The sun was blaring.

One would believe the cooling effects of the heavy rain would span over the course of the remaining day. Apparently, the belief didn't coincide with the scientific data that she collected over the years with her sensible experience. In its place, these chilling properties of the weather were swapped with the unexplainable effects of the morning star.

For a second, she thought her skin was melting.

Nah.

Obie was sweating so much she could stand in a bucket and fill it.

She guessed she couldn't blame it specifically on the outlandish heat in the fall weather.

She had a role in it too.

For the last half an hour, Obie was dragging Logan from the roof of the market to the sidewalk. Good thing Sam pointed out a way down before...you know...he got killed and all; which she will forever be thankful for. Just like she was thankful for Logan's decision to save her life over his.

She put him in his truck with half the mind to leave him there; not because she disliked him, though that was completely true. Her need to leave stemmed from the desire to go find the vampire. She didn't understand why he was following her nor did she want to find out. Her genuine wish was for him to stop by any means necessary.

Despite what he had done for her, he did something again far worse.

The closed holes on her neck, the reconciled gunshot wound on her leg and the healed scraps she had gotten from recent events were clearly benefits of its blood, but quickly diminished as she was reminded of what happened the last time; the nausea, the odd blurry images and this ravenous need for...God she couldn't even say it.

It was enough she continuously licked the inside of her mouth to gather the sweet left over taste.

Now to add insult to injury, she felt strong.

Never mind that, she was strong.

Too strong compared to her natural strength.

Like the infected.

Obie kicked Logan's feet in and slammed the passenger door. The window cracked with three piercing lines, accidently drawing out an upside down "Y".

"Shit." She muttered, sliding her back against the car.

He was around here somewhere.

Somehow she could feel it.

She could smell it.

Obie shivered.

The sun was out and brilliant. The shadows were slight and scarce. This was the opportunity she could take to find and kill it.

He did save your life twice.

"But at what cost?" She murmured back to the voice in her head, who was playing devil's advocate.

Truthfully, she didn't know.

That's where the problem lie.

Obie had to take a moment to breathe.

She couldn't waste any more time, because she was on Logan's life clock. He didn't look too good, notwithstanding the fact the infected barely drained him. Though, the vampire bites and tears became gaps for the blood to rush out of his body.

She owed him more than she owed herself now. And owing someone was the worst feeling. One can become a slave to the debt or in this case, to the guilt if it wasn't repaid.

Obie stood up and shook it off.

She should save all her thinking. She needed the energy to remember the routes back home that were clear and not trafficked by rusting cars.

The nineteen year old girl curved around to the driver's seat of the truck.

What made him get a big ass truck?

She thought randomly.

Who was she kidding? She recalled every kid in their teens wanting a Hummer truck with rims that could spin and hoped to get on the show "Pimp my Ride" so Xhibit can add some flat screens.

But they weren't kids anymore.

How was she going to dodge permanent traffic with this massive automobile?

Before Obie could climb in, a low grumble traveled loosely in the air and vibrated against her eardrum.

She turned around and found a baby vampire staring at her.

It used to be a boy. Probably four or five years old. The baby vampire was wearing a hospital gown, tainted in red and brown stains with its hem nearly torn. Its feet had a fading pattern of dirt that darkened from brown to black skin. Red peaked under the sole of the feet, overcoming the whiteness of his toes.

She wasn't alarmed by the age.

Obie saw infected children before.

However, the baby vampire's face frightened her. Part of his cheek was missing. There was still flesh attached near the mouth and posterior to the beginning of the jaw, but the middle was missing. There were gristly flesh, looking like bloody guitar strings within the hole. But not nearly enough to disguise over its baby molars or the evident two large canines.

The toddler must have had the scar before he turned. It was the only explanation as to why it didn't heal. Vampires kept their human scars.

She frowned, wondering how that little boy suffered as a human.

The baby vampire crouched with its hands touching the ground in front of him. He was tilting his head side to side like an owl, while its nostrils flared towards her. Usually, vampires looked at her the way southerners reacted to fresh baby back ribs. They attacked first and thought later. That was not to say the baby vampire didn't want to kill her. She clearly saw it licking its lips and the hunger in its small white eyes.

