Never make a deal with a vampire

Chapter 1: Figures

"Just relax," I muttered, my already numb fingers fumbling with the car door handle, "Everything's going to be fine, just focus on getting out."

As I tried to get out of the small car, I glared through the windshield at the snow. The stupid snow. The stupid snow that had somehow froze my car up and caused it to break down, leaving me stranded in the middle of an empty stretch of road, trying to get out of a broken down car which was slowly starting to feel more and more like a mini fridge.

Wait a minute, what was that? I squinted through the swirling snow, trying to catch another glimpse of the shadowy figure I'd seen just moments ago.

I stared so hard that my eye started to twitch and my head hurt. What the hell was that I'd seen? My overactive imagination immediately jumped into action and I found myself going through every grim, horrible thing I could think of. Ghost? Psycho? Werewolf? Serial killer? Kidnapper?Zombie? Vam-

I jumped as I heard a sound, a sound like footsteps coming from behind the car, but when I looked in the rearview mirror, all I could see was a blizzard of snow.

I could feel my heart beating like a drum roll in my chest, I could hear my rapid, shallow breathing.

Just keep it together, you'll be fine, nothing is going to-

"Aaaaah!"

That was definitely not my imagination!

My frozen fingers suddenly seemed to find feeling again as I scrambled at the car door with them before finding the handle, wrenching it toward me and putting all of my strength into opening the car door which had apparently frozen shut.

I felt hot, salty tears rolling down my cheeks, only to freeze halfway down. If I stayed here any longer, I was going to freeze, die... then freak out. I started to hyperventilate, each breath coming faster and faster, pure fear feeding my adrenaline as I doubled my efforts of opening the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Argh! Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!" I sobbed, what had I ever done to deserve this?

"God, if you help me out of this I will put all of my savings into a collection tin at church, I will pray for poor and starving people instead of me, I will... get up super early on Sunday and go to church! Well, erm, no. Not the last one."

I finally decided that I had done something to upset the guy upstairs and slumped down in my seat, burying my face in my knees in an attempt to keep warm.

Think, damn it, think!

I took a few deep shuddery breaths and shifted into a more comfortable position, only to feel a sharb stab in my side. I gasped, and reached behind me to pick up a long, metal crowbar which I was meant to give to Steven, my adopted brother, when I got home. If I got home that is.

I threw it down under the car seat, who needed a crowbar anyway? They were useless unless you needed to hit someone with it.

Or use it to look tough.

Or for opening shut lids.

Or windows.

Or doors.

My eyes widened in realisation as I frantically searched the car floor for the crowbar. I couldn't help but grin as my fingers brushed the cold metal, and I clasped it in my fist as if I was scared it would disappear.

I shoved one end into the crack between the door and the rest of the frame of the car and put all of my remaining effort and strength into prying the door open.

I soon realised that all I was achieving was bruising my fingers and breaking into a sweat which soon, like my tears earlier, froze.

I gave up, throwing myself back and staring absently out of the windscreen. The edges were covered in snow, and the rest of the glass was frosted over and icy.

Of course, you always remember pointless, random things when you're stuck in life threatening situations (because I've had so many... pfft) and something popped into my head that I'd otherwise forgotten.

I remembered hearing somewhere that glass is more fragile when extremely cold, well at least, I hoped so.

I glanced down at the crowbar in my hand, then at the windscreen, then back at the crowbar. I frowned for a moment, my brow furrowing, but I shrugged it off.

It's either death or hundreds to repair the windscreen right?

I threw the crowbar in the air, caught it, then stabbed the windscreen with all the force I could muster.

I screamed as there was a loud shattering sound, then I felt a sharp pain in my hand and stomach before an icy wind hit my face, pummeling me with sheets of freezing rain and hail.

After a moment of hesitation, I zipped my coat all the way up, until it covered my mouth, and climbed out of the hole in my car which, only moments ago, used to be filled with glass.

"Brrr..." I shivered and wrapped my arms tightly around myself, ignoring the dull, throb of pain in my abdomen. The snow was coming down heavier than I thought, even if my car door wasn't frozen shut, it would be snowed shut, my jeans were already soaked to well above the knee.

"Well come on feet." I cringed as my voice pierced the eerie silence of the night, I shook it off and lifted my feet out of the cold, glistening snow, nearly losing my balance in the attempt, but still I continued to trudge through the snow in the general direction of home, head bowed to the wind.

"What did I do to you?" I screamed at the skies, I had been walking for what felt like hours in this endless expanse of snow... and when I turned around I could still see my run down car in plain sight, only now it was half submerged in snow.

I slumped to the ground and immediately felt the snow soak through the denim of my jeans.

Just peachy.

I felt my eyes burning with tears again and I sniffed, but that only caused my nose to sting from the cold and my eyes to water even more. I tried to wipe my eyes and that was when I noticed it. A shard of glass, about an inch long sticking out of the top of my hand, staining the skin a bloody red. I gasped in realisation and hurriedly checked myself over.

I gagged when I noticed a particularly large piece of glass impaling my stomach, I knew I shouldn't take it out, but nevertheless, I clenched my hand around it and screamed in pain when the jagged edges sliced my fingers and the glass in my hand grinded against the bone.

How the hell can you walk around looking like a pin cushion and not be able to feel it?

I didn't bother to hold back my tears this time, or brush the frozen tear trails from my cheeks when they fell, I just sat there.

Numb.

Cold.

Tired.

I threw my head back for a final shout beforeI curled up in a ball, regardless of the glass, and... died.

"I give up! Okay? I give up! Are you happy now you sadistic son of a-"

"Not as happy as I should be."

My eyes widened as a deep, smooth voice cut my shouting off short. I spun around, wincing at the pain in my stomach as I did so, and felt my jaw literally drop.

Through the swirling snow and ice, I could see a shadowy figure leaning against a tree, looking oddly relaxed in the middle of a freezing blizzard.

His face was in the shadows but I could see the rest of him, his jean clad legs; his white shirt stretched across his torso; his arms folded across his chest, muscles rippling with every small movement.

All in all, he had a body worthy of a professional athlete and clothing more suitable for clubbing than standing in the snow watching an injured girl screaming at nobody in particular, curled up in the cold.

This man was not who I would want help from.

And he didn't look like the kind of man who would offer me his help anyway.

Figures.