I’m so thirsty! Why isn’t anything working?

  The woman stumbled into a wall, feeling dizzy. “Whoa, hey, you alright, lady?” He was young, on the cusp of adulthood.

  She looked up, her vision blurry, trying to see who was talking to her. A thundering thump-thump sounded in her ears and her head tilted sharply as if listening.

  The young man was getting nervous by the woman, his heart rate was increasing. Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.

  Her eyes sharpened on the vein in his neck, pulsing like a drumbeat. She didn’t remember stepping forward. She just remembered the heat, the sound, the snap of teeth meeting skin.

  ? ?? ?

  “If you were in the area of the Sirens of Spring this afternoon, you may have seen a strange gathering. Many were frightened and ran away, claiming that they saw people being sanguinarians, or “vampires.”

  “The SPD have detained several of those who were seen biting other citizens, though we have no other details in this ongoing investigation. We want to assure our city…”

  Some official was making an announcement about what went down, getting absolutely everything wrong besides the location. I swallowed the pain meds, hoping they worked for vampires too, before sitting down next to Michael.

  After the day’s events, we decided that staying together as a group might be safest for the time being. As Antun’s house had already become a home base more or less, it was easy to choose his home to house all of us.

  Antun had bought a new couch, one that could fold out into a bed, so that Michael would have better arrangements this time around. “I’m going to need to make another guest room somehow,” Antun muttered under his breath at one point.

  Almost all of us had showered and Syla was helping to bandage my body after I had cleaned up. I was pretty sure that if they weren’t broken, my ribs were definitely pulled out of place. The bruising was impressive.

  “Be glad for the quick healing. It’ll still hurt, just not as long.”

  I winced as she applied ointment on some of my cuts and scrapes. I was tempted to ask someone to go down to a dispensary for a blunt or a brownie to help with the pain.

  “Looking a little better,” Antun commented as Syla and I came out of the guest room.

  “Feeling a little bit better.” A shower could do wonders for a person’s mood, even when they are covered in wounds. I eased my way onto the couch, trying not to bend or twist my back at all.

  “Syla, would you mind refreshing this ice pack for me?”

  “Of course, darling.” Her English accent made the term of endearment that much more adorable. She took the ice bag to the kitchen to refresh the ice inside.

  Antun leaned forward as she walked out of earshot. “Now that our sensitive Syla is gone, how are you really?”

  I smiled at him. “In all honesty, I have no idea. His face still flashes in my head when I close my eyes. And I know he deserved it, but… still. God, I wish I had a therapist.”

  Antun pulled his phone out, “You know you need only say the word and I will get you the best.”

  I shook my head, rolling my eyes and grinning. “If I start to go off the rails, hook me up, alright?”

  He nodded, putting his phone down. “So, you and Michael…” He drew it out, making it a question. He raised his eyebrows and gave an impish grin.

  I blushed and stuttered, “W-well, we haven’t talked o-or anything yet…”

  Antun’s grin turned into a warm smile. “You’re so cute.”

  “Quit it!”

  “Why are you antagonizing her, Antun? She just saved your arse.” Syla came around the corner with a fresh ice pack, handing it to me before sitting down.

  “Because I love her,” he beamed, as if that made everything better.

  Syla rolled her eyes and slapped the air in his general direction as if she could reach him that way.

  I smiled, grateful for my friends. Michael was the last to get a shower so we were all waiting for him as we chatted.

  After the fight and beheading, Michael threw Nikola’s head into a black grocery bag, deciding we’d burn it at Antun’s. Not like building a pyre would fly in Seattle proper anyway. We burned it in a hole in the ground so we could bury it after, a fitting end for the villain.

  Earlier, at the Sirens of Spring, Antun had wiped the sword and dagger on Nikola’s clothes, trying to get the black ichor off. He ended up briefly washing them at the edge of the water to get the last of it off, flicking them dry at the end.

  I yawned, the inflating of my ribs painful as they protested. Nothing, except maybe this pain, could keep me from sleeping. The adrenaline had long since worn off and I was crashing.

  Michael came down the stairs and Antun showed him how the new couch-bed worked. I laid down on it as a joke…

  OH MY GOD THAT WAS DUMB!

  I felt and heard the crack in my back – fire lancing through my spine and ribcage.

  “Maybe I should just go to bed for real. Gah, Thank God tomorrow is Sunday, no work.”

  Michael nodded his appreciation of that, also happy it would be the weekend a little longer. I went to the guest room, carefully laying down on my side of the queen mattress, the aches and pains of the day becoming more obvious to me as I stayed still.

  I slept like the dead, waking near dusk with most of my cuts faded to pink and my ribs only spoke their protest instead of screaming it.

