The smell got stronger and stronger, chipping at Jesse’s defenses, making Jesse feel like stopping now and just feed on Maggie.
No! I can’t do that! Jesse reprimanded herself, racked with guilt conscience. Then, she realized that the temptation was getting stronger because blood was constantly oozing from Maggie’s body.
Jesse was hit with an epiphany, and she knew where she needed to head to … the hospital! Why didn’t she think of that sooner? Maggie was gradually losing blood, and she needed immediate treatment. What better place to get her help but the hospital?
Fueled with a burst of energy and a sense of direction, Jesse zoomed faster than ever before, down the highway and into the city where Wartwick Hospital was. Jesse outran all the cars and people, passing them in a blur. Once she reached the hospital, she dashed to the emergency unit, screaming for help.
“Help!” Jesse cried. “My friend here needs help! She’s suffering a lot of blood loss!” Jesse whirled around frantically, with the unconscious Maggie still strapped to her back, her arms dangling stiffly due to the motion.
The nurses emerged, and immediately shifted Maggie from Jesse’s back to a stretcher.
One of the nurses ran her eyes down the length of Maggie’s body, studying her condition, and shouted, “She’s in critical condition! She’s experiencing blood loss now! We need to get her to the ICU straight away!”
The nurses in their scrubs carried the stretcher down the dimly lit corridor, and disappeared into the corner, where Jesse presumed one of the rooms where the nurses were going to send Maggie was located.
The scent of Maggie’s blood still wafted tantalizingly in the air, fueling the temptation which Jesse was trying hard to fight back.
“What happened to your friend?” a middle-aged redheaded nurse asked as she approached Jesse, holding a clipboard in her hands.
Jesse glanced at the nurse, and assumed that she was the head nurse or somebody in a supervisory position as she had that bold, confident, take-charge look on her face.
Jesse didn’t even know how to begin her explanation. Everything had happened so fast, and it seemed as though all the words that she wanted to say were still in a messy cluster, whirling inside her head. Should she say that Maggie was attacked by a vampire … or more precisely … a newborn vampire? And she should even say that the newborn vampire happened to be Rellie Edwards, the star reporter of Satellite News who had been killed by the vampire serial killer a few days ago?
Jesse wanted to let everything spill, but she seemed not to be able to form the words on her mouth. All she could say was, “Please save my friend … please. Let her be OK. She was attacked …”
The nurse gave her a funny look, and prodded her. “Attacked? Attacked by who?”
“Look,” Jesse began impatiently, hoping that the nurse would leave her alone for one second so she could collect her tangled thoughts again. “I’ll give the details to the police, OK? For now, I just need some peace and quiet … And don’t worry, we’ll find the attacker who did this to Maggie.”
“Why won’t you tell me anything?” A suspicious look flashed across the nurse’s face.
The way the nurse was looking at her told Jesse that the nurse was beginning to suspect that Jesse was somehow responsible for Maggie’s condition.
Irked by the fact that the nurse was acting like a goody-two-shoes who wouldn’t leave her alone until she had all the facts, Jesse whipped out her police badge from her pocket and shoved it right in front of the nurse’s face.
“I’m a police officer, OK?” Jesse declared, growing slightly impatient. “I have all of this under control. Can you please stop digging? Thank you.”
The nurse reacted with an awkward look on her face, and mumbled her apologies before shuffling back to her desk behind the reception counter.
The scent of human blood overwhelmed her, and Jesse had the inclination of barging into one of the patient rooms and feeding on human blood. Trying to push the temptation away, Jesse decided to get out of the hospital and find a place which was far, far away from bleeding victims.
She exited the hospital in a flash and zoomed up to the peak of a quiet hill overlooking the city. The hill was dotted with sequoia trees, and some shrubs which bore colorful flowers. The only source of light came from the moon, which hung in the sky with its crescent shaped ominously like a sickle.
Jesse collapsed onto the cold, damp ground, tilting her body forward as she gazed at the brightly lit cityscape, where cars buzzed through the streets and throngs of people mingled around the squares, painting the picture of a typical nightlife.
