Chapter 1 #2
I let my mind wander for only a moment before I begin gathering my things.
The new place is far less appealing than the cabin, but I’ve lived in worse.
During the early days, I slept up in the trees.
Anywhere on the ground felt too vulnerable at the time, so I would strap in and pray each night that I wouldn’t fall out in my sleep.
Once I adjusted to the feeling of constantly being hunted, my mindset shifted.
Fear turned into natural instinct. I learned to accept my new normal, and with that, I was able to settle into a new way of living.
As I finish packing, I realize I’m just about out of Aspirin and running low on canned food. I had hoped to wait for one of the sunny days to sneak into one of the stores, but who knows when the next one will be? It’s not like I have a weatherman to tell me.
Two hours pass before I make it to town.
Though I’ve rummaged through the stores before, I never look forward to these trips.
No matter how many precautions I take, it’s always a gamble.
I can already spot four wolves on the shore, and there’s movement a few stores down from the pharmacy I need to raid.
I scan the different routes, assessing which one is the safest. Once I mentally map out a plan, I slowly emerge from the treeline.
A howl from one of the wolves on the beach, stops me in my tracks, and I turn my attention, watching the four of them shift back into their human form. It would only take a second for them to revert back into the four-legged beasts but seeing them in their human skin eases me a bit.
Before moving on, I do a quick sweep for possible threats. As far as I can tell, the wolves don’t notice me, and whoever or whatever is moving in the distance is still too hidden to make out. I take one last glance back at the werewolves and continue on.
The moment I slip into the pharmacy, I’m hit with the putrid smell of death and rotten food. The stench has faded slightly, but it still makes my stomach churn.
Alright. Let’s make this fast.
I shimmy my pack off and begin tossing canned food into it.
Though it’s heavy to carry around, it’s basically the only food that isn’t spoiled.
I’m pretty good on water, but I grab a couple of bottles to add to my stash.
There are a few good hiding places in the woods that I use to store my belongings so I don’t always have to carry them with me.
Last, is medicine. I start to head for the aisle dedicated to pain meds, but the sound of crunching glass has me ducking behind a shelf.
My heart begins to race, but I clench my hands into fists and dig my nails into my palms, letting the pain center me.
It’s a technique I picked up once I started posing as a vampire.
I ducked before I got a chance to see if it’s a vampire or a werewolf.
Both options are equally bad. If it’s a vampire, their heightened hearing and speed are going to make sneaking out of here damn near impossible.
If it’s one of the werewolves, that means there are more of them right around the corner.
I slowly pull the knife I keep fixed in my belt and use the sound of chip bags being rummaged through to cover the sound of me putting my pack down.
As the creature slowly makes its way to the back of the store, I creep along in the opposite direction.
I only make it a couple of steps before I stop, freezing in a squat-like stance.
The security mirror in the corner not only allows me to see that it’s a vampire who has entered, but it also shows me.
If the vampire had noticed, I’d already be dead by now.
I take a small step back, watching my reflection and decide it’s too much of a risk.
My movements stand out like a sore thumb against the empty store.
With each passing second, the vampire draws closer. It won’t be long before he sees me.
Think, Fallon. Think.
I spot a row of flour to my left, and an idea instantly sparks.
It’s not the best plan, but it’s the only one I have, and right now, I’m running out of time.
The vampire works its way closer to my aisle, not bothering to be quiet, and I watch his reflection in the mirror, using it to time my cuts into the bags of flour with the sound of his movements.
My morning breakfast threatens to make its way back up when I see the larvae moving around in the expired flour.
I’ve grown used to the bones of the deceased, but I still have a weak stomach when it comes to the bugs.
By the time I have two bags cut open, the vampire is only a couple steps away from the end of my aisle.
The only way this is going to work is if I act first and catch him off guard.
My instinct is to hide or run, but I’ve thought it out, and both of those options end in a sure death.
At least with a surprise attack, there’s a sliver of hope I make it out alive.
As soon as I see the vampire’s foot come into view, I reach for the bags and toss the flour into his face with as much force as I can muster. Both of us are immediately hit with an explosion of the white powder-like ingredient.
Evidently, I didn’t account for the flour to obscure my vision too. A lesson learned if I make it out of this thing alive.
Angry grunts and hisses spew from the vampire while he tries to make sense of what is happening.
Flour seeps into my eyes, burning them as I fight to keep them open.
The seconds it takes for me to dig my hunting knife deep into his chest seem to pass by fast and slow all at the same time.
Shock coats his face, along with a thick layer of flour as he slumps to the ground.
I quickly pull my knife from his chest and brush the bugs off of me before rushing over to grab my pack. Three of my perfume bottles are still filled with blood back at one of my hiding places, but I have two and a half empty ones with me.
There’s no time to waste, so I quickly cut the vampires wrist and replenish my supply of blood perfume.
I wouldn’t say I enjoy the kills, but I can’t deny there’s a feeling of satisfaction, knowing I’ve taken down a monster who is superior to me in every way.
Besides, it’s not like they have any empathy for us.
As the bottles fill with the vampire’s blood, I realize it’s like ink.
All of the vampires I’ve killed have had blood similar to that of a human, but this one’s is thicker.
I place the half-filled perfume bottle on the floor and roll up the vampire’s sleeve to find black veins crawling up its forearm.
Weird.