I've Got a Nice Big Vampire Problem

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Sorry."

Mackenzie shook her head. "No, it's not your fault. I don't think it is anyways. I just think we should take the long way around to the room, through some alleyways. I don't think anyone else should smell you."

I nodded numbly. That wouldn't be good.

She turned down a slim hallway and I followed, trying to keep my accelerating breath under control. I didn't want to get my heart going extra fast – that would just be like taunting Mackenzie. I tried walking as stiff as possible, not caring if I looked ridiculous. I didn't want to start bleeding. That could quite possibly spell disaster, and death, on my part.

We rounded a corner and Mackenzie jerked to a stop, putting her foot down facing me. Another vampire stood at the end of the hallway, strolling towards them. His cloak was dragging on the ground and his hood was down. He was looking around aimlessly, as if he were bored.

Mackenzie hesitated for a second, and then nodded. "Come on Abby," she said. I swallowed and followed her. The vampire seemed innocent enough. He spotted us walking towards us. He nodded and smiled. I gave a nervous smile back, my confidence slowly growing. Maybe he wasn't hungry and would leave me alone.

It seemed like it took him hours to take those final few steps to pass me. And when he was out of my peripheral vision, I almost sighed. Five more steps and I looked behind me. The vampire was gone.

Seven more steps – another vampire appeared at the top of the hall. This one did not seem to be bored. His eyes snapped towards us. His nostrils flared. I stopped, Mackenzie freezing right in front of me. I stared at the man over Mackenzie's shoulder, watching him turn towards us and step forward. Mackenzie crouched and growled. "Turn around right now."

He ignored her warning and took another step forwards. He looked at me. "You, my dear, smell way too good to have one guard."

I took a deep breath, trying my hardest to calm my frantic heart. "Listen, you can't kill me. You're clan will die."

He took another step forwards. Mackenzie's warning growl turned into something very close to a roar. "I will destroy you! Leave!"

"I'm just going to bite you," he said, taking another step forwards.

"What?"

"I'm just going to bite you," he repeated.

What kind of vampire was this guy? Wasn't the whole motive of every vampire to kill human beings?

Mackenzie roared and launched herself forwards. The vampire had gotten too close. The collision of the two bodies was just as loud as the collision between Conan and Frankie was. Mackenzie landed on top of the vampire, and in one eighth of a second was thrown off. She hit the ceiling with a crash just as loud as the one previous. I cringed. That would have crushed all of my bones all in one.

She fell to the ground and quickly sprung up, crouching again. The vampire opposite her started to growl. Mackenzie itched forward. "Abby, get out of here," she demanded.

"No." I said. I was not going to leave my best friend to get the shit kicked out of her.

The male vampire rushed her this time. He disappeared, Mackenzie disappeared, and suddenly, Mackenzie was being flung into the wall. My feet were frozen to the floor. I couldn't move forwards to help Mackenzie, because my instincts were pushing me away from the fight. I couldn't run away, because I refused to see Mackenzie hurt like this.

Mackenzie slid to the ground and stood, up, still a lot faster than I could, but not as fast as before.

"Stop!" I cried. The vampire darted forwards and grabbed Mackenzie's arm. Mackenzie pulled some maneuver, I couldn't see what it was, and they were moving too fast.

Mackenzie ended up on the ground, her eyes closed. The vampire was staring at me.

"Now, when I bite you, I want you to stay very still."

My stomach churned and my mouth became very dry. I was bleeding in front of a crazy carnivore.

Killer stood, blocking the whole tunnel, his massive frame inflating and deflating with his breaths. "Stay still, because if you move I will kill you."

He took a step towards me.

I was going to move. I knew the moment he said that there would be no way I would let him go through with this.

I wanted Conan to turn me.

The realization hit me like a tornado. I actually wanted Conan to bite me, so I could be like him. I couldn't be human anymore. I knew it was inevitable. Either I would get turned by choice or by force. I immediately came to the conclusion that it would be by choice. I was going to be changed, and it would be by Conan. Not this crazed joke of a good vampire.

