Shivers rushed up my spine as I waited impatiently for the figure to show its face. How did it know my name anyway? The knife I grasped in my hand shook as I stared into the shadows. "Who are you?" Seth demanded.

The figure emerged from the shadows and I let out a loud gasp, almost falling to the ground in shock. My uncle Walter was standing right in front of me with a smile.

He looked a lot different. His potbelly was substituted with a flat stomach. His face was free from the wrinkles that used to gather around his eyes, and his usual glasses were gone.

I squinted my eyes, convinced this was a hallucination. "Uncle... Walt?"

Uncle Walter grinned and stepped forward. "Oh Samantha, its been too long. I thought you were dead." he said.

My heart dropped inside of my chest. The grin he just made revealed two, large fangs.

"Oh my G..." I breathed, terrified. My hands fumbled for my sack full of weapons, but it was on the ground a few feet away.

"Oh dear. I should have remembered." He took another step towards me, reaching out one hand. It touched the side of my neck, and I shivered. His eyes closed and he inhaled. "I'm sorry you had to see that. But thankfully for you, you won't be seeing those again because they'll be in your neck."

I launched my fist into his jaw and he did not flinch. A moment passed and I was in the air, flying backwards. My back hit the gravel road and I writhed in pain, moaning. The pain surged through my entire body, and I felt as if I'd just been hit by a truck. I held my hands up and saw dark blood running down the skin and dripping, and a wave of nausea hit me. My eyes closed, and flashes of black filled my mind. "SAM!" I heard Seth shout before hearing metal tear through flesh.

I fluttered my eyes open, and the blurriness faded, showing Uncle Walt above me, his fangs fully extended. Just as he was about to lean towards my neck, I heard the most gut wrenching sound and silver blood was splattered everywhere. "Sam! Sam, are you alright?" Seth asked, kneeling down next to me and stroking my cheek.

Another wave of pain surged through my body. "Is... is he dead?" I croaked, my eyes searching around me.

Seth nodded and lifted me into his arms, standing up and holding me close. "We need to get back to the cottage, fast. The others should be close by now, they probably sense one of their kind's death." he said.

I wrapped my arms around his strong neck and nodded, leaning into his chest. My eyes slowly closed and I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to the sound of humming. I was looking into Seth's luring eyes as he leaned over me, holding a bandage. "You feeling any better? I injected some medicine that would help with the pain." he asked with concern.

I nodded slowly, reaching up to touch his cheek gently. "Yeah... thanks for helping me."

He nodded and gave me a big smile then returned to healing my wounds.

"Did you get hurt at all?" I asked, searching his face for a single flaw.

He pulled up one of his sleeves, revealing a deep cut. "Yes, pretty badly. This arm was the worst though."

I sat up quickly, panicking. "Did you get the food?"

He chuckled, nodding. "Yeah. They're still in the bag."

"I'm going to get cleaned up for dinner then. Thanks again, Seth." I lifted my head to brush my lips against his warm cheek, then slid off the counter and headed to the bathroom.

The water was freezing in the shower, but its cleanliness was all that mattered to me. My fingers dug through my thick blonde hair and shook it out as I stepped out of the water and onto the cold, tile floor. With a shiver I wrapped a towel around my body and returned to my bedroom. I slipped on a clean, white T shirt with a low cut, then slid on some sweatpants. I flipped my hair over and ran my fingers through it until it was untangled and wavy, then looked in the mirror.

My face was free of wounds, which was a relief. I took one last look at my reflection then returned to the kitchen. Seth looked clean, the dark shirt he was wearing hugging his chest perfectly. He grinned. "Hey Sam. Dinner's ready." A large plate of cooked deer meat was on the counter, and smelled delicious.

"Mhm. It smells really good." I remarked, walking up to the counter.

"So do you."

I burst into laughter, punching his arm. "Oh shut up."

"I'm serious. You look good too."

