Allie is this badass chick who is absolutely built. She can bench just as much as me. It’s awesome to see all different types of people coming here to build themselves up. When I first started here, as a locker room attendant when I was eighteen, it wasn’t as common to see females here. It was mainly your stereotypical dude-bros who would come in, but now I get people from all walks of life here and it’s amazing. Everyone deserves to live in a body that they love and feel proud of.
“Alright, Deadlift Queen, let’s do some warming up, yeah?” I mean it when I call Allie ‘Deadlift Queen’. She’s a fucking beast.
We run through our typical pre-lift warmups, some light jogging, arm circles, leg swings, high knees, and dynamic stretching to loosen up before we get to the workout.
The workout is going well, and we actually end up pushing Allie’s limits a bit by adding extra weight to her deadlifts and leg presses. “You’re a rockstar, Allie, seriously. I bet you could lift me right up and toss me out the window if you wanted.”
She’s following behind me, taking a swig out of her water bottle, before she responds. “Only if you piss me off, Kip. Then you’d be in real—oh fuck!”
I spin around in time to watch in horror as Allie goes down. Some idiot left a bag in the middle of the walkway, and Allie must’ve tripped over it. She goes flailing, and I try to hustle over to catch her, but I’m too late. She hits the floor, and on the way down her head smacks the metal leg of a bench press.
I smell it before I see it. Blood.
Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.
I stand frozen, my mouth open in horror, as Allie lets out a cry and blood trickles down her forehead. I want to move to help her, but the overwhelming urge to feed is too strong. I can hear her blood whooshing through her veins. Smell the intoxicating scent wafting through the air.
I will the urge away, but it’s no use. Please, not here, not now. Control yourself, Kip.
My fangs burst free from my gums, and my claws extend. Bloodlust burns through me. The need to feed is too strong, stronger than my will to fight it. I’m moving forward, towards Allie, but not to help her. No. The only thing on my mind is how sweet her blood smells. How badly I want to taste it.
Someone gets in my way. My teeth gnash and snap at the person blocking me from my feast. I’m snarling and growling, scratching at the body that stands in my way.
“Kip!” The person in front of me snaps. Tyson. “We’ve got to get you away from her, man.”
“No!” My voice comes out demonic.
“Can we get some medical help for this person!” Tyson yells out while crowding his body against mine, pushing me back.
A flurry of action happens behind him. Two of my coworkers rush to Allie’s side, helping her, while another calls an ambulance. I’m distantly aware of all this activity, but still, my body slams itself against Tyson’s, trying to get to the blood. In the back of my mind, the human part of me is screaming for me to stop. It’s telling me that I’ll regret it if I attack Allie. But the vampire part of me doesn’t give a shit.
Tyson is stronger than me, so while everyone else is distracted with helping Allie, he’s able to push me back. He pushes and pushes, until I stumble through the doorway of the managers office. He swings the door shut behind us, locking it with both of us inside.
I lash out, fighting Tyson with everything I have. I slice him open with my claws, leaving long gashes across his face where his black blood drips down.
“Stop it, Kip.” He makes to grab my wrists. “Stop!” He roars.
“I…can’t…” I pant. I want to, believe me I want to, but my instincts won’t let me. “Don’t want to hurt anyone…” My voice is still deep and demonic, but it’s tinged with anguish. “Why is this happening, Tyson?! I was fine the first time I fed from Charlie.”
The blood isn’t even in my sight anymore, but I can fucking smell it. It seeps through the walls, calling to me.
“If you don’t fucking stop, I’m going to have to put you down.” Tyson growls, heaving my body back against a wall and caging me in.
“Do…it…” I don’t know what he means by ‘putting me down’, but I know that it’s the only option. I can’t fight this, and I’m not going to be able to stop. “Please…”
Tyson places a palm on either side of my head. “I’m sorry. This is going to hurt.”
Snap.
Black.
“Ahhh, fuck…” I grumble, trying to stretch out the ache in my back and neck.
It’s then that a few things stand out to me.
First, it’s fucking cold here. Second, it’s pitch black. And third, I’m pretty sure I’m laid out on cement.
What the fuck?
