Leon gazed blankly at the television screen.  An icy chill ran down his back.  His mother rushed over to him, squeezing him tightly in her arms.  She tried comforting him, believing that he had been shocked at a fellow student’s death.  But in truth, he thought he had killed her. 

These thoughts made Leon’s stomach churn, making him ill.  He broke free of his mother’s hold and ran into the bathroom.  His whole body ached as he vomited into the toilet.  His eyes watered from the pain, rendering him unable to see.  Feeling his way over to the sink to clear his eyes, he looked into the mirror. 

He gasped in horror seeing a crimson liquid drip down from his mouth.  He wiped it off his bottom lip and placed upon his tongue.  It was warm and sweet.  He grew pale as he recognized that it was blood.  But it wasn’t just any ordinary blood.  Even mixed with the disgusting smell of his gastric juices, he recognized the sweet aroma of Mindy May’s blood.  He pressed up against the wall and slumped down to the floor. 

Leon realized that he had killed his classmate.  Worse than that, he had consumed her blood.  His body began to pulsate painfully again.  A familiar laughter echoed in his mind.  Although it was inside Leon’s head, the voice sounded like it was right next to him.

“Did you enjoy her blood?” the voice asked. “It had been ages since we’ve drunk the crimson life.  We simply couldn’t control ourselves.  We drained her completely.”

Leon covered his ears trying to block out the voice, but it was no use.  The voice laughed loudly at Leon’s feeble attempt.  The laughter grew louder and louder, until it echoed through Leon’s skull.  Leon got to his feet, looking into the mirror again.  He saw his doppelganger standing there, laughing hysterically.  Leon, infuriated at his duplicate, smashed the mirror with a single punch.  The shards imbedded into his hand, which caused blood to trickle out.  Looking at his blood, Leon’s body pulsated voraciously.  He fell to his knees; clutching his face and chest.  Hot beads of sweat dripped down his face as he knelt there, gritting his teeth in pain.  There was a faint knock on the bathroom door.  Leon picked himself up and listened carefully.  He could hear Briana’s voice coming from the other side.

“Leon,” she said softly, “Are you alright?  Your mother said you didn’t look well.”

“Yeah,” Leon said, getting up, “I just had an upset stomach.  I feel much better now.”

Leon quickly cleaned up the bathroom.  He took out the pieces of glass still imbedded in his hand, and wrapped up the wound.  As he headed for the door, he gazed once more into the broken mirror.  In the cracked pieces, his doppelganger still gave a menacing smile, indicating that his torment far from over. 

He cracked open the door and slipped through so that Briana couldn’t see the broken mirror.  She tried to say something, but Leon ran into the other room to gather his things.  He was immediately blocked by his mother and Briana as he made his way to the door.

“You aren’t feeling good Leon,” his mother said, rather worried, “You should stay home.”

Leon looked from his mother and Briana, and forced a reassuring smile upon his face.

“I’m fine,” he said, “I just ate something that didn’t agree with my stomach.  I think I got it out of me.”

Leon gazed at Briana, who averted her eyes away from his.  He passed between them, heading out the door.  He turned back to Briana, who was still standing by his mother.

“If we don’t hurry we’re going to be late for our first class,” he said.

Briana instinctively ran to his side.  Both headed out into the snow.  As they walked, Leon thought it strange how calm he had become.  Realizing that he had killed a fellow student, oddly enough, he wasn’t rattled.  Perhaps it was the fact he wasn’t conscious, or in control when performing the act, that his mind was at ease. 

Their brisk walk started off silently, until Briana turned to Leon.

“It was a shame what happened to Mindy,” she said sadly.

“It was,” Leon answered softly.

Briana tilted her head downwards, but kept her eyes on Leon.  The walk turned back to silence.

 Leon remembered that she had said that she was a vampire slayer.  Whether it was fact or his imagination was yet to be seen.   However, he felt it necessary to appear innocent.  As they continued to class, Leon could feel Briana’s eyes watching him.  He felt a cautious stare.  It was if she was examining his every facial expression, trying to read his thoughts.  Leon tried to act natural, but struggled.  The ever looming thought of Mindy’s death reappeared in his thoughts.

