A nightmare.
I walked into Michael's apartment to find a living monster. It attacked me and I wasn't able to get away. He had me.
I woke up not in my parents' house. I looked around and realized I was laying in Michael's bed. The sudden realization hit me right in the face.
It wasn't a nightmare. It all came back to me now.
Michael had called me and I had missed it. When I called back all I got was his voicemail. I thought nothing of it and the next day I tried calling him again. But still nothing. That's when I began to get worried. I didn't know if he was purposely trying to avoid me or something bad had happened.
The morning after that I decided that I was going to go over to his place and give him a piece of my mind. Nobody could treat a girl that way.
What greeted me at the door thought was something out of a horror movie. Michael looked pale and dead. When I went to check if he was still alive, the monster attacked me. I blacked out after that.
Was the monster Michael?
All I knew was that I needed to get out now before the monster returned. I sat up in bed and felt woozy. My hand instinctively went to my neck and I winced from the pain. I pulled my hand away and a little bit of blood was left on it.
I got up and went for the door, stumbling over a pair of Michael's shoes. I put my ear to the door and listened. If the monster was still out there, I'd have to find another way to escape.
No sound. No movement out there. The monster might've gone away. I took a deep breath and turned the door knob.
Michael stood in the kitchen, behind the counter, stirring a pot. His face lost all its blood when he saw me.
“Kelly...you're awake.”
I didn't know what was going on but I needed to get out of there. I looked for the door and knew that I wouldn't be able to make it before Michael would pounce on me.
Michael took a step towards me. I ran back into his bedroom and closed the door. I fumbled at the handle until I was able to lock it.
His voice came from the other side, calm and collected. “Can we talk, Kelly?” he asked.
“What are you going to do with me?” I yelled through the door.
“Nothing. I just want to explain what happened.”
“You mean how you sucked my blood like a vampire? You're an abomination.”
“I deserve that. I never meant to harm you. And I should have told you about my problem sooner. But things were going so well and you have this power over me.”
I stood there just staring at the door just waiting for Michael to knock it down in a display of super strength.
He continued, “My body can't survive without blood, Kelly.”
“And you kill people for it?”
“No of course not. I do occasionally drain people but they never die.”
My head was swirling. Was all this really happening? Was Michael really a vampire?
But that was a fantasy. Vampire didn't exist in the real world.
“Are you a vampire?” I asked him.
“Not in traditional sense,” he replied.
I sat down on the edge of his mattress. “What the fuck is going on here.”
“You're special, Kelly. When I'm around you, I don't feel the hunger anymore. It's something that's never happened to me before. I don't know why it's happening but I've never felt better when you're around.”
I pinched my cheek and howled from the pain. This wasn't a dream.
“Listen, Kelly. I'm not going to hurt you. I swear it. I can open this door if I wanted to. I have the key out here.”
I cursed silently. “And once I open the door, you're going to use your vampire powers to brainwash me into your slave.”
Michael laughed on the other side. “That would be a nice power to have.”
He sure was acting normal for a vampire. But could I trust him?
“Just please open the door and I'll explain everything.”
I don't know what came over me but I didn't feel scared anymore. I don't know if it was Michael's soothing voice or the fact that there wasn't any way I could escape.
I opened the door and Michael was sitting on the ground. I walked back to the bed and sat down. He stood up immediately and walked in. “Are you all right?”
“I feel lightheaded and I think I'm losing my mind.”
Michael pointed at my neck. “Does it still hurt?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course it fucking hurts.”
Michael hung his head low. “I'm sorry, Kelly. I was on the brink of death. If I didn't get blood soon I would've certainly died.”
I rubbed my tired eyes. “This is taking a lot to process. So you don't go around killing people and draining them of blood?”
Michael looked me in the eyes and I had to turn away. “I never kill them. I take just enough blood to keep me going.”
“So that's what you're doing at the club.”
Michael nodded his head in shame.
“And you've never been caught before? How do your victims not report this to the police?”
“They usually believe it was all dream.”
I pointed at my neck. “Does this look like a dream to you?”
Michael grasped my hand. My instinct was to pull it away but he was so warm. His holding my hand calmed me down a little.
“I do what I need to do to survive, Kelly.”
“And there's no other way to get blood? Can't you get blood at a hospital or something?”
“They don't usually give that out for free. I've had to steal from blood banks when times got tough.” Michael squeezed my hand. “But you don't understand. When I'm around you, I don't feel the hunger.”
“And look what happened when I left,” I replied.
“I don't have all the answers but I know what we have between us is special. I need your help, Kelly.”