Hi, please pardon this story but I rushed to get it out, yikes is it really past midnight already? These things usually take me way longer then a week to write but I really wanted to get my version out before the next episode airs, so I can pound my chest and say I told you so! I know in my heart that this is what is going to happen. I just know it because I know Aidan. So here it is…P.S. I might come back to this for corrections later but please read it now.
Please don't make me beg for reviews. Oh damn see I just did it. Please review good or bad, I can take it…make me a better writer.
Disclaimer: Like everyone here I do not claim to own anything. I don't claim ownership of the characters, the show, or anything else.
Not Dying
The lights of the vans fell across his broken body illuminating the dark night. The engine continued to run making a high pitch whining sounds before it finally sputtered out. The silence that fell upon him was deafening in its finality.
He gasped, and his body spasmed with every barely breath.
In spite of his decree that he was not going to die, and that he would fight Aidan had to admit he might have been overly optimistic, as he desperately clung to his undead life. Yet his chest continued to heave, with the pain of broken ribs he still forced himself to breathe again and again. Painful shallow breathes, in though the mouth out through the mouth over and over. He mentally forced his body through the process. Only it was too much and sent him into a coughing fit that left him gasping and in worse shape than before. As he fought to regain control over his breath he inhaled through this nose. His body clenched as he caught the sent of something vaguely familiar. He did it again inhaling as deeply as he could to smell the early morning air. There it was again that smell, the smell of blood in the air. It was not fresh blood but it was familiar, it was his own blood he smelled. He was sure that it was not coming from any wounds he had sustained from the accident. He was practically drained dead. "Think" Aidan told himself "Think." right before he passed out.
Aidan regained conscious with no sense of time, he was unsure if it had been minutes or hours. He remembered the smell blood. Sniffing at the air, he was relieved that it had not been a hallucination. Now he just had to focus on where the scent was coming from.
The van. The blood smell was coming from the van. He remembered now, Atlee had raided the refrigerator before dragging Aidan out of captivity. Atlee had placed a cooler in the back of the van. A cooler full of blood, 'untainted, pure blood' he had claimed. It was his own blood that was clean; it was the reason that his abductor had unearthed him, to sell his blood. His only chance to live was to get to that blood.
He lay broken on the ground staring at the sky but not seeing it. He concentrated on turning his head and focusing his eyes, he had to locate the van. The light from the headlights blinded him and he knew it was not far way.
How far away was one foot? Two yards? Aidan had no idea he only knew that he had to get to it or he was dead. It was fortunate that he did not comprehend the true distance because it made the almost imposable task seem possible.
Aidan was no strange to pain, in his long life he had been shot, stabbed, eviscerated, and impaled with rebar. Pain held no fear for him he knew that he could survive pain what he didn't know is how long he could survive a lack of blood.
Squinting into the lights he managed to roll onto his side. This act in itself was small but it had caused another fit of coughing. He barley had enough energy to survive the aftermath. Next he needed to roll onto his stomach, that part was easy as he fell forward, face in the grass. Now the real work began.
His mind knew what had to be done but his body refused to obey. As he stretched forward he tried to lift himself up onto his knees, and stand. That was impossible. But he did manage to fight his way onto all fours. 'Good' he thought at least I can craw my way there. He made it about two forward movements when his knee hit upon a rock and the pain shot up his broken leg and through his entire body like an electric shock. Face first fell back down to the ground. He rose again, crawling until he could go no further he was just three feet from the side of the van when his knee gave out again.
He looked up at the open door and cried out in frustration, he was so close. Peering inside the van he could see Sally waiting for him. She was perched sitting on the side of the spilled cooler. When he blinked he saw Josh squatting down on the balls of his feet leaning over his knees as he urged him to fight on.
"Aidan your week and injured, and everything you need is right here in this van!" Josh pointed to the open door "All you have to do is reach it."
"Come on Aidan its just a few more feet." Sally's called out encouraging words "I know you can do it."
"All right." Aidan barked at his friends.
Not giving up he stretched out his arms and began grabbing at the uneven clumps of grass covered in dew, cruelly uprooting them as they waited patiently for the morning sun to dry them. His jeans heavy and damp, added to his weight. His hands and arms strained desperately to pull his emaciated body along the slick surface.
Sally cried out to him "Come on Aidan, come on!" Sally's eyes grew moist and filled with tears at the sight of her strong Aidan so broken. "You need to do this. We need you."
"Yeah." Josh agreed "Come on buddy we really need you. We need you to come back to us."
"Yeah Aidan remember we are stronger together the three of us." Sally continued, " I am afraid that if you don't do this we will never see you again."
"We…" Josh softened his tone "…I need you to do this."
"I'll do it, shut up I am doing it," Aidan screamed. One little inch at a time, he managed to move forward by grabbing grass and digging in with his elbows. At one point his broken leg, caught on debris from the crash, he had to stop and untangle it before he could continue on. It was no small victory when he finally reached the van.
At the door of the van he could see the blood dripping, he could smell the blood he had to have the blood. Reaching up to grab the frame of the door he tried to hoist himself up into the van but lacked the strength. His nose was on fire with the smell of blood and his eyes full of tears as the daylight grew more blinding than ever. He swore he could feel himself starting to turn to dust and blow away.
Aidan tried again, weekly grabbing for the door and missing. His hand came crashing down into a pile of broken glass on the floor of the van. In pain he pulled his hand back and began to lick at his fingers only to find them cover in blood. It was the blood that had spilled from the glass jar.
