CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
[38]

song: animal by sir chloe

KAI HAD DISPOSED OF MIKE'S BODY AS BEST AS HE COULD. He drug his body up all the stairs to the laundromat, and tossed him out in a dumpster behind the shop, pouring some gasoline in and throwing a match on him.

He sat next to the dumpster as it burned, lighting a cigarette with the match he had used before blowing it out. The fire was the only source of light in the dark alley he found himself in, besides the moon. He inhaled deeply and blew out the smoke, rubbing his tired eyes with his other hand.

Daisy's eyes were still wide, her mind just replaying the crunching sound of Mike's neck getting snapped right in front of her. She sat frozen against the pipe she was still tied to. There is a tenseness to her muscles that makes her more like a mannequin on the cold floor than a woman of flesh and bone.

The door's swung open again, and she snapped her head up to see Kai walking in, taking one last puff from a cigarette between his lips before tossing it on the ground and smashing it out with his shoe.

She breathed heavily, watching him cautiously as he come around the corner in the most casual of ways. Daisy swallowed harshly as he looked around the pantry with a sigh.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, raising his eyebrows at her.

She thought for a second before she spoke, astonished by his idiocy. "How am I feeling?" She narrows her eyes at him.

He runs his tongue over his teeth annoyedly before turning to the shelves around him, beginning to scavenge through the boxes. "Are you hungry yet?" He asks. Daisy doesn't answer, just watches him as he peeks in to the boxes, shuffling through them. He turns to her with annoyed, bored eyes. "Hello?" He asks, waiting for a response.

"Just fuck off and let me starve here. You're gonna kill me anyways." She scoffs, turning her head away from him and letting it lazily lay atop her shoulders.

"Stop being dramatic." He spoke annoyedly, rolling his eyes and walking towards her. Daisy immediately flinched, pushing against the pipe to lessen the distance between them as much as she could.

Kai noticed her panic, and felt his heart sank a bit. He bent down and eyed her cautiously. "I'm gonna let you have a free hand. Is that okay?" He asks. "You need to eat and I don't really want to lose a finger."

Daisy watched him with stern eyes, and Kai took that as a go. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out another zip tie, and a pocket knife. Daisy, with a rapid heart beat, watched as Kai took the blade to the tie— and as soon as the release of the tie hit her wrists, she sprung to her feet, lunging towards him.

In one motion, her hands found his and she grabbed the knife from his grip as she tackled him onto the ground. She pinned him down, her knee digging in between his rib cage as she held the knife to his throat— their quick breaths in sync.

Daisy stared intensely into his eyes, unsure of what her plan was as she didn't really think this through at all. Kai felt a smile creep up on his lips, and tried his best to hide it, but it was hard.

"Do it." Kai suggested, narrowing his eyes slightly. Daisy swallowed, readjusting her grip on the knife as she added more pressure onto his chest. Kai frowned, stretching his neck out to try and allow more air flow. "Come on." He let out weakly. "Just do it."

She clenched her jaw, her mind racing with every outcome possible. Is this justifiable homicide? Nothing is justifiable homicide. It's just murder. She could get out this way. But that's another life on her hands. He's just gonna kill her if she doesn't kill him. But he wouldn't do that. He still loves her. Daisy felt her mind slip, knowing that none of the reasoning she was forcing was the truth, she knew she couldn't kill him because she still loved him too. Somewhere inside of her.

Kai saw the split second where her eyes faltered and her guard was let down, and he took it. He leaned up quickly, connecting their lips. Immediately at contact, she melted at his touch. Kai used one hand to hold her head, and the other to take back his knife, which was still weakly being held near his throat.

Daisy quickly pulled away as she felt the cold blade be held against her throat. She lifted her chin up, glaring down at Kai with fury plastered on her face. "I could kill you right now." Kai whispered.

"But you won't." Daisy said back, immediately after, her lips trembling with anger and disgust.

He lets out a sigh. "What now?" He asks, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I don't know, you're the one with a knife to my throat." Daisy snarls back.

"You did it first." Kai shrugs back. Daisy didn't say anything. Kai took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm gonna tie one of your arms to the pipe again, okay?" He asks, raising his eyebrows. "Don't try anything." He says, and Daisy cooperated immediately.

She was tired, and used all the tricks she could think of in the situation she was in. At least this way she'd be able to get some food in her system. Kai looked a bit shocked at her cooperation, and as he tied her back up, he watched her as she looked away.

He pulled the tie tight and stood back up. "Here." He says, reaching into a box on the shelf and pulling out a bulk bag of what looked like tortilla chips.

She didn't look amused, and he couldn't blame her. He opened the bag and sat them down beside her, stepping back a bit in case she tried anything with her free hand.

"I'll be back later." Kai said, nodding towards her before turning to walk out.

"Wait—" Daisy said, Kai stopped then turned back around. "How long will you be?" She asked.

"You need to be somewhere?" He joked, Daisy didn't laugh.

"I'd just like to know how long I have until you come and torture me again." She said, with a bored expression.

"I am not torturing you!" Kai raised his voice, and Daisy jumped. He swallowed, calming himself down quickly. "I'm doing this for us."

—

Kai twisted the key into his motel door knob, swinging the door open and letting out a sigh as he switched on the light switch, to find Josette stood in the middle of the room.

He wasn't shocked, he knew he felt her presence as he neared the door. "How'd you find me?" He asked as he shut the door behind him, taking his jacket off and tossing it on the bed.

"I'm your twin." Josette says. "It's not hard."

"Does Dad know you're here?" He asks.

"No." She responds.

Kai shrugged a bit, letting out a little scoff. "Did you need something? I was about to go to bed."

"Where is she?" Josette asks sternly, raising her eyebrows.

Kai looked around the room, then back to Josette. "Who?" He played dumb.

"Daisy." Josette said.

"Ohh." Kai said, he over dramatically thought for a second, then spoke again. "I can't tell you that."

"They're looking for her too." Josette says. "The entire coven."

"Yeah, but it's not working is it?" Kai asked.

Josette swallowed, looking a bit taken back.

"Cloaking spells." Kai said. "Did Dad really never think that I'd never find his grimoire? Jeez— the spells I learned that he was hiding from me."

"Kai, please." Josette shook her head, closing her eyes in exhaustion and hopelessness. "Leave Daisy out of this."

"This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with her." He responds. "So if anything— you should be the one staying out of this."

"Daisy is my friend." Josette says back, sternly.

"And she's my girlfriend." Kai says, just as sternly back.

Josette took a deep breath. "Are you hurting her?" She asks.

"I would never hurt her." Kai says, looking taken back that she would even suggest something like that.

There was a hint of relief in Josette's muscles at his words, he appeared genuine. "Then what are you doing with her?" She asks.

"She freaked out on me the other day." He says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the last cigarette in his pack. "So I'm just letting her calm down— before she does something stupid."

Josette closes her eyes, trying to remain calm. "And how long will that take?" She asks.

"It's up to her." Kai says. "Now if you'll excuse me—" He reopens the door for Josette. "I'm quite tired."

Josette eyed her brother, a mixture of confusion and anger in her expression as she walked out the door. Kai grabbed her wrist, siphoning her immediately. Josette winced in pain as she tried to free his grip. "Sorry." He shrugged as he let go of her, "I needed a refill."