Awake

What the hell is going on? I remember. I was definitely dead. I was gone. I was finally free from it all. My hair is matted, and I reek of earth.

I look down at the place where I was.

Buried? Did I die? How long has it been?

My mouth feels weird. I'm thirsty. My throat feels like sandpaper.

"You've finally risen." A booming voice tells me, somewhere in the dark.

I stumble back into a tree, trying to focus my vision. Everything is black. The full moon can't penetrate this kind of leering darkness.

"Do you know where you are." The voice continues.

I shake my head. I'm in a woods, but I could be anywhere in the world.

"South Carolina." A hand lands on my shoulder and I jump away. My vision seems to focus and I get a blurry view of the wilderness. A clearing. I make a break for it.

The ground digs into the soles of my feet, and branches keep catching my skin and clothes.

Why am I in South Carolina? Home is in Pennsylvania. How am I supposed to get back?

Why would I want to go back?

My foot gets stuck in a hole, and I lose my footing. I trundle downhill, the slam into water. A creek of some sort.

I'm exhausted. My limbs feel heavy. The water is cool, and calming. My eyes begin to flutter shut against my will.

The earth seems to have a heartbeat beneath me. The shallow water ripples around me, like it's trying to rock me to sleep.

Footsteps.

"It took you long enough to come to." The same voice remarks.

I turn my head in the direction of the stranger and open my eyes. He stands among the trees, dressed in all black, with a thick pair of boots to match.

"What do you mean?" I ask. I don't feel like running anymore.

He chortles and takes a few more steps toward me. "You were dead for a year, today. Took you long enough to wake up."

"How'd you know that I'd wake up?"

He reaches a hand out to me. "Call it a hunch. I can always feel the unfinished."

"Huh?" I take his hand, and he easily pulls me back to my feet.

"The potential to come back. A will powerful enough to defy death."

The only sure thing I wanted in life was to stare down on the man that caused me pain and anguish down to my last breathe.

"You're officially: undead."

"Huh?"

The man is tan, and covered in tribal tattoos. His hair is thick and brown. It's like standing next to a tree. His features are well chiseled, and one of his ears gleam with piercings.

"If you come with me, I can help you with your new self."

"Huh?"

"Let's go." He yanks at my wrist and I don't put up much of a protest.

"I hope that little twit isn't up." The man says more to himself.

I don't ask any more questions. I'm so tired, that talking leaves me breathless. Have to walk through the woods doesn't help. I keep stumbling and my vision keeps going in and out.

"Those senses of yours will kick in sooner or later. Your fangs haven't even sprouted yet."

Walk back over where I was buried, and the man stops.

"Take a final glance at it. That's the last bit of your humanity."

I nod, but my skin crawls. I want to get as far away from this place as possible.

Like he's read my mind, the man takes my hand and continues to lead me through the trees until we reach a road. It is unpaved seems to continue into the darkness, forever.

The man points toward a black S.U.V. perched on the side of the road. I don't offer much of a response, other than a groan, and climb into it.

When he gets in, he starts the engine, and turns to smile at me. I lean my head on the window and let memories clash in my mind.

My father took it that far. He finally killed me. I never thought he would, but knew he was perfectly capable. I don't understand why he hated me so much. I was the perfect daughter. I wasn't disobedient or did anything that caused him any strife.

Maybe being born was my mistake.

A nudge on my arm pulls me out of it.

"We're here." The man proclaims. He slides out of the car and looks around, before looking at me with an arched brow.

I step out of the car, grass greeting my bare feet.

"You brought me a meal." A different voice goads.

The man snorts and shakes his head. "Can I get a decent greeting in first." The man runs his hands through his mane.

I can feels eyes on me, like daggers on my skin.

"Jay, this is our lovely knew roommate…" he trails off. I guess it would be kind of weird if he knew my name.

"Niore." My voice is gravely, my throat is turning into the Sahara.

"My name is Dean. We're going to have a lot of fun here, together."

Jay continues to cut his gaze into me. Gleaming red eyes fall into mine and I gasp.

"There's no way." I barely squeak.

"Yup," Jay laughs. "Bonafide vampire."