The Clandestine

Chapter 7: Humanity

Ivana

I awoke; the night was eerily quiet. I lay on my car's steering wheel. It is pitch black outside and my lips are dry; I needed to feed.

Memories of what had unraveled today came back to me and I pressed them out my head, I could not deal with that now. I felt weak. In fact, I had never felt like this before. I was totally exhausted; my stomach still had a dull ache. I wondered how long I had been out. I could not understand what had made me lose consciousness.

I opened the door and as I got out, a car pulled up. A man got out and walked towards me. He was older with grey hair.

''You need help?'' the man asked and I licked my lips at the smell of his blood.

''Yes!.'' I hissed and was at his side in mere seconds; I pushed him against the side of my vehicle, pulled his head back and bit down into his neck. He never even had time to react. He laid back in shock. His blood was sweet and filled me, as he begun to writhe in my hands I hoped for that joy I felt while I was taken a human life, but nothing came and I let him go. He slid down the edge of the trunk and landed on the road. He was on the verge of passing out. My humanity had kicked in and I couldn't kill this man, even though the vampire part of me wanted to.

Though I felt better, I was frustrated with myself. I took the man by his arm and dragged him away from my vehicle towards his own. I opened his car door and lifted him in. As I pulled him in I looked over at the back seat, tucked in between the seats sat a little girl with her hands clasped over her eyes, she looked scared as hell and I had an urge to comfort her.

''Hey there.'' I said and she parted two chubby little fingers from which she peered out with one green eye. Her hair was brown and curly and I ventured a guess to her age - about five years.

''Your daddy is fine, he will be fine.'' I tried to reassure her and she dropped her hands to look over at the man I had just bitten.

I didn't know where the urge to comfort this little girl came from, I had never cared for children before...mind you I had never cared for anyone before.

I shook my head, she looked like she was about to cry. I had to walk away from this I couldn't show affection, not to this little human. I quickly slammed the door, and made my way over to my vehicle. As I started the engine and pulled away, I heard the sound of a helicopter approaching and police sirens going off. The noise was getting closer by the second. I slowly made my way from the other car. I looked up in my rearview mirror and slammed on the brakes. A car, which I assumed was on the run from the police, slammed into the back of the vehicle I just left behind.

Both cars flipped and I heard the piercing scream of the little girl. I jumped out of my car as I saw the smoke and fumes fill the air. I ran over to the silver station wagon that was crushed up on its side against a rocky wall; flames licking at the car.

The police surrounded the vehicles, but back trying to find a safe place to reach the victims.

I didn't think and reacted. I jumped on the station wagon and slammed my fist through the window. The man was still unconscious. I searched for the little girl. Time was not on my side; the car was about to explode. I found her between the seats, blood dripped from her little head, and I grabbed her arm. She was conscious and I felt as her small finger closed around my fingers. She started screaming as I dragged her from the car.

''Daddy! Daddy!''

Once I had her safely through the window, she wrapped her stubby little legs around my waste and a strange feeling ripped through me; she saw me as her protector. I looked up at the helicopter that flew like a dragonfly overhead, a bright light shone on me and I then ran towards the police with the girl. She kept screaming for her father and I instinctively left her with the police and ran back to the car.