My heart is racing. I look down at my hands; they’re trembling.
I need to leave this house right now.
Opening the front door, I stand to the side to avoid the sunlight, but there’s hardly any left, just a dark orangey glow. I move out onto the doorstep, my skin tingling, but not burning. The sun is slowly disappearing behind the distant trees.
The night is here again. So is the hunger.
Pulling my hood up, I start to jog along the path; my heart aching as the last of the sun escapes. Don’t leave me here. Please. I make it just past the apple tree before stopping and turning back to the house. There’s a force pulling me. I can’t tell if it’s Kate, screwing around in my head again, compelling me to stay—or it’s all me, terrified beyond belief of facing the world as a monster.
No!
I won’t be her prisoner.
And I won’t be her fucking monster.
Sprinting along the muddy pathway, I see the gate in the distance. I’ll follow the road into town; hitch a ride home.
I don’t know the way.
My stomach twinges. My sprint slows as I clutch it.
Have to feed.
To the left of the pathway is a forest. Changing course, I dart towards it, hoping to find an animal to feed on.
My legs seem to have a mind of their own, moving way faster than my mind can comprehend. Faster than any human on Earth. I look down at my feet as they hurtle towards the first set of trees. It puts a smile on my face. It shouldn’t, but it does. Without even realising I’m deep into the forest, dodging trees, leaping like a stallion over grass banks and broken logs. God knows where I’m going, but as long as it’s away from that house, I’ll be okay.
After a few minutes I come to a stream. I stop at its edge and peer down as the water rushes past my feet. It glistens in the moonlight, even more beautiful through these new eyes; a mixture of blue, silver and gold. Should I follow it? To where, though? The sea? The last thing I need is a bloody fish.
I look back over my shoulder and notice that the farmhouse is nowhere to be seen. For some reason, a shudder of dread creeps over me. Why? I’m better out here. I don’t need Kate. And I’m a vampire now. I’m the monster lurking in the dark. The last thing I should feel is fear.
But I do.
Pushing the feeling to the back of my mind, I leap over the stream, landing on a rock, and then sprint aimlessly past even more trees. The wind through my hair feels good. I feel free, almost happy.
There’s a giant mound of brambles about fifteen metres away, so I change direction. It doesn’t matter which way I go—as long as it’s far away from Kate.
The hunger nips at me, slowing me down a little. I try to ignore it and scurry through a narrow gap behind a few trees and a tall bush.
As the miles clock up, and as my speed begins to slow, I notice that the forest is getting darker. Much darker. It’s got to be the hunger again, screwing with these new vampire gifts.
Gifts? Ha! That’s a joke.
Ignore it!
Just keep moving.
The further I run, the thicker these woods and brambles seem to get. Where the hell does it go anyway? The town? What town? Flashes of the journey to the farmhouse pop into my head. We were in the car for hours, so if Kate took me from my house, then home is on the other side of the country.
Another shooting pain causes me to almost trip over a broken log, but I keep running, keep heading towards more trees, more bushes, and even more darkness.
I should turn back. Start again.
No! You’ve come too far to turn back. This forest has to come out somewhere. Just be patient.
Minutes roll by and the pain in my body intensifies, twisting my insides like a coil.
I hold back the anguish, praying for my old life again—a life that I barely know. It has to be better than this. I pull out another buried image from my head. It’s Ivy again. I know she’s my sister, but her memories are different, clearer. She looks about twelve, maybe older, and the sun is out. We’re playing in a garden—hide and seek—but she keeps on insisting that I’m the one who counts. I’m too young to really know the rules, so I just play along. I reach twenty and I start to search the garden. Block out the pain, Thea! There’s only a small patch of grass, a patio area and a shed. The most obvious hiding place is the shed, so I begin there. Opening the door, I pause. There’s a giant web stretched across the doorframe. It’s undisturbed, which either means she didn’t come in here, or she crawled under it. Nerves creeping over me, I decide to stoop under it. The moment my head passes it, I feel something drop into my hair. Keep moving, Thea! In a panic, I roll about on the floor, trying to get the spider out. I’m screaming, crying, begging for someone to help me. I can feel the creature running around my head, my frantic hands too slow to kill it. You’re almost there! Then I feel something hitting my head. And again. On my back, covered in dust and grit, I see Ivy standing over me, a spade in her hands, with the guts of a giant spider on the end. ‘Got him!’ she tells me as she catches her breath. My head is throbbing, but I don’t care. Anything but a spider in my hair. She takes me by the hand and pulls me up. I should give her a hug, tell her how grateful I am for saving me, but I don’t—instead I bolt out of the shed, screaming for Mum, still rubbing my hair hysterically.
And then I see a gravestone. It belongs to her. And a funeral—with so many people.
And there’s a boy standing in my living room. A teenager. And Mum. She’s screaming at him, begging for him to leave Ivy in peace. There’s so much hate for him, so much pain.
His name is Callum.
Suddenly I feel a bright light burn in my head and I see Mum again. She’s telling me that Ivy took her own life.
I remember now.