The walk became much longer in his mind.  With each step, it felt that Briana was pealing back a layer of his thoughts.  Soon she would fine the beast within him.  Leon began to panic.  He turned and gave a weak smile to Briana, but she didn’t return it.  Leon faced straight ahead and prayed that they would reach the school soon.

Finally, they reached their destination.  Once again, they were late for their class.  This time, they tried to sneak in.  But to their dismay, the only opened seats were where they normally sat.  The professor noticed their arrival, looking up at them, with his old grey eyes.  Clearly, he was not pleased that they had arrived late again.

“Mr. Gallows, Ms. Hawthorn,” he said sternly, “Would you mind me asking why you are late again?”

“I’m sorry Mr. Mantia,” Leon said, responding first, “I was feeling a little ill this morning.  Briana came to my house to see if I was alright.”

                Mr. Mantia gave a soft nod, and then turned to continue his lecture.  Both of them took their normal seats.  Leon got an uneasy feeling being by Briana.  During the lecture, Briana kept on glancing over to him with the same gaze as before.  Leon tried to ignore it by actually focusing on Mr. Mantia’s words. 

Mr. Mantia began an open debate on whether, if vampires were real, they’d be capable to coexist with humans.  Around the room, people gave answers like, Yes, because they were once human, or no, because they live during the night.  These were normal answers to Mr. Mantia’s “what if” questions. Then Briana raised her hand.  Mr. Mantia asked her to voice her opinion.

                “I highly doubt vampires could coexist with humans,” she said sternly.

                “And why do you think that?” Mr. Mantia asked.

                “Because,” she began, “Vampires have an animal instinct to feed off of human blood.  Meaning, it would be hazardous to humankind for vampires to be even near them.  It would be the same as letting dangerous animals roam around freely.  Vampires are deadly beasts to humans.  And, if they were real, would have to be eliminated.”

                As she sat down, she glanced again at Leon.  This time, he felt a cold gaze.  Leon turned away, placing his head in his right hand.  His heart ached.

                “So, this is how Briana views vampires,” he thought to himself. “Is that how she views me now?  Does she see me as nothing, but a beast that needs eliminated?”

                As he gazed into his palm thinking, he heard his name called.  He looked up to see the Mr. Mantia standing over him.  Clearly, Mr. Mantia wanted to hear his opinion.  Leon wandered if he should simply agree with Briana.  Or rather, give his personal thoughts.  There was a pause in the room.  Right as Mr. Mantia was going to ask again, Leon rose to his feet.

                He looked at the professor and said, “I think vampires can coexist with humans.  It is true that vampires feed off the blood of humans.  But, we as humans, feed off the flesh of animals.  We don’t go around, eating any animals we see.  No, we have a sense of control, because we are humans.  And vampires, who are like humans, must have that very sense of control.”

                He sat down and looked over at Briana.  She glared at him.  He turned back to Mr. Mantia, who was smiling.

                “Interesting interpretations,” Mr. Mantia said, chuckling a bit. “It seems although you two are close friends, your views on this matter is very different.  Briana, your thoughts sound very much like the ancient vampire hunters we talked about.  Their view of vampires stem from a deep hatred.  Then there is your interpretation Leon.  Your sympathetic view on the vampire seems as if you are a supporter of vampires.  Or you are a vampire yourself.”

                Leon heard Briana clenching her fist.  Even facing straight ahead, he could feel her intense hatred of Mr. Mantia’s words.  This deep hatred burned like hell’s flames.  And it was all focused on Leon.  Leon looked ahead, cold beads of sweat dripped down his brow.

“She knows,” Leon thought to himself. “That I am a vampire.  That I murdered Mindy May.  It’s all over, she knows.

After the lecture, Leon did his best to avoid Briana.  He went as far as to skipping his last class to head home early.  He knew Briana would become more suspicious, but he couldn’t face her.

                Briana walked out of her last class, looking around for Leon.  She thought he had been acting strangely today.  Ever since this morning, he hadn’t been quite himself.

                “Even though he didn’t know her,” she thought to herself, “Leon seemed to have feelings for Mindy.  Her death must have taken a toll on him.  Then after lecture, he didn’t want to be near me.   Maybe he wanted to be alone for awhile.”

                Then she remembered how she reacted to his view on vampires.  How angry she had gotten.

