A/N: So sorry for the delay, guys! Hope you are happy with the update. More chapters coming soon, I promise!
My frustration and anger caused me to ignore the danger that I was in but seeing the momentary flare of surprise in his eyes and his head snapping to the side from the impact of the slap was sure satisfying as hell.
"How dare you, you fucking monster. Get the fuck out of here!"
He turned back to me furiously my words seeming to upset him more than hitting him had. He was about to speak or curse me (I'll never know which) when the curtain was roughly yanked aside causing me to look away from Dracula momentarily distracted.
Em stood there looking confused and then worried in quick such succession that it may have made me laugh if I didn't feel so terrible. "Let's go." My voice was ragged with tears that were coming fast; I couldn't be here. It would only bring more danger to my mother's life. There was nothing I could do here in any case: I couldn't hope to stop Dracula and Doug was still missing.
"Jenny!"
"Em, please, just.. just get me the hell away from here, alright?"
She only nodded before catching up to me, putting a comforting arm around my shoulders. We walked in silence until we reached the parking garage and I felt a tingle of warning go down my spine.
"Em," I whispered. "Go ahead and get the car I-I'll wait here. Just pull around."
She looked doubtful but did as I asked without asking why. I was thankful.
"I'm sorry if I upset you, but she will die without me. You know that." Dracula said softly after Em had gotten far enough away.
"What do you care? I would rather that she die as a human than a thing."
"It is not so bad after a while."
I snorted "You were cursed by God Himself so I'm sure that I believe that."
"So you know who I am? My true name."
He was so close behind but I couldn't bring myself to turn around. I just kept staring straight ahead feeling the skin of my back prickle waiting and praying that Em would hurry the hell up. My hair was brushed aside and I could feel his breath moments before his tongue left a streak of hot wetness along the side of my exposed throat, his hands on my trembling upper arms holding me. I let out a breath I didn't know that I had been holding considering how easy it would be to just surrender to his cold embrace.
"Give yourself to me, Jenny." he whispered as though he had been listening to my thoughts. "Let me taste you."
Graphic images flashed inside my mind showing what he was offering so vividly that it was clear my blood wasn't the only thing he wanted to taste. I shut my eyes feeling the tips of his fangs brush lightly against my skin moments before light swept over us.
Em pulled up in front of me apparently oblivious to what had happened as I shakily got into the passenger seat.
"You alright?"
That was funny only I didn't feel like laughing.
"Take me to Doug's apartment."
"Are you sure? I mean.. he might be.."
"No," I said sharper than intended. "He's alright."
I didn't tell her that I was going on the word of the greatest betrayer of all time.
I knew even before I got out of the car that he wasn't there. It was a gut instinct that proved to be true when I tried the door and it swung around. Em looked afraid and I didn't feel much better. If Dracula had lied why wait until Doug had gotten home when he could have turned him (or just killed him) at the museum? He would also have to be invited in and that seemed a bit of a needless risk to take.
"Doug?" I called as loudly as I dared. I silently tiptoed inside hearing crunching beneath my shoe as soon as I stepped over the threshold. I tried the light switch but nothing happened and I had a feeling i knew what the crunching was. I dug around in my bag momentarily before I found what I was looking for. I clicked on my pen light shining it around seeing the broken glass from the foyer light sparkling all over the floor. There were definite signs of a struggle here.
"Maybe we should call the cops and have them take a look around.." Em ventured cautiously.
"Yeah.. maybe."
It was stupid but "You go ahead and call them. I'm gonna take a look around real quick."
"Jenny.."
"In and out. I promise." I managed a weak, reassuring smile.
Swallowing hard I moved further inside while Em tapped on her cell staying outside. I envied her.
"Hello?" I called.
It was a cliché thing to do, I know, but I really couldn't think of anything better considering. A stack of magazines had been knocked off of the shelf and I also noticed a broken coffee mug, a disturbing brown stain spread out around the shattered remnants. I narrowed my eyes moving closer to the scene of the crime noticing a larger stain a little further away closer to the hall. I should have stopped then but morbid curiosity kept me going. I already knew what I would see but it was taking my brain a while to catch up.
Reddish brown was everywhere. It filled the beam of my penlight and looked ghastly splashed up the wall in disturbing, dark splotches leading into the bathroom. In some distant part of my mind I realized that I was getting too far from the door but I couldn't stop myself.
I froze, suddenly, hearing a rustling sound. Oh God. What was that?
Was that something moving by the fridge? A dark shape flashed by in front of the light making me gasp. Seconds ticked by as I stood breathless unable to move. The front door slammed shut with a bang and I spun in terror.
"Em?"
I could see her through the small frosted window in the center of the door trying to get it open.
"It's locked!"
