Part one

“C’mon. You need to keep moving!” Civilian cried, her arm wrapped around Villain as she tried to keep her moving towards anywhere that the two of them could hide in safety.

The last thing that Civilian had expected was finding Villain being hunted.

After yesterday, she hadn’t said a word to anybody about what happened. She didn’t alert any hunters. She didn’t call the police. She didn’t do anything or tell anyone. But she found Villain being hunted and knew one thing:

She wasn’t going to let Villain die.

Civilian wouldn’t have helped if the victim were any other person. If it were somebody else then Civilian would have hightailed off already, but…Villain.

It was her best friend.

“H-h-hey, Civilian.” Villain gasped, a hand at her side as she stumbled alongside her. “You—you smell s-so good.” Her laugh was shaky, and Civilian frowned.

“We’re almost there. Just hold on.” Civilian tried to blink through her tears.

Don’t die. Don’t die. Please don’t die. Please.

She wasn’t as badly injured as her counterpart, but the distress alone was enough to make her eyes start watering like a leaky faucet.

Gasping, she set Villain against a crate and looked around, ensuring that nobody was following them.

“I think—“

Villain lunged.

Civilian screamed as she hurtled back into the ground, pushing Villain back as hard as she could against the supernaturally strong creature tackling her into the cement. Tears continued to fall down her face as she screamed in the face of her doom. The fangs seemed to sharpen into knives, about the sink into her skin and drain her dry.

She kicked and heaved, but Villain’s claws were digging into her and fighting was getting harder by the minute that she faced the snarling creature above.

It didn’t look like her friend. The eyes weren’t even the same; her pupils had become something cat-like. Thin and wild and hungry. Her nails had grown into sharp claws. Villain’s fangs kept getting sharper. Pointier. Her pretty, composed face had become one of a vicious, salivating monster.

Desperate, she began grasping for anything to force Villain off, and after a few moments of her fingers only skimming the ground, finally, she wrapped her hand around a stake.

Civilian wedged it between Villain’s teeth, and gasped out in horror as she watched Villain sob.

The tears fell onto Civilian’s face and mixed with her own.

The gash on her forearm bled onto the ground, and there were quite a few new dripping cuts and scratches to accompany it.

Civilian screamed again and pulled Villain into a tight embrace, rolling over to protect her friend from the hunter.

Hero raised a brow. “Why are you protecting her? She’s a vampire, y’know. She was trying to eat you. I need to kill her.”

“No!” Civilian pleaded.

“I understand this may be harsh,” Hero’s voice slipped into a soothing lull, a tone that was almost enchanting. “But you need to understand that she was only using charms on you. They’ve worn off now that she’s attacked, and now you’re in shock. Please step aside and let me help you.”

Villain whimpered, and Civilian looked up at Hero.

“It isn’t like that.” She whispered, her voice hoarse. “I promise that she’s never eaten from a human before.” A lie. A massive lie. “She can be good—I swear. Just please don’t kill her. This is the first time she’s ever done anything like this.”

Shaking, she held onto Villain tighter, and Villain bit harder into the piece of wood between her teeth and squeezed back.

Hero stepped closer. “You know her?”

“I’ve known her since we were kids—I don’t know when she turned or how she turned but she’d a good person—vampire—whatever! She’s good. I promise that she’ll never do this again. Please. Please spare her.”

The hunter observed the two, her eyes cold and assessing, but she put her weapon away. “You wouldn’t believe how much this happens.” She sighed, and tilted her head as she looked at the two. “You’re in charge of her now. Legally. And if I, or any hunter for that matter, ever find her like this again, then she will be killed no matter how much you beg. Understood?”

As if her head were made of lead, Civilian nodded heavily.

Hero turned, but she stopped for a moment. “Oh, by the way, don’t think this is the last time you see me. I don’t think any vampire—good or bad—should live, and I will take any chance I have to kill your dear friend. So you’d better keep her tame if you don’t want to dig her grave.”

Villain growled, the sound muffled faintly, but audible enough for Hero to give her a look that could’ve killed.

—

—

“Are you okay?” Villain asked, peeking her head through the doorway to Civilian’s room.

“I’m fine.” Civilian breathed out.

“Let me help.” Villain stepped inside. She sat on the edge of the bed, and she grabbed the bandages that Civilian was struggling to wrap around herself. “I’m sorry that I tried to suck your blood.”

“What are we gonna do now?” Civilian tensed, cold fingers brushing the sensitive skin on her back. “They expect me to treat you like a pet. I’m supposed to keep you cooped up in here and feed you and…I don’t know.”

She pressed her face into her hands and breathed in the scent of antiseptic cream.

“Civilian, don’t feel bad.” Villain soothed, securing the bandages and resting her head on Civilian’s shoulder. “It’s my fault that this happened.”

Shakily, Civilian took in a breath and removed her hands from her face, her eyes focusing instead on the pattern of her blanket. “I haven’t figured out how I feel about you yet.”

“That’s okay.” Villain hummed. “There’s a lot of time. Don’t feel hurried to come to a conclusion, especially after everything that just happened.”

“Thanks for understanding.” Civilian sighed.

At this rate, she didn’t feel like she’d ever come to a conclusion.