Not Even Human

Chapter Six

I pushed her away with a loud shriek, my skin tearing away as she fell away in shock. Her mouth was stained with blood, and her eyes glowed yellow as she growled up at me.

I grabbed my wound, gasping in pain and shock. I looked at her in worry, worry for getting my head torn off, before she seemed to regain some consciousness and held a hand up to her mouth in confusion.

I was used to lethal surprises, and I cursed myself for letting my guard down so easily. With a shaky breath, I looked at my hand that was covered in blood from my wound. I glared down at her as she looked at me in horror, and my voice sounded weak and cold, “Get out of here.”

Monica stood, her head shaking in defiance, “I’m sorry. I could help, I didn't know-“

“Just go away!” I yelled this time, and almost on the brink of losing it. She ran out, surprised at her own reaction. My wound wasn’t healing, and I worried if werewolf bites were lethal. I rushed out of the gymnasium and towards the football field with my bag slung over the unharmed shoulder, and made sure to keep pressure on the wound. It’d be easier to avoid students’ eyes on the field than inside the hall, especially with the blood that was seeping out of my bite. I wanted to speed home while no one was out here, but I felt weaker all of a sudden. Despite my sudden energy loss, I sped home with a grunt, making sure to take to the rooftops so no one could see me in broad daylight.

I opened the door to my apartment in a frenzied rush. I sped to my fridge, looking for the blood bags I kept for emergencies.

I found them.

I drank one greedily, hoping it would help my wound to heal. It didn’t. I heaved, feeling as if I would vomit. Was I getting sick? I felt weaker for sure. And cold. Was I always so cold?

I grabbed another blood bag, and drank it. I whimpered as it felt like water before death, very calming but as soon as I was finished, the good feeling was gone.

I shivered over the toilet. I had thrown up three times already, all dark liquid, and I was coughing up blood. This was definitely bad.

I got up and out of the restroom, stumbling and dizzy all of a sudden. My floor was covered with blood, and I scolded myself for being so messy with the blood and the bags that I left everywhere. I looked for my phone, and then realized it was in my back pocket like a dumbass.

I also pulled out the torn piece of paper, blood now smeared on it from my fingers, but I still had okay eyesight and it was written in permanent black ink.

I dialed Gabriel immediately, panting as if at a loss for breath, but why I didn’t know. I went back in the restroom, moving his shirt. I felt for my wound, and I started to panic as it wasn’t bleeding anymore, but instead spread. It looked infectious in the mirror, and I felt myself want to cry. Why was this like this? What was happening to me? Was I going to die?

As the phone kept ringing, I took off my shirt with a wince.

“Hello?”

I picked up the phone, my voice sounding small and shaky. Was I crying?

“Gabe. Gabriel. It’s Kim-“

He detected the fear in my voice easily, “Woah. Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

My voice broke now, “I don’t know what’s happening to me. Someone bit me, and it hurts-“

“Where? Where does it hurt?”

I whimpered in pain, “Everywhere. It hurts everywhere. I can’t focus, I’m hungry, I’m coughing… I can’t. I can’t. I feel like I’m gonna die-“

“No one is going to die, you hear me? I’m coming over. Where do you live?”

I repeated the address, and with that, he hung up. I gasped again as I looked in the mirror, my appearance looked disgusting. No way Gabe could want me now. I began crying again, worse, no doubt hysterical. My skin felt searing hot, yet I was cold.

I began to wash my hands, wanting the blood gone. I spread the water across me with a warm towel, cleaning my wound with a wince, but at least I was somewhat okay. I wasn’t crying anymore for starters…

A loud and banging knock on the door got me out of my daze, and I sighed.

“It’s unlocked…”

The door opened fast, and I felt myself want to cry again as I saw Gabe there with the most worried expression. Nico and Victoria were behind him, looking somewhat worried but mostly confused at how I looked.

“Gabe-“ I rushed over to him with supernatural speed, stumbling in his arms. I couldn’t control myself, or my powers. I coughed suddenly, wheezing like some freak. “I’m really sick…”

“I can see that. Where’s your bite?” His hand lifted my head, and I looked up at him through half-hooded eyes, almost dazed and out of focus. He was looking at my bite.

