I shouldn't have been there in the first place. I should have been at home, watching tv, doing homework, or watching after my little sister. Instead I went for a walk into the deep woods. I've been doing it more and more lately. I just can't keep away from the damp earth and moss covered trees. It's not like I didn't have time to. It's Saturday and my sister is ten so she can handle thirty minutes without me.

My walks are more like hikes really. We live at the foot of a mountain. Although it is hard to believe that two short miles away from here is one of the largest cities in the country. I found myself walking faster then usual. Thus furthering the list of things I shouldn't have done. Maybe if I took it slow or went on the actual path, I might not have run into my nightmare.

I have no idea how close to the top of the mountain he was. I had found the clearing he was standing in many times. I used this place to get away and relax on several occasions. This was one occasion where I should have just gritted my teeth and wait the stress out. Not hike in the drizzling rain wearing only a t-shirt. When I saw the dark shadowy figure, I made my first smart decision that morning. Unfortunately, my mistake couldn't have been blamed on anything. Had I not stepped on the branch, the man would have continued gazing at the fading moon. In the morning silence, you would have heard a pin drop. So the cracking branch was the equivalent of a gun shot. One second he was craning his neck up the the sky and the next, glaring daggers at me. Didn't even see him move.

"Sorry, man. Didn't mean to bother you." I held up my hands and offered an apologetic smile. I couldn't see the details of his face from this distance. But I could clearly see his upper lip pull over his sharp white teeth, revealing an angry sneer. I felt fear deep into my core.

I forced my damn near frozen body to turn. I wanted to run. To sprint all the way down the mountain back to the safety of my home. But I couldn't. It was too late to go home, impossible to turn back time. Because I sealed my fate into the hands of a monster the moment I left the front door.

Okay, the vampire in the clearing is obviously James. I wanted to keep in short, kind of like a cliffhanger. Hopefully building up the suspense for anyone who actually cares. Please review no matter how you feel about it, lol!

A.N.