Gone Cold
Well damn. Goddamn. She'd gone Cold. After all the bullshit she'd been through, all the fighting tooth and nail, and for what? It was worth fuck all now.
Farris pushed the heels of her palms into her eyes until she saw spots and exhaled loudly. She remembered the last thing she'd said to her girlfriend when this all started. "I'm pumpin' blood, and I wanna keep it that way, thanks."
Well, so much for that.
She looked around at the carnage before her. Three bodies, one at her feet, another flung over the back of a couch, the grey leather streaked with blood. And the other laying half out the door, caught just as he was escaping.
The body at her feet was shriveled. Mummified, like it was centuries old, with a jagged wooden chair leg jutting from its chest cavity.
Long story short, she had come to the boarded up old house looking to squat for the night. The other two showed up later chased by their former friend, and newly turned vampire.
Everything had been going relatively well until now. She had a marker for turning in a vampire, she was going to get out. Her girlfriend was waiting on the other side of the walls. For seven years they'd maintained a long distance relationship and then the quarantine happened a year ago.
But now she'd been bitten. And it wouldn't be long before the infection started driving her mad with bloodlust. She needed to get out of Coldtown and find supplies to last her through the purging period, and lock herself away where no one could find her. Where she couldn't hurt anyone.
Suddenly her phone vibrated in her pocket. Startled by the sound, she jumped. With a shaking hand she fished the phone out and saw her girlfriend's name on the screen. Not wanting to associate the love of her life with the scene before her, Farris pocketed the phone again and gripping the strap of her handbag unnecessarily hard, she headed for the door, stepping over the body in the doorway, trying to avoid tripping over his splayed limbs.
Being outside she realized she didn't want to go back inside. She wouldn't have to worry about being attacked if she kept moving. She was too shaken to sleep now, but she was starting to feel the drag of her feet as the blood loss took its toll. She made sure to put some distance between herself and the shack, heading for the perimeters of Coldtown and sitting at the base of the wall. She dropped her backpack in front of her and fished inside for some cookies and a juice box, trying not to think about how sick it was making her. She couldn't help her mind turning back to the memory of the sweet and metallic smell of stale blood.
Farris shook her head violently and stuffed three cookies into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before chasing them by draining the juice box.
Once she finished, she wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve and took her phone from her pocket again. There Sucheta's name glowed on the save screen. It was a text, but Farris didn't bother reading it. She immediately hit the call button and held the phone to her ear, holding her breath as she listened to the tinny ringing.
"Hello?" Came Sucheta's voice at last. Farris felt her shoulders slump and all her breath rush out at once. The relief washing over her.
"Sucha. Hey." She tried to keep her voice even, but the bite on her neck felt like it was on fire and Chelsea's voice only made her realize just what her future held now.
The line was quiet on the other end, Sucheta knew Farris like no one else did. And she already knew something was wrong.
"Has something happened, dear?" She asked quietly.
Farris laughed bitterly. She held the phone tightly in one hand and dug her nails into the palm of the other painfully.
"You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice, love." She said with a sigh.
"Okay, you're scaring me now. Are you alright?" Farris heard Chelsea's bell-like voice catch through the speaker in what sounded like a hitch of static interruption. Farris scrunched her eyes shut and exhaled through her nose loudly.
"Sucha, I'm going Cold."
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Note: This is totally and 100% inspired by Holly Black's Coldest Girl in Coldtown. The only original elements are the characters. Everything else is not mine in the slightest.
Farris pushed the heels of her palms into her eyes until she saw spots and exhaled loudly. She remembered the last thing she'd said to her girlfriend when this all started. "I'm pumpin' blood, and I wanna keep it that way, thanks."
Well, so much for that.
She looked around at the carnage before her. Three bodies, one at her feet, another flung over the back of a couch, the grey leather streaked with blood. And the other laying half out the door, caught just as he was escaping.
The body at her feet was shriveled. Mummified, like it was centuries old, with a jagged wooden chair leg jutting from its chest cavity.
Long story short, she had come to the boarded up old house looking to squat for the night. The other two showed up later chased by their former friend, and newly turned vampire.
Everything had been going relatively well until now. She had a marker for turning in a vampire, she was going to get out. Her girlfriend was waiting on the other side of the walls. For seven years they'd maintained a long distance relationship and then the quarantine happened a year ago.
But now she'd been bitten. And it wouldn't be long before the infection started driving her mad with bloodlust. She needed to get out of Coldtown and find supplies to last her through the purging period, and lock herself away where no one could find her. Where she couldn't hurt anyone.
Suddenly her phone vibrated in her pocket. Startled by the sound, she jumped. With a shaking hand she fished the phone out and saw her girlfriend's name on the screen. Not wanting to associate the love of her life with the scene before her, Farris pocketed the phone again and gripping the strap of her handbag unnecessarily hard, she headed for the door, stepping over the body in the doorway, trying to avoid tripping over his splayed limbs.
Being outside she realized she didn't want to go back inside. She wouldn't have to worry about being attacked if she kept moving. She was too shaken to sleep now, but she was starting to feel the drag of her feet as the blood loss took its toll. She made sure to put some distance between herself and the shack, heading for the perimeters of Coldtown and sitting at the base of the wall. She dropped her backpack in front of her and fished inside for some cookies and a juice box, trying not to think about how sick it was making her. She couldn't help her mind turning back to the memory of the sweet and metallic smell of stale blood.
Farris shook her head violently and stuffed three cookies into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before chasing them by draining the juice box.
Once she finished, she wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve and took her phone from her pocket again. There Sucheta's name glowed on the save screen. It was a text, but Farris didn't bother reading it. She immediately hit the call button and held the phone to her ear, holding her breath as she listened to the tinny ringing.
"Hello?" Came Sucheta's voice at last. Farris felt her shoulders slump and all her breath rush out at once. The relief washing over her.
"Sucha. Hey." She tried to keep her voice even, but the bite on her neck felt like it was on fire and Chelsea's voice only made her realize just what her future held now.
The line was quiet on the other end, Sucheta knew Farris like no one else did. And she already knew something was wrong.
"Has something happened, dear?" She asked quietly.
Farris laughed bitterly. She held the phone tightly in one hand and dug her nails into the palm of the other painfully.
"You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice, love." She said with a sigh.
"Okay, you're scaring me now. Are you alright?" Farris heard Chelsea's bell-like voice catch through the speaker in what sounded like a hitch of static interruption. Farris scrunched her eyes shut and exhaled through her nose loudly.
"Sucha, I'm going Cold."
-----------------------------------------------
Note: This is totally and 100% inspired by Holly Black's Coldest Girl in Coldtown. The only original elements are the characters. Everything else is not mine in the slightest.
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