CHAPTER ONE: Of Wal-Mart Parking Lots, Keys Locked in Cars, and White Vans
For me, being stuck in a Wal-Mart parking lot at midnight when it's negative fifty outside was one of those moments. I glared into the dark interior of Karson's bug, towards the object of my hatred. A set of brass keys dangled from the ignition, as if to say ‘ha ha ha, whatcha gonna do now bitch?’
That stupid car and I were not on good terms.
I clutched my bag tight in my hands, desperate for some sort of protection. I shivered and scooted closer to Karson. "Let's go back in Wal- Mart. I'm freaking cold and so am not in the mood to get violated," I forced through chattering teeth.
Karson sighed, a puff of white mist seeping from her mouth. She muttered, "stupid car," and kicked the tire. As we walked from the farthest parking spot in the lot I told myself I would not get raped. I would get murdered. Stuff like that didn't happen to me, didn't happen to people from a town as small as Garland, Idaho.
Of course episodes of Dateline and Criminal Minds raced through my thoughts unwillingly. Karson and I were two vulnerable teenage girls. It would be the typical crime. If only I had brought the pepper spray my mom had given me after I received my first C-sized bra, maybe it would’ve at least given us some form of peace of mind.
I mean a little mace to the eye and a straight kick to the crouch was enough bring down any man, right? I walked faster at the thought, folding my arms over my chest. "Hey, remember that time we both got lost in Wal-Mart when we were five, and you peed in your pants while we were in the toy isle?"
Karson raised an eyebrow at me. "Yeah…why’re you bringing that up?"
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for laughing at you. Because I think I'm about to do the same thing." In my peripheral vision, I spotted something odd. A man was crouched beside a truck, appearing to either be tying his shoe, or hiding. In the next few seconds, the world spun a bit slower.
I stared at him from the corner of my eye, hoping we weren't attracting any attention. His head was tilted in our direction though the shadows made it impossible to make out any definite features. Sadly, we were still a long ways from the comforting lights of Wal-Mart.
Have you ever been chased before? Like genuinely chased like by a dude you’ve never met? Because if you haven't, you aren't missing out on anything terribly pleasant. Actually, I would recommend to never, ever going into a dark parking lot, dark alleyway, dark basement or really anywhere with too many shadows just to avoid that experience.
I broke out into a run as soon as the man stood and started to walk towards us. Karson looked at me odd again. She tugged back, but thankfully didn't stop running.
He could've been a man simply picking up his cellphone from the ground, going to Wal-Mart at midnight because he forgot toilet paper. But my bets were on that he was a potential psycho killer, and taking that chance- who wouldn't want a head start?
Behind us he sprinted like an Olympic runner. Still...perhaps he just had the runs? Maybe he forgot his kid?
Run, run, run little piggy- just as fast as you can
The wolf's about to take a big bite out of your ass...
My right hand outstretched towards the halo of light- so close...must...reach...
"Noooo! Hel-"
I was yanked backwards; a rough hand covered my mouth and muffled my scream.
Yep. Psycho killer.
He pushed me to the ground and I tried to turn around, tear myself from his iron grip, but he was too strong. We were sure to be raped...or killed...or both! I couldn’t die yet- I was still a virgin! I stopped struggling then, stiff as a plank.
A strange sensation came over me then. It was different than adrenaline- more focused than animalistic panic.
You know how when water gets extremely hot, so hot that it seems almost freezing cold at the same time? That was how my mind felt- doused in that water, in between two dimensions. Was it heightened adrenaline? I wasn't sure. I wasn't really thinking. My brain’s gears were churning far too fast for me to grasp.
I observed what was happening around me with a sharp mind, details noted without having to truly focus. I was seeing the world with new eyes.
The navy sky was a blank slate of melancholy, no light available besides that of the store. Only a few people exited from the double doors- none noticing the struggle in the far distance. The dull gleam of a few cars reflected, the chill of the night vanished.
Then I looked at my perpetrator from my position on the ground and a rip of jagged laughter emitted from my throat. It didn't sound like me. But, then again, I didn't really feel like myself at the moment. Actually, I wasn't myself at all.
Something else had taken over without my permission.
