"Mom, are we there yet?"

Glancing over my shoulder i looked at my daughter sat in the back seat of the car, before looking back at the road. "Does it look like we're there yet?" I replied a little sarcastically, smiling at her in the rear-view mirror.

We were driving to my parent's house, a good few hours away from where we resided, just the two of us. It was late, the headlights of the car the only source of light in the darkness surrounding us. It was a bit creepy but it was also the quickest route. "A couple more hours ok honey? Why don't you try and get some sleep."

She sighed dramatically. "Ok, whatever."

12 years old and already giving me sass. Shaking my head, I smiled as I glanced at her. She was a beauty, her long dark hair tied back away from her face, her pale skin and rosy cheeks accentuating her piercing blue eyes. She looked so much like her father, I thought sadly. I focused on the drive trying not to think of him, of how he had left them in the middle of the night, no explanation, just a cowardly note telling us he wasn't cut out to be a husband or father. Shaking the thought away angrily, I didn't want Ava to see just how much that man had hurt me. I was grateful she had no memory of him.

"Mom! Look out!"

My attention flew back to the road and I gasped when I saw something sprawled out in the middle of the road ahead of us and I slammed on the brakes, both of us lunging forward before slamming back into our seats. My heart was pounding against my chest, my hands trembling as I put the car in park and unclipped my seat belt. I looked over my shoulder at Ava, her eyes wide with fear. "Stay in the car and lock the doors behind me, ok? I'm just going to check it out." Turning to get out of the car, I stopped when she grabbed my arm.

"Mommy, please stay here. I'm scared."

I gripped her hand and brought it up to my mouth, kissing it softly. "I know sweetie, but I need to check it out and find out if they need help." I smiled at her reassuringly, "you stay here and call 911. I'll be ok, promise."

She nodded and let go of me, her hands shaking as she sat back and took out her phone. I grabbed my own phone and turned on the flashlight, opened the door and stepped out into the dark, chilly night, slamming the door behind me. I heard the click as Ava locked the doors behind me. Slowly walking around the car, I kept my phone in front of me until I saw what was lying on the road.

"Aw fuck."

I ran over to the man on the ground and dropped to my knees, searching for a pulse. Nothing. He felt cold but then it was pretty cold out here. I didn't know how long he'd been lying here. I stood up, turning towards the car when I heard a high pitched scream and glass shattering, shocked when I saw a man and a woman reach through the broken window and drag Ava out of the car before another two men appeared behind them.

"Ava!" I dropped my phone and moved to run towards her when I felt someone grab my arm and pull me back. I looked behind me and gasped in shock. It was the man on the road, the man I thought was dead. "No," I mumbled, trying to pull away. "You're dead..."

He laughed as he pulled me flush against his chest, stroking my cheek with his dirty fingers. "Not quite sweetheart,"

Spinning me around he gripped my throat, my hands flying up to grab at his fingers as I struggled to breathe.

"Looks like we got us some dinner," he nodded towards Ava, "plus dessert."

I tried to get away, my fingers clawing at his hand and my legs kicking at him as I struggled. I needed to get to my daughter. He spun me around, and I looked at my daughter who looked back at me with terror filled eyes, tears streaming down her face as the man and woman gripped her arms tightly.

"Please," I sobbed, my fingers gripping his hand that was still around my throat. "Please don't hurt her. Just take me and let her go, please!"

He laughed. "Mmm, I don't think so. See, I find that the younger they are," he licked his lips, "the sweeter they taste."

I watched in horror as their mouths opened in a feral grin, sharp teeth protruding from their gums. He snarled in my ear, yanking my head to the side, his breath hot against my neck. "Let's see how good you taste," he sank his teeth into my neck, and I cried out, my eyes tearing up from the sudden sharp pain.

"Mommy! Please! Stop hurting her!" Ava sobbed as she struggled to free herself from the tight grip they had on her. "Let her go!"

A wave of dizziness flowed through me, my vision blurring as pain radiated through my body. It felt like he was sucking my neck, swallowing the blood that was filling his mouth. "Please..." I murmured, my body growing limp, "please don't hurt my baby..."

He pulled away and took a deep breath before dropping me to the floor. I landed on my knees hard, my hands slapping against the ground as I fell forward with a short cry. Grabbing my hair, he pulled my head back, forcing me to look up and watch Ava struggling against the two people holding her.

"I was going to kill you both right here, but I think I'll take the girl back with us," he looked up at my daughter and grinned, "I bet she tastes delicious,"

They all laughed, and I kept struggling against him but the more I struggled, the weaker I got. I could feel the warm flow of blood streaming down my neck. He let go of my hair and pushed me back onto the ground, kicking me in the stomach hard enough to make me fly back with a thud. I heard Ava scream and I turned my head slowly, watching helplessly as he walked over to her and punched her in the face, her body slumping forward into his arms as the other two let go of her arms. He picked her up with ease and flung her over his shoulder, tilting his head towards me smiling.

"Treat yourself guys,"

I tried to get up, needing to get to him, needing to get my daughter away from these monsters but they surrounded me, blocking my vision so that I couldn't see where he was taking her. Pushing myself off the ground I moved towards them, but I was pushed back down to the ground hard, the back of my head slamming against the ground. Spots exploded behind my eyes and I let out a small cry as my head exploded in pain. I could feel their hands on me, ripping and tearing at my clothes, exposing my skin before they all latched onto me. The pain was indescribable, my heart pounding against my chest slowly as I tried to push them away, tried to get to my daughter, struggling against their grip as they sucked and drank their fill. My mouth dropped open in a silent cry, my body limp and I looked up at the night sky, stars shining bright above me as they continued to feed.

"She's got a pulse!"

My eyes opened slowly, my vision blurry as I tried to look around. Blue and red lights flashed around me, blurry figures coming in and out of my line of sight. "Ava," I croaked as I tried to move. Pain flew through me and I gasped, feeling hands on my shoulders as they gently pushed me back down.

"You need to stay still, you've lost a lot of blood."

I turned towards the voice. "But...my daughter...they...they...took my daughter..." I breather, trying to get up again. I was pushed back down again, a wave of dizziness flowing over me.

"We need to get you to a hospital," the voice said calmly, "let's go!"

I felt myself being rolled onto a stretcher, an oxygen mask placed over my face and a sharp scratch on my arm. My vision began to blur again as I tried to stay awake, I needed to stay awake. "Ava...please..." I mumbled, images of my daughter flashing through my mind as the darkness enveloped me.