My cheeks flushed and I laughed. "Right. Because a T shirt and sweatpants are a dazzling combination. Okay, I'm starving. Back to the food."

"Same here. Oh and I gotta hand it to you, you get all the credit for picking this one out." he said, balancing an antler on the tips of his fingers.

We sat at the table, shoveling bites into our mouths. Gurgling noises filled my hungry stomach as I filled it with the deer meat.

"So what do you think happened to your uncle?" Seth asked, holding his fork between two fingers.

I nearly choked on the meat in my throat before swallowing deeply. "I have no idea. He was completely normal the last time I saw him."

Seth looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry that I killed him, Sam. I-"

"You had to. Don't apologize. If I wasn't on the ground, I'd do the same thing." I muttered, shoving in another bite.

I stood up and walked over to the sink, then cleaned my plate. "Sam, let me clean th-"

I spun around and tripped, landing in an embrace with Seth with our faces only inches apart.

I stared deeply into his beautiful eyes before quickly pulling away. "I-I'm tired. Thanks for making dinner." I stammered, practically running to my room.

I closed my bedroom door behind me gently, then laid back on the pillows of my bed with a sigh. Part of me wished I stayed in that embrace, brushed my lips against Seth's. I pushed away the desire, groaning in frustration and scrunching my hair with my fists. I stared up at the ceiling and pulled the covers over my body. The night passed slowly, and sleep was impossible.

Every time my eyes would close, a horrid image of Uncle Walt would pop up in my mind. I stood up, pacing the room with a black slip that tightened around my chest. My breathing increased with each step, and I grasped the window frame so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

Releasing, I walked out of my bedroom and into the living area. My mind was swirling with awful images and confusing thoughts, and I needed fresh air. Grabbing a knife, I slid out the door and into the night.

The night was dark, the moon hidden beyond the clouds. I reached the meadow I was looking for, and lay in the grass, looking up at the stars. My hand was still tight around the knife's handle, and my breathing was steady. The muffled sound of footsteps suddenly caught my hearing. I urged my body forward into a sitting position, and I examined my surroundings frantically. Come on, Sam. Quit being a baby. Its probably just a squirrel or something.

"Sam?" a familiar voice came from behind me.

"Seth, is that you?" I asked, loosening my grip on the handle of my knife.

"Yeah, it is. What the h*ll were you thinking to come out here alone at night?" he asked worriedly, laying down beside me.

I sighed. "I was having nightmares and couldn't sleep, needed fresh air. How did you know where I was?"

"I kind of followed you. I heard you in the next room moving around, and then I heard the door open. So I followed." he said.

"I guess I wasn't as quiet as I thought I was." I muttered.

"Sam, please promise me you won't go out like this alone again. If I hadn't heard you back there and something happened to you..." Seth breathed.

"Nothing would have happened, Seth. I brought a knife, I would have been fine. But if it makes you happy... I'll wake you up next time." I mumbled.

"Thanks." he said, sighing. "The stars look pretty cool from this spot, I like it up here."

"Yeah, it kind of relaxes me coming here. I found it shortly after the attack." I said.

The breeze was the dominant sound around us, with a few leaves rustling. "Do you want to head back? You can sleep in my bed and I'll sleep on the floor." Seth offered, getting up and brushing the back of his jeans with his hands.

He leaned down, offering a hand. I took it, and he pulled me up gently into a standing position.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me." I said, mindlessly looking down at the ground.

He pulled my chin up gently, and kissed my forehead. "Would you like me to carry you in my arms, or on my back?"

I laughed nervously, digging a boot into the ground. "I can handle walking, thanks."

He chuckled and hooked his arm with mine, and we walked back to the cottage.

I lay in the bed, staring up at the ceiling and twirling a strand of hair with my fingers.

"Goodnight, Sam. Sweet dreams." Seth breathed, laying on the floor on a pile of blankets.

I yawned, slowly closing my eyes. "Goodnight Seth."