At that point of time, Jesse was battered by exhaustion and she didn’t have the energy to run anymore. She was tired of running, and what she really needed at that moment was … blood. Yes, she needed blood to fuel her draining energy. She needed blood so badly that she had the urge to run back to the hospital now and feed on someone. Hysterical anxiety attacked her mind like raging waves, and she felt as though she was going crazy. She was so thirsty now, and all she could think of was blood.
Then, she heard something rumble in the nearby shrubs. She sniffed, and realized that it was an animal that was lurking in the shrubs. Without a second thought, Jesse sprang to her feet and howled like a mad woman as she zoomed toward the shrubs and pounced on the animal in the shrubs.
It was actually a raccoon, which was thrashing around as Jesse sank her fangs around its neck, sipping every last drop of blood. Once Jesse had drained the raccoon of its blood, she tossed it away like it was some junk and wiped the blood-stained corners of her mouth with her arm. The blood rekindled the energy within her again …. but it wasn’t enough. Jesse craved for more than that. In fact, she realized that animal blood didn’t taste as nice as human blood. Her threads of resistance were wearing thin, and she didn’t know if she could hold it any longer.
She’d always been able to resist human blood, and whenever a thought about sucking human blood flitted across her mind, she was able to flick off that thought like a switch after years of practice and resistance.
But tonight, she was faltering inside, and she didn't know why. Maybe the whole unfortunate incident that had happened today had dealt her with overwhelming stress, threatening to tear apart the last vestiges of her patience and sanity. Maybe everything that had happened to her had caused her so much pain and stress that it felt as though the wall of her defense was crumbling brick by brick. First, she had lost Ken. And then, she had to have an horrifying encounter with Rellie. Lastly, she almost lost Maggie, who was almost killed by Rellie herself. All these chains of event had built up this enormous bubble of stress within her, ready to burst at any second.
No! I shall not feed on humans! Jesse chastised herself, trying to hold on to that last brick of defense within her.
Jesse wanted to do something extreme. She wanted to chain herself to a tree so she wouldn’t be able to go after humans due to her rising bloodlust that was driving her conscience crazy.
Suddenly, she heard someone humming nearby. There was a human being wandering less than a mile away. Just the thought of a human near within her reach added the fuel to Jesse’s bloodlust.
Please go away! Jesse mentally pleaded, hoping that the person who was humming could telepathically hear her. Please go away now! I don’t want to hurt you! Please! I’m just not myself now at this moment. I’m going to hurt you if you don’t go!
But the humming didn’t stop. It droned on and on, igniting this feral desire within Jesse to just pounce on the human now and feed on him without a care in the world.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, Jesse saw a figure falter in her direction. An intoxicated shabbily dressed man was staggering past the trees with a bottle of beer in his hand, humming and laughing at the same time.
He was drunk, alright, Jesse thought, as she eyed him sharply, the scent of beer attacking her nose. Her vision zoomed in on the man’s neck, and she could almost see the thin vein on his neck, throbbing entici
ngly with blood.
The man didn’t even realize that she was there, as he was completely drowned in his own alcoholic hysteria.
Jesse couldn’t hold it any more. That last brick had shattered, and Jesse rushed toward the man like a wild and hungry animal, pounced on him, and sank her fangs into his neck.
The man was pinned down to the ground, screaming in terror as Jesse drank his blood with sheer lust. Jesse drank and drank like there was no tomorrow, groaning in satisfaction at the sweet taste of human. It had been such a long time since she last tasted human blood … it must have been decades ago.
Breathing his last breath, the drunkard stopped thrashing around, as Jesse had drained all his blood. She tossed the dead raccoon aside, sheer excitement bubbling inside of her. The human blood fueled her, created an adrenaline rush which pumped through her body with such intensity that Jesse felt so delirious, as though she could conquer the world right now.
