Thea (Book 2): A Vampire Story

by Steven Jenkins

  “And my sister was just nineteen.”

  In my head, a picture of Ivy suddenly flashes, but I shake it off just as fast.

  Don’t let him distract you. You need to feed.

  “We came here to get away from the city,” he continues. “To get clean. We didn’t think anyone still lived here. The house is so far from town.”

  I retract my head again. “I said shut up! I don’t care about your sob story.”

  “It’s not a sob story, it’s the truth. We’ve been living out on the streets for most of our lives.”

  Ignore him. He’s just stalling.

  “I know you’re a vampire,” he says with certainty. “And I know that you can control your thirst.”

  “Stop talking!”

  “The other woman turned you. Didn’t she? She’s controlling you. But you can fight it. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

  I lock my jaws around his neck again. Don’t listen to him.

  “You’re different to her,” the man continues. “You’re still human. You can fight the urge. Don’t let her turn you into a monster.”

  My teeth pierce his skin. Just do it.

  “This is the countryside. There’re hundreds of animals. You can feed on them.”

  Don’t let him trick you. Drink!

  “If you feed on me then I’ll die,” the man points out. “Do you really want another death on your conscience?”

  My vision is getting cloudy, the outside world even darker, further away. The hunger is beyond torture, beyond anything I have ever experienced before. Nothing else matters. Just this moment. Just this blood.

  I have to have it. I have to taste it.

  No matter what.

  But I can’t move. I’m frozen solid, staring down at his neck.

  What the hell is wrong with me? Drink! Drink! Drink!

  I can’t.

  I won’t!

  Moving away from him, I try to block out the desire, the pain. I think about the book. I think about his sister, and Jared—how they must have suffered just because of me. I think about Ivy. And Kate.

  Where the hell is she?

  “I’m right here,” Kate says from behind me.

  Turning my head in fright, I see her standing in the doorway; her face creased with rage.

  “What are you doing, Thea,” she snaps. “You have to feed.”

  I shake my head. “No, I don’t have to.”

  “Yes you do!”

  “I can drink animal blood instead.”

  “You can’t,” she says, walking over and kneeling in front of me. “It could kill you.”

  “I don’t care! I won’t murder anyone else.”

  “You won’t have to kill him. You’re just grazing on him, that’s all.” She takes my hand. “Now feed, Thea. You have to.”

  “No!”

  Kate glares at me, her eyes swimming with disappointment. “You will.”

  My head starts to creep towards the man. I try to stop it, but I’ve lost all control. But it’s not the hunger this time. It’s Kate. Shutting my eyes, I strain to keep my mouth closed, to keep my teeth away from his flesh, to not swallow the gushing blood flowing from his neck to my throat.

  The pain in my stomach begins to vanish, the tension in my body easing.

  But I can’t stop crying.

  And I can’t stop praying this nightmare would end.

  8

  I can hardly hear the generator anymore. It’s now just a gentle hum in the background. The tall lamp in the living room is a welcome change from the bizarre, alien sensation of being able to see in the dark. After a while, when you see everything in a murky blue, a cheap supermarket lamp really does the trick. The only problem is: it makes the house look even more messed up.

  My new brown hoodie and jeans are great. I can’t exactly stay in my pink pyjamas forever; but the TV is the best thing about Kate’s trip into town. I knew I’d miss it, but not this much. And now more than ever I need the distraction.

  She brought home a huge stack of DVDs. At first I thought, Great! Finally something to pass the time. But then I started to question in my head why we’d need so many. I mean, how long do we have to stay in this pigsty? Another week? A month?

  And where the hell is home, anyway?

  I’ve been watching the first season of The Walking Dead for the past few hours. Normally a show about zombies is the last thing I’d sit through—but it’s awesome! Kate is outside, fixing something on the car. She doesn’t look like the mechanic-type, but I suppose you’re bound to pick up a few skills after twenty years as a vampire.

  It’s hard to believe that I’ll never grow old. Well, maybe one day I will, but not anytime soon. I’ll be stuck in this small body for decades, staring at the same thirteen-year-old face. Why couldn’t I have got infected at eighteen instead?

