Fang Virus

Moving In

“So,” Alex spoke breaking the awkward silence that fell between us. “How did you end up like this?” He asked. I tried to remember the moment but it was blurry in my head. “I was trying to get to a friends house, but I got attacked.” I told him. “Did you see them?” He asked intently. He looked at me with worry and concern. “No, I didn't.” “I'm sorry,” He said pausing for a moment, then he continued. “I mean you know, that you got attacked like that.” “If it hadn't been for that car, I might have died.” I said. “How about you?” I added, trying to make weird small talk. “Oh,. My family got infected. I didn't know until I came home to visit. My dad almost killed me, but my mom had control over herself and saved me. My dad found control and we were all reunited until...” Alex stopped talking. I noticed his face looked as if he was in pain. “They didn't know how to cure us.” He continued. “So, they started exterminating us. I managed to escape and help create a safe haven.” After walking for a few minutes I noticed a change in the atmosphere. I could feel the presence of someone watching us. I looked up to the trees and saw a person crouching on a branch. “Its okay,” I heard Alex say. “She's one of us, she wont harm us.”As Alex finished explaining, the person leaped off the tree to another that was closer to us. They swiftly climbed down to meet us on the path. . She was trim, and graceful. She had a head full of dark curls that grazed her melanin skin. She greeted us with a fanged smile and embraced Alex swiftly. “I thought you weren't going to make it.” she said releasing him. “I don't know what came over Andre, we were not suppose to draw any attention to ourselves.” Alex responded in a tense tone. “Did he come back?” He asked her. “Yes, with a few survivors as well.” As the woman replied she glanced in my direction. “This is Terra.” Alex told her. I shyly stepped towards her. Her presence was intimidating but she smiled calmly causing me to relax a little. “I am Sabrina. Nice to meet you. Welcome.” She extended her hand to me to shake. I raised my hand up to hers and as I did she pulled me in for a hug. She released me and smiled showing off her fangs. She looked back at Alex who had his eyes glued to her. I could tell they were a couple. They stared at each other lovingly until Sabrina blinked and drew her attention back to me. “Oh, we should head to the camp.” Sabrina spoke and turned swiftly to the path. We followed her down the path until it stopped at a large tree stump. Alex stepped forward and knocked on the stump. The stump slowly opened revealing another vampire. This one was very pale, which made his blood red eye color really pop. He had golden blonde hair that was pulled into a top bun. He smiled up at Alex and greeted us as he ushered us into the stump. Once I was inside I could not believe my eyes. They had created an underground city. There were structured tunnels that led to different doorways. There were stores built into the tunnels almost like a mall. It was amazing. “Where's Andre?” I heard Alex ask. Suddenly a familiar tall figure whipped around the corner to meet us. It was the man from before that broke my door down. His long locs were now pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing a fitted tee shirt that outlined his small but tone frame. “You made it. I was wondering when you were going to show up. And you brought a new friend.” The man spoke sarcastically. I assumed this was Andre. He looked at me again as if he was studying me. The dark circles under his eyes looked lighter than before. He wasn't as pale ether. His skin was more tan with a slight golden shine. He kept his eyes on me. I nervously looked down. “What part of discrete do you not get?” Alex yelled at Andre causing his attention to move to him. “I did what you asked of me.” Andre replied in a condescending tone. “I did not ask for a m******e, what were you thinking? You caused a scene, a riot! There were cops everywhere! What if they followed you?” Alex was clearly upset but it didn't seem to bother Andre. Andre was the reason for the chaos at the hospital. I watched as Alex approached Andre with an intimidating stance. Andre's face suddenly changed to frustration. He glared at Alex. “Look, I'm sorry for screwing the plan. But I'd like to see how you react when you walk in a room of an infected child, who's been killed off because society can't handle what they were becoming. The kid didn't even have a chance. They're not even trying to help us anymore. They're killing us! And you know I hear everything you can't.” Andre backed away from Alex after his speech, but he kept his glare on him. What did he mean by hearing everything he couldn't? Andre's eyes darted over to me for a second, then back to Alex. Why was he