I knew I couldn't just stand there, so I turned and bolted.

The next five steps were the longest I had ever had taken. I could almost hear him opening his mouth, taking a swift breath inwards. I could feel the floor vibrate with his first step. I could feel the air pressure behind me increasing as he moved towards me with inhuman speed.

My legs were swept up from under me and I was pushed forward, so I was airborne, flying forwards with an almost break neck speed.

And then I was caught in mid air, enveloped in the crazy vampire's arms, and he ran forward.

I hadn't realized my eyes were closed. I forced them open; maybe I could throw up all over him and repulse him out of his plan.

I opened my eyes, and instead of finding the dangerous, sharp face I had been looking for, it was the hawk like face with intense eyes that burned with fury.

Falvor.

The glorification and satisfaction that erupted behind my rib cage lasted only moments, but it was long enough to give me knowledge that I would make it away from this alive and unscathed.

Suddenly we stopped and I was placed on the ground, against the wall, so lightly it was a shock to my system because of the sudden transition.

I looked up at Falvor, to see his back to me, standing completely still, facing down the hall. Something appeared, crouching ten meters away from Falvor.

Falvor's voice sent a pleasurable chill down my back. "If your wish is to die, then step closer to her."

A low growl erupted from the other vampire. "Falvor, step out of the way."

Falvor remained silent, staring at the opposite vampire.

"You know what I'm doing, and you know who sent me to do it," the vampire said. "You will be in a lot of trouble if he finds out."

Someone had sent him to bite me? Who? And why would Falvor be in trouble for saving me?

The vampire continued to talk. "Do you really want to be sent away now? After everything you've done to come back? And you're wasting it on this slight of a girl?"

"You're leaving," Falvor demanded, "right now."

The vampire shook his head. "If I come back without her, twitching, in my arms, I will be slaughtered."

Falvor's finger moved inwards, but that was the extent to which he moved.

"I will kill you if you take one step closer to her," Falvor said, the simplicity he used making it sound even more threatening, like it wouldn't bother him at all.

The vampire's foot twitched, and then he was gone, and Falvor stood in front of me, staring at the spot where the vampire had once been. He took a deep breath, turned around and hauled me off the ground gently. He began guiding me back down the hallway.

"Falvor, what the hell-"

"Listen, Abigail. I do not have much time to explain everything. We have to get out of here. You especially. I will live on in here, you, on the other hand won't."

"What?"

His voice lowered, carrying an even more dangerous tone. "You are not safe here any longer. We're leaving."

I had barely registered this before he began talking again, confusing me even more. I thought this had been my safe house.

"Conan told me to get you out of here. He said he would meet you where we are going."

I froze inside. Conan had said that I had to leave without him? No, he would never say that. Why would he say that? What about the last time? He left me somewhere and I disappeared! Would he actually do that again?

"Falvor, I'm not leaving without Conan."

He didn't look at me, just kept pulling me down the hallway. "Abby-"

"I'm not leaving without Conan."

It was probably the low tremor of desperation in my voice that made Falvor stop and look at me. His hard eyes studied my eyes, now practically swimming with tears, and he melted.

It was in the way his whole demeanour changed, and it wasn't just a small change, but a dramatic one. His shoulders fell, his posture stopped being so defensive, and the wall behind his eyes disappeared. Pure anxiety shook through his gray iris' and he grabbed my shoulders.

"Please Abby, you have to come with me. I promise you Conan will come, but we can't go back right now. If you're seen, there's a very good chance you're not going to leave here. Ever." He paused, looking up for a moment, then slipping his eyes to meet mine once more. "I refuse to let you walk back because you saved me. Now I'm going to do the same to you."

My heart heaved so hard it felt like that was the reason my tears spilled over. Falvor stared at me, his eyebrows furrowed, and I sucked in a rickety breath.

"O-Oka-ay."