Another noise, this time much closer. Was that growling? I could try for the front door and go towards whatever was in here with me or run for the bathroom which I knew had a lock on it and stay there until the police got to the apartment. A dark shape blocked the front door making the decision for me. With a cry I turned and fled for the bathroom throwing myself through and slamming the door behind me.
I could swear I felt resistance as I tried to lock the door but I managed, stepping back and clicking off my light. The darkness was suffocating as I stood there for a full minute holding my breath listening carefully. A soft imperceptible sound from behind me caught my attention. Like dripping.
I attempted to turn my light back on but my hands were shaking so badly that I ended up dropping it. Desperate I knelt feeing for it my hand landing in a pool of something wet. Finally my fingers closed around the slim cylinder and I let out a small sob of gratitude turning it on.
It was then that I understood how a person could actually become paralyzed with fear.
Doug hung from the shower rod like a butchered pig, his legs hooked over it and it wasn't for that, if it wasn't for his shoes still being intact, I don't think that I could have identified him at all. I fell partially from my legs becoming too weak to support me, partially because of the nearly inch deep pool of blood that filled the space wall to wall. I splashed into it and that was when I started to scream.
It took the cops about five minutes to get there Em told me later. She said that I was so hysterical they had to sedate me before I could be taken away. Now I lay in the hospital staring at the blank white walls seeing red everywhere. The only comfort I had was that I had slept through the night so the comforting warmth of the sun spilled across the room warming my toes under the thin hospital blanket. No vampires could reach me here.
Em had fallen asleep in the chair by my bed and I couldn't help but smile. "Em," I said, my voice a soft croak.
She blinked once and looked up at me momentary confusion replaced by relief she launched to her feet and hugged me. "I was so scared. I saw the blood and I thought.. but then I saw Doug.." She bit her lip as though uncertain of how to continue.
"I was stupid to go in alone like that. There was something else there and it locked us in."
Her eyes widened "Was it..? You know.."
I shrugged and winced realizing that I must've banged the bejesus out of my shoulder when I fell. "Since the owner of the apartment is-" I swallowed. "He wouldn't need to be invited inside. It could've been any vampire, actually."
"You think there are more of them? Already?"
My head hurt as I struggled to think harder of what the killer had looked like but it had been too dark and it was impossible.
"Oh there's a detective outside who wants to ask you a few questions before you can leave."
Great. Um, detective I hope you carry a wooden stake in your back pocket along with your pad and pen. But for the sake of everyone (excluding Em) thinking that I had totally flipped my shit I told them what they wanted to hear leaving out the small detail of blood sucking fiends being involved.
Before it was over I had to talk to two policeman, a rather disgruntled older man who had evidently stayed overnight outside in the waiting room (the detective), and a reporter not much older than myself. They seemed to be more than a little disappointed when I didn't go into graphic detail about "how I was feeling" and "how terrifying an ordeal it must have been". Gee, do you think so?
I was out of there by lunch and back at my apartment laying on my bed feeling strangely numb to everything. Maybe I really was going insane. Em had finally left once her mom had called at least ninety times telling her to come home and I had convinced her that I would be safe as long as I didn't invite anyone in. I told her to do the same and go before the sun set any more. My own mum was under twenty-four hour observation and she should be safe while I tried to think of a plan of how I could stop Dracula.
When my mum had done it, it had been more luck than anything. But then it hadn't killed him had it? Maybe he couldn't be killed just put to sleep temporarily. If I could somehow get him back into the coffin and lock him inside..
A light tap at the door interrupted my musing "Em I told you, go home. I'm fine." I muttered, opening the door in a huff.
She stood on the other side a half smile playing on her lips guiltily "Managed to convince mom to let me stay with you a little longer." I sighed looking around at the clock hanging on the wall. It was already too late for her to go out safely.
"Alright, get in here."
She looked relieved and I actually couldn't say that I blamed her. I didn't really want to be alone but I felt guilty for keeping her away from her mom when mine lay in the hospital comatose. She unexpectedly hugged me tightly "I'm so sorry. For everything." she said softly.
"It's okay," I said soothingly. "None of this is your fault."
She pulled back smiling sadly before leaning in and kissing my cheek affectionately with a light peck. "You shouldn't let your guard down so easily." she said.
"What are you-" My words died in my throat when she savagely pressed her lips to mine trying to shove her tongue into my mouth. "Em, what the fuck?!" I cried shoving her away.
"Imagine if it had been anyone other than me you just invited into your house."
I watched in horror as her hair became curled and shorter, her face morphing, her mini skirt melting and changing into Dracula's familiar duster. "Jesus.." I whispered realizing what I'd done.
"Not quite."
He smiled thinly, his fangs sliding into view momentarily before he began advancing on me.
