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Chapter. 4

With each step, I grow more and more lightheaded. My vision can’t focus on the ground in front of me. Any fear I had about my fate has dissolved from mental exhaustion. The world is spinning around me, twisting as if I’d twirled in circles like a child. I hit the ground.

I can't get up. I don't even know which way is up. The rope pulls taut, and I groan as my stomach is constricted even tighter. My limp body is pulled along the dirt. I shut my eyes as the blades of grass whip over my face. If I could just ignore the pain from the rope, then I’d be able to rest.

He doesn't relent, continuing to drag me. Maybe he'll realize that it'll be easier to take his bag and leave me here, then I could crawl to water. No. I doubt he'd be so kind.

He stops pulling and turns back to face me. Though I can’t make out much more than a shadowy frame, I know that he’s going to hit me again. There’s no way to avoid it. I curl my legs up to my chest to be a little more protected.

He pulls me up by my hair and forces me into a sitting position. The next thing I know, the sharp end of his curved blade is pressed against my throat.

"Stand, or I shall separate your head from your shoulders."

I try move my legs, but nothing happens. My body is exhausted. It’s been pushed far beyond what’s reasonable. This isn't fair. I tried my best and put my all in, but everything was stacked against me from the beginning. He's the one who weakened me by taking my blood and tying me up, and now he's going to kill me because I can’t keep up with a pace of a trained soldier?

I can't make out his expression with my blurry vision. It hurts to talk, so I don't bother trying to beg through the gag. It wouldn’t make a difference anyway. I’m never going to see my brother again. I’m going to die in this godforsaken field, murdered by a monster who knows nothing of mercy and cares for no one but himself. The feeling of hopelessness overwhelms me, but my body doesn’t have the energy to cry.

My eyes drift from his blurry face to the reflective sword. It shines in the sunlight. This man is so much bigger than me that he doesn’t even need a weapon to end my life. It seems almost ridiculous that he would use it to threaten me. I wonder if the blacksmith who forged it knew that it would be used to cut down someone like me? What will this vampire think when he’s standing over my dead body – good riddance perhaps? He’s so hostile towards me, as if I’m a bane on his life when in reality it is the other way around.

The pressure from the blade disappears, and I'm hoisted up into the air. My world flips upside down. He's carrying me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I lie limp, with no energy to struggle.


It’s dark by the time he finally puts me down. I've been drifting in and out of consciousness for what feels like hours. He rests my body against the tree and pulls the gag out of my dry mouth.

He shoves a jug against my lips and starts pouring. I gulp the water down, but a good portion of it runs down my shirt. I don't care. It feels like I'm coming back from the dead.

It takes me a moment to notice the lake just a few feet away.

He refills the jug and pours more water in my mouth. I gladly accept it, but he continues for too long, and soon I’m desperate for air and start to choke.

"Drink, human," he growls.

"I'm-I'm trying."

I finish the jug, and he turns to fetch more.

"I've had enough," I say.

He packs it away and then disappears behind the trees. Soon the leaves crunching under his boots is too faint to hear. He’s leaving me here, unguarded? I wiggle against my bounds, still tight, but there’s nothing stopping me from walking- no, running?

I listen for a few more minutes to make sure he’s gone. He left his backpack here, so he’s definitely coming back. I rise to my feet and hurry in the opposite direction from where he went. The rope around my middle tightens, and I’m flung back against the ground.

He tethered me. I follow the rope with my eyes from my position on my back. It leads to a branch too high for me to reach with my tied hands. He’s subdued me like a mother hiding cookies on a high shelf.

A twig cracks behind me, and I shoot upright.

It’s the vampire, carrying a stack of branches. He drops them in a small pit, grabs a flint stone from his backpack and lights the fire.

He falls back on his butt and lets out a sigh. I watch cautiously from my position by the tree. He collected wood and built a fire for the night, then sat down like he’s glad to be able to relax at the end of a long day. A human in his position would have done the exact same thing. It’s odd seeing him act so normal.

He warms his hands over the fire. The cold night air creeps up my back, and I can’t help but be envious.

