Nightfall: Bloodbound

“I do not care. I love it,” she sang along to the music playing over the radio, her voice loud and carefree.

“Must you always sing these horrible songs?” the man driving asked, his tone already tired.

“What? I am trying to fit in,” she replied easily.

“Fit in? We have not even gotten to the place yet.”

She only laughed, then turned to look at the back seat, where the three others sat quietly, staring straight ahead without a word.

“Trust me, high school students can be brutal,” she said. “It will be best if I get cultured to this place by listening to the local radio station, so I do not seem like a freak when I get to Fells High.”

The driver rolled his eyes. “All a part of the plan, right?”

She smiled at him. “See, you are catching on.”

Suddenly, the car swerved sharply to the side, and her head slammed against the window and pain shot through her skull.

“What the hell?” she asked, turning toward the driver.

“I know you saw that person in the middle of the road,” he said.

She reached up to her head, wincing as she touched the sore spot. When she pulled her fingers back, they were stained with blood. “I am bleeding,” she said quietly.

He nodded once. “Good. You are human.”

“I think that person is hurt,” someone from the back seat spoke up.

“Why don't you go check?” she replied from the front seat.

He did not protest. He stepped out of the car immediately, leaving the door open as he walked toward the person lying motionless in the middle of the road. He pulled out his phone and shined the flashlight on the man’s face, relieved to see his chest rising and falling.

“Help me,” the man managed to say weakly.

“I am going to call an ambulance, okay?” he told him, pulling out his phone.

As he dialed the number, the woman from the front seat stepped out of the car.

“Hey, get back in here!″ the driver called, but she ignored him and slowly walked forward, drawn toward the scene to see what was happening.

Suddenly, in a blur of movement, another person seemed to appear out of nowhere and pounced on the man who was trying to call for help. Everything happened too fast to understand at first.

His screams were loud and panicked, echoing through the night, before they turned into harsh, choking sounds as the attacker bit into his neck. The sound was sickening, and wet.

The woman screamed when she saw the passenger collapse to the ground. Before she could even take a step back, the attacker turned his black eyes toward her. In another blur of movement, he was suddenly standing right in front of her.

“What the hell?” she cried, but before she could react, he backhanded her hard. The force sent her stumbling.

The driver jumped out of the car with his gun drawn, but he never had a chance to use it. The attacker was on him instantly, sinking his teeth into his neck. The driver cried out in pain, his voice filled with terror.

In the back seat, the other female scrambled to unbuckle her seat belt. She opened the door, quickly unbuckled the little girl, and slowly moved them both out of the car, thinking she could get the child to safety. They did not make it far. The attacker reached them before they could escape.

Seeing everything unfold, the last female turned and ran. She screamed into the foggy night as she fled, hoping that someone, anyone, would hear her and come to her aid.

Something hard struck her from behind, sending her crashing onto the road. Broken glass cut into her palms as she tried to catch herself. A low growl filled the air behind her, and something sharp sliced into her cheek, then leg. She fought with everything she had, kicking the attacker between the legs. The moment she was free, she scrambled to her feet and ran.

She veered off the road and into the tall grass, her lungs burning as she pushed herself forward. She hoped the attacker would lose her there. She ran as fast as she could, losing a shoe along the way, but she did not stop. She kept running through the grass until she reached a small creek, which she jumped over without slowing. On the other side, she burst through the gates of a cemetery.

She glanced around, desperate to find a place to hide, but the sound of a branch snapping nearby sent her running again. She did not stop until she saw the glow of a porch light in the distance.

Relief surged through her, and she cried out as she ran toward the house. She slammed her fists against the front door, pounding as hard as she could.

Inside, voices rose in alarm. “What was that?” one of the girls asked.

“Help me, please!” the girl begged, hitting the door again. “Please, I do not want to die.”

Suddenly, her head was slammed into the glass panel of the door. Pain exploded through her skull as she screamed. Just before she could be attacked again, the front door flew open, and she stumbled inside, nearly falling as she crossed the threshold.

“What th… are you okay?” one of the girls asked, staring at her in shock.

“Call the cops, please,” she cried. “He killed them, and he is trying to kill me.”

