The Taste of Blood

Jon Athan

Copyright © 2019 Jon Athan

All Rights Reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

For more information on this book or the author, please visit www.jon-athan.com. General inquiries are welcome.

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WARNING

This book contains scenes of intense violence and some disturbing themes. Some parts of this book may be considered violent, cruel, disturbing, or unusual. This book is not intended for those easily offended or appalled. Please enjoy at your own discretion.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter One

The Transition (Sunday)

“This is so cool,” Genesis Hudson murmured as she walked across the makeshift dance floor.

She moved through the cafeteria of an abandoned hospital. The room, wide and tall, was dark and musty. Lightbulbs clinging to the walls barely illuminated the cafeteria. The partygoers danced to the beat of ripping guitar riffs, fast drumming, and harsh vocals from a local punk band. The lyrics boiled down to one radical idea: fuck the system. The band played on an improvised stage near the kitchen.

Starry-eyed, Genesis examined the partygoers as she walked past them. At the moment, the dance floor was filled with young men and women wearing black from head-to-toe—leather jackets, t-shirts, jeans, skirts, shorts, stockings, everything and anything. Most of their faces were caked in dark makeup. Some of the young men even painted their fingernails black.

Some of the other partygoers resembled regular college students because they were, in fact, regular college students. Most of them stayed away from the dance floor, wandering the dark cafeteria with red cups full of alcohol clasped in their hands. They drank, they chatted, they flirted, they bickered, and they fought.

Everyone was invited to the secret party—except Genesis.

“I’m just like you,” she whispered as she looked at the young adults. “And you’re just like me. Fuckin’ awesome.”

Genesis was a thirteen-year-old eighth grader. She stood four-eleven, short and spunky. Her straight black hair reached down to her shoulders and her bangs covered her forehead. At the party, she wore a black blouse, short skirt, knee-high high-heeled boots, and thigh-high fishnets. She dressed older than her age—much, much older.

She approached a long lunchroom table at the end of the cafeteria. The old, rickety table was only illuminated by the light of a few cell phones. Three young men and two young women stood around the table. The group attended the local college, and they dressed the part. They wore plain, casual clothing. They weren’t trying to impress anyone.

Bryce Malone stood out against his peers. He was different—in appearance, in demeanor, in depravity. He was a nineteen-year-old college freshman. He dressed like the other punks at the party, black from head-to-toe with matching fingernails. He stood six-two, big and burly. His round belly protruded forward and hung over his studded belt, but he was proud of it.

“Bryce!” Genesis shouted upon spotting him.

She ran towards the group and hugged Bryce, her forehead against his chest and her cheek on his belly. Bryce wrapped his thick, jiggly arms around her, practically swallowing her body with his.

He said, “You made it, baby.”

“Of course I did, babe. I had to sneak out a little later than usual, but I told you I could do it. I’m no flake.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s good. You know, real nice. Let me introduce you to my friends here.”

They turned towards the college students standing on the other side of the table.

Bryce said, “This is my girl, fellas. Her name is Genesis. Genesis. That’s a fuckin’ awesome name, right?” He pointed at each one of his friends and introduced them: “That’s Jesse, That’s Diana, that’s Cody, and that’s Fatima.”

The students responded with different variations of the same response: hey, nice to meet you, what’s up? They were noticeably discomfited by their inappropriate relationship, but they bit their tongues like spineless politicians. They shared the same mindset: it’s none of my business.

Bryce said, “Are you guys going to smoke over at–”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jesse Sears said, smiling and shaking his head. He looked at his friends and said, “Hold on a second. We’re not just going to stand here and pretend like… like this is normal, are we?”

The other students shrugged, looked away, and murmured amongst themselves. Then the group became quiet again. Another punk-rock song played in the background—something about anti-fascism.

Jesse broke the silence with a chuckle, but no one else laughed with him. He looked at Genesis and asked, “What the hell are you doing here, kid?”

One arm wrapped around Bryce, Genesis scowled at Jesse and responded, “What’s that supposed to mean? Bryce invited me.”

“So? This… This isn’t for you. Okay? This is a college party.”

“You’re a liar. I saw some old dude banging some phony goth chick in a closet when I came in here. I don’t think he goes to college. Do you?”

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. You’re too young for all of this, kid. I mean, how the hell do you even know Bryce?”

Genesis smirked and said, “We met online, like, a year ago. We’re dating. Dating, you know? I can spell it for you if you’re too stupid to understand it. And I’m not just some kid. I’m old enough to do whatever I want.”

Jesse was disturbed by Genesis’ answer. Dating—the word struck him like a racial slur hitting an unprepared newscaster during a live broadcast. He ran his eyes over Genesis’ body, curious. He felt dirty just looking at her.

He turned his attention to Bryce and asked, “What’s going on, bro? She’s, like, twelve years old.”

Before Bryce could say a word, Genesis stepped forward and said, “I am not. I’m just short, okay?”

Ignoring her, Jesse asked, “Why are you talking to little girls on the internet anyway, Bryce? Huh? Why are you…”

At that moment, Jesse realized his classmate—his friend—was a child predator. He looked at his other classmates with a furrowed brow. His friends looked away, ashamed. Like the rampant sexual abuse in the movie business and in politics, Bryce’s predatory ways were an open secret. He knew, she knew, but no one really knew about it.

Flustered, Jesse huffed and shook his head. He looked at Cody, then at Diana, and then at Fatima. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t say a word. His face turned red and a lump crawled up into his throat as he looked at Genesis. She was naïve but confident—and that bothered him. You’re standing in a bear trap, he thought, he’s going to get you, kid, so why aren’t you running?

He glared at Bryce and said, “You fuckin’ pedo, you… you…” He jabbed his index finger at him and barked, “You fuckin’ pedophile!”

A few wandering partygoers glanced over at the group, curious and amused. People liked conflict, violence, and blood. The rock music kept playing in the background.

Bryce said, “Chill out, man. It’s not like that. I’m not hurting anybody.”

“You’re a pedophile, Bryce. You’re a pedophile! We should be fucking you up right now!”

“Fuck you,” Genesis hissed as she lunged at Jesse. Bryce pulled her back. Genesis shouted, “Let me go! Let me kick his ass!”

Jesse said, “He’s not going to let you go, kid. He’s going to hurt you. You hear me? He only wants one thing.” Cody tried to pull him away from the table. Jesse said, “Wait a damn second. What the fuck? Are you okay with this? Huh? Are you?”

While the rest of the group tried to calm and restrain Jesse, Bryce grabbed Genesis’ hand and led her away from the table. Cloaked by the darkness, the couple vanished among the clueless, drunken college students. Hand-in-hand, they moved past the dance floor and headed towards a hallway at the other end of the cafeteria.

And no one said a word to them.

Upon noticing their sudden absence, Jesse stopped wrestling with Cody. He looked into the crowd and he saw nothing but shadowy figures.

He muttered, “Oh shit. Where did they go? Where did he take her?” He looked at his friends and asked, “What are we going to do? Huh? Wha–What are we going to do?”

Once again, his friends looked away in shame. The fact was: they weren’t going to do a thing about it. They stood in silence, awed by the encounter. Then, after a few minutes, they rejoined the party as if nothing had happened.

Bryce led Genesis to a restroom. Like the rest of the facility, the restroom was swallowed by darkness. Only a lantern on the sink lit up the dirty room. The tile flooring was wet with water, piss, and other bodily fluids. Vibrant gang graffiti and crude drawings of male genitalia decorated the grimy walls. Moans and groans emerged from the stalls.

Standing near the lantern, Bryce placed his hands on Genesis’ shoulders and looked down into her eyes. Genesis looked up at him, eyes like a puppy’s—gullible, innocent.

In a soft tone, just above a whisper, Bryce said, “Hey, I’m sorry about Jesse. I don’t know what his problem is, but… whatever, right? He’s an idiot.”

“I know,” Genesis said, grinning. “I think he’s just jealous of us. Let me guess: he’s single, right? He’s such a loser. You should have kicked his ass, babe.”

“Yeah, yeah. He’s an idiot. Just forget about him. I, um… Let’s talk about you instead. I like your outfit. You look hot, baby.”

Genesis looked down at herself and blushed. She was easily wooed by Bryce’s generic compliments. She was attracted to him, too. She liked his dark, rebellious style.

“Thanks,” she squeaked out.

Bryce rubbed her shoulders and said, “You look beautiful. Like, really, really beautiful. I love you. You know I love you, right? You’re the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night.”

Genesis smiled nervously, the side of her mouth twitching with excitement. Snickering emerged from one of the stalls—someone was entertained by Bryce’s cheesy line.

Ignoring the laughter, Bryce beckoned to Genesis and said, “Come on, let’s get into one of these stalls and have some fun.”

“Fun?” Genesis repeated in an uncertain tone. “What kind of fun?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll be… It’ll be fun, I promise. Just trust me.”

“In there? In the stall?”

“Damn it, he wants to fuck you,” a man said from one of the stalls, unaware he was speaking to a child. “Just do it already or get out.”

Bryce grabbed Genesis’ hand and pulled her into the first stall. Genesis stopped him from closing the door.

She said, “I don’t know about this. It’s dirty in here, Bryce. Like, really dirty.”

Bryce let out a sigh of annoyance. He glanced over at the stalls to his left and sneered in disgust. The moaning and thumping irritated him. He stared up at the ceiling, then he smiled. The room was dark, but he felt like a light bulb illuminated over his head—he had an idea. He leaned closer to Genesis, so as not to be heard by the others.

He whispered, “Genesis, do you remember what I told you when we first met? Hmm?”

“I don’t know. You told me a lot.”

“I did, I did. But, I also told you something very ‘specific.’ I told you… I told you I was a vampire, remember?”

Genesis looked him in the eye and nodded slowly. She met Bryce in an internet group about vampires and werewolves. Bryce claimed to be a forgotten descendant of Count Dracula. He knew enough about Dracula to create some convincing lies, too. It wasn’t difficult to manipulate a gullible, unsupervised thirteen-year-old, either.

Bryce whispered, “Good. That’s good, baby. I want to… to turn you into a vampire. Just like me, okay?”

“You… You can do that?”

“Of course I can. I can do anything, remember?”

“But if you bite me, my parents will notice and I’ll–”

“I don’t have to bite you,” Bryce interrupted. “You just have to drink some of my blood, then… then we ‘copulate’ to make it official.”

“Copulate?”

“You know what that means, right?”

“S–Sex?” Genesis stuttered.

“Yeah, that’s it. You’re not a kid after all. We have to have sex. I have to, you know, deflower you. I give you some of my blood and you give me some of yours. That brings you into the bloodline, into the family. It makes you one of us. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Here, take my blood.”

Bryce pulled a switchblade out of his pocket. The blade snapped out of the handle, then he nicked his thumb. Dark blood oozed out of the cut, rolling down his finger, across his palm, and onto his wrist.

He held his thumb up to Genesis’ face and said, “Drink it.”

Genesis looked at the blood, then she gazed into Bryce’s eyes for a moment, then she looked at his thumb again. She believed him. She didn’t think Bryce was capable of lying to her. Lovers didn’t lie to each other after all—not in her perfect world. She leaned forward, she took a deep breath, then she sucked on his thumb. Her tongue trembled as the pungent flavor of blood overwhelmed her taste buds.

Bryce smiled and said, “Good girl, good girl.” He licked his lips and caressed her hair. He whispered, “Come on, let me take you away. Let me make you immortal.”

He pulled her into the stall, then he closed the door. The sound of the lock clicking echoed over the moaning in the restroom. With that, Genesis’ fate was sealed.

Chapter Two

Mondays

Thumbs hooked under the straps of her backpack, Genesis walked across the school’s courtyard. She wore all black—a corset over a simple top, a skirt, stockings, and boots. She stood out amongst her peers. Her outfit also broke the school’s dress code, but the rules weren’t strictly enforced. She approached a lunch tablet beside a row of benches, which resembled the pews of a church. Aubrey Horne sat by herself at the table.

Unlike Genesis, Aubrey blended with the crowds. She wore a plain t-shirt, denim overalls, sneakers, and glasses. She was five feet tall, thin and frail. Her beach blonde hair was naturally wavy. She kept to herself, opting out of the middle school struggle for popularity. She focused on her interests: education, video games, manga comics, and astronomy.

Unusually peppy, Genesis enthusiastically said, “Hey, Aubrey!” She sat down beside her friend and asked, “Whatcha up to?”

Aubrey smiled, caught off guard by Genesis’ joy. She glanced down at the Styrofoam tray in front of her. Her lunch consisted of tater tots, a small burger, apple slices, and a carton of low-fat milk.

She shrugged and said, “I’m eating lunch like everyone else.” She looked at Genesis’ hands, then at her backpack. She asked, “Where’s your lunch? Did you eat already?”

“Nope.”

“Nope? So… what are you going to eat today?”

Genesis shrugged, as if to say: who cares?

Aubrey asked, “Do you need lunch money?”

Genesis giggled, then she said, “Nope, no, nah. I’m just, you know, not hungry. Anyway, what did you do this weekend?”

Aubrey knew Genesis well because they were best friends. So, she always recognized her lies. She wasn’t a busybody, though.

She said, “Well, I went star gazing with my dad and brother on Saturday. It was a clear night so we could see everything. It was so beautiful, Genesis. You should have seen it.”

“I see stars almost every night.”

“Not like this.”

“Okay, so I guess I’ll have to go with you next time. What else did you do?”

“Umm… I finished my math homework and I finished my essay for English,” Aubrey responded. She took a bite from her burger, then she chuckled. She said, “That essay isn’t due for another week, either, so I’m way ahead of the class. I think I can make it better, though. I don’t know, maybe I’ll go to the library this weekend and ask for help.”

Genesis sensed the pride in her friend’s soft voice and she wished she could share in her happiness, but she didn’t want to talk about homework. She could only think about the previous night’s party.

She asked, “You wanna know what I did this weekend?”

“Sure. What did you do?”

Genesis scooted closer to her and looked around, searching for any eavesdroppers. The other students formed small cliques around the courtyard and chatted amongst themselves. They ignored Genesis and Aubrey.

Genesis leaned closer to Aubrey’s ear and said, “Last night, I snuck out at eleven.”

“Eleven at night?” Aubrey asked, wide-eyed.

“Yup. I went to a college party over at that abandoned hospital by University Drive. I met up with Bryce and–”

“Bryce?” Aubrey interrupted, practically shouting.

Genesis smiled, bit her bottom lip, and nodded. Aubrey was stony-faced, shocked by the news.

She stuttered, “Is–Isn’t he that guy from college? Tha–That twenty-year-old guy?”

“He’s still nineteen,” Genesis said. “But he’s mature for his age, like me.”

“Nineteen… That’s still old, Genesis. We’re not even in high school yet and he’s already in college. You should be careful. My mom told me about ‘predators.’ You know about them, too, right? They’re perverts, Genesis—perverts. I think Bryce is one of them. He might try to… you know.”

Genesis huffed and rolled her eyes, but she never stopped smiling. She had heard Aubrey’s concerns before. Jesse’s rant during the party echoed through her mind. Pedophiles, perverts, whatever, she thought.

She said, “I’ll be fine. I can handle myself. Besides, I love Bryce and he loves me.” She smirked and nudged Aubrey’s arm. She said, “He gave me a very special present last night, too.”

“Wha–What? What did he give you?”

“Well, it’s not like a present-present, you know? He just… I don’t know the word for it, but he gave me something.”

“What happened?”

Genesis looked down at herself, twiddled her thumbs, and blushed. Aubrey didn’t have to hear the answer. She already knew the truth—and it terrified her.

Genesis glanced back at Aubrey and said, “He gave me his blood and he took some of mine.”

“What?” Aubrey asked sternly.

Genesis leaned even closer to her ear and whispered, “You remember what I told you about him, right? He fed me his blood, then… then he took my virginity. I bled a little for him, you know? He turned me into a vampire like that, just like him. I’m… I’m…” She grinned from ear-to-ear and said, “I’m a fuckin’ vampire, Aubrey.”

Aubrey’s mouth hung ajar. Her eyes narrowed to slits, her nose creased into a bundle of ridges. Her facial expression said something along the lines of: what the hell did you just say? Before she could question Genesis about anything, the bell rang and called them to their next class. She sat there in awe for a moment longer, then she dumped her leftover food in the trash and followed Genesis to their math class.

***

Aubrey stared down at the sheet of paper on her desk—a geometry worksheet. She had already completed the assignment. She checked her answers, then she checked them again. She didn’t hand in her work, though. The first person to finish is always teased, she thought, so I’ll go second or third or maybe last, but not first.

She sat in the third desk from the back in the corner of the classroom. She frowned as she glanced over at the desk to her right. She watched as Genesis scribbled on her worksheet and hummed gently. Her friend’s troublesome words rattled in her skull like gunfire from an assault rifle: nineteen years old, took my virginity, a fuckin’ vampire.

Yet, Genesis didn’t seem bothered by any of it. She was blissfully unaware of the molestation—the rape—she had endured. It wasn’t just another normal day, either. She truly believed she was a vampire.

“Hey, Genesis,” a young girl hissed at her from behind.

Genesis kept scribbling on the worksheet, erasing answers and rewriting equations. Aubrey peeked over at the desk behind Genesis’, although she had already recognized the voice.

Hailey Briggs sat behind Genesis. She was a bit taller than most of her female classmates, standing five-four with a slim figure. She had long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Obsessed with fashion and celebrities, she wore the trendiest clothing. Her feminine style didn’t stop her from bullying her peers. She grabbed the back of Genesis’ chair and shook it.

The students around her giggled and muttered amongst themselves. Bullying was just another form of entertainment to many of them.

Aubrey looked at their teacher, Gary Gallagher. The middle-aged man read the news on his tablet computer while occasionally checking on his students and answering questions.

“Hopeless,” Aubrey muttered, barely audible.

Hailey stopped shaking Genesis’ seat and asked, “Hey, Genesis, why are you ignoring me?” Genesis paid her no mind. Hailey smirked and said, “Oh, I know why. Yeah, I definitely know why. It’s because I dumped chocolate milk on your head last week, isn’t it? Listen, that was an accident. It fell off my tray and it landed on your big head. You can’t blame me for that, can you?”

Aubrey grimaced as she thought about the incident. Last week, during lunch, Hailey poured her carton of milk on Genesis’ head—unprovoked. She walked up to her from behind and poured her leftover milk on her, as if she were dumping it down a sink. Some of her friends recorded the act of bullying, too. It didn’t go viral on social media, but plenty of people saw the clip.

Aubrey felt guilty because she didn’t help Genesis at the time—and she wasn’t helping her in the classroom, either. She wished she could stand up for her, but she didn’t want to be targeted by the bullies.

Hailey continued, “Besides, the milk made your hair shine and your skin brown. I mean, let’s face it, you’re so pale, Genesis. Your skin is like… like… like snow!” She giggled and shook the back of Genesis’ desk. Laughing, she said, “Come on, it’s no fun if you don’t fight back.”

“Maybe she’s scared of you,” a girl said from a neighboring desk.

“Scared of me? Shit, I’m scared of her. Look at what she’s wearing. If she were a boy, I’d think she was about to shoot up the school.”

“Oh my God, Hailey. I can’t believe you just said that.”

“What? It’s true, isn’t it? She looks like a damn school shooter.”

Her eyes on her worksheet, Genesis said, “School shooters usually aren’t the people who look like school shooters. They’re usually the people you’d least expect.”

“Oh, really?” Hailey responded, wide-eyed as if she were actually interested in anything Genesis had to say. She looked at Aubrey and said, “Okay. So, do your parents own any guns, Aubrey?”

Aubrey turned away, closed her eyes, and sighed. She could still hear the other students laughing. She had been hoping Genesis would stay quiet during the confrontation. She wished her close friend ignored the bait and kept swimming on her own. Bullies lost some of their power if they were ignored after all—unless they were the ‘physical’ type.

Genesis turned around in her seat. She scowled at Hailey and said, “Leave her alone.”

“Jeez, that got you real angry,” Hailey said. She threw her pen at Aubrey, missing her by a foot. She asked, “Aubrey, why didn’t you tell us you two were dating? Does your mom know you’re a lesbian? Should I tell her?”

“I said: leave her alone,” Genesis snapped.

Ignoring her, Hailey said, “It’s okay. Your parents are pretty cool anyway. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you were a lesbian, but… if they knew you were dating a freak like Genesis, I think they’d kill you. They wouldn’t let you see her ever again and you’d be alone. But that’s kinda normal for you, isn’t it, loner?”

Aubrey glanced over at Hailey for no more than a second, tears welling in her eyes. She looked back at her worksheet and drew a deep breath through her nose. Don’t cry, that’ll only make it worse, she told herself.

In a soft tone, as if she were singing, Hailey said, “Ah-bree, Ah-bree… Why aren’t you paying attention to me? Should I tell people you’re a lesbian? Do you want me to spread rumors or something? You know you’re asking for it, right?”

Bullying differed between genders. Hailey participated in some physical acts of bullying—like dumping milk on Genesis’ head—but she rarely threw a punch. She knew how to really get to the other girls, though. She knew exclusion hurt young girls like Aubrey, so being called a ‘loner’ hurt. She was also well aware of the power of words. Hateful, dishonest rumors could bring anyone down.

Genesis shouted, “Mr. Gallagher! Hailey is bothering us back here!”

Gallagher leaned forward in his seat and finally pulled himself away from his tablet. In a stern, deep voice, he said, “Quiet down back there and get to work. All of you.”

Hailey leaned back in her seat and whispered, “You’re such a rat, Genesis.”

Some of the other students hurled a few insults at her too: snitch, idiot, bitch. Gallagher had his eyes on them, so they had to finish their work—and that angered them.

Aubrey wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled. She stared at Genesis. She was awed by her kindness and her bravery. She felt the hatred in her peers, all directed at Genesis, but Genesis didn’t complain or cry. Aubrey was worried about her erratic behavior and her dangerous decisions, but she appreciated her. They were really best friends and no one could change that.

As they locked eyes, Aubrey mouthed: thank you.

Chapter Three

Life in a Bubble

On her bed, Genesis lay on her stomach, her feet in the air and a pillow under her chin. Her laptop was open in front of her. The screen displayed the Facebook profile of Bryce Malone. She sent Bryce a message that read: are you home yet?? She buried her face in her pillow and waited for five minutes, but there was no response. She sent him another message: I’m bored!! Text me, babe!!

She drummed her fingers on the keyboard, her eyes glued to the blinking cursor on her messenger application. To her utter disappointment, she didn’t receive a response from Bryce. She scrolled through his profile and read his generic timeline—corny quotes, cheesy memes, and irrelevant updates. She liked his pictures, though.

Genesis sighed, then she said, “Maybe he’s taking a test or something. Stupid college…”

She stood from her bed and approached a full-body mirror beside the dresser. As soon as she got home, she changed into some casual clothing: a white camisole and gray sweatpants. But she didn’t care about her outfit. She opened her mouth and examined her teeth. She expected her canine teeth to extend into some long, sharp fangs, like a vampire’s.

As she tapped her teeth, mouth wide open, she mumbled, “Still… the same. Baby fangs. Yeah, they’re… they’re baby fangs. They’ll grow out soon, right?” She chomped at the air a few times, trying to feel the slightest difference. She whispered, “Or maybe they’re retractable. If they are, then how the hell do I get them to come out? Shit, I wish Bryce was here. He’s been a vamp–”

“Hey, Gen,” a woman’s voice interrupted her.

Genesis looked at her door, boredom written on her face. Helen Hudson, her mother, stood in the doorway. The woman tapped away at her cell phone. She worked as an assistant to some executive in a marketing company. Truth be told, Genesis didn’t even know where she worked. She only knew her mother was an assistant—or maybe a secretary?

Without taking her eyes off her phone, Helen said, “I’ve been calling your name for five minutes, hun. Didn’t you hear me?”

“Nope,” Genesis responded casually.

“Well, maybe we need to get your ears checked.”

“Maybe.”

Without moving her head, Helen’s eyes darted towards her daughter. Her hands behind her back, Genesis grinned and twirled her hips. A bad attitude—she knew how to get her mother’s attention.

Helen returned the smile and asked, “Has your father dropped by?”

“Nope.”

“He didn’t text you or anything?”

“He doesn’t text me, mom. I don’t think he’s ever sent me a text message in my entire life.”

“Really? Well, that’s odd. He was supposed to bring something to eat since we were both running late. He said he’d be here before me,” Helen said. She clicked her tongue and looked down at the floor, as if she were thinking deeply about something. She muttered, “Where the hell are you, Howard?”

Genesis smiled and asked, “Do you want me to text him?”

“No, no. I’ll handle it, sweetheart,” Helen responded, smirking. “The food will be a little late, though. Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay with me. I’m not that hungry anyway.”

“Well, I’ll make sure you eat enough,” Helen said. She took one step away from the room, then she stopped. She looked back at Genesis and asked, “What were you doing in here anyway? You’re just, um… standing there?”

“I was looking at my teeth.”

“Your teeth? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I was just looking at my smile. That’s all.”

“Yeah, okay. You have a beautiful smile, sweetheart,” Helen said. As she walked away, she shouted, “I’ll have dinner here in forty-five minutes! I promise!”

Genesis puckered her lips and shrugged—whatever. She looked back at her reflection on the mirror. She chomped at the air again, hoping her canines would jump out of her gums.

***

The scent of melted cheese, zesty pepperoni, and a seasoned crust rose from a pizza box at the center of the dining table. The sound of soda fizzing between clinking ice cubes accompanied the moist sound of lips smacking. Beams of sunset sunshine entered the room through a window, piercing through the blinds and curtains.

It was a regular dinner during a regular afternoon for an irregular family.

