Kip!
“So cold. I’m s-so cold.” The cold presses against my skin harshly, it’s inescapable.
Charlie tugs me into his arms, but it’s not like it was before. I can’t feel his touch. I can’t feel his warmth.
“I c-can’t feel you anymore.” I shudder, curling up tightly.
Goddamnit, Kip!
The world around me ripples. Sunlight fades and is replaced by darkness. The softness of the blanket and grass is replaced by harsh concrete. I can’t smell Charlie anymore, or the flowers surrounding us.
“Don’t go, Charlie, please. Not yet.” I beg. Don’t wake me up.
Charlie’s lips move, but I can’t hear him anymore. I can’t hear the forest, or the critters. I hear the drip-dropping of water against stone. I hear an annoyed voice, and the sound of hands banging on bars.
“Are you ignoring me, Kip? Real mature.”
Blood. I smell blood. Everywhere. It seeps into the ground beneath me, soaking through my clothes. The sticky, coopery liquid covers my skin. It drips down my hair, into my eyes, nose and mouth.
Charlie fades away.
I gasp, sputtering as blood fills my mouth. At first, my urge is to spit it out. But then my nostrils flare, my fangs descend, and my claws pop. An animalistic growl comes from deep in my chest, and my tongue flicks out to any blood it can reach. Soon, I’m sucking my fingers, my arms, and bending down to run my tongue along the floor where blood has pooled beneath me.
I’m a monster, and I can’t stop.
When I’ve cleaned myself and the floor around me of all blood, I follow a line of haphazard drips along the floor, cleaning each one until no trace remains. The end of the trail leads me to the bars, where I look up and see Tyson standing, a disgusted look on his face, and a bucket in his hand.
The bucket has drips of blood along the sides, and I can smell more remnants of the liquid inside of it.
I can’t stop myself from squeezing my arms through the bars of my cell, swiping at Tyson and the bucket.
He jumps back, out of reach of my claws. “Seriously? You licked the fucking blood off the dirty floor? The fuck is wrong with you?”
“Need it.” I growl. My vision is covered by a red haze. All I can think about is getting the remaining blood.
Tyson tosses the bucket away, letting it clatter in the far corner of the room.
I hiss in anger. “Give it!”
I don’t notice the cattle prod until it’s pressed against my moist skin.
The pain is worse than usual, because of the amount of moisture on my skin from lapping up the blood like a feral freak.
“F-f-f-fuckkk!” I screech.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say you failed this test.”
The shock of the prod breaks me out of my bloodlust. “You threw a bucket of blood on me?! How the fuck did you expect me to control myself when you woke me up by drenching me in blood?!”
“If you had control over your bloodlust, you would’ve been fine.” Tyson shrugs nonchalantly.
“Oh, like you’d be able to hold back if the same thing was done to you? You’re the worst vampire mentorever.” I put distance between us, backing up against the far wall of my cell. “Seriously, it feels like you’re not even trying to help me get out of here.”
“Yes, because I absolutelylovespending time in this dank basement with you. It’s my number one favorite activity.” He says with a fake smile.
“You know what would get us both out of here faster? If you stopped fucking with me. Maybe you should focus on actually helping me, instead of covering me in blood and then cattle prodding me.”
“Or, if you stopped acting like a fucking animal anytime a drop of blood is in your vicinity, we’d already be out of here.” Tyson crosses his arms, looking down his nose at me.
