Read Dark Creations: The Hunted (Part 4) for Free Online

unadorned by his maker’s affectation as it had been previously. 
    As he recalled that fateful night, images flashed in his mind’s eye; the formal living room, the fireplace, the ornate dining room, Melissa .  She had been awestruck by the measures he’d taken to impress her, how he’d cooked and cleaned for her.  Suddenly, his modest setting looked inadequate.  He wondered whether she would expect something more extravagant than what he’d planned.  After all, his new home was unlike his former. 
    He had returned to the stunning Victorian he once lived in, the site of their most significant dinner date, only once since his run-in with Kevin Anderson and his gang.  As soon as the area was no longer considered a crime scene, he had went back and retrieved personal items he’d left behind when he had disappeared to Motuo County.  Among the few items that had not been either destroyed or confiscated were several articles of clothing stored in a tub in the attic, and more than five hundred thousand dollars he had stashed.  Neither the authorities nor trespassers had discovered his maker’s clandestine facility.  And no one had unearthed the money.  Now, that money was used for his living expenses and Yoshi’s.  He still held credit cards, but they were linked directly to Terzini.  He wanted to separate himself from the deranged geneticist as much as possible; that is, until the time arrived and he was within striking distance.  While waiting for that opportunity to arise, he remained, easily found, in Harbingers Falls. 
    With his thoughts returning to home, they reverted to Melissa.  His eyes refocused on his shabby living room.  He had cleaned and rearranged the furniture, yet it still looked sad.  The couch was a lumpy monstrosity in a shade of khaki he had never seen before.  The carpet, a rust color, was flat and threadbare in some spots, and the coffee table tottered on uneven legs.  He had not bothered to decorate his living space, and neither had Yoshi.  They had rented the house, furnished and for a reasonable fee, from an elderly couple.  He had offered to have new carpeting installed and to have furniture delivered, but his landlords would not hear of it.  For reasons unknown to Gabriel, they clung to their furnishings as vehemently as one clings to a beloved family member and refused to part with it.  They even stipulated in the terms of his lease agreement that he was not, under any circumstances, permitted to dispose of the fittings tendered.  He agreed to their terms only because of the proximity of the house to Melissa’s.
    Melissa had not been to his house on many occasions, which was fine with him.  In addition to being ever-present, Yoshi was also rather untidy.  Socks were often left wherever they had been removed.  Dirty laundry accumulated until either a lack of wearable outfits or the odor emitted from the heap prompted him to visit the Laundromat.  His roommate’s habits were not conducive to spontaneous visits and she knew that.  As a result, most of their visits took place at her house with her father not far from earshot.  Tonight, however, things would be different.  Yoshi had agreed to do his laundry and see a movie so that Gabriel and Melissa could enjoy some much-needed time alone. 
    Gabriel had thoroughly cleaned the house, made a makeshift table setting and ordered takeout from a local Italian restaurant.  Although he would have loved to cook for her, he was far too nervous to do so.  His hands were too unsteady to wield a knife, or any other kitchen utensil, and his concentration faltered too often to follow any recipe steps.  He kept daydreaming about how their evening would unfold.  He was flooded with relief as he looked up at the clock and realized it was finally time to pick Melissa up.
     
    ***
    Melissa’s temples pounded with no relief in sight.  She had regrettably enlisted the help of her two best friends again to help her pick out an