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alannawu t1_iu29a0h wrote

The man peeled back his hood to reveal a sharp, pale face with blood red eyes. His fact was gaunt, almost skeletal now -- so different from the last time Lara had come face to face with him.

Of course, she probably didn't look much better. Lara wiped at the dirt smudges that undoubtedly streaked across her whole face, careful to keep the dirty, bandaged sleeves away from her mouth and eyes.

"Malakai," she said, careful to keep her face expressionless. "To what do we owe this honor?" She poured a cup of water, and set it on the rickety wooden table in front of him. He ignored it.

Her fists clenched as she sat down opposite to him. The last time they'd met face to face like this, he still had golden skin tanned from years of working under the sun and rough, weather-worn hands from hard labor. He'd begged her to join him, saying they'd never work another day in their lives, that they would never have to worry about going hungry again.

How ironic.

"How have you been?" he asked, a slight lisp to the words from his fangs.

She snorted. What a meaningless question in a world like this. "What do you want?" she asked again.

He blinked, clearly taken aback by her blunt attitude. "I'll make things simple then. Blood, in exchange for protection."

Lara fell silent. Their supplies would only last them a couple more days, and they desperately needed to move toward Everett to find more fertile lands in which to grow crops. But with their current numbers and just one pickup truck still capable of making the journey, it would be nigh impossible to get everyone out.

It was a deal she had to take. If not for herself, then for the fifteen others who were relying on her to do what it took for them to survive. She closed her eyes. The deep, guttural groans of the horde outside were ever-present these days, assaulting their senses every waking moment. She could see it in the dead, hopeless expressions on the others even as they did their rounds.

But it wasn't that simple. Small encampments had been disappearing as of late, and word on the street was that it wasn't the work of the zombie horde. She'd seen one of the abandoned camps on their weekly supply runs. The fences had still been intact, only the supplies inside seemingly ransacked by others. But perhaps most telling, the crops had remained undisturbed.

"No," she responded simply.

He stared at her, the depths of his eyes swirling. "No?" he asked, seemingly incredulous.

"I'll see you out," she said, standing up. She didn't bother with the usual niceties of wishing him luck or bidding him a good day.

"This would be good for both of us." He stood up. "You should take some time to consider it. I'll return in three days." He kept his gaze on her, even as they walked toward the encampment's walls, as if he wanted to say something. In the end, he simply put up his hood again, once again hiding his deeply inhuman features.

Lara's lips thinned into a straight line. She gestured to Goffrey to open the front gate.

Faster than she could blink, Malakai was gone.

As soon as the gates came back down, she stalked toward the other end of the camp to the cookhouse, where everyone else had gathered for dinner. Everyone quieted as she walked through the doors, perhaps reading the dark expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, setting her fork down.

"We've just received a visit from a vampire," Lara answered.

The relative quiet became an eerie hush.

"He offered protection in exchange for blood."

She let the weight of the words settle, taking in everyone's worried expressions. She knew the questions on their minds. How could they trust the vampires? Did she take the deal?

She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her own nerves. She didn't know whether the decision she was about to make was the right one. Maybe she was wrong, and this was a mistake. "I didn't take their offer. They gave us three days to reconsider, but I think their intention is to make us take the deal, whether we want to or not."

"What do we do then?" Maisie asked, her eyes wide in fear.

We take the gamble, even if it means being eaten alive by a horde of brainless monsters. We do everything in our power to avoid being turned into blood-bags by monsters faster, stronger, and more powerful than us.

"We pack up everything and leave. Tonight."

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