Genesis stared down at the piping-hot slice of pizza on her plate. Her taste buds tingled with anticipation. Yet, at the same time, her stomach twisted with disgust. She loved pepperoni pizza, it was her favorite meal, but it felt wrong. She believed she was a vampire, so she felt like she should have been consuming blood—human blood.

Pepperoni was just beef and pork mixed together and seasoned with paprika. It was red, like blood, but there was no blood in it. As a matter of fact, the blood was removed from all consumable meats.

Genesis wasn’t aware of that. She thought the red juice in raw meat was blood. She even thought there was blood in raw chicken. So, she picked off the pepperonis and ate those first. She chewed slowly, searching for the specific taste of iron in the beef. But she didn’t find it. She peeled another pepperoni off the slice of pizza. She nibbled on it, like a rat eating cheese.

The melted cheese was delicious, it made her want to devour the entire slice as quickly as possible, but she stopped herself. She acted like she didn’t taste the cheese. Blood—she only thought about blood. Questions ran through her mind: do vampires eat anything other than blood? Are they supposed to like pizza?

Genesis looked at her father, Howard Hudson. The middle-aged man spoke with his mouth full. He managed a warehouse somewhere for someone—that was all she knew about his career. She glanced over at her mother. Helen also spoke with her mouth full, but she had the courtesy to cover her mouth with a napkin. She said something to Genesis, but Genesis didn’t hear a word.

Genesis saw her mother’s lips flapping, she even spotted some marinara sauce and saliva spraying out of her mouth, but she didn’t hear her. It was as if she had put her parents on ‘mute.’

Helen asked, “Genesis, are you okay? You’ve barely touched your food, honey.”

Genesis shoved the rest of the pepperoni into her mouth as she stared vacantly at her mother. The look on her face said something along the lines of: where am I?

A bit louder than before, Helen asked, “Genesis, sweetie, are you okay? Is something wrong with the food?”

“It tastes fine to me,” Howard said before taking another bite of his slice. His mouth full, he mumbled, “It’s delicious.”

Genesis finally snapped out of her contemplation. She said, “I’m sorry. I was, um… I was just thinking about my homework. What did you say?”

Helen giggled, then she said, “I asked if the food was okay. You don’t seem to have an appetite today. Are you feeling sick?”

“Oh. I’m okay, mom. The food is… It’s delicious.”

“I told you,” Howard said.

Genesis continued, “I was just thinking about stuff, you know? And, um… Well, I don’t want to eat too fast. I want to, like, savor every bite. Yeah, that’s it.” Her eyes widened as another excuse entered her mind. She said, “Oh, and I had a big lunch today. I ate my normal lunch and then Aubrey gave me some of her leftovers. I’m stuffed. That’s all.”

Helen said, “Okay, okay. You don’t have to eat too much if you don’t want to. Just make sure you eat enough and, if you’re hungry later, let me know. I can make you something other than pizza if you’re craving something else. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Genesis took a bite of her pizza just to comfort her mother. Her parents continued their conversation. They occasionally looked at their daughter and asked a question, but Genesis didn’t pay attention to them. Busy parents tended to ask the same old questions anyway: how was school? You like the food? Any plans later? Did you finish your homework? So, the teenager responded with nods and shrugs. And that was enough to satisfy her parents.

She had attention issues. She wasn’t diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, but she showed symptoms of the mental disorder—or something similar. Her parents, busy with work and life, missed the signs. While trying to provide the best life for her, they inadvertently ignored their daughter. Her state of mind was a mystery.

Genesis either heard nothing from her parents or a garble of nonsense, like something from a Peanuts’ cartoon—mwa-mwa-mwa.

She took a few more bites of the pizza while thinking about her food. She wondered what animals were used to make pepperoni—pigs and cattle. Then, she thought about tasting those animals. She imagined herself biting into a pig’s neck and guzzling its blood or gnawing at a cow’s leg. She could picture herself covered in blood from head to toe at a farm, animal guts hanging from her shoulders. It was a beautiful vision.

As she bit into the crust of the pizza, she thought: someday, I’ll be the bloodiest vampire out there.

***

Genesis lay in bed in her regular position, on her stomach with a pillow under her chin and her laptop open in front of her. She sent another message to Bryce. The message read: babe, I need your help. Yet again, Bryce did not respond. So, she sent one more message: HEY!! I need your help, asshole! Text me or call me!

Five minutes later, her inbox was still empty. Ten minutes after that, Bryce still did not respond to her pleas for help.

The truth was simple, but an inexperienced child couldn’t see it. Bryce had already taken Genesis’ virginity. He was still interested in her, most pedophiles wouldn’t give up on a sure thing after all, but he knew he could have her anytime. He prowled the internet for more gullible, weak-kneed underage girls while Genesis fought for his attention.

Genesis closed the laptop and muttered, “God, you’re such an asshole, Bryce.”

She stood from her bed, dug her fingers into her hair, and paced back-and-forth in front of her dresser. She thought about vampires. Specifically, she thought about blood and starvation. She felt and heard her stomach growling. She ate a bowl of cereal in the morning, she skipped lunch, then she ate a single slice of pizza. It wasn’t enough food for a developing teenager.

She confused her hunger for a sickness, though. She believed her stomach was rejecting the pizza. Blood, and only blood, was the source of life for vampires. She stopped pacing in front of her dresser. She looked at a sharp splinter protruding from one of the drawers, then at her fingertips, and then back at the splinter.

“I can cut myself,” she whispered. “Yeah, I can cut my finger and drink my own blood, right? But… would that make me, like, a cannibal or something? Could it kill me? Damn it, I need Bryce for this. I can’t do it on my own.”

She stomped and whimpered, like a child throwing a tantrum. She glanced over at her laptop on the bed, then at her cell phone on the nightstand. She had Bryce’s phone number, but he told her to never call him or text him directly. Phone communications were strictly reserved for emergencies. She never actually tested his phone number, either.

Genesis walked towards the nightstand and said, “I’m really thinking about eating myself right now. This has to be an emergency, right? I’ll just call him and–”

She stopped before she could reach the bed. She felt a sudden sense of nausea, her stomach twisting and turning upon itself. Then, she felt a lump in her throat. She ran out of her bedroom. From the hall, she could hear the television blaring in the living room. She heard her parents, too, but they didn’t notice her.

She rushed into the bathroom across the hall, slamming the door behind her. She fell to her knees in front of the toilet, squeezed her eyes shut, and puked into the bowl. Her vomit—orange-red, chunky, stringy—landed in the water with a loud splash. Some of the water even hit her face.

She grimaced and muttered, “Fuckin’ gross…”

She crawled to the wall parallel to the toilet, wiped her face with the towel hanging from the towel bar, then she leaned back against the wall. She shook her head and sighed in disappointment.

She said, “I don’t need pizza, I need blood.”

She stopped shaking her head as she caught a glimpse of the trashcan beside the toilet. Some of the toilet paper in the bin was blotched with blood. She was young, she was still growing, but she wasn’t completely stupid. She knew her mother was on her period, so toilet paper was wrapped around one of her used tampons and thrown in the trash.

Genesis whispered, “There’s blood in there, but it’s my mom’s blood. It’s… It’s her pussy blood, isn’t it? But it’s still blood…”

She stared at the bloody toilet paper without blinking, as if she were seriously considering something. She crawled towards the trashcan, eyes glued to the bloody tissue paper. Then, on all fours, she stopped herself.

“What the hell am I thinking?” she muttered.

She stood up, flushed the toilet, washed her hands, and then she ran out of the bathroom. She spent the rest of her night messaging Bryce and researching vampires.

Bryce never responded.

Chapter Four

I am a Vampire

A piece of grilled chicken, a biscuit, a mound of corn, a handful of grapes, and a carton of fat-free milk sat on the Styrofoam tray—Tuesday’s regularly-scheduled lunch. A chunk of the biscuit was missing, teeth-marks left in its wake. The chicken was nibbled and stabbed repeatedly with a fork. The rest of the food was untouched.

Sitting at the lunch table, Genesis stared down at her food with a blank expression. Black bags hanging under her listless eyes, she looked tired, bored, and distracted. Her appetite hadn’t yet returned.

Aubrey sat beside her. She had already finished her chicken and corn. She ate some grapes and watched Genesis. She noticed her erratic behavior—weirder than usual, actually. She asked her a few questions, but Genesis only responded with grunts, nods, and one-word answers. She wondered if she had a fight with her parents or if Bryce had dumped her.

She scooted closer to Genesis and asked, “Want my biscuit?” Genesis kept stabbing her chicken with her plastic fork. Aubrey coughed to clear her throat, then, louder than before, she asked, “Genesis, do you want my biscuit?”

Genesis glanced over at her. She heard her the second time. Biscuit, she thought, why would I want your biscuit?

She responded, “No, I’m okay. I, um… I still have mine right here, you see?”

“I know that, but… I know the biscuits at school are your favorites and you hate all of the other cafeteria food, so I thought you’d want mine. You haven’t really eaten anything since lunch started.”

“I can’t eat the biscuit or the corn or the grapes… I can’t even eat the chicken.”

“Why not?”

Genesis stabbed the chicken with her fork and said, “Because it’s cooked. It’ll make me sick.”

Aubrey furrowed her brow and cocked her head back. Raw meat could make people sick, she knew that very well, but she didn’t understand Genesis’ reasoning.

Genesis said, “You know I love pizza, right?”

“Yeah,” Aubrey responded, smiling. “You ate, like, four slices during that one sleepover we had last year. You remember?”

“Yeah, yeah. Well, we had pizza yesterday at my house. I could only eat one slice—just one. After that, I… I threw up.”

Aubrey stopped smiling in an instant. She asked, “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse? I mean, maybe you have the stomach flu or something.”

“It’s not the flu. I’m hungry, I’m starving, but I can’t eat this. This food isn’t for people like me. I need blood, Aubrey.”

Aubrey stared at Genesis with a deadpan expression—an unmoving nose, steady lips, blank eyes. Then she giggled. She took a sip of her milk as she laughed. After a few seconds, she noticed Genesis wasn’t laughing with her. So, she covered her mouth and stopped giggling. She didn’t believe Genesis needed blood to survive, but she figured her friend was telling her own version of the truth.

She sighed, then she asked, “This is about that vampire-thing, isn’t it?”

“Vampire-thing?” Genesis repeated in disbelief. “You’re saying it like you don’t believe me or something. Well, yes, it is about that ‘vampire-thing.’ I’m a vampire, Aubrey.”

“You’re not. You’re not a vampire because vampires don’t exist.”

“I’m living proof. There are others out there, too. Just look at Bryce.”

Aubrey shook her head and said, “I’ve seen Bryce. He’s not a vampire, Genesis, he’s just a predator. I told you what my mom said about guys like him. They try to–”

“I am a vampire,” Genesis repeated, her voice stern and loud.

Aubrey glanced around, watching as students walked past their table. Some of them overheard their conversation. She could hear them snickering—teasing, gossiping, bullying.

She looked back at Genesis and said, “Please stop it. You’re going to embarrass us.”

“I don’t care about being ‘embarrassed’ or any of that crap. I’m going to starve if I don’t get some blood soon.”

Aubrey clenched her teeth and frowned. Crazy—it was the first word that popped into her head, but she stopped herself from saying it. She cared about Genesis, she didn’t want to hurt her only friend’s feelings, but she felt compelled to say something. She couldn’t allow her to continue believing she was a vampire.

She said, “Genesis… Genesis, you are not a vampire.”

Genesis stood up and shouted, “Damn it, I am a vampire!”

Rosy-cheeked, Aubrey held her hands over her mouth and glanced around. The surrounding students stopped and stared at Genesis. After a few seconds of deafening silence, the kids burst into a chorus of laughter. Aubrey watched as Genesis stood her ground and hurled insults at them. She could see her friend was changing, she could see she was unhealthy.

Under her breath, she whispered, “How do I help you?”

***

“So, you’re a vampire, huh?” Hailey asked, a grin stretching across her face. She leaned over her desk and grabbed the back of Genesis’ chair. She said, “That’s what everyone’s talking about. ‘Genesis said she’s a vampire,’ that’s what they’re saying. Why’d you say that? Hmm? Do you really think you’re a vampire?”

Genesis stopped scribbling on her geometry worksheet. She looked at Gallagher, who sat at his desk and graded tests from his other classes. You never pay attention to us, you lazy asshole, she thought. She let out a sigh of frustration and tightened her grip on her pencil. She glanced over at Aubrey, who already looked back at her.

Her chin on her palm, Aubrey shook her head and tried to communicate through the gesture. The gesture said something along the lines of: don’t take the bait, don’t stoop down to her level.

Genesis didn’t want to bump heads with Hailey, the bullying never bothered her before, but she felt the urge to defend herself—and her newfound vampirism. It was about honor to her.

She said, “I am a vampire, Hailey. It’s true. It’s all true.”

Haley’s mouth and eyes widened in amazement. She looked to her left, then to her right, then at the back of Genesis’ head. The surrounding students oohed, aahed, and giggled. Some of them looked at Genesis with their brows raised, baffled by her strange statement. They were children, none of them older than thirteen, but they all knew vampires weren’t real.

Hailey said, “You’re a freak, Genesis.”

Trying to focus on her worksheet, Genesis responded, “I’m a vampire, but go ahead and call me a ‘freak.’ I don’t care. I don’t expect someone like you to understand us."

“Someone like me? What’s that supposed to mean? You have something to say to me?”

Genesis remained quiet, trembling gently with frustration. Aubrey covered her mouth with one hand and watched the confrontation from the sidelines. The tension was thick, hanging over the classroom like a noxious cloud of smoke. The students felt it, but they still laughed and whispered amongst themselves. Teenage drama was entertaining to them, even if it included bullying. A few of them started recording the scene with their cell phones.

“That’s what I thought,” Hailey said. She leaned back in her seat and said, “So, you really think you’re a vampire. If you’re telling the truth, what are you doing at school? Aren’t vampires supposed to sparkle or burn in the sun or something like that?”

“Vampires don’t sparkle or burn in the sun. That’s only in stupid movies. They didn’t even burn in old books. It’s… It’s a myth. It’s a stupid myth.”

“Oh really? Well, how about your fangs? Vampires have fangs, don’t they? That’s how they suck blood, right? Where are yours?”

“My fangs,” Genesis repeated, a pinch of reluctance in her voice.

She bit her bottom lip and lowered her head in shame. She was embarrassed by her normal, healthy teeth.

She said, “My fangs are retractable. I don’t need to eat now, so I don’t need them to come out.”

“Bullshit,” Hailey said before bursting into a chuckle.

The other students laughed at her, too. Someone even threw a pencil at her. Myles Rivera, a thirteen-year-old boy, sat to Genesis’ right. He folded one of his worksheets into a paper shuriken. He wasn’t a bully like Hailey, but he liked to tell jokes at the expense of others.

He asked, “Why don’t you show us your fangs now, Gen?”

“Because I don’t feel like it,” Genesis responded, clearly growing frustrated by the unwanted attention.

“Come on. Listen, if you do it, I’ll let you suck some blood out of one of my ass cheeks.”

“Gross,” Hailey exclaimed.

Again, the other students giggled and clapped. Only a few kids focused on their assignments. Aubrey could see Genesis was uncomfortable, but she couldn’t muster the courage to defend her. She hated herself because she lacked courage and honor. Genesis always defended her, but she could never protect Genesis.

From his desk, Gallagher said, “These worksheets are due at the end of class. If you’re done, turn it in now and then sit quietly. If you’re not done, please work quietly.”

The students responded with variations of the same response: yeah, okay, whatever. The laughter stopped, but the students continued whispering amongst themselves. Gallagher was only bothered when the noise in the classroom reached an unacceptable level—when it distracted his reading or his grading. Otherwise, he sat quietly at his desk and worked when he wasn’t lecturing.

A minute passed, then two, and then five.

A handheld mirror in her hand, Hailey extended her arm to the left. She winked at her reflection in the mirror, then she aimed the glass at Genesis.

She said, “That’s weird. We can still see your reflection, but vampires aren’t supposed to have reflections. How do you explain that?”

Genesis slammed her pencil on the desk and said, “I told you already: I’m a real vampire. Vampires have reflections. Stop watching movies and open your eyes.”

“Jeez, bitch, take it easy,” Hailey said, giggling. As she recomposed herself, she said, “Okay, you’re a vampire. So, how did you turn into one?”

Don’t mention Bryce, don’t mention Bryce, don’t mention Bryce, Aubrey told herself.

Genesis said, “My boyfriend turned me into one. He helped me transition.”

“You liar,” Hailey responded. “You don’t have a boyfriend.”

Genesis turned around in her seat and glared at Hailey. She said, “I do. He goes to college.”

“Bullshit.”

“He’s a mature guy. He’s my boyfriend.”

“Bull-shit.”

“It’s true,” Myles said as he tinkered with his shuriken. Hailey looked at him, bug-eyed. Myles said, “My older brother told me some dude in one of his classes banged her at a party.”

“No fuckin’ way,” Hailey said.

The other students gasped in surprise.

Gallagher stood up, looked at the back of the class, and said, “This is your last warning. I’m going to start handing out detentions if I hear another interruption from any of you.”

The class simmered down. Some of the students discussed Genesis’ bizarre claims as well as the alleged loss of her virginity.

Aubrey frowned, ashamed of her inability to protect her friend. She looked out the window to her left and thought about her failures. Genesis turned forward in her seat and stared at her worksheet. The numbers drifted away from each other until she found herself staring at a blank page. She couldn’t concentrate on her work. It only took a few minutes before the bullies started yapping again.

Myles asked, “You hear what happened at lunch?”

“To who?” Hailey responded.

“Olivia. You know, Olivia Barton. She’s in our History class.”

Hailey smiled smugly and said, “Yeah, I heard. She’s on her period and she’s bleeding. Like, a lot. Someone said they could see it through her pants. That idiot didn’t wear a tampon or a pad. How embarrassing. I mean, seriously, a person can’t be that fuckin’ stupid, right?”

As the students laughed around her, Genesis stared down at her lap and nodded determinedly. Her vision turned red, as if blood were cascading over her eyes.

***

Olivia Barton barged into the girls’ restroom, students rushing up and down the hall behind her. The final bell had just rung, so her classmates were eager to get home. She checked under the stall doors, searching for any lingering students. Fortunately, the restroom was empty. She ran to the sinks and pulled four sheets of brown paper towels from the dispenser. She crumpled the towels together, then she soaked the ball of paper in water.

There was a hoodie tied around her waist. She moved the hoodie aside, revealing a smudge of blood on the crotch of her jeans. Tears dripping from her eyes with each blink, she scrubbed her jeans vigorously with the wet paper. To her dismay, the area around the stain grew darker and darker. In less than thirty seconds, the entire crotch of her jeans was darker than the rest of the denim. It looked like she fell into a toilet bowl with her jeans on.

She muttered, “Damn it, damn it, damn it. Why did this have to happen to me? Why?! I should have just told–”

She gasped and hopped as the door swung open. She turned her back to the door and covered her crotch with the hoodie.

“Shit,” she whispered as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Genesis walked into the room slowly. She had followed Olivia to the restroom, but she pretended to be surprised by her presence. She approached the first stall to her left, but she stopped before she could open the door. She looked at Olivia, then she looked at the mirror. She saw the part of the wet stain on Olivia’s jeans through the reflection. She connected the pieces.

Olivia shuddered softly and breathed deeply through her nose. She felt Genesis’ eyes on her body. She didn’t feel like another girl was watching her, though. She felt like an old, nasty male pervert was leering at her.

Her voice breaking, she asked, “Can you get out? Please?”

“What happened to you?” Genesis asked.

“What?”

“Wha–What happened to you?”

“You know what happened to me. Everyone knows. Just get out. Please, I don’t… I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.”

Genesis took a step towards the sinks, and then another. She licked her lips as she stared at Olivia’s crotch.

Olivia released a broken sigh and trembled uncontrollably. By then, she had already spotted Genesis through the reflection on the mirror. She knew her from one of their past classes. Yet, she still felt like she was in danger—as if a man were creeping up on her, cornering her, molesting her.

In a soft tone, Genesis said, “I can help you if you want.”

“I don’t want your help!”

“I think you do.”

“I don’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t want your damn help!” Olivia shouted as she turned around.

She gasped and staggered back. To her utter surprise, Genesis stood directly beside her, less than a yard away. They stared at each other, their eyes locked. Genesis smiled—a soft, understanding smile. Olivia shook her head, baffled by her classmate’s enigmatic behavior.

Olivia stuttered, “Wha–What do you want from me?”

“I want to help you.”

“How? What can you do for me? Huh? I don’t need a tampon or a pad or anything like that. It’s too late. I’m already stained. Are you going to… to give me your pants? Is that it?”

“No, but… I can clean it.”

Olivia scowled and sternly asked, “With what?”

Genesis responded, “My mouth.”

Olivia furrowed her brow and walked backwards until her back hit the wall behind her. She was shocked by the offer—or was it a request?

Genesis took a step forward and asked, “Will you let me eat it?”

Eyes bulging from her skull, Olivia asked, “What? What did you just say?”

“Let me eat your blood. I’ll lick your pants and even your underwear. I’ll clean you up, I promise. Just… Just let me lick it, let me drink it, let me taste your blood. Please. Pretty please.”

Olivia was rendered speechless. No! Help!—she wanted to shout those words, but they wouldn’t come out. Her nose twitched, her lips quivered, and warm tears rolled down her pink cheeks. She kept trying to step back, but she was already against the wall. She was terrified of Genesis. It was as if the rumors were true: Genesis was a vampire, and she was trapped in the restroom with her.

Genesis took another step forward. She broke eye contact and looked down at Olivia’s crotch. She only hoped the water didn’t dilute the blood.

She said, “No one has to know.”

“Don’t come closer. Stay back.”

“Please, I need it.”

“Listen, Genesis, I–I don’t, um… I’m not gay, okay?”

Genesis smirked and said, “It has nothing to do with that. I mean, I can lick it off your pussy, too, but it’s just about the blood. Don’t get any weird ideas. Okay?”

“Oh my God, you’re crazy,” Olivia responded.

“No, I’m just hungry.”

Genesis hissed and lunged at her, mouth wide open. Olivia dashed to her right and dodged her. Genesis crashed into the wall, but she stopped herself from hitting her face. Olivia ran to the door. She slid to a stop before barreling out of the room. She looked back at Genesis, her face scrunched up in disgust and her eyes burning with rage.

She shouted, “You’re a freak, Genesis!”

Genesis watched as Olivia ran out. She was left alone in the restroom, surrounded by the stench of urine and the lingering scent of cheap perfume. Yet, she didn’t feel disappointed.

She smiled and said, “I was close. So damn close.”

Chapter Five

Thirst

“Bryce,” Genesis said as she pushed the door open.

She stood in the doorway and stared into the bedroom, her thumbs under her backpack’s straps. There was a six-drawer dresser under a window to her right, the curtains blowing with the breeze. A twin-sized, unmade bed hugged the wall directly across from her. To her left, there was a desk with a desktop computer and monitor on top of it.

Bryce sat in front of that desk, wearing only a white t-shirt and striped boxers. Headphones over his ears, he played a video game—Fortnite—while trash talking his opponents and muttering to himself.

Genesis knocked on the door and said, “Bryce.”

Bryce peeked over his shoulder nonchalantly, looked back at his monitor, and then he glanced over at Genesis again. He pulled the headphones off his head and rolled towards Genesis on his chair. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bedroom, then he looked into the hallway. He didn’t see anyone, but he heard dishes clinking in the kitchen. He closed his door and rolled back to his desk.

He asked, “How did you get in here? Is my mom home?”

Genesis approached the dresser and examined Bryce’s collection of toys-to-life figurines—Amiibos. She recognized some of the characters, too.

We’re so much alike, she thought as a smile blossomed on her young, innocent face. We like the same things. It’s like we share the same mind, the same heart. This was fate.

She said, “Don’t worry, your mom’s not home. Your sister let me in.”

“My sister? Leslie?”

“Yeah, her.”

Bryce turned his attention to his computer and continued playing. He said, “I told you not to come here when they’re home.”

Genesis touched one of his figurines and said, “But your parents aren’t home.”

“I didn’t want my sister to know about you, either. I told you: our relationship is supposed to be a secret. It’s, um… It’s more romantic that way. Now I have to think of a lie to tell that bitch Leslie.”

“Stop worrying so much, baby. I told her I was a high school student and you’ve been tutoring me online. I said I was in the neighborhood and I just had a quick question. That’s it.”

Bryce stared at her with a blank expression. Then he smiled and nodded. It was the type of gesture that said: attagirl.

He said, “That’s good enough. You gotta go before my parents get home, though.”

Genesis pushed the curtains aside and looked out the window. The driveway and the street in front of the house were empty.

Bryce attended the local community college while living with his parents in a middle-class neighborhood. The houses stood two-stories tall and looked identical to each other, like perfect clones. The lawns were freshly mowed, the parked cars were modern, and the streets were clean. It was a safe neighborhood, but it gave Genesis an eerie vibe. It felt too good to be true.

Genesis sat on his bed and said, “Well, they’re not here so we have time to talk.”

“What do you want?” Bryce asked.

“I need your help. I sent you, like, a hundred messages on Facebook, but you ignored all of them. I was going to–”

“What do you want?” Bryce repeated sternly.

Genesis sighed, then, in a soft tone, she said, “I want you to help me. I know I act all cool and smart, but I don’t know how to be a vampire. I’m… I’m starving, Bryce. I need blood. How do I get blood?”

