One...

two...

then five in the crowd fell to their knees, gasping and clawing to the other students; friends, surrounding them. Some came to kneel and assist in any help that they could provide, yet, the more those caring hands lent nothing more than minutes to their exiting lives.

One by one, those who had filled their plastic cups with the contaminated punch, collapsed; exerting spit-ups of claret shade; falling onto ghastly faces as they lay whiffing at evaporating air as pooling red-wine immersed around them.

Ben stood only for second, as he ran off towards an unfortunate victim. Cradling the individual in his arms, spear-headed me to an almost exact replicated scene of the past. Piercing my heart as I lead that memory away from thought.

The Delta house had turn from party of the week, to fright night of the week, as many were fleeing by the couples from the house by way of any exit doors to be found.

I looked on as the dead lay strewn about the wooded floors. Wheeling on my flats to find if Nik had come back to watch the show, she had masterfully conducted... as a stone-like grip draped across my throat. I was slammed against the nearest wall; forcing framed portraits and Delta accomplishments plaques to tumble and break onto the floor.

The bolden pale olive eyes spat at my reflection in them. "So, this is the smell that continues to reek up the campus, every single... place... I... go." She acknowledged.

"Am I supposed to know you?" I retorted.

Not the best retaliation considering I was in yet another death grip, but that same hold only confirmed that she was a vamp, as the cold and clasp only reminded me of being in the same predicament barely twelve hours ago; though, as I'm outlining all her features extremely up close and personal; the doubt set in as she mustn't had been a pure since she maintained most of her human facial features but enough contact with their kind and its easily distinguishable; of course that is all of her that I could see, which I thanked Hades that my eyes were relinquished from that last image at my ending.

"You're not 'the one'?" she huffed. Sniffing, as she got a closer and intimate look against my skin. "Though, you are made of something valuable... I've no idea why... you?"

"How'd'ya guess?" I cuffed back. Whimpering a tiny hoot.

Her colorless porcelain skin converting to the more traditional of the vamps I had become all too accustomed at. Bumpy and exaggerated bone lines jutting out over her cheeks and brow; jagged canines perforated her open mouth, as she tousled a lick of her tongue onto a section of my neck's veins. I scuffed at this obtrusive voyeurism, as she added a sigh of pleasure.

"Bi..tteee meh... alruudy!" I begged between squeezed cheeks.

Suddenly, I was out of her fingers and onto my ass, as she yanked back and yelled out in a singular screech. I followed those restored green eyes down her torso; thighs and onto her calf; her newly bitten calf.

I had never witnessed a newly dead body make a return this quickly before. There snacking on this vamp woman (whom I had no idea was). Slurping viciously, a newly reanimated corpse.

"Do I look like your meal... you moronic cretin!" She growled.

Quickly sweeping up the girl, who earlier had been a lovely dance partner, and tossing her across the room. The 'green-eyed' one stared out over the scenic and flashy room; ready to defend herself again, as two other 'dead one's' came at her.

The happiness to be able to breathe, and have the hurt be returned shot away as the rest of the room began to writhed from the motionless that was the last fifteen minutes or so; they had begun to attack people around them; friends who had been willing to at least help, now were desperately smacking and kicking away at their assailants.

One particular 'dead' guy had rose to jump a nearby girl before she could gather what was happening; pulling her down and onto her back; there he bit into her neck, clearly and inaccurately piercing the wrong vein, as she spewed all over his face; upper torso; herself – it just went... everywhere!

She won't last long losing such incredible amount of blood; she'll be dead soon enough; perhaps she can find peace I myself, sometimes long for.

He'll be off to take down another co-ed, once he gets a taste of the bad type of blood when the heart beats comes to an abrupt stop.

As I looked on in strange fixation or purely fascination, a hand had encircled my wrist, causing me to wince as I looked over to see Ben motioning for me to get a move on from the crazy woman, as she became increasingly distracted.

Watching her punch effortlessly and furiously towards those unfortunate to be in the 'wrong place, wrong time' cliché, their scratching and clawing looked more of a cat brawl under the spray of colored moon rage; in the middle of some New York City alleyway.

The hand tugged at me once more, this time with more pull, swiping out the kitty illusion and back into the horrifying spotlight. Flight immediately strangled me; rolling onto my stomach; to a sustainable crouch and let Ben guide us away from this spectacular gory scene.

I scanned the perimeter of the back yard as we launched ourselves from the waving storm door; seeing a few students manage to get out themselves, was astonishing and to an extent – gratefulness. At least there would be multiple accounts of what had had happened here, whereas, I'm sure the combined conclusion for the entire night would be down-played to narcotics; simply because, you know, all universities across the world have no actual brain power and nothing has truer meaning than kids not being capable to withstand drug influence; nope, we all do it – all the time! Oh, adults... what rules you follow to account for logic; as if 'older' has made it wiser – that's a pretty heavy no!

"You ok...?" Ben asked.

