Star stood in the warm early evening breeze and looked out at the ocean, she could hear a party going on down the beach but despite the large gathering, she was largely alone down her end of the beach. A lady was finishing her walk with a large Dalmatian and there was a guy surfing way out that she could see. She felt like she was 17 again, before she learned his ugly secret and became part of it when she used to wait for him down on the beach, in sweet ignorant bliss, for this mysterious man to pick her up and take her away. She longed for that ignorance again, finding herself waiting once again for him, only this time she was invaded by a horrible foreboding at what she was actually waiting for. The longer she waited, the worse the feeling became and she could feel herself becoming a bit distressed, the prevailing thought being that David was going to make her kill tonight. She felt sustained by David's blood and she really didn't want to kill anyone and her hands began to shake with the magnitude of what he expected of her. She jumped about three feet in the air when David and a body dropped out of the black sky in front of her and she stared at the body lying on the sand and tried to ascertain whether it was alive or dead. She saw him move and noticed the Police bars on the sleeve of his shirt. Oh Fuck, David had a cop. He wanted her to kill a cop, was he crazy? She was shocked until she saw who it was, it was Officer Conner. It kind of made sense to her now, but regardless of who it was, she was not going to kill them.
'Do it.' David demanded and she looked up at him for the first time then and saw he was in full vampire mode and deadly serious. She flinched a little, seeing him like this always made her uneasy. She felt cold and scared. 'You have to do it now Star.' Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked back at the body groaning in pain before her and she got down on her knees and reached out to Officer Conner. He reminded her of an animal, and at the moment the term 'pig' actually suited him with the way he was in the foetal position and squealing. David leaned over her and sliced open the cop's jugular to get the blood flowing and she watched his nail cut through the skin and when the blood began pulsing out, she found it mesmerizing. She felt David standing close behind her and she could smell the fresh blood and in turn began to taste it in the back of her mouth. She couldn't help it, it was all too much for her to take and she began to drink. She could feel David's excitement and hear him laughing but it was drowned out by her own exhilaration of the experience and the sound of Conner's heartbeat. It seemed to get louder with every swallow. With every minute that passed it grew louder still. Louder and louder. So loud she couldn't stand it and she broke away. 'Finish it!' He insisted, as she was on her hands and knees next to the writhing Conner. 'Now! Kill him!' David sounded anxious but she didn't care. 'NOW!' He growled at her demanding she finish the job but she moved away from them, refusing to look at him and she began to cry. She could feel how angry he was with her and he screamed at her as he morphed into the true monster that lived within him and ripped apart the body in a fit of absolute rage just feet away from her. She could hear him panting and feel his gaze burning a hole in the side of her head but she couldn't look at him, she wouldn't look at him and meet that look. He then dumped him, well... what was left of him, out to sea. She lay on the cold sand crying and feeling disgusted with herself for what she had just done. She felt she was betraying the promises she'd made to herself with her compliance of doing whatever he wanted. She had focussed for years on how not to be like this but she was under his spell again and right now, sitting on this beach wiping blood off her face, she felt hopeless. She could feel his anger towards her before he'd returned and once he did, he grabbed her hard on the shoulders, consumed with hate, and screamed bitch at her. He pulled her up and forced her to go back to the car with him. She stopped crying and became despondent, going along with whatever he wanted as she knew when to antagonize and when to leave well enough alone and she had pushed him enough tonight. He made her drive and simply told her to head north towards San Francisco and an alert went off in her head but in her frame of mind, she ignored it. What was she going to do? He was enraged with her and quite frankly, she was lucky to be still breathing so she kept quiet and kept driving. About two and a half hours passed and the moon was now a bright torch in the sky, a super moon surrounded by dark clouds. The infusion of Conner's blood was warm and made her feel a bit tipsy and she rolled her window down a bit but she couldn't get the human blood out of her head, the thick red gushing into her mouth and down her throat, and the deafening sound of his heartbeat. She wondered if it was like that every time. She subconsciously wiped at the blood on her face, even though she had washed it off with a bottle of water in her car as soon as she had got back to it but she could still feel it there. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him adjust his seating position and look at her and she began to think about David and what he really wanted long term. Was he going to create a new family? Was he going to be another Max? She thought of Dwayne, Paul and Marko and how they were the perfect family for David, not for her, but they suited David down to the ground. They worked like a finely tuned team, each had their own function which enhanced their cohesiveness and effectiveness as a group. She tried to imagine where she fit into his plans, why she was still here with him.
'You're mine. That's all that matters.' He answered her thoughts and she glared at him sideways, she hated when he did that. The dream suddenly returned to her, the deep seeded growling in the cave meant for her, David there... She instantly realised where she was. Where were they going? She watched the road and drove for a few more miles trying to figure out where they were exactly and trying to ignore his eyes being fixed upon her.
'Where are we going?' She asked, trying to distract him and stop the heavy gaze.
'You know where we're going. Santa Carla.' He said bluntly. She flicked her head towards him and just about drove off the road.
'Why?' She managed to get the words out as she slowed the car but continued driving, an uncomfortable knot developing in her chest. She didn't want to go back to Santa Carla, anywhere but Santa Carla. that was like going back to hell for her. But then when she thought about it, Santa Carla wasn't hell, it was that she was living with Demons when she was there and she was now back with one of them. She felt sick.
'I got... a few things... to sort out' he said, a bit staggered.
'Like fuck I am going back there! I don't have anything...' she blurted out to him but he shot her down.
'I don't give a fuck! You are coming with me.' She went to pull over and looked at him and he looked at her like he was no one to fuck with right now so she dropped it. They passed some cops and he turned to her and told her to pull over in a carpark in San Jose. He told her to get out but she sat there.
'What are we doing?'
'We are getting a new car.'
'What?! No! I am not leaving my car! What about my stuff?' She was indignant.
'Star, the pigs are looking for your car. How long before they realise we are gone, Conner is dead and your car is their only lead? Leave your stuff, you can get more.' He got out of the car and she sat there disgusted again that he was right. She got out and followed him to a 2013 dark blue BMW and within 60 seconds and he was in and had it started. She got in the passenger side this time as he remained in the driver's seat. She figured that they were about a good three hours away from the old sleepy little town and the thought of returning to Santa Carla made her queasy. David knew that place inside and out and she knew there was nowhere to hide there and far too many bad memories. She had come to the conclusion she needed help and, ironically enough, the only people she knew that could possibly help her were in the same place she felt the most vulnerable and fearful. At least that's where she thought they may still be. This felt like her descent into a new nightmare.