  At least then I might have grown a decent pair of tits.

  I think about running away, as far from this place as I can. But how? I’d never make it out there on my own. I’ll end up starving to death—or worse: killing someone else.

  Kate and I have barely spoken since yesterday. Every time I look at her, I just want to scream at her, tell her to let me feed on animal blood, to stop torturing Darren. I may be thirteen, but I know that she’ll never let him go, no matter what she promises. And even if she does, all that means is kidnapping some other poor sod, and then we’re back to square one.

  How long is this psychic bond going to bloody last? I don’t think I can take much more. Every thought that pops into my head, every fantasy about running away, I can feel her whirling around in there, listening, toying with my free will. It’s horrible. I’ve been trying to picture a brick wall to block her out, but she keeps kicking it down.

  I’ll have to try harder. Keep rebuilding it. This is my head, my thoughts. She won’t be in there forever.

  The front door opens, and I hear footsteps behind me. I know it’s Kate, but I can’t be bothered even to look at her, let alone have a conversation.

  Out of the corner of my eye I notice her standing by the side of the couch, staring at the TV.

  “What’s this?” she asks, chirpily. She bloody knows what it is—she bought it.

  Shit, she must have heard that!

  A zombie pops up on the screen.

  “The Walking Dead I take it,” she replies to her own question. “Any good?”

  I don’t answer, just shrug.

  “It’s meant to be brilliant,” she continues, still pretending that everything is cool with us. It definitely isn’t. “I was meaning to watch it when it came out, but never got ‘round to it.”

  You’re a vampire—what else is there to do with your time?

  She looks at me with a frown. She definitely heard that.

  Her frown disappears as she sits on the arm of the couch, eyes locked on the TV again. “Maybe I’ll give it a go one day, after you’ve finished it.” She turns to me with a grin. “No spoilers though.”

  I know what she’s doing. She’s trying to manipulate me into forgiving her. It’s so obvious. Mum used to do it to me all the time.

  Oh My God! Mum!

  I forgot you!

  My chest tightens as I see her face in my mind. How could I forget about you? She’s sitting next to me on the couch, a glass of wine in one hand, the TV remote in the other. She’s drunk again. I can tell by the glaze in her eyes. And now she’s in the kitchen, arguing with Ivy. Screaming at her.

  I scramble to find other memories, happier ones, but they’re buried in the deepest reaches of my head.

  “What happened to my mother?” I ask with a tight knot in my stomach.

  “She’s fine,” she says with certainty; her eyes still aimed at the TV. “Safe and sound at home with your grandmother.”

  Gran! I forgot about her too.

  “Do they know what’s happened to me?” I ask with urgency. “Maybe they think I’m dead.”

  “They’ll be out looking for you—most likely with the po
lice. So we have to stay put for now. When you’ve got a handle on your urges, I’ll take you back. You can tell your family that you ran away, and then had a change of heart. It’s not a big deal. Teenagers up and leave every day.”

  “That sounds a little cold, don’t you think?” I ask, taken back. “They’re probably worried sick. Couldn’t we just take a drive into town? Call them from a phone-box? Or email them from a library computer? They need to know that I’m okay.”

  “No, we can’t. It’s too risky. The police could trace our location; search the entire area. And then we’d have to find somewhere to hide. And it’s not a good idea to be on the move in these early stages. You’re still too fragile. We have to be patient. Just a few more weeks. I promise.”

  A moment of distrust washes over me, but then suddenly dissolves when Kate locks eyes with mine, rubbing the side of my arm. She glances at her watch. “Now make this the last episode. The sun is almost up.”

  “Okay,” I reply, feeling strange, hazy, like I’ve just hit my head on something hard. “I’ll be up soon.”

  “Make sure you do. You need your sleep.” She turns and heads for the staircase.

  I search my mind again for Mum, but I’m too exhausted to focus. My tired eyes are stinging—but I fight it. Give her an hour and Kate will be fast asleep. I’ll sleep down here instead; it’s safe enough with the boarded-up windows.