Nevertheless, it looked confused.

The confusion wasn't similar to how the vampires reacted towards Logan. They looked at him as if he was vegetables, while she was the prized meat. This baby vampire appeared genuinely puzzled between her smell and what he could see.

Obie thought. It's the blood.

The baby vampire was smelling her and him.

She was just assuming, but it made sense to her.

The first time he forced his blood inside of her, the amount was scarce. The blood she also consumed near her front door-

She paused, sickened by the memory.

-was insufficient as well, so still vampires continued after her relentlessly like it was nothing. Yet, the vampire went all out this time. He must have dumped a load inside of her. It explained the strength and apparently, this little vampire.

Obie sighed.

When Obie moved, it growled.

"I know you're hungry, little monster." She said throwing her backpack in the truck. "But you gonna have to find supper somewhere else-"

A hand grabbed at her ankle.

Obie jumped back, screeching.

The hand pulled away from her feet and laid limply on the street.

"Help me." She heard a voice moan.

Ignoring the growling baby vampire, Obie bent her knees, lowering her body to the ground and peered under the truck.

Her brown eyes matched to her captor. Not Kim, because the crazy bitch was long gone. It was Rocky aka Scorpion Tail's brother.

"You!" he tried to shout, then pulled out a gun. His slow movements gave Obie the chance to move to the side and dodge the two bullets. One shot accidently hit the baby vampire in the leg.

His heavy grunts elevated loudly against the gunshots that echoed through the neighborhood. The two heavy blasts swiftly diminished and continued on as empty clips.

Rocky grunted in defeat, sounding close to crying than he was to death.

Cautiously, Obie crouched down again and angled her head.

He was attempting to shoot the empty gun at her face.

Eventually, the realization caught up to him and he ceased. Obie had to scoot back a little bit, because he tried to snatch at her.

Evidently, by the looks of his wounds and bloody face, he was bound to fail.

"Anger issues must run in the family, huh?"

He said angrily. "Fucking bitch! Keep my brother's name out your mouth!"

"I never said your brother's name." She scoped over his appearance. "But this is certainly déjà vu, except looks like you don't get to die as horribly as your brother."

"You are one evil bitch. He had children!" Rocky shouted at her. "We both do!"

"Sucks for them. That doesn't concern me." She said calmly. "Your brother attacked me first."

"I don't give a fuck." He flinched, gripping his abdomen.

"Neither did your brother. Now, look where that got you. Well, look at where it got your family."

"Trust and believe, I'm going to kill you for what you've done."

"We both know that's not true, but whatever makes you feel better." She smirked, while he squirmed. "I hate seeing people die. It doesn't make me feel better, but I can't stand when people tried to make sure I die too."

He scoffed, blood leaking out his mouth. "We wanted that pet vampire of yours too. Don't think your special."

"I don't." She shrugged. "Have fun in hell. Tell your brother and Kim I said 'hi'"

Rocky laughed as Obie was about to get up. "You think my people are going to let this go? The Capitol will send out a team to look for us. Once they notice Logan is gone too...yeah I saw him and Sam help you into the vents. You're gonna have bigger problems than your vampire. You two prepared your own headstones."

"Does it come in pink?" She asked smartly.

"Everything must be a joke to you." He choked out some blood. "The boys at the Capitol like to joke too, especially with the women. They play all types of games. When they find you, they'll have fun playing with that tight little ass and cunt of yours."

"I'm sure they will." She rolled her eyes.

There wasn't time in entertaining a dead man, while she had a dying one in her truck.

"I told them about you."

Obie froze.

"I always had to give in reports. Logan would tell you if the bastard is even alive. So they know." He said dreadfully. "I can die with the thought that they are going to find you."

Obie tried not to show the fear on her face. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Still, her expression wobbled to keep its hoax as she thought about the threat he introduced. Also, the threats she already encountered disturbed whatever peace of mind she had left. The combination of the thoughts were deadly.

