Building A (Strange) Family

Meetings

Sacramento.

She knew she heard it that time. Something following her.
She also knew better then to walk down this way this late at night. But there was usually a light down the ally way.
It was burnt out tonight and the light from her phone seemed extremely inadequate.

Almost through the alley way. Then just two more streets to home.

She didn't make it. She hit the ground, feeling the body on top of her. She may have screamed, she wasn't sure.
They flipped her over.
She head growling, literal growling before the pain, blunt and bruising against her neck.
She felt like she couldn't breath let alone call for help.

But, help still came.
Voices shouting, then the body was lifted from her. The movement seemed to cause whatever hit her neck to rip out and she was sure that time she did scream. She reached up to her bleeding neck, trying to apply pressure and felt other hands there, helping.

"Try to breath... We're here, we're gonna help." She looked up, eyes not quite able to focus. The face above her was a beautiful boy, young and angelic with warm brown caring eyes.

"I'm Mark... can you tell me you're name?"

She knew he was trying to distract her. From her own pain or the noises going on just out of her view. She tried to sit up and he pushed her shoulder down, gently.
"Please," She whispered, her voice strained and strange to her own ears.
He looked torn for a second.
Then, one hand still over her neck, he helped her into a sitting position.

Across the alley two men wrestled.
One seemed like a wild animal, staring at her with wild yellow eyes and panting, animal face.
Behind him, wrapped around his body holding his arms and legs, was another beautiful young man.
Impossibly blond hair, piercing blue eyes.
He seemed to be whispering the the man in his arms, calming words as his grip held firm around him.

"That's David. He's my... friend. We wanted to stop this guy before he got you but he's wicked fast..."

She looked back at the boy, Mark, even as she felt herself losing consciousness.

"What did he do to me?"

Mark looked up, looking to David for a moment.
David seemed to sigh then nodded before continuing to whisper to the feral boy.

"He's a vampire. He bit you."

She didn't want to believe it.
It was what had run through her mind, but it couldn't be real.
Things like this weren't real.

"We're gonna make sure you're okay. I promise."

And she blacked out.

When she woke up, she was inside her apartment, curled up on the couch. At first she had no idea what she was doing there.
Then, she thought maybe the night before had been a nightmare.
She felt her neck and met a large bandage.

It was real.
At least parts of it were. She couldn't be sure what parts.

It was still dark, so she crawled into bed.
The next day, her mom asked her what happened to her neck.

"Do you know when I came in last night, Mom?"

"Well, I heard the door open. A bit of shuffling around... I texted you to see if you were alright. When you didn't answer, I came out here and you were already asleep on the couch. I just figured you were beat from work. You really should take the day off and get that looked at."

She agreed and did that.
The doctor asked what happened.
She admitted she wished she knew.

Almost two weeks went by. She had given up hope of learning anything the first week.
And suddenly, he was there.