I stumbled back, crying out loud and closing my eyes for a second. Everything was a blur. Everything happened so quickly.
One moment, I was standing face-to-face with the man—or was it a beast? The next, I was sprawled on the cold concrete, struggling to keep his fangs from sinking into my throat.
I’ve always been known for my determination and grit. I don’t take crap from anyone, and I fight tooth and nail for what I want, earning my keep through blood, sweat, and tears.
So, believe me when I say that, in that moment, I was giving it my all to avoid becoming his next meal. I wasn’t going down without a fight.
The beast’s hands were clamped down on my shoulders, his nails digging into my skin through my top. I gritted my teeth, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was hurting me.
My hands shot up to his face, hovering dangerously close to his lethal fangs. I shoved him away with all my might, desperate to put some distance between this monster and my throat.
Or so I hoped.
“Your blood, wolf. I want all your blood,” the vampire hissed.
I didn’t know much about vampires; my crowd was mostly werewolves. Vampires usually kept to themselves, and it was a rare sight to see one, especially in the city.
But wanting or needing all of someone’s blood was odd, even for a vampire.
As far as I knew, vampires rarely drained a person completely. The victim would die long before the vampire could finish, after which the blood cooled and clotted and tasted disgusting.
The vampire’s nails tore through my shirt and into my skin.
I screamed at the top of my lungs, still using all my strength and focus to keep his fangs at bay, hoping someone might hear me and come to my rescue. A knight in shining armor? Anyone, please.
In a final act of desperation, I delivered a powerful blow to his groin. The noises he made told me that, even in death, vampires didn’t appreciate a knee to the family jewels.
Seizing the opportunity, I managed to push him violently to the side, creating just enough space for me to wriggle out of his grasp.
I scrambled to my feet as quickly as I could, the pain from the cuts in my shoulders forgotten in the rush of adrenaline.
Unfortunately, the vampire wasn’t finished. We locked eyes, both of us now standing. Him, doubled over and clutching his groin. Me, panting heavily and frantically searching for an escape route.
My left arm throbbed as warm blood trickled down from the cuts in my shoulder, and I could feel my muscles tensing up from the pain.
I needed to get out of there fast, or the scent of my blood would only make the vampire more eager to finish me off, if it hadn’t already.
No, I knew there was no point. There was no way I could outrun a vampire. My only hope was to try to fight back for long enough that the beast decided I wasn’t worth the struggle.
In a daring move, I lunged at him with a vindictive shout. One which erupted from my throat more loudly than I’d ever managed in my entire life.
Armed with nothing but my bare hands, I punched and clawed at him in a frenzied attack.
Then, in the blink of an eye, I turned and sprinted toward the main streets, back the way I’d come, running as fast as my legs would carry me.
Streetlights and signs were blurry in the corners of my eyes, my ears were buzzing, and something throbbed inside my chest. Every part of me ached. My lungs, my legs, my shoulders.
But I didn’t stop. I kept running, trying to put as much distance as I could between myself and the vampire.
As I reached another intersection, I felt lightheaded. He hadn’t bitten me, so I presumed it was the alcohol from the nightclub making me nauseous.
My adrenaline was pumping, but my body was protesting after the altercation with the vampire and the subsequent sprint.
The pain started to weave itself through my body, like sinister tentacles worming their way through to the middle of my body, to electrify my heart and constrict my lungs.
Finally, I had no choice but the pause to catch my breath.
I slammed my back against the wall of the nearest building so the beast couldn’t surprise me from behind, then turned to scan my surroundings for a place to hide.
In truth, I was confused. I couldn’t help but wonder why the vampire hadn’t caught up to me yet. Vampires were known for their speed, faster than any other supernatural creature.
Was he toying with me? Enjoying the chase? Did he always take his time with his victims? Was he watching me from the shadows, relishing the sight of my fear?
