I had the sense that someone was following me.

There was the clip-clop of my shoes against the smooth pavement as I made my way through town but there was also something else, the distinct sensation of someone watching you, a prickling at the base of your neck.

Cars whizzed by, the 5 o clock rush hour bringing a storm of honks and screeching tires.

Everyone had somewhere to be, preoccupied with their own lives so why then did I get the nagging feeling that someone was after me?

You're being paranoid.

There was a shopping center nearby with several stores lined up in a quaint little strip.

Everything from shoe stores, to a nail salon to even a pet shop.

I could see the place where I was headed now, the coffee shop, just one street away.

All I had to do was cross this intersection and cut past an apartment complex and I'd arrive to the place I'd set for my meeting with Christian.

Leaving the warmth of my coat pockets, I reached up and pulled my hoodie off. It was obstructing my peripheral vision and with my nerves on edge, no precaution could be considered silly.

I cut across the stop light, the orange hand flickering at the end.

Stop.

The voice in my head was back.

My step faltered.

I gathered my bearings, looked around, found nothing out of the ordinary and pressed on.

The small group of people I'd crossed with parted ways. Most of them were heading to the strip mall and I was headed in the opposite direction, toward Starbucks.

Nearing the apartment complex, I heard footsteps behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder as inconspicuous as one could be when trying to scope someone out.

There was a man a few yards away.

He wore a big coat, his hood pulled over, creating a shadow over his face.

I sped up, trying to discern if his steps were speeding up also.

Though I could see a huge halo surrounding the coffee shop, the lighting here was crappy.

From the corner of the complex, a second man appeared. A tall man, confident shoulders, predatory gait.

My breathing sped up, eyes dashing back and forth. I forced my mind to think up an escape plan.

Both men were lean but I couldn't tell from here how tall. They could've fit the description from the men in the vision but panic wouldn't let me register the fine details.

I swallowed hard and muttered a curse word under my breath.

The steps behind me were growing louder.

Run.

I trampled over a bed of flowers and across a patch of grass, following the sidewalk into the complex, hoping to lose them behind a bush.

There was no mistaking it now, they were definitely following me.

With this realization, I broke into a full run.

I sprinted off down the path, my legs protesting from the strain, each muscle burning for rest.

My breath was coming in sharp, short rasps. There was a stitch in my side but I ignored it, preferring to suffer through a bit of pain than be dead.

I bumped into something, my nose slamming into a rock-hard surface.

My hands flew to my nose, already bleeding. My eyes darted to the source of my pain, a man with a pale face and ruby red eyes.

I scream and turned away when I found myself trapped between the two men—the two monsters.

Hypnotized by their blood-red eyes, all I could do was stare with an open mouth.

Pale-face glared back, his lip curling over a snarl, his eyes focused on...my bleeding nose.

"Shit."

A wrecking ball fell from the sky, something heavy and gray, maybe a large rock, and slammed into pale-face's head.

The snarl turned into a hiss as he jerked into a predatory stance, ready to tear apart its enemy.

Except this enemy was a force to be reckoned with.

A blurry male figure lashed out, so quick my eyes had a hard time following.

That's when I remember thug number two.

I spun around, clipping him in the head with my purse.

He remained unfazed, only a flash of red in his eyes to show his annoyance.

"Uh-oh."

As I backed away, something landed by my foot.

I glanced down and saw the severed head of Pale-face and my throat let out a scream without permission.

Why was nobody coming outside?

Could they not hear all hell breaking loose?

Were they deaf to some girl screaming bloody murder outside their homes? Sort of made you wonder what kind of neighborhood this was.

In the next moment, the second man was on me. He grabbed me around the waist and slung me over his shoulder.

Then he began to run.

My breath caught in my lungs, the wind slapped my face, and my own hair was like a whip against my cheeks.

I dug through my pack for anything that might help me.

At the bottom of the bag, I fingered a pencil.

I grabbed it, pushed myself back while using the monster's shoulder for leverage and slammed it into thug number 2′s eye.

He let out a screech.

There was some resistance, until the pencil went clean through, to the other side of his head.

Losing his grip on me, I thudded to the floor, landing on my backside.

I stood and scampered away faster than I ever had before in my life.

I didn't wait to see if he was following or if he could even follow after I'd stabbed him in the eye.

Surely, no one could survive that.

Again, I collided with a rock-hard surface.

This time I fell on my back from the impact. I let out a slow groan, my nose still tender from the last beating.

Then something wet thudded against the grass.

I gulped, my eyes moving out of their own volition, curiosity stronger than self-preservation.

Thug number 2′s head lay on the floor, his eyes still open, one speared through with my number 2 pencil.

I rolled onto my side and vomited.

Until I realized the danger wasn't over yet.

Whoever could do that to two monsters could do much worse to me.

"Aimee."

"Oh, fuck!" I yelled, jumping at the sound of my name.

"It's me. Christian. Are you alright?"

I swiped the back of my arm across my mouth and gulped down some much needed oxygen.

Christian gripped my shoulders and flipped me over to face him.

I stared up at his face, outlined partly by the street lamp.

"What just happened? Did you do that to them? Did you kill them?"

"You were being hunted. Jesus, you're bleeding."

"Shit. Shit shit shit."

Christian still held the tops of my arms between his palms, steadying me.

"Aimee, hey, it's okay. You're safe now."

I glanced around, lost, frantic, a bubble of hysteria building up in my chest.

Then I laughed.

He eyed me with worry before repeating himself.

"You're safe."

His mouth looked funny.

He was barely moving it when he spoke and there was a slight bulge under his lip that was cause for concern.

My hand reached up slowly.

He watched its ascent and made no objection, his eyes glued to my face.

My fingers hesitated centimeters from his lips.

Then, gathering up my courage, I pushed his upper lip up slightly with the tip of my middle finger.

A sharp incisor stared back at me, filed down to a point, coated in red.

Black specks danced at the edge of my vision.

My hand moved from his face and flew to my head, gripping it.

The ground disappeared from beneath me as Christian lifted me into his arms.

Juggling me with one arm, he pulled something from his neck, a small vial, uncapped it and threw it onto the other two vampires.

As my head swirled, I thought I must be hallucinating as their bodies began to evaporate into mist with a slow, disgusting sizzle.

He said something to me but I missed it, too preoccupied by the disappearing nightmares that had sprung in and out of existence right in front of me.

Ghosts I could get behind.

But vampires?

I groaned.

My head hurt and my nose was still bleeding.

Had I lost my damned mind?

"I should get you to a hospital."

"No, no hospital. And put me down. I have a bloody nose, not broken legs."

Christian rolled his eyes but complied.

The only thing he didn't release was my hand.

"We've gotta get out of here."

Pulling me along behind him, I glanced back to the place where no sign of the struggle nor of the vampires remained.