Bloody Sheets

If you asked, I honestly couldn't tell you how things escalated to this point. Me lying there, motionless, bleeding out through the pulsing wound in my neck. Well, I could describe the night, but to give you an exact event in my life that turned the fates towards this fleeting moment would be impossible. Maybe it was when my parents dropped me off at an orphanage at the age of six. Or when I ran from my dangerous foster parents because they were using my arm as a personal ashtray. It also could have been when I decided to go to medical school and partied way too hard for my own good. All the guesses were as good as any. I suppose one life decision doesn't make a person. Instead, it's a combination of many, but it would be nice to blame it on something. To know that I deserved the bad karma that was playing out right now. I can't honestly say I'm the most careful individual, but I'm also not usually so reckless. Oh, if I could choose a place to die, it damn sure wouldn't be here. Cuddled up to a Chinese Chow bag that wreaked of soy sauce and rotten egg roll, hidden in the bowels of a dirty alleyway in New York City. However, I truly believe I wouldn't mind the grime or the stench so much if I could just remember what it felt like to be warm again. Between the frigid January temperatures and the massive blood loss, I could hardly feel the pain anymore. I have to admit, I had imagined being in the claws of death would feel a lot different. I expected the more romantic notion of watching the best parts of my life flash before my icy blue eyes. Instead, I was met with a harsh swell of cold, bitter, silence. There wasn't a memory close enough to the front of my mind to cling to, and I instantly regretted not doing more with the time I'd been granted in my compromiseable flesh. I was grateful when the darkness started to pull at the edges of my vision, finally, the end of all things was here. Maybe when I made my way towards the light that everyone speaks so highly of, it would be warm there, I could only hope. I guess to fully understand my predicament, I need to explain the events that led up to this trying moment. I wish that they were more exciting. However, if anything, they were rather cliché. Tonight I was that tipsy girl in a club that most would perceive as dumb and shallow. Throwing myself at every half-drunken man that had the idea of looking my way. I wasn't usually that way. If anything, I was smart and shied away from strangers. Unfortunately, a fight with my ex and a large amount of Tequila had stacked the odds against me, and there I was, a fool lost in my own mind. Eventually, the bartender cut off my supply of earth destabilizing liquid manipulation. Enraged, I had crossed the dance floor and made my way to the women's restroom. I never made it that far. As I neared the entrance, a tall, handsome man flooded my view. I was instantly intrigued, his jet black hair caused a striking contrast with his glowy, white skin. Tall, dark, and handsome had always been my type. Throw in a snazzy fashion sense, and the gorgeous green eyes that watched me intently, and I was hooked. He was thin but built, and I could see the ripples of his abs below the billowing texture of his white shirt. It hugged him in all the right places, making the darker parts of my soul leap with s****l fury. The sharp line of his jaw offered a mysterious edge to his aura that made me briefly abandon the pursuit, but the dizzying intent in his eyes reignited my confidence. Before I realized it there was a short distance between us. That's when I heard the smooth, alluring texture of his voice, I couldn't even tell you what words were exchanged. After that, it was as if time and willpower had completely melted away. I was finally brought to consciousness by a sharp pain in my neck, followed by violent ripping and slurping. He had bitten me, tore right into my corroded like a beastly predator. I had read enough books and seen enough Hollywood depictions of this savage situation that I instantly knew what was happening. He was a vampire, though the idea seemed silly. He fit all of the requirements and there really was no other option. Unless you count Zombies, but he didn't seem too hungry for my flesh, just my blood. I tried to fight and scream, but I quickly realized it was futile. I was no match for the overwhelming strength of the assailant, and I was beginning to feel weak and lightheaded from the rapid blood loss. As the warm liquid flowed from my neck into his mouth, I closed my eyes, waiting for the darkness to come. That's when my head hit the pavement, and as I looked up he was gone. I knew death would come soon, even welcomed it at this point. The frigid cold began to fade and I finally felt a flush of warmth, my eyes began to close involuntarily and I sighed as a smile weakly pulled at my lips. I had never been more thankful to feel the warmth, though I knew it was simply a reaction to my imminent death. My nerve endings were dying due to the lack of blood in my brain. Most people would be afraid of this moment, coming to the realization that their life was over, but I felt free. I have seen too many hard times in my life to imagine a less tragic ending. "Not just yet, stay with me, Miss." The sweet sound of velvet vocals wafted into my ears, my eyes fluttered open but my vision was blurry and shapeless. I could make out bright lights like street lamps and the sounds of quick footsteps. I assumed they were from the rescuer since the sound was steady and reoccurring. He had picked me up off the ground and was running for what I believed was help. There was no use, he was wasting his time. The possibility that he would get me to a hospital alive, with the amount of blood I was losing by the second, was very slim. I had worked as a nurse at a nearby hospital for years, and most people in this bad of a condition were dead on arrival. I had maybe a 2% chance of surviving, and I was making peace with it. He should just let me go now, let me die here in the street as I deserved, for being so stupid. The movement stopped and the scene darkened once again. I wasn't sure if my vision was completely gone or if my surroundings had just changed. I heard a door shut and a gentle apology in my ear before a metallic taste washed over my taste buds. I attempted to cough it back up but the man was holding my head against his arm, forcing the liquid down my throat. I gasped for oxygen as I felt his arm leave my lips. Blood? What was happening? My mind was beginning to fog. I could hear shuffling but it slowly faded until I knew only silence, and darkness. As I suspected he was unsuccessful, the warmth consumed me until, finally, I inhaled for the last time, and my body grew cold and stiff in his arms.