Bryce stopped clicking his mouse and tapping his keyboard. He stared vacantly at his monitor. Then, the side of his mouth rose to form a devilish smirk. Truth be told, he was grooming and molesting so many girls that he forgot he used his ‘vampire-personality’ to manipulate Genesis and steal her virginity. The truth dawned on him: she really was that gullible and he could always use her again. He spun in his seat and faced Genesis.

He said, “Alright. I get what you’re saying, babe. It’s tough when you’re just starting out. I was wrong, too. I should have helped you more. You know, you’re like a puppy… and you’re cute like one, too.” Genesis curled her shoulders inward and blushed. Bryce chuckled, then he said, “Let me give you some tips. First of all, blood. You need blood if you’re going to survive, but you don’t need a lot. Just eat regular food and drink some blood whenever you’re feeling sick.”

“I tried eating normal food, but I couldn’t. I actually threw up.”

“Yeah, sure. That happens, babe. You just have to get used to it.”

Genesis puckered her lips and twiddled her thumbs. She didn’t agree with Bryce’s assessment—vampires lived off blood, not empty calories—but she couldn’t argue with him. She believed he was a real vampire after all.

She asked, “Where can I get some blood?”

Bryce said, “Anywhere. You can drink some animal blood or eat some raw meat. You won’t get a lot of blood from raw meat, but it’ll help you a little. Hell, you can even ask a close friend for some of their blood, but make sure you only ask people you trust. Most of the people out there, those idiots, they don’t understand us. Okay? They’ll think you’re weird if you ask for blood, then they’ll tell someone, and then they’ll call the cops. We don’t want that.”

Oops, Genesis thought as she smiled nervously, I better learn to control myself. She remembered the encounter in the girls’ restroom at school a few hours earlier.

She said, “I don’t have a lot of close friends, Bryce. What am I supposed to do?”

Bryce responded, “Ask cutters.”

“Cutters?”

“You know, kids who cut themselves. I know you’ve seen ‘em around school. They’re already cutting themselves anyway, so ask them for blood.”

“You think they’d tell on me?” Genesis asked.

“Maybe, but they’re cutting themselves for a reason: people ignore them. They’re lonely, Genesis. They don’t have friends. They might as well not have family, either. So, you’ll be safe.”

Genesis nodded in determination. She saw a few cutters at her school. She figured Aubrey would be willing to lend a helping hand, too. She glided her tongue across her incisor teeth, then she stopped.

“My fangs,” she said. She leaned closer to Bryce and said, “I don’t have my fangs yet.”

“I told you: you’re like a puppy. They’ll grow out soon. You just need to give it sometime.”

Genesis sighed, then she bit her bottom lip and nodded. And, just like that, she felt reassured by her boyfriend and hopeful for the future.

Bryce snickered as he watched her. He knew he had successfully manipulated her—again. His face said: too easy, too damn easy. He stood up and locked the door, then he sat down beside Genesis. He rubbed her shoulder and kissed her, pecking gently at her face and neck. Then he pulled his underwear down to his ankles and pushed Genesis’ head down.

Chapter Six

Home Is Where the Blood Is

Genesis stood in front of the open refrigerator, the cool air blowing on her bare arms. She stared at the three chicken breasts sitting on a yellow foam tray and covered by a thin layer of plastic. She looked through the kitchen archway to her right. She saw her parents in the living room, but they didn’t see her.

Helen and Howard were hypnotized by the television. They loved their daughter, they genuinely cared about Genesis’ wellbeing, but parenting wasn’t their forte.

Genesis grabbed a chef’s knife from a knife block. She tore the package open, then she sawed into a chicken breast. She cut a piece of the breast off, about the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Then she casually tossed the knife into the sink and headed back to her bedroom.

Yet again, her parents didn’t notice a thing. Truth be told, later in the evening, they wouldn’t even notice the missing chicken, either.

Genesis locked the door, then she sat down on her bed. She held the moist piece of chicken up to her face.

“This is it,” she whispered. She took a deep breath through her nose as she mentally prepared herself. She said, “I can do this. I have to do this. I’ll starve if I don’t. Do it, Genesis. Do it… Just do it already!”

She chomped into the raw chicken. The chicken juice sprayed every which way, splattering on the floor, the wall, her cheek, and her shoulder. Her teeth sinking into the breast, she shook her head like a puppy playing tug-of-war with her owner. After a few seconds of gnawing, she tore the chicken in half with her teeth.

She grimaced in disgust as she chewed on the durable chicken. It was chewy, rough but slippery. It tasted foul, like poorly-prepared raw tuna. She coughed and retched, but she didn’t stop chewing. She threw her head back and swallowed, as if she were choking down a giant pill—gulp. She didn’t want to get cold feet, so she immediately shoved the other piece of chicken into her mouth.

Her eyes wet with tears, she chewed on the raw chicken with her mouth open. She ate like her father, but Howard never cried during a meal. After a few minutes of chewing, she swallowed the chicken.

Genesis wiped the tears from her cheeks as she let out a shuddery exhale. She giggled nervously as she trembled with excitement. She couldn’t help but feel satisfied after eating her first official meal as a ‘vampire.’

She whispered, “I did it. I actually did it.” She licked her lips, then she rubbed them together. She said, “That wasn’t so bad. No, it was, um… It was actually okay. I didn’t taste any blood, but I ate it. If Bryce says it’s okay, then it’s okay. R–Right?”

She frowned and rubbed her stomach. It had been nearly forty-eight hours since she had her last full meal. She was starving, but she didn’t want to eat ‘regular’ food. Although she didn’t actually consume any blood by eating the raw chicken, she forced herself to believe that she needed more blood in order to survive.

“Close friends and cutters,” she murmured.

She lay in bed and opened her laptop. She browsed Facebook, scrolling through her friends as well as friends of friends. She searched for familiar faces: old pals, friendly kids, depressed cutters. While doing so, she thought about her options. She could outright ask for their blood, but that seemed foolish and dangerous. She considered offering money in exchange for their blood, but she knew the pitfalls of social media.

Anyone could easily screenshot a message and spread it like the latest celebrity nude picture or sex tape. Privacy was nonexistent in the digital age.

Before she could find a suitable candidate, she heard the sound of the toilet flushing. Then she heard footsteps in the hallway. The dainty footsteps drifted away from her bedroom, vanishing somewhere down the hall. That’s mom, she thought, and my mom is still on her period. A disturbing idea crept into her mind.

Genesis opened the bedroom door. She peeked into the hall—first to her left, then to her right. The coast was clear. She slunk her way into the bathroom, moving with quiet, gliding steps. She closed and locked the door behind her, then she leaned back against the door. She stared at the trashcan beside the toilet. Her taste buds tingled as she sniffed. She smelled lotion, soap, and cleaning supplies.

Yet, she also believed she caught a whiff of blood in the restroom. It was a slight scent, nearly imperceptible, but she believed it was there.

She fell to her knees in front of the trashcan. Her hands trembling, she picked at the crumpled tissue papers with her fingertips.

The toilet paper was smeared with blood, piss, and some feces. The scent of human waste hit her nostrils with a powerful force, but that didn’t deter her. Toilet paper scattered across the ground, she stopped as she reached the center of the trashcan. She pulled a ball of used tissue paper out of the bin. The paper, thin and torn, was stained with blood. She unwrapped the ball and found a use tampon inside.

Her teeth chattering, she stuttered, “I–I have to do this. It–It’s normal. This is my life now.”

She held the tampon from its string and raised it over her head, as if she were carrying a rat by its tail. She tilted her head back, then she slowly lowered the tampon to her face. The absorbent portion of the tampon, made of soft cotton and rayon, caressed her shaking lips. She let out another long exhale, then she slurped the tampon into her mouth.

She sucked on the tampon, moving it from one side of her mouth to the other like a piece of hard candy. Her saliva moisturized the absorbent portion, consequently releasing the powerful tang of menstrual blood. She shoved the rest of the string into her mouth, then she chewed on the tampon. It became mushy but durable, like tough meat. She grinded it between her teeth, then she swallowed it.

Genesis licked her lips, then she sucked on her fingers. She could still taste the blood. She looked down at herself in disbelief.

Tears of joy brimming in her eyes, she whispered, “I really am a vampire.”

She threw the used toilet paper back into the trash, then she washed her hands and face at the sink. She feared her parents would spot some crusty blood on her fingertips or on the side of her mouth. She was proud of her actions, she loved being a vampire, but she didn’t want her parents to know about her transition—not yet. She needed time to prepare herself for the world.

She smiled at her reflection on the mirror and said, “I’m going to need more if I’m going to survive out here. A lot more.”

Chapter Seven

Metamorphosis

Tap, tap, tap—Aubrey looked at the front door from the dining table, then she glanced over at the clock above the kitchen archway. It was barely three forty-five in the afternoon, but someone was knocking on the door. It was too early for any of her family members to arrive. She closed her laptop and stood from her seat. Before she could take a step, someone knocked on the door again—faster, harder.

Aubrey approached the front door. She stood on her tiptoes and peeked through the peephole. She could barely see the top of Genesis’ head.

“What are you doing here, Gen?” she whispered to herself. She reluctantly opened the door. She forced a smile and said, “Hey, Genesis. Um… What’s up? Why are you here right now?”

“Well, I came to see you, duh,” Genesis responded, her backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Really?”

Genesis giggled, then she asked, “Why are you acting so surprise?”

“I don’t know. I mean… We didn’t really talk today. I saw you at lunch, but you just ignored me. I thought you were mad at me or something.”

“Oh, come on. I’m not mad at you. I just had a lot on my mind. I’ve been… I’m just going through something. It’s kinda hard to explain.”

Aubrey stuttered, “O–Okay.”

Some kids chatted and yelled in the street and a few cars drove past the house. The girls stayed quiet for an entire minute. They analyzed each other, as if they were meeting for the first time.

Genesis asked, “Can I come in?”

Aubrey nodded slowly and said, “Yeah, I guess so.”

She stepped aside and beckoned to her close friend. Genesis walked into the house. She looked around while Aubrey secured the door.

Aubrey walked back to the living room and asked, “So, how are you feeling? Did you eat anything? We have some frozen food in the freezer if you want.”

“I’m feeling better,” Genesis responded, weaving and bobbing her head as she examined the living room, dining area, kitchen, and hall. She asked, “Is anyone else home?”

“Nope. My mom and dad will be here in an hour, maybe two.”

“What about your brother?”

Aubrey shrugged and said, “I don’t really know what Nate does all day. He comes home whenever he feels like it. Usually before six if he doesn’t work. If he works… who knows? I’m usually sleeping already. Why are you asking?”

Genesis looked away from Aubrey and smirked. She approached the dining table with a new air of confidence.

She said, “Like I was saying, I’m feeling a little better today. I’m still hungry, but I’m… I’m strong, you know? And, if I want to get stronger, I need to eat more.”

Aubrey said, “I told you: we have frozen food in–”

“Not frozen food, Aubrey,” Genesis interrupted. She grabbed her shoulders, gazed into her eyes, and said, “I ate blood yesterday. I ate real, human blood. That’s why I’m feeling better. But I still need more.”

Awed, Aubrey stuttered, “Hu–Human blood?”

“Yeah.”

Aubrey broke eye contact. She blinked rapidly as dozens of thoughts echoed through her head. She wondered how exactly Genesis ‘ate’ the human blood. Aren’t you supposed to drink it?–she thought. She feared Genesis might have hurt someone. She imagined her mauling innocent kids, biting into limbs, torsos, and necks.

Genesis saw the fear in her friend’s eyes. She said, “It’s okay, it’s alright. Don’t worry, I didn’t kill anyone or anything like that. I just… I got their blood and they didn’t even know it. I even ate some animal blood, too. I ate some raw meat. It’s okay, really.”

Aubrey could also read Genesis’ eyes. She knew Genesis wasn’t lying, she believed every word out of her mouth, but she needed more information. She wondered how she acquired the blood in the first place.

She asked, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I need your help. I’m getting stronger, I think my fangs are starting to grow, but I’m still hungry. You get me? It’s like… like there’s someone else inside of me, like I’m feeding two people. That makes sense, right? So, maybe one part of me can eat human food, but the other part… the other part needs human blood.”

Aubrey’s face dimmed, the glow fading from her young skin. She was scared, she was uncomfortable. She tried to maintain a welcoming smile, but she couldn’t keep it on her face. The sides of her mouth fell into a frown.

She said, “You’re changing.”

“I know that. I told you: I’m a vampire now. I’m going through a… What do you call it? A, um… A metamorphosis.”

“No… No, that’s not what I mean. You’re not becoming a vampire. You’re just… changing.”

“I’m a vampire now, Aubrey. You have to accept that or we can’t be friends.”

Aubrey ran her eyes over Genesis’ body. She spotted the black bags under her heavy-lidded eyes. The color was fading from her dried, cracked lips, too. Her face looked slim, her cheekbones more defined than usual. She wasn’t exactly malnourished, she still had some energy in her, but she was clearly unwell.

Aubrey questioned Genesis’ parents. She thought about their poor parenting—neglect, abuse? She blamed herself, too, but she wanted to do more for Genesis. She could never protect Genesis from their school’s bullies, so she felt compelled to protect her from herself. She thought about the source of the problem: Bryce Malone. She figured she’d have to get rid of him in order to really help Genesis.

She asked, “Did you stop seeing Bryce yet?”

“No, why? What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I think he’s, you know, dangerous.”

“I guess he is. He turned me into this, so I’m only going through all of this because of him. But… I’m happy. He’s made me really happy. This is all I’ve ever wanted. Bryce and me, we can be dangerous together now. That’s awesome, right? It’s like all those cool couples in movies and crap like that, but it’s real for us.”

“No, Genesis, he’s part of your problem. He’s not helping you, he’s hurting you. We need to tell someone so he doesn’t–”

“Stop it,” Genesis snapped, furious. “Bryce is the only reason I’m alive right now, so I’m not going to sell him out. I didn’t come here to talk about him anyway, so drop it. Now, are you going to help me or not?”

Aubrey sighed as she glanced around the room. If she didn’t help her, she feared Genesis would do something stupid or dangerous. She felt like she was out of options.

She said, “I’ll help you get animal blood if you want, but I won’t hurt anyone.”

Genesis smiled and said, “I never wanted to hurt anyone.” She patted Aubrey’s shoulder and said, “You’re smart. You’re a genius, okay? You just need to think. Do you have any ideas where I can get some blood.”

“Well, we have raw meat and chicken in the fridge, but I don’t think those have blood in ‘em.”

“I don’t want raw food. That’s like a snack. I need more blood than that. Come on, there has to be something we can do.”

Aubrey was a smart child, but she didn’t know much about vampires and blood. Hmm—the sound of contemplation seeped past her sealed lips.

Meanwhile, Genesis looked down the hallway. The first room to the right belonged to Aubrey, she already knew that. The second room to the right belonged to her older brother, Nate. She didn’t know much about Nate, they shared some hellos and goodbyes in the past, but she at least knew he loved animals.

And she knew that he kept an exotic pet.

Watching as Genesis approached Nate’s room, Aubrey said, “Wait. What are you doing?”

Genesis ignored her. She opened the door to Nate’s room. She didn’t care about the rock band posters clinging to the walls. The trash and dirty laundry littered on the floor didn’t bother her, either.

Her eyes were drawn to the twenty-gallon enclosure on top of the dresser to her left. The enclosure was decorated with rocks, artificial plants, and tree limbs. Ledges were even installed to one of the walls to allow for some exercise. It looked like a jungle.

And, in that fake jungle, a three-foot-long California Kingsnake slithered around majestically.

Aubrey stood behind Genesis and said, “He doesn’t like it when I go in his room.”

“Fuck him,” Genesis said, her eyes on the snake. “He feeds it mice, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I don’t really like watching him do that, though. It’s gross. He feeds him once or twice a week. I think it depends on their behavior. Snakes are–”

“I’m going to borrow one,” Genesis said as she entered the room.

“Borrow one? What are you talking about?”

Genesis approached a hamster cage under the window at the other end of the room. Three mice scampered around the cage, their tails wavering behind them.

Aubrey asked, “You’re going to borrow one of them? For what?”

Yet again, Genesis ignored her questions. She opened the top of the cage. As she examined each mouse, she reached into the small pocket of her backpack. After a few seconds of rummaging, she pulled a pocket knife out of her bag. She unfolded the knife, revealing a three-inch blade—a clean, never-before-used blade. She grabbed the largest mouse in her left hand.

Aubrey couldn’t connect the pieces because she was surprised by the knife. It was a deadly weapon. Since it was in her backpack, she could only assume Genesis also possessed the knife while they were in school. She could have gotten expelled, she thought, no, she could have killed someone. The idea terrified her. It stopped her from thinking straight.

She stammered, “Wha–Wha–What is that for? Why do you… Why do you have a knife?”

Genesis walked towards the center of the room. She raised the rat and knife over her shoulders.

She said, “I’m going to drink its blood.”

“What?!” Aubrey shouted.

“You heard me.”

Aubrey finally stepped into the room. Scowling, she shook her head and said, “No, you can’t do that. It’s wrong.”

She took another step towards Genesis, but then she stopped as she caught another glimpse of the knife. For the first time in her life, she genuinely feared for her safety around her closest friend—her only friend. She stepped back until she crashed into the wall beside the door. Questions ran through her mind, but she couldn’t find any answers: would she really hurt me? Would she really eat that mouse? Is she really that crazy?

Genesis said, “Don’t mess this up for me. I’m going to take one—only one. I either drink animal blood, like this mouse’s blood, or I drink human blood. I don’t want to hurt any people, so this is all I have right now. Don’t get in my way.”

Eyes welling with tears, Aubrey said, “Okay, o–okay. I don’t… I don’t know what to say. I just don’t want you to do this. You know it’s not right. Please stop, Genesis. Please.”

“I can’t stop. Just… just get out, close the door, and keep a lookout. I’ll deal with everything else. The blood, the mess… I’ll handle it.”

Tears spilled from Aubrey’s eyes and cascaded across her pink cheeks. She snorted and groaned as mucus filled her nostrils.

Frowning, Genesis let out a loud exhale through her nose. She shared Aubrey’s emotional pain, but she wasn’t ready to quit.

She said, “Hey, if you help me now, we won’t have to do this again for a while. Okay? I’ll get enough blood to keep me strong for a few days. It’ll buy us time to think of something else. I promise, I’ll find a way to make things right.”

For some reason, despite knowing of her mental instability, Aubrey believed her. Just this once, she told herself as she nodded in agreement. She slunk out of the bedroom. She looked at Genesis, then  at the mouse, and then at the knife. She closed her eyes as she heard the rat’s squeaking. The rodent was young and innocent. It was always going to be used as food for Nate’s snake, but now it was a meal for an unstable child. The reality of the situation was disturbing.

Aubrey closed the door. She breathed heavily as she looked at the front door. She didn’t hear any cars outside. In fact, she didn’t hear anything. An eerie dead silence befell the house.

After a minute, a shrill squealing sound emerged from the bedroom. The rodent’s squeaks of pain sounded clear to Aubrey, as if there wasn’t a wall between them—as if it were being impaled directly beside her ear.

Aubrey leaned back against the wall across from the bedroom. She slid down to her butt slowly. She stared at the door, eyes full of fear. The rat’s squeaking came to a sudden stop with a loud tearing sound—like a thin shirt being ripped apart. Moist slurping and loud crunching sounds followed. She couldn’t tell if Genesis was actually eating the mouse or not.

Is she really biting it? Eating its feet? Breaking its bones? Chewing on its tail?–she thought. Only one thing was certain: Genesis was consuming the blood of a mouse.

For a moment, just a few seconds, Aubrey believed there was a real vampire in her brother’s room. She lowered her head to her knees and wrapped her arms around her shins as she sniveled and whimpered. She was confused, terrified, and emotionally devastated. She could only sit there by herself and listen to the growling, hissing, and squelching in her brother’s room. She could only sit there and think about her best friend.

Her voice trembling, she whispered, “What happened to you?”

Chapter Eight

Save Her

Aubrey lay in the fetal position, her knees up to her chest and her hands in front of her mouth. She breathed in short, panicked breaths—sniffling, sobbing. She could only think about Genesis and her vicious actions. She vividly remembered seeing the blood on Genesis’ lips and chin after she exited Nate’s room that evening. She didn’t see the rodent’s body, but she knew it was horribly mutilated.

“Why did you do it?” she whispered. “You didn’t have to kill it like that. You didn’t have to drink its blood because… because you’re not really a vampire. Genesis, you’re not a damn vampire.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes and glanced around her bedroom. She kept a clean, plain room, everything in its right place. The telescope at the foot of the bed, positioned beside the window, caught her attention. She thought about the stars and the universe, about vanishing from the planet and exploring the galaxy. For a moment, she felt comfortable again.

Then someone knocked on the door—tap, tap, tap.

She saw the silhouette of a person through the gap under the door. For some odd reason, she thought Genesis was paying her a visit.

She pulled the blanket closer to her face and whispered, “No, please no…”

The person knocked again—tap, tap, pause, tap. She saw an image of Genesis standing over her at the foot of her bed, a streak of blood stretching from her lips to her collarbone. Her eyes were gray—no veins, no irises, no pupils. And her skin was like milk, a sickly-pale color. The girl’s long, sharp fangs scared her the most, though.

Before she could panic, the door swung open.

Rachel Horne, Aubrey’s mother, stood in the doorway. Her eyes glinted with curiosity as she weaved and bobbed her head for a better view of her daughter. The light in the hallway illuminated the bed. She could see her daughter had been crying. So, she shuffled into the room, barely lifting her puffy slippers with each step.

As she sat down on the bed beside Aubrey, Rachel said, “Hey, sweetie. Everything okay?” Aubrey covered her face with the blanket and tried to hide her tears. Rachel smiled tenderly and, in a soft voice, she said, “Come on, hun. You don’t have to hide from me. I already know you’ve been crying. I could tell you’ve been wanting to cry since dinner. I saw it in your eyes. It’s okay. Talk to me.”

Aubrey lowered the blanket slowly, revealing her red face, puffy eyes, and snot-filled nose. She blew out a loud sigh, then she smiled. She felt safe around her mother.

She said, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, hun, just tell me what’s bothering you. I’m here to listen, okay? And, remember: you can tell me anything, anything at all. What’s on your mind, sweetie?”

Aubrey’s eyes wandered away from her mother’s. She said, “I have a friend and she’s… she’s changing.”

“Okay. Does your friend have a name?”

“Yeah, but… I can’t tell you.”

“Okay, okay. She can be Ms. Anonymous for now. So, what’s wrong with your friend? Why are you so sad tonight?”

Aubrey sniffled, then she said, “Well, I know she’s a good person. I can feel it in my heart. She’s always been my friend and she’s always taken care of me. She used to be so nice and maybe she still is, but she’s different. She’s meaner now. She does things she never used to do. She scares me because of that. And I think it’s all because… because of a guy.”

“Like a crush? She’s trying to impress a boy?” Rachel asked, her brow raised.

“Not a boy, a guy. I think she’s being, um… ‘abused’ by some gross college guy. He’s a predator, like the ones you told me about, and he’s taking advantage of my friend. I know he’s the reason why she’s changing. I know it.”

Rachel’s eyes widened and her heart jumped into her throat. She was expecting a talk about bullying, but their conversation took a dark, disturbing turn. She had warned Aubrey about predators—young and old, male and female, online and offline—just a few weeks ago as a precautionary measure. She never actually expected to have such an ominous conversation with her child.

Most parents didn’t, as a matter of fact.

She said, “Okay, I… I think I understand. So, if she’s one of your friends, she must be young like you. If that’s the case, you should tell me her name. I can help her and we can put that bad man away. Okay?”

“No.”

“No?”

Aubrey said, “I can’t tell on her, mom. She trusts me. And, if I tell on her, she might get hurt. They might take her away from her family or put her in jail or… I don’t know, but they might hurt her, too. I have to help her, but not like that. I’m sorry.”

Rachel bit her bottom lip and nodded. She ran through the possibilities in her mind. She knew Aubrey wasn’t talking about herself with her story since she always kept an eye on her. She didn’t know many of Aubrey’s friends, aside from a few kids in the neighborhood. She also knew Aubrey wasn’t lying—she never told a lie.

She said, “Aubrey, I understand what you’re saying. I get it, I really do. But, sometimes it’s best to tell an adult. If your friend really is in trouble, this isn’t a problem you can solve on your own. You’re just a kid, sweetie.”

Aubrey leaned away from her mother and shook her head—no, I won’t tell. She was defiant, but she wasn’t bratty or angry. She only wanted to protect her friend. Rachel was a kind and understanding mother. She wasn’t the type to coerce or threaten or abuse. She believed patience and love would lead to positive conclusions.

She rubbed her daughter’s shoulder and said, “I can’t force you to do anything, but I’m here for you, Aubrey. So, here’s what I think you should do. You should help your friend in a safe and responsible way. Don’t go chasing bad guys, okay? Instead, try leaving an anonymous note to an adult that explains this little situation. If you can’t tell me, maybe ‘someone’ can tell your friend’s parents. Or, try having a talk with your friend. Have a heart-to-heart, you know? Maybe that’ll push her towards talking to her parents.” She leaned closer to Aubrey’s face and said, “But, whatever you do, don’t talk to that predator. Don’t approach him, don’t even look his way. Okay, Aubrey?”

Aubrey stared vacantly at the ceiling. She heard everything her mother said, but one word stood out: anonymous. She was determined to help Genesis in any way possible. Specifically, she planned on taking Bryce down anonymously. She believed he was the source of the problem after all. If Bryce wasn’t around to enable her, Genesis wouldn’t believe she was a vampire—that was the theory.

Rachel shook her gently and repeated, “Okay, Aubrey?”

