Free Crave by Teresa Mummert

a deep breathe I rifled through my purse and pulled out my cell phone. The caller I.D. read Daddy .
    “Shit,” I muttered to myself. I wondered if he had caught wind of the burglary incident. I sighed and tossed the phone onto the seat. There was too much to think about right now, and I was in no mood to be lectured.
    Rain sprinkled on my windshield and I leaned forward to inspect the sky. If this keeps up, it will be getting dark early. I put the car in reverse and headed back toward my apartment. My mind wandered to yesterday's events. I suddenly remembered our run-in with the vampires outside of the bar. How had they known Elijah’s name? Better question- How had I not known what he was? I searched through the memories of the time we had spent together. The signs were definitely there, but I had let my guard down. I shook the thoughts from my head and flipped through the radio stations.
    I made my way to the Hollow as the rain started to fall in a steady pour. I flipped on the wipers and picked up the pace. It had rained a lot lately and the little bridge over the creek had a tendency to flood. If that happened, I would be forced to backtrack around to the other side of town. I sang along with the radio as I made my way to the borough. The water was lapping at the road, but I made it across safely before the road was covered completely. I stopped at the Valley Tavern and grabbed a couple of six packs before going home. I didn’t want to be left alone with my memories and anger.

Chapter eight
V Positive
    I was starving when I finally reached my door. I pushed through and kicked my shoes off and threw my bag and purse on the table. I shoved the beer in the fridge and searched for something to eat. I settled on leftover hog maw and popped it into the microwave. As I waited, I picked up the broken pieces from the bowl I had left in the sink earlier this morning and wiped down the countertops.  The microwave dinged and I jumped causing me to slice into my palm with the shards.
    “Perfect,” I shouted through clenched teeth as I wrapped a dishtowel around my hand. I ran to the bathroom to clean up my wound. As I slowly unwrapped the towel, I winced at the sight of my blood soaked fingers. My mind flashed to Elijah’s hand the moment before he attacked me; the moment he betrayed me. I shuddered at the thought of how stupid I’d been. I should have known the second a guy like that showed me attention, he had to have an ulterior motive.
    The fresh water from the sink made it burn in pain as I dug through the cabinet to find the peroxide. I fidgeted with the cap and dumped the contents onto my cut, watching it bubble and wash away the blood. 
    “Ouch,” I screamed as the pain shot up my arm through every nerve ending. I sank the floor and waited for the throbbing to subside. Could this day get any worse? I knew it could, and it would. I pushed myself back up and wrapped some gauze around my hand securing at the wrist. I was going to have to suck it up if I was going to get through all of what was ahead. I knew Elijah would return.  It was a standard warning on the news that if a vampire attacks you and gets a taste of your blood, they will attack again until they finish the job. I made my way to the kitchen and grabbed my food, taking it in the living room. I flipped on the news and waited for the headlines of the day.              
    “Local woman attacked at home ends in the death of a burglar. The assailant was proven to be V positive,” the newscaster reported as a picture of my apartment building flashed across the screen. V positive was the blood type assigned to the undead. It was the politically correct way of saying murderous monster. Turns out, even vampires could get their feelings hurt.
    “Oh, God,” I said to myself as my cell phone began ringing from the kitchen table. “He was a vampire?” I set my plate down on the coffee table and ran to the kitchen to retrieve my phone. “Hello?” I