The rain tapped against the window. The little drops formed a stream that flowed off my fourth floor apartment. Finally, I was here. This was my life now. New city. New dream.

I had just finished pulling in the last box and had taken a moment to look at the view. It wasn’t much. There were only two windows in the living room anyway. Both stared at the adjacent building that was littered with scaffolding. One held the ac unit so I veered toward the only full one.

Staring at the street below I sighed. I was excited for the future, but just graduating college put me on edge. Yeah, I had a job which I was grateful for, but it only barely covered the cost of food and this “wonderful apartment.” My mom drilled those words into my head after we flew to New York to look for my humble abode. The whole experience was too much for me at the time. We avoided letting my dad know so we could have a somewhat pleasant experience. She tried her best and I love her for it.

I moved towards the bag that had my kitchen supplies to restart unpacking. It had been a long day. My dad refused to help me move and instead paid for everything to be driven to the front of my complex. He specifically paid for the truck and nothing else. So it was up to me to drive it all to New York and walk it up four flights of stairs. I shouldn’t be surprised though. My mom had argued with him that it was too much for me, taking my side as always, but he didn’t relent.

“He’s gotta learn how to be a man at some point in his life!” That was what he said and stuck by. That was always his thing though. I wasn’t perfect enough for him. Even though I towered over him being 5’11’’,  he always complained that I was “too much of a priss.” He’d force me on fishing trips and to hang out with his guy friends only to berate me the whole time. He claimed it would toughen me up. Fuck that. I just wanted to relax and enjoy my life, so I avoided seeing and talking to him the more I grew up and had control of my life. Unfortunately, that led me to my current situation.

The kitchen bordered the living room and the walk was short. I set my bed up about an hour ago so my sleeping arrangements were fine. Now onto the other essential–food. I put all the spices and condiments into their respective spaces and pulled out a pan only to realize I didn’t have anything to cook.

“Of course,” I said to myself as I ground my teeth. I pulled my phone out and checked my bank app.

$46.71

The number caused my heart rate to quicken. I knew the complex was gonna take out 3 months rent soon, I just didn’t know they’d do it today. I’d hoped I would have time to get my first paycheck.

“Fuck.” Plans are gonna have to change. I hadn’t eaten since I’d left Virginia at 8 am. I was starving.

Alright, I’m just gonna have to push it off until I can get more shit unpacked, then I’ll go out and get something. That way at least I won’t be hungry while I sleep.

I couldn’t stand those hungry dreams I got all too often at college. I switched apps and looked up “food near me.” Luckily, I saw there were several places within walking distance to eat until 3 am. I made the short walk to the living room and began to unpack more boxes until 2 am.

***

Tired as hell, I pushed up from off the floor and looked around. I’d set up the TV stand across the couch with a rug and ottoman in between. A lamp sat in the corner with a few plants I’d brought sitting on the ac unit. It wasn’t much yet, but it was getting there. I had set my small room up mostly too. The little knick knacks littered the book shelf that I could see through the living room door. Content with my work for the day, I grabbed my key and wallet from the sink counter. I opened the shoddy door, locked it, and started towards the entrance. My hair was getting pretty long since I wanted to grow it out and red strands tickled my cheeks as I took steps down the stairs. I couldn’t count how many times I had that feeling today, but this was the first time I could push the hair away while I walked because my hands were free.

Stepping out onto the street, the air felt stale. The small awning of the apartment did little to hide the full moon competing with the street lights. I pulled my phone out and began navigating to one of the only places open, Tory’s Diner. The city still made my skin crawl. I wasn’t used to being in such a compact area with buildings towering over me. Head down and mouth shut, I walked silently.

***

The ring of the door announced my arrival. A lone waitress was making coffee as I pushed up to the bar style seating. The restaurant looked quaint. It had a fifties aesthetic, but was crammed into a corner of a building where businesses compete for space, so it felt small. If I didn’t sit at the bar seating, there were only a few booths. Pictures covered the walls the booths were on and didn’t leave an inch of clear space.

“Just a sec.” I was jolted from my gaze on the wall as the waitress passed me with a coffee pot. She looked too young to be stuck in a job like this. I’d put her around 20 and I had expected this place to be run by older staff.

I glanced to where she walked and saw the back of the patron who’d ordered the coffee. Long black hair covered the strong shoulders that peaked out. She wore gothic clothes that stood out in the colorful room. Her dark black shirt had rips along the back and looked like they continued to the front. The outfit was complete with black ripped shorts, fishnets, and platform boots.

I admired her taste and freedom to wear what she wanted. My mind wandered back toward my impending doom of working in a 9 to 5 for the rest of my life. Stuck in a box just the same way I have been my whole life.

I turned my gaze away from the girl toward the mirror that occupied the whole wall on the kitchen side of the bar. All sorts of drink machines and even some liquor were scattered on shelves, but the wall reflected my own image back at me. Sitting in sweats, I felt gross and sad.

