10. Selene
Chapter 10
Selene
I open the mini fridge in my room, eyeing the dwindling number of blood bags inside. Only three left.
Damn it!
With school starting in three days, I need to figure out a way to restock fast. There’s no way I can handle being around humans all day with my thirst gnawing at me.
I pour myself a drink from one of the bags and cover the Stanley cup. Sipping slowly, I head to the living room, trying to push aside my worries for now.
Annie walks in, a tired smile on her face. “Hey, Selene,” she says, flopping down on the couch beside me. “How’s it going?”
I return her greeting with a smile, trying to keep my anxiety in check. “Not bad,” I reply. “How about you? Work treating you okay?”
Annie lets out a weary sigh. “Yeah, it’s fine. Just exhausting, you know?”
I nod sympathetically. “Yeah, I get it. You should definitely take it easy tonight. We can order dinner in later.”
Annie’s face lights up at the suggestion. “That sounds great, actually. Thanks, Selene.”
She glances at my cup, curiosity sparking in her eyes. “What’s that you’re drinking? Looks tasty.”
I freeze for a moment, my mind scrambling for an excuse. “Oh, uh, just cranberry juice,” I lie, hoping she’ll buy it.
Annie raises an eyebrow, curious. “Really? Mind if I have a sip?”
Panic floods through me as I scramble to come up with a response. “Uh, it’s actually spiked with alcohol,” I blurt out, praying she’ll drop it.
Annie shrugs, unfazed. “Ah, gotcha. Well, I’m gonna go lie down for a bit. We can catch up later, okay?”
I breathe a sigh of relief as she heads to her room, giving her a wave goodbye.
As soon as she’s out of sight, I quickly rummage through her bag, searching for her nurse’s ID. Finding it, I slip it into my pocket and sigh with relief.
I’ve got exactly four hours to sneak into the hospital, grab some blood bags, and get back without anyone noticing. It’s risky, but I’m desperate. What choice do I have?
Still sipping from my cup, I pull into the hospital parking lot with my heart pounding in my chest. I park a safe distance from the entrance and glance around, making sure no one is watching. I dump the empty cup in the backseat and grab my backpack, slinging it over my shoulder.
Lowering my head to avoid the security cameras, I walk briskly towards the entrance, slipping Annie’s nurse’s ID from my pocket and flashing it at the security guard as I enter. With Annie’s scrubs on, and an ID, he barely even looks at me.
Inside, I walk confidently, as though I belong there, but discreetly follow the signs toward an elevator. If I want to avoid running out of blood too soon, I have to find the hospital’s blood bank. It should be near pathology. So, as I hit the elevator button, I review the hospital's directory. There it is! Third floor.
As I exit the elevator on the third floor, I put the next step of my plan in place. I need to “borrow” someone else’s badge. Annie must be safe from suspicion, so using her badge is out of the question.
I keep my head down as I lurk in the corridors, waiting for an opportunity. Finally, a doctor approaches coming down the corridor. He seems distracted, so I accidentally bump into him and lift his badge. He barely looks at me, saying, “Sorry about that,” and keeps moving. That was almost too easy.
Then I wait and watch for the perfect moment.
Finally, when I’m sure no one is around, I make my move. Using super speed (which I couldn’t have attained on animal blood), I slip into the blood bank and close the door.
The exhilaration of knowing I’m inches away from hundreds of pints of human blood is like a rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. There’s something about the sight of all those blood bags lined up neatly on the shelves that sets my senses on fire. I feel like a kid in a candy store, except the candy is liquid life itself.
I stuff as many bags as I can into my backpack, trying to ignore the nagging voice in the back of my mind telling me to hurry. But just as I’m about to grab another bag, I hear it—a commotion somewhere in the hospital.
Cursing under my breath, I quickly hide behind a stack of boxes, straining to listen for any voices or footsteps. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait, praying that whoever it is will just go away.