  I get up off the couch and make my way into the kitchen—even though it barely fits the description. The floor is covered in cracked blue tiles, the brown worktop is stained and damaged, clearly suspended by the off-white, door-less cupboards beneath, and there’s a gap at the end of the room where a fridge might have once lived. There are three large bottles of water resting against the boarded up back door. They’re meant for Darren. It’s not exactly something thirsty vampires need, but apparently it’s great for keeping us awake. Caffeine has almost zero effect, so it’s this or nothing. I grab one of them, unscrew the lid and take a huge gulp. The rush of water filling my stomach instantly shakes off the tiredness—either that or it’s just nice to taste something other than blood for a change.

  Returning to the couch with the bottle, I focus on the TV again. I have to stay alert, have to keep Kate out of my head. But above all else, I have to stay awake.

  Because as soon as she’s sleeping, I’m going to let Darren go.

  “Oh shit!” I blurt out as I leap off the couch.

  I fell asleep!

  I check my watch: 7:15 p.m.

  Slipping on my new trainers, I tiptoe over to the living-room window, and peer out through the small gap between planks. The sun is almost setting. There’s still time. Making my way over to the stairs, I watch out for any loose, creaky floorboards. I have to stay quiet. Can’t let Kate hear me.

  Think clear thoughts. Crystal clear thoughts…

  Creeping up the stairs, I tense up as each footstep groans. Once I’m at the top, I walk over to the bedroom. The door is slightly ajar, so I slowly push my head through the gap. Kate is lying on the floor, head pressed against her new pillow, the quilt pulled right up to her chin. She’s fast asleep. Relief washes over me as I retract my head and skulk over to Darren’s room. His door is closed, so I carefully twist the handle; my face scrunched up as I wait for a squeak. It doesn’t come. But there is a squeak when I nudge the door open—a loud one. My eyes dart back towards Kate’s room, listening out for movement. There isn’t any. I sigh with relief and then step inside Darren’s prison cell.

  There are several pieces of wood missing from the window, creating thin beams of orange light. They’re beautiful—but deadly.

  Darren is lying on his side; his eyes closed; his skin almost colourless, and his neck black and crusted over with blood.

  He’s dying.

  At his side, I kneel, listening as each breath wheezes past his dry, cracked lips. “Darren,” I whisper, trying to block out the sound of blood rushing through his veins. “You need to wake up.”

  My stomach growls.

  Fight it!

  “I’m letting you go.”

  His eyelids slowly begin to part. He’s awake. Barely.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” I reassure him. “I’m going to set you free—but we have to move fast.”

  His bloodshot eyes start to close again. I grab him by both shoulders and shake him. “Wake up!” I say too loudly. “You need to go.” His eyes open a little.

  Taking hold of his hands, I start to untie the rope. As the knot unravels, his eyes blink as if he’s finally coming to. Once his wrists are free I pull him up into a sitting position. He glares at me with justified suspicion and then scans the room, clearly looking for Kate.

  “She’s sleeping,” I say, “but not for long. The sun will disappear really soon, so you have to go right this second.

  Clearing his throat, he looks at the window. Is he thinking about climbing out?

  “We need to use the front door,” I point out. “She might hear us if I pull down the planks of wood. And you’re in no state to jump.”

  Hooking my arms under his armpits, I yank him up onto his feet. He feels light, like a skinny child; but even with my increased strength, I doubt his weight would pose much of a problem. He grunts in agony, so I quickly cover his mouth with my hand, shushing him at the same time. With my arm around his waist, I walk him towards the doorway. His legs are practically dragging across the floor as we step out onto the landing. My terrified eyes are locked onto Kate’s room as we approach the stairs. Don’t wake up. I clench up again when the top step creaks under our weight; Darren’s nails nervously digging into me. Grip shaky, he grabs the banister, now able to do most of the walking himself. Halfway down the stairs, I focus on the front door directly ahead. Shit, I should have opened it before I came upstairs. We reach the living room. Darren glances back at the landing, but Kate is nowhere to be seen. Almost there. I open the door and the fading sunlight hits me, forcing me to cover my face with my arms.