“What can I get for you?” A light voice drew my attention away. The waitress was looking at me expectantly. Her dark eyes and pale skin made me feel small in my seat.

“Uh, sorry. Is there a menu somewhere?”

“Here.” The waitress handed me a menu and went back to the other person’s booth.

Standard diner food stared at me. I only got a second to glance at the food before a coffee cup started to appear in my peripheral.

“Hi.” The sultry voice was a new one. I turned to my right to be greeted by a gorgeous face. The girl with the coffee was in front of me and was beautiful. Full lips and dark eyes that seemed familiar for some reason.

She reached out and took the menu grazing a delicate pinky across my hand. The heat shocked me. It must’ve been from the coffee mug.

“New? You should get Tory’s special.”

“Sorry, what do you mean?”

She looked at me almost like she was a predator preparing to strike. She smiled wonderfully white teeth. I calmed down a little at the expression.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re not from around here. Every now and then this place gets new customers, but it’s not that often. This place is one of the only in the city that’s closed during the day, so no tourists sneak in.”

“Why is it only open at night?” In retrospect, I hadn’t seen it on my search earlier in the day and when I left it was one of the only places that said it was cheap and close.

“Doesn’t matter. The owner sets the hours.”

It didn’t seem like I was gonna get a different answer given how direct she’d been.

“What's Tory's special? I don’t see it on the menu.” I grabbed the menu and flipped it back and forth.

She looked at me excitedly.

“Trust me. New experiences and all that. If you really want a hint, it’s something so good you’ll never think anything can top it.”

I was getting more and more uncomfortable.

“This isn’t some euphemism for sex or a drug right?” The words seemed to stumble from my mouth quietly.

A laugh filled the quiet space.

“No you idiot,” she said jokingly.

I realized she was probably just trying to talk and here I was making it weird.

“Um, alright I guess.”

The waitress who had been standing at the other end of the bar seemed to perk up and walked over.

“You want a special?” She glanced at the woman next to me with a questioning eyebrow.

“Uh, sure.”

“Alright. It’s fine with me, but are you sure Chelsea?” The waitress looked at the gorgeous woman. As weird as her statement was, the only thing I could think of was that I got a name. Chelsea. How pretty?

“Victoria, I know you’re young, but wow! Look at the eyes. Really look. I could feel it from over there.”

The sweet voice snapped me out of my stupor. Why was this woman, apparently Victoria, staring at me? My face burned red. Alright, I’ve had enough.

“What is going on?!” I blurted it out scared while Victoria’s eyes studied me.

“Oh wow, you really are good at that, Chels. Okay, I’m in now. I can sense it. You lock the door and this is yours to deal with okay? No pawning the raising on to me.”

“Of course, I think I’m gonna like this one.”

Their voices sounded like this was something they did often. Fear was taking over as I began to realize I’d walked into a terrible situation. Wind lifted my hair and laid it flat while I heard a click. I turned toward the entrance to see Chelsea at the door.

“Done and done! Let’s get started!” she squealed.

Shocked at my predicament, I began to get up from my seat only to be grabbed from behind. The soft hands turned me to face Victoria.

“Relax.” She said it so commandingly, I could actually feel myself relax for a second. The fear came back stronger.

“What the fuck is going on!” I shouted it while I pushed away from Victoria.

“That didn’t work? Really?” Victoria seemed confused so I continued to go towards the door.

“When will you learn Tory?”

I turned to see Chelsea shaking her head disappointedly. Suddenly, I felt small, but strong hands on my chin guiding me to Chelsea’s face. Her soft lips pushed against mine and I felt a heat rise up in me. My fear seemed to mix with excitement in a moment.

Relaxing against her, I leant into the kiss. I’d envisioned this the second I saw her face. So gorgeous and here I was kissing her!

I felt a prick against my lip as she bit my mouth. Confused, I pulled away. I had playfully bit my previous lovers, but never enough to draw blood. My red streaked hand brought the fear to the forefront of my mind.

“Maybe you weren’t as much of a failure as I thought Tory. This one is going to be good. You have got to taste it.” She pointed at the blood that was on her lips when talking to the woman behind me.

“Before that,” Chelsea said, “here.”

A crunch sounded in the air. It sounded sickening as I realized she bit through her own arm. Dark blood oozed from the wound. In a second, the arm I just saw was at my face. Pressure. That was all that I felt as the arm closed off my access to air. I was forced to get gasps of oxygen by ingesting some of her blood. The second I gave in and tasted a drop, it was like my world was exploding. Heat filled my body as I instantly relaxed. This was so good! The pleasure center in my brain was pumping me full of endorphins with every sip. The pressure stopped but the feeling took over my body. Drunk on this feeling, I barely felt the pin pricks on my neck and thigh. Quickly, a darkness overtook my body and I passed out.