Nico looked over his shoulder with a wince, “Isn’t that a-“

“A werewolf bite.” Victoria finished for him, her face looking angry. “If those things are asking for a new war-“

“No. They wouldn’t leave her alive for us to find- Dammit. Why is your necklace hidden?” He cursed, “Kim?”

I goofily smiled up at him at the way he said my name. “Gabe?”

“Who bit you?”

I blinked, thinking of Monica. She kissed me.

“Kim. Tell me who bit you, you had to have seen their face.”

I saw more than that. I frowned, suddenly feeling compelled to say who even though I was against it.

“Monica and I were kissing…” I sighed. Nico gasped with a smile. “But then she bit me…” His smile disappeared.

Gabe raised an eyebrow with an amused smile, and I frowned as I felt myself want to cough again. I covered my mouth, coughing roughly. Blood covered my hand, and I sighed dramatically in annoyance.

“Nico, who’s Monica again?” Gabe scowled at him, and I curled myself closer to him while biting my lip. He was so warm, and I felt so cold.

“Sh-She‘s the head cheerleader at school.” Nico looked alarmed.

“We need to find her-“

“She should have cheerleader practice right about now…”

I gasped, “Oh no. I missed it.”

“Hey, it’s fine.” Gabe patted my hair, and I hummed in delight, “You’re gonna be okay.”

I didn’t want to look away, he was so handsome. But I couldn’t help it, and I fell asleep.

-

Gabriel paced back and forth, the stress and worry eating away at him as he thought of a plan. He barely knew Monica from his year at the highschool, so Nico would be better at spotting her for sure. The only way to cure a werewolf bite was for the vampire to drink the werewolf’s blood: tit for tat.

But what if they couldn’t track her down? What if they couldn’t get her to bleed?

They would. He would if no one else could, no matter what happened; Kim wasn’t going to die today.

He went back in to see Victoria place a folded towel on her forehead. Kim seemed to smile in her sleep, and he was glad to see her somewhat feeling better. The way her voice sounded on the phone…

Gabriel huffed, “You’re okay with staying here with her while Nico and I go get Monica right?”

Victoria nodded, looking somewhat solemn. She didn’t always take kindly to new people, yet here she was taking care of her happily. It was sweet to him, and he was glad she liked her.

Monica… who was she? Why were they kissing in the first place? Of course, Kim had her own life, and Gabe slept with other men and women every now and then, so who was he to judge if she hooked up with a wolf?

Maybe because he and her were equals in a way. Both born, royal, and vampiric. They had things in common. He was just protective - she was like another little sister to him now. He was hundreds of years older, of course.

Gabriel sighed and motioned to Nico, who was fawning over Kimberly in distress. “Let’s go, Nic.”

“I’ll be right back.” Nico smiled both at Victoria and Kim, before standing and walking with Gabe outside. “I can’t believe Monica was… that she would… ”

“Well us supernaturals do have senses about each other. If she didn't see the necklace and sensed Kim's vampirism, she was well within her rights as wolf.” Gabe opened his door with a grimace, “How should we get her blood? Like a syringe or what?”

“I’ll get into the nurse's office, you bring me Monica, and we’ll go from there.”

Gabriel muttered under his breath, “Yeah. What’s the worst that could happen?”

-

I gasped awake, feeling frenzied in panic. Was I still sick?

The towel fell from my forehead as I sat up, and I froze when I saw my dad in the doorway. I teared up, “Dad? What are you doing here?”

He smiled creepily at me, and I whimpered in fear. My head hit the headboard of my bed, and I shook my head, not being able to believe he was here. I hadn’t seen him since I ran away, and his harsh, narrow green eyes I had inherited from him was enough to shake me to my core. “You’re not real. Get away from me.”

He crept closer, and I stood on the bed, almost ready to make a break for it. He moved quickly, and I struggled to speed away before he grabbed me from behind. I shrieked, screaming and moving in any way possible in order to get away from him; I was weak. I couldn’t. He shoved me into my restroom, slamming the door on me. I gasped, knocking on the door repeatedly.

“Let me out! Do you hear me?!” I pounded on the door now, my voice sounding desperate and broken with fear. “Let me out! You can’t keep me in here, not anymore! Not like before!”

Victoria shuddered, holding a hand to her chest as she sat on the bed panting from the struggle. She couldn’t believe Kim’s own dad would hurt her like this. She texted Gabe: Hurry.