It had been centuries since states had names. Since cities had even a glimmer of light that was power generated, but as I sat here flipping through the pages of the dusty, almost corroded book I couldn't help but chuckle at the names of different counties. I had found myself in the geographic section of the old, abandoned library. I spend most nights here, it's safe. It occupies my mind from boredom and keeps me hidden from the skin walkers that dig their way out of the earth at sunset to search for food. I shudder at the thought of them and flip another page, sighing when I reach a county that's name matched the eerie feeling I now couldn't shake- Hell, Michigan. Now how bad does a town have to be for its founder to name it that? I couldn't imagine it was any worse than the god-awful way the world had ended up now.
Pondering the thought too much, I decided the contents of my tiny book with it's feeble pages were no longer funny. I closed it and put it back on the shelf where I found it. I sat in a simi-comfortable couch I had hauled in from a nearby junk yard and placed in front of my makeshift fireplace. I used the sound of the popping embers to distract myself from the roaring hunger I had felt for a day and a half. The thought of feeding again made my stomach churn.
As I stared into the flickering flame, I felt something I hadn't felt in nearly a month. Fatigue. Relieved at the tiniest possibility of sleep, I let my exhaustion engulf me.
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"Rainn!" An upbeat, perky voice called to me from a distance. I twirled my knee length purple dress as I turned to listen for the familiar, calming voice to say my name once more. "Rainn! Over here, love!" My eyes trailed the field of bluestim grass in search of the voice's holder. She appeared out of seemingly nothing 10 feet in front of me and my heart filled. "Mommy!" I screamed as I skipped to her, parting the sea of green and blue weed between us. It felt like forever since I had seen her or my father. The thought of him made him appear beside her with wide open arms. I crashed into him first, knocking the wind out of him and making him chuckle.
"Daddy, I missed you," "I missed you too, baby bat." He had chosen my nickname, I completely adored it, to the point I had dressed as a bat for most of my childhood Halloween costumes. I smiled into his chest, looking up at my mom standing behind us, her brown hair almost sparkled as it flowed in long locks in the wind. Her smile brought a feeling of serenity only a mother could bring. I missed it. I stood, bringing myself out of my dad's grasp and smiled back up at her. "Do you like my dress?" I asked, looking down at it once more.
I became confused instantly as my legs grew taller, my hair longer and my childlike dress turned into a navy-blue tank. My legs were now covered with black jeans and a wallet chain dropped down the side of them, my once bare feet now wore tight combats. I looked up almost as if in slow motion, my father now lie in a pool of his own blood with an appalling yet human looking monster attached to his neck. My mother, who still looked the same only now with hallow eyes, spoke one word. "Run."
"Do as you're told," an unfamiliar voice echoed in my ears. And so I did, or at least I tried. As I turned on my heels to run into the dark woods that the once beautiful field had turned into, the ground beneath me crumbled. I screamed at the thought of falling but I stayed in the same place, going nowhere. I felt a hand wrap around my mouth and my heart sank. Terrified I'd end with the same fate as my father, I bit down on my attacker's finger until I tasted metal. As soon as the sensation of blood hit my tongue, I sank to my knees forcefully. My body was not my own, it did nothing I willed it to. Tears streamed down my face as once more I heard the sickening unfamiliar voice.
"She'll be a nice one, yeah?" A sharp pain went through the right side on my neck., followed by an intense burning sensation, like acid running through my veins and every inch of my body. At some point I felt myself slipping, and gratefully so, gave in to the darkness that took away the pain.
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I unfurled my giant black wings and shot up, lying flat against the ceiling with my feet sturdily positioned on a piece of wood that once supported the library's roof. My heart pounded and continued to nearly burst out of my chest moments after I realized it had only been a dream. A repetitive dream. A dream I had often of a memory locked deep within my mind of 84 years ago. My body stayed in the state it was when I was unwillingly turned at 19, although in reality I've just hit 103 years old.
I caught my breath slightly only to have it knocked out of me again by a recognizable yet unbearable pain that shot through my stomach, up my chest and to the sides of my throat...Thirst. The pain knocked me off my feet and without time to catch myself, I curled my wings around me for safety as I plummeted to the concrete floor.
My vision was blurry when I finally got the strength to stand. I didn't worry about checking for broken bones, anything broken would heal in the time it took me to get back on my feet. The pain was still there, just dull. It would undoubtedly return in a half hour if I didn't find something to eat. I glimpsed out of a nearby window to see the sun high in the sky. I had been asleep for a day? Maybe two? Hard to tell with no working clocks in the world.
I retracted my wings once more, through the slits cut in my shirt and as flat against my back as they would go, then wincing at the realization that my shoulder had popped out of place. I pulled back my shoulder length dark hair and used my uninjured arm to pop the base of my shirt into my mouth. Chomping down hard I took a deep, shaky breath and slung my arm into a nearby wall to force it back into socket.
"Welp, can't avoid it this time," I mumbled to myself through gritted teeth as I tried to shake the pain away. As much as I hated it, it was time for the hunt.