You Were What You Eat

10. In the Alley

Anna walked silently down the deserted sidewalk, light pooling around her from the streetlamps above. It was only this afternoon she'd been listening to Carmine talk about catching vampires, but here she was, out hunting anyway. Normally, she'd never go two nights in a row. For starters, she didn't need to go out that often; was an unnecessary risk, really. But with the rain coming almost every single day, she needed to go out when she could. Besides, she didn't want to get so desperate that she was as careless as she was last night. Of course, her other major concern was Carmine; if Carmine really did plan on hunting for vampires, Anna couldn't take the chance that she'd be out when Carmine was. And tonight, at least, Carmine would be safely at home. For Anna, this was actually the best way to avoid more problems.

She knew she couldn't go back to the park – it was too risky. Besides, now that people were afraid of something evil lurking there, it had been getting harder and harder to find people willing to go there at night by themselves. Last night, she'd had to wait until practically dawn. And with that newspaper article still fresh in everyone's mind, she doubted anyone would go there at all tonight. Eventually, she decided to go downtown. It was usually busy there, and she had a pretty good chance of finding someone. She just hoped she could get them alone.

After walking quickly for about half an hour, Anna found herself on the edges of downtown. She picked an area that wasn't the best, but wasn't too dangerous, either. After all, she didn't want to be attacked – she was hoping to be the attacker. She found a street with several bars and a night club on it. The club had a few people talking outside, and music was drifting out from somewhere behind its double doors. She figured this would be promising. There was a dark alleyway almost directly across the street. Anna stood just inside it, making her all but invisible to anyone passing by. On the corner, a neon sign flickered, and she could hear its buzzing from where she stood.

As she waited in the shadows, Anna saw a man come out of the club. This could be her chance. She watched him walk halfway down the block before getting into a parked car. Anna sighed; it looked like this was going to be more difficult than she'd thought.

It seemed to take forever before she finally saw a couple pass through the doors and start down the sidewalk. And even though they were across the street, Anna could hear everything they were saying. As soon as they passed Anna's hiding place, she stepped out of the alley, pulling her hood up over her head as she went. She walked quickly but quietly, her boots silent even as they hit the pavement. The three of them walked down the street. Anna was about thirty feet away, but closing in. She hadn't crossed the street yet, deciding to wait until the last possible minute.

As it turned out, this was a great plan. She was directly across from the couple and about to cross over when the man stopped suddenly. Anna stopped too. The woman just turned to him, confused.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't have my keys." the man replied, sounding a little embarrassed. "They must have fallen out of my pocket."

"Really?" the woman scoffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Yeah – probably when we checked our coats. I'll be right back. Wait here, ok?"

"Fine." She rolled her eyes and made some comment about how he was always forgetting everything. "I'm going to go wait by the car."

He nodded and the woman continued on without him.

Just a few feet away, there was a narrow street that crossed the one Anna and this woman were on. The woman turned down it, causing Anna to smile. This was working out even better than she could have hoped – she hadn't been this lucky in days. Anna crossed the street, and within a few minutes was right behind the unsuspecting woman. Anna realized she realized she'd have to work fast; the man wouldn't be gone for long. As soon as she was within earshot of the woman, Anna put her plan into action.

"Excuse me." Anna said as nicely as she could.

The woman started a little and turned around. When she did, Anna was standing face to face with her. She pulled her hood off and smiled politely. The woman was nervous at first, but once she saw that the person she was talking to was a rather small teenaged girl, her worry lessened considerably.

"Yes?" the woman asked.

Anna didn't bother to reply; she just wanted to get this whole thing over with as fast as possible. Anna smiled at her, and she smiled back. But soon, the woman's smile began to fade and her eyes glazed over.

The woman's knees buckled. Anna expertly grabbed onto her shoulders and set her against the car. The woman was several inches taller than Anna, but her slumping made it much easier to reach her neck. Carefully, she leaned into the woman. She knew she was in control today, and she wanted to keep it that way. This attack would leave much less evidence.

As the blood flowed from the woman's body into her own, Anna's cheeks flushed. This was one of the few times she actually took more blood than she needed. With Carmine now on the lookout for vampires, Anna wasn't taking any chances; she might not be able to go out again for a while.

When she'd finished with the woman, Anna slowly pulled away. She was so careful, there wasn't even a trace of blood. Gently, Anna set her down on the pavement. She knew it wasn't the most comfortable place, but there wasn't anywhere better. Besides, the man would be back soon, and he'd take care of her.

The man. The reminder that this woman wasn't alone startled Anna back into action. As soon as the woman was as comfortable as Anna could make her, she jumped up, pulling her hood back over her head and walking quickly and quietly down the street. She avoided the streetlamps, staying in the dark where she was nearly invisible.

As Anna hurried back up the street towards the club, it occurred to her that she hadn't passed that man yet. Her blood went cold; something was wrong. Maybe he'd spotted her and ran for help. She pressed herself up against the side of the building, watching intently.

She looked at the club again. No one was rushing towards her – or away from her. There wasn't anyone there at all, and Anna was left confused. That man really should have passed her by now. And if he'd actually gone for help, there should be some kind of commotion. How long could it really take to go into a building, talk to someone, and leave?

Anna stood there for a minute, thinking. There was a narrow alleyway that cut between the night club and the building she was leaning against. She thought about hiding in there, but something stopped her. Even though it was very faint, she could swear she heard some noises coming from inside. It sounded like the faintest of footsteps coming towards her. She knew she should run; if whoever was there caught her, there was an excellent chance they'd remember her. But she'd never heard someone being so quiet, and she just had to know who it was. She leaned up against the side of the building, melting into the shadows.

She didn't have to wait long. Wearing a dark jacket and blue jeans, the person was almost as invisible as Anna herself. The shadows hid the face, but there was something familiar about whoever this was. With a start, Anna realized it must be a student at her school; those were the only humans she'd ever taken the time to get to know.

The figure left the alleyway and – thankfully – turned away from where Anna was hiding. Whoever it was started a silent run down the street. They were surprisingly quick, and that speed blew the hood off their head. Unfortunately for them, Anna was watching intently. And when she saw the profile, Anna gasped – she did know this person. She saw that girl every day. What was she doing out here?

Slowly, Anna crept into the alleyway. Trash littered the ground, spilling out of the dumpster towards the back. And as Anna continued to look, she saw something move slightly just behind it.

There was something – or, someone – back there; a human was lying crumpled on the ground. She walked towards the figure, kicking Styrofoam cups out of her way as she went. As she approached, she realized why she hadn't passed that man on the street. Apparently, that girl had lured him into the alley.

Anna knelt down beside him and examined his neck. Just as she suspected, there were two small puncture marks. She watched as the wounds went from being obvious bite marks into small, indistinct bruises. Just as she thought – another vampire. Well, that would certainly explain why the papers reported so many attacks.

Anna stood up, ready to leave. But just as she did, something caught her eye. Not even a foot away from this man's head was a deep red ribbon.