Searching for the Sun (open)

[Saffron]

I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head. Some times people were just so hard headed. I leaned back on my elbows but didn't take my eyes off the woods.
"Ive been a second gen since this all started. When they first came to my town and every one ran, locked the doors or hid i went outside with a baseball bat. I guess i didn't want to just sit around and wait to die, that and i was pretty stupid i guess.... Any way i beat one to death but they got me eventually. Didn't kill me though, just turned me... and thats that. Its really not all that bad actually, i'm faster, stronger and i dont have to live in fear. I try to only uhh... attack... people who look like they wont make it much longer to live but some times i dont have a choice." I said and my voiced trailed off. "I guess its a blessing and a curse of sorts but i make the best of it."

[Jasik]

I nod absently. Of course she's a hunter. She attacked me with a kind of skill that's only present in those with practice. In this case, practice with killing. "Have you ever turned someone?" I ask. "Not that I'm interested in becoming a 2nd gen just yet," I add hurriedly. Definitely not, I think, startled at how much is sounds like I'm reassuring myself. No way would I want to be a 2nd gen. Not yet, at least. The last part catches me off guard. When would I ever want to become a 2nd gen? I finish off my piece of bread and lean back against my rock. "When did you... feed last?" I ask Mel warily. I know from experience that hungry vampires are particularly dangerous, and I don't want to have to go through another fight like that again.

[Saffron]

"No i've never turned any one. There was one guy who i asked but he refused." I said making sure to leave out what i did to him afterwards. "I ask people first, its cruel not to and... well. I dont know, it was a favor that wasn't extended to me but its the least i can do. Besides if i turn some one against their will they wouldn't like me much any more and it would defeat the purpose..." I said chosen my words carefully.
"And i ate three or four days ago. I wont get really hungry for uh five, maybe six days. Its different with all of us though. Like Abigale, one of the others around here only has to feed once every three weeks or so. Point is im not hungry, if i was i would of been mauling you already. Maybe... i've never lost control so i dont know what its like."
I leaned forward and put my chin on my knees. "You know its nice to talk to some one. I haven't gotten to just talk for quite a while now."

[Jasik]

Well, at least she won't turn me in my sleep, I think to myself. But I can't be sure about her not killing me in my sleep. I'm a little nervous about that. It probably won't be for a few days, but if she gets too hungry, she could be dangerous. "Yeah, you can get pretty lonely out here," I say, staring at the dancing flames. "It's nice to be able to talk to someone."

[Saffron]

"Yeah yeah... I did have some people to talk to, There are three other second gens around here but were not terribly social. I talk to the girl maybe once ever few weeks, and the brothers even less that that, their arrogant so i try to avoid them." As i finished my sentence i heard a thump in the woods. "Speak of the devil. Thats probably the brothers." I said and stood up. "Let me just go tell them to fuck off and ill be right back." I said and i started walking to the woods.

My eyes flicked from shadow to shadow as i entered the woods. I was about to yell out and tell them to scram when i saw movement. I turned my head and saw the body of Abigale slumped against a tree, covered in blood and not breathing. I reeled back in disgust at the carnage, who ever had killed her was brutal... Thats when the brothers came from their hiding places, their faces stained with blood. "Oh Jesus guys look what you did now, thats cannibalism." I said looking at them. They took a few steps towards me and i backed away when i saw their faces.
Shrunken back and hungry. They probably hadn't eaten in weeks and that was a very bad sign.

I turned and ran back into the clearing towards the fire. "Load the gun!" I yelled at Jack as i ran. I got maybe half way to the fire before i heard the foot steps behind me. In a few seconds one of the brothers had jumped onto my back and threw me to the ground. The other ran by me an strait at Jack. I couldn't help im. I had to deal with this one first...

[Jasik]

Mel yells something about loading the gun, but before I can ask her what she means she falls to the ground. I manage to process a shape on top of her before I see another one coming at me. Vampires. These ones must be hungry, because the one coming at me is fairly slow for a vampire. Even so, I barely manage to roll away from him in time. He turns and stares at me with a hungry look in his eyes. Blood stains his mouth, which opens in an animalistic yell as he launches himself at me. He does get me down that time, and I think I'm a goner. But then I see the gun.

