Chapter 3:
And So, My Nightmare Begins

I woke up the next morning, my body hanging off of the guest bed. Lazily and still half asleep, I turned my attention towards the clock hanging on the wall. 7:30.

I could barely remember how I ended up in this bed or how we actually came home but I disregarded the details and meanwhile, swung my legs over the side of the mattress and landed with a thump on the hardwood floor. Stretching my arms over my head, I let out a long yawn and sauntered into the hallway, heading towards Jeff's room. Downstairs, I could hear the tiny murmurs of Jeff's parents and the Robert next store, snoring like a bear. I stifled a chuckle and continued walking, tip toeing silently, afraid to wake up Jeff if he was still asleep. But, just as I expected, when I entered the blue painted bedroom, Jeff was awake and as perky as ever.

"Morning!" Jeff called to me as I stepped into his room. He motioned me to come over to his bed. I did as he told me so, settling myself on the soft mattress. It was nothing compared to my bed which lay empty at home.

"When did we get home last night?" I asked him. He shrugged, unaware of what time it actually was.

"Maybe 12:00 or 1:00. I don't remember much, other than you were like a zombie when we were walking home. I almost had to carry you like an infant up the stairs!" My pale face grew a bright pink with embarrassment. "You drank like, 20 Red Bulls last night and boy, did you crash! But, nice dancing." With a broad grin, Jeff tried to imitate the way I danced and I'll just spare you the details.

"O.K., Jeff stop! You're burning my eyes!" And with a dramatical movement, I dropped to the floor, cringing and covering my eyes, like I was dying. Jeff laughed hysterically at my horrible acting. Guess you won't see me on Broadway any time soon.

Soon, the inviting aroma of breakfast drifted into the room, making our bellies rumble with hunger. Without even saying a word, Jeff and I raced each other down the stairs. He was huffing with lack of air as we reached the kitchen. I wasn't even breaking a sweat. It's pretty difficult to keep up with a vampire!

"Good morning, boys!" Jeff's mom said to us in her sweet song voice. I smiled and Jeff rolled his eyes. His father merely waved as his eyes were glued to the morning news which flashed across the TV screen.

On the table lay food items of all sorts. They had everything from bacon to oatmeal. It all looked appetizing and my mouth was salivating to dive right in. Unfortunate enough for me, none of the food had any nutritional value for a vampire, which meant by the time the clock stroked twelve in the afternoon, I would drop dead with exhaustion and dehydration. But, since I was in a room with humans who didn't understand my "needs", I had to be courteous and eat what they had. I could almost hear my blood packs calling to me as I nibbled on a piece of sausage.

Suddenly, I felt Jeff's hand on my shoulder. I flinched from surprise but then regarded what he was pointing to. The television screen.

Bright white words flashed across the screen. I stared intently at what they said.

Young Boy Found Close To Death in Bathory

Jeff was about to speak but I rose my hand sharply, signaling him to quiet.

A young boy, age 11, was found nearly mauled to death last night. While the rest of the Halloween trick or treaters were lying in bed fast asleep, Tomas Crabbe was making his final stops when an unknown man assaulted him. He was found by a pedestrian who was walking his dog early this morning, unconscious and bleeding profusely. Tomas was escorted quickly to the Bathory Hospital via ambulance shortly there after. All condolences go to the family as they wait for their son, who is nearly on the verge of death. More details later. The police are searching for his attacker and are waiting eagerly for any onlookers for details. If you know anything, please contact the following number…

Jeff's father clicked off the TV. Although the screen was black, the newscaster's words rang in my ear. Tomas Crabbe. ****

The young cheerful boy that I had only met merely a week ago was close to death now. My throat closed up and I choked, braking down crying.

After my tear bath, I finally was able to calm myself down, although my stomach was tied up in knots and dizziness overwhelmed me. Swaying side to sides, I stared at the blank screen.

"James?" Jeff called out softly.

"Yeah?" I muttered in a monotone reply.

"Do you want to go home?"

I thought for a second. Should I leave the sanctuary of my best friends' house and enter the death trap of Bathory? Was it safe? No. I had no choice but to go back.

"Yes. I would like that."

Jeff turned to his mother and she gave a slight nod.

"Go help James pack. I'll call up Nelly."

Jeff helped me up as I struggled to climb of the stairs; my body feeling like it would collapse below me any second. My hand shook violently as I packed my things, tears still threatening to fall out of my eyes. The news was still repeating again and again in my head: a never ending haunting memory.

We left soon after I said a brief goodbye to Jeff's brother and father. The drive to Bathory was smooth and quiet. The whole time, I stared out the window, the scene of Glen Rock vanishing before me. I hadn't even been there a day and already I was leaving home. Would I ever return?

The car jolted to an immediate, quick stop, throwing me against the seat. The house lay only feet away, inviting, soothing, yet terrifying and horrible. I turned to my best friend, tears falling down his sweet face, his eyes round, staring into mind. I frowned and gave him a hug, whispering in his ear "I promise, I will be back." He didn't speak a word.

Jeff's mother gathered my things and kissed me on my forehead before they drove off into the horizon, like a cowboy in a western movie. Except those kinds of movie had happy endings.

