4/13/2008
By: Nessa
Blood Lust
He was tall. He had to be about six foot three; he had icy blue eyes with a green strip in them. His hair was wavy, long and black. He was heading my way as I was putting my groceries into the trunk of my 3037 Cadillac – Mustang hybrid. I walked around to the driver's side as the trunk slammed shut, when I felt a large hand on my shoulder. I turned around and found myself face to face with the guy who had those beautiful eyes. I could barely move as his beauty blinded me. I found myself reaching into my car for a metal bat that I normally kept underneath my seat. He spun me around and pulled me closer to him.
"I know who you are. Come with me and I'll keep you safe," he whispered. His voice was low almost like a growl, but very sexy. His voice slowly caressed places low in my body. I felt an urge to follow him but something in my head stopped me.
"Look dude, I don't know who you are or who the hell you think you are, but I'm not going anywhere with you."
I knew I made the right choice. As I went to climb into my car, he grabbed my arm with an amazingly strong grip. Before he could do or say anything, I kicked him as hard as I could. He stumbled, letting go of my arm and doubling over in pain giving me enough time to lock myself in my car. Before shifting into drive, I looked at him and our eyes met giving me chills as a fire burned within them. I shifted gears as quick as possible and sped home. I got to my house in less than thirty minutes, still visibly shaken. I grabbed my ancient twenty-first century handgun, silver edition from the glove compartment and ran to my brother, Josh's, house.
'I'll have Josh get my groceries.'
Josh is my older step-brother and my next door neighbor, luckily. He is about six foot four with these amazing green eyes. Unfortunately he's really the only one of the six I have that I actually get along with. I ran to the top of his stairs and started banging on the door.
"Joshua! Open the door. Please!"
I heard him slowly making his way to the door; I knew he had probably been sleeping, yet still I was banging the door. Josh, finally making it to the door, opened it slowly, rubbing his eyes. It was way too slow for me though so I pushed it open, squashing him and ran inside.
"Jesus Mika! Where's the fire?" Josh questioned slamming the door behind me, clearly trying not to yawn. I started pacing in his living room, running my fingers through my hair; Josh just standing there with his arms folded.
"I was at the store buying food for the next week, like I always do on Sundays… I hate dealing with Patrick; he's such an ass, anyways… I was putting my bags in my car when this really hot guy… My bad this guy grabbed me… He said he knew who I was and… and…." I couldn't finish what I was saying because I was so freaked out. I looked at Josh for comfort but all I saw was worry written all over his face. He wanted to hide it, I could tell, but I had already noticed. I took a step toward him.
"Josh… What's wrong?" He just stared at me, and then pushed me out his door.
"You should go home and uh… get some sleep."
Before I could protest, Josh slammed the door in my face. I looked at the door shocked and confused. I shrugged, turned around and headed towards my stairs when Josh called out his front window.
"I'll bring your stuff in a couple minutes. Just get inside… Now!" Without hesitation, I rushed up my stairs and into my house, bolting the door behind me before snatching the giant wolf blanket off the back of my couch. I jumped over it and huddled under my blanket for what seemed like hours before there was a knock on my door. I got up and took the handgun from my waist holster, slowly making my way to the door.
"Who's there?"
"Mika… It's Josh! Open the damn door!"
I clutched my gun even tighter as I peered through the peepholes to make sure it was really Josh with my stuff. I holstered the gun and slowly unbolted the door, letting him in. He pushed past me and placed my bags in the kitchen before returning to the door. He slammed the door and relocked it. I stood there, dazed as he walked around my house making sure all the doors and windows were closed and locked.
"Josh… What's going on?"
Before answering me, he sat me down and I clutched my covers tighter around my body. Josh peered into my antique, hand-made, silver-lined mirror above my fireplace.
"Mika, do you… Do you remember anything about your mom's family?"
I looked at Josh and shook my head slowly.
"Not really why?"
Josh slowly nodded his head and rubbed his chin, clearly thinking about was he wanted to say next.
"Well, I do. Your mom used to tell me about them after she married my dad."
"Okay… but, what's your point?"
"Well, when you were younger, you demonstrated some… unusual qualities… very unusual. I remember asking about them but was told pretty much nothing until your seventeenth birthday," Josh stopped talking to me and sat down in the love seat, "Why didn't I see this before? I never did put two and two together until then. That's why mom told me… She could've told Jason or Johnny… or… or Jebbie, Simon, or Ricki… but she chose me…"
"Joshua! You're not making any goddamn sense! Tell me what the fu--"
Josh got up and walked over, crouching down in front of me.
"Mom, well moms family was different to say the least… You know about the shifters and night stalkers among us right?"
"Yes damnit, but what does that haveta do wi--"
Josh jumped up in anger causing me to leap from under the covers.
"Don't you get it Mika?! Mom was one of them… You're one of them! Part demon part vampire and--"
"No, you're wrong Josh! Mom couldn't… I couldn't--"
"She was damnit! Haven't you felt like you could blow something up with just a thought… or… or that you wanted to stay away from the sun and come out only at night?"
"… No… Yes… but who hasn't Josh?"
