With each step, I grow more and more lightheaded. My vision can’t focus on the ground in front of me. Any fear I had about my fate has dissolved from mental exhaustion. The world is spinning around me, twisting as if I’d twirled in circles like a child. I hit the ground.

I can't get up. I don't even know which way is up. The rope pulls taut, and I groan as my stomach is constricted even tighter. My limp body is pulled along the dirt. I shut my eyes as the blades of grass whip over my face. If I could just ignore the pain from the rope, then I’d be able to rest.

He doesn't relent, continuing to drag me. Maybe he'll realize that it'll be easier to take his bag and leave me here, then I could crawl to water. No. I doubt he'd be so kind.

He stops pulling and turns back to face me. Though I can’t make out much more than a shadowy frame, I know that he’s going to hit me again. There’s no way to avoid it. I curl my legs up to my chest to be a little more protected.

He pulls me up by my hair and forces me into a sitting position. The next thing I know, the sharp end of his curved blade is pressed against my throat.

"Stand, or I shall separate your head from your shoulders."

I try move my legs, but nothing happens. My body is exhausted. It’s been pushed far beyond what’s reasonable. This isn't fair. I tried my best and put my all in, but everything was stacked against me from the beginning. He's the one who weakened me by taking my blood and tying me up, and now he's going to kill me because I can’t keep up with a pace of a trained soldier?

I can't make out his expression with my blurry vision. It hurts to talk, so I don't bother trying to beg through the gag. It wouldn’t make a difference anyway. I’m never going to see my brother again. I’m going to die in this godforsaken field, murdered by a monster who knows nothing of mercy and cares for no one but himself. The feeling of hopelessness overwhelms me, but my body doesn’t have the energy to cry.

My eyes drift from his blurry face to the reflective sword. It shines in the sunlight. This man is so much bigger than me that he doesn’t even need a weapon to end my life. It seems almost ridiculous that he would use it to threaten me. I wonder if the blacksmith who forged it knew that it would be used to cut down someone like me? What will this vampire think when he’s standing over my dead body – good riddance perhaps? He’s so hostile towards me, as if I’m a bane on his life when in reality it is the other way around.

The pressure from the blade disappears, and I'm hoisted up into the air. My world flips upside down. He's carrying me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I lie limp, with no energy to struggle.

* * * * * * * *

It’s dark by the time he finally puts me down. I've been drifting in and out of consciousness for what feels like hours. He rests my body against the tree and pulls the gag out of my dry mouth.

He shoves a jug against my lips and starts pouring. I gulp the water down, but a good portion of it runs down my shirt. I don't care. It feels like I'm coming back from the dead.

It takes me a moment to notice the lake just a few feet away.

He refills the jug and pours more water in my mouth. I gladly accept it, but he continues for too long, and soon I’m desperate for air and start to choke.

"Drink, human," he growls.

"I'm-I'm trying."

I finish the jug, and he turns to fetch more.

"I've had enough," I say.

He packs it away and then disappears behind the trees. Soon the leaves crunching under his boots is too faint to hear. He’s leaving me here, unguarded? I wiggle against my bounds, still tight, but there’s nothing stopping me from walking- no, running?

I listen for a few more minutes to make sure he’s gone. He left his backpack here, so he’s definitely coming back. I rise to my feet and hurry in the opposite direction from where he went. The rope around my middle tightens, and I’m flung back against the ground.

He tethered me. I follow the rope with my eyes from my position on my back. It leads to a branch too high for me to reach with my tied hands. He’s subdued me like a mother hiding cookies on a high shelf.

A twig cracks behind me, and I shoot upright.

It’s the vampire, carrying a stack of branches. He drops them in a small pit, grabs a flint stone from his backpack and lights the fire.

He falls back on his butt and lets out a sigh. I watch cautiously from my position by the tree. He collected wood and built a fire for the night, then sat down like he’s glad to be able to relax at the end of a long day. A human in his position would have done the exact same thing. It’s odd seeing him act so normal.

He warms his hands over the fire. The cold night air creeps up my back, and I can’t help but be envious.

His gaze lands on me, and I drop my eyes to the fire. The last thing I want is to attract his vicious attention.

“You may approach,” he says. “I do not bite… well, at least not twice in one day.”

I glare daggers at him. Does he think it’s funny that he tied me up and drained my blood?

He doesn’t seem to notice or care. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a small leather pouch. I can’t quite make out what’s inside. He lifts a small brown roll out of the pouch and takes a bite. Food!

