2

  "Good night, sleep tight...," Nathan whisper sings, and the guard twitches. 

"Shhh," I hiss aggressively, and Nathan holds his hands up in surrender. 

  He smiles at me, and I roll my eyes at his silly nature. 

  I look back at the gate and watch the guard closely. He has been drifting in and out of sleep for the past five minutes, but he hasn't truly konked out enough for us to slip through the only gate not hooked up to the alarm system. 

  A few more minutes pass, and my legs scream out in protest. We can't stay crouched here anymore. Someone is going to see us soon. It's now or never, and I refuse to let it be never. 

  "Ready," I whisper as I look back at Nathan again. 

  He nods, and we slowly creep forward. The guard doesn't move as we slip past him and lift the thick steel locking arm. Nathan pushes the door forward, and I squeeze past eagerly. He follows after a second, and the door clicks closed. 

  "Did you place the stone," I ask, and Nathan nods. 

  "Yeah. The arm won't fully secure," Nathan whispers, and a sigh leaves my lips before I turn my attention to the thick forest all around us. 

    I'm free! We did it. We left the walls. The forest is right in front of us. 

  "Even with the sun directly overhead, I can't see in there," Nathan whispers, and I pull my flashlight from my belt. 

  "We'll use mine to go in and yours to come back. I brought extra batteries too. We shouldn't have a problem," I whisper back, and he nods as his eyes linger on the trees. 

   "Are you sure about this? We could turn around now. We have come farther than everyone we know. We have seen the trees up close," he says, and I shake my head.

  "I have to explore. I need to get this out of my system. I don't want to regret never going," I say, and he smiles before giving me a small kiss. 

  "Just in case things go wrong, I want you to know I don't regret coming. I know this was your idea, but I wanted this too. I love you. I have always loved you. This was our dream as kids, and I am glad you didn't let me chicken out," Nathan whispers as he leans his forehead to mine. 

   I sigh, and my eyes close briefly before I peck his lips. 

  "I love you too. I wouldn't want to explore with anyone else," I whisper, and he smiles before we both turn our attention to the trees again. 

  Nathan links his fingers with mine, and we both step forward simultaneously. I click on the high-powered light as soon as we get about three feet into the underbrush, and my eyes scramble to absorb every detail. 

  I look over the lines of the trees and the lush green leaves almost hungrily. I let my fingers graze the tall grass and fill my lungs with the crisp air. But the yearning in my chest hasn't eased. I don't feel any relief. I am experiencing my dream, and it isn't enough. In fact, it seems to be growing stronger the deeper we get. 

  "Nathan, I don't feel any different," I whisper, and Nathan looks at me, confused. 

  I open my mouth to explain, but a familiar screech kills the words building in my throat. Nathan instantly grabs his flashlight and flicks it on. 

  "Back to back. We haven't come far. We can make it out. We have to walk in circles with our backs pressed together. Keep your flashlight straight. Don't let it slip," Nathan says, and I nod. 

  We were both taught these rules early in life, but I don't mind him restating them. I know he is talking out loud to keep himself calm. He has always been someone who talks when he is nervous. I am the opposite...thats why we are perfect for one another. 

  "Ready," Nathan asks, and I lick my lips nervously. 

  "Yes," I reply. 

  "Clockwise, go," Nathan says, and we both move. 

   The second my light shifts, it hits white skin mere feet away from us. The bloodsucker screeches as my weapon burns its skin, and it disappears. Nathan's flashlight earns some screeches too, and I realize we are surrounded.  

  "Oh God," I whisper as I begin to panic. 

  "It's okay! Keep moving. The sun has a clear path along the wall. The flashlights will keep them back," Nathan says, and I nod vigorously. 

  He's right. We are okay. We were prepared for this. We have their weakness in our hands. They won't risk getting burned. They are simple creatures who live by simple rules. Feed and live. 