It's unloaded and probably useless right now, but it's within reach. It's my only hope. I grab it as the vampire on top of me moves its head toward me to take a bite. I swing my arm up and smack the side of his head with the empty gun. The vampire hisses and his grip on me weakens. I shove him off and scramble backwards. When I'm a few feet away, I jump to my feet, looking around wildly for ammunition. Then I see it, the magazine lying in the snow. I jump at it and shove it into the gun just as the vampire gets back up. I take aim and put a bullet in his arm as he jumps at me. He gasps in pain and falters, and I fire again, this time hitting his stomach. The vampire doubles over in pain, and I take one last shot, the bullet penetrating his skull.

I spin around, looking away from the body, and spot Mel next to the trees, struggling against the other vampire. I hold up my gun, but I can't shoot. If I fire the gun, I take the risk of killing Mel. Groaning, I jam the gun into its holster and yank out my knife. Going into hand-to-hand combat with a vampire is dangerous and potentially suicide. But Mel is in trouble. Before I can change my mind, I sprint at the vampire, slashing out with my knife when I get close enough. But he just ducks and keeps fighting Mel. I stab at him again, this time catching its bicep. It growls and lashes out with its fist, not even looking away from Mel. I fly backwards, startled at how strong the vampire is. I crash land in some snow. My breath is knocked out of my lungs, and I lie there, gasping for air. Mel is going to have to get out of this fight alone.

[Saffron]

Jack came to help me but got his ass handed to him pretty quick. But i had heard the gunshots, the other was most likely dead and im sure i can take this one.
I grab his wrist and side step. His blow grazes my ribs but it doesn't hurt much, at least not for now. I deliver a quick kick to the side of his knee breaking it. Despite his injury he swings at me again. I duck under it and hit his elbow, it to breaks with a sickeing crack and sprays a fine red mist of blood all over my hand. I shove him backwards and claw him across the face drawing blood. I always do this before i kill. I'm not sure why... maybe its my way of telling them their done for, that its time to give up perhaps. He screeches at me and lunges but his leg fails him and he falls to the ground. I put my knee on his back and my hands around his head.

"Its a shame your both such failures. If you have been better at hunting, if you knew how to do something over then charge and kill. Maybe you would be alive. But no, you wouldn't listen to me." I said tightening my grip on him. "its a shame... Abigale was a nice girl." With that i snapped his neck and threw his body to the side.

I stood there starring at the body and let the blood lust pass. When i was calm i turned and started walking back to Jack. "Are you alright?" I asked as i neared him.

[lorem]

Nothing was working out today. No muse for my writings, no inspiration for my paintings. Nothing interesting was going on.
Besides the whole everlasting darkness thing, and all these new vampires. But then again, I should be used to that by now, as they've been around for a while now. Whatever. That wasn't the problem. The problem was muse, or lack thereof. That was what had possessed me to come out into the wilderness.

And, apparently, into the middle of some kind of turf war. Don't ask me why it looked like that, but it seemed like some Second Gens were getting mad over some girl. There was also a human guy. I could tell by the general look of wimpiness compared to the Second Gens. I had learned to tell the difference when she was back at that human high school. The Vampires just seemed to have that "Don't **** with me," look about them. They weren't messed around with, and usually, they never messed with anyone else.

These ones were most certainly messing with each other though. And that poor human kid got his ass kicked pretty quick too. That girl was strong though. She snapped one of the Second Gen boy's necks pretty easily. It occured to me that perhaps I should get the hell out of there. But nahh, I was curious now. And besides, maybe they'd help me reclaim my lost muse.

Bringing herself up from the bushes behind which she had been hiding, she put up her hands and talked:

"Hey, uhh, you guys got a minute?"

[Jasik]

I groan and nod, hauling myself into a sitting position. "Yeah, I'm fine," I say. I look past Mel. In a patch of disturbed snow red with blood lies a body. "Good job," I comment breathlessly, pushing myself to my feet. My stomach hurts like hell. Damn, vampires hit hard. I check myself for serious injuries. Besides my aching stomach and sore back where I landed, I'm unhurt. I look at Mel nervously. "You're sure there are no more 2nd gens? I don't want to go through that again today." I gaze out in the opposite direction of the trees. It's like a canyon, just a thin strip of land about fifty yards across nestled between two mountains. Straight ahead is another mountain. The path branches off in two directions at that point. I can only choose one path, and only one leads to sunlight, I think anxiously, glancing down at my watch. 4:17 PM. I'm not making that decision tonight, I think tiredly, returning to the fire.