I forced myself to run again. It felt harder this time, but I prayed my legs would carry me to safety, wherever that was, whatever it looked like.
The streets seemed to stretch on forever, everything going by so quickly that it all looked the same. I felt like I was running on the spot, every stride becoming harder to take than the last.
But I was moving forward, and finally, after crossing another intersection and joining Main Street, I spotted the sign for the police station.
I’d never been a fan of cops, but at that moment, I couldn’t wait to see their stern faces and crisp uniforms. If I could just get there in time.
One of the few perks of living among werewolves—and vampires, apparently—was that public spaces were run by both humans and werewolves.
It was common knowledge that every pack located near cities enrolled a few of their wolves among the human emergency service teams. This helped them blend in and also kept the Lost Wolves informed.
I wasn’t sure if an average werewolf could take on a vampire, but in my current situation, I’d take a werewolf with a gun over my bare hands any day.
If nothing else, maybe they’d end up fighting each other, giving me a chance to escape.
I used every ounce of strength left in my burning muscles to reach the police station. My lungs were on fire, and my head was spinning.
When I at last reached the front entrance, I could barely breathe, and I pushed open the doors with a whimper as I stumbled into the hall.
“Help… Help me!” I struggled to cry out, collapsing on the floor and waving my bloody arms. “There’s a vampire!”
I pointed at the door behind me in a panic. “H-he tried to…kill—” My words were cut off as a police officer approached.
I needed supernatural help. Big, strong bodies with sharp teeth and claws. Or maybe a benevolent vampire lord, if such a thing existed. He could surely command the beast to leave, right?
My eyes darted between the police officer and the main door.
My mind was racing with questions, none of which had answers that suggested I would survive.
The human police officer helped me sit up. My vision was blurry, but I felt a little better with the two werewolves nearby, and I was finally able to catch my breath.
A few deep inhales later, I was able to focus a little more on my surroundings.
There was blood everywhere. My blood.
“Miss, tell us what happened!” one of the werewolves demanded. His stern expression told me he was repeating himself and growing tired of it.
But I was in shock. Someone had tried to kill me, for God’s sake!
I tried to calm myself, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the main door. I was terrified the vampire would appear any moment and kill us all.
I swallowed the bile in my throat and tried my best to focus on the police officer in front of me. He was my last hope.
“I-I was walking home and…and this vampire just appeared!” I blurted out, the memory of the attack fresh in my mind.
“Did you know there were vampires in town?” I asked.
How could we be safe with vampires around? They were literally feeding on us. This one was, anyway. We humans were like cattle waiting to be slaughtered. And why would the werewolves allow it?
The three men just stared at me, waiting for me to continue.
It seemed I was the only one surprised by the presence of vampires. Even the human police officer didn’t seem fazed. I straightened my back and raised my chin to recount the events.
“This vampire just appeared out of nowhere. He was creepy and looked dead. Is that normal? Do all vampires look like the undead? His eyes were a pale yellow, and he smelled awful,” I added.
“Can you believe that?” I asked the officers, my eyes wide and desperate for answers. “Is that…is that how they usually do it?”
My statement seemed to catch the werewolves’ attention. They stood up and exchanged a knowing glance, and I frowned. Something was definitely up.
“What? Do you know him?” I asked, raising my voice. “Why hasn’t he been arrested? Why haven’t you caught him already?”
His question took me aback. Were we really going to debate semantics? Was that the part of the event they wanted to focus on? I’d just been attacked, for God’s sake!
“I-I’m not sure,” I confessed, my hand instinctively going to my forehead before I remembered the blood staining my skin.
“I think he mentioned something about wanting all my blood,” I said, trying to be as truthful as possible. “But does it matter? He was out of his mind, wasn’t he? Even referred to me as a wolf.”
The frown on the human officer’s face was almost as pronounced as my own.
As for the two werewolves… One was already on his phone, barking orders at someone. The other looked ready to tear someone’s limbs off.
