I started awake with a shout, beads of sweat running down my body and soaking into the white sheets of my queen-sized bed. I panted heavily, trying to calm myself down as I looked around my room frantically for the woman. When I was sure nothing was there, I slowly fell back onto my sweaty pillow, sighing in relief. I wasn't going back to sleep, how could I? This was the fifth time in a row that I've had that nightmare, and everytime, something's different. Sometimes the person chained to the grave is a man, sometimes it's a woman, and at one point is was a wolf, I actually helped that one, I couldn't watch him just lay there, but he didn't leave so I think he is protecting the grave, and that he just wanted to be untied. But no matter what, the place is always at the run down castle ruins. But that doesn't make any sense; there are no castle ruins in South Dakota, that was a fact.
I slowly sat back up, still slightly shaken, before I slipped out of bed and tiptoed downstairs. I had to get this off my mind, I was driving myself crazy.
So, I slipped on my shoes and a jacket, and went outside. It was only around four a.m, but it didn't matter. I had been doing this for the past five days, I'm starting to wonder if this nightmare will ever go away.
Suddenly my phone began to ring. I sighed, sitting down on a black bench and picking up. "Hello?" "Hey Aiden, uhh, Alice and I just saw something crazy, can't talk about it over the phone, but meet us at the hideout in ten," Nicholas said on the other line. I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Uhh, yeah okay, see you there," I said, hanging up the call. That's weird.. I thought to myself, changing directions.
I wasn't far from the hideout, it wouldn't take me but five minutes to get there. I began my descend to the mountain on the north side of town, wondering why we needed to meet and what they could've possibly see at four in the morning, the last day of school, that couldn't wait until school.
As I walked through the woods, I stopped in my tracks, bending down and picking up a small, glistening, blade broke in half. It seemed to be off a pocket knife or older dagger, only three years old by the looks of it. I ran my thumb over the edge of the blade that wasn't broken. "Still sharp?" I said confusedly. I glanced around, before turning my attention back to the blade. As I studied it, I saw dirt covering the outline of a word. Maybe the name of the owner, maybe the name brand, who knows? I blew the blue hair out of my face and scratched away the first with a small, flat, sharp, rock I found. Once the first was cleared away, the word Erix, was clearly engraved into the metal. I tensed up and quickly stood up, looking around again. Assassins. I thought, shoving the blade into my pocket and running the rest of the way up the dirt trail and quickly high-stepping up the rock steps, making it to the hideouts entrance before anyone.
I found the hole, and shoved the key in, turning it around in a circle three times. Hearing the click!, I pushed the door open and as fast as I opened it, I closed it. Once the door was closed, there was a series of ticking and clicking sounds before a small, spear-looking- compartment shot the key out into my hand before closing. I put the key back in my pocket, and brushed off my half-white half-black hoodie, before taking a seat at the smoky black table, slowly tapping my nails against the stone.
But suddenly, I felt tired. I yawned and quickly found myself dozing off. Jerking awake, I looked around, when I spotted the bed hanging on the wall by chains.
I bet you're confused. So, I'll explain. The layout of the hideout is pretty simple.
The door is a locked stone push door. You leave the key in outside, because the lock will swallow the key then despense it back to you once the door closes. Then, you have the hideout itself. The hideout is a rock room with cobblestone flooring, jagged, and smooth rock walls, with a silver chandelier above the black stone rectangular table with a total of ten seats. Then, there are six beds on one of the smooth walls, bolted to the wall with bolts, concrete, and silver chains. There's also a fire-pit, a fireplace, food, and a stove. And of course, a bathroom.
I jumped up onto the first bed, rolled over, placed my arm under a pillow, sandwiching my hand between the two black pillows as I fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up again, it was to Nicholas and Alice shaking me. I groaned in annoyance, but sat up anyways. "So, what's all this about something crazy?" I yawned, jumping off the bed and heading towards the table, where I took my seat. Nick and Alice then took their seats Infront of me on both sides. "Right, so umm," Alice began nervously. "We sort of...." Nick trailed off, rubbing the back on his neck. I sighed. "Guys, just spit it out," I edged. "We think we saw....oh my gosh I can't this is so stupid!" Alice cried, putting her head in her hands and shaking her head. "Well, I can't tell you if it's stupid or not if you don't tell me, yeah?" I smiled, rubbing her back, trying not to mess up the bun in her pink hair. "We think we saw a vampire," Nicholas said for her, they both seemed to breath easier after he said it.
I, on the other hand, laughed. "Funny guys, vampire's aren't real. Maybe you saw one of the druggies trying to scare you guys," I said. They weren't people to lie, so I know they saw something, but it's late and the creeps are still out, it makes since their imagination would be running. They both looked at each other uncertainly, before looking back at me with a look of destain and sadness. "We knew you wouldn't believe us," Alice sighed, slumping in her seat as Nick put his chin his his hand, his skin slightly darker then a tan, radiating moonlight from the sun window above us. I sighed. "I believe you saw something, but a vampire? That's not likely," I said with a shake of my head. I hesitated for a moment before giving in with a heavy sigh of my own. "But, if it makes you guys feel any better, I'll run back home, grab some garlic and we can stay here until school starts," I suggested, immediately getting nods in response.