"Don't feel like this is funny now?" He laughed, painfully. "I didn't think so."

Obie sharpened her glare.

Without thinking, she clutched his arm and drew his body from under the truck.

Rocky grunted, looking at her in shock and most likely underestimated how strong she was.

She stood over his body, patted his pockets and retrieving each single item.

"What are you doing?" He asked, struggling to understand.

"No, I don't think this is funny." She answered his previous question, while helping him to his feet. "But this is."

She pushed him.

His head bounced on the ground. His torso was halfway in the shadows, while his legs were shined upon by the rowdy sun.

"Huh?" Rocky said as Obie waved him goodbye.

The baby vampire sped towards Rocky's body, gripped his neck with his teeth and dragged the heavy male into the shadows.

She grimaced as the man screamed. "Enjoy, you little monster."

The little monster did and its eyes trailed after her when she drove away.

As soon as Obie got home, she rushed to place Logan on her bed. She grabbed the saline solution out of her father's medical trunk with the tube and needle to set up the IV. Her father always thought it was better to be prepared in case the world went left. After the epidemic of 2014, her father stacked up on medical supplies and canned foods.

Obie sterilized his injuries and wrapped them. Then, she set the IV up like her father showed her years ago.

Obie remained in the room to make sure he was alive by feeling for his pulse ever so often. She doesn't know when or if he will wake up, but when or if does, he'll notice his two hands and feet were cuffed to the bed.

He did try to save her life. She'll give him that. Though, the unfamiliarity of Logan's presence in her home was secretly driving her insane with paranoia, because he was a stranger. A stranger with a sole interest in her father, whose house he was slumming in until he was better.

She had to keep him secure.

Currently, Obie was rubbing Burrito's back in the living room. Baby wipes were poor choices compared to a bird wash, but she already wasted a portion of her water supply on Logan. The filth ornamenting her skin was a consequence of her decisions and fought to cling onto her miniscule hairs even with her thoroughgoing sponging.

Plus, she used some of the water to scrub B's brown hair to its nearly original black and white coat.

She sighed. "I know B. I don't know what we're going to do."

Burrito pressed into her lap.

"I don't trust him, either." She said. "But I owe him. He tried to save my life, you know? He cut his own wrist, so I can escape. Technically, he didn't do it for me. He did it for my dad. Can you believe that? He thinks dad is some important doctor."

Obi scratched her head.

"That's not the worst part. Guess who came to the rodeo? Our friend mister vampire. He saved me again." Obie paused. "I know. I know. I can't assume, but I know B. I just do. I hate that I can sense him almost. What's wrong with him? What does he want from me?"

Burrito made a little sound when Obie shifted her on her lap.

"I think we might have to go the CDC. We have to find out what's happening to me. Wherever I go, he goes right? I think I can take him on the road. I'm kinda strong now."

Besides the fact he kind of beat her ass twice.

Obie lowered voice as if someone could overhear her. "I also had the strangest dream. I think it's a dream. Mom, Dad and I were driving home. They were talking about Uncle George and some type of therapy. It's crazy. When I was asleep, it was so clear. Now, it's splotchy. But what I am absolutely sure of is I don't remember what happened before that. Or if I tried, it's not like I remember home for what it is. It's like I never had a home, but I always had Mom and Dad."

Obie held Burrito close to her cold chest.

"I miss them." She whispered. "No one will ever know them like I do. I don't care what Logan says. He's an idiot. Brave, but an idiot."

She kissed the top of her head.

"He did say he was sorry though. I'm sorry too...for his friend. The rest I'm not sorry for. I have no one to blame, but myself for falling for his trick." She chuckled. "It wasn't funny then, but it's kind of funny now. He was like 'Contact Cian!' Even gave me his jacket..."

That uncomfortable ass jacket. The cargo felt like it was stuffed with paper.

"C'mon we should go check on him." Obie placed B on the ground. "I hope he wakes up soon. Military man got a lot of questions to answer." '

A/N: Vote, comment, and let me know what you think!