key and stepped back. She was in a long hallway and down a ways was a set of double doors. In the opposite direction there might be stairs. She ran, hoping to find them, dropping the key on her way.