Protected By Vampires

Chapter 11

    Once we were outside I felt like I could breathe easier. Sam unlocked his car and opened the door for me. Just as I was about to climb in, a scream startled both of us. We looked at the front of the house and the woman running towards us. The front of her blue dress was ripped open and her chest was covered in blood. She stumbled more than ran, screaming the whole time.

“Ohmygosh!” I gasped and ran to her. She fell to the ground before I could reach her. Ignoring how cold the ground was, I kneeled down next to her. She was gasping, her eyes unfocused. “What happened?” I asked. 

When she didn’t respond, I looked up at Sam and told him to call for paramedics. There was so much blood that I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. I tried to use some of her torn dress to wipe it off, but it just smeared it around.  Her body started to convulse and her breathing slowed then stopped.

“SAM! I think she just died!” I screamed. My entire body started shaking. I looked up and he was just staring at us. Without saying a word he ran back inside the house. I put my fingers on her throat to try to feel for a pulse. Nothing. I had absolutely no medical training and felt completely helpless. I looked at her lifeless eyes and the blood smeared on her face and lost my dinner on the lawn.

Sam returned with Mark and they helped me back up. I was shaking so bad that Sam had to hold on to me to keep me from stumbling back down to the ground. Mark and Sam seemed to be having a conversation with their eyes, they were silent for a while. 

Finally Mark said, “I’m sorry you saw this Viv. We’ll take care of her, Sam is going to take you home so you aren’t involved in this.”

“But won’t the police need to talk to me? Do you know what happened to her?” I asked.

“This is my niece, she’s been very depressed lately. I didn’t realize it had gotten so bad, or that she would take her own life.”

“I’m not an expert, but I don’t think that anyone could inflict those kinds of wounds on themselves! I think I should stay and talk to the police. I need to give my statement.” I protested. 

Mark studied me for a minute then said, “I’ll be right back.”

When he was gone I asked Sam, “Did anyone call for help? They should be here soon right?”

He shook his head and was silent until Mark returned. He was carrying a couple of towels and a steak knife that had blood on it. He used one towel to clean off some of the blood from her neck revealing a large, deep cut. The second towel he gave to me to clean off my hands.

“I found the knife in the bathroom when I got the towel. It looks like it probably is a self inflicted wound.” Mark said, holding the knife out for me to see.

“But that doesn’t explain why her dress was ripped. She looked scared. I’d still rather wait and give my statement to the police.” I insisted.

Sam stood in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders. “We’ll wait if you want to, but it might be a long wait. It’s new years and the police are busy will drunk drivers. Or we can go home and I can take you to the police station to give your statement the first thing in the morning. You didn’t see it happen, so there’s really no urgent need for you to wait around tonight.”

He had a point, but the whole situation made me uncomfortable. Could I get in trouble for leaving? I was tired, and shaken, and wanted a hot shower and my warm bed. I didn’t feel right leaving though.

“It’s okay, I’ll wait.” I said. 

Sam sighed loudly, making his irritation with me obvious. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at Mark, who seemed too calm for the situation. They were both too calm. Finally he looked back at me, his face blank.

“Okay Viv. I didn’t want to have to do this to you, but you’re being stubborn.” Sam said to me. My heart sped up, and suddenly I was terrified. 

“Do what?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“Don’t worry, it won’t hurt and you won’t even remember.” Sam took my trembling hands. I tried to pull them back but he was strong. “Look at me.”

I looked into his chocolate brown eyes, and the rest of the world disappeared. My head got fuzzy, and I was confused. Why were we standing outside in the cold? I thought we were going home.

“We had a good time at the party. You got tired and wanted to leave, so I drove you home. You’re going to get in bed and sleep all night. When you wake up, all you’ll remember is having fun dancing, then counting down to the new years. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I had so much fun. But I’m so sleepy.” I heard myself say.

“Good. Go to sleep.” Sam instructed. So I did.