Of Fever and Blood

“They must have one hell of an electrical problem up there! Looks like something is attracting the lightning.”

Neither Vauvert nor Leroy tried to contradict him.

Eva moaned.

“Hang in there,” Vauvert said again, his eyes brimming with tears he could not hold back. “Please, Eva, hang in there.”

The lightning raged for a few more moments before calm returned to the sky. Even the rain began to let up.

As though the gods were satisfied, Vauvert could not help thinking.

On the top floor of the apartment building, the windows revealed the red glow of a fire. “Can’t they hurry?” Vauvert pleaded.

“Don’t worry,” Eva managed to utter.

“I’m not worried,” Vauvert lied with a ferocious smile.

“I’ll be… just fine… Remember, I’m a monster… killing monsters.”

He smiled at her tenderly.

“You’re no monster, you idiot.”

Eva smiled too. Then her eyes rolled upward in their sockets.

A fire truck appeared in the street, sirens blaring, and Leroy ran toward it, waving his arms.

The last thing he remembered that night was being placed next to Eva in the ambulance. The medics had put the woman on a respirator and kept telling him that everything was going to be fine, that it was a miracle she had made it through with such a wound, yet her vital signs had stabilized.

Then they had forced him to lie on the second stretcher.

“Inspector, it looks like you have a couple of broken ribs. You have to let us take care of you.”

“I’m fine,” Vauvert said, gritting his teeth.

The world was spinning though. Faster and faster.

He reached out and grabbed Eva’s hand. Her skin was burning with fever.

“Hang in there, big girl,” he mumbled once more.

He felt a third hand resting on theirs.

Turning his head, he saw a little figure, between them.

The little girl was pretty. A radiant smile lit her pure-white face. Unruly curls framed her round cheeks.

Her ruby eyes, stunningly pure, were staring at Vauvert.

“What…”

His mouth fell open in surprise. The medics were busy. They closed the ambulance doors. Obviously, none of them were able to see the little albino girl.

Her resemblance to Eva made it all clear to him. There was no need to ask any questions.

The girl smiled at him again.

“Take care of her,” she said.

She vanished.

Damn right I am going to take care of her, he said to himself.

He squeezed Eva’s hand harder.

He saw that her head was turned his way, offering him her usual impenetrable smile.

He smiled back at her.