  “Look who decided to join the world of the living. Kinda,” Michael teased as he helped chop vegetables in the kitchen. He and Antun were making a soup to combat the chilly weather.

  “Anything I can do to help?” I asked, wanting to be helpful in some way.

  “Not really, we’ve gotten everything prepped. It’s all just time at this point.”

  Antun sauteed garlic and onions in oil on the stove, then he added the carrots and celery, wanting to soften them a little too. He made a rue of the vegetables with some flour and a little butter, stirring it around for a few minutes before adding broth.

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  It already smelled amazing, but it wasn’t even ready yet. He added cooked ground sausage, then potatoes and spinach last, wanting them to cook in the broth.

  I couldn’t wait to try this out, it looked so good. “I call it Lazy Zuppa Toscana.”

  The soup came out creamy and thick, perfect for a night with such awful weather. We ate at the table next to a huge window wall. An electric fireplace was blowing warm air into the room.

  With the soup warming me from the inside and the fireplace warming me from the outside, I wondered if I could achieve a normal body temperature, even if only shortly. The thought amused me and a smile crossed my face.

  “What is it?” Michael asked, noting the smile.

  I widened my smile as I said, “Just thinking funny vampire things. I was wondering if between the soup and the fireplace I could reach a regular body temperature again. Just for kicks.”

  Michael took it as a personal challenge, asking Antun to locate a thermometer.

  Antun came back from his bathroom a few minutes later. “You’re lucky this first aid kit happened to have one, vampires don’t really need thermometers.”

  “Usually,” Michael waggled his brows.

  “You’re all a little mad, you are aware of that, right?” Syla threw out.

  “Indubitably,” Antun replied, pushing the button on the thermometer to see if it worked.

  As I warmed up, they had me stick the thermometer under my armpit, as my mouth would be too warm from the soup and mess with the results. I managed to get up to nearly 95o Fahrenheit and Michael cheered, calling it good enough. I couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, the joy wanting to burst out of me.

  Between the warm soup and the warm atmosphere, I began to be very drowsy. “I think I need to call it. I’m falling asleep in my seat.” I yawned, emphasizing my point.

  Everyone agreed that it was time to sleep and began their respective journeys to their beds, Syla and I walking together. I laid down gingerly, my ribs screaming at every shift of my body. Thank goodness this would heal soon.

  ? ?? ?

  By morning, the pain had dulled to a whisper, and I was nearly whole again.

  I munched on a piece of toast, the others also eating their respective breakfasts: Antun had made himself a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats, Syla had grabbed a muffin, and Michael had made himself scrambled eggs.

  “How’d everyone sleep?” I asked, crunching into buttery goodness.

  “Good, like the dead,” Antun replied. “Those kinds of sleeps always feel the most restful to me.” The others had also slept well and deeply, saying as much. Then there was silence again except for the sounds of eating.

  Syla cleared her throat. “I hate to be the one to ruin the morning already, but I think we’re all wondering anyway. What are we going to do with all these new vampires? Some might be good people but did you see the way they attacked the populace?”

  Syla was right. We were all thinking about the new problem.

  “Damn Nikola. Wherever his soul is, I hope he burns,” Michael uttered. “Leaving such a mess behind, it’s a bit overwhelming.”

  “A bit?” I sighed, “If it weren’t for my injuries healing all night and making me sleep, I probably would’ve been stewing on this instead.”

  We sat there, the mood growing sullen as we tried and failed to think of anything that could work. “Maybe at night, see if we can maybe come upon someone?”

  Antun said. “We’re talking about Seattle, the biggest city in the state. And there’s a good chance they’ve already spread past the city limits.”

  I shook my head. “How likely do you think they’ll spread when there are so many people congregated in this city? Seattle is perfect for vampires. The grey skies, the population, the shadowed alleys. Why spread when they have everything they need right here?”

  Antun made a good point face and shrugged.

  Syla broke the silence, her voice hesitant but firm. “They all followed Nikola’s voice. Is there some way we could maybe mentally project our voices?”

  “Perhaps,” Michael's fingers drummed on his chin. “He was powerful enough to compel you before he became a god. Do you know how he did that?”

  She shrugged, “I don’t know. I always figured that he had drunk enough mana to overcome my own will or something. We could try to test that theory? Have one of us mana-up and see if they can compel any of us.”

  We sat with the idea, letting it roll around in our minds.

  “We don’t have anything else to try, may as well see if we can do it.” Antun looked around the group. “Which one of us is going to “mana-up” as Syla put it?”

  We all shifted, wondering who would be best to try this with. “I’m the oldest, I’ve been around longer than any of you. Do you think that would make any difference?”