staring at me so much? Then I remembered I was only wearing a hospital gown with a camouflage jacket and someones bloody shoes. “You should get her cleaned up.” Andre said to Alex as he turned to walk away but Alex grabbed Andre by the arm. “Sabrina, can you show Terra around get her some new clothes and living arrangements please?” Andre asked. Without hesitation Sabrina whisked me away though the tunnels. “Is everything alright?” I asked her. “Of course, Alex and Andre bump heads sometimes, but they always find common ground.” Sabrina replied as she whisked me away into the different passage ways of the underground town. In a matter of two years since the virus started, they had a secret budding underground colony. Sabrina was very helpful and smart. She was like the big sister I always wanted. She helped me pick out clothes and set me up with a job as well. I was one of them now. “How long has is been for you?” Sabrina asked. I was confused by the question. “Since you became infected.” She explained. “Oh, I think today is my first day. I'm not sure how long I was out in the hospital.” I told her. “Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that you were new vamp.” She said. “You seem so calm” As she showed me around, she shared her knowledge with me about how she got infected. It turns out Alex and her were dating before the outbreak. They got engaged just before Alex got infected. She didn't want to be separated from him so she asked him to infect her. Its like they're living the epic romance story. She finally led me to a hall lined with doors similar to a hotel or apartment. We stopped at a door numbered 305. “Well here we are, your new home!” Sabrina squealed with excitement. "Before I leave, there are some other things you should know." Sabrina continued. She looked around swiftly and then leaned in close to me. "Andre is psychic." I looked at her in confusion. "Is that a, side effect?" I asked. "No, it's not from this, it's actually from a test treatment he was given. We know he can read minds, but his range of reading you only reaches about 10ft. There's other things he's capable of that he doesn't care to share with us. He has been with us for about three months but he's fairly harmless, just mind your thoughts and emotions when he's around. Or keep at least 12 feet away from him if you don't want him to pick your brain." She was explaining all this so nonchalant. I didn't want to worry about my mind being read every time he was near me. Was that why he kept staring at me? I wonder if he heard my thoughts at the hospital, was he listening? "Yes, actually." a voice boomed behind us. I quickly turned to see Andre. Did he just answer, my thought? "Yes." he answered again. I jumped back now scared. He stared at me with a sly grin. I was clearly a new amusement for him. I needed to focus on keeping my mind blank around him. It's kind of creepy knowing someone is picking at my thoughts. Andre glared at me with intense eye contact. "Andre, knock it off." Sabrina said standing in between me and Andre. There was a quiet pause, then Andres face changed to disgust as he scoffed and walked away. What did she think that made him leave so quickly? " Another thing, try to stay in crowds when Andre is around, it makes it harder for him to concentrate." Sabrina finished. “Is there anyone else with that ability?” I asked. Sabrina shook her head no. “Andre was the only one to survive and escape as well. Alex was also apart of a test treatment, different from Andre. He was given a radioactive therapy that resulted in a rare melanin anomaly.” Sabrina explained. Before I could ask her what she meant she further explained that Alex could camouflage his skin. Kind of like a chameleon. That explained his camo outfit from earlier. He must dress like that to help him blend in better. He was the sole survivor of the experimental treatment. So these were the results of the tests that were going on. Instead of curing the infection, they enhanced it, at least with Andre and Alex. Who knows what happened to the others. Sabrina gave me the keys to my room, as well as another hug and wished me the best as she left. I took a breath and unlocked the door. This is the first time I've been on my own. I opened the door to a cute modern fully finished room. There was everything I needed and enough space for me to move around. I closed the door behind me and fell onto the couch. I felt like crying. Everything was new and overwhelming. I thought about my parents and felt regret. What was my reason for leaving again? Was it that serious that I needed to put my life in danger to escape? Maybe. I heard knocking on my door that scared me off the couch and to the floor. I got up, composed myself, then checked the peep whole of my door. It was Andre. Why was he here?