Chapter 2: Edward
The stench of death hung in the air. It clung to every fiber, sank into every pore around me. I could feel the sweat pour down my forehead. The pain, however, was gone. I knew what that meant, and id dint care. So this was what it felt like to die. I would slowly drift away, losing touch with reality until there was nothing left. It all sounded so peaceful, so much better than where I was now. Come to think of it, anywhere would be better than where I was.
The peacefulness was too much for me to fight, so I didn't. I was drifting away. All of a sudden, a shockingly freezing hand was pressed against my cheek. The shock jolted me back to the hospital. There was a low murmur that I couldn't understand. It also felt as if my bed was being moved under me.
"Wha-what's going on?" I managed to say. My voice sounded unnaturally raspy and weak. I cracked my eyes open slightly. I was being moved down the hall.
"Shh," a distant voice scolded softly. I allowed myself to slip away into the muddiness of my mind.
Everything after that was a blur. I felt myself being moved, but it was difficult to grasp what exactly was going on. I distantly heard that voice again, but all the words ran together. I forced my eyes open in time to see a face I knew I should recognize lower to my bare neck. My heart pounded even harder. Then, then he bit me. Just like that, he bit me as if it was nothing. Almost immediately a burning fire erupted from the wound, but that didn't stop him. He continued to bite me over and over again, spreading the burning pain all over my crippled body. What kind of twisted, sadistic mind was this?
I screamed at the top of my lungs in hopes that someone with a heart would hear me and put me out of my agonizing pain. No one came for me though, except for that man who did this to me. I heard his voice fading in and out through the blinding fury that was consuming my body. It felt as if the fire was burning me from the inside out. My heart began to race at a rate that I knew wasn't right. Even so, I struggled for each breath. Faster and faster it went until it finally stopped. I mentally prepared myself for the end, but it never came. I took a deep breath; it felt unnatural. The air filled up my chest but had nowhere to go.
I opened my eyes. Everything around me was sharper, clearer. I whipped my head back and forth urgently, soaking up my surroundings. I was in a lavish living room, stretched out across a plush couch. There he was, the one who had done this to me, sitting on a chair next to my head. He looked so calm, as if he had done nothing wrong. I knew differently though.
"How do you feel?" he asked calmly. I felt a growl of resentment building up from somewhere deep inside. In a flash, I lunged at him at a sped I knew was unnatural. The shock from my speed sent me reeling backwards. I reached out to steady myself using an end table, but the piece of furniture crumbled beneath my hand. "How do you feel?" he repeated.
"What happened?" I demanded. I felt an instinct to attack this stranger building up inside of me.
"Drink this, and I'll explain." There was a slight edge to his voice; was there concern buried deep inside there? He handed me a flask. It was then that I was aware of the burning thirst that held a firm grip on my throat. I took the already open flask, held it to my lips and instantly drained it. The second the thick liquid slid past my lips I knew what it was, but I didn't care. The blood eased down my throat, smothering the thirst. "First off, I want to introduce myself. My name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen," he said as he extended his hand towards me. Knowing that it was the polite thing to do, I reached out and shook his hand firmly. He winced.
"Sorry." I couldn't figure out why I was apologizing to him.
"No, don't be, that wasn't your fault. Newborns are often stronger." Newborns? What was this Dr. Cullen talking about?
"Newborns?" Dr. Cullen let out a sigh.
"What I'm about to tell you is going is extremely difficult to understand, so I'm going to take it slow. Officially, you are dead. I work at the hospital; I took care of your mother. Her dying wish was for me to do anything possible to save you. I promised her, and I kept my promise." He paused. My head was spinning as I tried to understand where exactly this was going. "I'm a vampire, Edward, and now you are too." His voice was gentle. He understood the delicacy of the situation. "There was only one way to save you, and I couldn't deny your mother her dying wish." I felt my entire body shake from frustration and indescribable anger. In a flash, I was on my feet.
"You turned me into a monster!? I'm a freak like you now!" With equal speed, Dr. Cullen was standing also. He held his hands up to calm me.
"Now Edward, please. This takes some time to get used to, but-"
"But nothing." I needed to get away from here, from this freak. I turned to leave, but I felt his hand on my shoulder. "Get off of me!" I roared before pushing him against the wall with all my might and I ran.
Chicago, my city, rushed past me as I ran down the street. The acceleration was euphoric. As I ran, my thirst returned. It didn't take long for the feeling to completely consume me. I became desperate to quench this feeling; it began to rule over my every thought and action. I needed blood. That was all I could think about.
There she was, just sitting there on a stoop on the corner. It was obvious that she was homeless, but that didn't bother me. Without giving it a second though, I leapt through the air and landed silently next to the woman. I felt my mouth water with venom as I eyed the pulsing artery filled with the one thing that I craved. She looked up at me almost as if she understood what was on. I couldn't wait anymore; I knew exactly what to do.
As I finished, two voices drifted down the street. Wild-eyed, my head whipped up and looked in the direction they were coming from. I was still thirsty. I flew down the street and descended upon the rest of my meal.
The sun's early morning rays were creeping up over the horizon by the time I returned to Dr. Cullen's. I don't know why I was going back to him; I could have left right then and there without any worry, but I felt compelled to go back. I hadn't even put my hand over the doorknob when the door flew open. Dr. Cullen stood in the doorway. We were both frozen, staring at each other. I saw him eye my blood soaked shirt, and he sighed.
'What have you done, Edward?' It was his voice, but his mouth never moved. This caught me off guard. There was no doubt in my mind, I was a completely new person; my old life was no more.