Chapter 1 – Embrace

September 11, 2004 = Saturday

For me, life was nothing but a toilet that someone forgot to flush. I had just come from midnight mass at the Saint Martin of Tours, and was headed home, thoughts on the events of the past month. First my mother had mysteriously died in her sleep. Everyone suspected my father of murder. That suspicion was short lived when he was found not a day after mom's funeral, again dead of mysterious circumstances.

For almost a week, four days really, I had found solace at my sister's home in Irvine, my grief nearly crushing me when I received a call from the Irvine police department asking me to come to the station. For me, it was a blur. I had to identify a body, and was barely able to discern sissy's features, but it was unmistakable. Then I had to sit and listen to the police chief describe her final moments, mainly that she was sexually assaulted by multiple men, then had her eyes and tongue ripped out before being beat to death by fists.

At that point I had thrown up in the nearest trash bin. I had left the office, and before the second week was out, had buried the last of my remaining family. My friend Samantha had taken me in after that, saying I didn't need to be left alone. I liked Samantha, the lawyer-to-be was there for me when I felt I had no one else. If life had left it there, I might have decided my family's death was just God wanting to test me.

With the new semester coming up, though, I soon became immersed in preparing. However, even that was soon robbed from me. The admissions office had denied me, stating that my GPA was falsified and I would have to straighten that out with California State Polytechnic by providing a certified copy of my transcript. The drive to San Louis Obispo was short, not that far from me, only to be told that my records had been destroyed and would take months to rebuild. Feeling defeated, I had tried to throw myself into my work at the Bel Air Country Club, only to be called to the manager's office a day later and had it revealed that a customer had complained that I was snarky and argumentative, and had spilled coffee over their shoes. When I tried to explain that I had never done that, the manager refused to hear me and I was fired on the spot.

One month. Not three weeks total, and I had went from aspiring model with friends and family, ready to start on my medical degree, to being practically homeless, unemployed, living off the good will of my last true friend, and now as I approached my little red Mazda, my one last stronghold, to find it was stripped to the frame and sitting on blocks.

"Just fucking great," I said, looking around for a phone booth, not finding one, started walking toward the Chevron just down the street. Might as well, I thought, it's on the way home.

"Hey sweetie, are you needing a ride?"

I turned to see the well dressed man in the Mercedes that had pulled up beside me, then went over to lean in his window.

"Actually, I do. Care to give me a lift?"

"Hop in," he said, his honeyed voice somehow sending every red flag I had up. Still, I needed the ride back to Samantha's apartment, and this would be the fastest way of getting there. Sliding into the front seat, which was real leather, and we headed down Sunset Boulevard to UCLA. When we got to the interstate, I was surprised when he suddenly turned right and headed towards Santa Monica.

"Hey, this is the wrong way!"

The man did nothing but laugh. I tried to open the door, but the door handle didn't work. I tried to roll down the window, his Mercedes having electric windows, but even that didn't work. I began to try and break the glass window, but a hand of iron gripped my wrist, forcing me down in the seat.

"You try that again, and I will break your arm," he said, his voice scaring me into quieting down. I was scared, certain that I had just been kidnapped. Stories I had heard about girls being sold as prostitutes began playing through my brain, and I hoped that he just wanted to rape me, then kill me. I so didn't want to live the rest of my life as a prostitute hopped up on drugs. I looked for a weapon, not finding one since I'd decided to wear pumps as they were more comfortable than my heels. The heels I could have used on him and the window, and maybe have gotten away. But I was forced to sit and wait, as we drove down the freeway.

We finally arrived at a fenced in warehouse, in some industrial area near Long Beach. At first I was hopeful that the guards I saw might call for help when they saw me, but that was short lived as my kidnapper stopped the car. One guard opened my door and I tried to bolt for the closing gate, but he grabbed me. I used a technique taught by my sensei in martial arts class to get free, leaving the guard clutching his instep as I again bolted for the gate. This time three guards penned me against the fence, then dragged me back kicking and screaming to my kidnapper.

"Still got a little fire, I see," he said, his hand lifting my head to meet him in the eye. Looking past me, he told the guards, "Take her inside, and tie her down on the bed. You can do anything you want to her, but leave her skin unblemished. If anyone breaks her skin, I will flay them alive."

