Drips

“None of the bags were useable.” Val, Sages friend and right hand whispers to her.

The two are tucked away in a corner, away from prying eyes and noisy halls.

Sage, stares blankly ahead: ears ringing from the impeding doom promised her way. Lump in her throat stopping her, from forming, a coherent sentence.

“Sage, did you hear what I just said?” Val says, as she waves her hand in front of her friends, frozen stature and zoned out face.

Sage knows she should be responding but instead, her eyes would like to glare at the word ‘Vials’ written in red above the right side pocket, of her friends coat, starring back at her.

Here she is trying to secretly wish away the current situation and or, maybe, reverse the hands of fate and go back to simpler times. Where she, didn’t have to make, these decisions. But unfortunately for her, everything weighs on her shoulders, heavily.

Why me? Sage wonders to herself. Bewildered by her circumstances, She wishes it was a dream and someone was gonna wake her up any second now, But, unfortunately for her, this is her reality.

“Why did the fridge have to break?” The entire building was like an igloo always-had to be, in order to keep the blood bags from going bad, the fridges were checked before she left yesterday. So it makes no sense to Sage, why this has happened?

“We are doomed aren't we?” Val, cant help but ask. Fear is written all over her face. It’s evident, in the way, that her body, is trembling.

“I don't know, Val but i promise to try and make it right.” Sage says back to her slowly, stepping closer, to someone she considered a friend. Reaching out, Sage grabs both her hands between hers, squeezing them gently, trying to show her friend strength, even though Sage's, is already long gone.

Knowing the ‘Collector’ is here expecting a delivery just like every month before but unfortunately, they are empty handed. They knew this could mean trouble.

Val gently squeezes her friends hands back, trying to show strength in a time where it's needed, She goes to speak but before a word can be echoed back, the building’s main intercom roars to life. A static sounds loudly through the speaker before the dainty voice of her secretary can be heard, “Sage, you’re needed in conference room one in regards to the delivery.”

The intercom turned off no quicker than it started. Leaving behind an irritating static, then silence.

A hotness traveled down the length of Sage's back and she feels that feeling in her empty stomach, tug, deeply in her gut, trying to alert her of trouble, brewing behind the doors.

"I guess it’s now or never then?" She says to Val, masking her fear behind a small smile, while her heart beats erratically from the anxiety creeping through her body. She felt like a swarm of bees migrating for spring had made home, in her stomach.

Val's eyes widen and Sage knows she wants her to stay but she knows she has to go. This is her, Fathers building after all and she knows what she signed up for, when she signed the deal, all those years ago.

...

10 years ago:

" Sage you don’t have to sign this.” Her father says to her with worry written all over his face, as his trembling hand is out stretched towards her with a pen grasped tightly in his hand: fingers turning, white from how tightly, he is grabbing it.

" Dad, this is what I want.” Slowly Sage lifts her eyes from the piece of paper, glaring back at her. The only thing missing, is her signature on the dotted line. "This is important to me." She say to him with so much endearment, you can see it radiate from the smile, plastered, on her face.

She means it too, every word.

This place is her fathers world and dream all wrapped into one and Sage, is damned, if she will let it be set ablaze and forgotten, like most of the human world left behind, after the world was overthrown by the Night walkers.

This place was her home.

Sage has heard stories of the times of before the vampires took over, Father always told her the world didn't always look this way, he spoke of times of plentiful sunshine looming in the sky for hours on the day and places where people would take family day trips riding rides and eating something called cotton candy on a stick? He told stories of the days when he watched videos of humans enjoying concerts and going clubbing.

She's envious.

Never got to see her town in its, full glory, back in the day. Now it’s a place that Sage wishes nothing more than to run away from.

But she, can’t.

The hands of fate, were never meant to sway in her favor.

“I wish there was another way, Sage.” Tears spring from her fathers eyes and one by one cascade to the floor.

Wrapping her palms around the top of his hand, gently squeezing, He sighs before he inedibly drops it, knowing full well Sage isn't one to back down and she won't back down from this.

" Let me do this, Please.” She says back to him, with so much care in the way she says it, hoping he doesn’t see through her, facade. This is by far the scariest thing Sage has, ever decided to do at the young age, of eighteen but she knew, she's ready.

Sure, there is risk, that comes along with signing her name on the dotted line, but Sage, truly doesn't think she will ever be, truly, ready for this.

So it's now or never.

...

Signing those documents and claiming this place as hers has put a target on her back and she knew, they were always watching.

It was up to Sage, to supply them with the monthly blood tax donations, and in exchange, no humans would be taken as blood bags and no vampires ,without proper papers, weren’t allowed within the town. So far it’s worked for the last forty years with little to no problems, surely they would take kindly to a unseeable mishap, right?

Probably not.

Unfortunate for Sage. Gaining her fathers legacy, came with a strict protocol and no errors allowed.

Sage's father dedicated his life to this place and his people, He even tried for many years to unite them with those that hunted them like, game. Her father always said they weren't all bad, but Sage wouldn't stand for it. How could monsters that drain them completely, dwindle their numbers and enslave them, be anything else but what they are?

Monsters. Vampires.

He tried for forty years trying to find a solution for the impossible but instead, he found a bandaid for the problem. Opening this little blood distribution factory as a way to remain, somewhat, free. The vampires would get the blood in the amount they’d ask for in exchange for the humans of whats left of this town, to have some sort of peace in knowing they were safe for another day, as long as they supplied their blood for tax every month.

Slowly taking equal steps towards the conference room, maybe taking a minute or two, too long to get there but Sage, is terrified. She knows what’s waiting for her behind that door and has no answers, only excuses and a monthly tax to pay, with nothing to give, or show for it.

She was, screwed.

The door knob attached to the dreaded door stares glaring back at Sage That may be because for the last minute she's starred angrily back at it?

Swallowing the sickly feeling down, trying to reel herself back in, is a challenge! But before, She can even, open the door. The handle: jolts to life and an arm tugs Sages body forward. She doesn't even have enough time to register what just happened before the mystery person that manhandled her speaks.

“Im tired of waiting, Girl.”