Awakening in Hunger

The sound of city life buzzed faintly in the distance, muted as if filtered through layers of thick glass. Victor lay sprawled in the corner of an alley, head pounding with a force that seemed unnatural, like a drumbeat echoing in his skull. His throat burned—no, it raged—with a fire he couldn't comprehend. When he opened his eyes, the world sharpened, every shadow crystalline, every flicker of light blindingly bright.

A metallic scent teased his senses, stirring a hunger he didn't recognize. He inhaled deeply, the smell pulling him forward. Before he could stop himself, his body was moving, swift and instinctive, toward a woman walking briskly down the street. Her heartbeat thundered in his ears.

And then, he struck.

It was a blur: the gasp, the way her body crumpled, the warm rush of blood filling his mouth. For a moment, the fire in his throat dulled, replaced by grim satisfaction. But as the body went still, realization dawned. He stumbled back, staring in horror at the lifeless eyes of his victim.

A low chuckle sounded from the shadows.

"You're faster than I thought," a voice purred. A tall, flame-haired woman emerged from the darkness, her eyes gleaming red like polished rubies. "Good. You'll need that."

"Who... what—" Victor staggered, his voice hoarse, throat still raw despite the blood. "What did you do to me?"

"I made you better," she said smoothly. "Stronger. Faster. You're one of us now."

"One of—what?" His legs gave out, and he sank to the pavement. "What did you do?"

"You're a vampire," she said simply, crouching in front of him, her gaze predatory. "And you're lucky I found you before the sun did."

"The sun?" he croaked.

She smiled faintly, as though indulging a child. "It will kill you. Burn you to ash in seconds. But don't worry—I'll teach you everything you need to survive."

The Newborn Army

Days—or was it weeks?—blurred together after that night. Victoria whisked him away from the city, leading him deep into the forests of Washington. Her army of newborns was chaos incarnate: a dozen wild-eyed vampires, barely restrained, snarling and snapping at each other like rabid animals. They trained relentlessly, their fights brutal and unrelenting. Blood was everywhere, but it did little to sate the growing emptiness inside Victor.

Victoria controlled them with ease, her voice a steady anchor in their sea of doubt. She painted the world in absolutes: human blood was essential, animal blood a useless substitute. The sun would destroy them. The Cullens—their enemies—were a danger that must be eradicated. She never allowed room for questions.

"You've tasted the power now," Victoria said one evening as she watched Victor spar with another newborn. Her voice was soft, almost hypnotic, as she leaned against a tree. "The Cullens want to take it from you. They want to destroy you because they're jealous of what we are."

Victor hesitated mid-swing, earning a sharp shove from his opponent. "But why?" he asked, panting. "What do they get out of it?"

Victoria's smile was razor-sharp. "Does it matter? All you need to know is they're coming for you—and if you don't fight, you'll die."

The Eve of War

The night before the battle was tense. The newborns gathered in a clearing, their energy frenzied, crackling like electricity in the air. Victor sat apart from the others, gazing at the stars barely visible through the thick canopy of trees.

"You're quiet," one of the others—Riley—observed, sitting down beside him. His tone was casual, but his eyes were sharp, appraising.

"Just thinking," Victor murmured.

"Don't," Riley said with a short laugh. "Thinking doesn't help. Just do what Victoria says, and you'll survive."

"Do you ever... wonder if this is right?" The question slipped out before Victor could stop it. Riley's expression hardened instantly.

"Right doesn't matter," he snapped. "What matters is living. You want to live, don't you?"

Victor nodded slowly, but the hollow ache in his chest refused to fade.

The Battle

The Cullens were nothing like Victoria described. They moved with precision, their coordination terrifyingly efficient. Victor hesitated when the first clash erupted, his instincts warring with the faint echoes of humanity still clinging to his mind.

"Move!" Riley barked, shoving him forward.

The fight was chaos. Newborns charged wildly, their brute strength no match for the Cullens' practiced skill. Victor found himself face-to-face with a blonde-haired vampire whose golden eyes radiated an unnerving calm. She didn't strike immediately, instead watching him with something resembling pity.

"You don't have to do this," she said softly.

"Lies," Victor hissed, lunging forward. His movements were fast but sloppy, driven more by desperation than strategy. The blonde vampire dodged effortlessly, countering with a sharp blow that sent him sprawling.

Pain seared through his body as another Cullen joined the fray, a large, muscular figure who tackled him to the ground. The fight was over before it began. Victor struggled weakly, the fire in his throat now matched by the agony coursing through his limbs.

His vision dimmed as a final, crushing blow ended it all.

Final Thoughts

In the seconds before the darkness claimed him, fragments of his old life surfaced—faces, laughter, warmth. Things Victoria's lies had buried but could never truly erase. And then, like a flicker of flame extinguished by the wind, it was over.