Chapter 2: Midnight Attack

I could barely breath, her grip around my throat was strong. I was starting to black out, but before my vision was completely blurry I slammed hard against my couch, it was soft but still hurt, I heard at least one spring in the couch break. I started to rub my throat and took gasping breaths, and coughing. I heard her cock a gun, I looked up quickly and saw a gun barrel pointed at my forehead.

"You bastard!" Allisia yelled at me, I moved my head back as much it would go.

"I'm going to make you suffer before I kill you though," She said, quickly she flipped the gun around and was holding the barrel and smacked me across the face with the handle. My head twisted to the side, it hurt like a bitch, but I quickly looked back at her. She grabbed me by the neck I could feel her nails dig into my neck.

"You think your neck is hurting now," She said, I could feel her nails slowly start to extend. I cried out in pain as the nails broke flesh. She threw me across the room and I hit the counter of the kitchen, back of my head first. I slid to the floor, a blood trail followed my head on the counter. She grabbed me by the neck and dragged me to my feet. She hit me in the face with such force that I was sent flying over the surface of the counter, and flipped and landed on my head and the rest of my body followed soon after and I was laying flat on my back. She came into the kitchen and walked over to me, she picked me up and pulled my hair back. Forcing my head back, She slit my throat with her nail I yelled. I fell to the ground and started to bleed out.

"You won't bleed to death but it will hurt for several hours," She said, noticeably calmer then before. "Get some sleep, your going to need it. I'll come back tomorrow night, I'm going to visit you every night for a month. And leave you in a condition that you would welcome death, but I won't give it to you." I don't know how but I managed to get in to bed, after putting a bandage on my neck to help stop the bleeding. A month of this torture, I wasn't sure how but I had to put an end to this I thought as I fell asleep.

I got up the next morning to the ringing of my alarm clock. I got up and turned it off and went back to bed, I still had about 10 minutes before I needed to really get up. I lied in bed trying to get back to sleep like ever morning, and like every morning, I couldn't. I got up and got a bowl of cereal, a general brand of cherros, they are cheaper and you get more food for dollar. I also got a glass of juice, Berry Punch, my favorite. Ahuramazda knows I needed it with the kind of night I had last night, Jezz I thought to myself. I grabbed my backpack and started out the door. Luckily the school was only a mile from my apartment.

School passed by like a blur, it was surprisingly fast . It was lunch time by the time I thought it was second period. I sat at a table by myself like always. My tray consisted of a pair of hot dogs, a small pile of what passes for mac-and-cheese around here and a small salad, with a chocolate milk carton. I saw someone out of the corner of my eye sit next to me. I looked up and to my great amazement Olivia, from last night was sitting next to me.

"Hi," she said to me. I was too stunned to say anything.

"What happened to you last night?" She said concerned as she saw my black eye, split lip and bandage on my neck.

"Allisia attacked me last night after Alex dropped me off at my apartment," I told her, "She wasn't too happy about the tire I blew out with a rifle," I said.

"Oh...did she bite you?" She asked reaching to lift the bandage. I grabbed her hand to stop her, we both froze, I let her hand go.

"No she didn't but she extended her nails into my neck while she was holding me," I explained.

"Oh no," She said.

"Oh yes, she did and she going to visit the same amount of damage on me every night for the next month," I told her.

"Well I bet that will change..." She trailed.

"How? How can I stop her from doing any damn thing she wants to," I said in exasperation, throwing my arms up.

"Well... the Ritual..." She said reluctantly.

"What about the Ritual?" I asked extremely interested.

"Well... I'm sorry for even mentioning it, I can't tell you anything about it, but I can tell you it will help you with your problem," she said, picking up her lunch tray and walking away. Great I thought but I guess that it would be logical to go away, I had a feeling she wanted to tell me something, but she couldn't, so remove temptation. It still hurt but I can see why. Not that, that helped me, I still had a problem of a vampire that wanted me to suffer to death, how was I going to solve this problem. I guess I would have to do some research, but I don't know where to start. I suppose that I could learn more when I go back to that library the Arcanum has set up, with all those books...Some thing is bound to help. Tonight I could go see what I can learn.

The rest of my day went by pretty fast, I was anxious to see what I could learn, and was wondering what Olivia had meant when she said the Ritual could help. I guess that being in the Arcanum could help, with all that information, something is bound to help. I hope. The last bell rang signaling the end of the last period of the day. I walked quickly to the parking lot. And sure enough, there was Alex in his car. Olivia was also in the car too, I guessed she gets a ride from Alex as well. I got in the back seat and Alex drove off, I wanted to question Olivia again but I didn't fearing I'd get her in trouble by telling Alex.

"Alex?" I asked trying to get his attention.

"I know about last night, Olivia told me. She's right, the Ritual will help you," He said. I looked at him, how did he know, did Olivia tell him?

"Olivia, did you..." I started.

"No I didn't tell him. You must have been thinking about it," She said.

"How..." I started, so many questions that I wanted to ask.

"Don't ask, after the Ritual, everything will be clear," She said almost mystically. That was really annoying, I really hopped that their faith in this 'Ritual' was well placed, because if it wasn't I was in real trouble. Alex drove us straight for the "base" I guess you can call it. Alex parked and we all got out of the very nice car. We walked up to the only entrance to the base, Alex knocked on the door the same way he did before, first 5 knocks, then a pause, and last 3 more knocks. The vision slit opened for a second and then closed, a unlocking of a few locks, and the door was open.

Alex led me to the library and up some stairs on the end of the main room with all the shelfs. He led me up the stairs, turned right when we reached the top and we walked down the hall,

"Where are you taking me? If I may ask," I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Your new quarters, you will be staying here for the rest of the week, for your own safety," He said looking back to me, we kept walking.

"Ok," I said. We walked to the end of the hallway, about 100 feet down the hall. At the end of the hall was a door. Alex turned to me and handed me a key. I took it, and unlocked the door at the end of the hall. The door didn't open with any sound, I kind of liked it. Inside was sparse, it was about 10 feet from opposite corners, it had a singles bed and a desk on two different corners. In a third corner was a small dresser. In the final corner, opposite of the dresser was the door we had opened.

"It might not be much, but it is good, and you will be safe from Allessia," He said assuring my fears. "I'll see you in an hour, that is when the Ritual will start," He said, and exited, about to shut the door. His hand still on the door, he stopped, and stilled for a few seconds, his hand left the edge of the door without closing it. Olivia opened the door fully and walked in. I was sitting on my bed, I stood up. She smiled,

"You've got manners, that is something that is lacking around here, but you really don't have to stand up," She said, walking over to the bed, I sat down and she sat down next to me. She sighed and leaned close to my ear, I was about to turn towards her, when she put her hand on the side of my face and stopped me.

"I'm not really suppose to tell you this but, about the Ritual," She whispered in my ear, leaning even closer to me.

"It's going to hurt like hell, worst than anything you ever felt, worst than anything you will ever feel. But I have confidence, if you survive, which I'm certain you will, you will be strong, probability stronger than any of us. I have supreme confidence in you, just live," She said exasperated. She got up and walked out of my room, closing the door softly as she left. I ran my hands through my short cut hair. Worst than I've ever have and will feel, she said, She implied that I might even die from the pain, was it from the pain, she didn't say. I not quite sure why she didn't tell anymore, considering that she wasn't suppose to tell me anything to begin with. I guess she had her reasons though.

Author Note: I'm sorry for not updating for awhile, I've been working on my other stories, try reading "My Girlfriend's a Vampire!", and "The Enlightened" both are really good.