His gaze lands on me, and I drop my eyes to the fire. The last thing I want is to attract his vicious attention.

“You may approach,” he says. “I do not bite… well, at least not twice in one day.”

I glare daggers at him. Does he think it’s funny that he tied me up and drained my blood?

He doesn’t seem to notice or care. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a small leather pouch. I can’t quite make out what’s inside. He lifts a small brown roll out of the pouch and takes a bite. Food!

Forgetting my previous skepticism, I hurry to the fire and sit opposite him, as far as the rope will let me go. He takes another bite of the dried meat, and my mouth waters. Will he share with me? I mean… he has to? It’s not like I can find my own food like this.

He takes another bite, and another, and soon there’s not much left. He’ll eat it all without a second thought.

“Um…” I interrupt.

His eyes land on me, and he takes another bite, leaving even less.

“Can… can I have some? Please?”

He licks his lips. “It is human.”

My mouth falls open and my face goes pale. The man who’s captured me is eating human meat?

His serious expression breaks into a laugh, and he almost falls back in the sand.

After recovering from his moment of joy, he eats the last piece, leaving the pouch empty.

I force a small smile and avert my eyes. It’s a joke. He’s just messing with me, conjuring up a fun excuse to not have to share the food. I’m sure he derived great joy seeing the look of terror on my face, as if he hasn’t scared me enough already. I should’ve known that it was a trick. He’s an asshole.

He retrieves a large leather cylinder from his bag and unrolls it on the sand. It’s a sleeping pouch. He climbs inside and turns his back to me.

I stretch out my feet, but the fire is too far away. If I could reach a lit branch, it could burn through my tether.

There’s no way out, at least not yet. I should save my energy and get some rest.

I nudge the sand around with my legs to make a little furrow that hugs me on either side.

Minutes pass, but sleep evades me despite my exhaustion. It's not very comfortable. I can't even use my arm as a pillow, and my skin stings wherever it’s in contact with the rope.

"Please untie me... so I can sleep," I ask.

He remains still.

I push myself up. "The ropes are tight, and I’ll be too tired to walk if I can’t rest."

"They prohibit you from slipping away," he says without turning his head.

"Maybe just the rope around my waist? It’s pinching my middle, and I can't escape if my hands are still tied."

Nothing.

I need to find something to bargain with, but all I’ve got left are the clothes on my back. My eyes scan the shore for something of value. Hey, my brother enjoys hearing me sing. “I’ll sing a song for you in return.”

I don’t care if it’s embarrassing. It’ll be worth it to get rid of the aching in my abdomen, and this is all I can offer him. I clear my throat and take a deep breath. “A storm is loosed upon the-”

“Do you wish to be gagged again?” he interrupts.

I shrink back into myself and don’t answer, afraid of that wretched cloth being shoved back in my mouth.

I curl my legs up to my chest and rest my head on my knees. There’s a small beetle walking across the mound of sand. The fire reflects off it’s shiny shell, making it sparkle. It crests the mound and wanders towards the lake. Soon it’s out of my reach. Even that little creature has more freedom than me. It’s silly to be envious of a bug, but it takes my mind off my aching stomach.

The vampire rises to his feet, and I nudge away. He towers over me. Did I do something wrong? I was sitting still?

He reaches out, and I shut my eyes and tuck in my head. He pushes my knees down and fidgets with the knot. The rope around my waist falls away. It feels just as uncomfortable coming off as it did going on, but relief follows right after.

“No more whining,” he says.

I nod, and he returns to his pouch.

I maneuver my tied hands to nudge up the hem of the shirt. There’s a red rope pattern imprinted across my stomach and over my belly button, but at least there’s no bruising.

The rope around my wrists is still tethered to the tree branch, so I lay down again and try to make myself comfortable. The fire helps, but the cold air still nips at my exposed skin. All I’ve got is a pair of long pants, a short-sleeve shirt and cheap leather shoes. My coat was left back at the barn.

The vampires head rests on white fluffy wool. The whole sleeping pouch must be lined with it. It looks warm and cozy. I shut my eyes and pretend I’m somewhere else - camping with my brother, Jacob.


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