Aubrey responded, “I understand. I’ll stay away from him. I’ll think about what you said, too. I just… I need some time, but I’ll be okay. I’ll help her.”

“And you’ll stay far away from him?”

Aubrey smiled and said, “Yeah, I’ll stay far, far away from him.”

“Good girl,” Rachel said. She kissed Aubrey’s forehead, wiped the mucus from her lip, and then she tucked her into bed. She said, “I’m ready to talk when you are. You go ahead and get some sleep. Good night, baby.”

Rachel walked to the doorway and looked back at Aubrey. They shared a smile of understanding, but they didn’t really understand each other. Aubrey didn’t know her mother was going to go into the other room to make some calls about her claims, and Rachel didn’t know her daughter was setting her sights on a real-life child predator in the city.

Aubrey watched as her mother closed the door. Then she listened to her footsteps until they stopped somewhere down the hall. She put on her glasses and grabbed her laptop from the desk beside her bed. In the internet browser, she searched: report abuse anonymously. She was led to the National Center of Missing & Exploited Children.

She filled out a form detailing Bryce’s vile actions. She used some false information, including her mother’s personal details, in order to complete it.

As she typed, the light from the monitor reflecting off her glasses, Aubrey whispered, “I’ll save you, Genesis. I’ll get rid of him once and for all. I won’t let him hurt you again. And… And I’ll find a safe way to get you some blood. I’ll keep you strong until they can help you get better, until they can fix your brain. I promise, for once in my life, I’ll protect you.”

Chapter Nine

Absence

Aubrey sat by herself at her regular lunch table. She stretched her neck up and then forward as she munched on a ham sandwich. She ran her eyes over the other tables and benches, scanning each and every clique. She watched as smaller clusters of students walked past her table, too. It seemed like a normal school day.

But Genesis was nowhere to be found.

“Where are you, Gen?” Aubrey murmured. “Why aren’t you answering my texts?”

Genesis often arrived late to school, but she rarely missed an entire day of class. And, if she did stay home, she usually responded to her text messages. On that Thursday, however, it was as if the young girl had vanished into thin air. No one even mentioned her name, except for Aubrey and some teachers who took roll.

Aubrey took another bite of her sandwich as she continued to look around. She was worried, she was terrified. Her mind was flooded with horrific scenarios.

At first, she imagined Aubrey eating a stray dog in an alley. She saw her gnawing on one of its hind legs, slurping blood through its fur, and then coughing up a bloody hairball. The dog yipped and yelped and screeched in her imagination. It was possible, too. Genesis was perfectly capable of harming innocent animals—like mice.

Then, she thought about Bryce. She didn’t know him well, but she knew enough about him. She wondered if he was capable of killing a teenage girl, if he could bury a dead body with his crimes. She pictured him kissing Genesis’ neck and then chomping at her throat to guzzle her blood. She figured a self-proclaimed vampire would kill like a vampire.

Aubrey considered asking other students about Genesis’ absence, but she didn’t know where to start. She made acquaintances, not friends. Looking at the other students, she thought: who am I supposed to ask for help when no one actually knows me? She felt lonelier than usual without Genesis. She felt like a ghost—see-through, forgotten.

She shoved the rest of the sandwich into her mouth, causing her cheeks to balloon out, and then she pouted. She couldn’t lie to herself: she was jealous. She saw nothing but happiness in her classmates. She figured they were happy because they were together. Friends are important, she thought, Genesis is important.

Then she smiled—a sweet, genuine smile. The mere thought of Genesis and their friendship warmed her heart. She convinced herself that she had to save Genesis, even if her best friend really believed she was a vampire—even if she somehow turned into a real vampire. She felt determined again.

“Hey, Aubrey,” Hailey said as she approached the table with a pack of girls. She leaned forward, elbows on the table, and smirked. She asked, “Where’s your girlfriend?”

With a soft voice, practically squeaking, Aubrey responded, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“You don’t? For the past two years, I’ve seen you with only one girl: Genesis. You know that, right? I’ve never seen you hang out with anyone else, actually. No girls, no guys, no one but Genesis. Am I lying?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean we’re dating.”

“But you wish you were dating, right?” Hailey asked. She glanced over at her giggling friends and asked, “What did Mrs. Redding say it was called? ‘Something’ love, right? In… No, um… Oh, unrequited love. Yeah, you love her, but she doesn’t love you back, right? Aww, I feel so sorry for you, Aubrey.”

Aubrey’s eyelids and nose twitched. She fought the urge to cry. She dumped her foam tray along with the rest of her lunch into the neighboring trashcan. She threw her backpack over her shoulder and walked away.

Hailey yelled, “It’s okay, Aubrey! You can do better than that freak anyway! Sooner or later, she probably would have tried to kill you or something! She’s crazy!”

Aubrey stopped in her tracks, her head down. She listened to the girls’ cackling, like hyenas in a cartoon—loud, obnoxious, indistinguishable. It was as if they had rehearsed their laughter so they would sound exactly the same. The camel’s back finally broke. She marched back to the table, shaking. She glared at Hailey and opened her mouth. She didn’t know what to say, where to start.

Still smiling, Hailey asked, “What? What are you–”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Aubrey said, her voice stern. The girls stopped laughing, their smirks twisting into awkward smiles. Aubrey said, “She’s my friend, and she’s not as ‘weird’ or ‘crazy’ as you think she is. She’s a good person.”

“No, she really isn’t. When we were–”

“Stop it,” Aubrey interrupted again. “She is a good person. She’s tired of bullies like you and… and all of you. We didn’t do anything to you, so just leave us alone. Please.”

Hailey stared at Aubrey with her hands on her hips and her head on a swivel. The smile was wiped from her face. She didn’t look angry, though. She looked bored—unamused.

She shook her head and said, “Whatever. You don’t know who you’re messing with, Aubrey, and I’m not talking about me. Genesis is crazy, but… you’re right. I don’t want to mess with you two. It was fun, but it’s not worth it.” As she walked away, she said, “If I see you on the news because she really killed you, I’ll still feel bad. Good luck… dumbass.”

Aubrey was surprised by Hailey’s retreat. She smiled, proud of herself. But she stopped smiling as soon as she thought about Hailey’s warning. It seemed sincere and ominous. An image of a dead, mutilated mouse covered her vision. She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly.

She whispered, “No, she’s just trying to scare me. Genesis is good. She’s confused, but she’s good…”

***

Aubrey wandered the aisles of a pet store. She looked at the rabbits, birds, kittens, and puppies, but she avoided the mice and hamsters. The rodents brought back bad memories.

Her brother often visited that store to purchase his supply of feeder mice. And, if he were rejected for any reason, he would buy the mice from a neighbor who was also interested in exotic pets. She had been there before with Nate, so she was familiar with every inch of the store. She was always saddened by the rodents since she knew they would be eaten by Nate’s snake, but she accepted it as part of nature.

At that moment, however, she saw all of the pets as food for Genesis—for a friend, for a human, for a kid. She stopped in one of the aisles. She found herself staring at a beagle puppy through a glass partition. Drowsy-eyed and floppy-eared, the puppy stumbled over herself as she ran to the glass. She pawed at the partition and looked up at Aubrey, begging for attention with a soft whimper. The puppy’s eyes looked innocent.

Aubrey thought about the puppy, long and hard. She wanted to buy her for Genesis. She wondered if Genesis would actually cut her open to drink her blood.

“No,” she whispered as she stared down at the dog. She bent over and leaned closer to the partition. She said, “She’d fall in love with you, right? She’d want to be friends with you and she’d protect you like she protects me. Then… Then all three of us would be friends and we’d never be alone. It’s perfect.”

A twinkle of hope sparkled in Aubrey’s bright blue eyes. Yet, deep down, she knew her first theory was far more likely. She puckered her lips and tapped the glass, then she departed from the shop. She headed to a grocery store across the street. She ignored the employees and the other customers as she made her way to the meat department, her sneakers thudding on the floor with each casual step.

At the meat department, she ran her eyes over the massive selection: ground beef, steak, pork chops, sausage, roast beef, turkey, ham.

“Where do I start?” she muttered.

Most of the meat looked red and brown. She was drawn to the red meats. She knew red didn’t equal blood, but she wasn’t looking for blood anyway. She was looking to pull the wool over Genesis’ eyes.

She approached the counter and said, “Excuse me.”

The bald-headed butcher, tall and brawny, glanced over at her, then he looked around, as if he were searching for the girl’s parents. He wiped his gloved hands on his red apron and approached the counter.

He asked, “Can I help you, miss?”

“Yeah, um… I’m just looking for the bloodiest meat you have.”

“The bloodiest… meat?”

The butcher looked dumbfounded, like a sleeping student awakened by a professor. The question was unusual, especially since it came from a young teenager.

He smiled and said, “I don’t… I don’t really understand what you’re looking for. You’re looking for ‘bloody’ meat? Why?”

“Well, I’m not exactly looking for bloody meat. I’m just looking for meat that tastes like it’s bloody. I want it to look bloody, too. It’s for a school project.”

The butcher stared at her with a deadpan expression. He said, “Look, I think there’s a… a misunderstanding. Just because the meat is red that doesn’t mean there’s blood in there. There is no blood in our meats, okay? Not the way you’re thinking.” He chuckled and glanced around, as if he were searching for someone again. He asked, “Is this for some sort of hidden-cam prank?”

“No, no. I’m serious. So, there’s no blood in any of it? Not even a little?”

“You can’t taste it, you can’t use it to… to finger-paint. If there’s any blood in our meats, it is, um… it is microscopic. Forget about it, little lady. We just don’t sell blood here.”

“Okay, I thought so,” Aubrey responded. She looked down at the meat under the counter, disappointed. She said, “Well, it was just for a school project. I think I’ve learned enough anyway.”

The butcher responded, “Alright, that’s fine. Just don’t go around eating raw meat, okay? It ain’t good for you. Oh, what am I saying? Your mother probably could have told you all of this herself. Where is she?”

“She’s somewhere around here,” Aubrey said. She slipped her thumbs under the straps of her backpack and walked away hurriedly. Without looking back, she said, “Thanks, mister.”

She walked to the other end of the store and headed to the refrigerators.

“Meat won’t work,” she whispered. “It’s too dangerous anyway. But what if I can trick her some other way?”

She stopped in front of a fridge full of milk. The pieces started coming together, connecting like building blocks to create a safer plan. She figured she could cut herself, drop a little bit of her blood into a cup of milk, stir the liquids together, and then give it to Genesis. That way, Genesis would feel like she was consuming blood and no one would get hurt, except for some minor, self-inflicted cuts.

She only hoped she could fool Genesis until she could get her some real help. She bought a carton of milk with her extra lunch money, shoved it into her backpack, and then she left the grocery store. She was nervous but ready.

Chapter Ten

Foiled

“No way,” Aubrey said in a soft, awed voice.

She stood at the crosswalk just outside of the grocery store, waiting for the light to change. She spotted Genesis across the street and, unfortunately, she wasn’t alone. Bryce stood beside her, hiding in the shade of a bus stop shelter. The couple appeared to be talking to a young schoolgirl. She couldn’t have been older than eight. She didn’t seem interested in them, but Genesis wouldn’t let her leave.

Aubrey recognized their plot. Her mother had told her plenty of horror stories about child predators and their manipulative ways. They’ll be nice, they’ll act like they understand you, and they might offer you something to win your trust, her mother would say. From afar, it looked like Genesis was being nice to the kid.

There was no respectable reason, none at all, for a nineteen-year-old man and a thirteen-year-old girl to be speaking to an unsupervised child in public like that. They cornered the girl because they wanted her. It was obvious to Aubrey: Genesis wanted her for her blood, Bryce wanted her for pleasure. Regardless, their intentions were clearly malicious.

As soon as the light changed, Aubrey ran across the street, the milk slushing in the carton in her backpack. She took a right across the street and dashed towards the bus stop.

She yelled, “Genesis!”

Genesis, Bryce, and the little girl looked at her, surprised. Under his breath, Bryce muttered something along the lines of: damn it, what is it this time? The eight-year-old looked at her with wide, confused eyes.

Genesis asked, “Aubrey, what are you doing here?”

“No, what are you doing here?” Aubrey asked as she squeezed herself in between Genesis and the schoolgirl. “Why are you talking to this kid?”

“We… We were just helping her find her way home.”

In a gentle voice, the girl said, ”But I know my–”

“Shut up, kid,” Genesis interrupted, frustrated. She glared at Aubrey and said, “Go home, Aubrey. I’m fine. We’re fine.”

Aubrey huffed, then she said, “Yeah, right. You’re fine, but what are you trying to do to this kid? Huh? And what are you doing with him? With that monster?”

Bryce furrowed his brow and took a step back. He had the type of look on his face that said: oh shit, I’m caught. He figured she knew about his inappropriate relationship with Genesis.

Genesis shoved Aubrey and hissed, “Get out of here. You’re ruining this for us.”

Aubrey staggered back a bit, but she kept her balance. Genesis was much stronger than Aubrey, but she wasn’t trying to hurt her. She was trying to scare her away, like scaring a wild animal with fire. Aubrey refused to step aside, though, blocking their path to the girl with her body. She was scared, any girl would be terrified around an unstable child and a child predator, but she stood her ground.

Before they could say another word, the schoolgirl ran off. She wasn’t exactly frightened, she just wanted to go home.

As she watched her, Genesis shouted, “Wait! Don’t leave! We have toys! We have… We have candy and puppies and kittens!” She sighed in disappointment as the girl jogged across the street. She muttered, “Shit, there goes another one.”

She scowled at Aubrey, her lip curling in disgust. She clenched her teeth and growled at her, like an angry dog.

Then she glanced over at Bryce and asked, “Why didn’t you stop her? Why did you just stand there, you idiot?!”

Bryce looked to his left, then to his right. He searched for any eavesdroppers. He was using Genesis to lure girls because he didn’t want to get his hands dirty.

He took another step back, raised his hands up to his chest, and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know that kid, I don’t… Shit, I don’t even know you.”

“What?! This was your plan.”

“Hey, be quiet. Watch your mouth, alright?”

“No! You said we’d get a kid and–”

Bryce rushed forward, furious. He stopped directly in front of Genesis, looking down at her with wild, zany eyes.

Whispering loudly and angrily, he said, “I told you not to talk about that.”

Her eyes welling with tears, Genesis looked up at him and asked, “Why didn’t you just grab her?”

“Grab her? Grab her? I’m not just going to ‘grab’ a kid off the street, Genesis. If I did that, it would really look like we were kidnapping her. And I’m not going out like that, okay? I told you: not in public.”

Aubrey sneered in disgust and said, “Yeah, you’ll only touch kids in private places, right? Like at secret parties, right?”

Bryce clenched his fists and let out a loud exhale through his nose. He looked as if he were about to pummel the young teenagers. He bottled his anger and walked backwards.

He said, “I’m not going out like this. No, fuck that. Get help on your own, Genesis, ‘cause I’m done with you and your crazy friends.” As he turned around and walked away, he muttered, “Stupid cunts…”

Genesis shouted, “Bryce! Bryce, don’t leave! What the hell? Bryce!”

Bryce kept walking and he didn’t look back. Genesis stepped forward, ready to chase after him, but Aubrey grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

Aubrey said, “Don’t.”

“Let go of me,” Genesis demanded.

“No. Let him go. You’re safe now.”

“Safe? I’m going to starve because of you. Let me go. Now.”

“No.”

“Damn it, Aubrey. Let… me… go!”

Genesis tried to pull away, but Aubrey kept pulling her back. People watched them from their cars, but they didn’t bother to interfere. As soon as the traffic light turned green, they drove off and continued the day. A few pedestrians even walked past them, ignoring the girls or smiling in amusement. No one cared about them or their argument or the predator who casually walked away.

Genesis shouted, “You stupid bitch!”

She turned around and slapped Aubrey’s face. Aubrey refused to release her grip on her arm. So, Genesis slapped her again, the whack echoing over the sound of the purring engines. Aubrey tightened her grip on Genesis’ arm. Genesis pulled her arm back as far as humanly possible, then she hit her with all of her might, putting all of her weight behind the slap. Yet, Aubrey still held onto her.

The girls finally locked eyes. A pink handprint on her left cheek, Aubrey sniffled and whimpered as a thick glob of snot rolled over her lips. She was hurt, emotionally and physically, but she was still standing. Tears rolled down Genesis’ cheeks, too. She realized she was actually hurting her best friend.

She cried, “Why won’t you let me go?”

Sniveling, Aubrey responded, “Because… Because I care about you. Don’t go to him anymore, Genesis. Please. I’ll take care of you from now on, okay? I’ll help you, I promise. Just… please don’t go with him. I’m begging you. Don’t go.”

Genesis couldn’t help but grimace. She looked over at Bryce, but he was already gone. I loved you, she thought, why would you leave me like this? She looked back at Aubrey. Although her face was covered in tears and mucus, blushed with every tint of red from the attack, she saw something beautiful in Aubrey—compassion, sincerity, friendship.

They fell into each other’s arms and wept while apologizing to one another. People kept passing by them, unperturbed by the scene.

Aubrey pulled away from Genesis. She shoved her hair away from her face and said, “Genesis… Genesis, come over to my house.”

“R–Right now?”

“Yeah. I have something that will help you. It will… It’s going to make you stronger, okay? Just trust me.”

Eyes glimmering with hope, Genesis asked, “Do you have blood?”

“Just trust me.”

Although their relationship was strained, Genesis trusted her. She grabbed Aubrey’s hand and nodded—let’s do it.

Chapter Eleven

Feeding

“What are you doing in there?” Genesis asked, her forehead pressed against a door. “Did you steal your brother’s mice? Is that it? Are you killing them in there? Listen, Aubrey, you don’t have to do that for me. I can feed myself. Okay? Can I come in already?”

“Not yet,” Aubrey responded. “Just give me a minute.”

“You said that when we got here. ‘Just give me a minute, just give me a minute.’ I’ve given you, like, five minutes already. Come on, I’m bored.”

“Just give me a minute.”

“Just give me a minute,” Genesis repeated teasingly in a squeaky voice as she rolled her eyes, turned around, and leaned back against the door.

Aubrey sat on her bed and stared at the door. Her room didn’t have a lock, so she blocked the door with her rolling chair. In reality, Genesis could have opened the door and barged in at any moment, but they had an understanding. After their fight near the bus stop, their relationship grew stronger.

Aubrey squeezed a glass cup between her thighs. It was tall enough to hold eight ounces of any liquid, but she only filled it with two ounces—more or less—of milk. She grabbed an empty can of Coke. Then, she forced her thumb into the can’s opening. She sucked her lips into her mouth and she wiggled her thumb, pressing it against the sharp edge with all of the strength she could muster.

“Ouch!” she cried out.

“You okay in there?” Genesis asked.

“I’m okay. Don’t come in yet.”

“Okay, just hurry up. Your parents are going to be home soon and I’m starving.”

Aubrey pulled her thumb out of the can. Her thumb was sliced all the way around, from one edge of her fingernail to the other. Dark blood dripped from the deep, curved cut and plopped in the milk. The blood billowed out in red clouds. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her thumb, causing more blood to leak into the milk.

Using the sealed side of a pen, she stirred the milk and blood together. Instead of turning red, however, the milk turned pink.

“Shit,” she muttered.

She hissed in pain as she pinched her lacerated thumb. She squeezed a few more drops into the milk, then she stirred it again. The drink turned into a lighter shade of red, like a raspberry. She held the glass up to her face and examined the bloody milk.

She whispered, “It’s not good enough, but… but there’s nothing else I can do.”

“Did you say I can come in now?” Genesis asked from the hall.

“No! A minute! Just a minute!”

Genesis groaned, then she said, “Please hurry, Aubrey. I’m bored as hell out here.”

Aubrey hid the carton of milk and the bloody can under her bed. She grabbed a sock from her dresser and wrapped it around her sliced thumb.

Hiding her injured hand behind the small of her back, she walked to the center of the room and said, “You can come in now.”

“Finally,” Genesis said as she rushed into the room.

She stopped in front of Aubrey. She looked at the cup in Aubrey’s right hand. Strawberry milk?–she thought. She stared into Aubrey’s eyes, then, after a few seconds, she smiled.

She asked, “Is that for me?” Aubrey nodded. Genesis asked, “What is it?”

“It’s blood. Human blood. Drink it. It’ll make you full and strong, right?”

“Yeah, if it’s blood, then… then that’s right.”

She took the cup from Aubrey. Genesis stared at Aubrey as she drank the bloody milk while Aubrey kept her eyes on Genesis’ throat, watching as it moved up and down with each gulp. Ahh—Genesis gasped in pleasure upon finishing the drink.

She handed Aubrey the cup and said, “That was some delicious milk.”

Aubrey stuttered, “M–Milk?”

“Yeah, milk. It tasted more like milk than blood, but I know there was some blood in there, too. I could taste it. I have, um… like, super-taste or something, you know? I can smell blood from a mile away and I can taste blood in anything with it. Thank you, though. There was enough blood in there to keep me going. I can’t live off it forever, but… thanks.”

“Y–Yeah, you–you’re welcome.”

Aubrey stood in silence. She didn’t know what to expect, but she certainly wasn’t expecting Genesis’ nonchalant reaction. She hoped to fool her, she hoped the milk would taste like blood. She wanted to kick herself for failing to try the drink before handing it over. She feared she broke Genesis’ trust in the process, too.

But Genesis didn’t care about Aubrey’s little plan. She looked down at Aubrey’s injured hand, which was no longer hidden behind her back. A blotch of blood stained the sock wrapped around her thumb. She took a deep breath, then she licked her lips. She trembled with excitement. She was still hungry.

Realizing Genesis was leering at her, Aubrey hid her hand behind her back again. She walked backwards until her legs touched the bed behind her.

She said, “You have to eat something. Like… Like real food.”

“I know,” Genesis said, staring down at Aubrey’s waist as if she were trying to see through her.

She imagined herself sucking Aubrey’s thumb like a baby sucking her fingers. She wanted to drain her thumb, suck it until her skin was wrinkly.

She asked, “What do you think I’ve been trying to do this whole time? I’m trying to eat.”

“No, Genesis. That’s not what I mean. You… You have to eat real food. Please eat something, anything!”

Genesis felt the pain and desperation in Aubrey’s voice. Yet, she still shook her head and refused to eat. She just smiled at her close friend. It was a smile that said: I’m sorry, I really am, but I can’t do that. She sat down on the bed and tugged on Aubrey’s arm, pulling her down with her. They sat next to each other and stared vacantly ahead for an entire minute.

Breaking the silence, Genesis said, “I need your help.”

“I gave you some of my blood already. I don’t know if–”

“I don’t want your blood,” Genesis interrupted. “I can’t take any more of it. You’re my friend and I care about you. I don’t want you to hurt yourself just to help me.”

Aubrey stared at Genesis with wide eyes. Genesis sounded sincere, she sounded rational. Yet, the girl still looked confused and troubled. Her mind was clouded with dangerous thoughts.

Genesis said, “I want you to help me lure someone into the woods so I can get their blood.”

Awed, Aubrey shouted, “What?!”

“I need you to help me lure someone into–”

“No, no. I heard you,” Aubrey interrupted. Horrified by the idea, she stuttered, “I–I just… I–I can’t believe you said that. You’ve said some crazy things but that’s… that’s really crazy! I’m not going to hurt anyone for their blood, Genesis! I won’t do it!”

“Shh, shh. Stop screaming. Just relax.”

Aubrey cocked her head back and furrowed her brow. Genesis’ response seemed audacious—calculated but cold, genuine but heartless. It didn’t seem like she was trying to mock Aubrey, she just didn’t understand the power behind her words. She didn’t realize her past actions also influenced Aubrey’s reaction. She tried to kidnap a child with her adult boyfriend after all.

Genesis said, “I don’t want to hurt anyone, either. That’s not, you know, part of the plan or anything like that. I’m going to get their blood because they’re going to give it to me. Willingly, you know?”

“They’re going to give it to you? How do you know that?”

Genesis turned on the bed, tucking one leg under the other. She grabbed Aubrey’s injured hand with both of hers and gazed into her eyes.

She asked, “You know Megan Blair, right?”

“Megan Blair? I guess so. She’s in my History class.”

“Good, that’s good. Tell her to meet you in the woods after school, in that spot near the abandoned campgrounds. High school kids only show up there at night, so it’ll be perfect if we can get her out there in the afternoon. Yeah, that can work.”

“What can work? Why do you want me to lure her into the woods? We barely even know her.”

“Oh, come on, Aubrey. You’ve seen her, haven’t you?”

Aubrey nodded and shrugged at the same time, as if to say: yeah, so what?

Genesis explained, “She’s a cutter. She cuts her legs at home, right there on her thighs. I heard someone even saw her cutting herself at lunch. They saw her alone, too. She’s a loner. So, we can help her by inviting her to hangout in the woods and… and she can help me by giving me some of her blood. She’s already bleeding anyway, right? No one would actually get hurt. Not you, not her, not me. It’s the perfect plan.”

Aubrey didn’t want to admit it, but it seemed like a decent, thought-out idea. No one would get hurt, they’d be helping Megan by befriending her, and she could buy time to find some help for Genesis. At the same time, she didn’t want to involve Megan in their bizarre situation. It was dangerous—Genesis was dangerous.

“I don’t know about this,” Aubrey said.

Genesis clasped her hands in front of her chest and said, “Please. Please. I’ll starve if you don’t help me. I’ll… I’ll die. I’ll really die, Aubrey. Or… Or I’ll have to do something I’ll regret.”

Teary-eyed, Aubrey asked, “Like what?”

“I can’t tell you that. I just… I’ve been having visions of what I have to do and they’re very, very bloody. You get me?”

