Hunter

35. How to Have Nothing Change

Dimly, I was aware of blood leaving my body. The burning pain in my neck that dulled with every passing moment. The shadows growing in my vision as the vampire sucked the life from me.

I didn't care. I couldn't care.

Mom was dead. And it was my fault. I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't strong enough.

The vampire suddenly drew back, spitting harshly. "You don't taste human," he said, snarling, his face, blood dribbling out of his mouth, looming into my field of view. "What kind of witchcraft have you been playing with, girl?"

If I'd been in a better state of mind, I would have been insulted. Me? Dabbling in witchcraft? Magic and sorcery and unnatural? The idea was almost laughable, with my broken sense of humor.

But I stayed silent. There was no use in fighting against the vampire, not now. I was going to die. I wanted to die.

Please, please, just let me die.

The disgusted sneer left the vampire's expression, and his nostrils twitched. Flared. A grin crossed his face as he ran his tongue over his teeth, which were stained red with blood. My blood. The idea, on a normal day, would have nauseated me. Angered me. But today? Here and now? It was a reminder of exactly how close I was to death. A welcome concept.

The pain in my neck flared again as the vampire lowered his head back down, finishing what he started. I began to grow dizzy, my mind spinning, swooning. I saw Mom's body out of the corner of my eye, growing blurry with each passing moment as the blood left me.

Mom...

She wouldn't have wanted me to just give up and die with her. No mother would want that. She would have made me fight, scream, live.

Not that I had much strength left to do that. If I was going to fight, I should have done it five minutes ago. Now? It was too late.

Besides, having hope while facing death head-on was useless. There was no way out of this for me. Nobody knew where I was. Nobody even knew that I was out here. It had just been Mom and I, and we'd left the safe house without breathing to a single soul where we were going. Why we were leaving in the first place.

My body slumped lower, unable to stay upright for much longer. My vision narrowed to a bleary tunnel as I focused on Mom's body.

I'm sorry.

As my eyes closed for what I assumed would be the final time, the vampire's fangs, sunk deep into my neck, were torn out of me with a force that ripped at my skin. I felt blood slink down my throat, briefly pooling on my shoulder before dripping down the front of my shirt. It was quite an uncomfortable sensation, and definitely not one you want to have as you're dying.

And I was. Dying, I mean. I knew it then, and I still know it now. Even if I had been able to survive being the vampire's dinner, with the newest addition to my neck wounds, there was a high chance that I was going to die here, in the street. Like Mom. Like Kenny. Like so many people I knew or didn't know. I was bleeding out, and I wasn't afraid to die.