Human Sacrifice

Chapter One

I raised my leg to kick him but he grabbed it and I fell back onto the cold floor. I heard Monica scream somewhere behind me; “She’s bleeding! Her head! Help her!” she screeched, waving her hands towards me. I cringed and touched my head with my fingertips, noticing she was right. It was tender and painful and my fingertips soon became bloody from the cut. My vision went blurry.

“Now look at what you’ve done!” another of the boys yelled from the group. “you’ve got one that’s screaming and one that’s bleeding everywhere! The police will arrive and arrest you and I swear to god I am not bailing you out this time!” he yelled at the top of his voice. I made a mental note not to get him angry.

“Come on, let’s just go before things get serious” another sighed, standing up from the blur. I squinted but it didn’t improve my vision. The rest of the group followed him and the one who had pushed me down growled at me before walking off. My vision became normal again and I picked the glass from my leg. I looked around.

“Monica?” I asked, helpless. My leg was bleeding heavily and I was sitting in the middle of an alleyway with nobody here on Halloween. My life couldn’t get any worse (and when I said that, I was stating it. Not asking for a challenge).  I couldn’t help but cry and I felt my make up run down my cheeks. She’d disappeared in the silent shadows and I had no way of finding her.

I staggered up to my feet and cringed on my leg, hobbling to the light of the street light. I looked around but it was the early hours of the morning and everyone had gone now. Never get lost on Halloween; it isn’t the best holiday to get lost on. My mind decided to play tricks on me and it didn’t help by the fact everyone wore costumes. I called out for her again but I was greeted with silence.

I tried to find my way home but through the tears I could barely see. The light had flickered off and I had to stagger through the darkness; it was far harder than it appeared to be. I tried calling out for help but my leg began to bleed more and before long I left a glimmering trail of blood droplets on the pavement. I managed to find a club and the music thumped in my ears. Music meant people.

I failed to notice the tiny, flashing neon sign above the door and walked in. To be completely honest a sign wasn’t top on my mental priority list.

The club was surprisingly quiet but I dismissed it as people being out for Halloween. I looked around to see if Monica was here but I couldn’t see anyone, the club was thick with smoke and I pushed my way through the bodies and sat at the bar. The barman looked up at me whilst cleaning a glass and handed me a glass of water. “On the house, you’ll need it with what’s going to happen”

I looked at him confused as I could only barely make out what he was saying over the loud thumps and beats of the music. “Huh? What do you mean?” I yelled, trying to make myself heard; I was never the loud type of person anyway. He looked me up and down at my outfit, tutted once, and looked back up at me.

“Just typical. So you’re dressed as a vampire, right?” he asked, looking at me. He turned the music down a notch so that we could have a conversation without screaming at each other. I nodded and straightened my dress, eyeing up the wound on my leg. It looked septic. Great. “They always dress as vampires, it’s like they ask for it. Stupid teens” he muttered to himself, cleaning another glass.

Ok, that confused me; I don’t think he realised I actually heard me. “Excuse me, what do you mean?” I asked, looking directly at him. He shrugged it off and acted like no words had left his mouth.

“Look, if I were you I would get out of her, run home and not leave the house for a few days. I’ll explain why if you promise to not freak out and buy a drink” he asked, looking at me over the top of his black rimmed glasses. I nodded and he fixed me a suspicious looking cocktail but drank it. He watched me as the liquid passed over my lips and nodded in approval.

“Halloween isn’t a normal time of year, in fact it’s the most abnormal. Vampires, real vampires that is, all take home a potential mate and a few others for drainage and sacrifice. From the distinctive smell that radiates off you I think you’ve been marked. That’s why I suggest laying low for the next few days. They put that scent on you so they can track you, but it wears off over a few days. They won’t find you when it’s gone” he explained as I finished my drink. I nodded and placed a twenty on the table as I limped out of the club.

The sky was beginning to gain sunlight as time ticked on. Eventually I found myself on my doorstep and knocked on the door. My parents would not be happy about this. No answer. I knocked repeatedly but no lights switched on in the house and I gave up hope, sitting back on the doorstep. I blamed the night’s weird events on all the drink. However, I questioned if somebody (even under the influence of alcohol) could come up with that coo-coo story about vampires. Maybe not. My memory began to fade.