And that was the danger Aubrey feared. Genesis didn’t have to spell it out for her. Aubrey could tell it was a threat of violence—bloody violence.

She said, “Okay, I’ll help you, but you have to promise me that no one will get hurt. If Megan doesn’t want to help, then we won’t force her, okay?”

Genesis smiled without hesitation. She patted Aubrey’s forearms and said, “No one will get hurt. Megan will be fine, even if she says no. I promise.”

Aubrey sighed and nodded. She could have rejected Genesis’ plan, but she knew rejection would have led to violence. She figured she needed to stay close to Genesis at all times in order to protect her and to protect the people around her.

She said, “Okay, let’s do it.”

Genesis hugged Aubrey, overjoyed and relieved. Aubrey nodded and smiled awkwardly. Then, the friends began to plan their weekend.

Chapter Twelve

The Bait

The classroom bustled with activity as students bickered and gossiped and studied. Their desks were pushed together, forming six groups with six students each. Most of them had completed their classwork, so they messed around with each other. Their teacher, Mrs. Goldberg, didn’t care about them anyway. She sat at her desk and graded tests from a different class—same ol’, same ol’.

Aubrey sat at her desk in the corner of the classroom, her textbook open to a chapter about the second World War and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The question: was dropping the bombs the right or wrong thing to do? She completed her assignment before everyone else, penning five short paragraphs in a matter of minutes. She stared at the other corner of the room.

While the other students chatted—some even sitting on top of their desks—Megan Blair sat by herself, slouched back in her seat with one arm crossed over her chest and the other dangling down near her lap. Her short blonde hair was barely long enough to cover her face. Her left eye was visible. Her dull blue eye looked devoid of life.

“Here goes nothing,” Aubrey murmured under her breath.

She approached Megan, taking a deep breath with each step. She leaned over the chair of the desk to her left, which was vacant.

She said, “Hey, Megan. How’s it going?”

Without moving her head, Megan looked at Aubrey. She didn’t look surprised, but she didn’t look angry, either. She looked bored—bored and sad.

She shrugged and said, “Okay, I guess.”

“That’s good. Did you, um… Did you finish your work?”

“Yeah,” Megan said slowly, dragging the word out as if she were annoyed or confused.

“Oh.”

Aubrey bit her bottom lip and looked around while tapping her foot on the floor. She watched as the other students continued chatting, ignoring the two social outcasts. Just say it already, she told herself, no, win her trust first, then say it.

She asked, “Are you excited about our field trip to the museum? It’s only, like, two weeks away. It should be fun, right?”

Megan nodded slowly and said, “I guess.”

“Yeah, I’m excited, too. It’s just us and… and history. I think that’s pretty awesome.”

“Yeah… Me too.”

Aubrey smiled at Megan. She didn’t sense any sarcasm or annoyance in the girl’s response. Megan lowered her arm and sat up in her seat. For the first time since the semester started, she looked comfortable.

Megan said, “I heard Mr. Huffman’s class is going with us, too.”

“Yeah, I know. I think there are some nice people in that class, though. It should be cool.”

“Isn’t, um… Isn’t Hailey in that class?”

Aubrey shrugged—so what?

Megan said, “I thought she hated you and that other girl, Genesis.”

“She’s not as tough as she looks. I don’t think we have to worry about her. Besides, her ‘posse’ isn’t in that class, so I don’t think she’ll try anything.”

Aubrey sat in the chair beside Megan. She kept smiling, trying her best to win Megan’s trust. Megan returned the smile, but the side of her mouth twitched. Smiling didn’t come naturally to her. They had a connection, though. They were both quiet, intelligent, and sincere girls. They could have been best friends if they didn’t follow the ‘laws’ of society.

Loners didn’t have to be alone. And they were beginning to realize it.

Aubrey lowered her head and looked down at Megan’s torso. She didn’t want to stare, but she had to take a peek. Her curiosity got the best of her.

Megan wore black from head-to-toe—a hoodie, a shirt, jeans, and sneakers. She covered herself up for a reason. Yet, as the sleeve of the hoodie rode up her arm, the reason was still visible. There were tiny lacerations across her wrist and forearm, each about a centimeter long—some fresh, some old. Her thighs were also sliced, but those cuts weren’t visible. She had even began cutting crosses into her stomach. She was running out of space on her body, but she couldn’t stop.

She wasn’t cutting herself for attention, she didn’t do it to be ‘trendy.’ She was crying for help. She lived through her fair share of bullying, and she struggled with loneliness and depression. Cutting caused some physical pain, which helped her cope with the emotional pain. She often cut herself to punish herself, too—when she felt stupid, when she felt fat, when she felt useless. Unfortunately, her cries for help were either missed or ignored.

Aubrey sucked her lips into her mouth as she thought about the situation. She wasn’t helping Megan by using her to help Genesis. She felt selfish and mean, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Despite everything she witnessed—the mouse’s death, the attempted kidnapping—she kept searching for the bright side. She believed that maybe—just maybe—they’d actually be doing the right thing. She lied to herself and she knew that very well.

The students in front of them walked away from the cluster of desks and approached another group nearby, leaving the girls behind.

Aubrey leaned closer to Megan and said, “Listen, I know we haven’t talked a lot, but… I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later.”

“You want to hang out… with me?”

“Yeah. I usually go to the woods after school. You know, at those old campgrounds. I sometimes go with my dad at night to look at the stars, but I’m going after school today to check out some rocks and insects and whatever else is out there. I just like to explore. I thought it would be cool if we could do that together, you know?”

Megan’s eyes lit up with hope and excitement. She felt her heart pounding against her ribcage. Her eyelids and nose twitched, too. Her bottom lip quivered as she gazed into Aubrey’s eyes. It looked as if she were about to cry. She didn’t want to seem too eager, though. She knew she couldn’t rely on people to be decent. So, she looked away and stared down at her desk.

Aubrey could see Megan was seriously considering the invitation. She’s going to say ‘yes,’ she thought, I hope she won’t feel like I betrayed her when she finds out the truth. And the truth was: Genesis would be in the woods with them. Genesis didn’t want Megan to know about her presence beforehand. I don’t want to swamp her with all the details, she claimed. For some reason, Aubrey believed her.

Megan finally looked at Aubrey again and said, “I’ll meet you there after school. Okay?”

Aubrey sighed in relief, then she said, “Cool. Do you want to walk together or–”

“No,” Megan interrupted. “I can’t. I have to go home first so I can tell my mom or my sister.”

“Why don’t you just call her?”

“I don’t… have a phone.”

“You can use mine.”

Her cheeks painted with a light tint of pink, Megan said, “I can’t. We don’t, um… We don’t have a phone at home. We don’t have any phones right now. It’s just… We’re going through a ‘rough patch,’ that’s what my mom says.” She looked over at her teacher, who paid them no mind, then back at Aubrey. She whispered, “Don’t tell anyone, okay? If the teachers find out, they might tell on us. I don’t want my family to get split up again, so let’s just keep this between us. Okay?”

Aubrey glanced over at their teacher. She didn’t want to tattle on Megan, but she wanted to help her. She felt worse than before. She was deceiving a lonely, depressed, and poor student to help her lonely, manipulative, and violent friend.

She said, “That’s okay. Just meet me at the campgrounds in that old lunch area. I’ll be there all afternoon if you can come. Alright?”

Tears of joy welling in her eyes, Megan smiled and said, “Yeah, that sounds awesome. I’ll be there. I promise.”

“Cool. I’ll see you later then.”

Aubrey returned to her seat. She sat in silence as she fought the urge to come clean. As the class came to an end, the students pushed their desks back into their regular rows. Then, the bell rang.

Aubrey ran out of the classroom before Megan could say another word to her. She met Genesis down the hall. They stared at each other for a few seconds, students jostling past them and marching to their next classes.

Aubrey said, “It’s done. She’ll be there.”

Genesis smirked, pleased by the news.

Chapter Thirteen

The Lure

Aubrey hissed in pain as she pressed her tongue against the side of her mouth.

“You okay?” Genesis asked.

“Yeah, I think I just have, like, a mouth sore or something,” Aubrey responded. “Why are we hiding back here anyway?”

“We’re just waiting.”

“Then why are we ‘waiting’ back here?”

The girls crouched behind a fallen tree in the woods. From their vantage point, they could see the only trail cutting through the area in front of them.

Aubrey repeated, “Why are we waiting back here?”

“Because I don’t want anyone to see us. Keep your voice down, too. Seriously.”

In a loud whisper, Aubrey asked, “Why do I have to keep my voice down if we’re not hiding? What’s going on? Hmm? Come on, talk to me, Genesis.”

Genesis ignored her, running her eyes over the vacant woodland. Tangled in vines and swallowed by overgrown bushes, there were dozens of moldering picnic tables in front of them. A few beams of sunlight barely penetrated the overcast sky, dawning on a few of the tables. The standing trees and their frail, leafless branches groaned with each passing gust of wind. The area was quiet and lonely.

Aubrey saw the determination in Genesis’ eyes. There was something different about her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She turned around, fell to her butt, and leaned back against the log.

Staring vacantly into the empty woods in front of her, she said, “I don’t feel good about this, Genesis. This feels wrong. I lied to her and… and I don’t even know what we’re doing out here. My stomach… it feels like it’s going to pop. I–I feel scared. I feel sick.”

Standing on her knees, her palms planted on the gnarled trunk, Genesis turned her head and looked at Aubrey. That frightening determination continued burning in her eyes, like an unstoppable California wildfire, but she also appeared to be curious.

She asked, “You’ve been feeling sick? Like… Like what?”

“I don’t know. I just feel–”

“If you feel sick, then maybe I turned you into a vampire by accident. I had some cuts on my hand, you see? When I slapped you, maybe some of my blood touched your lips. Or… Or maybe your skin absorbed my blood, you know? I guess that’s possible. I mean, I don’t know all of the rules, but it makes sense, right? I should call–”

“No, Genesis, stop it,” Aubrey interrupted, shaking her head in amazement. She said, “I don’t feel ‘sick’ like that. I feel… guilty. I feel like we’re doing something wrong. I have a very bad feeling about this. Why are we meeting her out here instead of my house or your house? Why are we hiding behind this tree? Weren’t you just going to ask her for a little bit of her blood?”

Stony-faced, Genesis stayed quiet and motionless for an entire minute. She breathed, but each breath was barely perceptible. Only the soundtrack of nature surrounded them—whooshing, creaking, chirping.

She cracked a smile and said, “You’re right, Aubrey. I’m going to ask her to give me some of her blood.”

“Then why are–”

“But,” Genesis said, her voice loud and stern. Aubrey clenched her jaw and leaned away from her, caught off guard by her friend’s tone. Genesis said, “But, Megan and me, we’re not so close. You know? It’s not like we’re enemies or anything like that. Actually, I think we’re pretty much the same. She likes to be alone, she likes the darkness, and she’s mysterious, just like me. Maybe she even wants to be a vampire.”

Aubrey shook her head slowly, but she didn’t say a word. She thought: Megan doesn’t like being alone, she just doesn’t have a choice, and she doesn’t want to be a damn vampire.

Genesis continued, “I just think Megan might be scared of me. She’s probably heard rumors about me, about me being a vampire and all that, so she won’t just give me her blood if I asked. Even if I said ‘pretty please,’ even if I begged her. She’ll be freaked out, right? She’ll judge me, just like everyone else, won’t she?”

“Megan is a good person. She’s not like Hailey or those other girls. Maybe she didn’t have to hear the rumors anyway. You yelled it out at lunch, Genesis. You said you were a vampire, so what did you think–”

“She’s not my friend, she doesn’t know me,” Genesis said as she scanned the woods, her stare as blank as a corpse’s. It was as if she were speaking to herself. She said, “I think she’s going to try to run away, and it’s easy to get away from someone around here. So, I have to corner her. It’s my only option.”

“Co–Corner her?”

Still avoiding eye contact, Genesis grinned and said, “That’s right: corner her. I’m in… in ‘fight-or-die’-mode right now, Aubrey. Bryce taught me about surviving as a vampire, so I know what I have to do. If she rejects me, I’m taking her blood by force.”

Aubrey’s mouth fell open, her jaw hanging down to her neck. She breathed shakily, puffing and gasping. She felt beads of cold sweat rolling down her face. A bird flew past them, the sound of its flapping wings drilling into her sensitive ears—a rumbling, sonorous sound, like a jet’s engine. Her worst nightmare became a reality.

She said, “You can’t do that.”

Genesis pulled the pocket knife out of her backpack. It was the same knife she used to disembowel the mouse at Aubrey’s house.

“Oh God,” Aubrey said as she fell back and crawled backwards. She stopped a mere meter away from Genesis. She repeated, “Oh God.”

Genesis said, “You can try to stop me, but I’ll hurt you if you do. I’m not scared of you, Aubrey. You just have to trust me, okay? Just love me the same way I love you. Help me. Please.”

I love you—Aubrey frowned upon hearing those words. She was a smart girl, but she couldn’t read Genesis. One second she spoke and acted rationally, and the next second she said things that didn’t make any sense. Aubrey sneered in disgust. She didn’t believe Genesis loved her, and she refused to hurt Megan for her because she didn’t love Genesis.

She said, “No. I can’t. I won’t help you. You don’t know what you’re saying! You don’t!”

“Stop yelling.”

“No! If you do this, if you hurt her… I swear, I’ll tell everyone!”

Genesis lunged at Aubrey, the knife pointed at her friend’s chest. Aubrey tried to crawl backwards, but her palms and sneakers slid across the muddy ground. Genesis crawled over Aubrey’s body and leaned closer to her face until they were less than six inches apart. Aubrey felt her warm breath on her sweaty cheeks.

Genesis said, “Don’t be stupid, Aubrey. What are you going to say? Huh? You invited Megan to the woods, not me. You told me you didn’t say my name, either, right? Right?”

Aubrey couldn’t say a word, but she understood what Genesis was saying. She wanted to kick herself for falling into her trap.

Genesis tapped the blade on Aubrey’s chest and said, “Someone probably heard you inviting Megan out here. They at least saw you talking to her—and that’s enough for me. If she gets hurt and you run around telling people about this, you’re going to be blamed for it. If I go down, so will you. You… You’re my accomplice.”

“You can’t do that!” Aubrey cried.

“Stop screaming.”

“I’ll stop you! I’ll tell Megan before you can hurt her!”

“Stop it. I need her–”

Mid-sentence, Aubrey kicked Genesis’ chest. Genesis lost her balance and fell back. Aubrey crawled across the ground. She leaned back against the trunk, then she struggled to her feet.

Aubrey yelled, “Megan! Megan, don’t come over here! Run! Just run and get help!”

“Stop, Aubrey!” Genesis shouted from the floor.

Aubrey emerged from behind the trunk and ran to the picnic tables. She spun around and looked in every direction. Everything looked the same to her—trees, bushes, tables, trees, bushes, tables, trees, trees, trees. She didn’t see Megan anywhere. She didn’t even know if Megan was going to show up.

“I said stop!” Genesis barked, her voice echoing through the woods.

Aubrey looked up as birds flew skyward from the trees. Then she glanced over her shoulder. She caught a glimpse of Genesis standing near the fallen tree before being struck with a heavy, jagged-edged stone. The stone, thrown by Genesis, hit the right side of Aubrey’s forehead.

Aubrey fell back and hit the floor with a loud thud. She was dazed but conscious. She blinked slowly as she stared up at the sky, her arms outstretched. A flock of birds flew by. A branch from a tree creaked sharply, squealing like a sensitive person about to watch a horrific act of violence in a horror movie.

Genesis entered her view. She stood over Aubrey, staring down at her with a look of detestation. The right side of Aubrey’s brow was swollen, sliced, and stained with dirt. A droplet of blood oozed out of the small cut and rolled down the side of her head. Aubrey’s eyes, dull and narrowed, drifted towards Genesis.

Genesis said, “I told you not to scream. I told you… I said… I…” She stomped and she yelled, “I told you that I loved you! Why couldn’t you care about me like I cared about you, you bitch?! You selfish bitch! Why?!”

She mounted Aubrey’s chest while holding the knife over her head with the blade pointing down at her friend. Aubrey’s fight-or-flight response finally kicked in. She knew she had to fight in order to survive.

“Stop!” she cried out.

She flailed her limbs and thrashed about under Genesis. Genesis nearly lost her balance, but she stayed on top of Aubrey. She grabbed Aubrey’s throat with her left hand and pushed her to the ground while choking her gently. She wasn’t trying to strangle her, she only wanted to control her. But Aubrey kept swinging her limbs in every direction—baffled, afraid, desperate.

Genesis said, “You never believed me about being a vampire, did you? I should bite your throat open, I should take all of your blood! Then… Then you’d see what I really am! I am a–”

Aubrey grabbed a fistful of dirt and threw it at Genesis’ face. Genesis yelped in pain and coughed violently as the dirt irritated her eyes and entered her throat. Yet, she still stayed on top of Aubrey. Aubrey scratched Genesis’ forearm, digging her fingernails deep into her skin. Before she could react to the attack, she clawed at Genesis’ face. Her fingernails sliced into Genesis’ jaw and neck. Some blood oozed out of the long, thin lacerations.

Genesis shouted, “Stop it, bitch! Stop!”

She screamed as she thrust the knife downward. She stopped herself before she could stab Aubrey, though. The tip of the blade hovered some three inches away from Aubrey’s nose. Aubrey stopped her wild, frantic jerking and stared at the knife. She realized Genesis could have killed her, she realized her best friend had completely lost her mind. They stayed silent for a few seconds, only the sound of their heavy breathing moving through the woodland.

Genesis smirked upon spotting the fear in her friend’s eyes. She leaned closer to Aubrey’s face, she snarled, and then she chomped at the air in front of Aubrey. She played with her.

Gazing into Genesis’ zany, bloodshot eyes, Aubrey stuttered, “Wh–Why are you doing this?”

Genesis stopped smiling and chomping. She looked down at Aubrey with a deadpan expression. Her face—pale, dirty, bloody—was unreadable.

Aubrey said, “I’m sorry. I–I’m really sorry, Genesis. Pl–Please forgive me. I can… I can help you. I can tell my mom and–and she’ll talk to your mom and… and they’ll help you. Doctors… The doctors can help.” Genesis snarled and hissed again, revealing her teeth. Aubrey cried, “No! Oh my God! Why are you doing this?”

In a stern, cold tone, Genesis responded, “Because I’m hungry, bitch.”

She threw the knife aside, grabbed the sides of Aubrey’s head, and then she pushed Aubrey’s head down—thud! Aubrey wept hysterically, snot and tears covering her face, but to no avail. She couldn’t stop the beating. Genesis lifted her head up again, then she slammed the back of her head against the rough ground. The thud was louder than before. She repeated the process ten times over.

After the eighth slam, Aubrey was already unconscious. But Genesis wanted to ensure no one would interfere with her plans. So, she grabbed the jagged-edged stone and hit Aubrey’s forehead with it again. The cut on her brow widened. Aubrey’s head fell to the side, limp. She twitched and she groaned, but she was no longer conscious.

Genesis licked the blood, as well as some dirt, off the stone. Then, she licked the blood off Aubrey’s forehead. She even sucked on the cut, like a baby sucking on a bottle.

She looked at Aubrey’s sealed eyes and whispered, “I warned you.”

She grabbed Aubrey’s legs and dragged her back to the spot behind the fallen tree. I still have time, she thought as she listened to Aubrey’s snoring. She pulled a water bottle out of her backpack and used the water to clean herself up, but she couldn’t wash the cuts off her face and neck. It didn’t matter to her, though. She hid the knife in her pocket, peeked over the trunk, and waited for her prey.

Chapter Fourteen

The Incident

Her arms crossed over her chest, Megan walked across the abandoned campgrounds. She looked to her left and then to her right, shuddering a little as she listened to each creak and howl in the woods. She didn’t hear any other people in the area—no teenagers, no homeless people, no cops. She only heard her slow footsteps, thudding rhythmically on the ground like a pendulum.

She shouted, “Aubrey! Aubrey, I’m here! It’s me, Megan! Where are you? Hello?” There was no response. She muttered, “Shit. Where is she?”

Doubt clouded her mind, pessimism poisoned her body. He thought about her bullies at school and their deceitful ways. She questioned Aubrey’s intentions, she wondered if she tricked her.

“Megan,” a girl said from behind her.

Megan stopped walking as soon as she heard her name. The voice didn’t belong to Aubrey. She thought about her bullies, but the voice didn’t belong to any of them, either. She turned around slowly.

“You?” she said, a pinch of confusion in her voice.

Genesis stood beside a tree a few meters behind her, her hands behind her back. She smiled and approached Megan, moving slowly as if she were approaching a restless animal. Megan took one step back, but she didn’t retreat. She was anxious, but she wasn’t exactly surprised by Genesis’ presence in the woods. Everyone in school knew Genesis and Aubrey were best friends.

“What are you doing here?” Megan asked. “Where’s Aubrey?”

Genesis shrugged, then she said, “She’s around here somewhere. She just went down to the creek to grab some stones or something. You know, she’s really into rocks and junk like that.”

“Yeah, it’s… it’s really cool.”

“I think so, too. Sometimes, Aubrey takes it a little too far, though. I feel like… like throwing a rock at her every once in a while, you know?”

Megan snickered nervously and rubbed her arms, then she said, “Yeah, I guess I get it. She’s just, you know, passionate. It’s cool to be like that, though.”

“You’re right. Even when she’s uncool, she’s cool.”

Genesis furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side. She examined Megan from head to toe, but that wasn’t enough. She circled her like a predator stalking her prey, running her eyes over every inch of the girl’s petite body. She saw an anxious, awkward kid in front of her. She wore dark clothing, she was the pessimistic-type, but she wasn’t like Genesis—she wasn’t drawn to the darkness.

Genesis stopped in front of Megan. She smiled smugly as she stared into her eyes. Megan could only look at Genesis for a few seconds before breaking eye contact. She was frightened by Genesis’ bloodshot eyes, scratched face and neck, and her dirty cheeks. Although she tried to clean herself up, she still looked like she got into a fight or rolled down a steep hill.

“Why are you scared of me?” Genesis asked.

“Scared?” Megan repeated. She smiled, but then she quickly stopped. She asked, “Why would I be scared of you?”

“All of the girls are scared of me, aren’t they? And, now, right now, you’re out here with me—alone. Isn’t that scary?”

“Not really. I mean, you and Aubrey are always together at school, so I thought you’d be here anyway. It’s… normal, right? You guys are best friends, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re best friends,” Genesis said. She looked over at the fallen tree some twenty meters away. She said, “I wanted to talk to you about something. I don’t want you to get mad and all that, so just try to listen to me, okay?”

Megan looked over at the same fallen tree. Unaware of Aubrey’s unconscious body behind the trunk, she thought: what is she looking at? What’s wrong with her?

She asked, “What do you wanna talk about?”

Genesis asked, “Do you remember that time you tried to kill yourself in sixth grade? Hmm? You cut your wrist really badly, right? I remember hearing about it in school. We all had to go see the counselors to talk about our feelings and death. That was the first time I spoke to anyone about dying, actually. It was… I don’t know, I guess I’d say it was very interesting.”

A shaky gasp escaped Megan’s lips as she staggered back. The hairs at the back of her neck prickled, her heart sank to her stomach. Suicide wasn’t a casual subject, despite the desensitization of the youth. Discussing past suicide attempts didn’t make for good small talk.

Megan stuttered, “Tha–That was a long time ago.”

“It was two years ago.”

“It–It was a… an accident.”

“An accident? You accidentally tried to kill yourself?”

“You know what I mean!” Megan shouted, fresh tears glistening on her pink cheeks. “It was a stupid mistake. Okay? I was being stupid. I feel stupid just talking about it now, so can we drop this?”

Genesis pushed her tongue against the side of her mouth and looked at the sky, as if she were seriously considering Megan’s request. She stepped forward again, shortening the space between them.

She asked, “Are you thinking about killing yourself now?”

“No, damn it! I haven’t done anything like that since sixth grade, Genesis. Sixth grade! What are you even talking about? What is this?!”

“That’s really weird. I heard rumors that you have cuts on your arms and legs. Like, cutter cuts, you know?”

Megan scowled and, with her voice cracking, she said, “Scars. I have scars from when I used to cut myself. They’re not new cuts. I don’t do that anymore. Not… Not like that.”

Genesis and Megan shared a moment of silence. Birds chirped in the trees, branches groaned with the wind. No one else arrived at the abandoned campgrounds. They were isolated, detached from the real world.

Deadpan, Genesis asked, “Are you afraid to die?” Megan nodded slowly. Genesis sighed, then she said, “That sucks. Now it’s going to be harder for me.”

“Harder for you? What’s that supposed to mean?” Megan asked.

She stepped back as Genesis walked up to her. She gasped and looked over her shoulder upon crashing into a tree behind her. Then, she looked back at Genesis, who stood a mere foot away from her.

Genesis said, “I’ve heard rumors about you, so maybe you heard the rumors about me. I’m a vampire. A real one, okay? And vampires have to eat to survive, just like everyone else. So, I need blood. And I’m going to take yours.”

Megan laughed, but she wasn’t amused. She was nervous and horrified. She had heard those rumors before. She was actually sitting nearby when Genesis first announced her ‘transition’—the vampiric kind—during lunch. She felt the sincerity in Genesis’ voice, she saw the wickedness in the girl’s wild, bulging eyes.

Her bottom lip trembling, Megan looked every which way and shouted, “Aubrey! A–Aubrey! What’s going on? What is this? Aubrey, please! Where are…”

As Megan yelled for someone who wasn’t even conscious, Genesis pulled the knife out of her pocket and quickly unfolded it. She thrust the blade into Megan’s abdomen, just above her left hip. Although it wasn’t visible, blood soaked her black hoodie, t-shirt, and even the top of her jeans. Her hoodie and shirt rose as she squirmed and groaned in pain, revealing the crimson blood on her pale skin.

