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empty. As I limped inside, I heard a soft moan and
froze.
    “Help me,” a girl’s voice pleaded.
    I stared up towards the loft. “Tara?”
    She didn’t answer.
    Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the
ladder. “Don’t worry, I’m coming to help you.”
    “Emily,” she moaned. “Help me.”
    I started climbing the ladder, wondering
exactly what I was going to find above. Fairly certain that it was
still a dream and that nothing could really hurt me, I willed
myself up each step. When I reached the top and looked over the
edge, I saw her.
    “Tara?”
    She was lying down on her back, her head
facing the wall.
    “Hey,” I whispered, crawling over the edge
and onto the wooden platform. “Are you okay?”
    She didn’t answer.
    Wondering if she’d fallen asleep, I crawled
over to her. “Tara,” I whispered, touching her shoulder.
    She turned her face to me and I gasped in
horror.
    “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see
you,” she said, smiling broadly.
    I stared down at her glowing red eyes and
sharp teeth that were definitely inhuman. “Ohmygod! Tara, what did
they do to you?”
    Her hand snaked out and grabbed my throat.
“I’m so hungry, Emily,” she said, her eyes glowing even brighter.
“Please understand that this isn’t anything… personal.”
    I tried prying her fingers away from my
neck, but I couldn’t.
    She smiled. “I know, right? I’m so freaking
strong now. It’s amazing.”
    Frightened and hysterical, I tried
scratching at her eyes, but she was fast, blocking all of my
attempts. We started rolling around and soon she was on top,
staring down at me with triumph. “Well, it’s been… real.”
    I tried flipping her off of me, but she held
me in place with thighs that were incredibly powerful. “Please,” I
gasped.
    “You shouldn’t have tried escaping without
me,” she said, baring her fangs. “Although, I’m not really
complaining much. I had an awesome time with Brandon. That guy
knows his way around a girl; you know what I’m saying?”
    I didn’t have a clue.
    Unable to move, I closed my eyes and prayed
that this was still just part of a nightmare. Mercifully, before
her teeth ripped into my neck, my prayers were answered.
    Well, almost.
    Her hands released me and I opened my eyes
to find Marie holding Tara by the throat over the edge of the loft.
Tara’s eyes were bulging as she tried unwrapping Marie’s fingers
from her throat as she hung helplessly.
    “Nobody steals from me,” growled Marie.
    I scooted away on the ground, but something
grabbed me from behind.
    “No!” I screamed, flailing my arms and
legs.
    “This one’s a fighter to the bitter end,”
said the man holding me, his voice raspy. He tightened his grip and
pulled my hair away from my neck. “Oh, but the scent of her fear
is… delicious.”
    Marie dropped Tara, who’d passed out, over
the edge and turned towards us. “Daddy, you’re awake.”
    “Lucky for me. Tara fed from me while I
slept,” he growled angrily. “Good thing I woke up before she got
too far. I almost killed her, but this one walked into the barn
before I could finish the job.”
    She scowled. “How did Tara change?”
    He sighed. “Apparently, Brandon had his way
with her.”
    “Brandon?” she fumed. “Are you sure it
wasn’t Martin?”
    “Oh, it was Brandon. I heard her tell this
one,” he said, sniffing my neck.
    I shuddered.
    “Don’t worry – I’ll take care of him once I
feed. Nobody cheats on my daughter.”
    “Please, let me go,” I begged.
    “You’re still not fully
healed,” she replied, ignoring me. Her eyes softened. “Why
don’t you have
this one?
    “Oh, I plan on it,” he said. “But don’t
worry, Celeste. We’ll get you fed before we reach Shore Lake.”
    My eyes filled with tears. “Please, let me
go.”
    Celeste, or whatever her name was, walked
over and kneeled next to me. “You should be honored,” she said,
wiping a tear from my cheek. “Your blood will help daddy regain