Aster

(Mature content for the slight gore, better safe then sorry)

      I rolled over in bed. It was already eleven. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Eli had told me. I still couldn’t believe it. I didn’t believe it, to be honest. I mean, vampires, ghosts, witches… those were kid monsters, stuff people dressed up as on Halloween. I groaned into my pillow. I felt like a bad joke had been played on me. But, something kept itching at me.

      I just had this feeling, something just out of my reach. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to fall asleep yet again.

      The gates were shut, and they creaked when I pushed at them. I jumped and caught the top of them. “Come on, Jamie!” I taunted over my shoulder, as I hoisted myself over the top of the gate.

      “I’m going” he muttered and I felt the gate shudder as he started climbing. I hit the earth with a thud, the earth hard and cold beneath my feet. We were in.

      “Over there,” I pointed “by the brick piles.” Perfect.

      He hesitated “Come on man, you know I can’t do this stuff.”

      “Don’t bitch out on me, Jamie. If you want to join the gang, you gotta do the dare.”

      “We’re best friends, Aster” I hear him say quietly, “Just tell them I did it.” 

      I snort.  “You gotta do something scary to get in.” I consider what to say, and then speak “I’m the one that made it up, because I knew it would freak you out.” I see him resign himself, square his shoulders, and march towards the brick pile with a black candle in hand. He climbs onto the pile and the bricks clunk and move under him, but he keeps his balance. It’s when he turns towards me that I see her.

      I stumble back and right before I can shout to Jamie, she looks me in the eye.

      I can’t move.

      I can’t move I can’t move I can’t move I can’t move.

      “Aster?” I hear Jamie whisper. His voice trembles. I can’t move I can’t move I can’t move.

     But she can.

      She pounces on him and grabs his shoulders. Tilting her head to the side, she sinks her top teeth into his throat. Horrible white knives that slash his throat to ribbons.

      Jamie let out a gurgled shriek and he spasms, twice, and his eyes rolled back into his socket. His mouth let out a keening wail that ended in a liquid gurgle. Then his head went loose. And she shoved him away from her, her mouth stained red. He collapsed like a ragdoll.

      I shut my eyes. I squeeze them tight. And I feel her presence next to me.

      My hood is pulled down. “Open your eyes, Love.” Her breath washes against my ear. I let out the barest shiver of a moan, and my eyes prick with tears. She strokes back my hair, her voice almost a croon. “Just a sliver.” Then her voice twists into something far more mocking and she tightens her grip on my hair. “I might even let you go.”

      “NO!” I shout and twist trying to break free. But her hold on me doesn’t flinch. “You’re lying!”

      “I’m not…” she purred, “But you’re running out of time.”

      She swirls around me and her hands rest on my shoulders. Like a dance partner mid step.

      “So open your eyes…”

      My eyes fly open and I almost shove myself out of the bed, running. I collapse back on my bed panting. Her red red eyes are staring at me. Her glowing red, red eyes the same color as Jamie’s blood. I try to remember, remember anything about her.

      All I see are those glowing red eyes, staring straight at me.

      I slowly sit up and move to the edge of the bed. Sweat is soaking my shirt. The clock reads three. Three precisely. I rest my head in my hands and take deep breaths.

In

Out

In

Out

      My eyes fall on something light on the floor a little ways away from my bed. I grunt and reach over to turn on my lamp. I squint against the light, but stand, and go to pick it up.

      It’s the business card. It must have fallen out of my jeans while changing. We hunt, and usually kill undead. Eli’s voice comes back to me, unbidden. They could kill her. He said that vampires were usually what they dealt with. They could hunt her down, I could help find and get rid of that bitch that slaughtered Jamie. I let out a breathless laugh and glanced around for my phone. I quickly typed in the number and heard the phone ring a few times. “Cunningberg. Hello, who is this?” Shoot, it was three in the morning, and it sounded like he just woke up.

      “Hey…” my voice trailed off, but I continued before I could chicken out. “This is Aster, remember? You gave me the business card.”

      “Oh, You.” The tiredness disappears from his voice. He laughs “You must have stayed up all night tossing and turning over this decision. What made you do it?”

      I tilt my head, thinking of what to say. “Nightmare. It reminded me of what I have to loose, and have lost, and what I have to gain.” I coughed; I had just gotten a lump in my throat.

      “Hey,” his voice was suddenly gentle “I swear you won’t regret your decision. You’ll be able to get to bloodsucker that killed your friend.” He paused “And I will do everything in my ability to help, I promise.”

      I croaked out a laugh “That’s two promises that you’ve made so far. You better keep them.”

      “Ah, don’t worry, I always keep my promises- usually.” He was back to his mirthful happy state. “I’ll drop by tomorrow and take you to HQ at about eleven, that good with you?”

      “Yeah, that should work. Are we walking?”

      He snorts, and I can almost see his smirk “Nah, I have a car. Any more questions? Or can I go back to bed?” I smile.

      “Just one. What will we be doing at… HQ?” I tasted the new word in my mouth.

      “You’ll just be signing some confidentiality wavers, meeting the boss, and getting you into the system. It isn’t every day that we get a new guy, so don’t worry about the staring. It isn’t personal.” I swallow.

      “Okay, thanks.” I smile again despite myself, “Better get back to sleep, or you might not make eleven.”

      “I could say the same to you. See you tomorrow-wait-today, bye.” He hangs up before I can respond. I drop backwards in bed. I let loose a deep breath.

       I felt like a weight had just rolled off my chest. I could do something. I wasn’t frozen anymore, I could finally move again.