Eventide-Prologue

PROLOGUE

         I stood in shock as the darkness filled the air around me, my legs trembling in fear. The full moon was shining bright against a sea of black, and the stars hid behind the cloudy night. The three figures stood no more than fifteen feet in front of us. They seemed frozen in their tracks. One was taller than the others and wore a dirty trench coat. The other two also wore coats, but theirs were shinier--cleaner. Hunter, my brother, who was standing next to me slowly took a step back. After a moment, the figures stepped forward.
         Two more steps and again, our pursuers moved forward. Before they could take another step, Hunter and I turned and ran faster than we had ever run before.
         Something was flowing in my body telling me it wasn't safe. Something that had been explained to me many times before that I didn't want to believe.
         We were all alone. Incredibly frightened.
         There was a fire in my stomach. The pain stabbed me in the belly. I doubled over, stumbling into a large dumpster I hadn’t had time to see was there, and fell to the cold, wet concrete street. Two over-sized rats scurried and screeched against my ear, their tails slapping me across the face. Using my hands to steady myself, I quickly got back onto my feet and continued my dash for freedom.
         The shouts of our captors echoed behind us.
         “You can't outrun us!”
         “There's no escape!”
         “We're faster than you!”
         Cold air whipped across my skin. My heart drummed in my ears. I shrieked. “What do you want from us?” but none of them answered. The growls got louder with each step we took as they closed in on us.
         “Leave us alone!” I heard Hunter scream in the darkness next to me, but neither of us stopped running. I tried to ignore the fear I felt inside, and wondered if my brother was doing the same.
         “You should know better than to walk the streets at night!”
         “Especially in a dark alley!”
         At the end of the long, narrow passageway bordered on both sides by towering, windowless walls, cars were blazing by. Maybe we could get away after all. Just a few more steps and we would be safe. I hoped.
         I quickened my pace, but couldn't run any faster. I was too tired. I knew we couldn't stop, and just as Hunter and I were about to step into the brightness of the streetlamps, one of the strangers grabbed a fistful of Hunter’s jacket with one hand and a lock of hair on the back of my head with the other, and pulled us back violently. We screeched in unison, “P-Please don't hurt us!”—but our attacker didn't let go.
         I swung my arms behind me to try and move the man's hands away, but he lifted us effortlessly into the air and threw us violently against a cold, brick wall. The force of the impact was strong. I felt a sharp pain roll down my back, and by the sound of his groans, I could tell Hunter had felt a similar pain. Tears streamed down my face. “Let us go...I beg you...We don't have anything you want. Please please please, don't hurt us.”
         The man who had thrown my brother and me against the brick wall smiled nastily. “Oh but you do, my boy?” He moved his cold eyes slowly down my face until they had locked on the side of my neck. Then he turned to my brother and did the same.
         I looked from one man to the other. What could they possibly want with us?  The three men had the same expression on their faces. Those faces! What was wrong with their features?  I wondered. They looked human, familiar, but different somehow—almost animal-like. The way their piercing eyes were focused on us. The irises in each one of them were the same, a deep scarlet. Much darker than blood—soulless. They narrowed slightly as the three men sniffed the air around them, taking in the scent that flowed within their prey. Us.
         Suddenly it occurred to me what these creatures were. They had haunted my nightmares ever since my brother had told me stories about their existence when I was a child.
         I asked once again, the words coming out in nothing more than a whisper. “What do you want from us?
         The taller of the three hovered over me. His pale face drew close. Ice-cold breath beat against my skin. I felt chills all over like a bolt of electricity flowing through my entire body had struck me. I shivered.
         “You know what we want, boy!” The man growled, and a pair of long, sharp fangs elongated as he opened his mouth. “Your blood!”
         Hunter and I gasped. Terrified. My eyes widened. I wanted to scream for help at the top of my lungs until I was out of breath. But I knew deep inside help wouldn't come, and nobody would hear us even if we tried to scream.
         Before Hunter could say another word, it was too late. The man smiled fiercely. Fangs glistened in the moonlight, and bit down.



On to Chapter 1--->"Eventide-Chapter 1"