Tempting Jocelyn

6. Nightmare?...

It was pitch-black. I couldn’t see anything or feel any part of my body or even move, but it felt like I was just floating in the dark. I could hear, though, but the only sound I could get was the thumping sound of my heart beating steadily in my chest. Was this what death felt? Floating in an empty void and unable to do anything else except breathe?

Whispers, I could hear them. At first, they started out low and distant, just as a glint of light appeared in my line of vision, causing me to squint as my eyes tried adjusting. It seemed a bit far away, but soon its gleam became more pronounced, almost blinding, while the voices filled my ears till it was all I could hear.

I blinked my eyes close, hoping to shut out the light and maybe the voices since I had no hands to cover my ears, but the latter was futile until it became unbearable. It was hard to focus on a single word of what the voices were whispering about, and my head was starting to ache till I felt like screaming.

Then suddenly, it stopped; the light wasn’t so bright behind my eyes anymore, and the whispers simmered down. I slowly peeled my eyes open then, feeling tingles from the tips of my fingers to my arm and everywhere else down to my toes. Now able to feel and move my limbs, I brought my hands forward to inspect, grateful they were still a part of me. I was beginning to panic back there.

“…wait. Don’t do this.” I heard a strained voice and immediately looked up to gaze at my surroundings for the first time. I went rigid as what first caught my attention, though, was the ghastly sight of blood gushing from the neck of a woman even as she tried stopping the flow with her hand. She sat slumped on the floor, leaning against the wall of what seemed like the living room of an apartment as her blood continued to drip down her skin; even her grizzly hair was smeared with it.

A figure hovered over her, covered in all black with his face also concealed by a hood, making it difficult for me to get a good glimpse of them except for their strapping figure. He crouched in front of the woman till he was staring directly into her pleading eyes.

When he refused to budge, she glared at him instead and vowed, “You won’t get away with this.” The man didn’t do or say anything still but kept gazing and watched as her life force gradually leaked out, not assisting or trying to aid her.

She was losing a lot of blood fast, and soon the light began to fade from her eyes until her body turned limped, and her neck slouched to the side, so I was staring straight into her dead eyes.

I covered my mouth and gasped in horror, shocked out of my frozen state at realizing a dead body stood a few feet away from me. The tingles I felt earlier hadn’t stopped, though, and they seemed to keep on unfurling through my body as the sensation intensified while my wide eyes fixated on the dead woman in front of me.

I just witnessed a murder! And I didn’t even know how I got here or what I was doing here. One minute I was floating in space, and the next, I was in the corner of this apartment while the scene unfolded before me. My eyes strayed to the hooded figure who had gone stiff as if noticing another presence in the room: my presence. He snapped his neck to where I stood just as he bared his fangs and hissed with his face still hidden by the hood.

I flung my eyes wide open as I awoke, frozen and terrified, with my breath coming out in shallow pants. It took me a while to calm myself, repeatedly chanting in my head; it was just a dream, even though it felt so real.

I sat up with my heart still palpitating in my chest, but I turned cold when I took in my surroundings once more. Jocelyn, you are not in your room.

Instead of my usual white walls, I was surrounded by grey walls that spanned out long and wide. The sofa, armchairs, curtains, rug, and sheets were the same color and even some pillows. There is a wide ass built-in wall shelf containing peculiar artifacts of different kinds, an unlit fireplace opposite me, and an oil painting of the sky and sea above the headboard behind me. All in all, I would be fascinated by the room’s décor if I wasn’t slowly freaking out internally.

I remained seated on the big soft bed surrounded by pillows with the sheets about my waist and my eyes perusing the room, trying to recall how exactly I got here. The details that pervade my mind next induced me to jump out of the bed like it was on fire. Louis, pizza, mansion, weird butler, pool, then va..vampires! Instinctively, my hand came up to check my neck, and I immediately flinched as I touched the skin. The recollection of being probed deeply by a set of fangs wasn’t a fond memory.

I had to get out of here! Luckily, whoever bit me yesterday hadn’t killed me, but I felt like I was forgetting something.

My eyes caught what seemed to be the bathroom door and discovered it was a bit ajar with light coming in from it, which meant someone was in there. I wasn’t waiting to find out who they were, so I headed in the opposite direction towards the bedroom door. Surprisingly enough, I felt a bit energetic even though I hadn’t eaten last night, and half my blood may have been sucked from my system. I was still in my denim playsuit from yesterday, but my shoes had been taken off and left by the bedside. I reached for them and luckily found my phone and car keys when I searched my pockets.

