A young woman was seated alone in the corner of the River Dance Tavern, a tall glass of water placed before her on the small wooden table.
To a man sitting at the bar, she appeared as though she could use ten more of those, for her pallor was pale and sickly, her skin pulled back on her gaunt face. He watched her attempt to drink from the glass and was watching her try again.
She clutched it in her bony fingers, sweat running down her clammy brow, and finally brought the glass up to her white lips. She opened her mouth to take a gulp, but after a mouthful of water went into her throat, she dropped the glass and made for the ladies room. The cup bounced multiple times before stopping to roll on the floor. The woman should consider herself lucky, the man thought, for the few other patrons were too concerned with talking sports with the bartender to notice the commotion.
The man meandered by the bathroom and heard the young woman vomiting before returning to his bar stool. When she did finally come out, her lips were whiter, she was drenched in her sweat, and the tables could no longer support her. She needed serious help.
He stood up once more and approached her.
"Do you need a ride to the hospital?"
She looked at him for a moment, considering with panting breaths before nodding and saying painfully: "Yes."
The man at the tavern left prepared with a travel water and a space for her to lie down in the car. He needed to carry her from the door and marveled at how cold she was despite her sweat. Something was seriously wrong. Her pupils were huge and she was beginning to shake.
He hurried, setting her down in the back seat while she moaned in pain and her shaking grew in intensity. The car door was closed and he brought the engine roaring to life. Off they sped down the two-lane roads and amidst the national forest, trees on either side of them extending off into eternity.
The man looked back at the young woman, her head of curls hung low while she panted and groaned. She looked to be about seventeen.
"What's your name" he asked.
The girl took a big gulp of air and replied: "Sue."
He waited to continue as he sped around a tight curve.
"You a runaway, Sue?"
Another gulp. "No, I'm twenty."
Well he was off…he handed her the travel water.
"Here, you need water. You're dehydrated."
"No, I can't. Please pull over, I need to vomit."
He braked hard and pulled off to the side of the road. The forest was pitch-black minus the stars in the sky.
She opened the car door and struggled to step out. But what eventually proceeded was the sound of dry-heaving. After a few moments, she crawled back into the seat.
"Don't leave just yet. I may need to again in a minute."
"But I could spend that minute getting closer to help."
"No." Struggled inhale. "Please. Wait."
He reluctantly did as she asked. A moment of silence passed between them where only the sound of the chirping crickets and buzzing cicadas were deafening in their ears on top of her heavy breaths.
"What's your name?" she said, startling him.
"John."
"What do you do, John?"
She struggled so to even make a sound. Why were they waiting? The question stalled them and frustrated him. It was also a sensitive subject, but she couldn't have known.
"I was a soldier. That's all I'm going to tell you."
He began to start the car, but her hand clamped down on his shoulder with a strength even a healthy man could not muster.
When he turned, her face was almost transparent it was so clammy. The veins were bulging at the sides and she panted, her lips pulled back like an animal infected with rabies.
There were sharp fangs where canines should be.
"I'm sorry John, but like you feed on animals for nutrition, I must feed on you to survive."
It would be an understatement to say that he fought for his life, but she was too strong.
And so the fledgling Anonymous M had her first meal. And like a fledgling without a sire to teach her, she overindulged and took John's life. But what she did not know was one of the most important rules of all: vampires should never kill a human, for doing so gives in to the Beast.
And so the Beast ravaged the forest, tearing down trees and leaving the corpses of animals behind before finally exhausting itself and falling into the dead leaves of the past winter.