Suddenly a bunch of memories flooded my head; things that I pushed out my mind years ago. All those memories coming back so suddenly caused me to clutch my head in pain. When the pain subsided I felt the blood and sweat running down my face. I looked at Josh as he took a step forward and that's when I felt it… It was like a massive power surge coursing through my body. I felt at that moment, more or less hungry… hungry for something I still can't begin to describe. Josh ran to the fireplace when he looked into my eyes. When that feeling was no more, I glanced at my giant mirror and saw my very faint reflection. I walked closer thinking… no hoping it was just really dirty. Josh inched closer to me, his reflection clear as ever.
"Don't you see Mika, the shifters, the seekers and the night stalkers are coming out of hiding…? Something's gone wrong."
"But… but what does all of this have to do with me?"
I kind of knew where this was going but I hoped I was wrong Josh stared at me in disbelief and rolled his eyes.
"Are you trying to be a dumbass?! Mom told me about the prophecy and I know you heard it back in high school. It was made back in the twenty-first century by a little girl who fell into a trance on national television… One day in a future far from ours a child will be borne by three feuding creatures of the night, will rise and rid the world of the unknown evil leaders and some other shit…"
I sat on the floor in a daze. My mind felt overworked and heavy. As I sat there, more memories managed to cram themselves into my already cramped head but these were about that guy from the parking lot. I remember seeing him everywhere; at the park, the mall, at Club Blood where I worked, just everywhere. Thankfully Josh couldn't see what was going on in my head.
"Mika… you're who the prophecy is talking about."
"But if my mom was a seeker and a night stalker, not saying that she was, but if she was… Wouldn't that make me two feuding creatures of the night and not three?"
"Well… What about your dad?"
"He was killed when I was five or six but I never really got to know him or his family… He was always working late or g--"
My eyes got all wide and my breathing was short and raspy. My dad always went out of state on business trips right before the full moon or he would call and say that he'd be coming home late. I always fell asleep before he'd get home. Suddenly my fathers' monthly trips began making sense, but I couldn't… no I refused to believe it.
"No…"
"I'm sorry Mika, but you had to know… You had to find out sooner or later…"
I curled up and started mumbling incoherently to myself.
"No, this can't be happening. I'm-- I'm perfectly normal… Not a vampire or-- or a werewolf, definitely not a demon… I'm a normal healthy twenty-two year old…"
Josh grabbed my blanket and draped it over my shoulders. He crouched down next to me and held me as I began shivering despite my heavy blanket.
"I know it's hard Mika…"
"How would you know?! You're not constantly haunted by someone who claims to know everything about you! You don't have something major being forced upon on! And you sure as hell don't find yourself wanting yet fearing the person who's stalking you!"
"You're right, but I know you Mika. I know how strong you are…"
I stood up and Josh helped me over to the couch. I sat down as he kept talking, "Now you know what's happening Mika. There's a reason why I know, so trust no one but me… I'm here to guide you, that's what mom told me."
I looked at Josh and there was nothing but sincerity in his eyes. It seemed to calm me down a little bit, but not enough to make me feel comfortable or secure.
"From now on, when you go out, I'm going with you to check this guy out. If it's who I think, he can either be a friend or a threat…"
I tuned Josh out and started thinking about how so many things were starting to make sense, but there was one thing that kept bothering me… Why was I finding out about this now and not earlier? I had started thinking about the possible answers when I heard my name.
"… Mika. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Huh? Oh yeah…"
I grabbed the remote off the table and without pressing a single button; the TV turned itself on to the news. Shocked, I looked at Josh for an explanation of what just happened but he was too engrossed with the TV.
"Good Evening New York. I'm Katelyn O'Bryane…"
"And I'm Aronn Josley with your one o'clock news."
"Tonight on Evening News we have the weather but first our top story… There have been no leads on the investigation of local butcher, Robert Neil's, murder. He was attacked last we--"
The picture started to go fuzzy and then flashed. I blinked and Aronn's face went hairy, long, and had a mischievous smile with rows of razor sharp teeth, but just as quick as it changed, his face went back to normal. I looked over at Josh who nodded as if reading my mind; he turned off the TV.
"Yeah, I saw it. He's losing control of his inner wolf…"
"But why? Why haven't I lost control? I mean, if something's gone wrong and the medicine isn't getting out to the shifters… What am I supposed to do?"
"For one, you aren't genetically altered like they are. You were born like that. Secondly, I have no idea what you're supposed to do, at least not yet… Anyways, you'll need some training and now that you know who you are, you can shift… At least with some help right now… grant it, it might be a tad painful at fir--"
I jumped off the couch and started yelling.
"This is way too much Josh! And why me of all people?!"
"I don't know Mika… I've asked myself those very questions and I have yet to find an answer!"
I felt tears welling up in my eyes and I just stood there for a couple minutes, fist clenched, thinking. I glanced at my antique digital clock as it flashed two-thirty a.m. I slowly began making my way to the front door.
"Mika?"
"I'm not going anywhere…" I whispered. I sat on the floor and stared at the ground as a single tear crept down my cheek. I sat there for a good two minutes before Josh walked over and placed his arms around me.
"I love you Mika… I'll check on you later."
Josh kissed my cheek, grabbed my house key and left, locking the door behind him. I stayed huddling on the floor for a few more minutes thinking before I got up and went to bed.