I gently twisted the doorknob open, careful not to make a sound as I peeped outside. Seeing no one, I tiptoed out of the room, turning around to quietly close the door. Twirling back around, I stopped dead in my tracks, coming face to face with one of my predators from last night. I could swear my soul left my body for a second before it was forced back.

It was the younger one from the group yesterday. I recalled him being the one with the headphones on yesterday. Today, he was fully dressed like he was on his way out, still having those black headphones on but around his neck with a backpack slung over one of his shoulders, probably off to school. His black curly hair was cut short into a faded cut, and his eyes, the color of hazelnuts, pinned me to the spot. I had been caught. I was gonna die, I kept chanting in my head, not moving an inch. He could probably hear the sound of my heartbeat trying to escape from my chest.

I watched, frozen to the spot, as he shrugged, put on his headphones over his ear, turned, and then proceeded down the long hallway. Surprised, my eyes followed him while I expelled out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. What just happened?

I looked around once more before deciding to follow him behind. Stupid idea, I know, but I had no idea how to get out of this place, and following him might be my only ticket out. Plus, he either couldn’t see me or just thought me to be less consequential; either way, he wasn’t giving me any attention, so he had no reason to hurt me…I think.

He suddenly diverted into what I could see from behind was a stairway leading down with a lot more sunlight emitting from below, and my hopes soared at the possibility of it being the way out. I hurried after him as his figure disappeared down the stairs, and soon, his head got out of view. Thinking I would see him below when I got to the top, I was dumbfounded to find the place empty. It was just me standing atop the curved stairway that led into a foyer, and as I ventured down, I could see the door leading outside to my freedom, but there was no one else. The kid had just…disappeared.

What do I care? I shook my head and dashed for the door but halted a step away when someone whistled, “Woah, slow down there, precious.” I felt a sharp sting ache at the left side of my head at the familiar nickname, which had also been used for Chelsea yesterday. Chelsea! That was what or who I was forgetting! Was she okay also? She’d looked so scared yesterday before I blacked out and left her with those creatures.

I recognized the person who stopped me. He was one of them and had been at the pool, but he wasn’t the one who’d snatched Chelsea from me. However, his dark eyes reminded me of the brunette’s yesterday, and I recalled how he bared his fangs threateningly at me before I was attacked. The memory prompted me to move forward once more and reach for the door handle in an attempt to bolt outside, but just as my hand touched the doorknob, another hand encircled my wrist, preventing me from proceeding further. My eyes drifted up to stare up at the owner, and I was met with a smile meant to be warm, but as he showed his fangs, I jerked away instinctively and jumped a few steps back.

“Let me through.” I bravely but foolishly demanded. He didn’t reply but stepped forward to block my ray of hope with his tall frame, shrouding me with his dark form.

“Still as feisty as yesterday, I see.” He stepped toward me, but I mimicked his actions by moving back.

“And you’re still a leech.” God, what was wrong with me and my big mouth?! Was I asking to be murdered? But instead of getting offended, his smile surprisingly broadened.

“Where’s Chelsea?” I asked, still putting on a tough façade while also taking a defensive stance which only earned me a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.

“Chelsea? Oh, the blond. Isaac took her home. Sebastian’s orders.” He added, but I was left puzzled by all the unfamiliar names. He studied my reaction, and a frown took over his face as he took another step toward me, “He doesn’t know you’re down here now, does he?”

I still had a clueless expression on, and just as he sighed, we heard a loud smashing sound from upstairs. I jumped at the sound, staring in the direction of the stairs as I asked, “What was that?”

He wasn’t surprised, though, as he also looked to where the sound came from, “Let’s just say you should have stayed in bed.” I glanced between him and the stairs, confused and alarmed now that I could hear footsteps coming towards the stairs from the hallway.

I wasn’t waiting around to meet whoever was coming. I once more aimed for the door, but the vampire grabbed my arm again before I could make it past him, “Ah-ah-ah. Not so fast.” He pulled me to stand beside him and face the stairs with him. Struggling got me nowhere as his grip only tightened, and he clasped my second arm also, bringing me to his front, so my back was against his rugged chest while he offered me like some sort of offering to whatever it was that was making its way here.

The blood drained from my face, and my eyes turned wide when another figure appeared at the top of the stairs and fixated his glare directly on me.

And here I thought my Monday was over.