The New Dead World

Chapter 13: Stay With Me

Trails of blood ran down the sides of her arm. The fresh bite mark was right on her forearm. Her whole body went pale, her face frozen in fear and shock. Her eyes were locked right on me, she kept trying to speak, but the words wouldn't form, they would get caught on her lips, so they came out broken.

I was also frozen, watching the multiple streams of blood run from each tooth mark that broke her skin. Bright redness started to form around the bite as more blood rushed out. I was frozen by the fear of losing her.

"C-c-can't... y-y-you cut m-my—"

"It won't work..." I said all the life drained out of me. "Cutting off limbs has never worked...no matter how quickly."

"S-Saren..." She said, her body was quivering.

My thumb instinctively ran along the handle of the knife. A crazy idea filled my mind.

"I don't know if this will work," I sputtered. "But do you trust me?"

"Y-yes w-with everything... forever and always," she said.

I quickly kissed her, then wiped her knife clean from the Freak blood. Then... I cut my wrist.

"What are you doing?" She yelled.

"I don't know," I said, as the blood rushed from my wrist. "Don't worry about this. I could never get it to work," I motioned with my freshly cut wrist.

Then I brought the cut to my mouth and sucked on it. My blood quickly coated my mouth. I think Wren figured out what I was trying to do. She held her arm out in front of me, then I bit her. Right in the same spot the Freak did, I bit hard. Hard enough to feel my teeth sink into her arm and more blood rush into my mouth. She groaned in excruciating pain as I shook my head like a dog to make sure my blood entered her bloodstream.

I unlatched from her arm and spit out the mouth full of blood onto the floor. She clutched her hand over the bites, and her knees gave out. Quickly catching her before she hit the ground, I sprinted out of the museum, through the shop, and out of the building carrying her in my arms.

It was nighttime now. Compared to the day, it felt like it was near freezing. The crisp air was like a smack to the face. Wren was already shaking with a cold sweat. I quickly put her in the passenger seat and pulled a bandage from a bag.

She spoke softly as I was wrapping her bites, "What will happen to me?"

"Nothing, you will be fine," I said, focusing on wrapping the wound.

Her hand cupped my chin. Instead of her usual warm touch, her hand was freezing. She tilted my head up, pulling my eyes away from the bite.

"Saren, what will happen to me?" She repeated in a soft and stern voice.

"F-first... you will feel cold and hot at the same time, then you will get a giant fever, which could... make you pass out," I said.

"How long?" She asked.

"It's random," I said. "I've seen someone turn 12 seconds after a bite. Others took a week... I'm still waiting almost 2 years later."

"Do you think... I'm like you?" She asked.

"I hope so... but—"

"No one is like you," She smiled. "Saren... will you kill me if I turn?"

"No... I said I would keep you on a leash and travel with your Freak self," I said, and she let out a laugh that turned to coughing.

"Be serious," she somehow smiled.