  We walk and turn. Walk and turn for about fifty feet. We catch a couple of bloodsuckers in the rays of our flashlights, but they disappear before they can be burned too badly. The hisses and screeches grow around us, but the farther we go, the more at ease I feel. They don't seem to want anything to do with our lights. 

  "We are almost there, Baby," Nathan says, and I smile as we turn, and I see the light coming from the tree line. 

  "Thank goodness," I reply quietly. 

   I am so happy we stayed calm and implemented our disaster training. 

  "Look out," Nathan screams, and a bloodsucker drops from above us. 

   Nathan shoves me toward the tree line just before a set of filthy fangs sink into his throat. My flashlight drops, and I scream as the love of my life loses his jugular.

   Blood squirts from his wound, and his eyes stare into my soul almost pleadingly. Three more white demons appear behind him, and before I can blink, they are feeding from him too.  

  His beautiful brown eyes roll to the back of his head, and my screams get louder. I can feel the danger coming up behind me too, but I can't bring myself to defend my own neck. I can't even pick up my weapon. My best friend and life partner is gone. I watched the man I wanted to bring life into this world with, die. 

  Suddenly growls richer in sound fill the air. Howls and snarls cut through the air all around me. The bloodsuckers immediately tense. Nathan's body falls to the ground, forgotten, and I sink to my knees so my eyes can stay on him. 

   Beasts in their true form attack the screeching bloodsuckers, but I can't focus on my saviors. My screams have finally faded, but in their place are tears. Hot thick rivers of grief bathing my face in sorrow. Snot begins to drip from my nose, but I don't care. 

   "Nathan," I cry as I force my body to crawl forward. 

  His skin is as pale as theirs, so I know they sucked him dry, but I still have to check. If there is any way he is still alive, I have to try...I get inches from him, but just as my fingers reach for him, I am yanked up into a set of thick furry arms. 

   "Stupid humans," a deep, gravely voice growls, and before I can even respond, the beast takes off. 

  His long paws pummel the ground, and the forest zips past me. Motion sickness mixed with my grief turns my stomach, and I vomit instantly. He snarls as my puke hits his pelt, but he doesn't slow down. 

  "Close eyes," he orders, and I quickly obey. 

   My world goes dark, and my brain zeros in on my pain again. Nathan. My Love is gone. The forest I dreamed of seeing took him, and I wasn't allowed to follow. Sobbing once again becomes my sole focus, and the beast carrying me doesn't say anything else. His arm does tighten, though, and my face buries into his fur. His hand holding me goes from an aggressive grip to a firm hold. It's as if he understands my pain. 

  He sprints at high speed for several more minutes, and I know I am miles from the city I have lived my entire life in. Miles from my house. But I don't feel scared about that... in fact, I never want to step foot in my home again. It isn't a home if he isn't in it. 

   Warmth hits my face as the shade outside my eyelids vanishes, and I know we are in the sun. His pace slows down drastically, and I hear movement all around us. 

  "Human," someone asks, and the beast carrying me grunts. 

   "You smell foul, Alpha," someone else says, and the beast holding me snarls. 

   Fear passes over my skin for a second as I realize I puked on their leader.

  "Clean her. Feed her. Lock her up," he growls after a few more steps, and my swollen eyes finally open. 

   I see his long muzzle and thick neck as I look up, but his eyes aren't visible to me from this angle. 

  "Si Capo," a female says, and my head turns just in time to see a lighter brown beast in true form reach for me. 

  I curl into the one holding me on instinct, and he seems to freeze. I don't want to go with her. I feel safe with him. Even though he just told them to lock me up. He didn't kill me when I puked on him.

  "Go human," he growls after a few seconds, and I look up to find two large green eyes burning into my skull. 

  The female uses my distraction to her advantage and takes me from him instantly. When she does, a wave of sadness travels over my body. Her arms aren't as strong as his. She isn't holding me protectively. She is just holding me. His chest was solid and firm...while hers....her hairy breasts are right there.