Another girl gently took her by the shoulders and guided her into the kitchen. “You need to calm down,” she said softly.

“No,” the girl sobbed. “We need to call the cops. He might come for us. He already killed them. He… he killed my brother and sister. They are all dead.”

“My name is Georgie,” one of the girls said carefully, trying to steady her. She pointed to the dark-haired girl beside her. “This is my friend Flora. And this is Bianca,” she added, nodding toward the blonde.

“I do not care who you are,” the girl said desperately. “You just need to call the cops before he comes back.”

Georgie nodded quickly. “I already called them. They will be here soon. You are safe.”

The girl shook her head, her fear refusing to settle. “I do not think you understand. What happened to us was not normal. That man, he was fast, and he was strong. I… I…” Her voice broke, and she dissolved into tears once again.

She lifted a trembling hand to her face, and when her fingers brushed the cuts there, she became even more hysterical. Her body ached everywhere, every movement sending fresh pain through her. She felt broken and overwhelmed and wished she could be anywhere but in that house, surrounded by three girls who looked just as scared and unprepared as she felt.

Suddenly, two men appeared in the room. She screamed and scrambled off the stool, but the moment her foot hit the floor, pain exploded through her leg. She cried out and collapsed to the ground. When she looked down to see what was wrong, she saw a deep, ugly gash along her leg, and the sight sent her into sobs once more.

“Hey, listen, they are not going to hurt you, okay?” Georgie said quickly. “This is my boyfriend, Eric.” She pointed to the male with short hair that was styled back. “And his douche bag of a brother, Romain.” She then pointed to the other male, whose hair was pulled into a ponytail.

The girl shook her head wildly and tried to crawl away from them. “No. It is you.”

Eric immediately stepped in front of Romain and whispered something urgently to him. Romain shoved him away, irritation flashing across his face. “I have never seen this chick before.”

Eric ignored him and knelt down beside the crying girl, holding out his hand carefully. “I will not hurt you. Why don’t you just tell me what happened?”

She shook her head again, pressing herself farther back. “No, please. I do not want to die.”

Just then, another voice cut through the tension. “What is going on here?”

“Officer Gordon,” Georgie said, clearly relieved but unsure where to start. “This girl just showed up here. She is hysterical and saying someone attacked her.”

The officer looked down at the girl, then crouched beside her and gently helped her sit up. “Why do not we start with the basics?” she said calmly. “What is your name, sweetheart?”

The girl wiped at her eyes with shaking hands. “Blaire Valintine,” she said, trying to steady her nerves. “I… my family is moving here for…” She stopped and swallowed hard. “Sorry. My throat is raw from all the running and screaming.”

Georgie quickly poured her a glass of water, the liquid dotted with purple flower petals.

“Thanks,” Blaire said softly. She took the glass and drank greedily, gulping it down too fast. She immediately began to cough, and everyone in the room exchanged worried looks.

She cleared her throat and managed a weak apology. “Sorry. I drank too fast. Can I have some more, please?”

The tension eased slightly as Georgie refilled the glass.

“As I was saying,” Blaire continued after another sip, “my mother… she… well, she got a letter about a relative who passed away recently. Her name was Elenor Antebellum.”

“Wait,” Bianca said, startled. “You are related to her? I had no idea she had any relatives.”

“Yeah,” Blaire said with a small nod. “Her will was sent to us in New York, and my mom saw it as a miracle. We were about to lose our apartment. So, she and my aunt came here to see what this place was all about. Then they decided that since we were going to have our own house and the fortune, she left us, why not move here.”

She paused again to drink more water. “My cousins and I decided to come ahead of them so we could make friends before school started. But then…” Her voice broke, and tears filled her eyes again.

“A man dressed in a black leather jacket, like them,” she said, pointing shakily at Eric and Romain. “I saw… I do not even know what I saw. He was biting my cousin... like... like he was some animal. Then he attacked me. I ran, but he was so fast. It was like he was playing with me. Then I found this house.”

Officer Gordon nodded, her expression serious. She stepped away briefly and made a call. “I want units to be on the lookout for a possible Type N.”

When she returned to the kitchen, she looked at Blaire gently. “We are going to take you to the hospital.”

Blaire nodded slowly. “Okay. Can I call my mom first?”