Thump, thump, thump. Raindrops were hitting the windows in the same pace as my heart was beating - rapidly and heavily. I kept on running, still not sure what exactly I was running from. Yet, the shadow lingering behind me reminded me that I was not to stop.
The city was almost empty with only a few homeless people looking up to see who the menace that dared wake them was. The wind was fizzing between the lonely skyscrapers, enhancing the hollow feeling that was slowly embracing me. Yet, I had to push it away for if I fully accepted it.... My body trembled at the thought of my practically inevitable future.
My feet hurt, and I was sure they were going to start bleeding soon. "Only 3 more miles, Jess." I whispered without stopping. If I got to the shore before it came back I would be safe. For some unknown reason, it feared water and that was the only anomaly I managed to spot in these unknown creatures. Each and every one of them dared not approach running water, as if they were honoring the old myths that encircled vampires. Funny, vampires. They were vampires of a sort -extirpating every humane characteristic and leaving only human bodies capable of nothing but cruelty and manipulation.
At first, no one realized that we were not alone, that some of us had become more than mere humans but as we grew conscious of our new surroundings we lost our own selves to it. They were taking over, steadily but certainly. It spread like a disease. People I knew to be selfless and carrying grew to be distant and cold, behaving as if they were robots. Panic and fear were embracing the leftover humans capable of emotions, just as the skies were growing darker.
As I spotted the ocean, I let myself slow down. I could feel dread crawl up my body and take its rightful place in my gut. Before I even realized my instincts were warning me, my whole body tensed as the familiar shiver started taking control of it. "No!" I shouted, increasing my pace again. I needed to get to the water. Blood was rushing through my veins hectically, as my heart was frantically trying not to lose the battle of my soul. The heartbeats were so loud that it felt as if they were making my surroundings shake. I could not hear anything else apart from my own voice repeatedly screaming "no".
Yet, the parasite was already gaining power. Spasms were making me stop and there was nothing I could do. Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump. My heart was beating, as panic was racing through my entire being. I wanted to win this battle. I needed to win. I could already hear my mother cry over my soulless body and I had no power to change that. Tears were filling my eyes, ready to say goodbye to the person I was. Overwhelming pain arose in my knee and I fell down onto the shattered glass, scratching my legs. But she did not care what happened to her vessel. She wanted me to suffer.
As the feeling of utter anguish replaced fear and panic, I no longer had control over myself. Yet, she was still to win my mind. "Jess, don't allow her to do this." I heard myself think. Even though there was no sound escaping my lips, my voice sounded scared, already defeated. Memories overpowered me, not giving me a chance to resist them. I knew she would fight dirty, but I never reckoned she would have gone this far. She showed me images of my family suffering, dying at my hand and me smiling at the sight of it. Crimson liquid escaping their lifeless bodies and me acting as if I did not care. I knew that was not happening, but the feeling of terror was paralyzing to both my mind and my common sense.
"If you do not surrender yourself, I'll make sure this is the first thing I do once you are mine, Jess." She said, pronouncing my name as if she were a snake. "I will make your momma and papa feel what it means to be tormented before I take their worthless lives, Jess." And I could fear all my barriers slowly shred to pieces. Her laugh was filling my ears, sounding as if she was the Devil himself and I let myself go to my alter-ego, my other identity that I was not aware of until this disease took over Earth. "How can one ever win a battle over their own self? " I thought to myself as I felt her take over what was left of me. Jessica was now in control and I wished I was never to wake again, for the fear of confronting her actions was too great. "I hope you die, Jessica" I said, regaining one last ounce of control over my body, before being sucked into the black void of the unknown, her terrorizing laugh giving me a final farewell and then I realized - my family was already dead and she could bring them no harm, but it was already too late. The darkness took over.
