• Awareness creeped into her slowly, her brain waking first. The last thing she remembered was walking down a street and being pulled into an alley. From there it was blank, filled with this dark endless fear. And now….

    The senses followed, giving hints to just where she lay. The air smelt crisp, clean, and cold. Her skin prickled with a chill and itched to move from the unforgiving steel she lay on. Her tongue could taste the cleaner used way to often and she heard nothing. She could see nothing as eyes open, to dark to even see the tip of her nose. Maybe she hadn't opened them?

    It took some concentration but she finally lifted her arm. She meant to touch her face, see if her eyes were stuck with sleep's grit, but her arm met resistance a few inches above her. Hard cold steel kept her hand from rising further, she was in a small space with little room to move.

    Panic latched on as her claustrophobia raised to occasion. She tried to count, to envision herself else where but found she couldn't speak. Her lungs refused to inflate with breath, even as she struggled to breathe. Lips gulped like a docked fish, searching for even that smallest hint of air.

    Where was she? What happened to her? Questions zoomed through her mind but fear kept the answers from being found. She couldn't think.

    Shaking with fear, she trashed about and hoped that someone could hear her. It could have been seconds or it could have been hours, she would never know. Someone had heard and light splashed into a prison. Blinded, she blinked as she was yanked from the small whole.

    "Calm down, you're okay." A deep voice stabbed into her panic, giving her something to latch on. Her vision cleared and found deep red eyes looking right into hers.

    "Stop, take a moment and think." The voice resounded around her, compelling her to obey. Her body stilled and the fear began to leave. "Now take stock. Do you really feel the clawing need to breath? Do you feel like you are going to pass out?"

    She followed his instructions and found he was right. Yes, her lungs were empty but she didn't feel light headed.

    "Good, now concentrate and take a breath. Imagine your lungs opening and accepting the air."

    She had no choice but to obey. Those eyes held her still, kept her from challenging his words. Air filled her lungs and she held it then let it out slowly. She did it again, this time using it to speak. "Where am I?"

    "The morgue, where else?" He smiled then, flashing white teeth, white fanged teeth. Her eyes widened as memory came back in a flash.

    She remembered being dragged into an alley, being pinned against the wall by a man, and him smiling at her. Those teeth, they scared her and brought fight into her but he'd been stronger. With little effort he held her and brought those teeth to her neck. The sharp pain followed by heat…

    "You… what are you?" She whispered, almost afraid to know the answer.

    "Vampire," He answered her, "just as you are now." He leaned in and played his lips across hers. "You've been reborn my sweet. Welcome to your new life."