His Stars of Hope

His night started off normal. He finished his homework before going downstairs to where his foster mother, Lauren, was reading in the living room. “I’ve finished my work, so may I go out?” He stands in the living room doorway, tapping the side of his leg as he waits for an answer.

“I don’t see why not.” Lauren looks up at him, “You’ve done your chores too, right? “. He nods gently, his auburn hair moving over his eyes just a bit. “And I assume you’ll be safe and remember to come home on time, as usual. As long as you stick to our rules, go have fun, kid,” she chuckled caringly.

“Yes, Ma’am. Thank you,” he said, slightly smiling before walking to the kitchen. This was routine; he’d finish his work, ask to go out, and grab a snack beforehand. After grabbing a granola bar and a bottle of water, he heads to the front door. “I’ll see you tonight; don’t worry,” he says before leaving. He sighed as he stood outside the house, still deciding where he should go. He knew it was wrong of him to distance himself like this, especially after this couple had opened their home to him, but he just couldn’t make himself stay.

After thinking for a moment, he decides to walk downtown, where all the local shops are. It wasn’t too far from the house, and he enjoyed the walk. He took out his earbuds from his hoodie pocket, sticking them in his ears as he continued the song he had on pause. Soon enough, he rounded the corner of the downtown strip of small local businesses, his eyes scanning to see which shops were still open, as if he didn’t know already.

He walks quickly to the recycling bins to throw away the wrapper from his snack as he eyes one shop in particular. This one isn’t usually open at this time; most business owners go home around 6:30 p.m., and he was sure the owners of this shop leave at 5:00. Carefully, he made his way over to the suspicious shop, greeting other shop owners quietly as he passed by. The shop was a pet supply store; occasionally, it becomes a temporary shelter for strays. Maybe that’s why the owners are here? As he came closer to the store, he took out his earbuds and shoved them back in his pocket, readying himself to talk to the owners.

Only...there were weird shadows coming from behind the business’s blinds and a slight gurgling, along with an occasional hiss. He wonders, Is everything okay? Do they need help? He knocks on the door. “Mr. Beau? Do you need help?“. No answer was heard. He’s not sure he was loud enough. “Mr. Beau?” he tries again. Maybe he should just go in? Originally, he was going to wait, but seeing as the blinds were down, he wasn’t sure the store was open to the public. Huffing, he reaches for the doorknob, carefully opening the door.

“Hm? Sir?” he said, a little too loud for his own liking.

He began to feel uneasy when he realized no one was in there. Or at least not anymore.

His head snapped in the direction of a rustling sound. “Sir? It’s me, Nate. Is everything okay here?” he questions sincerely. He began walking further in the shop, coming to a halt as he saw a thick red liquid on the floor. Just as he went to bend down to get a better look at the red puddle, the gurgling sound came back. This time, he acted faster, immediately following the noise.

He almost wishes he hadn’t entered the shop. Never in his life would he think he’d ever see something like this. Just before him was Mr. Beau, who sat on the ground, leaning against the counter, with a person crouched over him as blood dripped down his neck. He stood there frozen, breathing heavily. Glancing over at the unknown man, he tried to remember what features he could see as he backed away slowly. Except he accidently backed into the corner of a shelf, causing the items to make a clanking sound. He started to panic more as the sound alerted the man, who was now standing up. The mysterious man glared at him and began to move forward in Nate’s direction.

This, of course, caused Nate to panic even more as he tried to turn and run away from the other, hopefully to the police station. That is, until the man behind him moved as if he had superhuman powers and yanked Nate back by his hood. A throbbing sensation coated his head as he collided with the wall.

“You could’ve caused me so much trouble.” The man chuckled sickly as he held Nate against the wall by his neck. “Now, just what should I do with you?” he grinned as he squeezed Nate’s neck, making him choke and cough. “Hmm, you’re right. I should have some dessert,” he laughed to himself as he shoved the boys head to the side before leaning in and sinking his fangs into his neck.

Nate shrieked in pain, as best he could, beneath the tight grip of the man’s large hand. He doesn’t know why his body won’t fight back; instead, he just shakes and squirms. Maybe, just maybe, he could be loud enough for someone to hear him, just as he heard Mr. Beau. Just hopefully, they reach him in time.

Hopefully...

He waited and waited, but no one heard him. Slowly, his vision had started to go dark, and he could feel his legs giving out under him. He blinked a couple times in hope of “waking himself up.” This continued for a couple more seconds, until he blinked for the last time, his vision going completely dark as he fell limp.…