"Did she really call me 'the one?" is what immediately flew out of my voice box.

And then it hit me.

All those times I'd been thrashed headfirst in line; the first of the defense; thrown into the lions and tigers and some incredulous monsters' den to be bait, before any 'one' had even made an appearance.

Was that the meaning behind Riley's whole new demeanor; did Nik have something to do with his sudden change? Was she the one that he wouldn't say... killed... him?

As I stood there circling furiously through thoughts and every memory that I could muster up,

growing moans began slowly vocalizing from one source of a window to the half-broken slider, clear on the far end of the older building.

"THE DEAD!" Ben and I uttered in synchronized bewilderment.

"They were feeding and wanting blood... aren't they supposed to be vamps?" I stuttered along with the multitude of shrilled coos. They were getting closer and closer by the second, as we all stood there watching (or waiting) in horror; as if this was all an elaborate hoax that was coming to a dramatic end.

Slap yourself... maybe that will get you to wake the hell up!

"What the hell was in that punch... Ben!"

"I don't know... the usual" he retorted.

"Not to mention, the mystery juice Nik added herself." I added.

I could hear the pleasurable yells of the 'green-eyed' one, as I could only assume that she was enjoying the fighting she had been pushed into.

Another revelation hit me one more time: was it a coincidence that I was at the only party this side of campus this night; at this particular 'frat' house; with Ben; that the 'green-eyed' blonde had shown up; that she had oddly thought I'd been 'the one' she was coming to fight all along?

Nikki. Oh, Nikki!

Everything was stacking up higher and higher against the dignity (not to mention the 'friendship') she's periodically said was what kept her going on.

One house... one time... in one remarkably crafty swoop: get rid of the problems... all at once.

Instantaneously...

the English Tudor home (with one of the nicest gardens on the whole campus block) suddenly and drastically spit up orange... then white... then yellow licked up and down the outside walls; instantly lighting up the neighborhood in glorious luster.

The screams of the dead, or 'undead' were quickly disrupted by their blood lust, even the 'green eyed' one and her followers that showed up with her, reaffirmed their fighting stances against the flames ingulfing the entire first floor of the house.

Two of her goons broke through the window of the dining room, swarmed in a roaring blanket, yet, their feet made not but a few yards before dropping and sub coming to their soon intended fates. Quickly as the goons had swooped out, those newly 'baby' vamps or mind altered by some crazy form of 'dust of angels,' had followed suit; clambering into the damp night air.

Rushing at our ice-covered, in-fear group, the 'bamps' knocked her; him; then Ben! My embolized body filtered through the unforeseen fear, to downright pissed at this... this... sight of horror playing before me. A scene to which needed an abrupt end. I shot a glance over the landscape of the once prestigious cottage, to whatever would suffice as a weapon. The gardens themed decorations expertly crafted such needed utensil. I galloped the short steps to the wood contoured 'dead walking man' stake, ripping it out the soil; along with frozen bits of plant.

Stumbling over the few rocks littering the ground, I fell rushing to get back to Ben as adverse as possible.

"Come on..." Ben yelled. "... you wanna bite me!" Holding the lively corpse inches away from his exposed chest.

The stake plunged into the left side of this poor girls' back. Spitting innards onto Ben and his torso. I only hoped the wood had hit at least the heart; instantly stopping her in her tracks. She fell over to Ben's side.

He boosted to his feet. Shaking off the spotted remains still dangling on him. Pulling off the ripped shirt and smoothing over blood spatter that could be found.

"Thanks for that..." he shot.

Unknowingly, fluctuating for a second an eyeshine of rushed coffee and caramel before returning to normal. I must admit, the inclination that he hadn't been a part of the whole she-bang, did cross my mind, seeing as Ben wasn't even attacked nor could be bothered by 'green-eyed' since he was literally standing just to the right of me.

I couldn't take too much an effort of time to think over the probability of Ben's inclusion, as the other 'Bamps' had taken a forefront, lifting and stabbing the stake repeatedly the rest of them. Each one dropping to clumped limbs.

After he had gathered his own wooded weapon, alike my own, and assisting in getting these 'things' taken care of.

I rounded to Ben as the last had fallen, ready to make my case against him; yet, as my mouth began to form syllables, Ben found himself battling against the initial girl that had jumped him from the start of the fire.

Down he and her faltered, as teeth racked across his forearm. I looked on in confusion, as I was positive the stake had penetrated her through the heart; which was number one in killing pretty much anything.

I shifted focus, as to another way of getting this over. "Okay..." I huffed. "... you won't get back up from this!" I threatened, pulling the lassie's body from Ben, and roughing the short distance to the broken window; heaving the snapping mouth, up and over the crackled panel and let her collapse into the eroding house of popping fire. Her scampering screeches to lowered moans solidified her final demise.

"Wanna help!" I demanded. Pointing to the other 'dead' bodies, surely to return for more meals.