Nothing Is as It Seems

“What?” I asked in a whisper, completely shocked. I watched as he began untying the ropes that bound Cassie’s left side to the chair.

“This has to be fast, help!” he said and I sprang into action. Within seconds we had the ropes all untied and Matt was dragging Cassie to her feet. He pulled her into the trees in the opposite direction of the house and I followed behind him. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but leaving here was a good thing.

“Why are you doing this?” I finally got the courage to ask.

“I can’t allow him to have that kind of power and I can’t sit back and let you be turned. I promise you that would be the worst decision of your life.”

“I never wanted to be turned. I was just buying time, trying to come up with a plan to get out of there.”

“I wondered, but I couldn’t be sure.” He was talking normally, as if we hadn’t been running through the thick underbrush of the forest. My lungs were burning and I was gasping for breath. I didn’t know how much longer I could go.

Relief washed over me when we ran into a road and I could see a waiting truck a short way down. “I can’t believe we made it out,” I muttered.

The relief turned to fear when Zacky stepped out in front of us. The three of us skidded to stop.

“Did you really think you could get away from me?” he asked, glaring at Matt. Zacky crouched down as if he were a lion about to pounce on it’s prey. Matt growled low in his throat and almost faster than my eyes could register they were in a heap on the ground as they fought.

I flinched when Zacky landed a sickening sounding punch on Matt’s face. It sounded like bones shattered. I wished I could help, Matt was my only way out of here. Suddenly an object was flung in my direction and landed at my feet. Keys.

“Get to the truck!” Matt roared and I scooped up the keys and grabbed Cassie by the arm. I thought we would make it, my fingers had just found the door handle when I was yanked backward. The fall knocked the breath out of me and I watched helplessly as Zacky lifted Cassie off the ground.

He smiled at me, a smile that chilled me to the bone. Matt backed away slowly and disappeared into the trees. He was just going to leave us here?

I watched in horror as Zacky sank his teeth into Cassie’s throat, ripping through the skin and her carotid artery. He pulled away, blood running over his chin and let her body fall. Before it had hit the ground, I was on my feet and running.

Zacky’s laugh followed me and I heard his footsteps getting closer. My feet sank into a hole and I hit the ground hard again, the asphalt tearing into in my palms. I rolled over just in time to see Zacky leaning down over me. This was it, I was going to die now.

The next things happened so fast I could barely keep track. Matt was there again, he was pulling Zacky away from me. There was a scuffle, a loud crack, and Zacky fell to the ground. Matt knelt in front of me and I could feel myself start to hyperventilate.

“Calm down, everything is okay now.”

“Is he….”

“He’s dead.” I nodded and managed to pull myself together. Sitting up, I looked over at Cassie’s body. She was lying in a pool of blood and I knew she was dead too. This was all so fucked up and it was my fault that she was dead now.

“Don’t do that. Don’t blame yourself. You did what you had to do. You tried to get her out of here just then when you could have left her behind and that’s what matters.”

His words didn’t make me feel any better but I nodded anyway and let him help me to my feet. “I’ll send in an anonymous tip so the police can find her body. Wait in the truck.”

I didn’t have the energy to ask any questions, I just climbed in the passenger seat and watched through the window. He retrieved a shovel from the back and dragged Zacky’s body into the edge of the forest. He returned several moments later, brushing dirt off of his jeans. Then he pulled a phone from his pocket, made a short call, and crushed the phone under his foot. He gathered up the pieces and tossed them into the trees.

“Is it safe for me to go home?” I asked as he started the truck and drove away.

“I think so. The others will move on now that their leader is dead so they shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll keep an eye on you for a few days, make sure no one bothers you.”

I was silent for the rest of the drive, staring out the window. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that this was over and I was going home. I blinked when I felt the truck come to a stop at the curb across the street from my house. He pulled a set of keys off the dash, my house keys.

“Thank you for everything Matt. I would’ve died there if it wasn’t for you.”

“You’re welcome. Now go, get back to your life.” I gave him a small smile and climbed out of the truck. The first thing I wanted to do was take a shower, I felt disgusting.

I stood under the stream of hot water until it ran cold. I finally felt clean. I pulled on clothes from my closet and walked over to the window. Matt’s truck was still parked across the street and I could just make out his outline in the front seat. For a moment, I thought about inviting him in so he would be more comfortable, but I shook my head. I know he helped me, but I didn’t want one of those creatures in my house.

-x-

Squinting against the harsh light streaming through my bedroom window, I snuggled closer to the person lying next to me. I tried to fight the tears that threatened, but they spilled down my cheeks anyway. That dream was intense. My sniffling woke him up.

“What’s wrong?” Green eyes stared down into mine and I gave Zack a small smile.

“Weird dream, kind of a nightmare really. You were this like vampire thing and you were going to kill me. Crazy, right?”

“Is it crazy?” His voice sounded different. I looked up into eyes that were a brighter green than normal. I watched in horror as his canines grew longer, into fangs. His grip on my arm kept me in place as he whispered to me. “Now you’ll be mine forever.” Then leaned in and let his fangs pierce the skin at my throat.

The End