“Did he taste as good to you?” the bushy-haired woman asked, spitting the skin at Sophie and wiping Steven’s blood off her chin with a finger.
Sophie screamed again and tumbled out of the car, onto her back. Faster than she had ever moved before, she picked her dress up and ran, screaming for help. No one could hear her, there were no houses close by, and the nearest street was King George’s Rd, one of the main roads that connected several others around the city.
Someone driving past would see her, surely. Someone would help her, if she could get there. But the main road was a good three minutes away, even if she sprinted.
Sophie raced on, throwing her heels away, terror fuelling her every step, hoping she was going in the right direction, but everywhere she moved her head there was only darker, dense bush. She screamed again as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and a hand covered her mouth.
“What are you running from?” The voice was masculine.
Sophie burst into tears with relief as she mumbled, “…monster.”
The figure put her down. “Stay here. I’ll take care of it.”
“No, you don’t understand... Hello?”
But he was gone.
“Please… Don’t leave me! You don’t know what she is. Call the police.”
Sophie heard no response, but a crunch of leaves silenced her. The numbing fear returned, fusing itself to her spine and freezing her in place. Her knees shook and her heart thumped, seeming to tick away the seconds of her life.
Now she heard growling, high and deliberate. She looked all around but could see nothing. The sound appeared to echo all around her. The beast from the car was taunting her from the shadows.
“Just leave me alone!” Sophie screamed.
The woman burst from the bushes and enveloped her, crashing them both to the ground. The woman snarled and chomped, inches away from Sophie’s face but didn’t strike. The woman laughed victoriously, pinning Sophie’s hands to the cold dirt.
“Please…don’t kill me,” Sophie sobbed.
“Scream for me,” the woman purred, as she lowered her head. Her mouth opened wider, baring her fangs. She closed in, when suddenly she raised her head, looking over Sophie’s.
“You?” she asked, astonished.
“Me,” the masculine voice replied.
In a whirlwind of movement, blood poured over Sophie as the female was pulled off her, screaming. A vicious mix of animal roars, bones snapping and howls of agony followed.
Sophie wiped the blood and gore from her face, enough to open her eyes. She sat up and spit out a mouthful of the woman’s blood. Even in the darkness, she made out the aftermath. The man stood over the woman, her head in his hands. Sophie’s mind repeated this as he dropped it unceremoniously to the ground. Her head in his hands. Sophie thought she was going to be sick.
“Did she bite you?” he asked her, still facing away.
He did not seem surprised when she did not answer immediately. After a few seconds, she shook her head before replying meekly, “No…” Sophie tried to get her breathing under control “…she really… really was one, wasn’t she? I can’t believe this. They’re really real.”
“There are more things in this world than you will ever know, love,” he replied. “Strangely enough, the only thing that doesn’t exist anymore—” In a second, he had her by the throat. “—is a real hero.”
Before she could even utter a single sound, his own fangs had found the vein in her neck, the one the female had been searching for. He chewed twice to open the wound and Sophie’s blood flowed into his mouth and down his throat. He began grunting and moaning, seemingly in appreciation and longing of the taste. She attempted to fight, to claw at him. But the more she fought, the tighter he held on and the harder he sucked. Any remaining strength she had quickly evaporated. He drank heavily, contorting her body, insatiable. Finally, she went limp in his arms. He dropped her almost dead body and raised his head, smelling the air and licking his saturated lips. He turned his head from one body to the other, finally resting his gaze on Sophie. Sophie could only stare back, no longer comprehending.
“Sorry love, Vincent’s orders. If you know about us, you turn or you die. I dunno what your formal night was like for you…” he said, noting her dress. He struck a match and lit his cigarette, taking a deep drag before tossing the burnt-out matchstick onto her. “…but it was fucking awesome for me.”
Chapter Four
Safety Of Day
Lauren awoke slowly, the pounding in her head a less-than-subtle suggestion she should have remained asleep. She held up her hand as the sun streamed in from the bedroom window and realised it was not her bedroom window. She sat up quickly and instantly regretted it, dizziness and nausea sweeping over her. When it passed she looked around, trying to determine where she was.
The room was a pigsty. Clothes, underwear, magazines and weights cluttered the floor. She closed her eyes and sighed, massaging her forehead. Sure enough, she turned and found the sleeping form of…whatever his name was, beside her. On his stomach and like her, naked.
Dressing quickly, she rummaged around for her purse and phone. She found both on the floor next to a small rubbish bin. Not daring to hope, she looked inside and spotted a used condom. Thank god.
She remembered next to nothing about last night, which meant she must have been pretty wasted, and if that was the case it was not unheard of for her to look past contraception. She’d been caught a few times. Grateful she’d remembered this time, she hugged her things to her