But then I hear it. Footsteps, getting closer. And then a voice, calling my name.
“You in here, Selene?”
My blood runs cold as I recognize the voice.
It’s Katya.
What the hell is she doing in here?
I step out of hiding, trying to keep my cool as she approaches.
“What are you doing here?” I demand, my voice coming out sharper than I intended.
Katya just shrugs, her expression unreadable. “I’ve been looking for you, Selene. It is not safe. We need to go. Now.”
I feel a surge of panic grip me as she grabs my arm, leading me toward a back elevator. “But why?” I protest, trying to keep up with her super speed. And I thought I was fast!
“The hospital is rigged,” Katya explains, her voice urgent. “We’ll be caught if we stick around. Trust me, we need to get out of here.”
I’m afraid and full of questions, but I know she’s right. I can’t afford to get caught—not now.
As we reach the parking lot, I tell Katya about my car, but she shakes her head. “We can’t risk it. I know a safe house we can stay at for the night. Come on, let’s go.”
With a sinking feeling in my chest, I follow her lead, knowing that my life just got a whole lot more complicated.
But for now, all I can do is trust Katya and hope that she knows what she’s doing.
Katya leads me through the darkened streets to an abandoned warehouse. I immediately feel uneasy, wondering what exactly I’ve gotten myself into.
As we enter the warehouse, I’m surprised to find another vampire waiting for us. He’s tall, with fiery ginger hair and piercing eyes. They share a passionate kiss, and I feel like I’m intruding on something intimate.
“This is Thomas,” Katya says. “He’s been helping me track you down.”
“Took you long enough,” he says in an annoyed thick Irish accent.
Katya rolls her eyes, clearly unfazed by Thomas’s grumbling. “We had to come on foot,” she explains. “But we’re here now. What’s the plan?”
Thomas’s expression turns serious as he leads us further into the warehouse. “We have an interrogation to perform.” His tone sends shivers down my spine.
Confused and more than a little apprehensive, I follow Katya and Thomas into a small room at the back of the warehouse. Inside, I’m met with a chilling sight.
There’s a woman there, dressed in a nurse’s uniform with the name tag “Andrea” stitched onto it. She’s bleeding from puncture wounds in her neck. Thomas has obviously been feeding on her.
“Katya, what is going on? Who is this?” I ask.
Katya’s voice cuts sharply through the tense air. “Andrea,” she says, her tone low and dangerous, “you’ve been a naughty little nurse, haven’t you?”
Andrea’s eyes dart around the room, fear evident in every twitch of her muscles. She tries to speak, but all that comes out is a choked sob.
Katya steps closer, surveying her intensely. “We know what you’ve been up to,” she continues coldly. "You’re the snitch who's been feeding information to someone every time blood goes missing, and we want to know who.”
Andrea’s eyes widen in terror, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. She opens her mouth to protest, but Katya cuts her off with a slap in the face.
“Don’t bother lying. We already know it’s true. Now tell us who you’ve been working with, or things are going to get very messy.”
Andrea’s lower lip trembles as she struggles to form words. Finally, she manages to whisper, “I can’t...”
Katya’s eyes narrow dangerously. “Can’t or won’t?”
Andrea shakes her head frantically, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please,” she pleads in barely a whisper. “I can’t...”
Katya’s expression hardens and without another word, she turns to Thomas, a silent agreement passing between them.
And that’s when the real interrogation begins.
They keep asking questions as they taunt and harass her, but Andrea won’t tell them anything.
She looks so scared. I get flashbacks of all the humans I saw in our basement. They were helpless.
They all died.
Much like she is going to.
I feel a knot form in my stomach as I realize the gravity of the situation.
My family must have finally tracked me down, and now I’m caught in the middle of their twisted games.
Katya wraps a hand around the woman’s neck.
I freeze. “She is cooperating. You don’t have to hurt her.”
“Oh, we plan on doing more than hurt her,” Thomas replies.
