Darkness.
Pain.
Something comes swelling up beneath me as I scream out into world. Fire shoots into my bones, I feel blood flow out through my scalp. My breath is stifling, my neck burning with the stabbing wounds. I lay in the unknown ground. I cannot feel anything except for the beat of my heart…
Wait.
Where was it? Where was my pulse? What's going on? Am I dying? Am I dead? No time for such questions. The pain is too much to bear, until I slowly, swiftly black out.
I awaken to find myself in the streets of a small town: Anacortes. The crisp smell of the waterfront breeze sweeps me away. I breathe in and out, shakily, trying to stand up on my feet. Problem is, I get up easily, much more than I expected after such an attack. I could barely remember it… the man slashing at my neck. I feel it for blood, a nerve – nothing. I look down at myself – and I'm covered in blood. Is it mine? No matter; I needed to get cleaned up.
The gas station was a few blocks down the road, perfect for a small town. I can't remember if I was just passing through, or if I lived here. This suspicion was quieted as soon as I walked in.
"Aaron! Where have you been?" a strange man says to me, a smile upon his face as he comes near. I could smell a sort of cologne on him, like the ocean. Whoever, I can't let them see me like this! I must look like a murderer! So, as his happy face turned puzzled, I avoided him and headed straight for the bathroom: a sight I was not prepared to see.
The first thing I see is the bathroom mirror. Murky as it is, I could see my face. I remember it clearly; brown, sandy hair – spiky on some ends, hazel eyes, freckles, slightly thin lips, unshaven face. However, it seemed much richer now. My face seemed much more… attractive. My features were much straighter. I lifted my shirt up – my slight muscles beforehand now seemed much bigger, much more defined. I could see a six pack and a v where none really existed before. I was fine until I saw something incredibly out of the ordinary.
Blood. Red. Eyes.
This was crazy. Maybe I was hungover – that's why I was so confused, in the middle of the road. I was tired, maybe? I left the bathroom, trying to find the man I saw earlier. He would have some answers. When I exited the store, I couldn't find him. Funny thing though: I could smell him. Wow, such cologne must have been so strong that I had followed it out into an alleyway.
I found him with a black figure, holding him by the throat. He was struggling, but the figure, apparently a robber, held a gun against his stomach. "Give me your money, and I may not have to shoot you." The robber threatened the man as he struggled under his arm. The plan was flawed; he could have just stolen it out of the back pocket. How stupid. However, I felt a moral obligation to help this man; he must have been my friend.
I stood out into the alley. "Excuse me." I tried calmly. Every situation should be handled calmly. Both men looked at me. The robber than fired his gun.
I expected pain. I expected to see a bullet hole, with blood leaking, me dying. It wasn't the case. In fact, it was the robber's fate. I looked to see my friend standing, gasping of deprived air, as the robber lay dying in the dirt. A single hole marked the ending of the heinous man, but it took a millisecond to see the other, much more noticeable thing.
Blood. It was staining the man's shirt. His heart vainly pumped it throughout the body, giving out anytime soon. It was an arousing sound that I could not get away from. I longed to taste it; I needed to.
Wait. This was wrong. Blood was not a food. It wasn't… right?
In that second, I knew what I had become, and I needed to get my friend out of the area. "GO! Get out of here!" I warned him, as I felt the urge to attack him as well. "Aaron, what's going on? What are you doing?" he trembled, in breathy spurts. I didn't have time to react. I attacked the dying body beneath me. I needed blood. I tore the man's neck open, surrounding my body in the warm, sticky substance. I swallowed each gulp, feeling the steely taste go down my throat. I never noticed my friend leave the scene; he must have been scared. When I finally finished the man, I could barely recognize him. I did recognize one thing: keys.
I used them on a nearby black SUV. Why would someone have a career for stealing if he had such nice things? He didn't need them anymore though, so I took the liberty of… taking it.
With the keys in, the GPS turned on. "Would you like to resume your trip?" she asked. Curious, I replied. "Yes." "Destination set for: Forks, Washington." Huh, never heard of it. A new place for a seemingly new me. Maybe, I could restart with whatever problems I had now. I don't even know my full name. All I knew were three things that I was absolutely positive about: first, my name is Aaron. Second, whatever my life was, it was renewed – something to start over with; and third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably a vampire.