Five

KANG

   "Wake up, new born"

I slowly open my eyes, wincing at the pain pulsing within my skull. My ears are ringing and I can vaguely make out the presence of a few people standing around me. Someone tips my head backwards and through hazy vision, I try to identify the person who is now standing in front of me.

Before I can process what's happening, someone hits me on the head, hard enough to make me feel nauseous for a moment. Slowly, my vision clears and I notice that I'm tied up to a chair in a dark room that looks like a basement. According to what I can see and sense, there are four people in this room with me and they don't smell like humans. They smell like rotten flesh and it's taking me so much effort to not throw up on the floor.

"Awake, I see" the man standing in front of me says, grinning at me. His pupils are blood red with dark half circles under his eyes. He's as pale as a corpse and his lips are an unhealthy shade of blue. He's dressed in black shirt, matching pants and a grey coat and he looks quite tall. The smell emanating from him is terrible!

"Who are you?" I croak and his grin widens, creases appearing in the corner of his eyes. "My name is Dale and these are my people" he said, gesturing to the rest of the foul smelling individuals who are also present in the room. "The right question would be, what are we?"

I swallow hard, watching the terrifying looking fangs emerge from their gums. They look so uncomfortable.

"We are dead ones and so are you" Dale says and my stomach churns with nausea.

Dead ones?

Is that another name for vampire?

Am I really..... dead?

"In a couple of years, you will become like us. For now, you're still a new born" the only female among them says as she steps forward. Then, I realize with a jolt that Danika must be in trouble. She had been in the car with me. Had they taken her to a different place? What if they turn her to.......a dead one?

"Are you the ones who turned me?" I ask and Dale grins. "Yes, what are you going to do about it?" He drawls with a smug look on his deathly pale face.

Anger sets my blood on fire.

He ruined my life. He turned me into a vampire and now, he's looking all smug and content?!

I begin to struggle against the restraints around my wrists and ankles because I desperately want to get my hands on him, dead one or not. "There's no use for that, new born-"

"My name is Kang! Not new born!" I snap, clenching my fists. "Do you know why you're here?" One of the other males asks as he moves to my side with a syringe containing a sickly green liquid.

"You are our weapon" the female states and my eyes go wide. "W-what are you talking about?" I stutter.

"You killed one of our own, several years ago. We found it intriguing to know that a little human had murdered one of our oldest"

Wait, what?

"Your maths teacher.... he was one of us and you killed him. So, we decided to kill you. But, we changed our mind and decided to make you our weapon. Within the past couple of years you spent in the mad house, we have been grooming you for the moment when you would be turned. We planned everything right up till this moment"

Angry tears fills my eyes and Dale grips my hair and tugs my head backwards.

"What do you want from me?" I demand through gritted teeth. "We have a mission for you and it is to get rid of Danika Simmons" the female states and I freeze.

"What?"

"Her father has been working with our long time enemy. That's all you need to know"

I let out a strangled gasp when I'm suddenly injected with the sickly green liquid.

"Look at me" Dale says, his blood red eyes gaze meeting mine. "Find Danika Simmons and stab her in the heart. You will not remember this conversation later. But you will remember to find Danika Simmons and stab her in the heart"

Unable to fight the sudden weariness that seeps deep into my bones, I sag against the chair, gasping for air.

But before I can actually pass out, smoke suddenly fills the whole place, chaos breaking out. While on the verge of passing out, I catch sight of the feminine figure now stepping out from the smoke.

"Are you alright?" she asks, reaching out for me. I close my eyes, finally giving in to my lethargy.

***

DANIKA

     "Wake up, sweetie"

I let out a groan, too tired to lift my eyelids.

"Wake up, Dani. You've slept nearly all day"

All day?

I open my eyes immediately and mum gasps, chuckling weakly.

"You startled me" she tells me and I look out the window only to see the sun sinking below the horizon.

I've been asleep for that long? My stomach growls and mum beams at me.

"You must be starving. Freshen up and come downstairs. Dinner will be served soon" she says to me and I force out a smile.

