Alex's apartment building feels like the eeriest building on the street. Considering how small our town is, his apartment building isn't very big, only two floors high and loft apartments where you can cook in the same room you sleep in.

I get closer to the car park, spying Alex's jeep in the park where I left it. The closer I get to his place, the more nervous I get. Some part of me hopes that I'll get there and he'll be fine, totally normal. But, this is the real world, and the real world isn't fair.

That's how people like my Dad, who used to buy me the expensive ice cream I liked after every training session and people like my mum who read me bedtime stories every night end up dead in their own kitchen. It's how they end up as unsolved murders for anyone with a podcast to dissect like they know them at all.

Alex will turn, I know that. I know that because it's what always happens in this world. I cover my eyes with the delusion of hunting tipping the scales, but it doesn't.

I can't kill Alex.

I step up to the locked door of the building, scanning it for a way in. I take the blade from its holder, lining it up with the lock on the door to try and jam the metal in and unlock the door manually.

"Watch out," Thomas warns, gently pushing me to the side before pushing on the door lightly. The doors snap apart, the lock mechanism hitting the ground with a large metal clang as Thomas steps through the open door casually.

He turns over his shoulder, winking at me before nodding his head for me to follow after.

"Show off," Levi grumbles behind me, following me into the building and letting the glass door shut behind him.

We reach the elevator on the ground level that takes you to the two apartment levels, stopping at the silver doors to look at each other.

"So, what's the plan?" Levi asks, rocking back and forth on his feet as I reach over and press the button to the second apartment floor.

"You guys wait here and I'll bring him down," I explain with a shrug, keeping my eyes on my smudged reflection in the elevator doors.

"Are you sure you wanna do that?" Thomas asks, tucking his hands in his pockets

"Thanks to you, Tommy, I've learnt how to handle myself around fledglings pretty well lately," I smile sarcastically up at him. He rolls his eyes as the elevator doors ding, signalling their opening. I step inside, turning around to face the doors and the boys on the other side. "Suppose I should thank you,"

"But you won't," He says matter-of-factually.

"No, I won't," I dead-pan, breaking eye contact with him once the door closes and separates us.

The ride up to Alex's floor has my stomach filling with dread. I can handle fledglings, but I still have some stupid sense of hope that I'll get to his apartment and he'll be fine. I can't kill him, not when he has the same face as my best friend. Even if he's not in there anymore.

Truthfully, I don't know what I'm going to do.

The doors ding once again and open, revealing a dimly lit hallway to me. I let go of a mouthful of air, stepping out into the hallway as the doors close behind me. The eeriness of the hallway has me pressing my hand to my thigh where my dagger is strapped over my black flared pants. Thomas' jumper which I forgot I was wearing keeps me warm enough to stop the goosebumps rising on my skin.

This hallway always has a weird vibe to it, being cheap and filled with mostly weirdos, but this feels even more weird than usual. I move to the far end of the hallway, Alex's apartment being one of the last ones on this floor.

Memories of all the times I've been to this apartment come flooding back as I hold the golden handle in my palm. Moving my hand from the dagger on my thigh, I reach into my pocket and pull out my keychain, finding Alex's house key almost instantly and unlocking the door.

Alex's apartment is almost pitch black, only the moonlight flashing in from his open window. This is unusual for Alex, usually his home is full of groovy lava lamps and flash lighting. He prides himself in going after the 70's vibe, something this view doesn't give me.

I step inside, closing the door behind me and tucking the keys back into my pocket.

I don't know if I can do this. I either find Alex the same way I found my parents or the same as the thing that killed them. The horrible part is, I'm not sure which is worse.

"Please be okay," I whisper to myself out loud, taking slow steps further into his home.

"Mic?" I hear Alex's croaky voice. I freeze, turning to the corner of the room covered in shadows. Slowly, Alex's blonde hair emerges into the light, his skin pale as if he's run out of blood and his under eyes an array of pinks and reds like a beautiful sunset. Something natural and pretty, a stark contrast to the abomination of a thing he's becoming.

"Alex?" I reply, taking a step towards him out of instinct.

"Stop," He warns, stepping away from me and huddling into himself. "I... I don't know what's happening to me but... you need to leave, Mic,"

"Alex, listen to me," I take a few more steps forward, holding my hands out as if to tell him I'm not going to hurt him. If I'm honest, it's more of a confession to myself that I won't kill him, "I'm here to help you, I know what's happening just... just let me-"

"You know? How could you know?" He snaps, holding his arms tighter around himself. He freezes before his head slowly rises, his red eyes meeting mine in a rage, "You've known this whole time. You... that's why you've been so secretive all these years,"

"I will explain everything, just-"

"No!" He yells, dropping his arms to his side. His rage disappears, his body relaxing as tears instantly well up in his eyes, "I'm scared, Mic. I feel like I'm losing my mind and all I can think about is-"

Almost as if his words remind him, his eyes dart to my neck. Quickly, I reach for my dagger, enclosing my fist around it just as he moves impossibly fast. He clears the room until he's right in front of me.

"Please, Alex," I beg silently.

He reaches for his head, gripping his skill in pain before screaming and jolting his arm out. His forearm hits my abdomen with impossible speed and strength, sending me flying to the corner between the floor and the wall. I groan at the pain in my back, quickly attempting to stand up before another pain in my stomach causes me to scream and drop back down.

