All I could feel was the steady throb of pain in my skull. It felt like my head was going to burst open. I opened my eyes, only to find myself enclosed in darkness. I was surrounded by blackness. I reached my hands out and hit a silky wall. Puzzled, I bunched the material into my fist. It was definitely some sort of silk or satin. I pushed against the silk, but it didn't move. I was boxed in. My head began to spin as I fought back feelings of claustrophobia. I felt confused. I pushed again at the material, but to no avail. I was trapped. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. My head was still throbbing, when I suddenly felt my chest vibrate. I jumped and gasped. My lungs burned at the sudden inhalation of oxygen. I frantically searched my pockets for the source of the vibrations, while trying not to hack my lungs out, and also trying not to hit any part of my body on the low roof, or close walls of my enclosure. All in the dark. I finally managed to fid the source of the vibrations. It felt like a slim cell phone. I didn't recognize the feel of it. I flipped it open, only to have the light of the screen practically blind me. I squinted against the sudden brightness and waited for my eyes to adjust. It took a few moments, but I could finally look at the screen.

I had received a text from "Saviour". I stared at the screen in confusion before finally opening the text.

Saviour- Hey there! R u awake yet?

No. I texted back and waited for the reply.

Saviour- Haha. U r so funny.

Nate- I know. I'm hilarious. Where am I?

Saviour- Hold tight Nate, I'll get u out in 15 min.

I stared at the phone for a while, thoughts running through my head. How did this "Saviour" know my name? What was I supposed to do for fifteen minutes? Why was it going to take fifteen minutes for me to get out? And, what was I getting out of? I rotated the phone and began to shine it on my surroundings. I gasped again, causing my lungs to burn once more, and I managed to drop the cell phone somewhere in the folds of cloth I was entrenched in. I coughed rather deeply while my body shook. I fumbled for the phone that I dropped. When I finally found it I shone it once more on the tiny walls of the enclosure.

I was in a casket. I was wearing some god-awful tuxedo, and I was in a casket. I could feel myself starting to freak out. I was in a casket. I tried to calm myself down, when I noticed something odd. I wasn't hyperventilating like I normally was when something freaked me out. Usually, I found it hard to breathe and my heart would be beating so loudly that I wouldn't be able to hear anything else. I felt around on my neck or a pulse. There was nothing. I lay perfectly flat and shined the cell phone light on my chest, looking for the rhythmic rise and fall to tell me that I was just going crazy. There was no movement. I experimentally breathed in very slowly. This time my lungs didn't burn, but I felt a little light-headed. I could feel my mind racing. None of this made sense. I had no pulse, I wasn't breathing spontaneously, and I was in a casket. My hands were shaking, so I lowered them back down to my sides. My headache had returned with a vengeance, so I closed my eye and tried to concentrate on anything but what was happening right now. Then I heard an odd scraping noise above me. My eyes shot open. I pounded my fists against the lid of the casket. "Help! Get me out of here!" I cried, my lungs beginning to burn once again. I could hear the scrape of metal against wood, and the fumbling of hands attempting to undo the latches on the side of the lid. I pounded my fists even harder on the wood, making them turn red. My throat felt raw from my shouts.

Suddenly the casket lid was thrown off. A flashlight beam shone directly in my eyes. A hand emerged from the general area of the beam of light. I blindly reached up to grasp the hand. Just as I started to feel myself being pulled up, I caught a glimpse of the face of my "Saviour". Emerald met azure, and I quickly released the hand, and dropped back into the casket. I glared up at my "Saviour" and sneered.

"Get the hell away from me you freak." I could barely contain the rage that welled up inside of me.

Hurt flashed through those emerald eyes, and Michael lowered the flashlight. He stared at me for what felt like ages before turning off the flashlight and stowing it away in a jacket pocket. He was holding a shovel in his right hand, which he set down outside of the grave, onto the cold ground above. He leaned casually against the wall of the grave. His head and neck poked over the top, making me wonder exactly how tall he was. I stopped my musings and attempted to get out of the half-opened casket unassisted.

"Do you need help?" Michaels's voice was soft and questioning.

"Not from you." I managed to manoeuvre my way out of the casket and into a standing position. I was now trying to figure out how to get out of the grave. It was definitely too high for me to jump. I tried and failed four times to hoist myself over the edge.

"Do you need help now?" Michael's voice sounded faintly amused.

I sighed and looked down at the ground. A plan was forming in my head. "Could you give me a boost?" I cast him a hopeful glance.

Michael walked over to my side and made a hand platform for my foot. I placed my right foot into his hands and managed to get over the top. I looked back into the grave where Michael was standing. He turned his back to me and began to shut the lid to the casket. I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the handle of the shovel, pulling it closer to me.

"Well, that's done." Michael dusted off his hands and turned towards me. The second I could see his eyes, I lashed out with the shovel. The blade of the shovel connected rather nicely with his face, making a loud cracking noise. Michael dropped like a sack of potatoes, and I dropped the shovel into the grave and ran as fast as my legs would take me. I had no idea where I was running, and a part of me didn't care. I just needed to get away. I began to recognize some streets, and I slowly made my way back to my house. I passed a newspaper stand, and stared at the headline and date. It was one week after Cassie's party. I stared at the date for a few moments before heading off in the direction of my house. I was only vaguely aware of where I was going. My feet led the way towards my house, and all I could think about was the date. One week after the party. It sounded vaguely familiar, and not familiar from that movie the Ring. I shook my head in an attempt to clear my head. Not the best idea when you have a raging headache, but the pain distracted me.

