Aurora Sky Vampire Hunter - By Nikki Jefford Page 0,15

that room.

I kicked the door and walked over to the two-way mirror, glaring so hard my temples throbbed. "Enjoying the show?"

I turned and began circling the room, always keeping the table between me and the madman. He kept coming at me slowly, like a zombie in a horror film. At least he'd shown no sudden bursts of locomotion.

We moved clockwise around the room. The space was so small it made me dizzy, but still I moved, matching the maniac's speed to keep him as far from me as possible.

My neck soon ached from constantly craning it over my shoulder to keep track of the lunatic's location. I suppose I had my physical therapist to thank for being able to walk for miles on end. Unfortunately, my pursuant showed no signs of fatigue, either.

Round and round we went until my stomach began turning and my vision blurred.

It took a while for the first feelings of exhaustion to creep inside my consciousness. A snarling, slobbering loony will keep a girl on her toes. But hours began to feel like days, and finally, I collapsed when rounding a corner. I hit an elbow as I landed, sending a tingle up my arm. My pursuer came toward me at the same creepy pace. His eyes opened wider and murky irises burned inside.

I scrambled back to my feet and stumbled forward. I glared into the two-way mirror.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I screamed.

I rushed to the table and picked up the revolver. Before this moment I'd never even held a gun. I pointed it at the madman. His stared back with vacant eyes, sunk inside a twisted face. "Stay where you are!"

He looked at me, not the gun, snarled, and kept coming.

I retreated and began sobbing when I re-entered the circle.

Make it end. Whatever it takes.

I turned suddenly and aimed the gun at the man's leg with a shaky hand. The last time I felt terror this all-consuming was right before that SUV took me out. My heart seized inside my chest as I pulled back the trigger.

Nothing happened.

"Shit!" I screamed.

I dropped the gun. It clattered over the floor as I sprinted away and resumed my place circling directly across from the man.

Tears leaked down the corners of my eyes. It could have been the middle of the night for all I knew. I could suddenly understand how people went crazy. Maybe that's what the agents were really up to - some sick experiment to make a loon out of me.

I glanced over my shoulder. The last of my energy was beginning to drain. I willed my feet to keep moving, but at some point they stopped and I stood rooted in place. The maniac's rasp was much too loud. It sounded like hissing. It was disgusting. The fear in my heart had lessened due to extreme fatigue, but as the foul being closed in on me, terror renewed itself like a jolt of electricity to the brain.

I intended to shove him onto the floor. He didn't look sure-footed enough to handle much force. Bracing myself, I slammed both palms against his chest, but instead of falling, the madman grabbed my arm in a bruising crush and pulled me toward him with a deafening snarl.

At that point, my heart stopped beating. I opened my mouth, but was unable to inhale or exhale.

A cold, sweaty hand gripped my face so hard it felt like my jaw would break.

I would have liked to know that in the last instant I struggled. That I fought for my life. But I didn't. I was paralyzed. I even suspected my own heart - at least the one I was given - might kill me before the madman did.

I felt his teeth at my neck. His hand loosened around my face. My heart began pounding inside my ears, thumping against my chest. His tore into my neck. He broke through my skin and pierced deep inside my flesh. It was invading and it was revolting and stirred a nauseating arousal inside me that I couldn't explain. Blood rushed to my head. My pulse pounded at my neck.

Then he began to suck.

I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. I envisioned needles extracting blood. Vials filling with thick, red gore. The clammy lips on my neck felt like a suction slowly draining the life from me.

With a sudden jerk, I was released. The thing, whatever it was, began to spasm beside me. It thrashed and gasped as though in