Chapter 1: Aftermath.
The feeling of numbness was like waking up from a bad dream. As I looked around, I noticed how clear my eye-sight was. It was like looking through high-definition goggles. My hearing, very acute now, I could hear the scratching of rats in the walls. Then, breathing in, I noticed how well my sense of smell was. I could smell the unclean carpet.
Then I remembered what had happened and quickly looked around me. I was in a room, almost bare, but there were scents of others that were gone now. I stood up off the bed, faster than I remember I could. I was so confused.
As soon as I had stood up, the door opened. In came the male that had attacked me Riley. Yes that is his name… I thought to myself as he stood before me. I glared at him.
" What have you done to me!" I screeched, confused and angry at the same time, and I wanted answers. I wanted to grab him by the throat and slam him up against the wall. He cringed away in fear as soon as the thought ran through my mind.
I gasped and took a step back. He backed up close to the wall. Besides his look of fear, he spoke.
" I turned you!" He yelled, his face full of terror. I had no idea what was going on.
" Into what!" I screeched again. I was so scared, and confused, and angry it was hard to believe I was still me. As my fear started to dissipate, it seemed his did too. He moved away from the wall and towards me with a reassuring safe smile.
" A vampire. I know, it sounds crazy but it is the truth. See how all your senses are heightened, and how a lot faster you are? And how you made me fear you like that? That's the vampire I've made you" He said coming closer. I backed away.
" I made you do that….vampire? Wha…?" I asked many different questions at once, not finishing them and jumbling them up. I then realized the aching burn in the back of my throat, and how something seemed to be pooling in my mouth. I spit the bile out and grasped my throat.
The smile was still placed on his face, he moved another step towards me " And that Thirst burning your throat, what other evidence is there?" he asked slyly. I screamed out of anger, and confusion, and sadness. Riley led me through the door, too another almost bare room, but this was like a living room.
" The rest of your group was turned a night early, and are feeding now." He explained. I stopped in my tracks as we walk by a mirror, that was oddly placed in the living room. I gasped at the reflection.
I was beautiful. I had been pretty before, but not like that. My skin looked a little bit…pale, but I still was a nice shade of light brown. My eyes were now blood red, and intense looking. My features hadn't changed all that much, but I was gorgeous. I looked like an African princess, the ones I read about when I was in school. My hair was shiny, soft -looking and fell to my shoulders.
" See, if that's not proof enough, I don't know what is" Riley said, making a little chuckle as I examined myself in the mirror. I touched my face with my hands and looked at my now perfectly proportionate figure. Then, the thirst came back and burned my throat reminding me of feeding.
"I am really really thirsty" I told him. He smiled at me, and nodded his head
"yes, it is time to teach you how to hunt with the others now. Afterwards, I'll tell you everything you need to know about being a vampire. And then we will talk personally about controlling your…ability" He said to me and pushed me through the door to the outside.
It was night, I guessed now that I was a vampire, I couldn't go out in the daylight. At least that's what the old legends had said. As soon as I saw him take off running, and saw how fast he was going, I did the same. Now that I was faster, I might as well use the new speed.
We stopped when we reached a large river. And then I recognized Seattle beyond it. A section I was told not to venture to. A slummy, warehouse district ridden with criminals and the homeless. I stole a quick worried glance at Riley.
"Its okay, we really don't need to breath, and we can swim very fast." He said nodding to the river. Then he jumped into the river and speed off across it. I soon followed after, trusting that I could make it across fast enough.
We soon reached the other side, and found the others Riley had mentioned. Most of them were feeding, but the ones that weren't acknowledged Riley with a sense of respect. I got afraid at the thought of having to feed now, on actual people. As soon as I thought about it, everyone cringed and backed away in fear again.
Now confusion, and thirst over took my brain. They all returned back to normal and I pulled my lips back into an apologetic frown "sorry" I mumbled.
Riley pulled me away from the others, and said something about not wanting to have any fights when I got too thirsty. Next thing I knew I was on top of a roof of a building. Riley over looked the streets.
"We need to find you some bodies to feed from before you go crazy" He said to me. "Pick people that wont be missed, that there wont be searches for" She siad to me, pointing out some sleeping homeless men in an alley nearby. I nodded as we moved swiftly to another rooftop, the one right behind the homeless men. As soon as I smelled them, I crouched low, and let a growl rip from my lips. Again, Riley backed away in fear.
I dropped from the building and snatched one up and bit into his neck without thinking. I drained him fast and went to the one trying to escape. In the next minute or two, I had drained him as well. Their blood had a sour taste to it, but it soothed the pain in my throat.
When I was finished, I looked around for Riley. I hated this, but Riley had saved me from being homeless. I decided not to tell him my thoughts.
He appeared right beside me after jumping from the roof himself "I suggest you wait here until the others are finished." he said to me in a bland monotone. I nodded once and watched him take off to round up the others. I sighed. Taking in all that new information had almost overwhelmed me, but I kept a clear head.
Riley came back momentarily and gave me a smiled "lets go back now" He said. I climbed up the side of the building and reached the group in no time. They were a very diverse group of people, all eyes red and staring at me and Riley.
" This is Dill, everyone. She was a day late." He introduced. Everyone mumbled hellos and the like. I felt very uncomfortable with them all staring at me. One thing caught my eye.
A tall, blond, awkward looking guy was in the middle, but everyone was atleast five or six feet around him as if he had some sort of plague. It was very distracting. But only after a split second after everyone got settled down again Riley began speaking and motioning to the river.