Chapter One

"Bloody Hell, why did I agree to work late?"

Melissa quickened her pace and glanced around her nervously as she walked down the dimly lit street towards her flat. The brisk November wind felt like ice on her skin and blew her long, strawberry blonde hair away from her face as she headed home. She grunted as she fought the wind wanting nothing more than to be home and safe. She had never liked being out after dark, but her boss has insisted she stay late to finish some paperwork. Now, she was regretting her decision with each darkened alleyway she passed. The neighborhood she lived in wasn't that safe to begin with and her greatest fear was that someone would jump out of the shadows and mug or rape her. Being only 20 years old with a meager job as a secretary, she had only two options, live with her mum or live on her own in a bad neighborhood. Her mother had begged her to stay with her, but she felt the time had come to claim her independence and carve out a life for herself away from dear old mum. She had made her decision, and now she would have to live with the consequences. She only hoped that God was on her side, especially tonight.

She stopped short. Her ears perked up and her heart began to beat out of her chest as she sensed someone behind her. Gulping back her fear, she looked around and saw a man leaning against the wall smiling at her. His dark eyes twinkled at her while the wind whipped his raven hair around his ghost white face. The smile widened, and he nodded a hello to her.

"Lovely evening isn't it?" he said with a heavy Scottish accent.

"Um…yes," Melissa said.

She edged away from him.

"I…have to go," she said.

Her mind raced while she considered alternatives to her destination. Something about this man didn't seem right to her, and the last thing she wanted was to lead him straight to her flat. She racked her brain wondering where the police station was. She had only been in the neighborhood a couple of months, so she had no idea where to go. She suddenly regretted not familiarizing herself with her surroundings.

"What's your hurry?" the man said.

He smiled warmly at her while he slowly walked towards her.

"I…I have to go meet my boyfriend," Melissa said.

"Oh, I should have known," he said. "I regret that someone already snatched up a pretty lass like you. I won't keep you from your date then."

Melissa breathed a sigh of relief. Blessing God silently, she nodded her goodbyes and turned to go determined to get home as fast as she could before anything else happened. She chanced a look back while she was walking and noticed that the man was nowhere in sight. She paused and held her breath. She looked around making sure he wasn't following her. Her body relaxed, she saw no one.

"Musta went through the alley," she said.

Hoping that was the case, she resumed walking.

"Tomorrow morning after work I'm gonna find out where everything is around here," she said.

She gasped when a hand shot out from a nearby alleyway and pulled her into the gloom.

"I'm afraid I have other plans for you, my dear," the man said.

Melissa's eyes widened in horror. She felt the man wrapped his arm around her body pressing her to him and clamped his other hand around her mouth preventing her from crying out. She struggled in his grip when she felt the man lowered his head to her neck. She shivered involuntarily when his ice-cold skin met hers. She let out a muffled scream praying to God that someone, anyone would hear her while she felt his lips kissing her neck. Her prayers went unanswered, however, and Melissa swooned in the man's arms while she watched her worst nightmares come true. She was going to be raped and then possibly killed and all because of her fervent need for independence.

"Now hold still, lassie and it won't hurt much," the man said.

Melissa let out a pained scream when she felt a sharp pain in her neck. Her struggling increased, as she felt something warm streaming down her neck. Glancing down, she noticed with horror that blood was staining the white blouse she was wearing. She tried once more to break free from his grasp, but it was no use. The man was too strong. She felt her strength ebbing from her body while the man continued to feed. She suddenly realized that the man must be a vampire although she quickly dismissed that notion. Vampires weren't real. Were they? She had no time to consider whether he was because she was fading fast. She heard her heart beating in her ears while she watched the alleyway darken. She felt her life slipping from her body and knew that this was the end.

Oh God, why did I have to be so stupid? She thought. Why didn't I ask for a lift home? What will this do to mum? And my cat? Who will feed Rex? I…

The thoughts ebbed from her mind along with her strength; she felt her hold on life slip away. Her heart beat like a drum in her ears drowning out everything else, the blackness around her became impenetrable, and she slipped through death's door. The last thing she heard was her heart slowing and then with one last thud it ceased to beat and her soul escaped its mortal shell and departed through the tunnel to the other side.

The man smiled when he pulled his mouth away from Melissa's neck and laid her gently on the ground.

"Fare thee well, sweet lassie. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest," he said.

With a chuckle, he dissolved into the darkness of the alley leaving the woman's corpse for the police.