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Blood bag? When did she start thinking of humans like that? She climbs to her feet. Less than two hours ago, she’d been mortal like them, and blissfully unaware of bloodthirst.
She glances around but nothing looks familiar. Walking directions put the blood bank only a mile from where she is. She takes one stride and a dozen more, and she makes it to the door of the blood bank faster than she could have as a human mortal. The door chimes as she strolls inside.
“Can I help you?” a man calls from behind the counter.
“I need to donate.”
He nods and heads back toward the back, calling back over his shoulder. “Let me get the forms. We still do things the old-fashioned way around here. Paper and ink.”
Maddy jumps over the counter, lands lightly on the other side, and sniffs at the air. The blood’s a different direction than the attendant went, so she darts to the next corridor, peering down it. Two white-coated women chatter over something on a screen, and she bolts through a thick door and into a chilled room. It’s filled with blood, categorized by type.
Does type matter? No, she doesn’t think so. Maddy swipes three bags from the shelves and slips out of the room again, practically bumping into the guy from the front desk.
His gaze narrows. “What are you doing?”
Maddy glares at him. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
He grins and winks. “Ah, total newb. Don’t worry. Secret’s safe with me.”
“I don’t need your help,” she snaps over her shoulder, already on her way toward the exit.
“Hey. They’re on the house.”
Before she strides out, she stops to look at him. “What?”
He flashes his own fangs and then waves her away. “Newbs always eat free. We can’t have you running around town, scaring people, now, can we? Keep the place safe for the rest of us.”
She bursts out of the blood bank and scans the surroundings for someplace to devour her meal. An abandoned barn leans to the side, but it would provide the best privacy. Ducking into the next alley over, she unlatches the slat door and pushes against complaining hinges. The long squeak cuts through the quiet air. Once she’s inside, she takes in the deteriorated interior. It’s enough to hide her, although maybe the door is the only thing holding up the whole barn.
She stops in the center of the room and sinks her fangs into the bag. The blood drips over her chin, but most of it drains down her throat. She’s never had anything so good. It should be acrid, revolting. Yet it’s not. It’s incredible, the life force flows into her, making her stronger than she’d been only a moment ago. It fills her with a euphoria, a high she would chase—no,had tochase—to make her whole in a way nothing else could.
Within seconds, the plastic bag empties, and she tosses it aside before tearing into the next one. Three bags put a dent in her hunger, but more importantly, it makes her feel like she’s more in control than she’s been since she became a vampire. It’s strange to taste blood and not be worried about having bit her tongue or her cheek or be repulsed by the feel of the tangy liquid in her mouth. She isn’t who the same Maddy she was yesterday. It’s unsettling.
Her next deep breath brings the scent of the rats in the corners, and the birds resting in the rafters. When she looks up, she can see them all, despite the murky, dusty barn interior. Her phone buzzes again, and she grimaces. She already knows Caleb won’t give up on her, so she must get as far away from him as she can. Back on the highway, she heads away from the city, away from Caleb, and toward the sea. Maybe he’ll be safer with an ocean between them.
In minutes, she’s sprinting along the beach, hunting for a way across. Large boats wait inside the harbor, but the sailors stand on the decks, peering at the sky overhead, probably trying to figure out how it fits into the red sky saying. If they only knew how bad it is or what the red sky actually means to everyone in their world.
She doesn’t slow for an inlet and nearly trips on her feet when she doesn’t sink to the bottom of the water. Did she just…can she…
The ocean stands between her and keeping Caleb safe. How much better would it be if she can cross it without needing a boat? She jumps to the right and out onto the water, bracing to sink into the salty water. But she doesn’t. Her feet keep moving, and she keeps running over the surface.
She lets out an excited squeal. Running on water! She’s running on water. Caleb! She should tell Caleb. Maybe he has pointers about… Her phone buzzes.
Sorrow dashes her elation, and she knows this is the time, this is her chance. Seeing Caleb isn’t an option anymore. Staying away from him is the best for him. He’s mortal, and she isn’t.
Their relationship is doomed.
They’re too different. Maybe they’ve always been too different.
But Caleb won’t stop looking for her, and he has witches who can track her down. She can’t let him find her. It must not happen, they can’t be together anymore.
Maddy takes one last look at Mercy City and wishes it goodbye before turning out toward open water, allowing the salty breeze to mix with her tears.
So, she runs, and she keeps running until she sees a landmass appear on the horizon. Trees point at the sky, and she continues until she’s on the beach. Mercy City is out of sight, but not out of mind. Her next phone check shows no service, at least here on the edge of wherever she is. Every sensation is different, and she’s hyper aware of everything, like the way each leaf on each of the trees at the edge of the beach flicker in her mind. It’s an onslaught from her senses, overwhelming, if she’s honest. This isn’t a change she can outrun.
Dropping to the ground, she tries to focus on accessing her warlock powers. Just because she’s a vampire, it doesn’t make her not-a-warlock, at least according to everyone else. A cloak will keep her hidden from Caleb’s witches, and she needs to cast the spell to keep him safe.
She tries to mask herself against being found. However, the conjuring doesn’t come as quickly as it should, and it doesn’t stick to her the first…or even the fifth time. Her magical powers have gone since every bit of her focus has been on becoming a vampire, but she needs to hide.
