The Hallway

Part 4

Nathan wasn't sure what he was risking when he decided to step out of the room into the hallway. He glanced around for Jacob and he was nowhere to be seen. All he had to do was to get to the elevator, get the thing he needed from the bus, and go back up. The mission was simple enough, but worry nagged at him. He shook it off but still felt afraid.

It was almost purely silent as he walked slowly down the hallway. The multi-colored carpeting distracted him for a moment. This hotel was a quaint place, as he observed, with the calming beige and muted greens and yellows flowing together under the white fluorescent lighting. He was halfway to the elevator in the midst of his thinking and observation.

Suddenly, a force gripped the back of his shirt and tugged, causing him to stumble and gasp. A pale arm quickly wrapped around his body, completely restricting his left arm, and the hand grabbed his right arm so that he couldn't move it much. Someone's own body pressed up to his, making everything more discomforting. A familiar chuckle breathed down his neck.

"You really didn't think this through, did you, Nate?" the voice of what he recognized to be his bandmate said. Nathan, already panting and eyes anxious, let out a more intense breath at the mention of his own name.

"Jake-" he said, glancing to the side he heard Jacob's voice from. He twisted his right shoulder forward to get away, the two shuffling forward slightly. A click was heard and Nathan felt a cold, thin, sharp object at his throat.

'Since when did he get a switchblade!' he thought, eyes darting from side to side. He dared not scream but breathed even heavier.

"Don't panic, it makes it harder for both of us," Jacob said softly, "Just hold still."

"W-why?" Nathan said, trembling in Jacob's remarkably vise-like hold. Jacob distractedly hummed a random tune in his ear, only making the moment all the more nerve-wracking. It was a few seconds later that he stopped humming and slightly increased the pressure on the blade at Nathan's throat.

"I saw Josh tell you, and you didn't believe it," he said in a low, whispering tone. He moved his head closer to Nathan's ear, then continued, "Now what?"

Nathan was utterly perplexed at how out of character he was acting. He hoped this was all a prank, a horrible prank. The blade was removed from his throat, a tiny line stinging from a small cut it had made. At the back of his jaw, under his right ear, it made contact again, this time with more pressure, slicing down the side of his neck. He couldn't move for reasons even he didn't know. It curved, then stopped at his collar bone, thin streams of blood staining the light colored shirt he wore. A big tear rolled down his face as the pain at the open wound increased. He tried to struggle out of Jacob's grip, but to no avail.

He heard the blade click closed, much to his relief. In an unexpected turn of events, Nathan felt Jacob switch his hold, grab his hair to pull his head back and to the left, then an open mouth and four sharp points began to make contact around the cut line in his neck. At this point, it was too much for him. He fought loose, tearing the points away from himself, flinging Jacob's arm out of the way, and bolting to the elevator. He didn't run far before Jacob caught the back of his shirt again, then his shoulder, Nathan squirming and fighting the hold all the while. An agonizing pain was thrust and twisted into Nathan's lower back, halting him. Jacob shoved him down to the ground, two other stabs meeting the middle left of his back and finally through the back of his knee. The last stab made him scream and curl up next to the wall, sobbing aloud. Through the whimpering and tears, he saw Jacob in the true light of what monster something had made him into.

As Jacob crouched down to his level, his eyes were a deep yet vibrant red. His mouth open and panting from running, Nathan made out sharply pointed teeth, like a vampire's would look like, except those were joined by another pair on the bottom row of teeth. All were tinged red from first biting at him. Jacob smiled evilly and clicked his bloody switchblade closed as Nathan's eyes widened in panic. He forced his head and neck to the side with the cut and previous bite marks, then dove at him, fangs glinting horrifically.

Infrequent yells, which were quickly muffled, echoed down the hallway.