Free Evolve Two: Vampire Stories of the Future Undead by Unknown

to attract their attention.
    Her feet tangled and she almost fell. She clutched the walker and glared down until both feet faced forward again. She had four doors to check. Just four. If she didn’t find a way to feed on this floor, she was done.
    She pushed against the first door and glanced into the room. Two males. No one was being given blood. The door snicked shut as she shuffled to the next room. A woman, alone. The wonderful metal smell of fresh blood wafted over Roslyn. She checked to make certain no one saw her, and then walked through the door, pushing it closed behind her.
    The woman was hooked up to every machine known to man, as far as Roslyn could tell. Her eyes, half open in her badly beaten face, looked more dead than alive.
    “Hi,” Roslyn said, ready to back out and find another room if the woman answered.
    The woman didn’t react.
    Roslyn shuffled up and reached out a shaking hand, touching the IV bag that hung from the stand by the bed. Full of blood.
    “I’m just going to borrow a bit,” she said, as she disconnected the plastic tubing from the woman’s arm. When a small drop of blood fell, her mouth flooded with saliva and she rammed the plastic tube between her lips, closed her eyes and sucked, sighing as the blood touched her tongue then flooded her mouth. Her gums felt warm, and then began to ache. She groaned, sucking and swallowing, feeling warmth slide down her throat into her belly, then expand everywhere inside her.
    With the warmth came strength. Her arms and legs stopped feeling wooden. She knew if she drank it all she’d be caught. She took one more long pull on the plastic tubing, filling her mouth before she reconnected the tube to the woman.
    “Thanks.” She grabbed the walker and tugged it behind her as she headed out the door and back to her room.
    Gina. It works, she chortled as she jumped into bed. It works way better than I would have believed.
    We all need to do this, and then get out, Gina replied. Find some place to hide. All of us, together.
    Roslyn paused. She didn’t know if she wanted to run away. Maybe some of what Erickson told her was the truth. Maybe she could still have her old life back. Maybe, for her, it would work.
    I just want to go home, she thought.
    Don’t we all. Gina’s thoughts were filled with such remorse, Roslyn wondered if she had kids. She didn’t ask. Nobody talked about the family they left behind.
    Every night Roslyn went to the woman in the coma, stealing sips of blood from the plastic tube. Then she walked, to rebuild her strength. At first all she could manage was the hallway, but soon she tackled the stairs. Up to the roof, and then down to the basement. She moved more and more quickly, taking the stairs two at a time, running up and then down them as though she was on flat ground. It felt glorious.
    The second night on the stairs, she went on the roof. She stood in the cold dark, drinking in the sight of the stars and the swollen harvest moon and wishing she could just fly away. She said that to Gina, who replied flatly, We can’t do that.
    How do you know? She stared longingly out over the parking lot. Just one step. That’s all it would take.
    Raymond couldn’t.
    Oh. Roslyn backed away from the edge of the roof. Raymond had been the first to disappear, even before the artificial Link had been disconnected. Before they’d all been caught.
    He’d jumped off the roof of his apartment building when the police came to pick him up. Splattered his brains all over the sidewalk in front of his condo. And they’d all seen it. Felt it. Roslyn shuddered.
    Did you ever figure out why he did that?
    He killed his wife. Felt bad about it.
    Her thoughts touched on Terry, then skittered away.
    You do realize you weren’t the only one, right? Gina said. We all killed someone.
    Roslyn stared out at the cold starlight. They’d never talked about it, but it made sense. Funny she’d never connected that particular dot before.
    The media dubbed us