Eric smiled sadly as he recalled the situation that occured a few hours earlier. He had bought a present from the jewelry store with money he had saved up working odd jobs for his girlfriend.

When he presented the gift with confidence, she looked at him with pity and pulled out an expensive branded phone.

"I'm sorry Eric. You were good to me and I took advantage of that fact. I'm so sorry." Eric felt his heart clench, unsure if it were her pitiful appearance or her words that caused it.

"Who is it? Do I know him?" Eric asked with a calm tone, however his eyes couldn't hide the blazing fury that had erupted within him.

"It's Lucas. I'm sorry." Speaking softly, Kim stood up to leave, leaving Eric frozen in his seat. Anyone else would be if they found out that their girlfriend was cheating with their best friend!

The rage which had bubbled up within him seemed to recede, only leaving shock and disbelief in it's wake.

Why? Was I not good enough for you Kimberly? Were you even my friend Lucas? What a good 'friend' you are...

Slamming his hand down on the table, he pulled out his wallet and left a twenty dollar bill on the table and stormed out of the restaurant, drawing a few gazes.

When he got home, he went to his bed and slept for an hour before the impact settled in. Tears welled up in his eyes as he started to sob softly.

Only after a while did his phone ring. Ignoring it the first few times didn't work, so he walked over to see who was calling.

Lucas? He actually has the nerve to call me? This bastard! No, I'll just block both of them and move on.

Walking back to his bed, he sat down and looked out the window with a dull gaze. Even if he wanted to move on, would his heart let him?

He had Kimberly has been together for a year, long enough for him to grow attached to her, but it obviously wasn't reciprocated.

I need to do something, anything to clear my head. I'll take a walk down to the docks, the ocean is quite beautiful at this time.

It wasn't quite dark, but the sun had already set. Grabbing his keys, he snatched his coat from the rack and headed out.

On the way, cars were driving by, and the city was as populated as ever, but he felt alone. As if someone had isolated him from the entire world.

The smell of sea salt in the air slightly relaxed his tense mind. The docks had barges anchored in, blocking most of the view of the ocean.

People moved back and forth, but Eric wanted to be alone. Walking carefully, he ducked beneath a rusty chain link and walked towards the warehouses.

Because there were barges and a ton of trailers, there were also warehouses. Some had ladders you could climb to the roof.

Having done it before, Eric snuck behind a worker who was transporting a crate and headed to the ladder of the nearest warehouse.

Even if it is a bit risky, even if I fall, I don't even think I'd give a damn honestly. Who knew betrayal hurt so much?

Wiping the tears that began to trickle down his cheeks, he grabbed the cold iron rung and started climbing.

It took thirty seconds to reach the top. With a grunt, he lifted himself up to the roof and walked towards the front of the warehouse.

The ocean was constantly moving, always advancing or receding, never still. His eyes blankly gazed out at the horizon which still had the faint glow of the sun.

I wish I could move onwards without a care in the world. Just like the sea. No matter what it confronts, it always wears it away until the obstruction no longer exists.

Taking out his phone, he surfed the web for music, his mind finally calming down enough to rationalize what had happened.

I truly am a fool. It's like letting a wolf in the sheep's pen. Humans are tricky creatures, and no one can be sure of the others true intentions.

Eric frowned as he thought, his eyes gazing out at the ocean. The pain of loss, as well as the shock of betrayal soon faded away.

I won't trust anyone. I can't ascertain someone's true nature, nor do I want to experience such a betrayal again. The easiest solution is to never get put in such a situation again.

Am I going to live out the rest of my days as a monk? Well, it's what it is. Humans are social creatures, however there are always exceptions.

Picturing himself as a bald monk with a brown robe, Eric shook his head, brushing the flaking paint off his pants and stood up.

Moving back to the ladder, the cool night air made him to his coat closer to him to prevent the chill from spreading.

Ah. It's quite the drop actually. Luckily I'm not afraid of heights too much. I mean, anyone would panic if they stood at the edge of a skyscraper with no safety rope.

Placing his hands on the rung, he moved downwards. It didn't take him long to reach the ground, and no one was on sight.

The sky already revealed twinkling stars that shone with brilliance. Even with the city's pollution and smog, the stars still stone through.

Heading back to the entrance he came from, he saw two figures walking towards a group of trailers. Not wanting to meddle in something he didn't have a reason to, he just continued walking.