I clawed the man's hand from my mouth with a newfound burst of strength, and positioned myself over his muscled arm. My mouth watered for some unknown reason. I could smell him- the man's natural scent an alluring call. I stopped for a moment to focus on that scent until impatience got the best of me.
I bit down, sinking my teeth into warm flesh without any thought, and hardly an ounce of effort. I relished the thick life fluid that gushed out, and gulped it down my throat fast. The taste was coppery, of course- but it was recognized as an edible substance, nutritional, something that was okay to be consumed. A thirst had been quenched- like going to a McDonald's after a hot, humid summer day without realizing you had been overheating in your car while texting until you take your first drink of the large Dr. Pepper you ordered.
There wasn't any initial gagging or ‘hey, this is blood and therefore inedible’.
I didn't register the loud groans or even the screams as I feasted.
It wasn't long until the natural flow wasn't enough, so I began to suck. I wanted more! My fingers formed claws, tearing at material. I drank until I was content and drank until I was past content and then drank until my stomach was bloated. It was then that I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Banner…"
I whipped around, barring my teeth. Karson’s face regarded my animalistic one. She looked stricken, pale, like she had just seen a ghost. Why didn’t she run away?
I snapped out of it then.
A secluded part of myself had been brought out, a part I had never fathomed to of existed, slunk back to its corner like a cat. I felt it smile, felt it relish in victory. I was horrified. Something had been brought out of me. Like a long, overdue desire that had been waiting to be fulfilled-a maturity finally reached.
"Oh, oh God," I covered my mouth with my hand as I witnessed what lay before me.
The man's clothes were shredded. Blood splattered on almost every surface of him, in some places completely drenched. Rips in his black shirt exposed a bite mark.
Blood; no longer a food, no longer a desire. Now just a dark liquid glistened on the asphalt.
It looked like a tiger had attacked him.
I could make out splatters on my light-colored shirt. I lowered my shaking hands from my face to my gaze at them- which were also both coated in blood.
My mouth watered as my stomach tightened and flipped. Oh God. Without even having time to run to some bushes, I vomited. The substance was the same shade as the man's blood. My stomach heaved again. And again.
What have I done?
The question echoed and rattled in my mind, having nothing to answer it back. It had been so fast- how could it of happened that quickly?
I think that my brain just stopped at that point. It was like a light switch had been turned off- all thoughts vanished, leaving behind a numb, empty cavern. Shock.
But my body moved on. The thumping in my chest stayed at the same pace- my breathing evened out. And I sat there, only sat there, in a puddle of someone else's blood and my own vomit.
My stomach kept knotting and twisting, leaving my skin dewy with perspiration and face crumpled. I clutched at my abdomen, paying no attention to what was happening around me. The formerly cold air turned from mildly pleasant to uncomfortable as I started burning with fever.
Karson was at my side, trying to pick me up- failed, and proceeded to drag me, my legs leaving a trail of glistening liquid behind.
"Banner, come on! We have to go now!" Karson's voice was muffled, somehow- like I was hearing it in my sleep. Her face had a few blood splatters, fright the main emotion displayed on her face. Her eyes glanced everywhere.
And then, as I gazed at the barely-moving body only a yard away from my own, my frozen composure cracked. A strangled sound crawled out of my throat, one that sounded so inhuman it raised the hairs on my own neck. A hand clamped on my mouth, Karson shaking me roughly for me to stop.
I quit, the hand lifted, and I began to cry. "Wha...what happened?" I sputtered. There was a short pause followed by a deep sigh, and Karson stopped dragging me.
I looked back to the man, on the ground, the one that had most likely tried to rape and/or kill us. Maybe most people would have felt like what I had done was a form of self-defense. Maybe it was. Maybe that didn't matter, I had drunk blood. By default, I had done the worst thing.
A grim realization occurred.
"We...have to help him," I whispered. I heard Karson grunt, and I looked back at her. She looked frustrated.
I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths, hoping to calm my still high-running emotions. I turned towards the figure on the ground, and eyed him. Full of stunned horror, I slowly crawled to his limp body, my frog pajama pants soaking up even more blood as I got closer.
