Four

KANG

     "Do I know you?" I ask and the girl with the fangs grins at me as if she's completely oblivious to the pair of fangs poking out from her mouth.

"You don't remember me?" She asks and I frown.

"Damn, they truly went overboard with you" she mutters as though she has forgotten that I'm standing right in front of her and can hear her clearly.

"What are you talking about?" I demand and she pouts, her gaze drifting and finally resting on Danika who is standing behind me with a poker faced expression.

"For a new born, you're doing your job quite well" the girl states and my frown deepens, not liking the fact that she's starting to rile me up. She bites her lower lip and blood begins to dribble down her chin. Danika gasps and watches the raven haired girl saunter away.

"Kang, did you see what she just did? She's a psycho!"

I don't respond because the small act of biting her lips until it bled had awoken something in me. My vision turns hazy, my breathing erratic as my gums begin to ache viciously. The ringing in my ear intensifies and suddenly, there is this gnawing pain in my stomach.

"Kang?"

"Kang, are you alright?"

Danika sounds like she's far away but I can feel her presence very close to me. So, I mumble some incoherent words and stumble in the direction of the bathroom, clutching the side of my head. Everything hurts and I can't breathe.

Vaguely, I can hear Danika chasing after me. When, I finally make it to the bathroom, I find a boy standing in front of the sink with a blood stained blade and instantly, my condition worsens. The boy looks at me, bloodshot eyes clouding up with fear as he backs away until his back hits the wall. "Look, man.... you don't have to tell anyone about this" he chokes out, clamping a hand over the bleeding cuts on his wrists as the blade falls to the ground with a clatter. The smell of blood fills my nostrils, but it's different. It doesn't smell metallic or disgusting. It smells like...... dessert.

My whole body is trembling and even my eyes hurt. Tears fill my eyes when I realize what's happening to me. I'm blood thirsty.

No, this can't be happening.

"Run!" I choke out, hoarsely but the boy just blinks at me and before he can move, it's too late for him. With a speed I don't know I possess, I move right in front of him, preventing him from running away. He begins to tremble, sweat sliding down his temples.

"Dude, what are you doing?" He asks, his voice trembling. My vision turns a bright red but I begin to see things more clearly, like the veins under the skin of his neck. The blood in his veins seems to be calling out for me. So, I pin him to the wall, not sensing or seeing anything but my thirst for blood.

Fangs protrude from my gums and without hesitation, I sink them into the crook of his neck. As the red liquid slides down my throat, I realize that I want more. Ignoring his pained sobs and groans, I suck harder. "Kang! Stop it!" A familiar voice exclaims but I ignore her and continue sucking my victim's blood. I don't stop, not even when she tries to pull me away from the helpless boy. I can vaguely hear Danika crying and by the time I'm done with the boy, he slumps to the ground, his eyes wide open and unblinking. Slowly, I come down from the high that had enveloped me. I turn to look at Danika and she moves backwards, still sobbing. "I-" I choke out, tears filling my eyes when I notice the blood on my palms. "What have I done?" I gasp and stumble away from the lifeless body lying in front of me like a ragged doll. His eyes.....are glazed over and devoid of life. Only now does the reality of what I've just done come crashing down on me, hard.

"Kang, you killed him" Danika whimpers, her face pale. "I-I- didn't mean to. I couldn't stop" I stutter, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"He's dead, Kang. Soon, someone's going to come here and they're going to discover this body. Why, Kang? Why did you do it?" Danika cries and my knees buckle. Panicking, I rush to the sink and try to get the blood off my palms, scrubbing them hard, using my nails. Tears blur my vision and I begin to gasp for air. I'm a murderer.

I'm truly a murderer.

"I'm a monster. I deserve to die" I gasp, still trying to get the red stains off my palm but it won't go away and I'm loosing my sanity.

"Kang, stop it! You're hurting yourself!" Danika says and rushes to my side. She holds my hands and gazes at me with tears still running down her cheeks.

"We need to get out of here, right now. Do you understand?"

