After two days of traveling, Jason's feet landed on the wet sidewalk of the bus terminal in New York City. The City that never sleeps. The City of dreams. Yeah right. Jason had no dreams left. It was burned to cinders. The only hope left for him was to survive and make a living. His earlier pep talk had blown away with the frosty breeze that swept across the vacant parking lot.

Jason wrapped his jacket tightly around his shivering body and readjusted his hoody. He didn't want to attract any more attention than he already had from his fellow travelers. For the entire trip so far, people constantly pointed fingers in his direction and whispered to their companions. Only two of them had the balls to come up to him and comment on his sickly pale skin and to tell him he needed to see a doctor.

Feeling peckish, Jason bought a cheeseburger and fries from Mac Donald's and ate it in silence in the establishment's corner. One of the symptoms he experienced was his lack of appetite. Jason barely ate half of his cheeseburger before his stomach started kicking back. He took his half-finished meal and stuffed it in his backpack. He couldn't waste food; his money wouldn't last for long.

Once out the doors, Jason merged with the city dwellers. Soon he walked along the walkways of Central Park toward an affordable hostel he found on a brochure from the traveling agency he passed earlier. He needed rest. The strain of traveling across country has taken a toll on his fragile body. Ignoring most of the sights, he reached the junction he needed to take to reach the hostel. There, he could rent a room until he could gather his thoughts.

A block away from his destination, the muffled beats of music reached his ears. A red neon sign reflected in a puddle of water drew his attention upward. Nocturnal. It was a club of sorts, more specifically, a BDSM club. It was a guess on his part, but the line of leather strapped partygoers gave it away. Jason hastened his pace and walked past the line of partygoers, but halfway along the way several heads snapped his direction with hunger seeping out of their greedy eyes. Noses rose to the air and flared. Fuck! If he was an ordinary mortal whose eyes never crossed the supernatural veil, he would have been ignorant of their behavior. However, Jason knew better. Vampires! Glints of red flashed across their eyes in a blink.

He needed to get his pasty, pale ass out of there before he got drained of all of his blood. Jason picked up speed and turned the corner, losing sight of the vampires. He didn't care as long as he could reach the hostel before the bloodsuckers deemed him a tasty piece of meat.

With a haggard breath and a drumming heart, Jason's eyes latched onto the front doors of the hostel. A ray of hope bloomed in his heart. The hostel would provide safety for the night.

Just as he passed a darkened alleyway, a dead hand reached out of the darkness and yanked him into the passage. His back collided with the cold brick wall, slamming the air out of his lungs. His jolt of pain flashed across the back of his head as his ass hit the grimy, cement floor. He glanced up to see a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes staring down at him.

"Well, look at what we have here," said an oily voice that slithered into his soul. The stranger's voice coiled around Jason's throat, causing him to choke on his spit.

Fuck, give me a break! Jason cried out mentally.

The shadowy figure kneeled down and wrapped their spiny, yet icy fingers around his neck. Their touch burned his sensitive skin to the point where Jason cried out. Jason clamped his hands over the stranger's hand, trying to pry them off. But it was useless. He had no strength. Opening a soda can alone nearly defeated him earlier that day.

In a swift movement, Jason dangled inches off the ground, flailing about helplessly. He tried to scream out for help, but the deadly grip around his neck prevented him. He was so fuck. To think he was going to die. His sad, broken existence wiped out at the back of an alleyway. Hot tears trickled down his cheeks.

"Ahh, don't cry, youngling," cooed the stranger. "I'll make your death as painless," the stranger's lips found his left ear in a blink of an eye, "as possible."

A wet tongue glided along the base of Jason's neck, sending a jolt of revulsion shooting down Jason's body.

"Fuck, you smell delicious! Never in my two hundred years on the planet have I smelled anything as alluring as you. The smell of death clings to you like a lover, sweet as nectar." The stranger hissed.

Jason placed his hands on the stranger's chest, trying to push them off him. But it was pointless.

Moist, hot air graced his neck, followed up by two sharp teeth raking his skin. No! This couldn't be happening. He needed to get out of this mess. With his only hope of escape, Jason raised his leg and kneed the stranger between the legs as hard as he could muster.

"Fuck!" the stranger cussed out. Falling to their knees.

Jason took the opening and ran down the alleyway as fast as his legs could carry him, dodging the dumpsters and garbage bags along the way. He could barely see where he was going in the dark, but he needed to get out in the open.

"There's nowhere to run to, brat!" the stranger shouted out. "I'll rip out your throat for that." The voice was gaining on him. Not that Jason expected to outrun a vampire.

As Jason stumbled around a corner, the familiar sounds of music filled the air. The Club! He must have backtracked at some point. Jason didn't care that there were vampires in the bar, he could find safety in numbers. The bloodsuckers wouldn't dare attack him out in the open.

Out of the darkness, a beacon of light shone down on him as his eyes found his last chance at survival. At the mouth of the alleyway, stood a group of partygoers smoking a joint. The pungent earthy smell of marijuana permeated the air, a smell he welcomed rather than the rotting odor of garbage that soaked his clothes.

Jason bolted down the alleyway to his freedom, but was shot dead. A hand grabbed him at the back of his neck and flung him against another wall before sharp teeth pierced his neck, sinking into his flesh. He yelled out a pitiful cry as the heat from his body, accompanied by his precious blood, drained from him. Animalistic growls filled the night as the vampire tightened their hold on him. He grasped out toward the group of people as his vision darkened. With a last burst of energy, he yelled out again.

The last thing he heard were the shouts of several onlookers before the world slipped from him.

***

"That was too close, Ishmael." A woman's voice echoed in Jason's head. "That fucker nearly drained every drop of blood from this poor kid."

Several footsteps approached him. Jason wanted to run for the door but his body had ceased on him. He could barely keep his lungs working. Jason kept his eyes closed, too scared to draw attention to himself. Seconds later, what felt like a wet cloth ran across his face, wiping off the sweat that no doubt pooled on his forehead. His body was burning and shivering at the same time. Jason wanted to swat away the intrusion, but deemed it foolish to do so. Whoever these people were, he couldn't trust them, even though they saved his life. He needed to fake sleeping to gain more information about who they were and what they wanted from him.

"I know, Astrid." A deep, gravelly voice grinded against his spine, sending shivers down his body. "I have dealt with the situation. Luckily, we got to him in time."

A loud crack of wood splintering burst through the room, accompanied by several objects falling to the ground. "That's not good enough! It isn't the first incident involving Felix. How many times has he killed people on our doorsteps? Eventually that idiot will draw the attention of humans on us."

"You know as well as I do, we can't touch Felix without suffering the consequences. He's Alaric's right-hand man," the man, Ishmael, said in a defeated tone.

"You're really afraid of him?"

A laugh rang out. "No. But the damage he could inflict on my business and the people I care for makes the idea of pissing off a vampire Lord not worth the effort."

"So what... Felix is just going to slink around in the club waiting for his next victim?"

"Of course not. I have already banned him from entering the club until I've met with Alaric and explained the situation. I'll let him deal with Felix."

"You know that's not going to happen," Astrid said. "Alaric doesn't give a shit about what happens to humans."

"Well, that's just the thing." Jason felt eyes falling on him as he pretended to sleep. "I don't think this one is human."

Jason's heartbeat picked up. How did they know?

"You can open your eyes, little one. I know you're awake."

Fuck!