What do you do when all you know is violence? How do you function when you're constantly frightened? You don't. You remain scared and closed off. You do whatever you can to get away from the world.
This is my life. Hurt, pain, hatred. My life is a nightmare. But I can't wake up. I'm stuck in a horrible world where you have to fight for your food, where you have to be on alert at all times, where you have to watch your back. If you lose focus for one second, you're dead.
It's just me and Lucy now. No mum, no dad and no little brother. Just Lucy and I. I'm probably crazy, I just don't know. But I will not give up. One day it will end, and maybe, just maybe, I'll be free.

*****

I was born and raised in Seattle by my mother and father. I grew up in a nice house with my little brother Hayden and my younger sister Lucy. Life was good. That is until my world began to turn upside down.
It was my best friend Natasha's 13th birthday. I had gotten her a present and put it on hold. I had completely forgotten about it until an hour before the party. I was frantically trying to get ready, so I sent dad and Lucy to the shops to pick it up.

Mum was helping Hayden with his homework and I was checking my appearance in the mirror when the phone rang. I thought it might be Natasha calling so I ran to the living room and picked up the phone. Only mum answered on the kitchen phone as well.
I heard the whole conversation. My world shattered as I stood there, listening. This couldn't be true. The lady on the phone must be lying she had to be. I dropped the phone and ran into the kitchen. Mum began to cry and I started yelling at her as tears ran down my face.
'She's lying mum! She's lying!'
I couldn't stop the tears. I just kept shouting. This couldn't be happening I couldn't believe it.

*****

Half an hour later I was running through the hospital corridors, Hayden right behind me. I turned the corner and there was dad. Covered by a white sheet. From head to toe. I screamed and ran over to him. I pulled the sheet down and put my hands on his face. Hayden shook his shoulders but he didn't wake up. Mum came running in with some nurses. We screamed and shouted, he couldn't be gone. No. This didn't happen, it couldn't.
They took dad away and Hayden mum and I watched hopelessly. Then something struck me. Why were we still here? Where was Lucy? I turned to mum. I asked her, tears running down my face.
'Where's Lucy?'
She stared back at me through blurry eyes. The tears on my own face began to flood down my cheeks harder and faster. I thought I could feel my heart explode in my chest. Lucy can't be gone too! Who was going to read my diary and ruin my make up? Who was I going to yell at for invading my personal space and telling everyone who I was crushing on?

I screamed and kicked and yelled and cried. It was all my fault. If I had just remembered to pick up that dumb present none of this would've happened. I killed my dad. I killed my sister. I would never forget. I'd have to go through the rest of my life knowing I was the reason for their death. I couldn't live with that. I just couldn't. I ran off through the hospital and Hayden ran after me. I could hear mum and Hayden's shouts but I kept running.

******

I don't know how I got there but I soon found myself in the blood bank. Back then I had no idea what it was. Sure I was twelve, but I was all shaken up from what had just happened. I looked around and noticed a dark shadowed figure. It was holding a bag. There were lots of empty ones on the floor around him. I looked up and he met my eyes.

This wasn't a man. This was a creature of the night. His face was covered in blood and his eyes were crimson red. He was a vampire.

He looked back at me curiously.

Tears continued to stream down my face.

I didn't care at that moment that supernatural creatures existed. All I could think about was my dad and my sister. Lucy would never get to grow up. She'd never get to have her first kiss or grow old or get married or just live!

We stared at each other for a while but when I heard my mother's shouts I turned without a word and left. He didn't follow and I never saw him again.

Well not until 5 years later.

******

The house was quiet as it always was. Hayden was in his room listening to blasting loud music on his iPod. Mum was watching TV.

The phone rang and I answered it. One of Hayden's friends. I heard a loud banging from Hayden's room so I told Hayden's friend to call back later. I stormed into the living room to tell mum to go yell at Hayden for whatever he had done but when I got there she was on the floor. In a pool of her own blood. Instinctively my hand went straight up to cover my mouth. I began to cry. This couldn't be happening again. I looked around. The back door was open. Whoever had killed my mother was still here. I turned back around and Lucy was there.

Ever since my sister and dad had died I'd been seeing her ghost. Or imagining it I couldn't really tell. Lucy pointed at the hallway that leads to Hayden's room. I walked to Hayden's room as quietly as possible. The door swung open.

"Kyla run!" Screamed Hayden.

I didn't even look inside his room. I turned and ran but I only made it to the kitchen before he stopped me. The vampire from the blood bank 5 years ago. He grabbed me from behind and I couldn't escape. I struggled but it was no use. I went limp in his arms and he whispered in my ear.

"Welcome to the army."

He bit down on my neck and I screamed out in pain. Then the fire started. I was burning all over and I couldn't stop it. He covered my mouth and told me not to scream. He slung me over his shoulder and headed back to Hayden's room. Hayden was on the floor just like mum. Blood spilling out from his head. This only made me scream and cry more. The vampire shook me and told me to shut up but I wouldn't so he threw me on the ground. He stood on my arm breaking it. He yelled at me to be quiet once more and this time I stayed quiet. It took everything I had to not scream but somehow I managed. He picked me up again and he jumped out the window with my body slung over his shoulder.

******
(2 years later)

"Being in a vampire army's not so bad." I said with a shrug.

"Really?" Asked Matilda the new girl.

"No." I replied seriously.

The girl's happiness evaporated.

"You have to fight for your life. You have to eat when you can. You have to watch your back all the time. Cos if you don't. You're dead." I said viciously.

Matilda looked scared and more frightened than ever.

I got up and walked away.

This was my life now. I was the leader/trainer/head of this vampire army. It's been two years since my mother and little brothers death. Seven years since my father and little sister's death. I still see her ghost even as a vampire. I had trained and become extremely strong. I killed the vampire who had turned me and now there was only one vampire in my way.

One vampire stopping me from being free.

She was very old but surprisingly strong. She had experience with vampire armies and she says I'm the best trainer she's had since Jasper Whitlock. I don't know who that is yet but I intend to find out today.

"Maria!" I shouted as I ran over to her.

"I'm going out to do some scouting. I'll be back in a few days."

She nodded at my approvingly.

"As you wish." She said dismissively