It wasn't until he heard a scream that quickly fell into silence did he turn back with a sigh. If the owner of the scream didn't know the guy, the why would they enter a dark area alone?

Should I go? Maybe if I call the cops, I'll get a good person's award? Ah, I'll just go see what's happening, if I get hurt, I'll just blame my curiousity.

After dialing the cops, he didn't press call, but his thumb hovered over the button as he walked towards the group of trailers.

The darkness made it seem a bit dreary, but he didn't mind it much since he knew that there were other people around somewhere.

Of , if I get into any problems, I'll just blame whoever the aggressor is when the cops come. Haa, maybe I'll have to fight...

Despite having not fought in years, he was already twenty three, and had put on some weight now that his metabolism had slowed down considerably.

I might not be in top shape, but I bet I can give someone a run for their money. It'd be best to just work it out with words.

After turning the corner, a dull yellow light illuminated the darkness slightly, giving just enough light to reveal a man holding a woman in his arms.

The woman seemed to be unconscious, at least to Eric because her eyes were tightly closed and her face flushed red.

She was quite beautiful, with her jeans highlighting her figure. The man holding her was mostly hidden in the shadows, however Eric could still tell that the man was taller than himself.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Eric yelled hoping to startle the man, however the man didn't even flinch. His face was still at the woman's neck.

Feeling a bit dissatisfied, Eric walked over, then stopped with a puzzled look. The sound the man was making, sounded like he was drinking something.

Could it be that I've come across one of those vampire fanatics? Eh, I'll just call the cops, that woman probably needs a transfusion or something.

The woman's complexion was pale and waxy, with her eyes shut and lips curled into a smile, as if she were enjoying herself.

Oh. Did I just walk in on a fetish play by others? That's embarrassing. I should go...

"Sorry for the inconvenience." Eric turned and headed back out the trailer group, wanting to leave such a scene. He was glad the duo didn't berate him.

Turning around one last time, he saw the woman laying on the ground, her body seemingly dropped limply to the floor.

Where did he go...? Oh shit. I seem to have a problem. If she is unconscious, am I a bad person if I leave her there? Nah, she'll be fine... probably.

Eric turned and lifted his phone to press call when a cold hand latched on to his wrist, easily taking the phone from his grasp.

A man with messy brown hair and a face that could give supermodels a run for their money stood in front of him with an expressionless look.

His brown eyes seemed to blaze with confidence, as if he were the center of the world. Eric tried to shake his hand off, however the man's grip was like iron.

"Who are you?" Eric asked since he couldn't imagine winning a fight against this guy. If he couldn't even shake of his grip, then what if he got punched? It'd probably knock him half to death.

"I dislike flies buzzing around while I'm having a meal. Why did you come over here?" The man asked as he released Eric's wrist which started to bruise.

"I heard the woman scream. If you're gonna do a vampire roleplay fetish, the least you could do is ensure that you don't leave her unattended..."

The man's handsome face turned a bit strange as he listened to Eric. For a long time, not many people would dare to cross him, and now he was being told off by Eric.

"Oh? Would you like to play a game then? If you win, I'll let you go. If you lose... well you don't need me to spell it out for you, do you?" He said with a predatory grin.

"I'd like to say no, but I doubt I could leave here peacefulyl, so I'll play along. What game?" Eric wasn't too weirded out, instead he found the man to be amusing.

Can I not leave whenever I want to? I doubt you have the  courage to kill someone in this day and age. Cops would sweep this place and catch the culprit. Whatever, I'll just play along.

"The game is simple really. All you need to do is remain steadfast. Should your will waver, you'll die. Understood?"

Heading the man's words, Eric wrinkled his brows in confusion. What did that mean? Was he in some fantasy of a survival game or something? Eric decided that the man was crazy.

"Okay, I'll just treat this as a prank. Can I get my phone back? I need to head home." Eric said with a sigh, not wanting to interact with a lunatic like this guy.

"I hope you survive." The man smiled and Eric froze in disbelief! The man's hazel eyes turned black, as if they were night itself.

When the man smiled, his lips parted, exposing pristine white teeth, with elongated canines. Eric absently wondered if the world was insane.

This man is a freaking vampire! What the hell!? How could such a thing exist? If it wasn't for the fact it was right before my eyes, I'd call myself a lunatic as well.

The tugged Eric off balance, and with a smooth motion, he gently yet precisely bit into Eric's neck, right into the largest artery in his neck.

A sensation of pain, as if he had been punctured with needles set in, however it then drifted to a warm and euphoric feeling.