I have to do something, but I know the odds. They are not in my favor.
These are two vampires who have been feeding on nothing but human blood. They are stronger than me, faster than me.
Anything I try will have me killed along with the human.
Not unless…
Just as I turn in terror, ready to bolt and try to find help, Katya stops me. “Where the hell do you think you are going?”
“I need to go.”
“Why? There is enough for all of us.”
“You’re going to feed on her?”
“Yes,” Thomas says before lifting Andrea’s hand to his mouth and biting her. Andrea lets out a loud scream.
Everything is happening way too fast.
I need to get her out of here, but I am almost paralyzed by my hunger.
My mouth waters at the sight of fresh blood, but I can’t bring myself to do it. It’s against everything I believe in. I can’t become like them. I won’t!
“I’m okay,” I say quietly. “I need to go.” Maybe if I make it out of here, I can contact someone.
Anyone.
Fuck! Can Katya see right through me?
Katya looks at me, concern flashing in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll be fine. I just... I need to go.”
I exit the warehouse, my heart pounding like a jackhammer in my chest. Katya’s concern lingers in my mind, but I can’t shake the feeling of dread that coils in the pit of my stomach.
I am reaching for my phone when I hear something.
Before I can even take a breath, Thomas steps into my path, his gaze hard and unyielding. “Where do you think you’re going, Selene?” he demands, his voice a low growl.
I swallow hard, trying to muster the courage to stand my ground. “I told you, Thomas, I’m okay. I am not hungry and I just need some air,” I reply, my voice shaky but determined.
He scoffs, his lips curling into a sneer. “You’re lying to yourself, Selene. You can’t keep denying what you are.”
I grit my teeth, refusing to let his words get to me. “I’m not like you, Thomas. I don’t feed on people. I won’t give in to this... this hunger,” I spit out, my hands trembling at my sides.
He takes a step closer, his eyes narrowing with anger. “You think you’re better than us, is that it? You think you’re too good to feed like the rest of us?”
I back away, my heart racing with fear. “That’s not what I said, Thomas. I just... I can’t do this,” I plead, desperation creeping into my voice.
He lunges forward, grabbing my arm with a bruising grip. “You don’t have a choice, Selene,” he snarls, his breath hot against my face. “You either feed with us or you’re out. And trust me, you don’t want to be out.”
I struggle against his hold, panic rising like bile in my throat. “Let go of me, Thomas,” I hiss, my voice barely above a whisper.
But he only tightens his grip, his eyes flashing with fury. “Not until you do what you’re told, Selene. You need to prove yourself to us. Show us that you’re one of us.”
Katya appears at my side, her presence a welcome relief. “Thomas, let her go,” she says firmly, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “She is on our side, plus you can’t force her to feed.”
Thomas releases me with a snarl of frustration, his gaze burning with resentment. “Fine,” he mutters, turning away in disgust.
Katya turns to me, her expression softening with concern. “Are you alright, Selene?” she asks, her eyes searching mine for any sign of weakness.
I force a weak smile, trying to push down the rising tide of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. “I’ll be fine, Katya. Thanks,” I reply, my voice barely above a whisper.
She nods, understanding shining in her eyes. “Take care of yourself, Selene. And remember, we’re here for you if you need us.”
With a final glance back at the warehouse, I turn and flee into the night, the echoes of Thomas’s words ringing in my ears. But as I run, I know I can’t go back. Not now, not ever.
I make it home, my legs trembling with exhaustion as I collapse onto the bathroom floor. Tears stream down my cheeks as I curl into a ball, the water from the shower cascading over me like a soothing balm.
They just killed her.
She had a life, probably a family and friends, and they just killed her like she was nothing.
And worst of all, there was nothing I could do to save her.
In the safety of my own home, I allow myself to finally let go, the weight of the night crashing down on me like a tidal wave. And as I cry, I can’t help but wonder if I’ll ever find a place where I truly belong.