A tear leaves my eye as I strain to remember more; school friends; things I used to watch on TV; sports I might have done. Faces of girls around my age constantly pop up in my head, but I have no way of knowing if they’re friends, enemies or figments of my imagination. I see Jared. He’s kissing me by the school gates. My heart flutters as he waves me goodbye.
I’ll see you soon.
I’m in my living room, and there’s Gran, telling me how hard it was for Mum raising two children alone.
Did my father die as well?
I strain to find a single image of him. And then I remember: he was never there in the first place. He walked out on—
The hunger manages to cut through my thoughts and I lose focus.
I wish I knew for sure if these memories were real. For now, they’re still so muddled. I don’t know if it’s just the process of turning into a vampire, or if it’s Kate again, twisting my thoughts.
But then she wouldn’t have allowed me to run from the farmhouse. If she were constantly spying on me, she would’ve known I was planning to escape. Maybe her hold is weakening. Maybe it doesn’t stretch this far.
It doesn’t matter anyway.
Just keep moving…
I’ve lost track how long I’ve been running. Time seems to pass differently when I move at such a speed. My eyesight is still deteriorating, but I can see enough not to slam into trees or fall into a ditch.
It’s hard to believe that I still haven’t reached civilisation yet. Nerves start to creep over me as I slow down, followed by a sickening feeling of defeat, of foreboding—because I’m out of options.
It’s time to turn back.
Coming to a complete stop, I suddenly feel shaky, out of breath. As I start to walk back in the direction of the farmhouse, the trees start to spin, morphing together. Rubbing my eyes, I try to clear my vision, but all it does is create a deeper, thicker fog.
A jolt of panic hits me when I realise that I have no idea which direction I came from.
Oh shit! I’m lost!
Struggling even to walk, I reach out and grab a tree. My legs feel like jelly, so I sit down in the cool dirt, my back pressed up against the trunk. A lump forms at the back of my throat as I scan the area.
>
Don’t cry, Thea. Everything’s going to be all right.
I grasp my stomach as the pain intensifies.
Stay calm.
My head moves in all directions, trying to find something familiar, but all I see is a dark, blue wood. No stream to follow, no pathway, and no trail of breadcrumbs.
I close my eyes as tight as I can, trying desperately to block out everything; the forest, the hunger, Kate, this entire nightmare. But it gets too much to hold in and I burst out into tears.
Please, someone, help me.
Anyone.
I’m just a kid.
I’m not a monster…
I hear a noise.
My body tightens.
A rustling.
My eyes spring open. Pulse racing, I examine the area. There’s no one there.
The scent of blood wafts under my nose.
Someone’s out here.
My eyes feel like my old ones. Whatever abilities I had are gone. The moonlight is seeping through some of the gaps in the overhanging trees, so I can just about make out a few bushes and grass banks scattered around me.
I wince as my stomach grumbles painfully.
There’s that noise again. Coming from the bush in front of me.
I slowly get back onto my feet, fists clenched, ready to bolt again. But my legs feel like steel; don’t think I’ll get very far.
“Hello?” I croakily whisper, eyes wide with dread. “Who’s there?”
The bush starts to move.
Shit! What the hell is that?
It rustles again.
Tiptoeing backwards, away from the tree, I imagine some vampire hunter bursting out, a shotgun in one hand, and a net in the other.
My mouth is bone dry from fear, my chest so tight I can barely breathe. I skulk further away, watching the bush like a guard-dog.
But instead of some psycho with a samurai sword, or The Frog Brothers clutching wooden stakes and holy water, the cutest little rabbit hops out; its scruffy brown and white fur sticking up high, his ears even more so. A huge grin of relief covers my face, washing away the terror.
But not the hunger.
In a frenzy, I dart towards the creature, reaching it before it even has the chance to retreat. Grabbing its front leg, it squirms and twists frantically, but I don’t let go.
I stuff the rabbit’s neck between my open jaws and bite down hard. The skin is buried beneath a thick layer of fur, so I push the animal even deeper into my mouth. The squirming suddenly stops as warm blood runs down my throat, instantly quenching my hunger. My eyes close as I drain every last drop, until it starts to tighten and shrivel.
The pain has gone. So has the craving. I can breathe again. I can see in the dark again.
It worked!
Kate’s full of shit.
I drop the dead rabbit on the ground and smile, wiping the blood from my mouth and chin. But then I look down at it, remembering how cute it was, how innocent it was, and it fills me with remorse.
“Sorry, little fella,” I whisper. “If there were any other way, then things would be different. But there isn’t. Becoming a murderer is not something I plan on ever doing again.”
This is just hunting to survive. Nothing more. If I’m willing to eat chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers, then killing a rabbit is nothing at all.
I drop down to one knee, scoop up a little dirt from the ground, and make a tiny grave. Dropping the creature into the hole, I blow it a kiss, and then push the dirt over it, burying it completely. I pat the mound a little and then stand up. Just as I straighten, I suddenly feel lightheaded. Must have got up too fast. Crouching down, I wait for it to pass.
But it doesn’t.
And now I feel sick.
