Thirst

1.

I woke up on that dirty floor, confused and so, so thirsty. I looked around me, wondering where I was. My body felt like lead. I could barely pick myself up off the floor. Once I got to my feet, I caught a look at my arm.

"Emelyn" was written in ink on my forearm. For some reason, this felt familiar. It was the only thing my mind could make sense of.

"Emelyn... that's my name," I muttered to myself. "Emelyn."

It was light outside, but the windows were boarded up, so barely any light got through. Broken bottles, crushed cans, and leaves littered the floor around me. Suddenly, my head started pounding. As I fell to my knees, I heard someone in my head.

"Drink, young one."

It was a man, but I didn't recognize the voice. I finally opened my eyes, but everything was grey. I could see this bright, bright red though, leading to the door. Dragging my body slowly, I followed it. Then I smelled it. A sickly sweet smell. It was outside. My entire body was telling me to drink. I was aching from the inside out. Following the red trail and the scent, I opened the front door.

Bright light flooded into the house, making me squint. Then I saw him. It was a man, but I could only see the outline of him. The red trail led right to him, through his veins and to his heart. The smell was so much stronger now that I was outside. It was then that I lost control of my body.

Next thing I knew, I was sprinting to the man. I was so thirsty. My entire body felt like it was being hit by a truck over and over. Then the pain was gone, and the man lay at my feet. We were both covered in blood, and I tasted a mix of sugar and iron in my mouth.

"Good, child, you've completed the transformation."