"Oh, okay"

As soon as she leaves my room, the memory of the previous day's events comes rushing back to me. I let out a gasp when I recall how my car had been violently hit by something. I remember passing out after that. But, how did I end up in my bed?

What about Kang?

Is he alright?

I rise to my feet and pad into the bathroom absentmindedly. I can't help but feel that something is really wrong somewhere.

Why do I not remember coming home?

What about Kang?

Did the cops catch up with him? As I freshen up, these thoughts continue to infiltrate my mind and this makes me even more worried. After dinner, I decide to sit in the balcony. A part of me is hoping that Kang is going to show up. But as midnight approaches, Kang still doesn't show up. I hate how concerned I am. I barely know the guy. Besides, he's dangerous. He's not even human anymore. Despite this, I am almost sick with worry for him. I take out my phone and stare at the screen blankly, when I remember that I don't have Kang's phone number. My head shoots up at the sound of a dull thud few metres away from me. A young man wearing a grey hoodie and dark jeans is now standing in front of me and I'm starting to freak out. I know he's not Kang, so who is he?

What is he doing in my house?

"Danika Simmons?" He says, his voice husky.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" I ask, taking measured steps, backwards.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Danika" he tells me and I stiffen.

"What do you want?"

He slowly moves his hoodie away from his head, revealing his god-like features. What the hell?

His long chocolate colored hair is pulled back in a low bun with a few strands framing his face. His jawline is sharp and well defined. His skin is so pale. His eyes....

I blink, pinching myself on the arm to make sure I'm not dreaming. His almond shaped eyes are golden.

"Yes, you're not dreaming. You are real and so am I" he states and I let out a low gasp. Did he just-- did he just read my mind?!

"Who are you?" I ask, trying not to show how terrified I am. "My name is Trey and I am a vampire" he says and I stumble backwards, suddenly unable to feel my limbs as a result of how much I'm panicking.

He lets out a sigh and rubs his gloved fingers through his hair. "I'm here because of Kang" he states and I freeze in place. "Kang? Where is he? What did you do to him?" I demand and he slowly raises a brow.

"Are you his girlfriend or something?" He asks and my cheeks turn pink.

Pull your shit together, Dani! I scold myself mentally. I clear my throat and fold my arms across my chest.

"I am not his girlfriend, I barely know him"

Trey stares at me for a moment, an unreadable look in his golden eyes.

"Where is he?"

Amusement crosses Trey's features. So, I clear my throat, embarrassed.

"Kang, I mean"

"He's safe in our hideout" he says and I raise a brow.

"Our?"

"A few of my kind"

"Wait, there are more of you?"

"Yes"

I narrow my eyes when I realize that he might've been responsible for turning Kang into a vampire.

"No, I did not. Hear me out-"

"Don't you dare read my mind again, you idiot!" I snapped and he rubs the back of his neck, nervously.

"I'm sorry, your thoughts are just so loud" he comments, avoiding my eyes.

"Are you trying to say that I'm loud?" I demand and he shakes his head.

"No, no. I didn't say that. Kang was turned, but he wasn't turned by me or my friends. He was turned by the dead ones"

"What?"

"We have all become vampires through one circumstance or the other, but we are different in a certain way. Newly turned vampires are called Newborns. Then, there are the dead ones. These vampires are the ones that have completely given in to their thirst of blood, such that they have become slaves to it. The third kind of vampires are referred to as the golden ones or the royals. There are only a few of us left. Royals have lived for centuries and are the oldest kinds of vampires. We still need blood to survive, but our thirst do not control us"

I swallow hard, my stomach churning with unease.

Just how old is Trey?

I feel like I'm in some sort of horror movie right now. After seeing Kang draining the life out of someone else, I realize that shit just got real.

Is my life ever going to be the same again?

"There are a lot of things you don't know. You need to know all of that for your safety" he states, suddenly putting on a very serious expression.

"What are you talking about?"

"Danika, your life is in danger. Members of the dead ones are after your life" he tells me and my blood runs cold in my veins.

"Why? Why would they be after me? Does it have to do with the fact that I got involved with Kang?" I ask and he shakes his head, taking a step closer to me with a worried look in his eyes.

"They are after you because of your father"