David gripped my arm tight, pulling me into the kitchen and throwing me into the table. The impact caused it to slide across the tile floor. I spun around as he closed the doors, jamming them shut.

"What a surprise! What can I do for…" I began, David appearing before me as he grabbed my throat and slammed me into the fridge. "You?"

"You're a pain in my side, you know that? I turned you because I saw myself in you. The loneliness and the out-of-place feeling you emanated was something I knew well. But over this last year, I've realized how different we truly are," David said, looking me up and down.

"Yeah, we are different. I'm not a monster like … you," I said, leaning closer to his face.

He laughed under his breath. "At least I know what I am. You, Star, Laddie, and especially Michael, deny what you are. You cause yourself pain instead of accepting your fate. Eventually, it'll kill you."

The sink beside us began to gurgle as the pipes creaked. We looked at both as red water or what looked like water began spewing up from the drain. A scream rang through the house as the same liquid burst from one of the pipes.

I looked up at the ceiling as a smile formed on my lips, my gaze returning to David's. "I think it's going to kill you first."

As if in response, a scream came from the living room. We both looked in the small window within the door to see a sparking light as if a powerline had fallen and was dancing around the room. Then with a loud bang, the screaming stopped.

"You've lost, David. I'd run while you still have the chance," I said.

David looked back at me with a slow shaking head. "I don't give up that easily."

He spun me around and threw me into the door he had jammed. The collision caused the door to splinter around me. I fell a few feet into the living room to find that Sam and Michael were nowhere to be found; the pieces of Dwayne were all over the floor.

I got to my feet as David approached, cracking his knuckles. "You're the reason this happened, and you're going to pay the price because of it."

"Fine, come and get me."

David smiled at the challenge and lunged forward. His sharpened nails went for my face, but I dodged just at the last second. I maneuvered behind him and left a long gash across his back. He turned around with fire behind his eyes as he swung at me again. I dodged once more but not fast enough; he cut my arm deeply.

My hand slid up my arm to cover the bleeding wound, and David used this opportunity to strike. His foot rose into the air as it slammed into my stomach, causing me to fly back into the radio or what was left of it.

He came at me, grabbing my shoulders as I grabbed his. We moved back and forth, trying to get the other to let go. Yet, neither of us was going to quit.

"You're going to lose. Give up," David snapped.

"You first."

I moved and pushed him away. In his moment of surprise, I punched him in the face and then uppercut him right after. He stumbled back a step as I kicked him in the stomach just as he did to me. He slid back but stayed on his feet.

When I came at him, he grabbed my arms and threw me upward into the railing above him, causing it to splinter. A few chunks of wood embedded themselves in my back, but not deep enough to cause any serious damage.

I got to my feet, cracking the bones in my neck. As I did, Sam came around the corner and stopped in his tracks. I looked back at him and mouthed run. Before I could see his response, I flew down from the second floor and tackled David.

We tumbled around, trying to get the one-up on one another. I got a punch in, and then he would. I'd cut his skin, and then he'd cut mine. It was pretty even for a few minutes until he got on top of me, pinning my arms beside my head.

"Give up before I kill you," David demanded.

I leaned as far forward as I could. "Then kill me."

"So be it."

David grabbed the arrow sticking out of Dwayne's severed torso. He pulled it free and lifted it above his head, pushing it down toward my heart with both hands. Now that they were free, I grabbed the arrow just as it got an inch from my heart. I pushed up while he pushed down, but I knew from my shaking arms I couldn't keep this up. If I didn't think of something fast, I was done for.

The arrow ripped at my shirt when David screeched. He rose to his feet, throwing the arrow as he turned around. As he did, I noticed Sam standing there with a piece of glass embedded in David's shoulder.

David pulled the glass from his flesh, holding it tight in his hand. "For a sixteen-year-old boy, you sure know how to be a nuisance."

"Well, when the bloodsucking Brady Bunch decides to try and turn my brother into a vampire, I become a nuisance," Sam shot back.

David laughed under his breath. "You're either brave or stupid … maybe both."

"You've lost," Sam said, motioning to the room around him. "Your gang is dead. You're alone."

"I still have Star, Laddie, Michael, and …" David began, looking down at me. "Dawn."

Sam tensed at the mention of my name but tried to stay focused. "They're half vampires and will NEVER drink human blood. They aren't monsters like you."

"I'm not a monster. I'm a vampire, and do you know how to kill a vampire, Sam?" David asked with a raised brow.

"Oh, there are many creative ways to kill you bloodsuckers, but a stake to the heart is always a fan favorite," Sam said.

"That's right," David said, looking down at the shard of glass. "Wood is preferred, but anything will do. I think it's time to show you what it feels like."

I shakily pulled myself to my feet as David aimed the shard of glass at Sam's chest, who was standing a good ten feet away from him. He pulled back, Sam squeezing his eyes shut as he prepared for impact, but it never came.

When he opened his eyes, I was standing in front of him; the glass embedded in my chest. I looked down at David's hand, which was still holding the shard, and returned to his surprised gaze.

David looked at me with shock. "What have you done?"

"I saved someone I love," I said, noticing Michael standing behind David. "Something you know nothing about."

Before David could respond, Michael knocked him aside, and the two began to brawl. Without David's grip on the glass shard, I lost my balance and fell into Sam's arms, who slowly laid me down on the floor. Once I was comfortable, he grabbed onto the shard with both hands and pulled it from my chest, throwing it across the room.

"You're going to be okay," Sam muttered, moving a hair from my face as tears left trails down his cheeks.

"We both know that's not true," I whispered, reaching up to wipe a tear away. "But that's okay, I'm willing to die … knowing I saved you."

"You shouldn't have done that," Sam said, shaking his head.

"If I hadn't, you would've died. I'm a monster, Sam. Better me than you," I coughed.

Sam leaned down and grabbed my head with both his hands so I couldn't look away. "You're not a monster, you hear me? You jumped in front of me to save my life. A monster wouldn't do that."

Sam pulled my face up, kissing me as he did. I was weak, but I still felt the spark between us as our lips moved in unison. It didn't matter that it tasted of tears because it was him and me, nothing else mattered.

Pain surged through me as I seized in Sam's arms, pushing back from the kiss. I felt this heavy pressure come over me as I began losing feeling in my limbs, my head becoming the weight of a cinderblock. My eyelids were beginning to close, and I knew when they did … they wouldn't reopen.

"Don't you close your eyes … please … don't leave me," Sam cried, placing his hand on my cheek.

"I can't. I'm so tired … I have to sleep," I muttered, fighting to keep my eyes open but failing to do so.

"No, stay awake. Please, stay awake. I … I love you," Sam whispered as he placed his forehead against mine. "Which is why I'm so sorry."

I wanted to respond and ask what he meant, but my mouth had stopped working, and only a groan left my lips. My vision blurred as I saw Sam move, but I couldn't make out what he was doing. My eyes closed as I heard a gasp from Sam.

That's I felt something against my lips, a warm, thick liquid landing on my tongue. My mind couldn't decipher what it was, but I knew I needed it, a lot of it. Strength began to return to my limbs as I grabbed onto the thing against my mouth and bit into it, more of the sweet liquid flowing into my mouth.

I drank and drank, feeling my body heat up as the pain diminished. I heard a sound of agony as my eyes flew open, and I saw Sam's pained expression. I looked down to realize what I was biting into and quickly let go, pushing Sam away from me as I shot into a crouching position.

Sam landed on his back, holding his bleeding wrist. I wiped my lips clean as I looked from his arm up to his face with anger. "What have you done?"

"I saved your life."