Forgetting my previous skepticism, I hurry to the fire and sit opposite him, as far as the rope will let me go. He takes another bite of the dried meat, and my mouth waters. Will he share with me? I mean… he has to? It’s not like I can find my own food like this.

He takes another bite, and another, and soon there’s not much left. He’ll eat it all without a second thought.

“Um…” I interrupt.

His eyes land on me, and he takes another bite, leaving even less.

“Can… can I have some? Please?”

He licks his lips. “It is human.”

My mouth falls open and my face goes pale. The man who’s captured me is eating human meat?

His serious expression breaks into a laugh, and he almost falls back in the sand.

After recovering from his moment of joy, he eats the last piece, leaving the pouch empty.

I force a small smile and avert my eyes. It’s a joke. He’s just messing with me, conjuring up a fun excuse to not have to share the food. I’m sure he derived great joy seeing the look of terror on my face, as if he hasn’t scared me enough already. I should’ve known that it was a trick. He’s an asshole.

He retrieves a large leather cylinder from his bag and unrolls it on the sand. It’s a sleeping pouch. He climbs inside and turns his back to me.

I stretch out my feet, but the fire is too far away. If I could reach a lit branch, it could burn through my tether.

There’s no way out, at least not yet. I should save my energy and get some rest.

I nudge the sand around with my legs to make a little furrow that hugs me on either side.

Minutes pass, but sleep evades me despite my exhaustion. It's not very comfortable. I can't even use my arm as a pillow, and my skin stings wherever it’s in contact with the rope.

"Please untie me... so I can sleep," I ask.

He remains still.

I push myself up. "The ropes are tight, and I’ll be too tired to walk if I can’t rest."

"They prohibit you from slipping away," he says without turning his head.

"Maybe just the rope around my waist? It’s pinching my middle, and I can't escape if my hands are still tied."

Nothing.

I need to find something to bargain with, but all I’ve got left are the clothes on my back. My eyes scan the shore for something of value. Hey, my brother enjoys hearing me sing. “I’ll sing a song for you in return.”

I don’t care if it’s embarrassing. It’ll be worth it to get rid of the aching in my abdomen, and this is all I can offer him. I clear my throat and take a deep breath. “A storm is loosed upon the-”

“Do you wish to be gagged again?” he interrupts.

I shrink back into myself and don’t answer, afraid of that wretched cloth being shoved back in my mouth.

I curl my legs up to my chest and rest my head on my knees. There’s a small beetle walking across the mound of sand. The fire reflects off it’s shiny shell, making it sparkle. It crests the mound and wanders towards the lake. Soon it’s out of my reach. Even that little creature has more freedom than me. It’s silly to be envious of a bug, but it takes my mind off my aching stomach.

The vampire rises to his feet, and I nudge away. He towers over me. Did I do something wrong? I was sitting still?

He reaches out, and I shut my eyes and tuck in my head. He pushes my knees down and fidgets with the knot. The rope around my waist falls away. It feels just as uncomfortable coming off as it did going on, but relief follows right after.

“No more whining,” he says.

I nod, and he returns to his pouch.

I maneuver my tied hands to nudge up the hem of the shirt. There’s a red rope pattern imprinted across my stomach and over my belly button, but at least there’s no bruising.

The rope around my wrists is still tethered to the tree branch, so I lay down again and try to make myself comfortable. The fire helps, but the cold air still nips at my exposed skin. All I’ve got is a pair of long pants, a short-sleeve shirt and cheap leather shoes. My coat was left back at the barn.

The vampires head rests on white fluffy wool. The whole sleeping pouch must be lined with it. It looks warm and cozy. I shut my eyes and pretend I’m somewhere else - camping with my brother, Jacob.

* * * * * * * *

I watch the sunrise from my nook in the sand. It's already morning, and I barely got any sleep thanks to the cold.

A splash of freezing water hits my skin. I squeal and jump upright. The vampire has an empty jug in his hand.

"I was awake," I spit.

“And now you’re energized. Get up. We depart soon.”

He packs away the jug and rolls up his sleeping pouch.

I need to pee. It takes a minute to get on my feet with stiff muscles and tied hands. This wretched rope leashes me so I’m never more than a few yards from the tree, which is right in his line of sight.

“Untie me. I need to pee.”

“I don’t see how those two are related, human.”

“My name’s not human, it’s Julia, and I need privacy.”

