Bat Country

"Will you walk me home from James Club?" The text read.

I sighed to myself. James Club wasn't far from here, but it was still a pain in the ass. Why couldn't a grown ass man walk himself home? Especially considering that he lived closer to that damn bar, than I was to it now, but this was my cousin, and I really hated saying no to family.

"I'll be there in 20-30 minutes." Was the response that I gave. I was still in this small antique store, wandering around. I didn't need anything but I didn't want to be home. I still lived with my parents at 23, which was a bit embarrassing, but they sheltered me very much because I was the only child they would ever be able to have. They struggled for years to have me, and when I came they hardly ever gave me time to myself.

I picked up a tiny little porcelain figurine off the shelf and looked at it. A screaming woman. Eyes wide with fear. The longer I stared at the figurine, the more creeped out by it I became. My face contorted into a frown as I continued looking at this thing. It was unsettling, and it formed a pit in my stomach. This seemed kind of dark for an antique and I no longer felt that I could hold, look at, or even be near it. I put it down, probably a little too roughly before I turned and I bolted out of the store as fast as I could, the bell tinkling as I made my escape into the relatively humid evening.

Considering it was already dark, I decided to pick up the pace, but the face of that damn porcelain figurine was all that lingered in my mind. It disturbed me so much, and took up so much of my attention that I hadn't even noticed that I turned the wrong direction out of the store, and after 20 minutes of walking, found myself in an area I didn't recognize.

"I'm gonna take a little longer than I thought." I sent the text to my cousin Cole. I looked back up and planned to turn around when a crash in a dumpster across the street made me near jump out of my skin.

"Thx, got a ride." My cellphone vibrated which made me jump again. Great. I was somewhat lost in an area that looked like I could get killed by breathing too much. When I looked around, these buildings had amazing old architecture. I was always fascinated by history, and even though it was dark, I had to take advantage of the fact that I was still out and that any second my parents would be calling me frantically wondering where I was.

I walked forward into this old district for 20 more minutes, and signs of recent human presence began to fade. The streets were cracked, plants growing 2 feet above the ground. There was brick under the torn and destroyed pavement, and as I crossed the street, I was careful to watch my feet. It was silent by now, and I began to scare myself at the random odd noises. I tried to assure myself that it was a raccoon, or a cat, or something similar.

I shrugged a bit, the temperature seemed to drop in the span of a few minutes, and I found myself cold. I pulled my hair over my shoulders and crossed my arms, trying to maintain the heat. As I took one step, something snapped in the distance, and as I tried my best to pinpoint the noise, it came from the shadows that were in between two buildings in front of me. I cursed myself knowing surely that was no cat. It was a big snap and I was positive someone else was here.

"Hello?" I called again, and despite better judgement, I stepped forward. I was almost to the sidewalk when a pair of eyes opened and gleamed at me. It was like a cat, but I didn't look long. When this creature stepped out from that building, I didn't know what it was. It was filthy and smelled horrifying. I took a step back almost immediately, my hand coming up to my mouth in shock of this thing in front of me. I was 2 miles away from anyone else, and I knew no one could save me as the creature stepped forward.

On instinct, I turned as fast as I could and ran, screaming so hard I was pretty sure I injured my vocal cords. I swallowed harshly as I heard that thing chasing after me. Before I knew it, it had swiped at my legs and knocked me to the ground which made all the bones in my legs hurt. I scraped myself and the monster began to crawl up my body. I could feel its weight building on top of me and immediately I shoved up, knocking it back before I began running again.

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Alexis looked at the ground where she had nearly died. The memory of this place came to her in that dream. She bolted before Brian had even risen. She was pretty far from the nest, but she knew in a hurry, she could return in only a few minutes.

Despite the rain that had surely been through here, the iron in her blood had rusted and baked into the ground, leaving a visible outline of where her body had been when Brian's powerful body had taken her. He had devoured her here. The only question she had was why she wanted to be here, to revisit this place.

"Why would you want to be here?" Brian called out, causing Alexis's head to snap up, she had been so lost in replaying the feeling of Brian's teeth, his filthy and cold body, that she hadn't known he followed her back here.

"I remember everything about it. The way you looked, the way you felt, smelled. The terror, the running, the pleasure, the pain, I remember it all. I needed to come back...but I don't know why." Alexis turned around and faced Brian, who was leaning up against a building, his eyes locked to Alexis, and his face full of both rage at having to be here all over again, and shame at having to remember it.

"Does it scare you?" He asked quietly, his eyes falling to the spot where her blood had pooled. Shifting, the light moved delicately off the sheen of the leather jacket he always wore.

Alexis said nothing, her eyes intensely focused onto Brian. Eventually he became concerned, and pushed himself up and sent a questioning look to Alexis. He was a tad scared, Alexis's face was so shadowed and she looked so predatory that he was actually more afraid than she probably was. Again, he never expected that within a fraction of a second, Alexis would have her arms curled around him, pressing her mouth hungrily to his over and over.