Kei was right. This place did look haunted.
Most of the windows were broken and boarded up. The ones that were not, were painted black or blocked by rotten furniture. The front porch had cobwebs and so much dirt on it that it was no longer a porch but more of a spider garden. The walls used to have white paneling on, but years had not been kind to those either. Even from a distance, I got disgusted by it.
We left the car a few streets away and went to the house on foot so as to not get detected. After a few moments of examining it from the front, Leander led us to the side of the building and into the yard of its neighboring abandoned house. We were very light on our feet, careful not to make too much noise and attract attention. Humans lived in this neighborhood as well and they wouldn't care that we were not nest dwellers, they'd see vampires and freak out. We could hear them; the electricity running in their houses, televisions still on this late at night. Nobody was outside though. Just us and the throbbing and flickering lamp posts.
Leander pointed to one of the broken windows that were free of boards and furniture. Jagged pieces of glass were still hanging off it, but there was enough space for us to go from. I wondered why we could not just go in through the front door like civilized vampires, but said nothing about it. They knew better than I did and right now was not a good time to speak up.
He signaled for me and Annerose to go inside first and that he would follow but from a different entry point. Annerose nodded and sneaked closer to the window, with me close behind her. I watched her as she placed two hands on the window where no glass shards were protruding and jumped up and through it. Her legs went in first and once she was inside I followed her lead, careful not to cut my skin. I would heal fast even if I cut myself, but I didn't want to have to deal with bleeding while in a vampire nest. I knew how much attention that would garner even before I became a vampire myself.
I could hear twelve heartbeats in the house. Three were more lethargic than the rest. Those were the pets, high on vampire venom and low on blood supply. While we were in the car, Leander had said that there was a high chance we would find humans in there. The three heartbeats as well as two other healthier ones were coming from upstairs, while the rest were all down here, on the ground floor with Annerose and me.
The room we had entered used to be a nursery. There was a broken-down crib right next to a changing table. The entirety of one of the walls as well as the majority of the ceiling were covered in glow-in-the-dark stars; that were no longer glowing. The door was closed and when we got to it, Annerose touched and twisted the knob with purpose.
I braced myself. She opened the door and moved to the side with it, so when the first vampire came running inside they came straight at me. A shiver ran through me. I was ready for this. I was not alone.
Bloodshot eyes and enlarged fangs. I dodged the initial attack and did my absolute best to avoid their fangs and grips. Somewhere in the room, Annerose was also fighting a vampire. I could hear grunts from the front of the room, but couldn't check at the moment. More heartbeats echoed closer, and I allowed myself to get thrown on the ground by that first vampire. We struggled for a few moments until I ended up with my hands around their throat as they hissed and pressed closer to me.
I kept the pressure with my left hand and moved my right until my fingers tangled in the hair on the back of their head. Then with all my strength, I twisted their head to the side. With a grunt, I turned their head around, the snap of their neck chilling in the night. Their entire body weight fell on top of me and I froze. They would not stay down for long, I knew. I had tried this move on Ezra and Leander –had seen how their bodies reacted to a broken neck. They died, but it was not permanent. Venom could heal that shit. The best way to kill a vampire was to burn them. And if that was not an option the next best way was to cut off their head. That way stopped venom from traveling in their body and healing whatever was keeping them dead. Which was exactly what Annerose was doing.
She was fighting two of them, and at the same time, two others by her feet were already decapitated. Blood had strained the dirty blue carpet by the crib already. Walls were sprayed with thick blood. A vampire was holding her from behind, fangs deep in her neck, while the other was trying to get to the other side of her neck, his intention clear.
I pushed the body off me and scrambled to my feet. Leander had said to use the knife only if I needed to, but I pulled it out nonetheless. There was another vampire coming our way and I had to help Annerose fast. I dove for them and stabbed the side of the one that was already biting her. My entire body was shaking and I almost flinched at the guttural groan they let out. Quickly, I pulled the knife out and clamped my own fangs on the gash I had just created. They let go of Annerose and stumbled back, hands reaching for me and elbows connecting with my ribs. I didn't let go. I had to buy her time.
