I hesitated for a moment before getting off the couch and tiptoeing over to the door.

"Who's there?" I called out, my voice cracking slightly.

There was no answer. I was having extreme deja vu as I peeked through the peephole and saw nothing but blackness. I respired and cautiously pulled the door open just a tad. I peeked out, but it was too dark to see anything. I was surprised to see the sun had already set, how long had I been asleep?

I was just about to shut the door when the sound of something hitting the pavement in my driveway stopped me. I quickly switched on my outside light and gasped. There, about ten feet from me was a guy on all fours. His clothes were drenched in blood, and he was wheezing for air.

"Oh my God," I exclaimed, quickly springing into action.

I knew I had to get him inside just in case whoever or whatever had done this to him was still out there.

I ran to him and grabbed his arm, looping it around my shoulders, "can you try to stand up for me?"

He groaned loudly while trying to straighten out his legs. I struggled to hold him up on my own, but I managed to shuffle him inside my house. I helped him on the couch and quickly ran to lock the door. When I raced back to the guy, I saw his face clearly for the first time and immediately recognized him. It was Jake, Iris's ex-boyfriend. Blood was gushing from his neck area, and he was beginning to lose consciousness. I rushed to the bathroom where I grabbed some fresh towels and gauze and hurried back.

"What happened to you?" I asked softly, trying to catch my breath.

He winced and moaned softly as I applied pressure to his wound with a towel.

Through his harsh breaths, I heard him utter the word, "vampire."

Although I was taken aback, I reminded myself that he had lost a lot of blood and brushed it off.

I pulled the towel back after a few minutes of applying pressure to see if his bleeding had slowed down, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Ironically, there, on the left side of his neck were two gaping holes in his flesh. They were side-by-side. I told myself it had to be some kind of an animal bite and, in the state he was in, his mind had created the illusion of a vampire.

I quickly and tightly wrapped his neck with gauze and reached for my cell phone to call for help.

While I was dialing 9-1-1, Jake's breathing began to shallow. I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I impatiently waited for the operator to answer. I grabbed Jake's wrist and felt for his pulse, but there was barely a heartbeat. I started to sob. I knew he was going to die and it was going to happen right in front of me.

Before anyone answered my call, my cell phone shut off with a dead battery.

"Dammit!" I shouted, slamming it down on the couch.

I remembered my charger was plugged up to the wall in my bedroom, so I sprinted down the hallway to grab it.

I swiftly unplugged it and dashed back out in the hallway, but quickly stopped dead in my tracks. Jake was on his feet now, standing motionless at the end of the unlit hallway. His head was tilted downward, but his crimson eyes were on me and glowing ominously. He was breathing raspily, almost like he was snarling. He reached up to the gauze on his throat and ripped it off in one quick motion.

I felt my charger slip through my fingers and land on the hardwood below my feet. My heart pounded in my throat as I took a single step backward and he took one forward. He smiled at me sinisterly and unveiled long, pointed fangs. Through my confusion, I was able to think fast and dart into my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me. I twisted the lock and threw a pile of unpacked boxes in front of the door.

I kept telling myself that this couldn't be what it seemed like.

Vampires aren't real. Jake was just bitten by a rabid animal or something.

Jake groaned in frustration and began striking his body against the door with so much force that it was about to burst from its hinges. I scurried to my bedroom window and promptly tugged it open. I knew my boxes weren't going to be enough to keep him out. Trying not to make too much noise and without a second thought, I crawled out the window and dropped five feet to the ground. I scrambled to my feet and charged across the street to the Hughes' house. I desperately pounded on their front door despite there still being no vehicles in their driveway. There was, as expected, no answer.

I glanced back at my house and saw Jake was now standing in my front yard, glaring right at me. I bolted behind the Hughes' house and ran for the woods. My chest was on fire as I struggled to retrieve my breath. The tears in my eyes were clouding my vision, making it strenuous to dodge the surrounding trees and brush. The only sound I could hear, aside from my heartbeat in my head, was the distinct reverberation of another pair of feet gaining on me.

I propelled myself forward in hopes of losing him, but inauspiciously, I could hear his footsteps speed up as well. Then, a taunting cackle just a few feet behind me. It was at that moment that I knew escaping him was hopeless. I could feel it in my heart that I was going to be doomed if I didn't take action.

So, I stopped running.

I stopped dead in my tracks and quickly examined the forest floor for some sort of weapon. I grabbed a semi-sharp, blocky piece of a broken tree branch and gained the courage to turn and face Jake.