"No, I have to stay. I have to face my punishment" I protest and she shakes her head, firmly.

"This is not your fault, Kang. You were turned, against your will"

"Turned? Someone turned me?"

"Yes, we have to go. Now" she says to me.

"First of all, you need to cover that stain on your shirt. Here, wrap my scarf around your neck"

She hands me her aqua blue scarf and I hurriedly wrap it around my neck with shaky hands. She grabs some tissues and wipes the blood from my lips and chin. Then, she tosses the blood stained tissues into the waste bin.

She then proceeds to wash my hands for me. I watch her the whole time, wondering why she's not hightailing it out of the bathroom. She should be anywhere but around me.

"Why are you not afraid?" I ask and she looks up at me, her gaze meeting mine.

"I am. I am afraid but one of us have to be clear headed enough to get out of this mess"

"This shouldn't be your business, Danika. I'm just going to be a burden"

"Will you just shut up and appreciate the fact that I'm willing to help you?"

I remain silent and shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "Come on, let's go"

We both walk out of the bathroom as though nothing has happened. Danika and I grab our things from our lockers before sneaking out of the school. We both get into her car, then she drives off, gripping the steering wheel tensely.

"I'm sorry" I breathe and she closes her eyes for a second.

"Don't be"

"Are you okay?" I ask and she exhales sharply through her nostrils.

"I'm just really mad. Someone has been messing with you and I think that psycho is part of it" she says and I lower my gaze.

"Do you think whoever turned me is also responsible for my frequent memory loss?" I ask and she nods. After a moment of silence, she lets out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Kang"

"About what?"

"About the fact that your life has been ruined. I feel like a jerk right now. I was so shocked that I kept blaming you for murdering that boy. You couldn't help it and I shouldn't have made you feel like it was all your fault"

I close my eyes and lean back in my seat. I know she's trying to make me feel better, but I really don't feel better. Whether I'd been turned against my will or not, it doesn't matter. I had drained that boy to death.

"You don't have to be sorry. I'm the one who's supposed to be sorry. For all I care, since you left the school with me, the police is going to think that you're an accomplice. Did you think about that?"

She freezes in her seat, eyes wide. "I didn't think about.....oh, crap" she groans. I open my eyes and watch her furrow her brows with a look of distress on her face.

"What's done is done" she breathes.

"You can still change your mind, Danika. It's not too late. You can go back and tell them you saw me doing it"

"You really want to spend the rest of your life in jail, don't you?" She says and I lower my gaze, feeling my heart squeeze.

Silence soon hangs heavily in the air until Danika makes a statement that sends my heart racing.

"So, this is it. You're a vampire"

"Like Dracula?" I ask slowly and she shrugs.

"We just need to confirm if you can change into bats" she says with a smile on her face. "That's not funny, you know" I say and she let's out a sigh. "I know"

I stare at the palms of my hands, noticing for the first time, how pale they are. I quietly place my right hand on my chest, my eyes widening when I realize that my heart beat is slower than usual. "Kang? What's wrong?" Danika asks with a worried look on her face.

"My heart feels like it's slowing down" I respond.

"Are you feeling dizzy?" She asks and I respond in the negative.

"Nauseous?"

"No"

"Faint?"

"Not really?" I respond and wrap my arms around myself because I'm starting to feel really cold.

"Are you cold?"

I nod and rest my forehead against the window.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"To my grandparents cabin"

"Would they be okay with-"

She interrupts me with a small smile on her face.

"They're both dead. So, they won't mind"

"Where exactly is this cabin?" I ask and she grins.

"In the woods"

I heave a sigh and close my eyes. Great, can my life get anymore complicated?

It happens so suddenly, I barely get the chance to process it. Something huge hits the back of the car.

"Kang? What's happening?" Danika asks, her eyes wide with panic.

"I-I don't know" I say, trying to get a glimpse of whatever had hit the car.

But before I can actually do that, something else violently hits the front of the car head-on. Then, everything goes black.