The taste, his first in over fifteen months filled him with hope. That small act gave him renewed energy and determination. With herculean effort he hoisted himself up onto the threshold again, propelling himself forward his head smack into the seat before he landed on the floor. His body dangling both half in and half out of the van, he had not just fallen, but had fallen face first into a puddle of glass and blood. His tongue lulled out of his mouth as he weekly turned his head and began to lap at the blood like helpless kitten looking for it mother milk.
Lapping again and again, ingesting the smallest amount each time. He wanted badly to moisten his lips but he didn't dare, because his weekend body needed it. The energy he got was small but it was enough. Soon he was able to lift his head, to his excitement he spotted a full blood bag that had been tossed about under the drivers seat. It lay just beyond his reach; he scooted forward and extended his arm to grab at it. He managed to grasp it with his fingertips and pull it toward him. Relief flooded though him, but as he pulled at it he realized that the bag was stuck. The plastic tubing had come undone as was tangled in the mechanics under the seat. He yanked again and again wearing himself out. He briefly considered puncturing it with his nails and lapping again. No that wouldn't work he had to have it all of it. He pulled again and was able to stretch the tubing a bit more, he inched his body even closer.
"Aidan wait, that bloods not yours, did you hear what Atlee said. If it's contaminated you could get sick and die." Sally was warned him, she had moved to sit in the front passenger seat.
Josh now in the van sitting on the side of the overturned cooler chimed in "I agree. It might not be safe, to drink."
"No choice" Aidan replied as he violently jammed his head under the seat. For first time in over a year he released his fangs his eyes clouded black as he drank. The sensation of blood filling his mouth and rolling across his tongue and down his throat made him swoon.
One bag was far from enough; his deprived body needed a lot more, but for the moment but if would have to do. He retreated out from under the seat, sat up and began to survey the situation. Suddenly he spotted it! A second bag tossed toward the back of the van. Quickly he flung himself toward it as if were prey who might escape. Grasping it tightly he ripped into it with his fangs and drank. With a mouth full of blood he cried out "Now, I will live!" and for the first time he believed.
Having feed on two bags, and still in need of more he continued to lick every object and surface in site, the side of the cooler the broken glass jars, the door jam of the van. It didn't matter he need it every bit not a drop could be wasted.
Shortly afterwards after Aidan tried to start the van, but to no avail the engine would not turn over. He began to formulate his next move, wait for help, or start walking? He scanned the horizon; using his hand to shield his eyes, the growing dawn was burning his retinas after so long in the darkness. He chose a direction and began to walk.
He did not make it far; moving slowly he drug his broken leg and held his arm tightly to his ribs. He body gave out just a short distance from where he stared, stumbling and collapsing to the ground.
A car traveling along the deserted road spotted the van smashed into the poll and stopped. A young woman exited her car and surveyed the crash with her eyes. She turned her back to the horrific crash scene. She leaned against the drives side door began to dial 911.
From inside the woman's car a German Sheppard barked furiously to be let out as she placed a call for help. "Ok Max." she relented after she hung up. As she opened her car door and the dog bounded out. She gave it a pat or two saying "Good boy, Max" just before the dog started running sniffing wildly about. Hesitantly in fear of what she might find she approached and peered into the vans window expecting to see the injured driver, she saw nothing.
The dog started barked for its owner to follow, circling to the front of the vehicle the woman spotted the spot on the matted grass where Aidan body had landed after violently crashing though the windshield. The dog sniffed about the spot excitedly before darting off to follow Aidan's scent and the blood-stained trail of grass.
Chasing her dog down the side of the road, the women ran to catch up, shouting "Max, come back!" the entire time. The dog stopped running about 40 yards ahead of her; she heard Max's excited barking change into a deep growl followed by a yelp of pain and then nothing, only silence.
By the time the woman arrived a minute later Aidan had his head buried in the dogs neck, still sucking hard at the animal he had already bleed dry. The woman started to scream "Max!" Looking up at her with his inhuman eyes, fangs, and a face covered in blood and fur Aidan leapt forward and garbed her by the throat.
As Aidan went in for the kill, he again heard a scream, but this time it belonged to Sally.
"NO! AIDAN DONT!"
Aidan looked into the face of the petrified woman he held at arms length. He prepared to lung his teeth into her neck.
"That's enough Aidan. Don't do it!" This time he heard Josh's voice.
Aidan confused began to stutter " I…I.."
Looking around bewildered he turned to see Josh appear standing next to his right shoulder. Josh began to scold him. "Yeah man, I know you need blood and everything, but my god don't kill her Aidan!"
Aidan groaned, "need to…feed…so week…" he tighten his grip, as the woman gasped and flailed her arms helplessly.
"Enough!" Josh yelled growing angry, "How many more have to die because of you?"
Aidan angled his head and reviled his fangs as he drew the women in closer toward him "must…feed…"
"Don't Aidan, we can't help you if you kill her." Sally cried.
"Sally's right Aidan. If you kill her you can't come back, you can't come home! Ever."
"Home?" he stopped and pulled back, as his eye focused to a far away place.
"Yes home, home to us. You remember home, don't you?" Sally appeared standing behind the woman and placed a protective hand on her shoulder.
"Home." He repeated again but this time with more certainty. Aidan released his grip and the woman fell unconscious to the ground. Mindlessly stepping over her unmoving body he agonizingly made his way toward her car.
The sky was brightening and suns rays were starting to glimmer on the horizon. On instinct Aidan reached into the inside pocket of his coat and found his sunglasses. The very presence of his sunglasses being where they were supposed to be gave him satisfaction; he too was where headed where he was supposed to be.
He hopped inside the car not knowing where he was but knowing exactly where he was going, Aidan spun the car in a u-turn and headed back in the direction toward Boston, his family, and home.