Exhaling, I try to settle the nausea but nothing changes. There’s a horrid bubbling sound in my gut. What’s wrong with me?
A sudden explosion of red vomit gushes from my mouth, spraying over the grave, disturbing the earth. Unable to breathe, I wait for the flood to stop, but once the rabbit’s blood is out, another torrent of bile follows. And then more blood.
This time I think it’s mine.
I’m no longer in the heart of a forest, trying to escape a crazed-woman. Right now I’m in a vortex, filled with agonising pain, and a sea of puke.
Please God let it stop.
I beg you.
After several minutes, the vomiting finally comes to a halt. But there’s no relief, just a messed up head of swirling thoughts.
My body goes limp, my eyes close, and then I pass out.
9
The sound of a spade cutting through dirt wakes me.
Where am I?
I quickly take in the room—the old, beaten up couch that I’m lying on, the crumbling plaster on the walls, the smell of mould in the air—and realise that I’m back exactly where I started.
How the hell did I get back here?
Kate.
There’s that digging sound again. My eyes go to the front door and I notice Darren’s body is missing, replaced by a thick streak of blood, disappearing through the thin gap under the door.
She’s burying him outside.
I should never have drunk that rabbit’s blood. Even the thought makes me heave. I should have listened to Kate. But how? She’s out of her mind. She’d have me believe anything as long as it suits her. God knows what she’s already planted in my head with all that psychic shit.
Although, I should be grateful—without it I could still be out there now, choking on my own puke.
I won’t drink human blood, and I can’t drink animal blood.
So I’m screwed.
Should I just accept it then and listen to Kate? Embrace the vampire in me?
No fucking way!
Those people I killed—Rachel, that faceless woman, and God knows who else—I wasn’t myself. I had no control over my actions. This guilt I’m feeling is just a natural reaction, and anyone in my place would feel the same. The only one responsible is whoever infected me in the first place.
I try to think back, try to think why anyone would do such a thing. Did I deserve it? Hurt someone maybe?
I wish I could remember, but these pictures in my head are still so fuzzy—it’s infuriating!
The front door opening startles me. Kate steps inside the house. “You’re awake,” she says, groaning with exhaustion. She shuts the door and walks over to me. She’s going to shout at me; I can tell. Leaning over the couch, she glares down at me. “What the hell were you thinking going out there alone?”
“I was trying to get away from you!”
“You could have been killed,” she says, shaking her head in disbelief. “Where the hell were you going? To your house? That’s three hundred bloody miles away.”
I don’t retort. I pretend that I’m ignoring her.
“I told you animal blood was dangerous.”
Kiss my ass.
“Don’t speak to me like that,” Kate snaps. “I’m only trying to help you.”
“Stay out of my head then!” I scream, picking up the remote control to switch The Walking Dead on.
Apart from the sound of her heavy, tempered breath, Kate falls silent as she lingers beside me.
Just piss off, why don’t you!
“You’re just lucky that Darren was here to save you.”
I turn to her with an acid-scowl. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kate snorts. “You didn’t really think that a little nap on the couch was going to save you, did you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Still got those hunger pains?” Kate asks with a slight chuckle.
My attention goes to my stomach and the fact that the crippling pain has eased off.
“You’re lucky Darren’s blood was still fresh enough,” she continues with a tone of smugness, “otherwise I’d be burying you out there, too.”
The nausea that I left in the woods makes a sudden comeback.
“You bitch!�
� I yell, throwing her a murderous glare. “You gave me a dead man’s blood!”
“You’re alive, aren’t you? You should be thanking me.”
I leap to my feet, noticing the bloodstain by the door again. “Alive? This isn’t living!”
“Would you rather be dead?”
I stomp up to her, slam my foot hard into the wooden floor, and scream, “Yes!”
Kate shakes her head and then heads towards the front door. “If you really don’t want my help, then go,” she says, holding the door wide open, and motioning with her head for me to leave, “run for the hills again. See if I care. You’re not a prisoner.”
I stare at the opening, which now seems endless, like deep space or the middle of the ocean.
“Maybe I will then,” I say, my body frozen, struggling to keep hold of my confidence.
“Good,” Kate says with an arrogant tone. “We’ll see how far willpower gets you out there. Or maybe you could try your luck with another rabbit.”
The memory of it makes me retch, so I hold a hand over my mouth.
“Didn’t think so,” Kate says, smirking.
“Piss off.”
“Staying in tonight then, are you?” she asks as she steps outside. “Make sure you don’t use up all the power watching those shows. It’s got to last us a while.”
“Where are you going?” I call out.
“Where do you think I’m going?” she replies. “I’m going to get us another Darren.” She slams the door hard. “Don’t wait up!”
“Fine!” I scream at the closed door. “See if I care!
A sudden rush of gloom hits me, and I burst into tears.
“I’m not a monster,” I whimper to myself, stumbling over to the couch in defeat.
The rumble of the car starting fills the room, followed by the glow of headlights, seeping through the gaps between the wooden boards.
“I’m still me. I’m still Thea…”
Thea (Book 2): A Vampire Story Page 4