Megan looked down at herself as a pinching, burning pain reverberated from her abdomen, sending tingling aftershocks of agony through her torso. She was awed—dumbfounded—by the attack. The same sentence kept ringing through her head: she stabbed me, she stabbed me, she stabbed me.

Genesis pulled the knife out of her, dark blood spurting from the wound and dripping from the blade. She pushed her left elbow against Megan’s chest and pinned her to the tree. Then she stabbed her abdomen repeatedly, blood squirting onto her arms and torso. She lost count after the eighth stab—ten, twelve, fifteen?—but she didn’t stop.

And Megan didn’t scream until the fifth stab. The sheer shock temporarily muted her voice and paralyzed her limbs. She shrieked in pain at the top of her lungs as soon as the shock subsided. She grabbed Genesis’ arm in one hand and her face in the other. She wiggled and pushed and cried, but she couldn’t stop the blade from tearing through her flesh—ripping through her stomach, mutilating her intestines.

“Stop it!” Megan yelled. She dug her fingernails into Genesis’ face and scratched her from the left side of her forehead to her right cheek. She shouted, “Stop!”

Knife in hand, Genesis teetered back and whimpered in pain as she rubbed her face. She was now scratched from her forehead to her cheek and her jaw to her neck. The scratches were nothing compared to an actual stabbing, but it still hurt.

Megan stumbled away from the tree. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven steps. She fell to her knees, lightheaded from the pain and loss of blood. She tried covering the cuts on her stomach with one hand while crawling forward, but her effort was fruitless. There were nineteen stab wounds across her abdomen, blood gushing from each.

She stopped crawling as her limbs wobbled uncontrollably under her. A cold sweat drenched her body. It was cold outside, but she felt colder than ever. She felt like icy water was flowing through her veins. She breathed in short, panicked breaths, practically hyperventilating. She gasped as she heard footsteps behind her.

As she approached her, Genesis muttered, “You stupid bitch. Now I have to make another excuse.”

Megan glanced over at her and stammered, “Don–Don–Don’t do th–this. I–I–I don’t… don’t want to die. I don’t… I don’t want to die. Please, Gen–Genesis.”

She tried to crawl away while mumbling for help. Just a few feet away, her limbs gave out and she plummeted to the floor. She rolled onto her back, sniveling.

Genesis pushed Megan’s hoodie and t-shirt up to her chest, revealing her stabbed torso. Every inch of her pale skin was painted red with blood. The stab wounds were a shade darker, nearly black. Blood even filled her bellybutton. The skin around the small, deep cuts looked as if it were peeling. Her stomach rippled and twitched as pain emanated from each stab wound.

Genesis placed her puckered lips on Megan’s bellybutton. The taste of blood on her lips sent a jolt of excitement across her taste buds. Megan watched in horror as Genesis slurped the blood out of her bellybutton. Then, Genesis moved her tongue across her abdomen slowly, as if she were trying to seduce her.

Horrified, Megan looked away and cried, “Mom! Mom, help me! Please! I’m sorry! Just… help me!”

Her broken, raspy voice echoed through the woods, but no one came to her rescue. Like so many times before, she was abandoned by the world.

As she tried to wiggle away, she said, “Mom… Mom… Mommy, I don’t want to die. I’m sorry, mommy, I’m so sorry. Please… Please don’t let me die.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Genesis asked as she crawled towards Megan’s head.

“S–Stop, I–I’ll give you–”

Genesis hissed and lunged forward. She chomped into Megan’s neck, biting down as hard as physically possible. Megan’s eyes widened as Genesis’ teeth sank into her throat. She felt each individual tooth as well as a powerful pinch. She unleashed a bloodcurdling shriek for three seconds, then her trachea was ruptured with a crunching sound. Blood flooded her windpipe and rose in her mouth, like water in an overflowing toilet.

Aubrey’s eyes fluttered open. On her back, looking through a set of foggy eyes, she found herself staring up at the overcast sky. A twinge reverberated from her battered forehead, causing her brain to throb. She muttered to herself as she sat up, face scrunched up in pain. She saw the droplets of blood dripping from her eyebrow, falling like the first drops of rain before a storm. And she remembered everything.

“Genesis,” she whispered.

Before she could stand up and run, she heard loud crunching and slurping sounds. She recognized the noise. She heard it before. The mutilated mouse flashed in her mind.

“No,” she cried in a hushed, pained voice. “Please, not her.”

She dragged herself to the fallen tree, her limbs limp like wet noodles. She lifted herself up and peeked over the trunk. She saw Genesis chewing on Megan’s throat, chomping and growling and shaking her head. The girl feasted on her blood like a starved animal. There was blood everywhere—on Megan’s stomach and neck, on Genesis’ mouth and chin. She could see Megan’s pale face from afar.

Although she barely moved, it looked like she was staring back at Aubrey. She swore she saw her lips moving. She appeared to say something along the lines of: why did you do this to me?

Aubrey whispered, “I’m sorry.”

She fainted and fell to her side behind the tree.

Genesis didn’t notice her. She bit down on Megan’s throat, then she pulled her head back. A squelching sound came out of Megan’s neck. The sound of flesh tearing quickly followed. But the fibrous tissue and tough muscle were difficult to detach. She sank her teeth deeper into the flesh, then she yanked her head back with all of her might. She held her breath and kept pulling, like a competitive weightlifter trying to push out one more rep.

After fifteen seconds of nonstop pressure, she managed to tear a piece of flesh off of Megan’s neck. She chewed on the muscle for a few seconds, as if she were chewing on an entire pack of gum. Blood squirted out of the flesh with each bite. Some of the blood shot out to the back of her mouth, causing her to gag and cough, but she eventually swallowed it.

Then, she spat the mushy muscle at Megan’s chest. She preferred drinking blood over eating flesh. And, truth be told, she didn’t think she could swallow the flesh anyway. So, she sucked on the gaping, bloody crater at the center of Megan’s neck. Mmm—the sound of satisfaction emerged from her mouth, along with her loud gulping. She drank the blood like a dehydrated person stranded in a Nevada desert.

Megan stopped moving. She no longer tried to breathe because she was already dead.

Genesis sat up straight, tilted her head back like if she had a nosebleed, and she swallowed another mouthful of blood. Smacking her lips, she stared down at Megan’s face. She had never killed anyone, but she had seen death before. She saw videos of real torture and death on the internet with Bryce. Watching people die was popular on the internet after all.

She recognized the look of death on Megan’s face—her blank stare, her pale skin, her discolored lips, her motionless mouth. And it didn’t bother her at all. To Genesis, Megan was just food.

She pulled an empty water bottle out of her backpack. She opened the bottle, then she thrust the opening into the crater on Megan’s neck. She grabbed a fistful of Megan’s hair and pulled her head up, consequently lifting her neck off the ground as well. Blood poured into the bottle until it was filled halfway. She tugged on Megan’s hair, shaking her limp head every which way, but she couldn’t siphon any more blood from her neck.

“I guess we’ll have to try something else,” she whispered.

She rolled Megan’s pants up to her shins. With the knife, she sawed into her ankle. She heard crackling and popping with each tug and thrust. She felt her heel cord snap and watched as it subsided into her calf muscle. She held the bottle under the wound until it was three-quarters full. She felt the warmth of the blood through the plastic. It made her smile.

She closed the bottle and returned it to her backpack. She pulled a spoon—which she took from a drawer in her kitchen—out of the bag. She straddled Megan’s neck, her knees above her shoulders.

She said, “And I might need this for later. Food, souvenir, whatever. I want it.”

She thrust the spoon into Megan’s eye socket. The spoon entered under her eyeball, pushing her eyelid into the socket. She wiggled and twirled it around, but to no avail. She pulled the spoon out, then she thrust it back into her eye socket as quickly as possible. The spoon slid in above her eyelid and under her eyeball.

“Almost there, almost there,” she muttered.

She jerked the spoon every which way. Blood streamed out of Megan’s eye socket, rolling down her cheek and the side of her face. The muscles attached to her eye tore with loud shredding and snapping sounds. She left the spoon in her eye, the handle protruding from her eye socket, and then she grabbed the eyeball with her fingers.

She was surprised by the toughness of the eye. It was firm, it felt like a circular muscle, but she still couldn’t get a grip on it. After inserting four fingers into her eye socket and struggling for several minutes, she yanked the eyeball out of Megan’s skull. The optic nerve and some of the surrounding muscles were still attached to it.

Genesis smirked and said, “Holy shit. So cool.”

She placed the eyeball in a resealable plastic bag in her backpack. She admired it for another minute, marveling at it, before putting it away. It was her treasure.

She turned her attention to Megan and said, “Okay, I’m sorry about this, but… but I have to make sure you’re not faking it. I know, I know: I bit your throat, I cut your ankle, I took your eye out. But this is something that has to be done. This is what Bryce told me to do, so I’m going to do it. If you’re still alive, you should say something. Hello?”

Megan, of course, didn’t say a word. Genesis grabbed the stone and bounced it in one hand. She swung the stone down at Megan’s head—thud! Her right eye immediately hemorrhaged as her brow cracked. A massive gash stretched from her eyebrow to her hairline. She swung the stone down at her again. Her cheek was split open. She hit her again—and again and again.

Blood dripped from the stone as she raised it over her head each time, landing on her sleeve and face. She was consumed by an uncontrollable lust to murder—to obliterate.

Genesis smashed the stone against Megan’s head until the right side of her skull was crushed. Her right eye socket collapsed, squashing her eye in the process. Her cheek and nose were pushed into her skull. Some of her teeth were dislodged, too. Although only one side of her face was beaten, her entire head was covered in blood. She was unrecognizable.

“There,” Genesis said as she sighed.

She threw the stone aside and hissed in pain. The rock had cut her palm during the barbaric beating.

She waved her hand, as if she had just touched a hot iron, then she muttered, “Shit. I got some blood and now I’m losing some. This would have been a lot easier if they didn’t abandon me. Assholes…”

After cleaning herself up with a towel from her backpack, Genesis dragged Megan’s upper body deeper into the woods. She dragged her to a ditch, about three feet deep, in an overgrown area. She dug that ditch with Bryce two days ago. They had planned on burying an innocent child in that grave, but Megan’s petite body also fit in the hole. She covered the ditch with dirt, leaves, stones, and branches.

And—voila!—just like that, she felt like she got away with murder. She retraced her steps, kicking dirt over the trail of blood, and returned to the campgrounds. She threw her backpack over her shoulder, but she stopped before she could take a few steps.

“Aubrey,” she whispered as she stared at the fallen tree.

She approached the tree, walking with wide, quiet lunges. She leaned forward and peeked over the trunk. To her delight, Aubrey was still unconscious. She crept around the tree, her shoulders high and heels up. She looked to her left, then to her right—there was no one in sight. She clenched her fist over Aubrey’s head, aggravating the cuts on her palm.

Blood landed on Aubrey’s nose, cheeks, and lips. The blood flowed into her mouth, but she didn’t awaken.

Genesis said, “You’ll be just like me soon, Aubrey. You’ll know exactly how I feel, but I won’t abandon you. I’ll help you get your own blood, I’ll help you be a vampire. We’re in this together.” She covered her palm with her sleeve and walked away. As she approached the footpath, she smiled, glanced back at the campground, and whispered, “Sweet dreams.”

Chapter Fifteen

Better Alone

Aubrey’s eyes cracked open to a blur of gray and yellow. She squeezed her eyes shut, opened them, squeezed them shut again, and then opened them. Her eyesight slowly focused, blurred only in her peripheral vision. A beam of sunshine penetrated the overcast sky and beamed down on her. Yet, despite the sun, a cool drizzle had been falling in the area. The rain washed the blood from her face before she awoke.

She groaned as she sat up. She looked down at herself and frowned. She was covered in mud. She tapped her forehead gently. She felt the cut and the bump. It was painful and terrifying.

“No, no, no,” she said as she grimaced. She leaned against the tree trunk and struggled to her feet. As she glanced around the wooded area, she shouted, “Genesis! Megan! Genesis! Anybody! Help!”

There was no response. The woodland remained desolate. Megan’s body vanished without a trace and Genesis was nowhere in sight.

Sobbing, Aubrey said, “It–It was real. Sh–She… She killed Megan. She… She drank her–her blood… And it’s all my fault!”

She wanted to dismiss the entire event as a nightmare—she slipped, hit her head, and imagined all of it—but the physical proof was undeniable. She remembered Genesis attacking her and chewing on Megan’s neck. Her memories of Genesis’ feral actions couldn’t be wiped from her mind.

She held her hands over her face and sobbed hysterically, coughing and groaning. A twinge shot through her skull, emanating from the injuries on the back of her head as well as her forehead. She felt a knot in her stomach and a hole in her heart, too. The emotional suffering was fierce—untameable.

She needed a moment to recompose herself. Her hands shaking, she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. The clock read: 5:48 PM. She was out of time.

She shouted, “Genesis, you monster! You… You… You bitch! I’ll never forgive you for this!” She pushed her wet hair to the side, then she scrubbed her face with the rainfall. As she cleaned herself, she muttered, “Bitch… I should have never trusted you. I… I should have let Bryce take you away and… and… No, I should have just called the police. I’m so stupid.”

She sniffled as she looked up at the sky, watching as the sun slowly fell behind the horizon. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head, upset with herself. She swiped at her clothing, slapping the crusty mud off her hoodie and jeans. She left some dirt on herself, though. She was already planning her lies: I fell, rolled down a hill, and hit my head. It wasn’t the most intricate excuse, but it was good enough.

She grabbed her backpack and started heading home. The first few steps were difficult. Her legs rocked and her head spun. She was disoriented and tired, but she stayed on her feet. She regained her balance as she reached the footpath.

The drizzle ended.

As she walked through the woods, breathing shakily every step of the way, she felt like someone was watching her—from the trees, from the bushes, from behind her. She gasped and turned around quickly. There was no one there. Only the breeze carried some leaves across the footpath behind her. She wondered if Genesis lurked in the woods or if Megan was alive.

She whispered, “No, it was real. I can’t pretend like she didn’t do it. It was all real. She’s… She’s dead.”

Aubrey departed from the woodland. She covered her head with the hood of her sweater and strolled through the city. She avoided the commercial areas and moved through the quiet neighborhoods, hoping to blend with the crowds. She didn’t expect to run into him, she was just trying to get home, but she realized she had wandered into Bryce’s neighborhood.

(Genesis had told her about his house while discussing her dreams of living with Bryce someday. She spoke about him often, but Aubrey always believed it was just a crush.)

Aubrey saw Bryce’s father—a perpetually serious, tough blue-collar worker—smoking a cigarette on the porch. She could also see into the house from the sidewalk. She caught a glimpse of Bryce in one of the bedrooms. The young man appeared to be looking at a stack of video game cases. He was looking for something to play. He wasn’t bothered by any of his past actions.

Aubrey thought about her report. She wondered why Bryce wasn’t arrested yet. Then, she thought about the unfairness of the world. Life was the same for Bryce and his family, but everything changed for Aubrey and Genesis. Genesis slaughtered a classmate in the woods and Aubrey became an accessory to murder.

One day—one action—could cause irreparable harm to a person’s life.

She sniffled and looked away from the house. She wanted to stop in front of the gate and announce Bryce’s crimes to the public. She hoped he would be arrested, but she knew that it would only lead to more trouble for herself. She was involved now. She felt guilty about it. She grabbed the straps of her backpack and ran home.

***

With her head down, Aubrey knocked on the front door—tap, tap. Before she could hit it a third time, the door swung open. It was as if her mother were already standing beside the door with her hand on the knob.

Rachel stood with one hand on her hip and her foot tapping the floor. Behind her, Peter Horne—Aubrey’s bald, middle-aged father—approached the front door from the living room. Her parents stared down at her, waiting for her to step inside or say something. They were simultaneously angry and relieved.

Rachel said, “Well?”

“I’m sorry,” Aubrey responded in an unusually soft voice.

“Sorry? Baby, it’s almost seven. Where were you? Why didn’t you call us?”

“I… I was in the woods.”

“Why did you go out there without telling us? I know it’s Friday, but that doesn’t mean you can just–”

“Come inside and take off your sweater,” Peter interrupted.

His voice was deep and stern, but he didn’t sound intimidating. He read his daughter’s behavior and he knew something was wrong. Rachel looked back at Peter, then at her daughter. She grabbed the hood of Aubrey’s sweater. She was afraid, but she didn’t know why. She felt as if there were another child under that hood—a child who only sounded like her daughter. She took a deep breath, then she pushed Aubrey’s hood back.

“Oh my God,” she said.

Peter approached and knelt down in front of his daughter. He rubbed her shoulders gently and asked, “What happened, sweetie?”

Her bottom lip quivering as she fought the urge to cry, Aubrey said, “I fell. In the woods… I fell down a hill and hit my head.”

“I can see that. We need to take you to the hospital, kiddo.”

“No,” Aubrey said as she finally looked at her parents. “I’m okay, I swear.”

“You might have a concussion, Aubrey, or worse. We’re taking you to the hospital.”

Rachel said, “I’ll find the first-aid kit and get some ice for her. It’s a long way to the hospital.” She frowned as she touched the bump on Aubrey’s head. She said, “It’s bad, sweetie, but you’ll feel better soon. Just wait here, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Peter patted Aubrey’s shoulder and said, “Your mother knows what she’s talking about. You’ll be fine. I’ll get dressed and I’ll come right back to you. Are you okay? Should I carry you to the sofa? Do you want to sit?”

Aubrey lowered her head in defeat and said, “No. I’m okay.”

“Okay, good. We’ll be out of here in no time, kiddo,” Peter responded. As he headed to the master bedroom, he shouted, “Nate! Come out here and watch your sister for a minute!”

Aubrey stared down at her muddy sneakers. She thought about her inevitable visit to the hospital. She wondered if the cops would show up to question her. She could only hope the nurses and doctors would believe her lies.

“What the hell happened to you?” a male voice asked.

Through the hair dangling over her face, Aubrey looked forward. Nate, her seventeen-year-old brother, leaned against a wall in the hallway. He only wore a pair of basketball shorts, revealing his tall, lean figure. He tried to act casual, as if Aubrey’s injuries weren’t a big deal, but his concern could be heard in his voice and seen in his gentle eyes.

Aubrey said, “I slipped… in the woods.”

“Yeah? So… who pushed you?”

Avoiding eye contact, Aubrey said, “No one. I was by myself.”

“You were in the woods? By yourself? Yeah, right. You wouldn’t go out there by yourself. The last time we were out there, you had to hold dad’s hand the whole time.”

Aubrey couldn’t say another word. She was worried about the cops questioning her since she could barely answer Nate’s questions. She thought about the incident in the woods. She lured Megan into the woods and Genesis murdered Megan—she was almost certain of that. She was an accomplice to murder, but she felt like more than that. She felt like a killer. There was blood on her hands—blood she couldn’t wash off.

I helped her kill Megan—although she wanted to tell the world and remove the burden from her conscience, she knew a confession would lead to her arrest. The guilt flowing through her body couldn’t convince her to tell the truth. She figured she would have to stick to her story, even if it sounded absurd—even if there was proof of murder somewhere out there.

I fell, I rolled down a hill, I hit myself, she told herself. I don’t know Genesis or Megan. I had nothing to do with it.

She felt bad about it, but she didn’t think there was anything else she could do. She was a smart kid, but she was also young and inexperienced. Her natural instincts kicked in. And humans naturally fought for survival and freedom.

Interrupting her many thoughts, Nate smiled and said, “Just give me her name and I’ll handle her for you. I’ll give them a good scare with Smiles. I’ll even let him choke ‘em a little.”

Aubrey snickered, amused by the idea. She wasn’t the vengeful-type, but she imagined herself scaring Genesis with Nate’s snake, Smiles. A snake versus a vampire—it seemed like a fair matchup.

She said, “It’s okay.”

“If it wasn’t a girl, I’ll kick his ass myself. I don’t care if he’s a junior high kid, I’ll–”

“I’ll be okay, Nate,” Aubrey interrupted. “I just need to… I need time to think, you know? I just want to be by myself for a while.”

“Yeah, okay. The offer’s always on the table, alright?”

“Thanks.”

“Good luck at the hospital,” Nate said as he walked into his bedroom.

Aubrey stared down the hallway in front of her and listened to the sound of footsteps. She saw her mother moving from the bathroom to the bedroom and back to the bathroom again as she searched for the first-aid kit. She could see her father tossing on a coat and searching for his wallet in the master bedroom at the end of the hall.

Aside from the peculiar circumstances, her family seemed normal—functional. They were unaware of Aubrey’s guilty conscience, Genesis’ deteriorating mental health, and the murder of a child.

Staring vacantly ahead, Aubrey murmured, “I’m done with you, Genesis. I was a good person… I am a good kid… and my family is good… and they love me. I won’t help you hurt anyone ever again. We’re done.”

“Okay, sweetheart, let’s get going,” Rachel said as she approached her daughter. She placed an ice pack on Aubrey’s forehead and asked, “How are you feeling? Are you okay? Can you walk?”

“I can carry you if you need me to,” Peter said as he approached the front door, keys jingling in his hand.

Aubrey forced a smile and said, “I’m okay. I can walk. Let’s… Let’s go. I’m ready.”

Chapter Sixteen

Enemies

Genesis held a lunch tray in her hands. A cheeseburger, tater tots, and a carton of chocolate milk sat on the plate. She was no longer tantalized by regular food, but she ate in order to keep a semblance of normality. She was proud of her vampirism, but she didn’t want to draw attention to herself after the murder of Megan Blair.

She looked at the table in front of her, surprised. I should have known you’d be here, she thought with a smile, you’d never miss school, would you?

Aubrey sat at the table. There was a Band-Aid over the sliced bump on her forehead. The Band-Aid couldn’t cover the purple bruise around the cut, though. Fortunately for her, she didn’t suffer from any internal damage. Her head hurt every morning, but she would survive. She ate a cheeseburger and sipped her chocolate milk, acting as normal as possible.

Genesis placed her tray on the table across from Aubrey. She stared down at her friend, still smiling, but Aubrey didn’t spare a glance.

Genesis asked, “How was your weekend?” Aubrey took a bite of her burger and looked over at the benches to her right. Genesis said, “You’re not talking to me… I thought so. You kinda went all ‘no-contact’ on me this weekend. I don’t blame you. I think I, um… I think I took things too far with you, right? I’m sorry about that. I mean it, okay?”

Aubrey didn’t respond. She continued looking at the other students on the benches. She heard all of Genesis’ words, but she didn’t care to listen to a lying, psychopathic killer’s opinion or apology.

Genesis laughed, then she said, “Come on, Aubrey. Talk to me. Don’t be like this. We’re, you know, best friends. What’s going on? What are you thinking about?”

Aubrey stayed quiet. Dozens of answers to Genesis’ question ran through the crevices of her mind. She wanted to say: fake vampires, child predators, Megan, murder, the police, jail, death. She bit her tongue instead. She figured she could avoid arousing suspicion around herself if she publicly shunned Genesis.

But Genesis wasn’t the type to back down from a confrontation. If she wanted something, she’d take it—and she wanted answers.

She asked, “So, how are you feeling? Everything okay? Nothing, you know… strange?”

Aubrey raised her brow slightly, but she tried to limit her reaction to the unusual questions. Genesis examined Aubrey with a set of narrowed eyes. She wondered if she had changed into a vampire over the weekend. Her skin was bruised but clean, her lips were vibrant, and she obviously had an appetite.

Under her breath, Genesis murmured, “You’re supposed to be like me…”

Aubrey glanced at her. She heard her voice, but she didn’t catch her words.

Her palms on the table, Genesis leaned forward and asked, “Can you really eat that? You haven’t eaten anything else but regular food? Really? You don’t… feel sick or weird or anything like that?” Aubrey swallowed her food and took another sip of her milk. Genesis grabbed Aubrey’s wrist, tugged on her arm, and shouted, “Damn it! I’m serious, Aubrey! Do you feel weird or not?!”

Aubrey jerked away from Genesis’ grip. She stood up and grabbed her backpack, but she stopped herself before she could march away. She had to say something—anything.

She scowled at Genesis and said, “Yeah, I feel weird. I feel weird, sick, angry, and… and guilty! I feel guilty, Genesis! Okay?!”

“Shut up,” Genesis hissed. “Stop screaming, you idiot.”

“Or what? Huh? Are you going to kill me?”

“Or you’re going to get yourself in a lot of trouble and I won’t help you get out of it.”

“I don’t care anymore. None of that matters. Just… Just stay away from me. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

Aubrey turned to walk away, but Genesis lunged over the table and grabbed her arm. The girls, once close friends, glared at each other with furious eyes. Other students began to circle them—curious, amazed, entertained.

Through her gritted teeth, Aubrey said, “Let me go.”

“I can’t,” Genesis responded. “You’re supposed to be like me, so listen to me. I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your damn help and I’m not like you. I was never like you. So, let me go and… and… and go eat rats by yourself, you disgusting animal.”

Genesis gasped along with their audience of mesmerized classmates. She heard their whispers: they’re going to fight, Aubrey called her an animal, Genesis eats rats.

Genesis released Aubrey’s arm. She said, “You’re a loser, Aubrey. You’re a pathetic bitch.” The students oohed and aahed. Genesis said, “Yeah, that’s right. You… You should just kill yourself already. We all know you’re going to do it sooner or later. So, go into your closet, tie something around your little neck, and hang yourself. If you can’t do that, maybe you should just get out of here. Go hang out with the other pathetic bitches in this school. How’s it going with Megan? Huh? Megan Blair from your history class. You were hanging out with her this weekend, weren’t you?”

