As I walked through the abandoned warehouse, my heart raced with worry for Scott. He had been missing for far too long, and my mind couldn't help but conjure up horrific scenarios of what could have happened to him. I called his name out into the darkness, but only the echoes of my own voice replied.

Damnit, Scott. Where are you?

I ran back out to the car and inhaled Scott's scent as deeply as I could. 

Taking a few steps back, I sniffed the air picking up his smell. I followed it, flitting as fast as I could, for the first time in my life cursing the human half of me. 

I stopped at the end of the trail and stared in disbelief. Scott's scent was all over the city, but it was strongest at my own building. 

No. This isn't right. It should have faded more than this since we were here last. 

I walked in slowly and saw nothing out of the usual but I could smell it. Blood. Scott's blood. Swallowing hard, I sniffed until I found it. Small droplets of crimson on the floor. 

Maybe Scott came back here after getting hurt....without the car.

The trail led up the stairs, heading up. Most likely right to my own apartment. I climbed the stairs following the blood droplets and my nose right where I figured I was going.

My apartment.

I opened the door and walked into darkness. Everything was exactly the way it was supposed to be. 

"Mrow."

"Hi, Socks. How are things here? Anyone been here who's not supposed to be?" I asked, looking for my cat.

"He really is terrible at guarding your apartment, Cassidy."

I turned on the light to see Maddison standing in the middle of my apartment, holding my cat.

"Maddison? Wh...Are you okay? The entire department is searching for you."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. I'm perfectly fine. I've never been better honestly," she said absently while stroking Socks.

"What happened?"

"When?"

"When?" I asked. "When you were kidnapped!"

"Oh! That!" she laughed maniacally. "Only the most amazing thing. You know, I'm kind of mad at you."

"Mad at me? What? Why?"

"Why didn't you ever say how great being a vampire is? You made it seem like the worst thing ever."

"I don't understand," I said.

"You never do. You would think, with how old you are, you would have some sort of common sense by now."

"Oh, my God. Maddy," I gasped when she smiled showing a pair of shiny new fangs. 

"Yeah. I went though a bit of a transition."

"I'm sorry."

"Why? I'm not," she laughed.

"Maddy," I said.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"Now that is no way to talk to your best friend."

"Maddy, I'm asking you one more time. Why are you here?"

"Fine. Since you don't want to be a friend. I'm here to deliver a message."

"From who?"

"Oh, you know who. He says to meet him if you want to find Scott," she said. "He said to meet him at the  Tower. Floor 30. At midnight tonight."

"You're helping him now?" I asked.

"I mean since he gave me an entirely new life why wouldn't I?"

She bared her fangs while holding Socks by the scruff of his neck. He hissed and swung a paw at her.

"Put down my fucking cat, Maddy."

She sighed heavily, putting the pissed-off cat down. "I don't have to take orders from you. I can eat your cat if I want to."

Socks scurried off to my bedroom spitting in every direction as he ran.

"Don't touch my cat again. Don't touch Scott. You're not Maddison anymore. I don't know what you are."

She shook her head while walking to my window. "Just be at the tower. Floor 30 at midnight if you want that annoying man back and no backup. Unless you want a dead Scott." 

Maddy climbed onto the window sill and jumped. I ran over and watched as she landed on the ground far below before flitting off.

Shit.

I closed the window and stood there watching as the moon rose higher and higher into the sky. 

She's a vampire. He didn't even try to turn her into what I am. He just turned her and fed her. He did it fast too.

Taking a deep breath, I left my apartment heading for the Tower. It wasn't far from my apartment. Standing outside, I looked up in the direction of the unfinished building. A light was barely visible from one of the top floors.

Scott. 

I flitted the few blocks to the Tower and found a broken door. I cautiously entered the building, trying not to make any noise. As I made my way up the stairs, my heart was pounding so loud I was sure whoever was waiting for me could hear it. Finally, I reached the thirtieth floor and saw Scott tied up to a chair in the middle of the room, bruised and bloody.

"Cassidy," he gasped, looking up at me from his one unswollen eye. "Get out of here, he's coming back."

I quickly untied him and helped him up. "We need to go, now."

He let out a scream of pain, collapsing to the ground, holding onto his arm.

"It burns!" he screamed.

"What does? What hurts?" I pried his hand off his arm and saw that it was inflamed and the veins were purple.

"He injected me."

"He? He who? Injected you with what?"

The door slammed open and he walked in, the one responsible for all of this. Frank.

I stood and stared at him for a long moment, not sure what to say.

"What....Why?"

"Why? Why she asks." 

I heard Maddy laugh from somewhere in the darkness.

"I don't understand," I said.

"You are so dense!" Frank said, crossing the room in a flash.

"Oh, my God. You're a vampire."

"Ding ding ding!"

"But you go out in the daylight. How do you not dust?"

"It's amazing the artifacts you can find when you have money and time. There was this marvelous ring that was found in Romania that was rumored to belong to a vampire and gave him the ability to walk during the day. So I bought it and tested it out on one of my subjects. Turns out it's not a rumor and a vampire can walk in the daylight with the ring." He held up his hand showing off a golden ring with a red jewel in it and an inscription around the band.

"Why are you trying to make more of me?"

"Why not? You are such a unique specimen, Cassidy. Ever since you saved me as a kid I knew I wanted to be just like you."

"What do you want from me? Why Scott? He did nothing to you."

"I want to create a new race of vampires, and you are the key. You are the first of your kind, and with your help, we can create an army of powerful, unstoppable beings. And Scott is nothing but a nuisance. I need rid of him, but why not see if he can be a successful turn?"

I shook my head. "I won't help you. I won't be a part of this."

"Too bad," he said, taking a step closer. "Because you don't have a choice."

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. I looked towards the door and saw Maddison standing there with a group of armed vampires behind her.

"Frank, you can't create more of me. You don't understand."

"I just have to find the right amount of everything. I just need your blood."

I shook my head, grabbing hold of Scott. The venom was spreading through his body. He would end up dying soon if he didn't get blood or plasma soon.

Frank stalked toward us, grabbing my arm hard. He yanked me to my feet with a surprising amount of strength. 

"Hurts?"

"No." I looked at his hand on me and felt a rage building deep in my gut. "You see, Frank. I told you there is something you don't understand."

"What?" he sneered.

I reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing. He looked down as I continued to squeeze, crushing the bones. 

"I'm not your average hybrid."

"I..."

I stood, forcing him to his knees. Maddy hissed her newborn hiss at me with the vampires behind her prepared to attack.

"Stop," I ordered.

Her red eyes followed my every move. Her muscles were tense and she was ready to leap on me.

"No!" she screamed, pouncing.

I released Frank and grappled with Maddy. We rolled around on the floor as he stood, shaking his hand as the broken bones healed quickly.