Curiously, I reached out to poke his jugular with my index finger, and waited to feel a pulse. It took three seconds for me to find it, but it was there. In what limited medical training I had received throughout my health and wellness class, I could tell that he was losing his body heat fast, and the great loss of blood was not helping his chances of survival.
What was I supposed to do?
A thrumming sound entered my ears. Soft and distant at first, gradually getting louder. I looked up to see a small cluster of lights in the sky. I jerked when Karson grabbed my arm once more and screamed, "We have to leave now!”
For some reason I didn't question her. She was the one in control of the moment, while I was hopelessly dazed and confused.
Karson yanked me up off my feet, and sped off, expecting me to follow. I looked back at the man, unable to leave, though there was no way to carry him... I sighed. It was impossible, even if Karson and I both tried to carry him. He was too much dead weight.
Taking one last glance behind me, I ran in the same direction Karson had gone.
I dodged sidewalk curbs, bushes, and broken glass as we ran towards our destination; away from here. The thrum turned into loud river beating- the lights getting closer and closer. It was a helicopter.
"Are we being chased by a helicopter?" I questioned in a hysteric tone loud enough for Karson to hear. Her eyes had become doe-like, lips parted as she stared at the aircraft. Her head nodded slightly.
What was this, a Mission Impossible-horror crossover?
Suddenly Karson grabbed my forearm and ran in a random direction. As we sprinted across the car’s section to drive a van swerved to miss us. I glanced back, hoping they wouldn’t run over the man I drained.
We reached near an abandoned warehouse. Shots rang out from above- from the helicopter- and seemed to come down like hail. I felt one graze my hair- I let out a shriek, and moved faster.
The huge, desolate building in front of us had definitely seen better days. I desperately searched for an entrance and motioned to it for Karson to look.
We jumped onto the steps, and I rammed my shoulder blade against the door several times- but the huge metal things seemed to be either chained or rusted shut. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap!
Using all of the possible strength that was in me at the time, I threw all of my weight against the entrance, Karson following suit. I could hear the helicopter blades getting very close- probably not even thirty yards away- and glanced behind my shoulder. Which was a big mistake.
I saw the helicopter land in an abandoned parking lot and banged and kicked the door with such ferocity I was sure every possible surface on my body that had been used as a blunt force was bruised. There was no escape
"No!" roared an inhuman voice. I jumped at the sound. I turned to glance at her, and was graced with a frightening sight. Blond hair was strewn all over her beet-red face, two orbs of blue fire set into deep sockets. She wore a twisted expression, one I had never seen on her pretty features before until then. I squeaked out, "Ka-Karson?" but was ignored.
I stood back to let whatever she was about to do be done and looked back at the helicopter. Men poured out of the long black hunk of metal- assembling. Since I had zero experience with SWAT teams, or the FBI (or whatever these guys were), I had no idea how long they would take.
But it was obvious there was nothing we could do, nowhere we could go, and no one to help us now. I was too tired to run further, too weak to protect myself.
I guessed it was the time to pray since either death and/or immediate danger seemed inevitable. I flattened and pressed my hands together like I had learned to in church several years ago.
I let out a shaky, short breath. My eyes closed I whispered out a prayer and finished with a breathy 'amen.' Though it was hardly a worthy, I felt wholer in that instant. I rose off my feet. The men were close enough now that I could make out their numbers on their all-black clothes.
Karson was leaning up against the door, appearing to be praying as well, her scary-face gone. I reached over to her, and we embraced in a tight hug, waiting whatever confusing fate was set before us. " I love you, man," I yelled through the noise. More tears escaped my eyes.
"I love you too, dude," she choked out.
Shots continued to ring out, and I felt one graze the shoulder of my shirt. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.
And then, with a much louder bang...I opened my eyes again. It was still so dark...there was a point of white light, speeding towards me. I looked closer, squinting- and realized there were actually two lights coming at me. The sound of a loud engine over yelling voices...
"Get in!"
The van that I recognized as the one that almost ran us over a few minutes ago swiveled next to the steps at our feet. I stared at the glowing chariot in awe. Whispering a fervent thanks to the sky, and without skipping a beat, I jumped into the open sliding doors of the vehicle- not thinking once about what I was getting myself into as the vehicle sped off onto the pavement.