Aubrey sneered as she watched Genesis’ lips rise into a slick, wicked smile. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, her plan was ruined. Her classmates had heard enough to connect her to Megan’s disappearance after the inevitable discovery of her body. She wanted to attack Genesis, but she refused to throw the first punch.

She huffed, then she said, “Yeah. How’s it going with Bryce? You know, that pedophile that you’ve been dating. That old man who took your virginity by telling you he was turning you into a ‘vampire.’ How stupid can you be… It doesn’t matter anymore anyway. He won’t hurt anyone again. I heard someone reported him. My mom said he’ll be going to jail soon. You’ll never see him again.”

“Stop lying.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Bitch, you wish Bryce loved you. You and Megan will probably–”

Aubrey lost control of herself after hearing Megan’s name again. She threw her carton of milk at Genesis’ face. The carton burst open. The chocolate milk landed on her face, hair, and shoulder. It wasn’t much, but it was noticeable. And it was enough to cause their audience to erupt in laughter. Some of the students even snapped pictures and recorded videos.

Genesis clenched her fists and trembled with rage. Aubrey still refused to throw the first punch, but she stood her ground. Each second felt like a minute as they glared at each other.

The bell rang.

Most of the students stuck around to watch the show, lusting for bloodshed like politicians eager to start a war. They wanted to see a brawl. A fight to the death would generate guaranteed internet stardom.

Aubrey said, “We’re not friends anymore. Don’t talk to me ever again.”

Genesis swiped at the milk on her face and said, “I don’t want to talk to you anyway.”

“Good.”

“I don’t want to be friends with spineless bitches like you.”

“And I don’t want to be friends with crazy ‘vampires’ like you.”

The girls didn’t have to say another word. Their relationship was officially over. They walked away from each other and headed to their classes while their classmates laughed and jeered at them.

***

After school, Aubrey sat on her bed, her knees up to her face and her arms wrapped around her shins. She rocked back-and-forth while constantly glancing over at the door to her right and the window to her left. She was restless and afraid. She expected the police to park in front of her house, kick in some doors, and throw a flashbang grenade through her window.

I’ve seen too many movies, she thought, the cops don’t know about me and they wouldn’t do something like that.

Yet, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Although she didn’t directly murder her, she carried Megan’s coffin on her shoulders. The guilt led to irrational thoughts regarding the police. She didn’t, however, feel guilty for the way she treated Genesis. In fact, she believed her thoughts were logical when it came to her former friend.

She stood up to her during lunch that day, but she knew she wouldn’t have done that if they weren’t in public. Deep down, she was terrified of Genesis. She feared Genesis would attack her next if she didn’t get help.

She stared down at her feet and whispered, “If I call the police, she’ll tell everyone about Megan and me. If I call a doctor or tell her mom or tell my mom… then she’ll still tell them about the woods. She won’t let me escape. She might even try to hurt me, just like she did to Megan. She could kill me if I don’t do anything. So… how do I stop her?”

She was pushed into a corner, forced to fight for her freedom and survival. She sniffled and whimpered as she swiped at the tears clinging to her eyes. She looked around her room, searching for an answer. Her eyes stopped on the wooden leg of her desk. Two words popped into her mind: wooden stake.

“You’re not a real vampire because vampires aren’t real,” she whispered. “But you think you’re a vampire. So, I can hurt you just like in the movies, right?”

She felt a sudden sense of determination flowing through her body. She stood from her bed and rushed out of her bedroom. She stood in silence as she stared at the front door from afar. All of the locks, including the deadbolt, were secured. She didn’t hear anyone outside and her brother wasn’t home, either.

She said, “Good. I still have some time.”

She rushed into the kitchen and grabbed two bulbs of garlic out of a bamboo steamer on the kitchen counter. She shoved them into a resealable plastic bag. Then she ran into her parents’ bedroom. She took a small wooden crucifix from the top drawer of her father’s nightstand. Her mother had a rosary in her nightstand. If the rosary vanished, she would have noticed. Her father wouldn’t notice a missing crucifix for months because it was only used for special occasions.

Aubrey ran back into the hallway. She hopped in place as she thought about other weapons: fire, silver, bullets, holy water, stake, stake, stake. She looked at the door to her right—a storage closet. She opened the door and examined the small room.

As expected, the closet was filled with gardening tools. Her mother mostly spent time in the garden on the weekends, so Aubrey had some time to come up with excuses concerning any missing or damaged tools. She took a hand rake with a wooden handle out of the closet, then she snuck into her brother’s room and stole one of his many pocket knives. She returned to her bedroom, closing the door behind her quietly.

She sat on her bed and said, “Okay, I… I can do this. It’s easy.”

She gripped the handle and the head of the rake in her hands, then she tried to pull them apart. She wiggled and twisted and tugged on the pieces. After a few minutes, the head of the rake popped off. She threw it in the trash—it was useless. She unfolded Nate’s pocket knife and stared at her reflection on the blade.

For a moment, she thought about keeping the knife and using it for self-defense. After all, there was no guarantee that some bulbs of garlic, a crucifix, and a wooden stake could stop a mentally disturbed teenager from attacking her. But a knife could stop anyone if it were used properly. She wasn’t a killer, though, and she only wanted to scare Genesis.

She used the knife to whittle the wooden handle into a stake. It took her nearly an hour, but she eventually got it done. The tip was sharp enough to penetrate a soft body with a powerful thrust.

Afterward, she hid her arsenal of vampire-hunting weapons in a shoebox under her bed. She returned Nate’s knife to its rightful place in his bedroom, then went back to her room and sat on her bed—knees up to her face, arms wrapped around her shins.

She looked at the window and said, “Everything’s going to be okay. She’s a bad person, not me. I have to protect myself. I’m… I’m doing the right thing.”

***

Genesis trudged through the neighborhood, a blank expression on her face. She ignored her classmates and neighbors, and they ignored her. She noticed her mother’s car—a new sedan—parked in front of the house and her father’s pick-up truck parked in the open garage. Her parents were nowhere in sight, though.

She walked up the driveway and entered the garage. She approached the workbench at the end of the room. Gripping the straps of her backpack, she hummed as she scanned her father’s tools.

Genesis was a violent and unforgiving person, but she was also smart and meticulous. She knew Aubrey wouldn’t attack her first. She also knew Aubrey wouldn’t tell a soul about the incident in the woods. She saw the fear in her eyes each time she mentioned Megan’s name at school. For her, it wasn’t about self-defense or tying up loose ends. She was angry and she wanted vengeance.

She figured she could always use more blood, too.

She grabbed a coil of thin-but-strong rope, some rolls of duct tape, a hammer, a cordless drill, and a high-density polyethylene bottle of sulfuric acid. The label on the bottle read: 98-percent concentration. She shoved everything, except the coil of rope, into her backpack. Her father rarely used any of the tools in the garage. The workbench solely served as a set piece to flaunt his masculinity.

The man wouldn’t notice a few missing tools.

She walked into the house through the door to her left. Her father sat on a recliner and watched the news in the living room, her mother could be seen walking from counter-to-counter in the kitchen.

Genesis just stood there with a coil of rope over her shoulder, her bag full of tools. Her face remained blank, though. She wasn’t afraid of being caught because she knew it wasn’t going to happen.

Walking across the living room, she said, “Hey, dad. How was work?”

Without looking back at her, Howard responded, “Good, great. Got home a little early this time, didn’t I? Couldn’t wait to get out of there. How was school?”

“Normal.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“It’s alright. Better than bad.”

“Good, that’s good.”

Genesis walked into the kitchen. While her mother tinkered with the stove, she grabbed a chef’s knife from a knife block on a countertop. She hid the knife in the pocket of her hoodie.

She asked, “What time will dinner be ready?”

“Oh, you’re home already,” Helen responded. She glanced back at Genesis—a quick, one-second glance—then she looked back at the stove. She said, “Give me forty-five minutes, maybe an hour, and I’ll have something ready for you. Okay, hun?”

Genesis couldn’t help but smile. It was just as she expected: her mother didn’t notice the rope slung over her shoulder, either.

As she walked out of the kitchen, she said, “I’ll be in my room. Call me when dinner’s ready. Please!”

Her parents simultaneously shouted, “Alright!”

Genesis entered her bedroom. She didn’t bother closing the door behind her. She dumped her supplies in the closet and covered everything with one of her extra blankets. The blanket could easily be moved, but it was enough to hide her secret from her parents. She sat down at her desk, grabbed a notebook and pencil, and began drawing.

She drew a floor plan of Aubrey’s house with as much detail as possible.

Chapter Seventeen

Time Changes Everything

Aubrey sat at the back of the school bus, her head against the window. She looked out at the other cars on the road and watched as the buildings scrolled past them, lost in her thoughts. The bus was packed with two classes worth of history students. The teachers and supervisors sat at the front of the bus, discussing the rules and answering questions, while their students gossiped, laughed, and argued.

At the back of the bus, Hailey Briggs sat in the seat parallel to Aubrey’s. And, like Aubrey, she sat by herself. Her clique of bullies didn’t attend either of the history classes.

Hailey scooted to the edge of her seat, one leg crossed over the other. She held her cell phone in her hand, but she wasn’t talking to anyone. She kept glancing at Aubrey, eyes sparkling with sincere curiosity. Aubrey couldn’t feel Hailey’s eyes on her because she felt like everyone was staring at her. After ignoring Genesis for a full school week, she feared everyone knew her secret.

Hailey coughed to clear her throat, then she said, “Hey, Aubrey. What’s up?” Aubrey ignored her. Hailey sighed loudly, then she said, “I’m bored. You are boring, Aubrey. You know that, right? I’m trying to talk to you, but you’re just so… so boring. What’s wrong? Are you homesick? Or lovesick? Hmm?”

Aubrey stayed quiet. She wasn’t bothered by Hailey’s words. If Hailey had mentioned Megan, she would have had a panic attack. It didn’t happen, though, because she didn’t know about the incident in the woods. Everyone knew Megan was missing because her mother reported her disappearance, but no one knew about Aubrey’s involvement—except for Genesis.

Hailey unleashed another loud sigh of boredom. She flicked her finger across her phone’s screen. The passengers bounced as the bus drove over a bump on the road.

Hailey looked over at Aubrey again and said, “I heard about your little fight with Genesis at lunch on Tuesday… or was it Monday? It was Monday, right? Anyway, it must have been really serious ‘cause Genesis barely comes to school now. Are you sad because of that? Did you two break up or something?” She leaned into the aisle between the seats. She said, “It’s alright. You can do better than her.”

Aubrey finally glanced over at Hailey. She put on a smile and said, “Yeah, I’m not really into ‘vampires’ anyway. I think I prefer werewolves or… or…” She giggled, then she said, “Or something stupid like that. Whatever.”

Hailey laughed and said, “Be careful, she might come to school on Monday and say she’s half-vampire half-werewolf.”

“You’re probably right. Half-vampire, half-werewolf, half… half-troll or something. She’s crazy.”

“You’re definitely right on that part. Craziest bitch I’ve ever seen.”

The girls laughed for a few seconds, then they sat in silence. They weren’t friends—they were the bully and the bullied—but they felt comfortable around each other.

Hailey said, “So… you guys really had a fight then. You’re not friends anymore? It’s just… over between you two?” Aubrey nodded. Hailey asked, “Are you okay?”

Aubrey’s eyes practically popped out of her skull as she looked at Hailey. Her smile stretched into a wide grin. She felt the honesty in Hailey’s words. The big, bad bully was actually concerned about her.

She asked, “Why do you suddenly care about me, Hailey?”

Hailey huffed and shrugged, then she said, “I don’t. I was just… I just wanted to know if you were okay. That’s all.”

“Well, I’m okay. Thanks for asking.”

“Yeah, whatever…”

The girls sat in silence for a minute. The sound of the incessant chatter, steel clunking, and engine rumbling danced through the bus.

Looking out her window, Hailey said, “I don’t pick on you because I hate you, Aubrey. I just knew Genesis cared about you. I knew you two were cool and all that since she always acted like your sister or… or girlfriend. So, I bullied you just to get to her. It was always about messing with Genesis. I guess… I guess I’m sorry for hurting you. There, I said it.”

Aubrey sat there with her eyes wide open and her lips pulled into her mouth. She looked over at the other students with a dumbfounded expression that said: are all of you hearing this? Are you?! Overjoyed, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling and snickering. The idea of Hailey being a good person after her relentless bullying was amusing but welcomed.

She asked, “Why do you bully people in the first place? I don’t get it. You’re pretty, you’re popular, you’re… kinda smart.”

“Kinda?” Hailey repeated as she giggled with Aubrey. She exhaled loudly, then she said, “It’s just… It just happened. I was, you know, trying to mess with Genesis. Then, I started ‘teasing’ other girls.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you like bullying Genesis so much?”

Hailey asked, “You wanna know? I mean, you really wanna know?”

“Yeah. Tell me.”

Hailey said, “Okay, so… You don’t know Genesis like me. I’ve known her since we were little. One time, when we were five or six or something like that, she came over to my house, right? My mom was inside cooking and we were outside, just me and her. We were playing with dolls and talking. Kid stuff, you know? But Genesis kept looking at our birds. We had, like, parakeets and birds like that. And, out of nowhere, she, um… she started acting like a dog.”

“A–A dog?”

Eyes wet with tears, Hailey said, “A dog. I was laughing at first. I thought it was funny. Then she started hitting one of the cages. And then… she opened one. She grabbed one of our parakeets and… and she bit it. She tried to… bite its head off, I think. That bird died. Its head was barely hanging onto its little… bloody… body. She held it in her mouth, ran like a dog in my yard, and she buried it like a bone.”

The girls stayed quiet for a minute. The rest of the students continued to chat, giggle, and even yell, but they didn’t hear any of it. The world around them was whisked away.

Hailey continued, “After that, she acted like nothing happened. I had to lie to my mom and tell her that we accidentally let the bird go because… because I didn’t know what else to say. I mean, what would you have done? Huh? What… What was I supposed to do after seeing something like that? I was just a little kid and she tried to eat my bird.”

A tear rolled down her cheek as she blinked. She looked away and swiped at her face. She wasn’t aggressive in the bus, her friends weren’t around, but she still didn’t want to show weakness in public. She feared Genesis would somehow feel her sadness from miles away. She wanted to keep her advantage.

Aubrey was speechless. Just like Nate’s mouse, she thought, she’s eaten animals before, she’s always been like this. She finally realized she had been friends with an unhinged girl all along.

Hailey leaned closer to Aubrey and said, “Genesis scares me. No, I’m… I’m not afraid of her like that, but I’m worried. She used to scare me, but then I noticed that she was just a crazy freak. I don’t… I just want her out of my life. That’s all. So, I bully her and I get everyone else to do it with me so she can stay away from me—from us. I wanted to warn you about her for a while, but, to be honest, I thought you would be just like her since you were always with her. My bad. But… whatever. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.”

Aubrey opened her mouth and croaked out the first syllable of a word—sor, sor, sor. The word was trapped in her throat: sorry. She wanted to apologize for Genesis’ erratic behavior and confess to her own deeds. She believed she had accidentally strengthened Genesis’ beliefs by feeding into her delusions. If I didn’t give her Nate’s mouse, if I didn’t give her my blood, if I didn’t lure Megan into the woods, she thought, if I told someone, none of this would be happening.

Instead of confessing, Aubrey forced herself to smile. She patted Hailey’s shoulder and looked at her with a pair of soft, understanding eyes.

She said, “Let’s just forget about Genesis today. Okay? It’ll just be you and me.”

Her lips trembling, Hailey returned the smile and stuttered, “O–Okay.”

On that day, at the back of the bus and away from Genesis, the bully and the bullied became friends.

Chapter Eighteen

A Different Home

Aubrey stood near the school’s front gate, looking out into the parking lot. The bus arrived late to school after the field trip, the final bell had rung ten minutes earlier, but a few students and parents lingered on campus. To her utter relief, she didn’t see Genesis at the school. She didn’t see her in the morning, either.

She stood on her tiptoes and examined the parking lot. She didn’t spot her mother or her car. She sat down on the ground with her legs crossed.

“Nate’s probably in trouble again,” she murmured.

She used her cell phone to send a text message to her mother. The message read: we’re back at school already. Pick me up please. I’m in front. She pulled a pencil, a worksheet, and a binder out of her backpack. The worksheet was filled with questions about the field trip. Some required actual knowledge and strong memory, others simply asked for opinions.

‘How did you feel seeing this and that?’

She was captivated by the assignment, answering the questions while barely lifting the pencil from the paper. By the time she lifted her head and looked around, the parking lot was nearly empty. Thirty minutes flew by as she worked on the assignment. Some kids waited for the bus and others still waited for their parents while some faculty members wandered the school.

Her parents didn’t arrive. She was alone and vulnerable. She stood up and took three deep breaths. Breathe, breathe, breathe, she told herself. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and called her mother. Rachel didn’t answer. Her thumbs shaking, she swiped and tapped her way to her father’s number in her contact list. She called him. Peter didn’t answer, either.

“Oh, come on,” she cried, panicking.

She dialed her brother’s number. Once again, there was no response. She sent her parents and her brother a text message. The message read: I’m alone at school, please pick me up. She didn’t give them the chance to respond. She immediately sent another message that read: Call me. Then another: Text me. I’m scared. Her family didn’t respond.

Aubrey shoved her binder and pen into her backpack. She walked away from the school and headed home. Her eyes were flooded with tears, her nose and cheeks were pink, and her limbs shook. Her mind was dominated with pessimistic thoughts concerning her home, her family, and Genesis. She feared her family was harmed. She was afraid the police were waiting for her to return.

“She didn’t tell on me,” she whispered as she walked through a residential neighborhood, ignoring her peers. “No, she’s not smart enough to do it without getting herself in trouble. But… but she did something. Oh God, I can feel it. Mom, dad, Nate… Please be okay. Please don’t be like Megan. I’m sorry.”

Her brisk walked turned into a jog, then her jog turned into a sprint. She ran as fast as possible, her backpack bouncing with each rapid step. She dodged the kids on the sidewalk and ignored the parents on their porches. She even saw Hailey arriving home from school, the girl’s mother holding a bag of fast food in her hand.

Hailey smiled and shouted, “Aubrey! What are you–”

She stopped speaking as soon as she noticed the fear in Aubrey’s eyes. She had seen it before—something was wrong. She stood in her driveway and watched as she ran past her house, stunned.

Aubrey couldn’t stop running. She was sweaty, hot, and out of breath, but she refused to stop until she reached her house. She pushed her way past the front gate, then she skidded to a stop on the porch. She stared at the front door—the forest-green door she had known since she was a child. The door was suddenly intimidating. It welcomed her to a different home, a different reality.

She closed her eyes, grabbed the doorknob, and whispered, “Please be okay, please…”

***

Aubrey turned the knob and pushed the door open. She covered her mouth as she let out a short squeal. The door opened up to a short hallway. A console table hugged the wall to her right. There was an archway leading into the kitchen directly across from the table. The living room down the hall could be seen from the front door.

Something red—dark red—was smeared on the wall above the console table. The table was moved a few inches and the floor was scuffed underneath it, as if someone had bumped into it during a violent struggle. A picture frame, which held a family portrait, lay face-down on the floor at the center of the hall, surrounded by shards of glass.

Aubrey remembered what her mother always said: if you ever feel unsafe, just run and scream. She felt unsafe in her own house, but she didn’t follow her mother’s directions. She wasn’t stupid, she was just worried. Even if she couldn’t help her family, she had to know if they were safe. She needed to know the truth.

She walked down the hall, the front door swinging in the doorway behind her. She examined the stain on the wall. It was dark and dry. Blood?–she thought. She looked into the kitchen through the archway. The dining table was pushed closer to the counters. Two of the dining chairs were knocked over and one chair was missing. The refrigerator swung gently on its hinges, releasing a cool breeze into the kitchen.

Blood stained every wall, counter, appliance, and every piece of furniture—everything. The blood flowed across the grouted grooves between the tiles, like perpendicular rivers of red water.

“No,” Aubrey squeaked. As she stumbled down the hall, following another trail of blood, she cried, “Mommy! Daddy! Don’t–”

She came to a sudden stop in the living room. The furniture was overturned. The sofa’s cushions, painted with blood, were scattered across the floor. A recliner was knocked over. The lid of a locked chest looked cracked, as if someone tried to break into it. The flat-screen television, mounted on the wall above an entertainment center, was cracked and slanted. Droplets, streaks, and splashes of blood stained the floors and walls.

The damage wasn’t Aubrey’s main concern. Furniture didn’t matter to her. Furniture was replaceable. She was only concerned about her parents—her bloody, mutilated parents.

Peter was tied to a chair in front of the sofa. His arms were duct-taped to the armrests and his legs to the chair’s front legs. His torso was tied to the backrest with durable rope. There was a strip of bloody tape over his mouth. He only wore a white t-shirt and striped boxers—he didn’t even have the chance to dress himself.

The chair was knocked over on its side, so it was safe to assume he tried to escape at some point, but his efforts were pointless. His right kneecap was horrifically mutilated. There were four deep holes in his knee, about a quarter-inch in diameter and two-to-three inches deep. Dark red blood, whitish-yellow tissue, and bloody bone could be seen in the holes. Strands of flesh and skin dangled out of the wounds, like pencil shavings.

The cordless drill was clearly used on his leg. The installer drill bit tore through his flesh and bone with ease. His right foot and shin still trembled, despite the attack occurring hours ago.

Like his kneecap and shin, his thighs were drenched in blood. He was stabbed four times in each thigh, directly through his boxers. His femoral arteries were not severed, fortunately. But some blood stained the crotch of his boxers. A bloody blade was rubbed against his genitals. The blade nicked his scrotum and the shaft of his penis, too. Mutilating his genitals wasn’t part of the plan, but the threat was enough to terrify any man. And that threat was used to torture him psychologically.

His torso wasn’t spared. He was stabbed fifteen times from his lower abdomen to his chest. The wounds were shallow but painful, pain reverberating from each cut. Bite marks were visible on his arms through the blood and hair. A chunk of flesh was bitten off his right forearm, leaving a dark, crooked crater on his arm. Someone chewed on his neck, too, barely missing his jugular.

Deep and wide, a gash stretched from his temple to the back of his head. The skin around the cut, smeared with blood, looked blue and purple—bruised.

Peter’s eyes were closed, but his eyelids twitched. Beads of sweat clung to his eyelids, jiggling like jelly with each slight movement. He was conscious but weak and disoriented by the torture.

“Oh my god,” Aubrey whispered in awe.

Rachel, Aubrey’s mother, was tied to the living room closet’s doorknob with a handcuff knot. Her wrists were red and purple while her hands turned blue due to the tight rope. The skin on the left side of her face looked as if it were peeled off—bloody, wrinkled, melted. Her left eye was blood-red, hemorrhaging. Her nose was a glob of mush, nostrils melted together like pieces of chocolate on a hot day. Parts of her cheekbone were visible and patches of her hair even fell from her burnt scalp.

Someone poured sulfuric acid on her head.

Her knees and shins were taped together, so even if she somehow managed to muster some energy, she wouldn’t be able to run off. There was a tear and a bloodstain on the crotch of her jeans. Her blouse was torn down the middle, exposing her blue bra and her firm abdomen. One of her breasts was exposed. The nipple—along with her areola—was severed, leaving a deep, bloody pocket on her breast. There were teeth marks around the wound.

It looked like she was also stabbed in the crotch, directly above her genitals—or perhaps through her genitalia. She was wearing the same outfit she wore when she dropped Aubrey off at school, too.

Aubrey stuttered, “M–M–Mom… Mom… Da–Dad… Wha–What hap–” Her throat tightened, cutting her off before she could finish. She hacked and retched, then she cried, “Mommy! Daddy! What–”

The sound of the front door slamming ripped through the house.

Aubrey glanced over her shoulder. She swallowed the lump in her throat, then she whispered, “Why? Why did you do this?”

Genesis stood near the front door, turning the locks and securing the door chain. Aubrey’s mouth fell open as soon as Genesis turned around. Genesis held a bloody chef’s knife in her right hand. Aubrey frowned while Genesis smirked devilishly. The girls froze in place, trapped in what felt like an eternal gaze.

Aubrey dashed into the living room. She fell to her knees in front of her father. She tugged on the rope wrapped around his arm, but to no avail. So, she chewed on the rope instead.

She cried, “Wake up, daddy, wake up!” She bit into the rope again and shook her head—nothing. She yelled, “Please wake up! She’s coming!”

Peter’s eyes opened to a squint. After a few seconds, he recognized his daughter through his blurred vision. He looked down at himself and then reality hit him: it actually happened. He jerked every which way while screaming at the top of his lungs, but he couldn’t escape from the chair. His voice was muffled by the tape.

Hanging from the doorknob, her mother awoke upon hearing her husband’s bellows. She could only see from one eye, but she immediately recognized Aubrey. Despite the strip of duct tape over her mouth, she was able to unleash a comprehensible word: run! Flopping and wiggling on the ground like a cephalopod’s limbs, she repeated the same word over and over.

And Aubrey heard her loud and clear. She knew her father was trying to say the same thing. She struggled to her feet. She took a step to her right, ready to run to the living room windows, but she stopped as soon as she heard a creaky floorboard behind her.

Genesis leaned on the wall near the hall, twirling the knife between her hands—the butt off the handle against one of her index fingers, the tip of the blade against the other. The blade nicked her fingertip, her blood plopped on the floor, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. She wasn’t bothered by anything at all.

She said, “If you run, I’ll kill them. I’ll kill all of them, Aubrey.”

