The building was fairly quiet; most of the residents worked nine-to-fives downtown, and went to bed early. The apartments were in a residential area, surrounded by single-family houses filled with families. I took Jack’s keys, making sure to lock Jack’s apartment door behind me.

I’d woken up around 8:30 pm, and it was around 10:00 pm now. At this time of night, the street was quiet, and I was alone as I strolled down the block to where I’d parked the car last night. This morning. Whatever. Vampire time was confusing.

I’d swigged down a bottle of water from Jack’s fridge, but I was still thirsty. Should I go hunting before going to see the officer? Or maybe I’d come off as scarier if I stayed thirsty. I wasn’t really paying attention to my surroundings as I walked, my thoughts consumed by how I should confront the officer and what I should ask.

A flash of movement in the corner of my eye was the only warning I had before something smacked into the back of my head. My chin cracked into my chest and I was thrown forward. I managed to turn the momentum into a roll, jumping up to land back on my feet. I spun to see who had hit me. Three people stood arrayed on the sidewalk in a loose semicircle, a woman flanked by two men. All three of them were very pale, and they all bared sharp fangs at me.

“Give it to us, Intruder, and then get out,” the woman growled in a low alto voice. She was blonde and wearing no makeup, and wore a loose-fitting tracksuit.

“Give you what?” I asked. What was she talking about?

“It calls to us,” the man on her left said.

“And you’re here without permission,” the man on the right growled. I lifted my eyebrows at that.

“As if I need permission.” I snorted. “And I don’t have anything, see?” I patted my pockets to show they were all empty. “I was already mugged a few days ago. They took my wallet, everything. I’ve got nothing left.”

“We don’t want your money. Give us the thing that calls to us,” the woman said in an imperious tone, holding out her hand palm up. “Then leave this city.”

“I don’t have anything,” I repeated. “And why should I move? I’ve lived in Portland for years.”

“Years?” She scoffed and shook her head, making her ponytail bounce. “That’s impossible. We’d have known. You came here to steal, but it belongs to us.”

“What?” I yelled back, cold chills coming over me. I’d only stolen one thing lately. Lights came on in the house next to us, and all the vampires’ eyes flicked to look. I took advantage of their distraction to turn tail and run for the car. Three against one. I’d played this game in high school, and knew I had no chance.

The three vampires gave chase, and caught up before I got two houses down. The first male vampire to get near me reached for me, but again it felt like time slowed down. I was easily able to dodge out of the way as I sped up, leaving him in my dust.

“Think you’re the only one who can do that?” the other guy taunted from behind me.

I glanced back. I knew I was still moving with vampire speed, as Jack called it, because the other male vampire and the woman looked like they were running in slow motion, falling quickly behind us. The one behind me moved at normal speed. He tackled me from behind with a wordless cry, and we crashed to the ground together, him on top. I took advantage of my smaller size and wiggled out of his grip. I tried to crawl away, but the guy’s long arms kept grabbing my legs and pulling me back.

The other two vampires continued to move towards us in slow motion while we grappled on the ground. My muscles burned, and my tongue felt like sandpaper. So thirsty. I could feel myself flagging, slowing down. I could smell fresh blood close by. So close. My fangs descended. The vampire wrestling with me had eaten recently. As I got thirstier, my sense of smell spiked. I could smell it on the other vampire’s breath, and a moment later sensed the fresh blood pumping through his veins. I was so thirsty.

The bigger vampire started to overpower me, yet all I could see was the pulsing vein on his throat. I let him pull me closer, pretending to go limp. When he pulled me to his chest, I opened my mouth and lunged for his throat, biting down hard.

Delicious blood poured into my mouth. It wasn’t warm, not like the blood I’d taken from Hubbs or Jack, nor did it taste good, but it was better than the microwaved blood from Jack’s work and it slacked my thirst.

“Are you crazy?” the guy I was biting yelled, beating at my head with his fists.

I hardly felt the blows, which trickled off to nothing after a few moments. My euphoria grew with each drop I drank. It might not have tasted good, but it revitalized me more than even the officer’s blood had. My head swirled, like a pleasant buzz after a few beers. More than revitalized. I felt better than I had in days.

Ever since I’d woken up, I’d felt like I had a low-grade flu, but now. Now I felt like I could take on the world. The guy under me screamed as I bit down harder, trying to get more of the delicious nectar which had slowed to a trickle. Distantly I heard bone cracking, felt it shatter under my bites. I felt hands trying to pry me off, but the blood pumping through me gave me more strength than them.

The blood flow stopped and I ripped and tore at his neck, hungry for more. But there was no more to be had. Snarling, I let go and sat up, licking a few stray drops off my chin.

The other two vampires stepped back, looking at me with horror. The woman covered her mouth, her eyes wide. The man’s nose was crinkled up like he’d bit into something distasteful as he glanced at their limp companion, and then back at me.

I shifted to stand, and as one, both of them turned and ran. I stared at their backs as they dashed away. What had just happened? I turned and looked down at the vampire I’d bitten. His head lolled to the side, pale as a sheet. The skin of his face shrunk and cracked, aging as I watched.

I might have killed him. I tried to feel bad, but I couldn’t. It had been him or me.

Maybe he’d recover after feeding. I didn’t know, and I was struggling to think. My head reeled like I’d had too much alcohol. I staggered away toward the car, clutching my forehead. I needed to get out of here before those other two vampires came back for their friend.

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Continue on to Chapter 12

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