Obie's body jerked awake.

"Gah!" She flung her arms in the air, dramatically.

Obie climbed onto her feet, prepared for battle.

B was soundlessly sleeping on one of the beds.

She expected the vampire to circle Obie like a prey for consumption after his predatory instincts convinced him to play with her first. Next, press his nose into her epidermis as he used her scent for respiration until he finally sunk his teeth into her skin.

The expectation was false.

Her hand searched for open bite wounds, exerting blood, but instead found the musk covered skin without critical injuries.

The absence of pain prompted Obie to what truthfully transpired behind the fearful probabilities. She was attacked yesterday by both human and infected. Astonishingly, the humans did more damage to Obie in combat. Her own species hauled her body out of the closet, breaking her ribs, bruising her skin and busting her skull open. She was near the edge of death for the first time in a few years by humans.

Then, the infected she attempted to kill previously saved Obie, while satisfying his own appetite. He killed the scavenger group; opening the woman's throat, crushing Scorpion Tail's bones until he was flexed into a large sphere and splitting the other guy's body in two.

Obie wasn't staggered by that, however. When her frontal lobe ruptured and ribs broke from Scorpion Tail's assault, the infected used his blood to heal Obie's wounds. The before-apocalypse version of Obie would have shown gratitude. Wanting to push new Obie in a direction of rebirth, understanding and thankfulness. To desire freedom amongst an aura that read black death for the lifetime. But with one life saved, there was a possibility another will decay.

The vampire inserted his blood into Obie's system.

She sat down on the bed in realization. Her lips parted, deprived of reverberations because words were useless tools in doom's presence.

Blood. Vamp's blood. Infected blood. It was part of her now.

Bile touched Obie's tongue.

She ran down all the knowledge she obtained over the couple of years. Obie thought about the fights, the escapes and meetings with other survivors. Yet, the results of their blood entering the system was unknown to her.

The vampires, as far as she was aware of, cannot infect those by a single bite mark. Saliva was out of the picture. Obie remembered her father attempting to take a chunk out of her leg; he chewed through her cab. She waited hours in fright with a knife pointed to the kidney in case she was going to turn.

Long story short, Obie was human.

She thought the DNA in her father's saliva would distribute into her.

The AIV was the main substance to turn humans into blood thirsty creatures of the night in the O blood type population. The only way, thus far.

Obie wondered each day of the year about the deletion of the human quantity and the rise of the vampires. The vampires were overrunning the place. So many vamps. But few of them. It could mean the AIV was continuously spreading throughout her species in the air or by consumption, stupidly. Or the infected has been killing them off, disrupting the cycle of all life.

Obie refused to have any part. She'd die before becoming a vampire.

Chunks of air and watery acid jumped out of her throat to the bed.

Now, she was hit with a scare...again.

It took a thumping sound across the room to realize she was clawing her inner palms.

She beheld.

Perfect.

Obie snarled in dander.

Her old buddy. Mr. Vampire.

He was pushed far into the corner, hanging upside barefooted and bare-chested. His eyes were closed softly, while his hands were in his pockets. The shades were set around the windows, yet she guessed the slightest light would toast his ass up which explained him squishing into the corner.

Maybe she should let it rip. Tear down all the fucking curtains for the bastard to burn to his bones.

Her fists folded.

As if Obie's fury was a person that touched the infected's shoulders, one of its eyes peeked open. Unafraid, Obie held the eye contact to show she was at an advantage and will gladly use it on behalf of her anxiety.

His eyes narrowed.

She viewed the act as a signal for a fight.

Obie stood up, knees locked and fists prepared to swing.

His eyelids lowered and lowered and lowered.

Ok, so this asshole wants to throw down.

Then, his eyes closed.

"Are- are you fucking kidding me?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

The thing didn't respond.

It was going back to sleep.

"I should roast your ass."

It opened its eyes, wearily. Instead of responding, he did a whole 360 and faced the wall, shutting Obie out.

Her jaw dropped.

The anger ripped through her. She stomped across the room, snatched a pocket knife from the woman's dead body and approached the vampire in the shadows. Obie angled the blade where his heart was supposed to be from the back.