"I'll be right back-- keep the lights on," I said, putting the key into the key hole and turning it three times. The door opened and I walked out, grabbing the key from the stone dispensary. Suddenly, I shivered and felt chills run down my spine. I remembered the blade I found earlier, and suddenly became nervous. I reached into my pocket to take hold of it, and felt a little bit stronger and safer when I did. There and back, I thought, walking instead of running down the stone steps. I checked the time on my phone. Five-thirty. School started in three hours. That was more then enough time to calm them down.
As I walked to my kitchen, I felt my stomach twist with nervousness and I don't know why. I looked threw the pantry for the garlic and when I found it, I grabbed the red bag it was on and then headed back outside. I shivered as a cold breeze hit me like a truck. The air seemed to stir, so I decided I needed to hurry back to the hideout. I quickened my steps, my red jacket sleeves swinging around as the wind picked up. My nerves spiked and I started to jog to the woods. When the wind picked up again, I decided it was enough, and ran.
We weren't allowed in the woods, I should mention that now. To be honest, I don't really know why, but a....theory, the town has is the woods are cursed. I didn't believe that. Well, not fully at least. I've had my fair share of weird experiences, but that didn't mean I was stupid enough to buy into them completely.
The woods, however, just so happened to be where the mountain our hideout is on.
The wind picked up more powerfully then before and my run broke into a sprint. I jumped over a log, ducking and dodging branches as I raced towards the mountain. If I could make it to the hideout, then it would be fine. No one else could get in except Alice, Nick, and I. I would be safe there. Suddenly I stopped, realizing how stupid this was. Running from the wind, it was early morning, and today is the last day of school before summer, so obviously the wind is coming. Okay, that doesn't make as much sense as I thought it would, I thought, beginning to walk instead of run. As I walked, I sighed, realizing I wasn't even on the trail I needed to be on.
Once I was back on the path, I started to feel calmer then before, happy that I was over the silly fear I had at first. I'll admit, I'm not the best with horror stories. Or...anything, scary for that matter, so I guess, without realizing it, Nick and Alice's story had scared me.
All of a sudden, I heard a branch snap behind me. I tensed, stilling in place. There was no way I was turning around. I mean, there was probably nothing there so,- then I heard footsteps. I felt the color drain from my face as the footsteps cracked on the rocky path. My stomach dropped and I slowly moved my hand to my jacket pocket, feeling for the blade. I gripped the blade, and with all my courage, turned around, the blade pointing straight out, point meeting a boy jugular.
"Who are you?" I asked, faking confidence that I didn't have. The black-haired boy smirked with a throaty chuckle. "That's not important...what are you doing on my mountain kid?" The boy said, his bright orange-eyes seeming to pierce my soul. "This isn't your mountain. It belongs to the state," I stated. The boy took a step sideways and my blade immediately followed. "Maybe. But I live here, it's my mountain," he argued. I glared at him, which resulted in him smirking at me again. I rolled my eyes. "Are you following me?" I asked. The boys smirk faded and I swear his eyes dilated. "Am I?" He asked, taking a step forward. I didn't move, mostly because I was scared to death, but also because the broken blade I held pushed against his skin. If he took another step forward, it would go through his throat. Not that I wanted that either.
"Leave," the black-haired boy demanded. I laughed. "Leave?" I repeated, making the boy glare at me. "No way, I have just as much right here as you do," I said seriously. The boy growled, not an annoyed groan, no. A deep, animalistic growl slipped past his lips.
The boy pushed me back so fast I didn't see his arms move out to shove me. I rolled down the hill, trying my best to cover my head as I fell. I crashed to the bottom of the hill, rolling over onto my stomach with a groan. I immediately tried to stand up but was flung onto my back but the orange-eyed boy again. How is he moving so fast?! I wondered in panic, panting heavily, trying to figure out something to do. "I gave you a chance! You're foolish not to have taken it!" He roared, lounging forward and pinning me to a fallen hollow log.
As his hand gripped my neck, I felt air quickly leaving me and not being able to gather it back. His grip was as strong as iron, and his red eyes glowed with malice- wait- I stopped, blinking my eyes open and gasping for breath as I tried to fight my way off the ground. Red eyes? I looked up, taking in a huge gasp, his eyes weren't orange anymore, they were red. A dark crimson red. "L-let go!" I stuttered out in panic, red eyes, red eyes, kept repeating in my mind, only pushing my panic forward more. No human had red eyes. I gasped and panted heavily as tears ran down my face as I tried to pull and push his hand away from my neck. He laughed. "You're to weak kid, give it up," he said. I looked up through my blurry vision. I swear I went limp right then and there. He was smirking, but that wasn't was terrified me. What terrified me, was his fangs. Fangs....then it hit me.
He wasn't human at all. This boy was a vampire.
The boy laughed gleefully, something that petrified me. He was killing me and enjoying it. He was crazy. "So you saw them, great. Now there's no reason to wait until you're dead," he said. I froze, staring at him petrified. His opened his mouth, his jaws unlatching as he let out what was a mix of a roar and a hiss, before his head lunged at me. And his fangs lined up perfectly with where my blade had been pointed at his neck.
As it all seemed to happen in slow motion, I couldn't help but scream, or, try to. I'm gonna die.