The Legends of Blood Volume 1
"Blood Lust"
By: Myke D
Part 3: Secrets
18: Jenna's Choice - Jenna
It was dark. Impossible to breathe. I could feel the hint of pain on the edges of the darkness that surrounded me. I wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn't fight against the darkness that held me down. I couldn't even form a coherent thought. It was as if nothing I did even helped. All I remembered was the man in black throwing me against the locker and everything went dark. All I knew for certain was that I had failed to protect Ethan like Mr. Hunter had wanted. The darkness seemed to even blot out the remorse that I felt over failing my teacher. At the time that he had told me to protect Ethan, I didn't know what he had been talking about. Now, I knew the truth. Mr. Hunter knew that somebody was going to kidnap Ethan, and he knew that I would be the person that was near enough to try and save him. Too bad that Mr. Hunter didn't know that I was going to fail...
There was no sense of time in the grips of the darkness. There was nothing. Once in a while, it sounded like there were voices nearby, but I could never make out what they were saying. It was as if my head was being held under water and all of the sounds around me were being distorted. All I could feel was a cold chill draped over my entire body. There was no escape from it.
I felt a nudge after a while. There was no other way to describe it, but it felt like somebody had taken their finger and pushed against my brain. I felt the gentle push again a moment later. I wanted to search for the cause of the strange sensation, but the darkness wouldn't give no matter how much I tried. The nudge came again, and it brought a warming sensation along with it. For a moment I felt afraid until I heard a familiar voice deep within my mind.
"Jenna?"
"Evan?" I asked in disbelief. "Where are you?"
"Relax, Jenna." Evan's voice came back with a hint of a chuckle. "I'm still trying to get used to my new ability."
"You were always so weird, Evan." I replied dismissively. Then, I was certain that I had figured out why I was hearing Evan's voice. In order for me to move on, I needed to confess to him what had happened to his little brother. "I have to tell you something, Evan."
"It can wait until I make you better, Jenna." Evan said firmly.
"No, Evan." I replied with a choked sob. "It can't wait. I'm not going to get better." I had saw the blood as the darkness settled in upon my mind. Nobody survived that much blood loss. Especially, when it was a head wound. Then, the darkness seemed to lighten slightly.
"There," Evan said proudly. "I'm almost getting it."
"And, I'm hallucinating from the lack of oxygen to my brain." I stated. "That's besides the point, though. I have to tell you want happened to Ethan. It's important, Evan."
"I'm sure it is, Jenna." Evan said. "But, I've almost got this. Just a second."
Then, the darkness lifted, and I was seated on a small sofa in a white room. Evan sat across from me on another white sofa. He was dressed in all black which made his skin almost blend in with the walls around us. The only thing that stood out was his bright red eyes. I swallowed nervously against the sudden fear that I felt as I remembered Mr. Hunter's class.
"You're a vampire," I said without any question. Evan smiled and nodded. "I'm definitely hallucinating."
"Wrong, Jenna." Evan stated without losing his smile. "This," he motioned to the small room around us. "This is very real."
I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head in disbelief.
"Vampires don't exist, Evan." I scolded my old friend.
"You obviously haven't been listening to Mr. Hunter very closely, then." Evan scolded me. "I hope Ethan has been paying better attention."
I stared at him in disbelief. He clearly didn't know why I had been surrounded by darkness. That only reminded me that I needed to tell him about Ethan.
"Evan, I have to tell you something." I forced the words before he could stop me again. "Ethan was kidnapped."
"Bullshit!" Evan stated as his red eyes went wide.
"No," I said quietly. "It's true. I was attacked by the same man took your brother. He slammed me against a wall."
Evan squeezed his eyes shut tightly as the room around me flickered to darkness like a strobe light. Evan forced his eyes open and the image of the white room solidified once again.
"There's nothing that you could have done, Jenna." Evan said calmly. "Now, there's something I need to tell you, Jenna. We don't have much time, so please listen closely."
I nodded at my friend. I was still in disbelief that he was seated across from me. He hesitated before he continued.
"You're dying, Jenna." Evan finally told me in a monotone voice. I couldn't help but gasp out in disbelief. "I'm here to offer you a choice, though."
"A choice?"
"Yes, Jenna." He told me grimly. "A choice between Death and eternal life."
I couldn't stop the laughter from bursting from my lips until I saw that Evan's expression didn't change.
"You're fucking with me, right?"
"No, Jenna." Evan said. "I'm not fucking with you. You're on the very edge of death as we speak. Unless, you choose to join me."
"Join you?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Evan replied. "I want you to join my family."
"What are you talking about, Evan? How am I supposed to join your family when I'm dying?"
"I can save you by turning you into a vampire, Jenna." Evan told me seriously. My pulse quickened as I considered the implications of Evan's words as he continued to gaze at me with his red eyes. "I'm being very serious about this, so please give it some deep thought, Jenna."
I stared at him in confusion.
"Vampires are real?"
Evan nodded.
"And this?" I motioned to the room.
"It's all real, Jenna." Evan replied calmly. "Everything that Mr. Hunter ever told us was true. And now, it's time for you to decide whether or not you're going to join me on my adventure."
I looked at him for a moment.
"Life or death? I asked. "That's the choice?"
"Yes, Jenna. That's the choice I'm giving you," Evan said. "The same choice that I wasn't given."
I could hear the regret in his voice, but he never dropped his gaze from my own.
"What would you do, Evan?" I asked him softly.
"After everything that I've been through," Evan began hesitantly. "I believe that I would choose life, Jenna."
"Does it hurt?"
"Yes," Evan chuckled. "It hurts more than you can imagine, Jenna. But, it is all worth it."
I thought about it for a moment before I nodded.
"Then, let's do this." I stated. "My choice is to live."
Evan smiled.
"Good," he stated with a smug grin. "Now, relax and let me do my thing. Just don't panic, Jenna. You'll only have to deal with the darkness for a few more minutes."
"Okay," I said in a worried tone.
Evan smiled again before the white room vanished and I was enveloped in darkness once again. I felt sluggish and trapped again, but there was something else happening to my body. I was beginning to get warm.
****Thank you for choosing to read this installment of "The Legends of Blood". Stay tuned for the next chapter...
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