A chorus of "Yes, sir" sealed my fate as I was dragged into the warehouse, down a flight of steps into a room with a grimy little bed with blood stains where the head would go. Though I tried my hardest to get free, I might as well have tried to jump the moon. As soon as they had me in that room, a knife was produced and my clothes were cut from my body. Then they tied my arms with metal cuffs to the header of the bed, while the first guy stripped his clothes.

"Sure looks like her sister," one of the guys commented.

"Na, she's got more fire than her sister did. She'd already given up by the time we tied her up."

Tears spilled from my eyes as their words sank in. My sister was raped by these men, and it was her blood that my head now rested on. I was jerked to reality as the first one climbed on top of me, forcing my legs open, as his buddies cheered him on. I howled and screamed and kicked as I tried to keep him off of me, but rope was produced and they tied my stomach to the bed then yanked my ankles back to the legs of the header. It left me open to his attacl. I screamed at the assault, and a rubber ball was taped into my mouth.

After several minutes of his attentions, he got off of me. The jerk was then replaced by another guy, larger and more brutish.

"She likes that," one of the men said as he continued to assault me. I could feel the tears run from my eyes, and soon thereafter I felt another guy crawl on to me. My mind soon lost track of the men assaulting me, even lost track of time in the windowless room. I was pawed at, assaulted, molested, raped, sodomized and tortured. I had more men crawl on me than I could ever hope to track. The assault never let up though, though I didn't know where all the men came from. Long after the assault began, I grew tired, and though I tried to sleep through the assault, they'd just torture my sensitive parts until I came screaming back to consciousness.

Somewhere along the way I passed the point where the torture could keep me awake, and I began to experience the nightmares, only to come to and find the nightmare hadn't ended, just the face had changed. Though I lost track of time, I experienced several more times the overwhelming need to sleep, sleep so needed that not even torture could keep me awake.

Finally, I opened my eyes to see nothing over me. Thinking I was alone, I lifted my head. No one was around me. I tried to move my arms, but found they were still tied to the bed, though there was enough slack I could turn my head to see the knots they used. Using my fingers, I started to work on loosening the knot, and to my surprise the velvet ropes slid easily apart. As my first wrist became free, I turned to the other wrist, and was able to quickly free it. I dropped the gag back onto the bed after pulling it off, then rubbed at my sore lips.

I was forced to slowly get up, the assault the men had committed between my legs making me too sore to move much, but desperation soon had me moving to the door, then up the stairs. Not seeing anyone around, I started to look for a phone, but didn't find one before a man's voice started speaking not far from me.

"The master is going to kill her tonight," the voice said, causing me to stop moving and crouch down. "He said we aren't supposed to touch her anymore."

"Aw, man," the other voice started. "I liked hearing her howl, too."

"Maybe the master will bring us another girl."

"Doubt it, they don't let us have fun that often."

Fear had me run the other way, and before I could think, burst through the emergency exit into a group of guards, knocking one down from the surprise. They began laughing and jeering at me, then one man looked at the setting sun, and started saying, "Better run, little whore. The master will be out at sunset to get ya."

As I scrambled to my feet, I managed to grab the shotgun off the guard I had knocked over, causing the others to back up and lift their own as I ran for the fence, first trying to scale it, then when my foot slipped on the wire, decided I should crawl under it when I saw the slight gap as I lay on the pavement. I was almost to the second fence, when I heard the guards start to chant, "Sim-E-on, Sim-e-on."

Going to my knees, I bent down to get under the last fence, making sure to keep a hand on the shotgun when I looked back to the setting sun, not knowing why it was so important. The day was starting to get dark as I got to my knees on the far side, and looked back at the guards when I saw him exit the warehouse. My kidnapper, Simeon apparently, had just come out the door and was headed straight for me. I ran down the nearest alley, when I heard the rattle of the fence. Knowing he was right behind me, I put all the little stamina I had left in the sprint for freedom. Soon though, I was trapped in a dead end, and turning, I saw Simeon round the corner, grinning at me.

