Her sword swung at her side as she made her way down the familiar path to Marshall's house in the dark. She had to go through the forest, but as long as she was quick about it, she should be fine.
Silently, she ran through the forest, keeping her ears and eyes sharp for any unusual movement. When she was halfway through, she became more confident in her safety, and slowed to catch her breath. It was a full moon tonight, and she was lucky for it illuminated her way through the otherwise very dark trees.
She heard the fluttering of wings behind her, and turned see what creature could have made it. Fionna scanned the sky behind her, but saw nothing. She picked up pace again, focusing on seeing Marshall's surprised face at seeing her at his door. A quarter mile, and she would be through the woods, and into the cave.
The screech of a bat called behind her, and she ignored it, not seeing any danger in the little night creatures. Then suddenly she was stopped by a rigid form standing in her path. She slammed into it, unable to stop her trajectory in time, and fell back. The form was familiar, it was Marshall's bat form, his wings opened wide to block her path.
"Marshall!" She breathed with relief, clenching her heart. "Oh thank Glob it's just you."
She got up off the ground, brushing dead leaves off of her butt as Marshall retreated back into his human form. He seemed strangely stiff, his eyes shining silver and gold in the darkness of the night. He approached her, shaking his head, as if fighting some kind of inner struggle.
"You scared the crap out of me!" She said chuckling, but her laughter died as she noted the strangeness in his demeanor.
"What are you-" He groaned. Then, by complete surprise, he punched himself in face, and dug his hands into his hair to pull at the tendrils. Fionna was immediately concerned at her friend's behavior, and she moved to approach him.
"Stay away!" He screamed at her, but contrary to what he said, his arms reached out to clench her by the shoulders violently.
"What are you doing?" She cried, scared by her friend's sudden violence. Fionna never got an answer. Her back was pushed back harshly into a nearby tree, knocking the breath from her and slamming her head against the bark. She cried out in pain, as the back of her head split from the collision. Her small arms pushed against Marshall's torso in a small attempt to keep him away, but he was much too strong for her. Never had she truly felt his honest strength, but he showed it now. He was a wall of muscle and bone; immovable.
"Marshall!" She screamed. Her cry fell on deaf ears. He was lost to delusional famine, but her voice did stall him. As if some small part of him fought for restraint. He released her shoulders to dig his fingers into the bark of the tree behind her. His breath was rough and coming in sharp inhalations.
"What's wrong with you?" She whispered shakily. His pitch-black eyes caught hers, and he gnashed his teeth at her. She had never been scared by him before, but at that moment, she was truly terrified. His eyes widened and captivated her stare, it steeled her to the spot. Even her lungs barely had the strength to move. Breath came to her in short bursts, her joints feeling frozen together. So, this was the power of a vampire. He had taken total control of her. Her breath hitched in her throat, and Marshall buried his face in the crook of her neck. She felt the graze of his teeth there, and it raised goosebumps on her skin.
She was about to die, surely. That's what vampires did, right? They sucked you dry like how Cake sucked all the jelly from the donuts. So why was her body responding this way? Why was this thrilling? She took a large intake of breath, finding his control relax as he was distracted with her neck.
Marshall adjusted her in his arms, his mouth finding her neck. She should have been terrified, but for a second, the gesture was intimate and sweet. For a moment, Marshall was not a monster, and her heart lurched in her throat at feeling him so close to her. In a sick way, being crushed against him was thrilling. Her hands found his shirt and clenched the fabric as she felt his tongue press to her skin.
It became suddenly clear to Fionna that she had just seconds left to live. Whatever was happening right now was quickly coming to an end, and the way Marshall's fangs skittered against her skin assured her that it would all end soon. Then she felt his teeth finally sink into her skin. He pulled desperately at her neck, and it made her dizzy. Her head felt light, her pulse beginning to slow and ebb. Her heartbeat thumped in her ears, and she could hear it turn faint. Marshall held the slackening form of her body in his arms. The more he drank from her, the more his sanity returned.
It was like a dream. All he felt, all he could taste was Fionna. He could hear her breathing at his ear. Slowly, slowly breathing. Reasoning crawled its way through him, but he hadn't regained control to stop. It was so good, so damn good.
Fionna's vision became blurry and blackened, her head slumping forward as she lost consciousness.
The lasts thing Fionna heard before passing out was the sharp bang of a gunshot.