With force we hit the wall, the handle of the build-in closet jabbing my spine and I pulled my mouth back to exclaim in pain. They turned around and punched me right in the ribs before I could shield myself. A wheeze escaped me, bones giving out under the force of their hit, my breath hitching. Pain exploded from my side and a wet cough bubbled up my chest violently. Another cough followed suit and blood came out of my mouth and hit the vampire's face. Their hand came up to grab me by my neck and I scratched their forearm in an effort to stop them, all without being able to breathe right. Another cough came and this time it was followed by the horrifying sensation of drowning. The conflicting urge to heave and the need to inhale brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't breathe.
Panicked, my grip on their arm eased and their hand moved higher up my neck. Black spots filled my vision, and I fought them with harsh blinks. I couldn't breathe. They were going to break my neck. A loud gunshot echoed from upstairs and the vampire that was holding me flinched and tightened their grip. I couldn't...
I had no idea where the knife was, I had dropped it when they pushed me against the closet. Annerose was fighting someone. I trashed, in a last effort to break my assailant's grip, and while doing so my knee hit their crotch. Their grip didn't loosen but the hit made them flinch. I took half a breath, coughing up more blood, and let go of their forearm, only to grip at their face and push a finger in their eye.
The feeling was foreign and absolutely disgusting, as my thumb pressed in until there came a squelching pop and they let go of me. They stumbled back as I slumped against the closet, coughing once more and then diving for them. My body needed blood; to heal and to be able to fight. I ignored the loud screaming voice in my head that was telling me I was drowning; I couldn't breathe; I wasn't going to make it. I wasn't. I could. I would.
I bit into the side of the vampire's neck and tightened my jaw and sucked, swallowing down their blood alongside mine, which was coming up from my presumably punctured lungs. I pressed and bit and dove deeper until there came a piercing crunch.
"Jesse," someone called out.
My hand reached up to the other side of the vampire's neck and my fingers dug into their skin, ripping it. I swallowed down blood until the pressure against my face was gone. A hot breath fell out of my lips and I stood there for a moment, disoriented and confused. I blinked the haze off and noticed that the vampire I had been holding was on the ground now, their head had rolled off to the window we had come in from.
"Jesse, hey..." the voice called again and I turned my head to it; to Annerose. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.
My breathing was so loud and my entire body was shivering, but I nodded in answer. There were no other living vampires in the room. Annerose had dealt with them, cutting the head off even from the vampire who I had initially struggled with. I had killed someone. Annerose took a step closer to me and I flinched back.
"It's okay," she quickly said –lifting her hands up– and stopped dead in her tracks. "We're okay. There are no other vampires for us to deal with." A thump and glass breaking from upstairs made me flinch again. "That's Leander. We should– I should go check on him. Do you want to stay here or...?"
I wordlessly moved towards her, half a stuttering step, but it made her smile at me. She mumbled something under her breath that I didn't catch. I was still shaking so much. I couldn't stop. My breaths came in with small hiccups now, close to sobbing but not quite there yet.
She walked out of the room, staying close to me, and walked up the stairs that led to the upper floor. The house was equally decrepit here. Old wood and mold and blood covered the floor and walls. A shudder overcame me. Annerose mumbled reassuring words despite not looking at me.
There were three doors up here, two of them open while the third closed. All the commotion that was audible was coming from that room. Annerose reached for her thigh and my eyes followed the movement in slow motion. She had used some of her knives, but there were visibly less strapped around her thigh. She took out one and reached for the door, while I was still stuck looking at the sheath on her leg.
The click of the doorknob unlatching made me jump and look up. Annerose opened the door and then jumped back and in front of me as a heap of limbs came towards us. She hissed, making me jerk away from her. I hit the wall behind us with a soft groan. The ball of limbs –a vampire– came crashing right next to me and I stumbled to the side and away. They had graying hair and wrinkles on their face and blood was smeared on their clothes.
My gaze flitted to Leander who came out of the room next and an ugly feeling settled in my gut. He looked... he looked horrifying. Blood was dripping down his enlarged fangs and his eyes were so harsh. There was nothing kind or soft about his demeanor. I shivered and only had one second to react and cover my ears as Leander pulled up his gun and shot the vampire right between the eyes.
Too much. That was too much. My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I groaned, feeling the vibration of the gunshot in my bones even after it was long gone. When I managed to open my eyes again –unsure when I had even closed them– the vampire lay on the ground with their head off the body. I was also on the floor, but so far away from them. Annerose was in the room Leander and the vampire had come tumbling out of. I couldn't see him though.
"–here..." I managed to make out over the loud humming that had filled my hearing after the gunshot. I turned to Annerose, who was holding onto someone and coming my way.
