Chapter 9 - Knock.

When reality hit, it hit Elijah so hard it was like being slammed against a brick wall. He felt every part of his body go numb, and it wasn't just a metaphorical expression. He was more than just scared - his breathing was rapid, his heart pounding in his ears, and he wanted to scream, but his vocal cords seemed to be working against him. In front of him stood a woman whose face seemed to radiate the horrors of a thousand hells.

Her hand was tightly wrapped around his neck, choking him, making it hard for him to breathe. He tried to plead, to ask for mercy, but everything seemed to be against him. Then he raised his right hand to show her the diary-book, and the woman's gaze shifted towards it, as if she hadn't seen it for centuries.

"I'll call the police," Elijah said, his voice shaking. The woman turned to him, her expression warning him not to say such a thing.

"Go ahead," she said with a cold smile. "Let's see who gets there first." Elijah felt a cold shiver run down his spine as she drew closer to him, her breath hot on his face."Why are you shaking?" she asked him, her tone deceptively innocent. "I won't hurt you." She let out a hoarse laugh as if the situation was amusing. "You look so stupid, boy," she ran her finger along his collarbone, stopping to gaze at it. "I can hear your heart pumping, every artery calling out to me," she said, moving closer to his neck. "I can feel your fear, smell your blood, and my body is screaming to take a big, huge bite."

Elijah Orleans was overcome with uncontrollable fear that seemed to fill every part of his body. The woman standing before him had a face that turned dark as she stared at him. She pulled back a little, her chest rising, and her mouth opening in a way that he knew was not possible for a normal human being. Large fangs came out in the place of her normal teeth, and her face took on the shape of a ferocious animal. Veins popped out on her face, and her pure brown eyes turned a shade of black worse than anything he had ever seen before. She growled, emitting the most terrifying sound he had ever heard.

Tears streamed down his face as he closed his eyes, waiting for whatever was about to happen. He felt a breath near his neck, followed by another growl. He closed his eyes even tighter, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he prepared for what he thought would be his last breath. Suddenly, he felt a small rush of air and brought his hands up to his face.

"Elijah," he heard a voice calling out to him as it came closer. "Hey," the voice said, shaking him a little.

"Don't touch me," he shouted, fear evident in every fiber of his being.

"Elijah Orleans, it's me. Look at me," Rebekah said firmly, holding him by the wrists.

"Rebekah," Elijah said as he recognized her. "Good God, I'm glad you came," he hugged her tightly before pulling back to look at her. "I'm scared," he confessed, trembling and shedding tears.

"What? Why?" she asked, touching his face to feel how cold and clammy he was.

"I saw her, I saw her," he repeated, hands shaking back and forth between his legs. "I swear to God."

"Good... what did you see?" she asked, frowning in concern.

"Her, Melia. You have to believe me," he grabbed onto her shirt. "Rebekah, she was a monster, that woman."

"You need to take a breath," she said calmly, taking his hands into hers. "You're very upset. You're cold."

"I'm what!?" he shouted, jumping up from the couch and running his hands through his hair, making a mess of it. "I was going to bite myself..." he trailed off, running his hand over his neck. "She was going to sink her teeth into my neck. It was... that thing was going..." he began to babble.

"Perfect," she said sarcastically, her tone laced with concern. Elijah was so upset, he caused her to faint. "Fox," she said, holding the phone to her ear as she called their mutual friend. "You'd better come." And that's when the unbelievable happened.