Moonlight

22

I walk into Garrison's room, and grab a pair of my blue jean shorts and a peach color tank top. I take my blood soaked jeans and shirt off.

I slowly slip the jeans on. Pulling the zipper up, and then buckling the button.

After changing, I limp to the living room. Ian and Brent are on the couch, staring at a blank tv screen, sucked into their own thoughts.

"Do you feel any better?" Ian asks, turning his head to look at me. I nod and swallow any and all pain I still have.

"Where's Garrison?" I ask, feeling a bit of regret for asking. Brent sighs, pointing outside.

I open the porch door and look at the blood all over the yard. My hands reach my face. I look around. No sign of Garrison.

"Garrison?" I call. I scan the yard, his body isn't here.

There is one body standing, facing the woods. It's Leanne and Mel. Leanne is on the ground, unconscious, Mel's hands are coated in blood.

"Leanne!" I scream.

I run down the three steps leading to the grass. Mel stands, towering overtop Leanne.

"Melanie?" I call, she doesn't move.

"I didn't mean it, you have to know I didn't mean it!" Mel scrambles, her words move a mile a minute.

"What did you do?" I ask, I look at her body, revealing so much blood.

"I had to do it," Melanie sobs, she looks down at Leanne. "I stabbed her in the leg, mom wanted me to kill her because she knew that I helped you." She replies, tears fill her eyes. "I had to."

"So when you didn't kill her, mom did?" I ask. Mel sobs uncontrollably, vigorously nodding her head.

My eyes trace down Leanne's arms, leading to the pool of blood beneath her. A single stab wound to the lung, and one on her leg, the dagger boldly sticks out of her chest.

"It's okay." Leanne chokes. She struggles to breath, her breath sharp and shallow. A single tear rolls down her face. She closes her eyes in defeat.

I drop down next to Leanne, and pull her shoulder to me. Her body sways to her back, her shirt coated in blood. Her eyes closed, body pale, skin cold and wet.

"Go get Ian, now, Melanie!"

She runs off into the house. Now that she's out of the area, I can try to do this by myself.
I look at Leanne's face, her pale, lifeless face. Her smudged makeup reminds me of how long it used to take her to get her eyeliner on. I grab her limp hand and hesitantly jab my fangs into her forearm.

"Leanne, look at me..." I demand, I look around for Melanie to return. "Please!" I plead, my eyes scan Leanne's face. Her sopping wet hair scatters across her face. Small raindrops speckle on her forehead.

She doesn't even react to my talking. I wrap my fingers around the dagger and toss it on the grass. Red lines run up my hands. It stops working after a second.

I lean over and place my ear against her chest, her heart stops beating for a moment. Thinking back to a CPR class I was required to take in ninth grade, I try to remember what to do. First, see if she's unresponsive, check. Then, call nine one one, which isn't particularly necessary in this case. Finally, begin CPR.

My heart beats out of my chest as I look down at my sisters pale body. I lock my fingers on my left hand between the spaces of my fingers on my right hand. I forcefully push my hands on her chest, I keep track by remembering the chorus of Stayin' Alive by The Bee Gees.

She still does not wake. I hear Mel approach the squeaky spot in the doorway to the porch. It's hard to miss if you've stood there for a while, then shift your weight onto the other foot.

"What are we gonna do?" Mel asks.

"Stay here, Ian will help her."

I have to fix this. I need to get things back to the way they were. My head starts spinning, first Jack, Garrison, and now Leanne? My mind jumbles with thoughts, there's a river a few miles away. Theres a way to fix this, I need to jump. I need to go away.

I run into the woods, moving each branch and twig out of my way. Blocking them with my forearms.

"Leah!" Ian yells. I stop running, my chest heaves up and down. He shakes his head in confusion.

"Stop running, it's not going to do any good." He adds.

I look at him, tears in my eyes.

"Maybe if I just disappear, bad things will stop happening to us. All of the bad things, has been because of me. It all started when I was bitten, people started getting hurt. People started dying." I reply. I take off running into the woods.

"She's running to the river, Brent! We need to stop her." I hear Ian whisper from miles away.

I keep running, until a reach the end of the cliff. Looking down, I examine the sharp rocks, raging water, and a hundred foot drop.

"C'mon Leah, jump already!" An all too familiar voice coaxes.

I look down at the dying grass beneath my feet. It's dying shreds crunch beneath my feet. Where at one time, it flourished and grew up from the Earth.

"I'm not going to listen to you, you aren't real, you're not real." I convince myself. A hand makes its way onto my shoulder. My body freezes in fear.

"Oh but I am, and I'm ready to do whatever it takes, to get rid of Leah Cooper." The voice responds.

"Lucky for you, I've came prepared." I harshly reply. I ball my fingers into a fist, my knuckles slowly turn white. I slowly open my fist revealing claws. If I'm going to fix this, I need to get rid of this obstacle.