Blood Ties (NaNoWriMo 2015)

Six

"Ugh," I opened my eyes, head throbbing and my surroundings blurry. I blinked, trying to clear up the ghostly glare and after a moment things began to come into focus. When they did I noticed a shiny door, tinted windows and that something heavy was laying over me as well as something semi-soft behind my head. What happened?

Suddenly, like cold water dousing me I remembered everything. The man on the road, he'd been my unknown caller, he'd attacked me, the dog fight, the man with the bloodstained coat. I shot up, screaming, or rather I tried to sit up. Something stopped me from moving with a hard jerk.

I looked down, heart beating fast, had I been tied up? No, no I hadn't been, it was just a seatbelt. And a coat, a grey wool coat. "You're awake," I screamed again and the man sitting next to me winced.

"Let me go!" I demanded, thrashing as I tried to find my buckle and make a leap from the car-for that was what I realized I was in. I didn't know how fast we were going but I did not care. I'd rather take my chances doing this than staying here. However, my arms felt like lead, they were too heavy for me to do much more than wave them around a little. Had I been drugged?

"That will wear off," the man said, his tone calm and his blue eyes fixed on me. I saw dried blood smeared on his neck and the collar of his white button down shirt. I remembered the fangs...No! That was not possible, fear induction hallucination. That was the only explanation.

"Let me go!" I said again, voice stronger than I thought it would be. I was a hundred and twenty things right now and strong was not one of them.

"I can't," he said, jaw tight. "You'll be killed." He sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. "Ember, what do you remember last? About the man who attacked you?"

"You attacked me!" I shouted and I tried to lift my arms again to free myself and take a swing at him but they were useless. They were like noodles.

"No, I didn't," he replied matter-of-factly. "The only attacking I did was on the other vampire. I knocked you out of the way. He was on top of you, leapt up, would have snapped your neck if he'd landed the way he wanted too." A shadow crossed his face. "Sorry about that too, how rough I was, I didn't mean to hurt you if I did. I was just out of options, not a lot of time to be gentle about it. Not much time for it now either."

I recalled the cold object that slammed against me as I ran, my tumble down into the ditch. "What?" I wanted to say more, call him a liar, but the bizarre memories running around in my head wouldn't let me form any other word.

"Ember," he said, still frustratingly calm. "Look at me," when I didn't he reached towards him and forced my face upwards. His hands were cold like he'd been holding an ice pack. He opened his mouth and a tearing, twisting noise filled the cab. Four sharp, white, pointed teeth came into view and I'm certain I looked as terrified as I felt. "The man that attacked you was a vampire and so am I. We are faster than you, stronger than you and very hard to kill. You need to stay with me if you want to stay alive."

I didn't reply. How could I? This made no sense, this couldn't be possible and yet...here was some proof right in front of me.

He continued, "I'm sorry I used my sospor breath on you, we didn't have time for me to explain. I didn't know if more of them were coming after him. I won't do it again if you cooperate for now, we're almost to my home. There Doc is going to take a look at you, you got banged up and we need to make sure you're okay. After that I will explain everything, I promise."

I licked my lips which were so dry I feared they would start bleeding. "H-how do I know you aren't lying?"

He shrugged. "You really don't have any way of knowing. I just have to hope you'll see I don't have any reason to lie. I just proved what I was," he tapped one of his fangs with his index finger. "You should believe that much. Please," his expression changed, his large eyes got even bigger. I recognized this expression, I'd seen it before, just on kids. He was pleading with me. "Just let Doc patch you up and listen to what I have to say."