My Guardian Vampire

I yawned and tried to keep my eyes open. We had barely begun our journey, but I was all ready drifting. Mike smiled, seeing my expression. “Get some sleep, Ali. It's okay. We have a long drive.” I tried to resist, but figured it pointless to argue. I soon fell into blackness.

“Look alive, Sunshine.”

I heard the voice, but saw nothing. I strained to hear more; it felt slightly like the dream I had with Billie, but I saw no one. My eyes searched all around—but I couldn't even find myself wherever I was. I gave up and simply listened, and waited.

“Ali,” someone said, the voice definite, as if clinging to the word. “Can you save yourself tonight?”

There was a pause, as if listening. I tried to speak, but they continued before I could even ask what they meant.

“Well... If I hold them back, can you save yourself?”

Things drifted in and out more, in the way that dreams did.

“They're coming for you!” the voice yelled. It hurt, and I just wanted it to stop. It was too confusing, and though the voice itself was not loud, hearing it was for some reason painful. “The devil's got your number, right? They're coming for you, they're coming—”

“Who are you?!” I yelled back at them finally. Or, at least, I tried to. Though my voice felt like it was screaming, not a word came out. But they seemed to understand. They laughed, but it was almost like a sob.

“Who am I? Well, I can't say... Maybe I don't even know. Maybe I'm someone else, and they're tricking me to think I'm me. I'm dust here, just dust. But back there... I'll give you a clue, to whoever I'm at least supposed to be.”

I waited, and the voice faded out like it really was dust. Just when I thought that it was lost, the voice came back in bits, the dust swirling into shape:

“I'm the only friend that makes you cry, your heart attack in black hair dye. Ali, save yourself, and I'll hold them back tonight.”

And some part of me knew. Some part of me understood everything—everything I had to do. Everything I everything that they were asking me. But I also know what I should do. And what I had to do.

“No,” I replied, and opened my eyes.

“Bad dream?” Mike asked. The question startled me; I jumped lost focus. I nodded and rubbed my eyes, things slipping from me. Mike rubbed my back, but I shooed his hand away, trying to remember. Shit. It had been something important. I had once heard that you only have three seconds after you wake up from a dream to remember it completely. Fuck. I pounded my head with a closed fist, trying to concentrate.

'Black hair,' I thought. 'Okay, yes. Black hair, devil number- no. That was someone else. Black hair, dye, cry, heart attack. Who the hell gives me a heart attack?' It sucked to not be able to think out loud. I motioned to Mike for him to pay attention. He was all ready staring at me, and I put my fist under my chin in a thoughtful pose.

“You're... thinking?” Mike asked. I nodded, but also shook my head. “Yes and no. Okay...?” I rose my hand, and Mike just looked at me blankly. I sighed; this pantomime stuff was getting annoying.

“You have a question!” Tré said, and I grinned widely and nodded. It was only then I realized where I was: I was in a car, but I had never seen it before. Mike was one side of me, Katy the other, Tre in front. Bob was driving—I didn't recognize the car, but it smelled like the inside of a rental. I mentally shook my head and went back to concentrating.

“Okay, you have a question. What is it?”

I paused, unsure of how I would portray it. I held my hands over my heart in a heart shape. “Heart?” I nodded. I then broke my hands apart, unsure of how to say a heart attack.

“Heartbreak?” Katy offered. I shook my head--

It came back to me. A heart attack. The one time my heart ever flipped about or stuttered like a heart attack was around--

“Heart attack?” Tré offered. I smiled began to jump up and down, finally realizing. It was Gerard again, but then that meant--

The devil coming after me? And save myself?
Gerard meant that he didn't want us to come after him--
Like hell that was happening.

“Gerard?” Mike asked, his tone like gravel once again. I winced and nodded, feeling bad for not having a better way to say it.

“What about him?” Katy asked. I pointed to my head. “Another dream?” I nodded. “What did he say?” I sighed. Shit, this was getting annoying-

“Agh!” I suddenly screamed, pain going through my body. Bob slammed onto the breaks and quickly pulled over on the side of the busy highway. I continued to scream, slightly in panic, but mostly from pain. It pulled at my muscles, as if my organs were trying to will themselves out of my body via the skin of my back. I began to thrash around, trying to get out of the car as quickly as possible, trying to follow my body's orders. Before I could get the door open, Mike grabbed my arms and pulled me back down onto the seat.

“Keep going,” Mike said, his voice like stone as he held my flailing arms down. Bob gave him an “Are-you-shitting-me?” look. Mike glared back at him. “Just do it, floor it!” Bob did as asked, and after a few moments, the pain began to recede. Mike looked down at me as my struggles calmed; the change between extreme pain and nothing was nearly immediate as Bob drove. “Better now?” he asked. I nodded, whimpering slightly, and eventually sighed and sat up, and ran my hand through my hair.

“So, what the fuck was that about?” I asked aloud.
Bob didn't even get to merge before he stopped the car again. Everyone in the car turned to look at me.

“What?” I asked, then my eyes went wide with realization. “Oh my God I'm talking!”

“I was hoping this would be the case,” Mike said, and gave a small smile. “We just crossed borders.” I stared at Mike.

“Wait... Borders? Do you mean like New York-New Jersey border?” Tré spoke up.

“He means vampire borders. This is Damien's territory now.” I shook my head, and tried to say I didn't understand, but Tré continued. “I guess you were right, Mike. You know what this means now, right?” Mike nodded his head, and then looked to me.

“Ali, we know Gerard and Vincent are somewhere in New York.”