(The Vampires Cave)

Korri POV

I force my eyes to open and I suddenly feel dizzy.

And I know why.

I'm hanging from a rope upside down from the ceiling.

And I feel loopy.

There's a boy around my age—I wonder how old I am... holy shit, I can't remember—tied up with rope that winds up, and up his body, from his ankles to his chest.

And he was giving me some dirty looks.

"Hello!" I say, my voice WAY too enthusiastic for the circumstances.

"Why were you screaming?" the boy asks. "Are you okay?"

I don't remember screaming.

But I do remember getting hit way too many times.

And I tell him so.

"Uh, okay?" he says. "Do you remember me?"

"Um, kinda?" I try to shrug, but it's hard doing it upside down. "You look familiar. I recognize you. I just... don't remember."

He rolls his eyes. "Great."

"We got new victims." A voice breathes in my ear. Their words slur, and their accent is so thick I can barely understand them.

"'Kay, Korri." the boy says, his eyes wide. "Don't look now, but there is someone standing behind-"

"The girl knows as well as you do, my 'lord'." the person behind me spat. "Welcome to the Vampires' Cave."

My leg goes ten-fold, and I bite back a scream, I just don't realize that I actually bit my lip until I taste the blood filling my mouth.

"Oh," the person of unknown name spins me. "You being here just speeds it up."

"Speeds what?" I hiss.

Apparently I have a dark side...

But doesn't everyone?

"The poison." They breathe. "You being here makes it run its course quicker. So I have to thank my p-p-prince." They burst out laughing, as if the word "prince" was a joke.

The boy trashes and looks like he might be sick.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!" The boy snaps.

Clearly he has a hot temper.

"I am a vampire." the person shrugs, as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. "And. I. Want. Blood."

"So," the boy muses. "You're a lunatic."

"No," the voice whispers. "You're the one about to die, not me!"

So, yes you are.

"OH NOT TODAY I'M NOT!" the boy shouts, as a dark liquid drips down the side of his face...

Then I remember.

"Uh, Mars?"

He grins. "Glad you got your memory back."

"What are you-"

"JUST LISTEN!" Mars hisses, and a soft, familiar accented voice breathes, Is this working?

It's Mars.

But his mouth is shut.

How-

Yeah. I say. This is great. But how are you-

I know this sounds weird. Mars nods. But I need you to talk happy thoughts. Doesn't matter what. Got it?

Uh huh.

"So," I say, "Mr. Vampire. Did you ever have a family?"

They shake their head. "No. At least none that I'm willing to admit."

"Did you ever get loved?" Mars whispers, his voice hollow, and distant, like rarely seen memory.

"No, at least not that I'd be willing to admit." they repeat.

A loud piercing shriek echoes around the labyrinth.

"If you keep this up," they say, "you will make your remaining time here...much more miserable."

The pounding of stone against stone makes my head hurt.

"Um..." a thought pops in my head. "Did you have allies?"

"I refuse to answer." But sadness fills their face. "But no. None that I could trust anyway."

Mars looks downright terrified.

I don't know what to do.

Suddenly, a soft humming echoes around the room.

The vampire looks confused, and I realize where the soft song is coming from.

It's Mars.

I didn't he had it in him.

If not given the circumstances, I probably would have laughed.

A hard, feeling blooms in the back of my head.

It feels...

Like a switch of some sort.

One I kinda wanna flip.

A swarm of vampire lunatics rush into the room.

But it doesn't matter.

A pitch black covers the rooms, flicking the candle flames off, and thousands of SNAPS sparks.

A large... indescribable sounds echoes around the room, as the lights flicker to life.

They're...

Gone.

The vampires are gone.

The only evidence of them being there...

...Is the wet, dark red prints of cloaked bodies on the floors and walls.