  “Just go!” I whisper loudly, blinded, cowering at the side of the doorframe. “Run!”

  With my eyes closed tight, I hear his footsteps as he bolts outside to freedom.

  But when I open them, I realise that the footsteps don’t belong to Darren.

  Kate is standing over the man as he lies on the floor in front of me, blood running down the side of his face.

  “No!” I yell.

  She grabs Darren by his collar; her light skin reddening as the sunlight hits her. “You pair of fucking idiots!” she screams as she drags him back up to his feet like a rag-doll. “I warned you not to fuck with me!”

  I pick up the lamp and then swing it at Kate. “Leave him alone!” I shout, as it slams into the back of her head. She releases his collar, and Darren scurries outside, disappearing out of sight.

  “You stupid little girl!” Kate screams at me, holding her head in pain. She throws me a furious stare and then sprints outside, despite the blistering sun. I race to the door, but can’t bear the light, so I go to the window and peer through one of the small gaps in the wood. In the distance, a few metres from the house, Kate is standing over Darren. Both of his arms are up in surrender. She reaches down, takes him by the throat with just one hand, and twists his neck.

  “No!” I scream as the cracking sound reaches my ears.

  His head flops forward and he collapses to the ground.

  I hammer the wood with my fist in a rage. “You fucking bitch!”

  Kate grabs his legs and drags him towards the house; smoke coming off her scorched body. When she gets inside, she drops his limp body on the floor and then slams the front door hard, the noise rippling through the entire house. Her face and arms sizzle as she points her finger at me. “This is your fault, Thea! You know that, don’t you?”

  “How is this my fault? You’re the one who broke his neck! You didn’t have to do that! You could have let him go!”

  She shakes her head, her burnt skin healing right in front of my eyes. “You have
no idea, have you? He would have gone straight to the police. And then we’d both be screwed. When are you going to learn, Thea? Everything I do is for your protection. I don’t take any pleasure in killing. I never have done. But if it’s a question of them or me—then I’d always choose me. Every time. I would never let anyone take us. I fought long and hard to keep this life, and I won’t let some junkie with a big mouth fuck it up.”

  She drops to the floor and bites down on his neck. What the hell is she doing? He’s dead for Christ’s sake!

  She lifts her head up and turns to me, Darren’s blood trickling from her mouth. “Your turn,” she says, licking her lips with pleasure.

  “No, I won’t!” I snap.

  “He’s already dead, Thea. What difference does it make?”

  “I don’t care! I won’t drink another drop ever again!”

  Kate shakes her head, clearly baffled by my logic.

  “Don’t let stubbornness stop you from feeding,” she says. “Any longer and his blood will be worthless to you. Once he’s in the ground, that’s it.”

  “Are you deaf or what? I don’t want any!”

  Kate stands up, eyes wide with rage. “Are you stupid? You have to!”

  Body clenched, I step back a little, suddenly feeling a little less brave. “Then let me drink animal blood.”

  “I’ve already told you—it’s too dangerous.”

  “It’s worth the risk.”

  “No, it’s not, Thea. You’re a vampire now. You need human blood or you’ll die.”

  “Then let me die!” I blurt out in tears. “I don’t care anymore!”

  “You don’t mean that,” she says, shaking her head. “You’ve got a family out there. You’ll never get to see them if you’re six-feet under.”

  I don’t answer as another image of Mum appears. “How can I ever go home if I’m a killer?”

  “You don’t have to kill. You don’t need a lot of blood to survive. That’s why we needed Darren. We graze. A little each day.”

  “From who? Junkies? Friends? Teachers?”

  Kate lets out a drawn out sigh. “Look! Enough, Thea!” she snaps. “I don’t have all the answers. I’m just taking each day as it comes. I never asked for any of this, but it’s my job to keep you safe. What happens next is not important.” She points at the TV. “So why don’t you just sit down and watch TV while I clean up your mess.” She storms angrily up the stairs. “And I suggest you feed on Darren before it’s too late.”