Nelly and Vlad stood leaning against the front porch and I walked slowly up the stairs. As I reached the top step, a considerate Nelly ran to me, grasping me in her fragile arms. Vlad stared at me, displeased and afraid. He slithered into the house, quiet, sneaky, and sly. I lay in Nelly's arms, feeling her heartbeat against me. For a vampire, it was like a rattle to a baby. Releasing all pains of the day, and keeping your true senses on the inside. My fangs elongated slightly, pushing against the inside of my raw cheek, and although my stomach growled hungrily, I ignored my famished plea, and focused on more important matters

"I'm so sorry, James."

I pushed out of her tight hold and sighed. "It's O.K."

"No, it's not." She replied sternly. "I know you are hurt. I can see it in your eyes."

I sat down on the rickety, old crusted white rocking chair, and placed my head in my hands. "It's just that… it seems like everything happens when I am not here. I could have been here. To save Tomas. He's my best friend! I should have been trick or treating with him instead of partying Jeff's!" Tears streamed down my cheeks, landing on the wood, seeping into all of the cracks. I kept repeating in my head, again and again, that it was my fault. But could I have really stopped it? What was that gut feeling that told me it was truly my fault?

"Nelly?" I breathed, moments later.

"Yes?"

"Can I visit Tomas? You know, at the hospital?"

Silence. A complete, eerie void of nothingness. Only the wind in my ears and the occasional cracking of fallen leaves.

Finally, I got my answer. "I guess so."

We arrived at the small, local hospital, the glass gleaming in the slight sunlight peeking in through the overcast. I was shaking as a clambered out of the car onto the cement. I immediately was taken aback as my senses were going crazy. With keen sense of hearing and smell, plus the imminent thirst for blood, I felt like I was going to drop dead any second. The sweetness of the red wine that I dined on filled my nose, making my heart flutter. The racket of ambulances pulling in to and fro echoed in my ears. It was maddening! I slowly turned on my heels to face Nelly, who was locking the old van.

"Nelly?" I coughed.

"Yeah?" She sang back as she straightened herself.

"Can we get inside? I think I'm going to be sick."

She stared at me for a couple of seconds, then glanced back at the hospital and immediately recognized my agony. "Sure. Go to the Main Entrance, and I'll meet you inside. I don't think it would be a good idea for us to enter the hospital through the ER, considering the circumstances." I smiled, braced my legs, and pushed myself, running as fast as I could to what I thought was the main entrance. Of course, I can never get a down, normal day, can I? Human instincts aside, my brain took a wrong turn, trusting my vampire will. And what do vampires like? You guessed it. Blood, Blood and more blood.

But I didn't stop myself. It was a yearning, a passion to keep on running towards the delectable scent. No one was here to stop me, so why not?

I burst through the glass door, growling, foaming at the mouth. I was the rapid animal, here to kill my prey: innocent victims of various accidents. A car accident victim was wheeled next to me, on a red splattered stretcher. My mouth watered at the site. What had I been missing these past few months? The smell of bagged blood was nothing like the smell of fresh human blood. What harm would it be to take just one bite………….

"JAMES!" Nelly shrieked, grabbing my body, snapping me out of my delusion. I fought against her hold for a couple of seconds, as a couple of lone nurses stared at my monstrosity; my sudden outburst that they could not comprehend. But after a couple shakes of my head, I realized my position: I was standing over the groaning, injured man, mouth ajar, ready to snap on his delicate, broken flesh.

Tears dripped down my face as I backed away, silently apologizing under my breath. Nelly led me through a pair of heavy, automatic doors, leading into the main visitor wing. I sat down on a couch, letting my body sink into the fabric, placing my head on my hands. She took a seat next to me, letting out a long sigh.

"I though I told you not to go to the ER."

"I know. And I heard what you said. It's just… It's just…." I sniffed. "I don't know. I couldn't help it! I mean, what do you expect? I'm a vampire! And this is a hospital were talking about! There's enough blood here to keep me full for a hundred years!" I was surprised at my outburst. I shook my head and lowered it in shame, in fury. "I'm a monster. I complete, and utterly out of control. I'll never be normal."

Nelly shifted her position and leaned her head down to my level. "Don't say that, sweetie. You're as normal as anyone else. You just have…. Certain needs, that's all."

"I almost killed that man. And he was already dying to begin with!" I cried out.

"I know. But you didn't. And that's what matters."

"If you weren't there, who knows what could have happened."

"Here." She whispered, reaching in to her purse. I looked up and smirked a little as she pulled a silver packet out. "Take this. You need it."

I grabbed the smooth container, hearing the liquidy insides splash around as I handled it. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people around us. I couldn't just bite into the packet with my fangs. It would reveal too much.

As if Nelly had read my mind, she pulled out what looked like to be a "Capri Sun" straw. I laughed. "Thanks." Piercing the metal with the orange tube, the blood flowed out as soon as it peaked through the foil. I raised it to my lips and began to drink, though I realized the disgusting stares and looks from the guests around us. I guess it didn't look like any fruit drink they had ever seen. But hey. It worked.

