Chapter Seven

The visions abruptly stopped. But then it was too late...

"Darren, watch out!" Her scream was simultaneous with the body that smashed the windscreen of my car. I hit the brakes and turned off the engine as I watched the body slowly roll down the windscreen and bonnet, leaving a thick trail of blood.

Sloane's terrified screams morphed into ragged sobs.

"I-I told you...I warned you...I warned you-you to stop the damn car!..." she resumed sobbing. "Now you've killed a person..."

I rolled my eyes. This wasn't the first person I'd killed-but there was a more pressing issue than my body count!

Darn it! Darn it! Darn it! I was tempted to let out a loud scream filled with pent up frustration and indignation but I couldn't because of the literal fire I felt in my throat, down to my chest. I clutched my chest, as I let out an agonized groan instead. I couldn't deal with this problem right now. I just couldn't! I looked around me. Luckily, the road was desolate and so I doubted if I had been seen by anyone. The sun had begun to set.

Turning on the engine, I stared at Sloane who looked back at me with tear filled eyes. "What are you going to do about this...what are you going to do about the body?" She asked, shuddering in a way that made her look pathetic. If I wasn't going through a worse situation, I would have felt pity for her.

"Nothing!" I grunted my response, made a small turn and drove past the body.

"Darren-Darren, don't tell me you're doing what I think you're doing" She gasped

I remained silent as I kept on driving. I needed to focus as the hunger I felt threatened to push me to the edge. But Sloane wasn't helping.

"Who in God's name runs somebody over and leaves them on the road to die..." She continued

It was on the tip of my tongue to say; me, but I remained silent as talking would only worsen my situation.

But then again, Sloane wasn't helping.

"Darren, this is a hit and run case, the cops would find us!" She shrieked

In response to that, I turned on the windscreen wiper and it began to wipe down the trail of blood the body left on my windscreen.

"That-" she pointed to the windscreen. "Is not going to change the fact that you murdered a person Darren!"

I held my breath in as I applied more pressure on the accelerator and the car sped up. Sloane's deafening cries resumed.

I wasn't seeing her memories but I still felt sucked into that quicksand. I felt the coal and inky blackness on my skin as a dark, suffocating atmosphere engulfed me. The fire I felt in my throat was hot enough to consume anything. It lingered, making me feel more pain than ever before, clouding my sanity. Right now I couldn't bear no more. I swerved and the car came to a halt by the side of a dreary, desolate road.

I quickly got down from the car as though seat stung and I forced air through my almost scalded lungs. Sloane got down too. She stared at me in silence but her eyes said it all. She was shocked, confused, and above all, terrified...of me.

I suddenly felt an additional emotion...it was bizarre. As I stared at the dumbstruck Sloane, I felt remorseful...I mean, she didn't deserve all that I had put her through today.

Wait--what? She deserved every bit of it! Everything happened all because of her! She came into my peaceful non-life and shook it beyond serenity. I was content with the mortals I came across--I fed on their blood but I never killed them, then I hypnotized them to forget everything about me.

I was meticulous--I never slipped so my true nature didn't get revealed to the mortals. Until Sloane emerged, possessing the most tempting blood since Ava's death.

I hadn't drank her blood but I could tell it was all I desired, just by the scent of it. I tried to stay away from her as my self restraint came to play but she just couldn't have it. She succeeded in forcing herself into my life by blackmail.

She brought this all on herself.

Everything I felt right now was all because of her.

I mean I just couldn't understand why she'd remain unscathed after stirring up my once content non-life. I needed her blood and I didn't know what was going to happen to me if I starved myself some more, I didn't want to find out.

I snarled, exposing my fangs and I lurched towards her appalled figure.