Knowing I was trapped, I tried to remember what I could about using a shotgun. I tried to pull the barrel grip back, as I'd seen them do in many movies to load the gun, but it wouldn't move. Since Simeon was now so close, I jerked the weapon towards him to scare him but it discharged, knocking me back into the wall, and momentarily knocking me senseless, and just barely managed to keep my feet under me. When I looked forward again, Simeon was picking himself off the ground, a bloody gash across his shoulder from the gun, and I pulled the grip again, this time to the satisfaction of the racheting mechanism as the spent casing was ejected. Simeon started to laugh as he noticed the wound, and I fired again, but missed due to the greater distance. Simeon lounged for me and I started reloading and firing the gun as fast as I could, but either I missed or Simeon dodged and soon he was on top of me. I swung the weapon by the wooden end, to use it as a club, but Simeon just caught it and ripped it away from me.

I then used used the palm of my hand to strike him in the face but I barely started to swing my hand and he had my wrists in his iron grip as he spread and lifted my arms in a mock of the crucifix. With my feet off the ground, I tried to kick but he pressed against me and bared his teeth, turning his head to bite my neck. I felt his teeth sink into my flesh, and was surprised at the ecstasy I felt, making me squirm even though I could feel my blood run down my neck and over my chest. Eventually, I began to grow weak, and though I still felt the chewing of his teeth, I no longer felt any energy at all, just a loud beating that began to fill my ears.

Finally, he let go of my arms and I collapsed onto the pavement. I tried to move, but wasn't even able to lift an arm. I realized then that beating sound was my heart as it beat wildly, trying to keep me alive, but the only realization I had was that he drank my blood. Laying on the ground at his feet, I could hear my heart slow, the roar lessening, when he hooked his shoe under my shoulder, flipping me onto my back.

Forced to look at him, as even moving my eyes was getting hard, he bent down next to me. Laughing, he put his wrist into his mouth, bit down and then moved his wrist over my mouth. He had to force my mouth open a little as I lie there, feeling his blood pour into the back of my mouth. He used his free hand to massage my throat, and I was surprised when I actually swallowed. The darkness began to close in though, and soon I lost all sensation as I fell into oblivion.

-o-0-o-

September 16, 2004

I awoke with a start, with a burning sensation at the back of my throat and extreme feeling of hunger. I could still see Simeon standing over me. I scurried back, glad my muscles worked again. Simeon just laughed, and thinking he was distracted, tried to dart past him. I didn't have any luck though. He reached out a hand and caught me by the throat and lifted me off the pavement.

"Let's take care of that hunger shall we?" he said, and carried me back to the warehouse and through the gate. He finally set me down once we were inside, and I could see the guard I had knocked down was hanging by his bound wrists from a metal hook.

"So this is the one you stole the weapon from? He shall make a fine first meal for you," he crooned at me, making me shudder. I was expected to be a cannibal now?

He released me, but a quick look around and I lost any hope of trying to escape. Guards stood at every exit, shotguns in hand. Using my hands to cover myself, I watched as Simeon took a knife and carved a shallow cut across the mans neck. It was as if the red line became a beacon. Every sense I had was suddenly locked on to that shallow cut. My eyes wouldn't turn away. I swear I could taste it. The smell of iron filled my nose. And the beating. That awful thumping sound I'd heard when Simeon had bitten my neck. Except from twenty feet away.

Drawn to it, I began to walk forward. That line of red became all I could see. No other sound could be heard except that racing heart. Soon, I was standing in front of him. His head was forced to the side, exposing the wound. My mouth opened, I was so hungry. I wanted to feed. My mouth fastened onto his skin, and I bit down. Something warm flowed into my mouth. More, my body screamed at me. Wrapping my arms around him, I kept sucking on the warmth that flowed from his neck. His racing heart was like the beating of a drum throughout my body. Soon, the taste soured in my mouth and became so repugnant that I released him. Though my eyes clearly saw the bite marks in his neck, no blood came out. His head was hanging forward, but the beating of his heart was slowing, receding.

"Bloods never as sweet as the first kill," Simeon said.

"K-kill?" Oh my god! I killed him!

"Yeah, sucked him dry. Feeling it now aren't you? The power?"

I looked at my hands. I killed someone? Looking at the man hanging in front of me, I actually felt powerless, naked and afraid. What was I becoming?

"Take her to her room. Let her get cleaned up from the filfth you vermin left in her."