I peek down at my abdomen, spying a small spot of blood soaked through Thomas's grey jumper. I wince before bunching his hoodie and my black shirt up in my fist, lifting the material with a shaking hand.

The surface of my skin looks gnarly. Blood seeps out of a wound on my side, the blood flow is slightly restricted by my bone peaking out of my ripped-apart flesh. I look up, gulping down a scream at the sight of my rib bone peeking out of my skin. Tears well in my eyes, an indescribable pain overcoming my body to the point I feel sweat coating my forehead.

"Ah!" I hiss, pulling the material back over my abdomen with shaking hands. I look up at Alex who slowly drops his hands from his head, a gruntal remorse on his face. He opens his mouth like he wants to speak but can't find the words. My jaw wobbles in pain as I open my mouth, keeping eye contact with him as I shake my head, "It's okay, it's okay,"

Before I know it, the switch in him flicks once more, his eyes turning red. His turn must be recent. The fight between the remaining specs of his human side with the controlling vampire side plays out before my very eyes.

He runs again, appearing in front of me as he grabs me by the neck and lifts me up from my feet. I can't help but scream at the pain this causes my abdomen, his hand gripping my throat so hard I'm sure bruises have already formed.

"A-Alex," I choke out, my words barely visible with how hard he grabs my throat. Usually, I'd be able to fight back against a fledgling somehow but, I've never let my guard down enough to get injured before and I hardly ever hunt alone.

Maybe that's my mistake; underestimating Alex.

My vision starts to turn black, spots clouding my vision. Before I can drift off, the door to Alex's apartment is ripped open, hitting the wall so hard the top hinge comes loose and the door hangs lop-sided on the frame.

Thomas enters the room fast, his eyes red and canines sharp. Levi steps in behind him looking identically monstrous. Thomas speeds to Alex, grabbing him and ripping him away from me. Alex slides across the room, his back hitting the opposite wall as Levi rushes to me, catching me before I can hit the ground hard.

I feel his cold hands even through Thomas' hoodie, my back on his lap as my hair sticks to my forehead from sweat.

Mistakingly, I adjust in a way that sends pain seering through my body, a scream erupting from my throat as I try to get a glimpse of Alex and Thomas.

Thomas stands over my friend, his back rising and falling as if he's filled with rage. To my horror, he bends down and picks Alex up by the collar of his shirt.

"Thomas, stop!" I yell weakly, my body hurting more and more. Thomas doesn't seem to hear me or doesn't seem to care as he shoves Alex against the wall in a similar way to how I just was. I look up at Levi, my large eyes wide in panic, "Levi, stop him,"

"I'm more worried about you right now. Drink," Levi demands, biting into his wrist with his sharp teeth before pushing the limb towards me. I shake my head, refusing to digest his poisonous blood. I know it will heal me, but it goes against everything I've stood for since I was born.

"Tommy, please!" I yell once more. His back tenses and before I know it, Alex hits the ground unconscious. I know it's for the better that he's knocked out, but it still pains me to see him this way. Thomas turns before darting over to Levi and I, dropping to his knees till he's down beside me.

"She won't drink. Fucking hunters," Levi informs his friend, wiping the blood away from his healed wound.

"For fucks sake," Thomas mutters, sinking his own sharp teeth into his wrist. His fangs retract, his eyes turning back to their dark brown as he shoves his wrist in my face. A smudge of his blood gets on my chin as I move my head, refusing to drink. If I do drink and die, I'd become one of them. I'd rather die human. "Don't be stubborn, I will force-feed you like a child, Reid. Drink,"

A wave of rationalisation overcomes me. The smart choice is to drink his blood despite my beliefs. Sure, if they take me to the hospital I could survive despite the blood loss, but, I'd be out of action for a long time and I'd have to try to explain this all to Alis.

I can't. If she knew, she'd kill Alex.

I sigh, leaning forward to wrap my lips around Thomas's wrist. His wound is starting to close up before I begin to drink his blood, filling my mouth with the supernatural substance before swallowing it bitterly. I can feel it working almost instantly, my bone shifting back into my body in a way that makes me hiss. I bundle the material in my hands, lifting it in time to see my skin connect back together. I reach down, wiping the blood away from the area to confirm the wound is gone.

I reach up to my neck, feeling the soreness slip away from the area.

"Magic stuff, huh?" Levi comments from behind me, his arms still holding me as I stop shaking.

"As long as I don't die in the next forty-eight hours and become a leech, no offence," I mumble, wiping the leftovers of Thomas' blood from my dry lips.

"Seems a bit offensive," Levi comments.

I look down at the once grey hoodie, a patch of wet red liquid covering the pocket area. I flick my eyes up to Thomas, his brown irises meeting mine, "Sorry about your hoodie,"

"No you're not," He says before standing up, reaching a hand out for me to grab. I reluctantly do so, allowing him to pull my stiff body to my feet. I feel my bones crack and some stiffness in my rib area that I'm sure will disappear soon.

My eyes meet Alex's unconscious body, the sight of him upsetting me more than I thought it would. His life is about to change forever and I don't know if I can be a part of it. But, what kind of friend am I if I abandon him when he needs a familiar face the most?

"Now, what are we going to do about him?"