BLOOD HUNT

Night, once again, has fallen over the town of Corpus Christi: the town whose trees never sleep at night and whose people watched the silence of the night.

¤ ¤ ¤

They are all here – she, Tess, Susan, Bobby, Michael and Peter – all six of them. Here at the woods of Corpus Christi. In the middle of the night. She doesn't want to be here but Bobby pleaded. He said they just want to see if these trees really move, if they really have red eyes like a lighted cigar, and if they really ate those missing persons that walk in hours like this. Like them.

Something crawled in her nape and she adjusted the blue scarf that covered her neck. The thought of enchanted trees made her shiver. But it made her curious. That same curiosity made her discovery about an old story told all over the town. Last month, her eight year old brother lost his dodge ball while playing in the lawn.

The ball bounced to the open attic window. He lolled his head and cried when she refuse to get it back. Their parents are out and so as their older brother. Her brother cried for almost an hour and she was convince that if she won't get the damned ball (that hit her many times already), his brother's eye might melt because of excessive tears.

She headed for the stairs to the attic. When she was a child, his grandfather always forbade her to go there. He said vampires swarm in the attic. Then she wondered, if vampires are really up there, they must have come out already. They must be strong. She read Dracula and she thought then that Dracula must be the scariest monster in the world. Even the thought of being bitten in the neck made her melt like ice cream.

But that was THEN. When she was just a little girl whom you can make believe that Thumbelinas really exist in flowers and that fortune cookies really tell your future. Now she knows that Thumbelina isn't real and fortune cookies are not to be believed, but to be eaten. And her grandfather is long dead. So no one would forbid her.

The attic is dark. And its smell reminded her of a part in the library with shelves of old books. Are there lots of old books in the attic?

She backed. The darkness in here isn't good and suddenly she became afraid that vampires are really here. But as she back, her hands felt something on the wall. She realized it's the light switch.

Good.

She thought and flicked it.

Warm yellow light bathed the attic. Her eyes searched for the dodge-ball. She went near the slightly opened window where the ball entered. She found it right there on the floor. She picked it up but something caught her eyes. As if it is telling her to stay.

A wooden box.

No. It's more like a…

Coffin.

She touched its sides.

Dusty.

She felt the lid and slowly heaved the heavy top. What's inside surprised her.

And soon will surprise the whole town.

¤ ¤ ¤

"Liz?"

She was surprised. Bobby is holding her shoulders and has a look in his eyes that asks, "what happened?"

She looked around her and realized that they're out of the woods.

"Where're the others?"

Bobby stared at her."They went home. Is there something wrong? You were quiet back there."

"Nothing," she answered.

He held her hands and pressed it. He looked her in the eyes and his eyes said, "I'm here." That's what she like about Bobby. His eyes speak.

She smiled and said goodnight.

¤ ¤ ¤

She was surprised. Inside the big box is a man that reminded her of a novel she read. It's skin is pale, so pale that it looked like the specimens bathing in formaldehyde in the Biology class. The smell is very bad. It's like opening a fridge that's not opened for many months.

She stared at the man, which in fact she thought as a corpse until it opened its eyes.

Dead, pale eyes.

It stared at her.

¤ ¤ ¤

Liz was screaming in her mind.

It's just a dream. A bad dream. A nightmare.

She feels very strange. Something inside her wants to be freed. She thought it could be the clothes. Yes, she haven't changed her clothes. Suddenly she wants to be with Bobby. She knows he'll help her. He'll make her feel safe. But something isn't right. It felt so warm. No, she feels like she's burning.

She took off her clothes. It's really a weird night. She remembered her scarf. No, no. She can't remove it. Everyone will see that thing. That two little incisions. No, no, no, no.

In a swift of time, Liz was on the woods. She stared at the trees. It's surprising that they're staring at her too. With eyes of red. She bit her lower lip hard. But something stung her. 

Blood flowed from her lips, to her chin, down to her neck then it swerved to the part where the man in the coffin has bitten her.

All of a sudden, Liz Wright growled like a hungry animal in the woods. And the people of Corpus Christi shut their lights and let the haunting darkness prowl.