"Yes, master," he said, then waving me to follow him, and headed up the stairs. Following him to the second story, he led me into the office area. Approaching a set of fancy doors with frosted glass set in them, he opened it and held it for me. Once we were inside, he went over to another door and opened it, revealing a fancy bathroom.

"The master wants you to clean yourself up, mistress. These are your rooms now."

"Mistress?" I kill someone and now I'm mistress? What kind of creeps were they?

"Yes, you are the mistress now. I am just a lowly servant," he said, kneeling in front of me.

Walking past the kneeling guard, I entered the bathroom. Extravagant didn't cover this room. Opulent maybe. It just didn't have any mirrors. Suddenly feeling every jerk inside and out, I crawled into the tub and turned the hot water on. Taking a loofah, I put a generous amount of soap on it and started to scrub at the grime. Soon, my skin became red from a combination of hot water and scrubbing, but I was starting to feel normal again.

Normal. How could I ever be normal after killing a man. Why did I bite his neck? Memories of the event came back to me, and then it hit me. Blood. There wasn't any blood. Rinsing my hand, I put it inside my mouth. Fingers rubbed against my front teeth, then moving down the knife-like ridge until I found the oddity. A mountain in the hills. A fang. My fingers ran to the other side, and there I found another one. I had fangs!

Whimpering, I sank into the tub, no longer caring to keep my hair dry as the hot water poured over me. I had fangs! Whipping my head around I found the one reflective surface in the entire bathroom in the sink fixture. Scrambling over to the sink, I looked into the shiny faucet. I could see the bathroom reflected, the lights, the walls. But not me. Even though the overhead light should have been blocked by my face. It shown right through me.

It's true then. I am a vampire! I was an undead predator of the night. I so wanted to hurl.

Crawling back into the shower, I continued to scrub my body clean. Knowing I was dead somehow made it easier. Somehow my brain still functioned and kept coming up with awkward questions. Would I still sweat? Did I need to breathe? Is the inability to cross running water really a thing?

After cleaning every last inch of my body, several times over, I finally stopped the water. Taking a towel, I dried myself off, then wrapped myself in the big towel. Taking a smaller towel, I used it to dry my hair, then wrapped it so it would dry out properly. Stepping out into the bedroom, the guard who had led me up was still standing by the door. Looking around, there was a fancy bag on the bed. I opened it up, to find a pearl gray bustier. Reaching back into the bag, I pulled out the matching bikini bottom.

I couldn't help but feel the guard eying me, and as there was no where else to change, decided I might as well push my luck.

"Turn around."

The guard quickly turned around and faced the door, and not taking the chance in case the perv wanted to see me naked again, started getting dressed while facing him. I dropped the towels, and slipped the bikini bottom on and then put the bustier around my tits. Reaching into the bag I pulled out the slacks that were inside. The slate gray wasn't going to do anything for me but they were stylish in their own way. Once I had them on, I pulled out a slate colored cotton top and slipped it on. Looking back in the bag, I found a pair of socks and black leather shoes that looked like they'd fit without problem. Least they can get my sizes right, must of took them off my clothes when they shredded them.

Finally dressed, I looked around for the mirror. God, even if I had one I couldn't see myself. I'm such a doofus. Is being a vampire good for anything? I can't see myself so I'm going to end up a fashion disaster. I gotta kill to eat, literally, so I'm going to be a monster. An immortal bloodsucking fashion disaster.

Stake me now.

At that moment the door to the room burst open and a woman walked in carrying a knife. The guard tried to shoot her, but the blonde woman was faster and buried the knife into his chest. I was scared, and backed up against the wall. The woman let the guard fall, wiping the knife clean on his shirt. Then she looked at me. If my heart was still beating, it would have roared I was so scared.

Holstering her knife, she pulled a stake from her back. I knew what stakes were used for; I'd seen enough Buffy enough to know. She was going to put me down. She was a hunter, I was the prey. It was to me a moment of clarity. I had only killed once. It was unforgivable. But I didn't have it in me to be the monster. To fight her.

Lifting my shirt, I revealed my heart. I wanted it to be clean. To be over. I flat refused to be the monster.

The woman watched me, then with one deliberate motion threw the stake. I felt it thunk into my chest, and then I collapsed into darkness.