Dangerous [Lashton AU]

-34-

Luke's POV

I slowly creaked the door open, unsure of what was going to happen when I stepped inside. I could only imagine.

"Michael?" I warily called, stepping into the bedroom.

He laid on the bed, his once red hair, now faded, a mess on top of his head. His hands were tangled in his hair, pulling at the strands. His eyes were squeezed shut, almost in pain.

When I entered the room, he lowered his hands from his hair and turned his head to face me. His eyes were still the velvety red of a vampires but they showed pain.

"I need help." He croaked, his throat dry.

I ran over to the side of the bed and grabbed shirt into my hand. "Michael?"

"I'm feeding like crazy. I-I can't stop. I mean I always drink human blood but this is... different. I'm tearing into people and ripping them apart and I don't know what's happening. I almost don't want to stop but I should. It feels so good while I'm doing it but then afterwards I feel horrible." He shook his head.

"Oh, Michael." I said softly.

To others, Michael is tough and oftentimes scary. He can be like that to me too but I'm the only one who gets to see this side of him. We had spent countless centuries together and in all that time I had only seen Michael in a vulnerable state once. It was the day Michael got turned.

----

I was walking down the winding dirt road to Michael's house. The rocks and dirt crunched beneath old torn boots with every step I took.

As I reached his house, I frowned at the small structure tearing apart. Their family was very poor but they seemed to have enough money to keep them alive. The father worked every day to keep the roof over their heads. Michael worked in the farm every day, but soon he would have to work in the factory with his father. The mother stayed home and did housework. She cooked food for the family of three and tended to the animals. The three of them never caught a break. Except for when I came to visit them. They were like family to me.

I walked through the door, expecting a greeting from either Michael or his mother, but instead I was greeted by his father. This was unexpected because he was never home at this time of day and usually at work.

"Hello, Luke." Father said in a grave voice. I studied his face and noticed the dark bags under his eyes and his disheveled appearance. Right away, I could tell something was wrong.

"What's happened?" I started to feel hot, thinking of the worst.

Michael's mother walked into the room, greeting me as well. I could smell the blood radiating off her body, but it wasn't hers.

As I put the pieces together in my head, I started towards the back of the small shack, where Michael's mother came from.

"Where's Michael?" I pushed past them.

Neither of them said anything, only allowing me to walk past them to find out myself.

As I walked into the small room I saw Michael. He was laying on the tiny bed with sheets wrapped around his frail body. His face was pale and ghostly white, the color gone from his lips as well. I nearly choked out a sob at the sight of my best friend like this.

There was blood on the bedsheets and I had to hold back my fangs from automatically escaping at the sight of blood.

Michael's parents walked in behind me.