by Pamela Ann
I look at Dani and she gives me a concerned look. She then continues to look back and to the sides. We both look at Bushing Park up ahead and nod in agreement.
There might be a place to hide there. “Let’s chill in Bushing for a bit,” I suggest, breathing heavily.
“OK, but you have to listen to me, please! This thing wants to kill you!” Dani blurts out hastily.
“What! Are you serious?” I stop on a dime. “Dani, what the hell? What’s going on?” I smoked a little pot earlier, but my high is wearing off. My cloudy mind becomes alert. I finally notice Dani’s clothes looking stained, distressed, and shambled. A light goes off in my head. Shit, I realize. Dani is in some serious trouble, and so am I. Dammit. What the hell am I going to do?
I should’ve taken that self-defense class that I’ve been meaning to for some time now. I can’t even protect myself. How am I going to protect her? Dammit. I can’t stop cursing at myself. We continue to run side by side, staying low and trying not to make any noise.
Dani, noticing I’m out of breath, starts to slow down, coming to a halt under a tree. I’m badly in need of a break from all the running. How the heck does this girl have so much stamina and energy? She’s hardly tired.
“Matt, there’s this thing; it’s coming for you because you are human!” she says as she grabs my arm tighter, ready to take off again.
“What! Because I’m human…What the hell are you then?” I barely deliver those words as I exhale heavily. This is absurd. She must be high or something! I throw Dani’s grip away and point at her with authority. “You need to calm the hell down! I’m calling 9-1-1!” I reach for my cell phone. Dani forcibly holds my hand, not letting me pull out my phone. She grabs my face with both her hands, pulling my face forward and close to hers. “Matt, dude, please just trust me! Just hide with me for a bit. I can explain everything!”
A deep rumbling sound sweeps through the park, like one of those cars with heavy bass. Is someone driving their low-rider into the park? That can’t be right. I try to make sense of my surroundings as I begin to hear clashing metal on metal clanking near the kids’ playground. It sounds like chain mail going across the monkey bars. Shit. Dani might be on to something.
I can hear rapid huffs and puffs of air. I remember deep breathing like that when my family’s ranch had a giant bull. Whatever this thing is that’s out there, I can tell it’s very large. With Dani leading the way, we run toward the men’s restrooms.
“The smell of the bathroom will mask your smell,” Dani whispers as we run in. I drop my phone amid the hustle.
“What do you mean, my smell?” I feel as though I am being hunted. I draw my knife out of my pocket. It’s a four-inch tactical. I have used it only once before on a marijuana deal gone wrong; it somehow got me out of that situation. I have faith in this blade. I’m ready to stab whatever is coming for us.
Nobody is in the men’s restroom; it’s empty. Come to think of it, not a single soul is at the park tonight. It must be the unusually cold and windy day. Dani is right. The smell of urine is strong and pungent. I almost throw up after taking a deep breath. Dani pulls me into a stall and then closes the door.
“Matt…this thing out there…I think it’s from another world.” Dani catches her breath, trying to lay down some sanity.
“What world? What is this, a paranormal movie?” I can’t comprehend what she is trying to say. In my defense, I have never seen a ghost or had any eerie feelings to believe in the supernatural. I think of myself as a realist.
“Like a world of vampires. They do exist. This thing is dangerous. I can’t do anything to stop it,” Dani explains without hesitation.
I immediately whisper back, “Vampires? You can’t be serious. I need the truth, please. Please—we don’t have time for this shit!”
Dani opens her mouth. Her jaw opens wide in an unnatural way, revealing all of her teeth. Her fangs begin to grow longer and sharper. They glimmer and sparkle, and they are immaculate, like diamonds. Her tongue is a deep, dark red, with a spongy texture. It looks like red velvet cake. Her breath strangely smells dank, yet inviting. I can’t believe what I am seeing. My head starts to spin out of sheer disbelief. My vision begins to twinkle. Dani then confesses, “I’m a vampire, Matt. Just look at me.”
“No way,” I say as I examine Dani closer. Her skin doesn’t look as soft as before, yet it’s still smooth. My brain finally begins to register what my eyes are seeing. My heart sinks further down my chest. I was somewhat scared and paranoid a few minutes ago, but now I am petrified. I grab Dani’s left hand just to feel her skin. It feels like leather, like a couch. It doesn’t feel human at all. There are no pores on her face. The mole on her cheek is gone. The irises of her eyes are enlarged and have changed colors from the beautiful, attractive green that they used to be to a frightening deep black with flecks of glass in them, and they are glowing from within. I shudder from horrible disbelief. “Oh, my God! What the hell!”
I can’t help still admiring Dani’s beautiful face, her skin flawless and glistening. Nothing feels right anymore. I get a sudden feeling of nausea from the stench of urine, the confined space, and the vampire standing across from me. I need to get out of here before I throw up on her. I need fresh air.
“Forget this, I’m fine!” I struggle to open the bathroom stall door and finally manage to get out.
“Matt, no. Please don’t leave. Just stay here with me!” Dani throws her body onto mine in an attempt to calm me down.
“Don’t touch me.” I angrily push her off of me. Then I slowly walk out of the restroom with my knife ready to go.
I take three steps outside the restroom, looking all around me. It is pitch black out there, except for one little fluorescent light bulb on top of the restroom door that illuminates where I stand. I can’t see much except for silky grass waving and dancing in the wind underneath the moonlight and trees casting sinister shadows. I reluctantly take another step forward, clutching my knife as tightly as I can.
I get knocked down from behind and fall to the floor. I lie flat on my stomach, my chin pressed against the concrete. Something is on my back. I feel as though a tree branch has fallen on me, its weight crushing my bones. I can barely utter a word. The weight increases, causing an excruciating pain to travel from my shoulders down to my hips. As my body tenses, I clench my teeth from the horrific pain. It feels like a sharp pitchfork is piercing into my flesh, reminding me of my dad carving the turkey on Thanksgiving Day. I can see my knife that has fallen on the floor in front of me. My mind yearns to reach for it, but my body is frozen, unable to move a muscle.
I have come close to losing my life before in stupid fights and by hanging out with irresponsible people. Hell, I’m one of those irresponsible people. However, I have always been able to get myself out of trouble somehow. Tonight, it all seems so different. Tonight must be the night when my luck finally runs out.
I hear snarling on top of me getting louder and turning into a disturbing growl. I shiver as I realize that it’s not a tree branch that has accidentally fallen on me, but it’s something purposefully on top of me, attacking me. It’s very much alive and feasting on me, consuming me as it drains my blood. I feel dizzy, probably from the excessive blood loss.
I’m helpless, feeling too weak to move. I know I don’t have the slightest chance of surviving this attack. I’m acutely aware of my body, my surroundings, yet I lie there feeling my life slowly drifting away as I’m unable to move a muscle. I draw in a big breath and hold it in, giving up on everything, no longer having the will to fight back or even figure out a way of escape. I close my eyes, accepting my fate. My thoughts wander off into blankness as everything turns completely black.
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