Toes, unpainted, bare, lifted out of soapy water, silken legs bending to escape the tub of the bath, before finally the toes reached the cold surface that called itself floor. Smooth as paper, Jane pulled the rest of her body out of the water, walking out of the bath and barely missing slipping upon the floor. Drips of water fell down as she reached out and picked up the clothing she'd dropped, pulling them on one by one. Part of her wanted to ask if they were still drinking out there but she didn't want to know. Inside she was still drinking. Her body had felt the blood lust rising inside her. They just want me dead, she thought. In her mind she could hear their snickers and sneers as they laughed greedily and drunk up what was left without her. They're not even sharing anymore.
She didn't question them wanting her dead--not even who they were. Her memory descended towards blank, as if everything was certain at the same time that it was unknown. There wasn't a way out. There hadn't been a way in. Who's left out there? Rasheen, that weird guy. God, he was so loud. There was that Kylar guy, as well as that Boluo...who else? That girl's out there. The, uh, the Zoe one? They all want me dead. And the Gareth...and fake Eugene, and their new clan members...The odds stacked up against her, an unfriendly brigade set up to stop her.
"They want you dead," Eugene whispered in her ear. Laughter rang from his voice, harsh and filled with the sorrow of years before. Red flashed where he stood and she watched it, watching with eyes that dared to turn to him. "Start with the boring guy."
"Which one?" Jane wanted to laugh and she did--it bubbled out of her and cascaded through the air like water in zero gravity. She was weightless. He was weightless. Slowly, Jane moved towards the door of the bathroom, listening to the screams of those outside. They'd all gone mad. The blood was there but she couldn't have it. Jane wanted it. She desired more blood. More, more, more, nothing would ever be enough. She had paused but now she longed for it--the killing, the taking of life, everything to destroy what could no longer be.
Tonight was the night the clan would fall.
"They're all dead inside, they won't mind."
"Their blood must taste good, mixed with that of a humans, filled and gorged on those out there. They're so selfish. Why don't they share? Just a little taste of their blood. It'd feel so nice. Taste so good. I bet it tastes good."
Jane shivered. Their cold bodies touched Jane, feeling her skin, and she wanted to cry out. The blood stained, white shirt she had appeared more black than anything. She touched the soft cotton as she waited inside the bathroom, her wet hair dripping onto the floor. One drip and she touched the cotton with her thumb, the blood sticking to her. Two drips and she pulled it close to her mouth. Three dips and she breathed in deeply before sucking on the fabric, tasting the blood. It pumped new life into her vampire heart.
People danced, fires dropping into the world. Matches were thrown. Everyone screamed, their voices slipping into one another. Jane held her hands over her ears, trying to drown them out. "Leave me alone!" she screamed. No one heard her.
"Just give in," they beckoned, drawing ever nearer to her. Jane wanted to scream. To force them away. She couldn't.
The door opened and Jane looked out, her eyes widening as she beheld the horrors before her. They matched the screams and mental images inside her mind, a horror and freak show that wouldn't end. The taste of blood filled her mouth and she bit down against it, drawing out more, drinking it as though it wasn't her own.
"They want you dead."
All of them were there, drinking. Creatures, that's all they were. Creatures of darkness. Freaks. Things that held no right to live.
