Love Bite | Yandere!Vampires x F!Reader

23: Still Living

"...alright. I think that should be enough water."

You smile gently, admiring the lilacs sitting by the window. Even though your shabby apartment is certainly nothing to write home about, they have a way of brightening up the place. Plus, they were a gift from Caleb, which Elliot helped pick out. They're more than just a nice little visual. They're a reminder of the few cherished people you have in your life.

Elliot said they were easy to take care of, so I really hope I don't mess anything up.

So far, you haven't had any problems. You're not sure exactly how much time these flowers are meant to last, but you'll do your damn best to help them thrive for as long as possible.

Anyways, this is a welcome improvement to your otherwise depressing home. For the sake of your sanity, you need to cling to every glimpse of happiness, no matter how small it may seem.

Especially since you're about to head into a very uncomfortable meeting.

You sigh heavily. It's about time to get going, you suppose. Being late simply isn't an option. You know you'll have hell to pay.

Before leaving the room, you pause to admire the lilacs one last time. You even lean in for a moment, filling your lungs with their fragrant, comforting scent.

Then you throw on your coat, step into your shoes, and tuck an envelope into your inner pocket, lips turning to a grimace.

Today is payday. Not for you, though, but for that shithead-Johnny.

It's fine. Well, not really. Nothing about your pathetic excuse for a life is ever fine, but at least it's not like before, when you were struggling to meet his demands and barely scraping by. He threatened to kill you so many times back then you almost lost count. In retrospect, he gave you quite a few chances. You're actually surprised you're even still alive.

A lot has gone wrong recently. You have Karl on your back now, a man who's even more terrifying than Johnny (which is something you honestly never thought you'd say). Karl isn't just more powerful in the physical sense, but you're willing to bet that the gang he's affiliated with could easily wipe out Johnny's loan sharking associates, without so much as breaking a sweat. The whole thing would probably be over in the span of a few minutes. It would be amazing if they ended up at odds and somehow wiped each other out, but since your life isn't some fucking fairytale, you already know that'll never happen.

Karl is dangerous, and his connections are even worse. He plans on keeping tabs on you for god-knows how long, to make sure that you don't run your mouth and screw them over. It doesn't matter that you promised never to do such a thing. He has no reason to trust you, which means he has no reason to let you out of his sight. At least Johnny's only interested in your money. Thanks to selling your blood-both through Plasma Inc. and now the private fee you'll be getting from Felix-you can at least keep Johnny off your back. Compared to the ever-present threat that is Karl, Johnny's behavior is much easier to predict.

He still scares the shit out of you, though, and you doubt that'll ever change. It's just that he scares the shit out of you less than Karl does.

Truly, what an incredible life you lead.

You lock your door and prepare to leave, but right as you turn to head down the stairs, your phone buzzes.

Is that Johnny? Come on, seriously? I still have plenty of time before we're supposed to meet.

Your jaw clenches apprehensively, and you hastily pull out your phone, preparing yourself for an onslaught of displeased, threatening messages.