Take Me Down

2

A blaring siren disrupted my peaceful sleep. Sleep was something that I had a hard time finding most nights, and I guess this one was just like every other. The lumpy mattress was uncomfortable on a good day. 

One loud, tyrant sound rang out through the hallway and seeped through our pathetically thin wooden door. It squealed once, then twice quickly, then once again. It repeated itself continuously and I groaned in frustration. The walls shook from the intensity of the sound. 

A raid drill. Great.

There was a potential threat inside the dorm; our small collective community of monsters could possibly be in danger. Or mythical beings. Or whatever people wanted to call us. Pop culture continuously changes. Whatever floats the boat, I guess.

It was most likely just a drill, but we were taught to always take them seriously. Avery had already locked the door by the time I fell out of bed. Mornings were hard.

She was bending water, freezing it around the door frame quietly. The clear crystal ice made slight cracking noises every time it froze in place. 

I shifted into a bear, feeling my bones crack as they extended and grew in width and length. My spine lengthened and claws extended from where my nails had previously been. I growled quietly, then shoved the couch against the door, making sure it was more than reinforced. It thumped loudly against the door and Avery slowly turned to look at me, seemingly unimpressed.

"You know Amanda, we're supposed to be quiet during these drills," she whispered and I growled a little louder at her, shifting back. I had broken every single bone in my body more than a hundred thousand times and there was no longer pain when it happened; at this point, it felt natural. My body slumped against the cool floor for a few seconds as it went back to its original form. I cracked my neck as my facial features returned to normal. I shook my head hard once to the side, my nose snapping back into place. Standing, rolling my shoulders back, I gave her a look.

"Even if this was real, they are not getting in here without a fight." I snapped quietly and she shrugged, looking at the window. She went near it, looking outside slightly. It was still early enough in the day that the sun hadn't risen. I had never been a morning person, and I can say that I most likely never will be.

Someone banged on the door and the couch budged; the ice around the door cracked and we stared at it, a little surprised. The frame around the door was split, the wood splintering in a few places. 

Avery and I exchanged looks and she nodded. Maybe this wasn't a drill, after all.

Water from our flower vase flowed into the air in a swift arc, Avery directing it to follow her. The spare bottle she kept under the bed opened as well, so she had lots of water to work with.  She had already used her entire bottle of water to seal the door and didn't want to chance taking it off the door. Talons forced their way out of the tips of my fingers as I shifted into a liger. My body pressed firmly against the wall in a crouched position, talons digging into the floor. My gaze remained on the door, ready to spring into action. The couch flew back a few feet and the door busted inwards.

A male vampire, tall and slender, stood there, breathing heavily as though he were trying to control himself. Blood dripped from his hands, the smell of gore creeping its way into the room.

He stared blankly in my direction, no expression on his face. The menacing glow of his red eyes reached mine and he hissed, showing a set of jagged fangs. Avery moved, taking two silent steps and pushing her arms out in front of her, palms down and fingers extended. A wave of water collided with the vampire and froze him in the blink of an eye, snapping his face into place. Pulling her arms back as though she were gripping an invisible rope, the frozen man skidded forward. She grabbed onto his body and pulled him further into the room. Bending the water toward the ground, she laid him down and kneeled next to him with a curious expression on her face.