Intro to Vampirism [SAMPLE] ✔️

Chapter 3: Post-traumatic sun disorder

My hand burnt like a fucking candle. The pain woke me up and I grunted as I lifted my head. Squinting, I opened my eyes. It was daytime. Memories of last night flooded my brain and I opened my eyes widely, regretting it immediately. My head hurt terribly and my eyes weren't accustomed to the light.

I was in the forest, leaned onto a tree. Every single bone in my body hurt. My dress was torn and dirty and everything around me stunk of metal. My gaze drifted to my hand, which was sunlit and blistery. I pulled it back to myself, tears running down my cheeks. Shakenly, I tried to get up, feeling the tension in my muscles and my bones.

My phone was broken and my mother's dress was ruined. I blabbered, feeling helpless and alone. Why hadn't somebody found me?

Standing on my feet was hard, but I managed to move. What surprised me was that I wasn't hurt, except for my blistered hand, which I couldn't explain. I could swear I felt my blood pouring while I rolled down the hill. When I turned to look at the spot I woke up in, the ground was covered in red, sticky liquid and so was the tree. You bled out, my mind whispered, but I shoved those thoughts away, deciding to never address them again.

A strange shiver crawled up my spine, but I ignored it. The forest around the campus wasn't dense, it wasn't even a real forest, just a tree-covered belt that separated two major streets.

I stepped out of the shadow of the trees and a sharp pain spread all through my body. My skin became red everywhere the sun touched it. I pulled back into the shadows, overwhelmed by tears.

"Okay, okay." I murmured, trying not to slip into hysteria, because I wasn't far from it. Fortunately, I had the coat, so I covered myself, hiding my torn dress and the most of my skin.

"Campus isn't far, I can run to it." I said out loud, hoping that would help unscramble my thoughts. But I was dehydrated, tired and confused. Every thought felt like a weight on my brain. I followed the shadows to the street.

Tire tracks covered the street and I wondered why nobody helped me. The thought of somebody hitting me with a car and simply running away, while I could've died, made me deeply sad. Not angry, not full of hatred. Just melancholy and disappointed.

For a moment, I rested on the three nearest to the street. The campus was empty, it was probably still early and almost everyone was at the party last night. But I knew I couldn't run all the way to my room, without someone seeing me.

I buried my face in my coat and ran for the campus, probably looking like an apparition of a Krampus, more than a person. My legs hurt from moving and the exposure to sun made them burn slightly. I didn't have enough strength to think about any of that. I needed a shower and some water.

I reached the male dorms, because they were closer to the street. I couldn't risk crossing the yard. But as I opened the door, I saw people in the distance and my heart hammered like crazy. I didn't want this; I didn't need this. Everyone would pamper me and ask what happened, and I wanted some peace.

Reacting in the moment, I rushed for the first familiar room, leaned onto the door and began knocking like crazy. Maybe this wasn't the smartest possible idea, but I couldn't risk being seen. I didn't want to be seen. I didn't want to explain.

Caiden opened the door, his angry expression momentarily changing into worry once he saw me.

"Help me." I cried out, the tears falling down my cheeks and into my mouth like waterfalls. Caiden grabbed me by the hand and pulled me inside, closing the door behind me. I crumbled to the ground, unable to stop the tears.

"Chloe, what the fuck happened?" Caiden squatted in front of me, removing the coat off my face. His chest was bare and he seemed so warm, unlike me who was shivering. His gaze was stern, but his hands were soft on my face. Fortunately, the curtains covered the windows, so I didn't have to explain the whole sun thing. Whatever that was.