“Then I’m afraid you’ll find the rest of this journey rather uncomfortable.”

I shoot him a dirty look, but he’s too busy fiddling with his alchemy potions to notice.

I can’t hold it much longer, and asking him to stop traveling later would be even more embarrassing. He seems rather preoccupied with whatever he’s fiddling with in his bag, so I take the opportunity and scurry behind the tree. I retie my belt at the back where it’s easier to reach.

My head pokes around the trunk. He's waiting on the shore.

"Sit," he orders, patting the sand between his legs.

I gulp. "I'm happy here."

"Do not force my hand."

I don't want to be that close to him. Weighing my options in my head, the look on his face says he's not kidding, and I'm still leashed. I have to listen, fighting him here will just get me hurt.

I cautiously approach, not taking my eyes off him, and take a seat between his feet, as far from him as possible while still appearing as if I’m obeying his instructions.

He leans forward, pressing his torso against my bound arms. His hands creep around my middle, and I stiffen.

"What are you doing?" I blurt out.

His big arms wrap around my chest, and their weight rests on my small frame.

"No, no, no. I haven't done anything wrong," I cry, shaking. His arms are like stone. I'm tied up, I'm trapped, and I don't know what's happening.

He blows my hair off my shoulder and sniffs my skin. My heart falls into my stomach. I open my mouth to protest, but before I get a word out, his teeth sink into my flesh.

I shriek from the pain. It’s like a blade is being wedged into my neck. I try push away from him, but his arms don't let me move an inch.

"Please stop, please." I can't take this again.

He keeps drinking, and I can feel the blood flowing from my body. My breathing quickens, and my heart beats like I've run a mile.

"Please." I hate this. I hate that I'm so weak that he can draw the life from my body as he pleases.

It takes a good few minutes before he's had his fill. He removes his teeth and pinches the skin near the bite. I sit still, feeling defeated.

He fetches a jug of water from the lake and presses it to my lips. I open my mouth, but his impatient pouring leads to half of it going down my shirt.

He removes the rope from the tree and ties it around my waist like before. It's still tight, but not as bad.

The bag is secured to my back, then his hands shoot under my arms and yank me upright.

"You don't have to be so rough," I grumble.

“I’ll consider your suggestion.” He jerks the rope, almost causing me to lose my balance.

* * * * * * * *

I didn’t walk like this when fleeing with Neil and his companions. We’d take breaks, search for fruit and hunt animals, whereas the man ahead of me marches on and on, unrelenting.

Just thinking about food makes my stomach rumble. My gaze lands back on him. He doesn't look the slightest bit tired. He really isn't human.

I hurry up to walk alongside him. "What's your name?" I ask.

He doesn’t spare me a glance.

"I told you mine – it's Julia. Aren’t you going to tell me yours?"

“You may address me as Master,” he says.

“I am no slave.”

“And I suppose the rope binding your wrists is the latest fashion?”

“I may be your captive, but I am not your slave,” I spit.

“Relax, human. I won’t be needing a slave for very much longer.”

I perk up. “You’re going to let me go?”

He keeps his eyes forward.

“When will-”

“I gather that you weren’t known among your crummy village for your intellect.”

My heart sinks. He’s going to auction me off? Or worse – kill me? Why would he do such a thing instead of just letting me go? I won’t see him again either way, but he could take my life just for his own entertainment.

“Does tearing others down help you feel better about your moral shortcomings?” I grumble.

“You know nothing about me, human.”

“And you know nothing about me either. You dismiss me and my home without taking a minute to understand it.”

“If your home was so great, then why were you sleeping in a barn?” he mocks.

“Because of monsters like you.”

He grabs my chin and forces my head up.

“Mind your tongue, human.” His hand is so tight it makes my jaw ache. “There will not be another warning.”

I quickly nod the best I can under his grip, and he shoves my head away. I need to escape – soon.

An hour passes without us saying a word to one another. That suits him fine. He knows where we’re going, and I’m the one lacking in information. It couldn’t hurt to ask a harmless question, right? He only seems to mind when I call him out. I take a deep breath and build up my courage.

“Where are we going?”

“North,” he grunts.

I can see the sun too. “Anywhere north in particular?”

“That is not of your concern.”

Dead end. Maybe I should lead in with a more casual question? I rack my mind trying to think of what to ask. He’s a vampire, and I’ve never spoken to one before. This week was the first time I even laid eyes on one of them, and that was from a long distance, though I do wish I could’ve remained ignorant.