The Life I'm Losing
"I need to go to the book store. I'll be back in about an hour, kay?" Annemarie told her roommate as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
Annemarie paused to look back at her roommate. The two of them were in their third year of college. The small dorm room they shared was barely big enough for their bunk bed but they had somehow found a way to squeeze a small desk in the far left corner. There was a single window on the opposite wall from the door but no light broke through the thick curtain even though it was late afternoon and the sun was still shining brightly outside.
Her roommate was studying at the small wooden desk. The surface of the desk was covered in text books, their final exams were in a week.
"Sienna?" Annemarie called to her roommate.
"Bye, see you later." Sienna said, refusing to take her eyes off the book pages.
Annemarie smiled at her friend as she stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed behind her. Sienna was always studying, she was naturally smart but she was terrified of failing. Her family had paid for her education completely unlike Annemarie who was there on scholarships.
Annemarie headed down the hall and was soon out on the street. The bookstore was about five blocks from the dorm. The walk didn't take long and it took her only a few minutes to find the book she was searching for. She took a few more minutes to make sure she had all the books she needed. Annemarie checked out and decided to take a walk around town.
She had plenty of time before sunset and Sienna wasn't expecting her back for another forty-five minutes. The streets were empty but Annemarie liked the peace and quiet of the small town.
As she turned a corner she saw a young man walking towards her. He looked like he was close to her age; his white hair almost touched his shoulders. Annemarie didn't recognize him and his hair covered his eyes. He was walking strangely, almost as if he were drunk, stumbling and tripping over nothing. Annemarie figured it was a freshman from her college who just left a party.
When he was a few feet away from her he tripped and started to fall. She raced over to catch him so he wouldn't land on his face. Annemarie held her arms out but he grabbed onto her left shoulder and regained his balance.
"Are you okay?" She asked him as he straitened himself. He was close enough that she could now see his eyes. They were a beautiful bright shade of blue. His eyes were very clear and Annemarie realized he hadn't been drinking.
He still had his hand on her shoulder, holding her in place. He stared, piercingly into her eyes and Annemarie was a little scared. Finally after a few seconds he broke eye contact and released her. She stood, confused for a moment, then pulled herself together and took a step forward.
Suddenly his left hand reached out and he dug his sharp nails into her right temple. Annemarie froze in fear as blood began to trickle from the wound he was creating. He slowly pulled his hand across her face, starting at her temple, crossing her right eye, and ending beside her nose. He removed his nails and watched as she screamed and collapsed onto the sidewalk. Blood gushed from her face and Annemarie held both her hands over her ruined eye.
Her screams echoed off the near by buildings but no one came to her rescue. The white haired boy stood beside her, smiling wickedly as he licked the blood from his fingers. Annemarie's screams faded as she started to get dizzy from blood loss. The boy crouched beside her.
"I don't want to die." Annemarie sobbed.
A figure jumped from a roof top on the other side of the street. It raced towards the monster beside Annemarie.