• My eyes opened to the early morning day light. It felt like sand had been kicked in my eyes; scratchy and dry.
    "Ash?" I called, noticing the empty cabin around me. I called for Jackie, but niether a voice nor a face answered me. Stepping from my bed, I stretched, popping my back, feeling like it was just another day. Well, exept for the whole vampire-ism thing.
    Walking to stand on the porch, the air was still wet from the night.
    "Guys? Where are you?" I called into the dense forest beyond the cabin's boundries. Suddenly, and ear splitting roar peirced the air, and I swear, the air shook.
    My eyes widned and I thanked God I fell asleep with my shoes on. Before my mind had a chance to tell me what a horrible idea this was, I raced off into the woods, or at least, I tried to.
    "ERIN! Turn back !" Ash screamed as she stubbled from the tree line. It sunned me; and my feet locked and skidded on the loose gravel path, sending me flying face first into the dirt about twenty feet away from Ash. As I peeled myself off the harsh ground, Ash lundged for me, scrabbling on the gravel viciously.
    "Ash, what's going o-" Suddenly, a sharp crack interupted my yells. A vampire burst from a chorus of shattering trees at almost lightning speed, and tackled Ash, shoving her face into the dirt. Looking up at me, his dark skin glinting slightly in the sun, he snarled, pearly white fangs stained with fresh blood.
    "Ash!" I called, stunned, not really knowing how to help her. As soon as I made the decision to tackle the angry Vampire that held her, she had made another decision.
    "Run, Erin, ******** Run!!" She yelled before her holder shoved her mouth into the ground.
    My fingers dug into the dirt, trying to hoist myself up when snarl sounded in my ear and a load dumped on top of me. Coldness wrapped around me, and I was flipped over. Everything was a blur, partly because of the tears springing in my eyes, and partly because of the dawn sun shining in my eyes. I was pinned on my back, cold hands wrapped around my wrists.
    "Hello, love." A voice purred. My eyes focused suddenly, and Conner's face appeared. I struggled, I fought, but In truth, I pretty much only wiggled.
    "Get the hell off of me! Why are you doing this?" I yelled, a tear going down my cheek.
    Conner chucled and ran his sharp fingernail along my jawline, catching the tear.
    "What shall we do with her, Misstress Moon?" he growled, smirking as I struggled.
    I turned my head to the sound of breaking twigs, to Conner's right. Then, out of the deep forest, came Jackie.
    I know I should've, but I didn't put it together right away. Jackie; ever the face of dependability and safety.
    Now....one of them?
    Jackie growled.
    "I told you never to call me that !" She roared as she brought her fist against the side of Conner's head.
    He growled and got off of me, but he dared not challenge the leader.
    "Jackie? Jackie, you have to help! Ash!" I called, my thoughts randomized by the sudden plot change.
    Ash, to preoccupied with the huge vampire shoving her face into the ground to speak, offered no help; less than, actually.
    I turned my attention back to Jackie, as she approched.
    "Tsk Tsk, Erin. You really should take better care of yourself. Today's world is getting pretty dangerous out there, isn't it? Well, I suppose I should know, shouldn't I, Erin? Is it fun? You know, still being human? Sadly, I wouldn' know that either. Seeing as YOU KILLED ME!"
    At that, she lunged, wrapping her no-longer-living fingers around my throat.
    I bairly managed a gurgle as a protest, as Jackie's fingers tightened their death grip over me.
    Just like the 'i'm-about-to-die', last resort tears that spilled from my eyes, hate dripped the same way from Jackie's.
    It felt like hours there, life times spent there, in those single raging moments under her glare.
    Suddenly, a blur slammed into Jackie, but, unfortunatly, she was still clinging to me, so I was ripped up along with her.
    I'm pretty sure this would be the point where I would say, "Damn you, Jackie!" if I wasn't practically in the middle of an Ash-and-Jack showdown.
    No one said anything, and while my two un-dead ex, and best friends glared at eachother weirdly, I happened to look around.
    Aside from the likeness to UFC I was sure this vampire fight was gonna take on, the scenery was plesent, and I noticed the vamp that held Ash had dissapeared.
    Strange.
    My random thoughts were brought back to the problem at hand when the brawl started.
    Everything was a blur, litteraly. As in, everything flying; fangs, teeth, fur... oh wait.
    Simply, I stood back and watched. I mean, really what was I supposed to do?
    Okay okay, I suppose you want details? About the big bad Vamp fight? Can do!
    Even though they were moving so fast, I saw Jackie had taken a blow to the forehead, and where a gash had formed, dark blue-ish, black-ish blood seeped thorugh the cut. Then, they both stopped. Ash had a wide stance, head a bit bowed, arms spayed out, her fingers slightly twitching especially the hand Jackie's blood was stained with; as if they couldn't wait to rip her throat up.
    The sun was well up into the sky now, and I'm happy to say that neither of my vampires were sparkling; especially not in a way that makes them look like gay fairy lords. (Take that Meyer!)
    Anyway, deturing from my own private agenda to undermine certian things, let's get back to the story.
    "What the hell Jackie! Does mostly a lifetime of friendship mean nothing to you?" Ash yelled, practically spitting in our former friend's face.
    Jackie turned to me. Her hands were clenched tightly, and I was pretty sure they were just itching to be around my throat again.
    She chuckled a bit.
    "And what do you have to say?" She asked almost too harmlessly. I paused for a moment, knowing that what I say might be the last thing from my mouth ever.
    "Jackie, I know I'm not the greatest friend, and admittedly, getting you killed was a tad rude. But when you said the world was getting taken over by Vampires, really, how did you expect me to act?"
    She looked shocked. Then, her expression turned furious.
    "I expected you to believe me! God Damn it, Erin!" She screamed.
    "How could I believe something so UNbelievable! Besides, this whole issue is irrelivent! It's done with, over, so why are we still fighting about it?" I reasoned, a bit meanly, I suppose.
    Jackie paused, as if collecting her anger.
    "Irrelevent?! Did you just call my death.....IRRELEVENT?!"
    So I was arguing with my dead friend about irrelevance. Go figure.
    "No! That's not what I ment, Jackie." I tried to defend myself, but I think I failed horribly.
    "Shut up, Erin, Just SHUT UP!"
    At that, she lunged.
    Before Ash could kick it into high gear, Jackie had grabbed me around my neck.
    I'm supposing you can guess what happened next.
    You know when you watch a movie for the first time, and everything seems so drawn out, but when you watch it a second time you're like, "I thought that scene was longer than that..."? That's sort of what happened now.
    I could feel the sharp p***k; the dull thud when Ash tackled Jackie.
    Only a few seconds afterward, I could bairly hold myself up.
    All of the movies or books or people that say changing happens slow are dead wrong.
    In fact, I could feel myself dying with increasing rapidity, and really only had enough time to think one single thought before I went.
    "How unfair this is. My life doesn't even have time to flash before my eyes. That's pretty damn-"
    And then my vision began to tunnel,
    dark walls closing in on everything,
    and Ash's worried face, and Jackie's satisfied one seemed to get miles and miles away before the light just went out.