As the blade sunk in, the vampire flipped over and glided back on his feet.

She jerked back.

Suddenly, he was behind Obie and trapped her small hands behind her back.

"Not again-"

Obie's breasts squished against the wall. Spit escaped the corners of her mouth because the space between her lips and the wall were nonexistent. With its strength, the vampire was trying to make her one with the wall.

Obie grunted in annoyance.

His nose tucked into her neck. She could feel the air drag away into the vampire's nose.

She wiggled; struggled. This is the second time he pinned Obie down.

"Go ahead!" She tempted him. "Bite me!"

His narrow nose tickled Obie.

"Whatcha waiting for?"

His body pressed against her back.

"Asshole."

The vampire tightened his hold.

"Get it over with!"

The vampire chuckled.

Her eyes watered. "Because I'd rather die than become one of you!"

It stopped smelling Obie.

Abruptly, the infected whipped Obie around and lifted her wrists above the head.

Her breath rested as she realized how close they were.

The vampire's blue eyes assumed control over Obie's emotions. Not because he had a freaky super power. This man had a confused look on his face. She was never so surprised by the consciousness of a vampire.

"What, dip shit!" she spat. "You heard me."

It stared, gathering her words.

"Hellooo?"

He tilted his head.

"I'm going to turn right?"

He lifted his eyebrow and shook his head.

She relaxed slowly, then tensed. "Like I'm supposed to believe you."

The vampire didn't answer. Instead, he stared into her pulsing neck while swiping his tongue on his bottom lip. He transferred both of her wrists into one of his hands to free his left.

It shrugged.

Obie was still reeling down from the possible chance of remaining normal that she failed to notice the vampire's enticement. She couldn't decide whether she should believe this vampire or not for very logical reasons. His evident consciousness enabled him to respond and comprehend non-vampire communication was troublesome; with his cognition, comes with the capacity to lie as she thought silently before.

A cold hand brushed Obie's bare back.

She jolted up in shock.

The vampire was startled. His fingers released her wrists as the vampire jumped back like he touched fire. He played with his digits, looking at them with a wondrous gaze. Obie was previously surprised by his claim she'll live and...the striking oddity he was sizing her up, physically.

She had time to think about it later.

Obie lifted her knee, extending the leg and slammed it against his chest. The force was barely enough to knock him out of the dark place, though the pocket knife dropped from his hold.

She attempted to catch him off guard, again.

But, the infected snatched her heel, jerking her leg around his waist and cuffed Obie's throat effortlessly.

She reached for the knife that fell out his occupied hands. Luckily, she caught the blade in mid air and stabbed him through his wrist.

The strike loosened his hold. To top it off, she twisted it back and forth till he seized.

Obie coughed loudly, sinking to the ground.

He held his wrist, blue eyes glowing angrily.

She leveled his eyes. "You started it."

The infected drew the knife out of his skin, throwing the blade to the ground.

He seemed too calm.

His wrist began to heal. On the other hand, the dangers of the shallow light were becoming of him. Its tanned skin began to smoke. Instead of freaking out, it returned to his shadowed corner and passed Obie in a nonthreatening fashion.

Don't get her wrong. The nineteen-year-old girl crawled backwards as he waltzed her way.

"You...are...officially...the...weirdest...thing...ever." Obie breathed in and out.

The vampire sunk on his bottom and crossed his legs against the floor.

Obie watched him with low eyes. "At least, you can't talk. That's the one thing you have in common with your people."

His eyes glinted in amusement. He tapped his temple, next his lip and then pointed to Obie.

"Ok, just to be official, you can understand me?" she concluded.

It nodded. He started to make more symbols.

"Hold on there, fangs." Obie scoffed. "We're not friends. You tried to kill me."

There was something human about the infected. It was not his ability to understand and communicate effectively without a voice. It was not even his manly figure. Her senses came about from the tone in his eyes; the blue orbs sinking into Obie. She recognized the look as the opposite of the impression she hoped to leave with anyone she meets. A.K.A. Leave her alone. However, his readings were giving off things...not nearly as close.