All her sense of rationality had faded away, replaced by sheer lust … for more human blood. Why had she resisted human blood for such a long time? Why didn’t she just give in to her desires, and feed on any humans whenever she liked? She should have done that ages ago … but no … her conscience had always kicked in, restraining her from feeding on any humans and causing them harm. The feeling of letting go of that resistance and doing whatever she wanted to felt so overwhelmingly good, and for that moment of time, Jesse had that urge to zoom across the town and start feeding on humans.
As she was about to head for the streets down the hill, the image of Ken suddenly popped into her mind. He looked so vivid and real, and it felt as though Jesse could reach out to him at any moment. The positive memories she had shared with Ken started seeping into her mind, awakening something within her, tugging at her conscience. In her mind, all the images of the loving moments they had spent together clustered around in a flurry, touching deep into the core of her heart and igniting a warm feeling which reverberated around her heart.
That strong feeling of love gripped her heart, melting away the ice of lust and temptation that had threatened to destroy every sense of rationality within her. It was a beautiful feeling which chased away the shadows of darkness which had shattered away her sense of humanity, and for that moment of time, Jesse wanted to hold on to that feeling, and clung to its like it was her lifeline.
What have I done? Jesse cried, racked with the strong feeling of guilt as she stared at the lifeless body of the man at her feet. When Jesse was able to regain her composure and her sense of rationality again as the inexplicable warm feelings surged through her body and overwhelmed her, she realized that she had committed something atrocious. She burst into uncontrollable sobs when she realized that she had killed a man … just because of her bloodlust.
“I’m sorry!” Jesse choked, kneeling beside the man, trembling as a flurry of emotions ripped through her.
She would have gone on with her blood-sucking rampage if it weren’t for Ken, who had come into her mind at the right moment and reminded her about the humanity that was still left within her. She was able to tap onto that shred of humanity again when she recalled about the beautiful past which sparked the loving warmth she once shared with Ken. It was Ken who had saved her from her mindless wreck.
And it was Ken whom she had to save now … instead of giving in to the bloodlust that was threatening to engulf her with the insanity that had gripped her moments ago.
Jesse sprang to her feet with a sense of renewed purpose now. Yes, she had to accomplish a few things now. She had to find Ken and make sure that he was alright … and bring the vampire serial killer to justice before he could shed the blood of more innocent lives. And also, she had to make sure that Maggie was safe too. Jesse would feel devastated if something bad were to happen to Maggie … because it was she who had gotten Maggie to jump onto her bandwagon in the first place.
Jesse flicked a glance at the dead drunkard for one last time, tears streaming down her cheeks. Overwhelming guilt pounded within her, and she wished that she could turn back the time and redo it all over again. But what was done was done. She was going to do everything in her power to restore peace and security to the town of Wartwick once again.
10. Gone Awry
Maggie kept hearing somebody calling her name, but she wasn’t sure who it was. She was in this tunnel blanketed in total darkness, and she couldn’t see anything at all … but hear a voice, a familiar voice.
Maggie whirled around anxiously, wondering which direction to take. She knew that the vampire was lurking somewhere in the darkness, ready to pounce on her without warning.
She knew that Rellie was coming for her. Rellie hadn’t finished what she had started. She hadn’t finished draining Maggie all of her blood, and killing her. Maggie was sure that Rellie was coming back to finish her off.
But Maggie was so disoriented and lost in the dark tunnel. There was not a single ray of light to illuminate her way. She was like a blind bat, hovering around like a helpless animal at the mercy of some prey who was intent on killing her.
Then, Maggie realized that she was an Enchantress, and she had the powers to conjure up light. Maggie chuckled nervously at her stupidity, completely forgetting that she had powers due to the fear and panic that were consuming her.
Maggie waved her hands, attempting to create floating balls of light in the air … but nothing happened. She gasped, wondering if she had lost her magic somehow …
She tried waving her hands several time, trying to channel some magic, but it didn’t work at all. What had happened to her powers? Did some vampire manage to figure out how to steal her powers so she would be rendered completely helpless?
