Page 58 of The Vampire and the Barista

“Me either, love, but I’m enjoying this,” Troy replied. “I’m also pretty sure that fang boy offered our assistance, just to get me out of the way for a few hours.”

Cairo laughed. “Probably.”

He opened the door to the first room they came to and walked in. It was filled with empty metal beds with straps still attached to them. There were no sheets or mattresses. Ten bed frames on each side of the room, all haphazard.

The room itself was dank, smelt mouldy and damp, with dark spider’s webs over the windows, and in the corners of the room, the wall by the window looked wet, as if the window leaked.

“So this is depressing,” Cairo commented, touching a metal headboard.

“Indeed. Can you imagine being shut in here with other mental patients, or tied down to the beds and listening to the ramblings of the others, muttered or shouted.”

“Enough to make anyone insane.”

Rock a bye baby on the treetops. When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle shall fall, and then the bogeyman will kill you all.

“What the hell!” Cairo exclaimed as the door slammed shut.

Troy spun around, looking for where the voice came from. “I don’t see any speakers.”

“I wonder if the others heard that,” Cairo said, walking to the door, but a couple of the beds moved to block his way.

More beds moved, separating Troy and Cairo.

Troy tried to push one out of the way, but it didn’t budge. “The beds are now unmovable.”

Cairo tried to move the ones in front of the door, but they stayed exactly where they were.

Troy tried again, but again they didn’t move. He hissed in frustration.

“Enough of this,” Cairo said. He leapt over the beds and crashed through the door. He turned and looked at Troy. “Coming, babe, or shall I leave you there?”

Troy laughed and jumped the beds and out the door. He turned and looked at his mate. “My jump was infinitely better than yours.”

“Our lives are weird,” Gio said as he walked down the other upstairs corridor, next to Seth.

Seth laughed. “They are, but at least we’re on the weird train together.”

Gio stopped and pulled Seth close. “Always together. I was thinking that when we finally get away on our holiday, we should take Jack. I know it should be just us, but we have a son now.”

Seth touched Gio’s cheek. “Jack will like that, and that will be perfect. I hate that there is all this sadness and fear inside of him.”

“We knew it wouldn’t be all sunshine and roses. But the longer he’s with us, with all our family, he’ll know he’s safe and loved and that sadness and fear will fade. It might take time, because of the whole kidnapping thing, but he’ll be fine.”

“I love you, you know that?”

Gio grinned. “Just as I love you, my Seth.”

Seth leant in and kissed him, before pulling back. Something caught Seth's eye, and he spun around. “Did you see that?”

“No, what did you see?” Gio asked, looking around.

“I thought I saw someone running towards us,” Seth told him, looking around.

Ring a ring a roses, a pocket full of despair. The ghosts are gonna get you, then the bogeyman will feast.

“I don’t remember a nursery rhyme like that,” Gio commented, looking around.

“Me either. Look out!” Seth suddenly pulled Gio close as a ghostly figure rushed him.