Jake was there; his ashen face only inches from mine. He had a stunned expression on his face that quickly transformed into a cold glare. His lips pressed tightly together. I whimpered as he reached out a dominant hand and snatched the branch from me, snapping the thick wood in two like it was a frail twig. He cackled wildly as he tightly seized my throat in his icy fingers, his eyes now burning furiously. I gagged and fought against his firm grip, but it was to no avail.

He dragged me deeper into the forest, restraining me by my throat. He moved so quickly that I tripped and stumbled over my own two feet trying to keep up with him. I was on the brink of losing consciousness when he finally came to a stand-still. He loosened his clutch around my throat, and I plummeted to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked through harsh breaths.

Jake's face lit up with amusement, then turned to stone.

"You let me die," he growled.

"No, I didn't. You're still alive," I argued, holding my throbbing throat.

He laughed out loud, "is that what you think?"

I stared into his evil eyes as he stepped closer to me. He kneeled to the ground in front of me and held out one of his hands.

"Come," he said, "let me show you something."

I frowned at him, not moving a millimeter in his direction. He snatched my hand in his frosty clutch and jerked me to my feet. I felt my fingers crack and cried out.

"Take my wrist. Feel for my pulse," Jake demanded, wrapping my fingers around his cool wrist.

I did as he said, pressing my index and middle finger over his radial artery. I felt nothing. I repositioned my fingers a couple of times, frantically trying to find his pulse, but there wasn't one.

"I hate to say I told you so," he said sarcastically, "but I told you so."

"How is that possible?" I shouted, "you should be dead!"

"I am dead," he sharply retorted. He pushed my hair behind my ears and lowly whispered, "and you're about to be, as well."

I was frozen in horror as he lunged at me, grabbing my hair. I wailed in agony as the pointed tip of his fangs broke through the flesh of my neck. I was paralyzed there, unable to move, and as the blood was drained from my body, I could feel nothing. The forest around us whirled, and my heart rate was slowing.

I knew I was going to die.

Suddenly, everything just stopped.

But I wasn't dead. I was shoved face first to the muddy forest floor. I winced and rolled over on my side, spitting out the sludge between my lips. I peered over and saw Jake kneeling on the ground next to me, deep gargling sounds escaping his throat. I noticed an extra presence looming over me. I peeked through squinted eyes at the shadowy silhouette of a man standing over me.

"Eve, hey, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked, dropping to his knees beside me.

I found Kaden's midnight blue eyes. They were full of worry as he examined my injuries. I reached for him.

"Vampire," I said hoarsely.

A crease formed between his eyebrows as he glanced at Jake, then back at me.

I watched in terror as Jake started crawling toward us. In a quick motion, Kaden powerfully kicked him in the face, making him fly back and land on his back with a thump. He grunted, rolling over on his side and began to vomit a thick, red substance. His body began to harshly convulse. I covered my eyes, not wanting to see what was happening to him.

"What the hell?" Kaden said quietly, sounding perplexed.

"What is that bitch doing to me?" Jake asked through rough snarls.

I kept my hands tightly glued to my face.

"Her neck... Why is her neck glowing?" Jake asked, deep coughs escaping his throat.

This caught my attention. I slowly lowered my hands, immediately wondering why the forest was so bright. It had been pitch-black just a few seconds before. I glanced down at my neck, catching a glimpse of my birthmark- the light source. A bright, golden ray of light- very similar to the sun- was coming from it and shining down on Jake's body.

"It burns!" Jake shouted, "my skin burns! Stop! Please, stop!"

I helplessly stared at him, his flesh beginning to melt before my very eyes. My birthmark was literally cooking him, and I didn't know how to make it stop. I tried covering it with my hand, but that had no impact. The light only illuminated through my fingertips.

Kaden took a few steps away from me, a puzzled, yet surprisingly calm expression on his face.

"How do I stop?" I shouted, my voice cracking.

Kaden stared at me silently.

"Stop! Please!" Jake shouted, flapping around on the forest floor.

His helpless screeches of agony filled my ears, and the nauseating scent of his burning flesh filled my nostrils. I sobbed, covering my eyes again. The shrieks intensified for a moment, then all of a sudden, they stopped altogether. I slowly, anxiously peeked through my fingers and saw Jake's charred body was lying still and the light was gone.

Then, the dim forest around me faded to black.