    Wake up. Open eyes. Sit up. Pain pain pain pain pain pain.
    Lay back down.
    Ash.
    Good Ash. Sits down besides me. Pets my hair.
    Good Ash.
    Night. Moon.
    Mistress Moon.
    Jackie. Bad Jackie.
    Jackie comes and sits too.
    Seems well. Angry? No. Ash talks. Jackie talks.
    Pain pain pain pain.
    So tired but no sleep.
    Time passes.
    Wetness, warm, on my lips.
    I drink.
    Blood.
    "Come on, you should get up."
    Purring. Jackie's purring.
    Always fuigured she was a kitty.
    Helping me up.
    Then comes Ash.
    A puffy tail.
    Bunny woman.
    Knew it.
    Bunny woman and Kitty lady are helping me.
    Stand up.
    I like blood.
    Feel like a zombie.
    Munch munch.
    Where am I?
    How do vampires think? Like this?
    Crack.
    White powder vampires.
    Poof, in my face.
    White clouds, hazy vision.
    Where am I?

    I jolt awake, looking around frantically.
    Sighing, I flop back down. It was all a dream. Weird, very realistic, but a dream no less.
    "Thank God!" I breathe. Sliding out of bed, I head down stairs for some breakfast.
    I raided the refrigerator. Nothing. This all seemed vaugely familiar.
    Suddenly the phone rang. It was Jackie.
    "Hey, what are you doing?" I asked her, glad it was all just a dream.
    She replyed softly, "Ari, you need to hide!"
    "What do you mean?" I asked, a bit of deja vu playing into my mind.
    "Ari... I know you don't believe they exist, but vampires are here!" she whispered to me.
    .....And I belived her this time.









    THE END