Sunrise

Kerrigan opened her eyes, but she was only greeted with darkness. She tried to stand up, and for a moment the world

swam around her. It was as if all of the trees and rocks and shrubs all decided to dance around her for the moment. After a minute they settled down, and Kerrigan realized with some surprise that she could see. She noted with equal surprise that the tall, black, lifeless trees rising high above her did not make her feel more frightened--they were actually rather comforting.

She couldn’t remember much, but even this failed to frighten her for the moment. Her survival instincts kicked in and she started trudging through the forest, looking for any place where she could be safe from whatever dangers that might be waiting in this wild, lonely yet oddly comforting place. Looks could be deceiving, Kerrigan knew.

That was why she decided to investigate instead of run when she noticed something rustling behind her. Hearing it first, she then caught a glimpse of whatever it was: she could see fairly well in the dark, and idly wondered if the moon was full. She wondered whether or not there were any werewolves in this forest, then realized she was smiling and wondered why.

She pushed the branches of the shrub aside and tried to see the source of the noise: it was a human woman! She had blazing red hair, visible even in the dark of the night. She had a fair, though not beautiful face that would seem to place her in her early to mid twenties. Upon closer inspection, Kerrigan realized that she was hurt.

“Are you alright?” she asked, in a quiet voice, trying to be soothing.

The woman’s eyes went wide, and she said nothing.

“Are you alright?” Kerrigan tried again, pushing her way all the way through the bush so that she could kneel down and examine her wounds more thoroughly.

The woman seemed to have recovered at least some of her awareness, for she swallowed and answered, albeit falteringly, “Ye-e-s, I think so.”

“It looks okay,” said Kerrigan, “but I’m no expert.” She paused. “Do you think you can stand? Or more importantly, walk?”

“Only one way to find out.” The woman slowly held onto the side of a tree trunk and pulled herself up. She shakily tried to take a few steps. “Yes, I think I’m fine.”

Kerrigan nodded, relieved. The last thing she wanted was to be dragging some invalid around with her. “Come on,” she said, and turned around, making her way through the bush. She had no idea what hazards were in these woods, and didn’t particularly want to find out. They, or at least she, needed to make the best time she could.

Through the forest they trudged. They walked in silence for a few moments before Kerrigan became curious. “What happened?” she asked.

The woman looked nervous.

“What? You can tell me. I don’t bite,” snapped Kerrigan, who was getting annoyed.

“Well, I was walking through the woods to get to the next town—“

Eagerly Kerrigan broke in. “Do you know where it is?!”

“No, I’m sorry, I don’t,” faltered the woman. “The attack disoriented me. Oh, stop it,” she sighed as she saw the girl about to interrupt again, “I’m telling you right now what happened.” She paused again, making Kerrigan wonder for a moment if the other woman wasn’t doing it on purpose. “As I was saying, I was walking to the next town to visit some relatives. It was just as the sun was going down, when I felt someone push me down from behind.” She ducked under a piece of branch as they continued on.

“Well?” inquired Kerrigan, sounding exasperated.

“I was attacked by a vampire.”

This time, there was silence from the younger girl as she tried to digest that information. “Oh,” was all she managed to get out. She did her best to compose her face while truthfully her emotions were in turmoil. To get through this, Kerrigan knew that she’d need a plan, and also knew that she couldn’t show any suspicious behavior.

“What are you thinking?” The woman started to look anxious. “You don’t think that I’ll turn into a vampire, do you?” They crunched their way through a slightly open field, and Kerrigan realized that she could indeed see the full moon in the sky. It was round and full and a bright pure white, silently lending Kerrigan strength.

“Oh, that’s an old myth,” scoffed Kerrigan, though perhaps hesitating for just a moment. She tried to act normal while thinking of what to do. “Everyone knows that vampires kill for food, nothing more.” She paused, and tried to think of something to say to change the topic. “What’s your name?” was all that she could come up with.

“I’m Derval,” came the reply. For a moment, there was silence.

“I’m Kerrigan,” said the girl after an uncomfortable pause. You’re not doing a very good job at seeming unworried, she reproved herself nervously. “What town were you trying to get to?”

“It doesn’t matter now, I just want to get back somewhere with people.”

Kerrigan looked up at the moon again, which was now visible through the very tops of the trees. She studied its position in the sky, and figured an approximate time. “Alright, come on then.”

“Do you know where we’re going?”

“Yes,” lied Kerrigan as she wracked her brain for information on vampires. Sunrise was in about an hour—the sun killed vampires, didn’t it?

As if she had heard selected bits of the younger girl’s thoughts, Derval licked her lips nervously. “What if it is true, and I am going to be a vampire?”

Kerrigan flinched for a moment. Derval’s voice had sounded so worried, so distressed. She’d be a danger to everyone, Kerrigan reminded herself.

“I really don’t think it is. But if I’m wrong, well then, we’ll make sure that you’re inside when the sun rises.” Kerrigan made sure that she sounded certain as she strode on.

“Wait a moment. I can’t keep going.” Derval felt around with her hands until she found a stump to sit on. “I have to rest.”

Kerrigan paused a moment, and leaned back against a tree as Derval tried to catch her breath, letting out her breath in a gasping, gulping manner. Her face was pale, and beads of perspiration were on her forehead. “Why aren’t you tired?”

“I’m in good shape I guess,” responded Kerrigan. “And you’re hurt.”

Derval paused for a moment, but nodded at that. Abruptly, she asked, “Do you know when sunrise is?”

“Oh, not for another several hours,” Kerrigan lied smoothly. You’re getting better at this, she congratulated herself. “We have plenty of time.”

Derval nodded, still trying to recover as her white face still let off sweat. “Okay, I’m ready to get going again. We can’t waste time.”

“No, we can’t,” agreed Kerrigan. Listening carefully, she looked around. She was realizing ever so slowly that her hearing was better than Derval’s. What she heard now was the normal village sounds—the hum of a generator, the squeaking of gates, and some loud talking. It was very faint; she only just heard it over the rustling of wind through the trees and animals through the trees. The sounds, however, were there, towards the east.

“This way,” she said, leading her new friend west. They walked through the forest, stopping to rest every time Derval couldn’t go any longer. Each time, Kerrigan noted how much closer to sunrise it was.

“It’s getting lighter, isn’t it?” asked Derval. “I can see the sky getting lighter.”

“No, it’s just the moon I think. Or your imagination,” answered Kerrigan smoothly. “There’s nothing to worry about, I know what I’m doing.”

“No, I can see it! It’s getting lighter! But—“ she stopped, and her face slowly started to change as the realization of what happened had sunk in. “No! We’re too far away from everything! You tricked me!” she tried to calm herself and failed.

Kerrigan was unsympathetic. “I did what I had to. You were a danger.”

“I’m myself! I wouldn’t have hurt anyone!”

The sun started to rise, casting a yellow light over everything. Kerrigan smiled, turning to look at Derval. Suddenly, she realized that her skin was feeling oddly prickly. She fell to the ground as a wave of memories swept over her. She suddenly remembered prowling through the night, hunting, and attacking Derval. She ran her tongue over her teeth, and suddenly noticed that two of her teeth were long, almost pointy.

Kerrigan’s eyes begged forgiveness from the older woman as her body slowly turned to dust.