                She looked down glumly, muttering, “Maybe that was the reason Leon avoided me.  He thought I was mad at him.  I know I got really angry, but it was never aimed at him.  I could never be angry at him.  *Sigh* I should apologize next time I see him.  Anyways, it’s getting late.  Leon probably went home already.”

                It was already dark when she started heading home.  As she walked, she felt her cell phone ring.  She quickly opened it to answer it.”

                “Hawthorn, are you there?” a voice asked.

                “Yes, I’m here Chairman,” she answered back.

                “There have been two vampire sightings in your area.” said the Chairman, “I want you to eradicate them both.  It seems that one is approaching your position now.  Good luck.”

                Briana closed her cell phone.  Reaching into her uniform jacket, she pulled out a hand gun.  From the data received on her cell phone, the closest vampire was heading right for her.  Briana ducked behind a bush, waiting for the vampire to show.       

Through the falling snow, Briana could see a figure approaching.  But she could not make out any traits as she was too far away.  The midsection swayed side to side as it came closer.  The snow on the ground magnified the moonlight, allowing Briana to clearly see.  It was indeed a vampire.

The vampire was a slender woman with a large chest and hips.  She wore a white, blood-stained dress.  Her black hair was long and wiry.  Her lips were black and covered with blood.  In the dim light, her crimson colored eyes glowed brightly.  The vampire continued her stroll past Briana’s hiding spot.

Briana took a deep breath, and leapt out from her hiding spot.  Hearing Briana’s feet crunching through the snow, the vampire spun around.  She immediately charged at Briana, aiming for another meal.  Briana fired off several shots of her gun.  The vampire fell into the snow, crying out in pain.  The vampire thrashed widely in the snow, clutching her wounds to her shoulder.  Briana rushed over to the vampire, pressing the barrel of her gun to the vampire’s forehead.  The gunshot echoed into the sky, as the vampire ceased her movements.  Briana walked away, putting her gun back into her jacket pocket, and reached for her cell phone.

                “One vampire has been taken care of,” she said into the phone. “I’m going back to my house to…”

                Her voice was cut short, as she felt herself falling forward.  Looking down, she saw a blood-drenched hand jetting from her stomach.  The vampire ripped her hand out of Briana’s body, and Briana fell to the ground.  The vampire stood over Briana.  Her head tilted to the side, with blood dripping down her face.  She had an eerie smile on her face.  The look in her eyes was empty of emotion.  It was almost as if she was a mobile corpse. 

Briana struggled to move.  Above her head, she could hear the chancellor calling for her.  She felt her warm blood drench her cold back.  Briana closed her eyes.

“This is the end,” she thought. “I am going to die in a place like this.  Leon…”

Waiting for the final blow, Briana heard a loud scream.  She flashed opened her eyes to see the vampire tumbling away from her.  A cloaked figure stood over Briana.  The vampire rose to her feet, shrieking in anger.  Her right arm lay severed at the figures feet.  Enraged, the vampire charged at the figure.  The figure raised his arm, and the blood from her severed arm rose into the air.  The blood then moved like a snake at the vampire, focusing into a point.

The blood morphed into a spike, impaling the vampire mid charge.  She struggled like an animal caught in a trap.  The figure raised his other.  The blood spike branched out, piercing through her arms, legs, chest, and throat.  Still clinging to life, the vampire gazed up to see the figure approaching her.  He pressed his hands together.  The spikes separated, tearing the body apart.  The vampire’s dismembered body then fell to the ground in a bloody pool.  Then, the figure turned to Briana, who was still lying on the ground, clutching her wound.  He removed his hood.  Leon’s face appeared from the hood, his eyes glow the same crimson color as the vampire’s.  An evil smile appeared on his face.

“Le…Leon,” Briana choked out, forcing back tears, “Is that really you?”

Leon just continued to smile as he rushed toward her.  Briana’s teary eyes blurred right as Leon was about to give the fatal blow.

Leon’s claws were inches away from Briana, when he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder.  He fell over top of her, crashing into the snow.  Before he could see what happened, an unknown force struck him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.  Another figure stood over Briana, and hoisted her over his shoulder.  The figure then looked down at Leon.

“You did well, Briana,” said the chancellor. “I think we’ll take this vampire back to headquarters.  I think he may be the one.”

CHAPTER 4: ENEMIE’S NEST