Mind Games

Chapter 5

I hit the ground with a rather sickening crunch. I cried out as pain washed over me. With my teeth clenched and my eyes squeezed shut, I began to wonder if I was going to die here, on this cold, hard sidewalk all alone.

After several minutes of writhing in my agony, I mustered up the strength to reach out for a drainage pipe and pull myself up to my feet. Blood dripped down my denim covered legs, turning the dark fabric even darker before running to my ankles and pooling around my shoes in a shallow, sticky puddle.

I was afraid to move, amazed that I had even gotten this far.

As the pain subsided, I was finally able to create clear, sensible thoughts that actually coincided with each other.

Nikki.

He was the very subject of those thoughts.

He was the reason I had jumped in the first place.

The reason I was hanging onto a pipe for support as I stood in a pool of my own blood, my very source of life.

"Hey? Are you okay?"

I snapped back into reality, turning my head to the sound of the man's voice.

"Do you need help?"

His smell... It smelled...

My eyes grew wide as I covered my mouth with one hand, my other one slick with sweat, struggling to maintain a hold on the metal pipe..

He smelled rather... Tasty.

I shook my head frantically. No, no I can't be thinking about things like this. Especially since he's human. I-I can't. It's wrong. It's... Disgusting.

He started toward me, tilting his head in an attempt to get a better look at my face that was hidden in the shadows.

"N-No!" I choked out. "Please! Don't come any closer!"

"Miss... You seem to be hurt. We need to get you into the hospital."

He continued to walk, not at all heeding my warning.

"I'm begging you!" I yelled, covering my nose with my hands to block out his delicious smell.

I can't do it.

I can't eat a human.

But I also can't fight this urge for long.

"You're distressed. You need professional care."

I backed away quickly, my feet sliding out from under me. I fell into my own warm blood at the entrance to an alleyway, my hands supporting my weight.

He stopped in front of me, holding out a hand to help me up. Unconsciously, I licked my lips, my body reacting without the consent of my brain.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him into me, covering his mouth with my blood stained hands to muffle his screams as I dragged us both into the privacy of the dark alley.