Heart pounding, Rellie groped around frantically in the dark cave, trying to find an exit. She didn’t know if she had made a right or left turn … her sense of direction was completely disoriented.
She could hear the voice again, calling her name.
“Stay away from me!” Maggie pleaded, near to tears. “Just stay away from me!”
Maggie groaned in pain when she bumped against a jagged wall. She paused for a moment, wanting to just collapse there on the ground and cry. But she knew that she couldn’t stay in the tunnel a minute longer … for Rellie was possibly lurking near her, sadistically enjoying Maggie’s predicament and waiting for a chance to pounce on her.
Maggie continued groping her way out, feeling her hands touch something rocky with sharp edges. She didn’t know that the tunnel had dangerously structured walls. If she wasn’t careful, she could injure herself. Even though she was dying to get out of the tunnel as soon as possible, she couldn’t rush … because she might bump into the rocky walls and cut herself … which would be a dangerous thing considering that a vampire was lurking nearby. If Rellie scented so much as a tiny drop of blood, it would drive her crazy and propel her to attack Maggie faster than she’d intended.
Maggie shuffled carefully along the wall, her hands slowly feeling the surface, hoping that she was making progress and heading toward the exit. All of a sudden, a scream tore from her throat when she touched something furry on the wall and it bit her. She felt the furry thing graze past her feet, as though it was scampering away. It must have been an animal … but Maggie couldn’t tell what animal it was since the tunnel was completely dark. She didn’t even know that there were animals living in this tunnel … which seemed more likely a cave from Maggie’s guess. Now she had to be more wary, considering that there wasn’t only a bloodthirsty vampire in the cave … but also animals residing in them.
Her hand still throbbing in pain from the unexpected bite, Maggie felt a sense of growing panic and fear wash over her. She knew that her hand was bleeding, and it meant that it would arouse the vampire, who had probably scented the blood by now. Frozen by deep fear, Maggie tried to suppress the sobs that were threatening to burst at any moment. She knew that her life would be over soon. With her blood flowing from her hand like milk and honey, the lurking vampire wouldn’t be able to
resist temptation.
And then, something gripped her hand suddenly. The vampire had found her, and Maggie couldn’t help but scream.
“Maggie!” the voice said. “It’s alright! Maggie, listen to me … it’s OK! You’re safe …”
Maggie’s eyes jerked open like wide ball sockets, and what she saw were blurry figures around her. She blinked her eyes several times, and when everything came into focus, Maggie realized that she wasn’t in a cave. She was confined to the hospital bed, surrounded by nurses. And someone whom she recognized immediately was standing close to her by her bedside, holding her hand in a comforting grip.
“Jesse …” Maggie whispered hoarsely, feeling the dryness in her throat. She saw Jesse manage a weak smile at her, as she gripped her hand more firmly, glad that Maggie was alright.
“Thank God you’re alright,” Jesse finally said after a tear rolled down her face. “You were out cold for two days.”
“You mean I’ve been bedridden here for two days?” Maggie asked, tilting her head sideways, her eyes scanning her surroundings. There were two nurses in the room. One of them was holding a clipboard, and the other was holding a syringe.
Jesse nodded. “Yes, you’ve been unconscious … but now you’re awake. I’m so glad to see you alive and kicking again.” There was a subtle tone of humor in Jesse’s voice, but Maggie was still feeling too weak to laugh.
Maggie’s forehead was drenched with sweat, and she knew that it was because of the nightmare which she just had. So all that tunnel thing … had been just a bad dream. Maggie’s gaze flicked to her hand, which was taped with a strip of plaster.
“Was I injected with something?” Maggie asked, eyeing the nurse with the syringe.
“Yes, you were,” Jesse responded. “Don’t worry. It’s part of the procedure to help you recover from your blood loss.”
Maggie was silent for a moment, as she contemplated on her nightmare. Did the animal bite she had felt actually came from the injection? And did the voices she heard in the tunnel … come from Jesse?
In Love With A Vampire Page 15