  I shrugged, truly at a loss. “You can certainly try. Do you have the time in your schedule to feed that much, though?”

  Antun thought for a moment then said, fingers snapping, “You know what? Influencers take breaks. I’ll tell my followers that I’m going on a media fast for my mental health or something.” That took care of that.

  “So, how are we going to do this?” Michael began, “Syla, he basically starved you of mana, that might’ve also had something to do with it. I don’t know about you guys, but I’d rather not go without mana to test this out.”

  “If we want it to work at all anyway, we need to be taking in a regular amount of mana just like the other vampires. Otherwise the testing is pointless,” I remarked.

  “Eh, I wouldn’t say pointless,” Antun said, “But I understand what you mean. It wouldn’t help with our current problem.” He stood, stretching. “Well, if we’re going to do this, I better get going. I’ll meet you guys back here at 11:00, nice and late. That way I’ll have been out literally all day getting mana gorged and we can do a test tonight, see if it works at all.”

  We nodded, not because it was a good plan, but because it was the only one we had.

  Antun pulled out his phone, “Looks like footage of the attack has now made its way to the local news stations. No one can agree on what happened, so right now there’s just a lot of scared people talking about seeing people biting others.”

  He sighed, “Maybe I shouldn’t take a break from social media just yet. It’ll be easier to keep my ear to the ground if I’m doing my thing every day, easier to dispel any rumors that come onto my channel. Syla, would you mind brewing some espresso while I go get my computer? I’m going to want all my brain power on this one.”

  They both left the room, leaving just Michael and I. “How are you doing? Truly?” He asked, his eyes clouding with concern once more.

  I smiled gently, “I’m fine, I promise. I’m pretty sure I’m more or less healed at this point. You don’t need to worry about me. We’ve got plenty else to worry about.” I failed that attempt at sarcasm, worry creasing deeper into his face.

  “Drew,” he swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “We’ve been calling each other best friends, but… for a while now I think we’ve crossed over that boundary. I don’t know what your thoughts are on labels, but how would it sound, after everything we’ve been through, to be mine?”

  I cut him off with a kiss, my heart wishing it could pound with my excitement. I smiled on his lips as I said, “I think I’d like that.”

  ? ?? ?

  The woman felt much better after that young man had helped out. She felt a little bad for knocking him out.

  I wonder if he just passed out or if he died… I hope he’s okay.

  She passed Pike Place Market, the air fishy but tolerable.

  So many people… So much blood…

  She fought to slow her spiraling breath, but the scent of blood wrapped around her like silk.

  I want it, all of it! So good, so delicious…

  Ever since Nikola had turned her, it was like there was a thirst that could not be quenched. Sure, she was fine. For now.

  She saw an alley up ahead and went in, whether to calm down or to wait for a victim to pass by she hadn’t quite decided. She went further in, using the shadow of the buildings to help conceal her behind a stack of crates.

  She could hear someone coming down the alley. Then they stopped and turned around, then they did it again. The person was pacing, in obvious distress.

  She peeked out of her hiding spot and the man ahead froze like a statue, a stillness that wasn’t quite natural. She noticed.

  “You’re one too, aren’t you. One of the people Nikola changed.” She spoke low, not wanting her voice to leave the alley. She stepped toward him, he just stared at her.

  He wasn’t scared, it looked more like he was assessing her.

  She continued closer until she was only a few feet away.

  He said nothing, just staring.

  “Can you talk?”

  “Of course I can talk,” he huffed, his brow furrowing in irritation.

  “Well, are you one of Nikola’s children?” She wasn’t going to drop it. She needed to know. Despite there having been so many vampires gathered, they had scattered and she had seen no one else. She was starting to feel a little alone and she wanted an ally, someone to watch her back. “What’s your name?”

  He seemed to contemplate whether or not to share the information before speaking. “Jared. Who are you.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Danielle, uh Dani. Good to meet you, Jared.”

  He stared.

  She sighed, “Look, this isn’t going to be a very productive conversation if I’m the only one talking.”

  He stared, so she stared. And stared. Two strangers standing in an alley, staring at each other.

  She thought she was about to burst until he said, “You wanna team up?”

  She was startled but spoke up quickly. “Why don’t we try getting to know each other first. Wouldn’t it be awful if you ended up hating me but you were stuck with me?”

  His eyes narrowed, but he replied, “Okay,” and began walking down the narrow alley.

  Dani ran to catch up to him, walking just behind him once she caught up to him. She still had that same thirst. But now, she wasn’t alone. For now, trust would have to wait. But survival? That they could do together.

  Together, they disappeared into the shadows. Seattle had no idea what was coming.

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