The person's eyes went wide as they took me in and they fought against the grip Annerose had on them. A wide grin was on their face, hazy eyes right on me. Annerose shook them and kept them from approaching me. Her lips moved around a word, but I couldn't make it out this time. She looked away and I followed her gaze and Leander came out from another room and approached me. His lips were moving as well but it didn't make my hearing any better.
He huffed out and turned to Annerose with a resigned look on his face. I had absolutely no idea what was happening.
"I–" I tried to say only to stop and clear my throat. My voice sounded as if I was trying to speak underwater.
Leander shook his head at me and went to take the person from Annerose. Her grip had been hard, but he was no less aggressive. I could tell the other person was human, they smelled alive, so when Leander brought them closer to me I shook my head and tried to move away. I didn't want to hurt them, and I didn't trust myself right now not to.
Leander said something to me, and I tried reading his lips. The softness had returned to his gaze and if I was correct he was telling me that it was okay. The human was way more enthusiastic about approaching me than I would have been if I were them. They were almost giddy now, eyes wide and crazed. Their head was shaking with broken moves, and before even taking a step they quickly tugged up the sleeve of their shirt exposing their bitten and bloody forearm. Leander scowled but continued to bring them closer.
"Get some fresh blood in you," he told me, voice muffled under the veil of the buzzing that was still echoing around me. I shook my head negatively, wanting to convey that I would kill the human if I bit them now. I would turn them.
"Do it, please," the human slurred and inched closer to me. "Please. Bite me, please please please. Do it. I'll do anything, please."
I opened my mouth to refuse, looked back at Leander and Annerose, and then back at the human. They all wanted me to do it. Leander and Annerose clearly thought this would help me; while the human was begging me to essentially kill them. Turn them.
Pressure grew under my upper jaw and my teeth pushed out the closer to me the human got. Their excitement only exploded at the sight of my fangs. I couldn't understand how someone could be so happy about imminent death. They would come back, but if I had had the chance to survive the nest as a human... I would have probably taken it. I'd like to think I would have taken it.
My lips found the warm skin of their forearm and with slight hesitation, I bit into them. Their blood tasted weird. The iron sweetness I had gotten used to was muffled and sullied and this tasted like milk that was just on the cusp of going bad. I flinched back, unlatching my jaws off them with a soured expression, and looked at Leander as he twisted the human's head at an angle that was definitely not survivable.
"What are you–" A loud, bone-chilling crunch cut me off and I shook as I recognized it. "What are you doing? Won't that hinder the turn?"
Leander let the human drop in a heap on the floor and came closer to me in order to wipe the blood off my face. "She won't be turning into a vampire."
"But she–"
Annerose crouched down next to the dead human and pulled out the large, bloodied blade. With a hand tangled in the human's hair, she pressed the blade to their neck and cut, clear through.
"She–!"
"She was to be a dweller. She wanted the nest life, not ours," Leander cut me off. "We just saved ourselves a job and human lives."
"How do you... how can you– you turned me," I muttered, jerking away from him. "You turned me, without knowing whether I preferred life as a dweller or... life like yours."
"You wanted to live, not to be a vampire. She thought we were from a different nest and she asked us to turn her and have her as a dweller. It's not the same," Leander explained.
"We should get going. Someone must have heard and reported the gunshots," Annerose said, and we both turned to look at her. Leander nodded, pushed his hair back, and stared at me for a moment.
"Are you okay to walk?"
The buzzing had fully subsided now. My side did not scream in pain at me, and I no longer felt like I was drowning in my own blood. I was still shaking, but that was more psychological than physical. I nodded and chewed on my lower lip, ignoring the body of the human that I had helped kill.
Annerose took off in a run and I blinked at the empty spot she had left behind. "She went to get the gasoline. She'll light it up, we should go."
A beat of silence pulsed between us, where he seemed uncertain, and at last, he took a step closer to me and brought his hand up. I watched him as he wiped my chin with the sleeve of his shirt.
"I'm sorry for shooting so close to you. Are you okay?" he asked, much gentler now.
I hummed positively because I could not think of how to say what I was thinking. Leander's face twisted, but he didn't press me more about it. With eyebrows slightly tilted upward, he dropped his hand from my chin and reached out to intertwine his fingers with mine. A small smile played on his lips and his eyes pooled with fondness.
"Let's go home."