The Parasites That Live in The Cracks

9. Pain In The Neck

Bree

I was startled awake by a series of terrified gasps as the door opened. I sat up, wondering if now I'd get some answers as to what was wrong here now. Except since it concerned my sanity and happiness I probably didn't want to know. 

  Through the door came a line of very pale people, so pale their skin was almost transparent. They were all inhumanly beautiful despite the fact that they looked almost crazy; filthy, dark circles under their eyes, which were filled with hunger and excitement.

  One of these people stopped in front of every cell. The one who stopped in front of mine was a tall woman with dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

  She grinned at me, the same way the woman who had brought me in had. Only now I noticed that this woman had long, sharp teeth...

  I stared at her through the bars, wondering what was going to happen now. Dreading what was going to happen now.

  I glanced over at Jamie, who had his eyes closed as though he were asleep, but was tense.

  I heard a low scraping noise and saw the bars of my cell door were sliding up. The woman was trying to crawl under them, and after a minute succeeded.

  She lunged at me and pushed me to the floor. I tried to push her off, but she was extremely strong and held me down. An aching pain spread through my wrists as the pressure against them intensified, keeping me down. How could such a thin, pale person be so strong?

  She pulled my hands up and held them down above my head with one hand, and with the other grabbed a fist-full of my hair and yanked my head to the side. Chunks ripped from my scalp as she pulled, the ripping noise causing a whimper to rise in my throat.

  I struggled as hard as I could, but she was just too strong for me. I even kneed her in the stomach, but she didn’t do so much as flinch. Terror flooded my body, adrenaline pumping, I wanted to run. I felt like I could burst from so much energy and fear with nowhere to go.  

  She leaned down and bit my neck. I heard the sickening noises of skin tearing and sucking, and a stinging pain shot through my throat. I screamed, I screamed so loud that no other noises could be heard.

  After an eternity of screaming my lungs out, I fell unconscious. Which honestly I didn't mind one bit. 

⇎

  I woke up again, shaking violently. What had just happened? Why was I alive? That was the secret, that was so wrong here, that drove people crazy? It better be, because if there’s more than just vampires, or whatever those were… 

  At least I was all alone in my cell now, all of those people were gone now. I sighed a shaky breath relief and felt my neck. Sore and achy, stinging as my fingers brushed the wound, but mostly intact.

  "You okay?" Came a soft voice from beside me. Jamie.

  "I-I don't know, what-what was that? What happened?" I stuttered, unable to keep my voice steady and panic free.

  Jamie sat up and looked at me. "That's what the secret was, they have vampires here..."

  I stared at him. "Why?" Who on earth would want vampires here? Didn't they live in Transylvania or... I don't know, fairy tales?

  "Well, all those myths about vampires terrorizing cities and all were true. So... Instead of all that they caught all the vampires and stuck them here. Only, they had to feed them something because if they don't eat, uh drink, for too long they break out and feed off whoever's nearest. So they take all the bad people and have the vampires feed off us... Everyone thinks we're crazy so even if we do tell someone they'll never believe it, helps with keeping this Hell a secret." Jamie's voice was shaking as he explained this.

  "Won't we turn into vampires too?" I asked. I didn't want to be a vampire, and suck blood from people, and terrorize them and never see anyone I loved again!

  "No... After the vampires finish they give us an antidote, it stops us from turning and helps increase how much blood we have so we don't die from blood loss."

  I couldn't reply. I was in shock. I had to stay here and be eaten for the rest of my life? That was almost worse than being a vampire.

  I let out a sob, I couldn't do this. I didn't even try to contain my crying, I just curled up in a ball and stared at the ceiling while sobbing.

  Thinking about dying and being terrorized by vampires brought back the memories of all the people I’d killed, the terror on their faces and screams and blood… Was this how they’d felt? Did I deserve to be here, for doing that to them?

"Bree?" Jamie whispered softly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  "Yes?" I turned to look at him instead of the ceiling.

  "Can we hold hands...? I-I'm... Never mind, just can we?"

  "Yeah, sure..." I replied, trying to pull myself together a bit. I could use some comfort like that right now.

  I quickly wiped the tears from my face then reached out and grabbed his hand through the bars. He was unnaturally cold, but everything here was unnatural. It didn't matter, did it?

  He squeezed my hand and closed his eyes.

"It's not that bad, not really... Not once you're used to it..." Jamie told me softly. I didn't respond, what do I say to that?

  "Um, Bree?" He said quietly.

  "Yes?" I asked, happy for his questions. They were good distractions. I didn't want to keep reliving all those murders and thinking about having my blood sucked for the rest of my life.

  "Can you sing?" He whispered, barely audible.

  "Yes... Do you want me to?"

  "I would..."

  "Okay." I began singing a song mom used to sing to me, one she’d made up. It was the only one I could think of at the moment. It reminded me of mom anyway...

  "Even in the darkest night,

there is still some light,

you can't kill the moon or the stars,

and I'll be your friend,

right there to end,

whether we're free or behind bars.

You're an angel in the world,

you're a warmth to the cold,

promise never leave me side,

by the end of the night,

the end of the fight,

we both need someone who can hold what we hide."

  I sang slowly, and by the end, my vision was blurred with tears all over again. I missed Mom...

  I glanced over at Jamie, he'd fallen asleep, still holding my hand tight. He had a smile on his face though, that was the first time I'd seen him smile... He had a cute smile. I don't why I noticed that now, in these circumstances, but I did.