bite.

bite. - chapter 13- red haze

Hopelessness washed over me and I closed my eyes and felt Michael sucking the life out of me. He drank deeply because he wanted to weaken me. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t strong enough to elude him. After he had finished with me Michael let go and I fell to the floor not even strong enough to stand. I tried to crawl away from Michael but he caught me and picked me up like a ragdoll. Pressing a kiss against my forehead he muttered an apology and took me out into the car.

The lights of passing cars, streets, signs and lampposts all blurred into one another as we drove but to the hotel. Occasionally I felt the pressure of Michael’s arm around my shoulders or his fingers caressing my neck but most the time I felt like I was on some sort of bad high. Nothing made sense. Carrying me in the back way I remember closing my eyes and then hearing yelling. Francesca and Magda were there staring down at me with fearful eyes. I didn’t understand what they were saying but Francesca snatched me out of Michael’s arms and tore down the corridor.

For a while the world went black but then it came back into focus when I felt the blood filling my stomach. Magda’s open wrist was pressed against my lips, Francesca cradled my head tenderly stroking my hair. I watched her mouth the words,

“My poor baby.”

Michael wasn’t far. I couldn’t see him but I could feel him. Constantly there, watching me. Feeling stronger I stopped drinking from Magda’s wrist and pulled away wiping my mouth. Magda rubbed her wrist and within a few seconds the wound had healed. Blinking but the tears as I remembered what had happened, I buried my face into my hands unable to stop myself from breaking down.

I heard Francesca say,

“I’m so sorry. This is the hardest part of being a vampire.”

Opening my eyes I looked up and met her large brown eyes full of sorrow and grief. Dabbing my tears away with a handkerchief she said,

“The pain passes it always does.”

“I miss my real family.” I cried.

“All vampires miss their human families, Lorna. Your feelings are only natural.” Magda said.

“But-but,” I choked, “I could still see mine.”

“They wouldn’t understand darling. You’ve been dead to them for five years.” Magda replied.

Francesca helped me sit up slowly and propped cushions behind my back. Turning to Magda she said,

“She needs to rest and regenerate.”

Magda nodded and told me to sleep. I closed my eyes and fell into a deep heavy sleep.

The hunger clawed inside my belly as so much fresh meat passed my tiny blacked out cell. I could see nothing but I could hear everything and smell everyone. A woman walked by chatting idly with a colleague the smell of her perfume was overpowering. So many different people walked past my cell everyday but I remembered each of their scents. That one always wore jasmine perfume. I loved the smell of jasmine although I could not remember where from. All my memories were blank. There was nothing. All I had inside me was the hunger. They hadn’t fed us for a week. They wanted to keep us weak because they knew the cells would not hold us for long if we were at full strength. There had been too many accidents with our kind. Feeling dizzy I lay down on the ground and closed my eyes. I needed to preserve energy by lying dormant otherwise I would go berserk like the others did. Closing my eyes I drifted asleep but then a group of footsteps and the scent of unfamiliar people startled me from my nap. Their pulses were hammering in their veins like loud noisy drums as adrenaline pumped through their systems. There was six of them and they definitely weren’t  lab workers. They didn’t have that clinical bio-hazard suit smell about them. I listened carefully to their chatter.