I finally made it to my home. I came to a dead stop in front and wrapped my fingers round the latch on the gate. I could be in the house in a matter of moments. It would only take a few seconds to lift up the latch, to spring up the steps, grab the keys from underneath the ceramic frog statue and to swing open the door. I could be with my family, and they would all be overjoyed to see that I was alright. And everyone would live happily ever after. I stared up at the dark windows, my mind spinning. It all sounded so good in my head, so why couldn't I do it. There was something stopping me from going up the path to the purple door- my mother's idea to add some character to the old Victorian house. I tightened my grip and continued staring. It felt like hours, until I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

"So, are you going to do it?" Michael was behind me, leaning against a street lamp. There was a jagged scar stretching across his forehead that was slowly fading. He began studying the house and then turned his head towards the horizon. "Sun's gonna be up soon," he turned to look at me. "What's it gonna be?"

"Why do I have to pick before sunrise?" I asked. "Am I gonna burn up in the sun? Ohmygod, I'm not a vampire, right? I'm not gonna start shimmering like I was just dropped in a vat of glitter, right?" I began pacing the area in front of the gate to my house. "Because if I'm a vampire, I'm gonna scream. Like no joke. I just don't think that I could do the whole bloodsucking thing. I just don't like the taste of..."

"Do you ever shut up?" Michael was glaring at me, his arms crossed sternly across his chest. "You know, if you quit talking for like two seconds, I could actually explain to you what is going on."

I stared at him. Michael just rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Sorry I snapped. I'm just really tired. Healing a gaping head wound, repairing a skull fracture, refilling a grave, and tracking an errant runaway takes a lot out of a guy."

"How did you fix your skull?" Michael's forehead was now smooth and unmarred by a scar. "Did you use your freaky vampire powers?"

He sighed. "I did not use my 'freaky vampire' powers because I don't have any. I used my freaky zombie powers. The same powers you now have. Because you're a zombie too. Just wanted to clarify that."

I burst into laughter. My chest was heaving and my lungs burning. I doubled over, my laughs shaking my body. "I'm... I'm... a z...zombie? Are you serious?" I laughed for a few more minutes, until I looked at his face. He looked seriously pissed off. "You're joking, right? Zombies aren't real."

Michael just stared at me. "Do I look like I'm joking? Does this look like the face of a comedian?"

"No." I just glared at Michael. "It looks like the face of someone with serious problems. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to see my family."

I turned and began to lift the gate latch when Michael's voice stopped me. "Are you willing to risk your family's life on the belief that you aren't a zombie?" He spoke in a low monotone. "Are you prepared to deal with the consequences of your foolishness?"

I slowly turned my head to face him. His emerald eyes were completely devoid of emotion. He was serious. There was something about his lack of humour that made me reconsider all my previous plans. What if he wasn't totally deranged? I could never hurt my family. "So," My voice cracked." Let's say that I believe you. What are my options?"

"You have two choices Nathaniel." His use of my full name made me shiver. My parents rarely used my full name. "You can choose to go to your family, and never have to see me again, which also means that I can't be there to teach you how to control you abilities. Or, you can come with me. I will teach you everything you need to know to survive, and when I feel that you have mastered your powers, you can see your family."

I just stared at him. "You promise that I can see my family once I've mastered my powers."

"I wouldn't lie to you Nate." His voice sounded somewhat strangled. "I've hurt you enough already."

I looked back up at my house. I could see a light upstairs turning on. That jolted me out of my musings in a flash. Any second now, someone could look out of the window and see me standing there, and there would be no turning back. I spun around to find Michael was also staring at the light.

"This is why you have to choose before dawn." He turned to stare at the horizon, where the sun was slowly beginning to brighten the dark sky. "If anyone sees you, you'll have to either run or..."

"Please just shut up." I hissed out the words and massaged my temples. Once again, my headache was back with a vengeance. I cast one final glance towards my house. This was it. I was saying goodbye to the only home I had ever known, and I didn't know when I would be coming back. I didn't even know if I would ever see my family again. "Let's go before I change my mind." Suddenly, my vision swam and I nearly fell to my knees.

Michael was all of a sudden at my side and grabbing my arm, stopping my face from being crushed into the sidewalk. "You need rest."

"I've been in a coffin for seven days. How much more rest do I need?"

Michael chuckled lowly. He pulled me to my feet. "Can you stand?" I tried to stand up straight, but my legs stared to give. I sagged against his body. "Guess not." He smirked at me. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."

I couldn't really focus on anything as we walked. "Where are we going?"

"The Hotel Macdonald. It has a nice view of the river valley."

"Sounds very posh for a zombie. Is it just me, or are the streets moving by really fast?" The surroundings were beginning to blur together. "Where do you get all your money from? Is it something illegal?"

"I'll answer your question later. We're here."

Michael ushered me into the elevator rather quickly, with only a slight nod to the man behind the reception desk. I could see my vision darken around the edges, and next thing I knew, I was being laid down on a rather luxurious bed, and Michael was tucking me under the covers, in an oddly paternal way. "Get some sleep Nate. Heaven knows you need it."

Michael moved away from my bed, going to turn off the lights. My head hit the pillow and I was asleep before he even hit the switch.