To Feel Alive.

Kendra shivered, trembling with trepidation as she slowly reached out to grasp the handle. She tried to peer into the small, square window but inside was dark, complete blackness. Confused, she glanced around the long, empty alley looking for another door. She was sure she was at the right place. Taking a deep breath, she slowly exhaled while simultaneously turning the handle and gently, slowly, silently pushing open the thick, heavy door.

Straining her eyes, she subtly noticed large stains on the door, but her thoughts quickly were averted from the stains when a lamp suddenly turned on beside her. A shriek escaped her lips, and Kendra stumbled backwards almost sending herself sprawling onto the narrow alley's cold, dirty ground.
Shaken, she timidly called out.
"Hello?"
A deep, gruff voice answered loudly sending chills up her arms.
"Enter and be seated."

Complying, Kendra found herself seated at a long, very long, table. Its vastness overwhelmed her, and she began to feel lightheaded. Perhaps it was from the fear that was starting to swell inside her, or maybe, just maybe, it was the stench that nearly took her breath away at first. She could not place where it came from, but Kendra did note with displeasure that it smelled a bit like blood. Almost... like stale blood if such a thing existed.

Across from her on the other end of the enormous twelve-foot table sat a man clothed in black. Kendra wondered why a man would wear a suit just for an interview, but she did not question him. She studied his appearance, sensing him doing the same with her. His eyes, shining from the light of the lamp, illuminated a bright green. His pallid skin was quite a contrast to his mouth which, to Kendra, appeared to be very dark. She leaned forward a bit to see him better but had no success. Suddenly, feeling nervous and obligated to speak she said, "Thank you for welcoming me sir. I trust you received my letter."
"Letter? I was given no such thing."
"You must have gotten it with all my resumes and information papers. I sent them over a week ago."
"No, I requested no letters. Why would I need your information when I've not a clue who you are?"
"Sir? I'm Kendra Wusser. I applied for the teaching position at the school, and you needed my information before the interview."
"I do believe you have mistaken me for another man."

"Are you not Mr. Idrin Kurblud?"
"Why yes, but you've mistaken me for the high school principal who lives just on the other side of town."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Kendra said quickly. "Sir, I must go. I fear I am already late for my interview."
Kendra stood, and started briskly walking to the door. Within seconds he'd crossed the room silently and now had a firm grip on her arm.
"You can't leave now. Stay, you must. Are you hungry? I know it's been a long day, and I'm in the mood for something to drink. What will you have?"
"Oh, really, please, I must leave!" Kendra exclaimed, trying for the door with no luck. She looked back at the man, now able to see that his lips were a bright yet dark, crimson hue. She trembled as he took hold of her long, red hair and laughed.

"Like fire," he said. "I like playing with fire... like blood... I like the taste of blood."
At that moment he leaned in, pulling her close. She felt a sharp sting in her neck, and she screamed as she felt dizzy from the pain. Slumping to the floor, her head propped against the door frame, her screams began to quiet. Her breathing began to slow, and the last thing Kendra saw were the stains on the door that she initially ignored. They were bloodstains!

The first thing Kendra felt when she awoke was the pounding pressure in her head. Her eyes felt heavy, and her body felt different. She opened her eyes to see darkness all around her. Why could she see people sleeping around her? Why was she seeing in the dark? Taking a second look around her, Kendra noticed that not one of the bodies were breathing. Crawling closer to them, she realized none of the people were alive. They were all girls, she observed. All about 5'7'' with the same long, red hair. Kendra startled, grabbing at her own hair and comparing. With a sinking feeling, she realized she was another victim of this man. She was supposed to be dead.

Kendra looked at each girl for any signs of how they were killed. Rolling them onto their backs, she could clearly see two almost triangular-looking shapes on the left side of each neck. Slightly gagging, Kendra lifted her own hand to her neck and pulled it slowly away. It was covered with slightly crusted wet blood.

Then Kendra began to thirst. She felt a small longing sensation in her stomach slowly begin to spread craving throughout her body. She began to shake violently and cried out.
Suddenly footsteps sounded outside the door, and Kendra saw the door swing open. The man standing there wore a look of complete shock, as if he didn't believe what he was seeing.
"What?... How?....You're... alive...."
She looked around her, once again taking notice of the dead bodies she was surrounded by.
"You... tried to kill me?"
"I..."

Kendra stalked up to the rather large man. Placing a palm on his chest, she shoved him backward sending him practically sailing back across the room. She stared down at her hand, amazed thinking where did I get that kind of strength?
Kendra quickly averted her thoughts from her newfound strength as another pang of thirst engulfed her stomach. She dropped to her knees calling out to the stranger, and he came and knelt beside her hesitantly.
"Thirsty," she gasped. "I'm... so thirsty..."

The stranger looked pained momentarily but left the room coming back with a glass of water. Kendra gulped the water down in seconds and began shaking her head.
"No... so thirsty... I need..."
The man groaned and motioned for her to come to one of the bodies he was next to. She complied, and they both knelt by the body as he showed her how he drank their blood.
"There is not enough blood in any of them for them to still be alive, but there is a little bit that you can finish off in each body, and hopefully then your thirst will be quenched."

After a slight hesitation, Kendra took her nail and reopened the incisions in the girl's neck and leaned forward pressing her mouth to the wound.
As Kendra drank the blood, she began to feel stronger, more powerful. The sweetness over-powered her, and she found herself not able to stop drinking until not another drop would come out. Licking her now-stained, florid lips. She moved quickly to the next girl in the juxtaposed order they were in.

When she came to the last girl, she paused. Something felt wrong. She noticed this girl was warm rather than cold like the others. Kendra took hold of one of the girl's wrists as she drank her blood quickly. She found that she had difficultly swallowing the blood and was very irritated by it. When she could finally get no more, Kendra sat back. Exhausted, yet wide awake, Kendra realized she hadn't let go of the girl's wrist. She unbound her finger that was hooked in the bracelet. The material felt strangely familiar. Kendra lifted the girl's wrist to get a better view and twisted it around to the front. Gasping, Kendra glanced down at her own wrist. She began to shake violently as the realization came. She stared into the face of the familiar girl and repeatedly whispered, "I'm so sorry." There laid her best friend. Her fiery red hair, just like Kendra's, was pulled back in a messy bun; her once bright blue eyes now dully staring ahead with no life. An almost permanent blush faded on her cheeks. The identical bracelet that each girl wore was tied to her right hand, a symbol of their lifelong friendship, now broken.

Kendra had just finished off her best friend. She drank her blood and twenty other girls' blood as well and she felt... alive!