Yet, Obie's memory and logical regions will not allow her to bypass his nature. Reminding Obie this monster attacked her the minute she stepped foot in this cursed store. Reminding Obie this almost indestructible vampire attempted to taste her multiple times. The chilling moment in the closet where his human skin was peeled by the sun into burnt crusts, bones cracking and insect like movements on the walls.

Her logics pleaded; forget the part he saved her from Scorpion Tail and his crew. Forget about the wound healing. Forget about choosing to remain in the same facility without killing her throughout the next night. Because look at what it costs; a trauma she'll never forget, deaths, and possibly her own humanity.

She didn't care to know the meaning behind his actions because from the obvious perspective, he was ravenous and oddly enough, to him she was a preserved candy.

Obie had to worry about Burrito. She had to worry about herself around Burrito or around anyone else.

Her lips in a tight line, Obie's mouth opened. "Are you lying to me?"

One of his eyebrows raised and curved.

"You know what I'm talking about,"

It was irritated.

She glared. "The blood. Me. Turning. Vampire. Do I have to spell it out?"

It rolled his eyes.

"Is that a no or you're being a dick?"

The vampire held up his two hands to show two fingers on one and the other, one.

"Option 1 and 2 huh, huh?" She kissed her teeth.

Obie did not have time for a vampire's attitude nor endless fighting which has gotten nowhere between the two. "I'm done fighting."

He blinked, yet nodded slowly in agreement.

"Good." She breathed out. "If you can tell that to your bloodsucking people too, it will save me a whole lot of traveling. Plus a new wardrobe."

Obie's clothes was ripped and torn from last night battles. The girl stood up and ironically, waved the dust off of her already worn out pants.

Little details were rummaging through her mind like little pests parasitizing livestock but she couldn't reach them. The information projected in bitty images of how Obie conquered the infection when the AIV came out.

The infected might have squealed the truth. Though, she didn't want to wait long enough to find out and kill her possum and participate in destroying the world with an unexplained hunger and need for hunt like her parents: like this vampire here.

His attention was glued to her.

The infected was not subtle with their vision. Then again none of them were. Their staring was continuous, uninterrupted. It was their hunger, yes. Yet, there was an underlining anticipation of Obie's next move.

"C'mon, B!" Obie snapped her fingers at the possum.

A ticking sound directed at Burrito came out of her throat. The possum stretched up, running off the bed to follow her owner. B climbed up her legs into her bag.

As Obie gathered herself and Burrito, she kept an eye on him.

"Can't say it was nice knowing you."

Her fingers found the doorknob.

She took a deep breath.

In a hopeful view, Obie was waltzing out the room safely, out of the store and into the bloody, old streets. Burrito was settling in her backpack as she formed a plan to avoid her infected parents and guarantee she won't turn into them.

In a realistic view, Obie was wrecked. This game the vampire was playing end right here. At this very place; while she was turning the doorknob. He'll stop this eccentricity that opposed his horrific nature and finally, fulfill it. He was about to risk exposure in the dim light, snatch her hand and give into his thirst.

Another deep breath wouldn't hurt.

The doorknob turned.

As it creaked open, the inner girl within squealed. This was it. This horror will end as another will continue.

The door widened.

Obie stepped forward.

Abruptly, a hand shot out and closed the door.

"C'mon!" She threw her hands up.

Obie sized the vampire up. He was standing beside with his hand against the wood.

"Ok. You know what." Obie distanced from him. "I'll drop my bag. Then we can fi-."

What she saw, not only stopped her speech, but paused the pumping of her heart. It was holding up the photo of her and her parents. Obie's emotional guard dropped at the sight of it.

She reached out as her hand shook while retrieving her most prized possession.

Softly, Obie shared. "Thank you."

How careless of Obie to lose this image. The one image that sustained her will to survive throughout the apocalypse. If she lost this, living wouldn't matter. It was a reminder her parents were alive in another world, though it was a past one. The people who hunt and chase Obie around was a mere existence of a past life. The image showed Obie they weren't vampires always.

Sniffing, Obie stuffed the photo in her deepest packet. "This doesn't change anything."

The vampire eyed Obie and smoothly said. "I know."