Just as Eric was about to drift off into his dreams, the man pulled away and licked the wound, causing it to seal itself at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The man raised his wrists and bit into it, his fangs slicing through his skin with ease. After laying the slightly giddy Eric on the ground, he allowed the blood to trickle into Eric's mouth.

What's this? It's cool? It's nice and cool- Cough.

His eyes were unfocused as he gazed at the starry skies, his vision tossing and turning like a boat in a storm. His mouth was full of blood, which he tried to spit out.

His mouth was forcefully closed, causing him to gulp down the cool liquid down his throat. He couldn't even struggle at all in front of the man's strength.

Soon all the blood in Eric's mouth was gulped down and the man released his jaw, propping Eric up against the side of a trailer.

"I may be rash in doing this, but I hope that you'll understand that the world isn't as it seems. If you lose your will to live, you will die miserably. Just bear through it." The man said softly to Eric who had regained his clarity.

"W-what have you done to me?" Eric asked hoarsely. He could already feel his stomach starting to churn. With the aftertaste of blood in his mouth, he fought the urge to puke.

"I'm giving you the chance to escape the constant idle life you live. I may not know you personally, but your personality is similar to mine. I can tell."

Eric licked his lips and frowned tasting the coppery taste of blood in his mouth. He gazed at the handsome man with a bit of confusion.

"I lay dying when someone infected me... allowing me to live an exciting life. I want to do the same for you." The man said gently.

"But... I'm not dying! I don't want to be a vampire! At least let me live, I won't tell anyone about you! They'll think I'm a lunatic anyway." Eric said firmly.

"Oh... you don't know then?" The man asked with a bit of disbelief in his gaze. His black eyes had returned to a warm shade of hazel.

"Know what?" Eric asked with clenched teeth. He could feel a strange pain in his chest, as if breathing had become a bit harder.

"You're dying. Your lung cancer has already progressed to it's final stages. If I didn't give you my blood earlier, you would have already suffocated due to your lungs failing."

Eric's first thought was that he was lying! How could he not know that he had such a terrible illness? And it just happens to occur when I met him? Bullshit!

Perhaps seeing the disbelief in his eyes, the man crouched and his long slender finger poked Eric's chest, right between the lungs.

Eric's confused and disbelieving gaze turned panicked when he realized his lungs seemed to have stopped operating. He couldn't breath at all!

Coughing, he felt something solid in his mouth and spat it out. A piece of pink flesh sat on the ground, making him panic even more.

"Your lungs are breaking down. Normally you'd probably live out the rest of your short days in agony, however I can save you. All you need to do is endure. Can you do it?" The man asked while kneeling next to him.

Eric opened his mouth to speak, however he couldn't inhale any air. With his vision dimming, he nodded frantically.

I'm really dying... I had lung cancer? Is that why I always had chest pains and trouble breathing? I thought it was just being out of shape and asthma.

The man opened his mouth, his teeth gleaming in the dark. A viscous substance filled his mouth as he placed his lips on Eric's neck.

"Endure." With that final word, his fangs pierced into Eric's skin and a burning tingle slowly took root in his neck. Every pulse just spread it further along.

Feeling a strange heat in his body, beginning with his neck, Eric opened his mouth in a soundless scream. His pain tolerance was average, but this pain was crippling!

It was as if he were dying, however the man's words resounded in his mind when the thought to give up was formed.

Endure? Endure? How can I endure this? I thought the worse pain I felt was mental, however how can something hurt this badly?

Eric didn't realize when he urinated and defecated on himself as his body started to force out all foreign objects. He threw up on himself, his body shuddering in pain.

Endure. Endure. Endure. Endure. Endure. Endure. Endure.  Endure. Endure. Endure. Endure. Endure. Endure. Endure. Endure!

His mind repeated that word over and over as his nose started to run. Soon his body contorted as he started coughing up whatever still remained in his stomach.

Strangely, all the blood seemed to have vanished as there wasn't any traces of blood on the floor covered in bile.

"You can survive this. Just endure for a little while longer." The man said as he pulled out a phone and dialed a number.

"I need a cleaning crew to come. Yes, by the docks. I'll send you the exact location. No, right now I'm dealing with something. Okay." The man hung up and sat on the ground, not minding the dirt at all.

Eric continued to cough from time to time, his body shaking and trembling. His skin seemed to twist and writhe around, further increasing his pain. He wished it would stop, but he didn't want to die.