Tears rolling down her cheeks, Aubrey sniffled and looked over at Genesis. She was terrified, she felt like she could faint at any moment, but she tried to keep a semblance of control. She wanted to act strong and confident. She turned around and faced her old friend—sniffling, panting, shuddering, determined.

She said, “I can… I… I’ll stop you. And when… when my bro–brother gets home, he’ll–”

Genesis snickered, then she said, “Your brother’s already home.”

“Wha–What?”

“He’s home, moron. I took care of him.”

“N–No…”

Aubrey’s parents continued to cry and scream. They already knew about Nate and his injuries, so they tried to tell her to run—to drop her naïve plan and run already.

Her voice cracking, Aubrey asked, “What did you do?”

“You mean, like… what happened?”

Aubrey nodded as she clenched her fists. Genesis stopped twirling the knife. She held it by its handle in her right hand and approached Peter.

She said, “I came over after you left. I got your extra house key from that pot under your kitchen window out there. You know, the one you told me about a few months ago? I let myself in with that. Sorry, but… whatever. I went to your dad’s room. That old man was still sleeping. So I bashed his head with a hammer until he was knocked out. Like really knocked out. You know what I mean?”

Peter screamed and bounced on the ground, the chair screeching and thumping against the floorboards as he moved. Genesis huffed and rolled her eyes.

She said, “After that, I tied that old man up and went to your brother’s room. I was going to get him with the hammer, but… I saw his baseball bat and I couldn’t resist. I beat him while he slept. I just hit him until he couldn’t even snore anymore. I don’t even think he could breathe. I just… I hit him so many times. Clank, clank, clank… clank… clank.”

“Shut up,” Aubrey said as she closed her eyes.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you want to know what happened to your ‘mommy?’ Hmm?”

“Shut up! Just shut up, you bitch!”

Only cries of agony, desperation, and disappointment echoed through the house. Genesis couldn’t help but laugh as she watched the family. She sucked on her sliced finger and waited patiently for their weeping to end. She tortured an innocent family, but she wasn’t disturbed by her crimes. She wasn’t afraid of the potential consequences, either.

After a minute, Genesis said, “Anyway, mommy got home and I knocked her out, too. The funny thing is: while I was tying up mommy in here, your dad woke up. He was walking down that hall right there, screaming and shit, but he was confused. He was, you know, dazed.” She grinned from ear-to-ear and said, “So, I knocked him out again. I dragged him into the kitchen and tied him up to a chair in there. I had some fun in there with him. Then I pulled him back to the living room. He was fuckin’ heavy, though. It took me forever to move him around, but I did it. Yeah, I did it all on my own. We had a lot of fun without you, Aubrey.”

Aubrey dug her fingers into her hair and stepped in reverse until the back of her legs hit the sofa behind her. She looked down at her dad and yelped, then she staggered towards the back of the living room. She stopped near the recliner. Holding her hand over her mouth, she looked at her father, then at her mother. She wanted to leave the house and run away from the carnage, but she was curious.

She said, “Nate…”

“What?” Genesis responded.

“Where’s Nate? Did you… Did you kill him?”

“Maybe, maybe not. I really fucked him up. To be honest, I completely forgot about him until now.”

“You bitch…”

“You keep saying that, but it doesn’t hurt me. You know that, right?”

The closet door rattled as Rachel lunged forward. She yelled at her daughter, straining her voice in the process. There was a mixture of panic and anger in her only good eye. She wanted her daughter to run, so she was rightfully frustrated by the encounter.

Aubrey was worried about her parents, she wouldn’t be there if she wasn’t, but she couldn’t listen to them. She had to save Nate and she felt compelled to stop Genesis from continuing her quest for blood.

She asked, “What the hell do you want from me, Genesis?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve always wanted you, Aubrey. You’re my friend, you… you belong to me.”

Genesis stepped forward. Aubrey stumbled farther away from her, but she stopped behind the sofa. Peter tried to kick Genesis’ legs, but he could barely move. Rachel kept crying near the closet.

Aubrey said, “Stay away from me.”

“Why are you acting like this?” Genesis asked, confusion in her voice. “You should be thanking me. I made us immortal so we could be together forever. I turned us into vampires.”

“What?”

“You don’t remember, but I gave you my blood. Just like Bryce gave me his. You’re going to live forever, like me. You can’t leave me and I can’t leave you. Come here, Aubrey. Let’s be friends again.”

“No… No, I’m not like you, you crazy bitch.”

“If you reject me… I’ll hurt them.”

“Fuck you!” Aubrey shouted at the top of her lungs.

Her eyes stuck on Aubrey, Genesis knelt down beside Peter. She caressed Peter’s bloody leg, running her fingertips across his shin.

“What are you doing?” Aubrey asked. “What do you–”

Before she could finish, Genesis shoved her index finger into one of the holes on Peter’s kneecap. Peter howled in pain, his shout echoing through the house and seeping into the street. Genesis wiggled her finger inside of his knee. She felt his mushy, mutilated tendons and the sharp edge of his cracked bone. Fresh blood spilled out of the deep hole.

Genesis pulled her finger out of the wound. She giggled as she licked the blood off her finger. Then she stroked his knee gently. She pinched the strands of muscle and tendons hanging from the wounds, then she yanked them off with one tug. The flesh spiraled to the floor like autumn leaves.

Jolts of pain rang through Peter’s leg, up his abdomen, and stopped at his heart. He breathed in short, unsatisfying breaths. He couldn’t keep track of his heartbeat—too fast? Too slow? He felt like he was dying, but he was fighting for life.

From the closet, Rachel screamed and cried uncontrollably. A bloody tear rolled down her burned cheek. Bloody mucus hung from her mushy nostrils, thick and slimy. Sputum flooded her mouth, too. She knew she wasn’t helping by panicking, she knew she could accidentally choke and kill herself, but she couldn’t stop. She loved her family, so she felt their pain.

Aubrey yelled, “Stop! Stop it!”

“Then join me. Just come here and–”

Mid-sentence, Aubrey shrieked and ran off. Instead of running to the front door, she ran down the other hall and headed to her bedroom.

As she chased after her, Genesis yelled, “You can’t get away from me! Not now, not tomorrow, not in a thousand years!”

Chapter Nineteen

Friends Till the End

Aubrey fell to her knees and pulled the shoebox out from under her bed. She opened the box and looked at her supplies: two bulbs of garlic in a resealable bag, a crucifix, and a wooden stake. Genesis skidded to a stop in the doorway. She smiled at Aubrey. From behind, it looked like she was praying before bed.

“Let me prove something to you,” Genesis said as she walked into the room, taking slow steps while holding the knife with a limp grip. She said, “Vampires are immortal. If you let me stab you, I promise you’ll survive. You’ll feel pain because we still have human bodies and all that, but you’ll live. I mean, you can’t really kill a vampire. Unless you, like, chop off its head. But I’m not going to do that to you.”

As Genesis reached the center of the room, Aubrey stood up and turned around with the crucifix in her hand. She held it up to Genesis’ face. To her utter surprise, Genesis hissed, snarled, and yipped in pain, like a feral dog caught in a bear trap. She wrapped her arms around her head and teetered back until she crashed into the dresser.

In a deep, raspy voice—almost inhuman—Genesis barked, “Stop! Stop it! Bitch! Slut! Cunt!”

She really thinks she’s a vampire, Aubrey thought. She seized the opportunity and ran out of the bedroom. Genesis wasn’t physically injured by the crucifix, but she felt real pain. Her head throbbed so hard she believed her skull would burst open. Her beliefs were too strong. Fictional pain metamorphosed into real agony.

Yet, Genesis managed to fight through the pain and she immediately gave chase. She lurched behind Aubrey, one arm over her face while swinging the knife with the other. Aubrey shrieked and staggered as the blade sliced into her upper back, easily tearing through her shirt. One, two, three, four—her back was slashed four times.

Then, just as they entered the living room, Genesis thrust the knife into the small of Aubrey’s back. Aubrey felt a strong pinch followed by a burning, throbbing twinge. The stab wound was about an inch to an inch-and-a-half deep. The blade missed her vital organs, but the pain was still debilitating. Aubrey knew she couldn’t reach the front door without being stabbed again, so she juked left and then she slipped into the kitchen.

Peter wiggled across the floor with the chair strapped to his body. He screamed until veins bulged from his face, neck, and shoulders. His right leg, mangled at the kneecap, emitted a squelching sound with the slightest movement. Each movement also aggravated his wounds, causing more blood to ooze out of him.

Rachel cried helplessly as she tried to pull away from the closet door, her feet sliding across the floorboards. She tried to open the door, too, but her effort was fruitless. She could only watch as her daughter was attacked.

Aubrey stopped near the dining table. She turned around and held the crucifix up to Genesis. Genesis slid to a stop, covered her face, and hissed. Her severe headache caused her legs to wobble. The crucifix couldn’t stop her, though. Blinded by pain, she thrust the knife forward. She felt some resistance.

“Got ya,” she said.

Aubrey dropped the crucifix and gasped in pain. Genesis opened her eyes and smiled. The blade entered Aubrey’s body through her lower abdomen, near her bellybutton. Genesis stepped forward, pushing the blade deeper into her—one inch, two inches. The stabbing made her feel good. She felt powerful, she felt superhuman.

Aubrey’s back hit the dining table. She instinctively grabbed the blade, cutting her fingers in the process while stopping Genesis from driving the entire blade into her.

Holding her breath, she said, “Stop… it. You’re… hurting… me”

“It’s okay, Aubrey. It hurts, but you won’t die. You hear me? Let me show you what it’s like to…”

Aubrey opened the resealable bag with her freehand. She pulled a bulb of garlic out, then she shoved it into Genesis’ mouth as she spoke. As soon as her teeth penetrated the garlic, Genesis pulled the knife out of Aubrey’s body, stepped back, and retched. The taste and the scent of the garlic overwhelmed her. The knife hit the floor with a clank while the garlic landed with a thud.

Aubrey watched as Genesis held her neck with both hands and gagged—as if she were choking on something or attempting to strangle herself. It sounded like she was going to vomit at any moment.

Aubrey looked at the archway to her right and thought about running out of the house. She hesitated as she thought about her family. Although she could barely breathe without gagging, Genesis kept fighting. She grabbed the knife with a weak grip and limped over to the archway, one hand around her neck.

She blocked Aubrey’s exit and, with a croaky voice, she said, “You’re not… getting away. You’re… mine.”

Aubrey ran around the table. She tried to open the window, but her bloody fingers slid across the lock and glass. So, she struck one of the window panes with her elbow. The broken glass rained down on the flower bed under the window while some large shards protruded from the fresh gashes on her elbow.

She leaned closer to the broken window and cried, “Help! Help us! She hurt my family! She’s hurting us! Oh my God, please!” Two kids playing on the lawn of the house across the street looked over at Aubrey. Aubrey banged on the window and yelled, “Call the police! Call someone! Help! Oh God, just hurry and do something!”

Aubrey thought about throwing herself through the window, but she doubted herself. She wasn’t an action hero, she wasn’t in a movie. She didn’t know if she could build up the strength and momentum to leap through the glass.

Before she could decide, Genesis took a step into the kitchen. She was still dazed and tired, injured by Aubrey’s ‘weapons,’ but she was recovering.

“No,” Aubrey whispered, dismayed.

She ran back through the other archway and headed down the hallway. She ran past her room. There was nothing for her in there. She entered Nate’s bedroom, but she stopped near the snake enclosure. She found her brother on his bed, his back to her.

The back of his head was split open, flaky blood clinging to his brown hair. Dried blood stained the nape of his neck and his bare shoulders. He wasn’t restrained with rope or tape or anything at all. It was exactly like Genesis said: he was brutally beaten until he couldn’t move, and then he was forgotten.

Aubrey ran to her brother’s side. Tears sprinkling from her eyes, she shook his shoulder and said, “Nate, wake up. Don–Don’t die. Please, I need you. I want… I want to go star-gazing with you again.” Nate didn’t respond, but he appeared to be breathing—barely. She shook his shoulder again and yelled, “Nate, we need you!”

Genesis ran into the bedroom. She stabbed Aubrey’s shoulder with the chef’s knife. Aubrey felt a jolt of pain from her shoulder to her left hand. She pulled the wooden stake out of her pocket.

“I’m done!” she shouted as she turned around, the blade sliding out of her back.

She thrust the stake into Genesis’ stomach. Genesis gasped as she looked down at herself. A horrifying idea entered her warped mind: she can actually kill me. Aubrey pulled the stake out and pushed Genesis away. She pulled the stake back, as if she were preparing to thrust it at her again, but she stopped herself. Instead, she pointed the tip of the stake at her old friend.

She yelled, “Stay away from me!”

Genesis held one hand over the wound on her stomach. She stared at the blood on her palm. Blood didn’t seem as appetizing when it was accompanied by a burning pain.

She pointed the knife at Aubrey and stuttered, “You–You can’t do this to me. I… I made you immortal. You can’t… You can’t kill me.”

“Stay back!”

Genesis responded, “I won’t. You can’t tell me what…” She grimaced and groaned as a twinge reverberated from her stomach. Breathing heavily, she said, “You can’t tell me what to do… and you can’t stop me. We’ll live forever. Let me show you.”

“I said stay back!”

Aubrey realized she couldn’t avoid the worst-case scenario. I have to stab her in the chest, she thought as her eyes welled with tears, but I can’t kill her because I’m not a killer.

Genesis screamed as she ran forward. Out of options, Aubrey ran forward, too. The girls clashed at the center of the bedroom. The stake entered Genesis’ abdomen directly above her left hip, the knife tore through Aubrey’s bellybutton. They gasped, they teetered, but they didn’t fall. They leaned against each other, Aubrey’s chin on Genesis’ shoulder and Genesis’ on Aubrey’s.

Genesis stuttered, “You–You won–won’t die, Au–Aubrey. I promise… but… but you can ki–kill me with that sta–stake. You’re really hurting–”

A moist crunching sound emerged from Genesis’ body as Aubrey pulled the stake out. Aubrey stabbed her again, thrusting the stake at her with all of her might. The wood penetrated Genesis’ stomach. Before she could react, Aubrey stabbed her a third time. She felt some resistance as she hit one of Genesis’ ribs. She swore she heard the bone crack, too.

A cold sweat glistening on her brow and a string of blood hanging from her bottom lip, Genesis finally retaliated. She began to stab Aubrey’s lower abdomen as quickly as possible, but she was dizzy and weak. The stab wounds were shallow. The blade didn’t even penetrate her clothes a few times. She nearly lost her grip on the knife after being stabbed an eleventh time.

Their whimpers and yelps echoed through the house, joining the chaotic sounds in the living room. The sound of blood dripping on the floorboards was faint compared to everything else, but it was consistent—it was rhythmic.

Genesis tried to stab Aubrey again, but the blade slid across Aubrey’s stomach instead. The knife fell from her cold, bloody hands.

She whispered, “I love you…”

Aubrey was stabbed five times, but her vital organs were safe. She was losing blood, she felt woozy, but she wasn’t defeated.

Exerting all of the energy she could muster, she pushed Genesis away and shouted, “I hate you!”

Genesis lurched across the room. Her head hit the enclosure with a loud thump. The thick glass cracked and the enclosure wobbled on the table. Dazed by the blow to the head, Genesis took a few steps, then she collapsed near the door face-first. She appeared to be mumbling something. She was barely conscious.

As she stared at the enclosure, Aubrey stepped back and whispered, “Oh no…”

She fell onto the bed as the enclosure fell from the table. The cracks spread across the entire enclosure and the lid popped off. Smiles, Nate’s snake, was unharmed.

Aubrey shook Nate’s arm and said, “Wake up. Please wake up. Don’t die, Nate. Come on, why won’t you wake up?”

She glanced over at the door and thought about running out of the house while Genesis was neutralized. She caught a glimpse of Smiles. The snake wrapped itself around Genesis’ upper arm and constricted her, squeezing her arm tightly. It recognized Genesis as an enemy—as prey. Then, the snake bit Genesis’ arm and shoulder, its fangs tearing through her shirt with ease.

California Kingsnakes were not venomous, but they were deadly.

Aubrey wrestled with her conscience. Smiles might kill her, she might die if I don’t help her, she thought, she hurt my family, she tried to kill me, so what am I supposed to do? Positive memories poured into her mind. She remembered every time Genesis defended her from bullies like Hailey and her clique. Memories of her days with Genesis in the woods and at the creek warmed her heart. For a moment, a measly minute, Genesis didn’t seem so bad.

Then, she heard her brother snort and she felt him twitch. The sound of her parents’ muffled cries entered the bedroom from the hallway. The color red flashed in her eyes—the color of violence, the color of blood, the color of death. The truth was undeniable: Genesis killed a bird, she ate a mouse, she killed Megan, and she viciously attacked Aubrey’s family. She was a bad person with a history of violence.

Teary-eyed, Aubrey stayed on the bed and watched as Smiles slithered up to Genesis’ head. Her lips trembled as if she were about to say something, but she couldn’t do it. The snake wrapped itself around Genesis’ neck. It tightened itself around her neck, crushing her windpipe and esophagus with a loud crunching sound.

Genesis’ legs trembled while blood foamed from her mouth. Soft croaking and groaning escaped her shaking lips along with gurgling and squelching sounds. She was clinging to life. Although she couldn’t move, crippled by her loss of blood as well as the insufferable pain, the young, confused girl kept fighting for survival.

She gasped for air, inhaling through her nose and mouth, but to no avail. She tried to wiggle forward, but she could barely move a few inches. She opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see anything through her blurred, dim vision. Her eyes hemorrhaged, blood leaked from her nose, and her neck turned blue. After a few seconds, she completely stopped breathing. A few seconds after that, she stopped moving.

The snake finally suffocated her, killing her through constriction. It unwrapped itself from around Genesis’ neck.

Aubrey watched as Smiles slithered out of the bedroom. She glanced over her shoulder and looked at the window above the bed. She heard emergency sirens, faint but growing louder.

Physically injured and emotionally devastated, she shook her brother’s shoulder and yelled, “Mommy! Daddy! Help!”

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

Aubrey sat on an examination table, her bare feet hovering a foot above the floor. She stared down at her blue gown with a set of glum eyes. It had been six weeks since Genesis attacked her and her family. Most of her wounds had healed, but she still felt some discomfort. The psychological damage, however, would take years to repair—if not a lifetime.

She confessed to inadvertently aiding Genesis in the kidnapping of Megan Blair, but she denied assisting Genesis in the murder. Her potential prosecution was being discussed during the ongoing investigation. She was an accomplice, but she was also a victim. Her suffering couldn’t be ignored by prosecutors.

She stared at the door directly in front of her. She heard men speaking in the hallway behind that door—her father and her doctor, Stephen Kam. Her mother’s face was horrifically disfigured during the attack, so, along with Nate, she stayed at a hospital in order to recover. Peter needed crutches to walk due to his mangled knee. His other bite and stab wounds healed under thick bandages. Like Aubrey, his wounds didn’t require extensive medical attention.

Aubrey furrowed her brow as she listened to her father. His voice sounded soft but desperate. Bad news, she thought. She grimaced in pain as she twirled her wrists and swung her legs. Since the incident, she had been suffering from headaches, fevers, muscle and joint pain, and a frequent sore throat. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she sat in the doctor’s examination room.

She had already provided blood and urine samples. She took test after test in order to find the source of the problem, but to no avail. The results were on the other side of the door.

She whispered, “What if I’m sick like her? What if something happened to my brain? Can that even happen? Or… Or am I really turning into a vampire?”

The door swung open. Peter entered the room with his crutches, his head down as he sniffled. His eyes, his nose, and his cheeks were red. Stephen Kam followed him into the examination room, closing the door behind him. A profound sense of sadness was written on his face. He sat down on a rolling chair near the examination table while Peter sat down on the seat in the corner of the room.

Peter grabbed Aubrey’s hand and said, “It’s going to be okay, sweetie. Daddy’s here. Your mom… she’ll be here for you. Nate too… We’re here for you. You’re…” He stopped as his voice cracked. He grunted, he looked away, and he said, “Everything’s okay.”

Aubrey sensed the doubt in his voice. She saw the pain in his eyes before he looked away—emotional pain.

She shook her father’s hand and asked, “What’s wrong with me? Dad, what happened to me?” Her father couldn’t say a word without crying, so he stayed quiet. She looked at her doctor and said, “I’m scared. What happened? What’s wrong? Am I going to be okay?”

Stephen nodded and said, “You’re going to be fine, Aubrey. You’re just… You’re going to go down a difficult path, but we believe you’re a very strong girl and you’ll come out on top. We’re going to make sure you get the medication and the support you need. Okay?”

“What’s wrong with me?” Aubrey asked as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Stephen sighed, then he said, “It’s complicated, there’s a lot that we have to talk about, but… Well, Aubrey, you’ve contracted a virus called HIV.”

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Did you enjoy this dark, provocative horror novel? Looking for more twisted tales of humanity’s nastiness? Then you should sign up for my mailing list! I’m not planning a sequel to this book, but if you enjoyed reading The Taste of Blood, then I think you’ll love my upcoming horror and thriller novels. They are disturbing, violent, gross, and even thought-provoking. And I release new books very frequently!

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Dear Reader,

Thanks for reading The Taste of Blood. This was a bloody, nasty, and provocative little novel, but I know it wasn’t my most violent or disturbing piece of work. Still, I feel like I might have offended someone somewhere with the contents of this book. There’s always that one person who ignores the warnings (like the ones plastered on this book’s front matter, the product page, and the back of the paperback) and then complains about reading something distressing. In this case, I sort of get it. The characters were young and they committed some disgusting, violent, and unusual acts. If you’re pitching a tent at Camp Offended or getting your pitchforks and torches out, just remember: this is a piece of fiction. That usually helps readers digest books like this.

Interestingly enough, The Taste of Blood, which was originally titled ‘Renfield’s Syndrome,’ was actually inspired by a real event. The original outline followed Genesis and Aubrey. The characters were pretty much the same, but their goals were different. In the original outline, Genesis would be obsessed with vampires and Aubrey would follow her lead without questioning her. Together, they would concoct a plan to resurrect Dracula. In order to do so, they’d have to offer him the blood of a ‘pure’ victim—Megan Blair. So, they’d lure Megan into the woods and stab her in hopes of pleasing Dracula.

Sound familiar? Well, the original concept was inspired by the unfortunate ‘Slender Man stabbing’ that occurred in 2014. This version felt too close to reality, though, and I didn’t want to disrespect anyone involved in that tragic case by writing it. So, I scrapped the whole Dracula aspect of the story. I still wanted the book to discuss mental health in the youth, though. It’s a touchy and difficult subject, but I think it’s important. I also feel like these types of stories keep us thinking. It’s the ‘this-could-happen-to-us’-effect—because it has happened before in one way or another. I think that’s horror in its purest form.

Anyway, I ended up sitting on this book for over a year. The original first draft was finished in early 2018. Although it’s not my most ‘extreme’ book, I think it’s one of my most effective. And it feels great to finally have it out there—in your hands. It’s a scary feeling, I’d guess writing a book is kind of like raising a child, but it’s also satisfying. Whether you hate it or love it or just feel neutral about it, it’s done and it’s out. But now I’m just rambling.

If you have time, please leave a review on Amazon.com. (Or Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, or wherever you’re from. I know I have some wonderful international readers out there!) Like I’ve always said, your reviews help me improve, they help me choose what I’ll write next, and they help other readers find my books. When more people read my books, that gives me more resources to write more books—better books. And I don’t just mean financially. Yes, more readers usually equals more money, but, for me, it also brings motivation and career security. That motivation is especially useful. Your support keeps me going.

If you need some help writing a review, you can try answering some of these questions: did you enjoy the book? Did it disturb/provoke/disgust you? Was the ending too bleak or just right? Would you like to read a similar book from me in the future? Your review can be very long and detailed or short and to the point. Either way, believe me: it’s very helpful.

I’m writing this letter 10 days before my first international trip. As some of you may already know, I’ll be in Japan from January 30th to February 22nd. Why is this important? Well, because you made this possible. If it weren’t for your support, I wouldn’t be able to do something like this. I’m 26 years old now and this will be the first time I’ve ever stepped on a plane. It’s unbelievable. It’s also important because I want you to know: it’s not just some vacation. (Okay, yes, I’ll be spending a lot of time with my girlfriend. I can’t help it! I’m in love!) I’ll also be working on the final chapter of my Snuff Network series, which includes: Mr. Snuff (2016), Ms. Vengeance (2017), and Dr. Sadist (2018). And remember, you can read all of these books in any order! I hope my trip will allow me to deliver a very intense, disturbing, and unique experience. I feel like I owe you a spectacular finale after everything you’ve done for me, and I will deliver.

Finally, if you enjoyed this book, please visit my Amazon’s author page and check out my other novels. I frequently release new books. I am primarily an extreme horror author, but I’ve dabbled in the fantasy, sci-fi, mystery-thriller, and supernatural genres. Whatever I write, it’s usually very dark and disturbing. If that’s something that you’re interested in, if you’ve always been fascinated by the dark side of people, then I really think you’ll enjoy my other books. I released a very disturbing body-horror novel last month titled Lovesick. Next up, I’ll be releasing a shocking novel inspired by the cannibal films of the 1970s and 80s. It is titled: Jungle of Hunger. (The title is subject to change.) It’s a big project for me, but I think it will be one of my most unforgettable novels. Thanks again for reading!

Until our next venture into the dark and disturbing,

Jon Athan

P.S. If you have any questions or comments, or if you’re an aspiring author who needs some help, feel free to contact me directly using my business email: info@jon-athan.com. You can also contact me through Twitter @Jonny_Athan or my Facebook page.