After I had drained the package, I handed it back to Nelly, who would soon dispose it properly in a bio-hazard bin.

"All better?" She asked thoughtfully, replacing the item back in her purse.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. I think so."

"Then let's get a move on, shall we?" We stood up, stretching our achy muscles from our incident. I knew I had badly strained Nelly's right arm when I had tried to release her grip, for as she tried to move it, a look of drastic pain was etched on her face. I ignored it the best that I could.

Shuffling over to the receptionist desk, I froze in my place. It reminded me of standing in the "friendly" headquarters of Elysia a few months ago, awaiting my fate from the hands of Debra. I closed my eyes, hoping it would be over any second.

Nelly tapped my hand moments later. I opened my eyes to a concerned face. "Are you O.K., James? Do you need another drink?"

I shook my head quickly. "No. No. I'm fine." Leading the way, I walked on over to the opened elevator, which to my relief, was empty. Nelly and I stepped into the enclosed space, the droning classical music pouring in through the overhead speakers. The doors slid shut, surrounding us in the only dim light from above.

"What floor?" I asked Nelly.

"12." She replied. I pressed the button, which glowed at my touch. There was a sudden jerk and up we went. I felt a bit queasy, for everything reminded me of my time in the horrid vampire city. Soon, we had reached the twelfth floor; I ran out and took a deep breath, as if I had been shut in a desolate, unforgotten place for all of eternity. But the truth was I had only been in the elevator for 30 seconds or less.

Nelly simply stepped out and led me through the halls. I shut out the noises of screaming patients, groaning and screeching in agony. Luckily, anyone who had been bleeding was stitched up in the ICU, so I had nothing to worry about.

Nelly stopped as she reached the end of the hallway. I halted in my place and gazed at the door.

"We're here. Room 1243." She chimed. Reaching for the I.D. pass that hung around her neck, she swiped it through the key lock. I heard a tiny click as the mechanism opened. I extended my arm and grasped the cold brass doorknob, sweat beads dripping down my face. Turning it with a slow motion, the door opened, light streaming into the room. There was a tiny boy resting on the bed, eyes closed, all sorts of machines and tubes hooked up to his body, casts surrounding every inch of exposed skin. He looked like he had been run over by a truck many, many times.

"Tomas." I whispered, shuffling over to his bedside. I was surprised to see him squirm a little at the sound of my voice. Glancing to Nelly, she nodded her head. "I'll give you two a few moments alone." Swiftly, she exited the room into the lit hallway. The door slammed shut. Turning my gaze backed to the beaten up Tomas, I tried to get his attention again.

"Tomas, buddy? You there?" No response. Not even a twitch. Sighing, I decided to give it another, final shot.

"Come on, Tomas. Don't do this to me. I'm your friend, remember? You can't leave me. I won't let you. Please, Tomas. Wake up." I thought I had failed again and turned to walk away when out of nowhere, I heard a low groan.

"Tomas?" I sang, smiling and returning to my original spot. But I never predicted what would happen next.

I watched with waiting eyes as his eyes slowly fluttered open to the light of the day, the smells of the early morning. As his gaze met mine, I gasped and jumped back. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Was all that ran through my head, buzzed around my mind like angry bees.

Red. Glowing red irises, with a hint of black ring on the edge. It was the all too familiar stare of... of a vampire.

"No. No. No! Tomas, what happened to you!?" Out of fury and confusion, I took hold of his shoulders and shook him violently. A growl escaped from the pit of his chest as he opened his mouth the snap. His pearl white fangs stuck out against his mouth, like stars on a darkened night. Alarms began to sound as his punched the red button on the wall.

"No, Tomas, what are you doing?!"

"Get… off... of…me…" He spat.

I heard the frightened screams and shouts of nurses, doctors and security running through the hallway. Nelly broke through the door, terror written all over her face. "James! Come, quickly!" I stood up, looking back at Tomas. His face looked solemn now as he slipped back into unconsciousness, but a devious smile lay on his pale face.

We ran out of the room, sneaking past the hotel personal with ease. Realizing that an elevator would be to slow of an escape, we took the stairs, pacing down them, knowing that soon enough, one of the nurses would recognize us, and we would be caught. I offered to take Nelly on my back and run but she refused, knowing somehow that we might end up back in the ER and our brief episode would be repeated. How conspicuous would we be then!

Nelly fussed with her keys as I scanned the area for anyone threatening to approach us. Once she had managed to unlock the car, I through myself into the passenger seat, eagerly waiting for Nelly to start the engine.

"Come on, you blasted piece of scrap!" She yelled, turning the keys with no prevail. I was about to be diagnosed with ADD as I watched her continue to try and try, like the Little Nelly That Could. Finally, I heard the ominous purr (O.K. more like roar) of the engine. She slammed on the pedal and the car began to move.

"Let's get out of here!" I announced proudly as the scene left behind us and the open stretch of empty road lay ahead. It was smooth sailing from there on out.

But as I stared out the window, the only thing that was imprinted on my mind, a continuously playing movie, was the radiant red eyes of my first human friend, now turned vampire, in Bathory staring up at me.

I knew that the haunting had begun.