Moving through his sleep, Alek Begins to recall his very moments of turning into what he has become.

*

The color of her dress was about the same as my cheeks when I first saw her from my cousins 47’ convertible. We rounded into the small town drive-in unbearably slow. She was a brunette fuzzy-duck - just my type. Now I just need to see if her personality was alike her looks. This date was going better than expected so far.

Jarring the machine into park, Benny, my cousin, jabs me in the side.

“Ow! Lay dead a second, will you?” I whisper, gazing out the window at the back of the babes head. Her perfect hair sways to the side as she looks for her date. She was clearly anxious without her girlfriends.

“That’s her! Now you gotta get outta here!” he says, pushing me against the door.

“I don't even know her handle! You’re just out here expectin’ me to waltz up to her?”

“Not so fast, idiot. Her name is Daisy she's the one with-” he pauses, following my stare. “Oh, who the hell am I kidding! You’ve been staring at her the whole time!” He smirks at me. My face turns red as a tomato as I smack him back. He laughs. As I step out, he shouts to me “Knock her dead!”, then screeches out of the lot.

The doll is standing by the tube-steak bar, watching me with content. Her beauty intensifies as I get closer. Freckles pop into illumination by the hard light. Her baby blue eyes pierced through me. And I can even easily envy the large coca-cola she is holding onto. She was...radioactive.

“Hey there, Daisy. I'm Alek, if Benny didn't already tell ‘ya that.” I chuckle and lay out my hand for her to have. She smiles quaintly and takes it. I blush ear to ear but keep a straight face to still look hep.

“I got us a Coke to split during the flick. But we still have a while ‘till then.” She says, using her free hand to swipe a hair behind her perfect ear. We step over to the bench and sit, still holding hands. She sips on the coke silently, then hands it to me. I partake.

“You’re not that talkative. Alek, right? Isn’t that Armenian?” She pops.

“Yeah? Um, my gran was from Armenia, but died in the genocide.” I tell her. She looks noticeably uncomfortable.

“Oh, sorry”

“Nah, it’s fine. I never met her. Plus, my family has more ‘er less assimilated.” I say. She puts a sympathetic hand on my knee and stares with her blue eyes into mine.

“At least you aren't low about it.” she sighs.

“Yeah, let's just ice it.” I stare down her perfectly manicured hand. She scoots comfortably closer to me.

After a few moments of silence, she speaks.

“You aren't like most guys I have met. You are actually quite the funny man.” she laughs to herself. Her laugh was pure and unrestrained.

“Thank you, dolly,” I say happily. I wrap my left arm around her and we revel in each other's warmth. We talk for a long time before ‘Alice in Wonderland’ begins, and we are forced to walk to the front by the big screen and sit on some seats with a few others without cars.

During the film, we smiled and ate together. I even kissed her hair! She seemed to enjoy it, which made my heart jump. I was on cloud nine. The highest a man could ever feel. All we did was under pure intention, and that seemed to make me feel happier and more at ease than if it wasn't. Her laugh was the best I ever heard.

Nearing the end of the movie, I had to go to the john.

“I’ll be right back, babe.” I kissed her hair again as if it was the last time I would ever see her.

Leaving, I hear shouting near the front - where Daisy is. I make a dash towards the source, nearly tripping on myself. I see a man sitting next to her, being uncomfortably handsy with her. I round in front of them so I can get a good look at the situation. I'm not any strongman, but it helps to know if you could take them on.

“Get off me! Ah! Alek!” She shouts when she notices me. She is frantically trying to push him off, so I know I hadn’t read the situation wrong. I hop over a few chairs to meet the guy who is touching my girl.

He stands. He is much taller than me. He looks like he's about to go ape. His auburn eyes go wild, and even his jelly-roll seems to spike higher. I know I had to do something, but with Daisy there, I felt I couldn't. A weakness. Or perhaps I just do not want to fight in front of her. And it wouldn't be much of a fight, either. This man had two feet on me, easy. So I decided to take the safer route.

“Cool it, okay? That’s my girl you're getting with.” I say assertively. He smirks.

“Well, aren't you a pale one? This is my girl” The guy caresses her shoulder. Daisy squirms.

“I'm most definitely not your girl! I’dnt even know you!” At this moment, I take a cautious step forward. I can barely hear the pleas from the people in their cars begging us to stop blocking the screen. I pull out my steel switchblade comb and hold it threateningly before me.

‘My god...if he realizes it’s not a blade.’ I think. A few seconds pass of split terror. Terror of the unknown, and terror that I might piss myself in front of my date.

Something peculiar changes in The Man before me. His auburn eyes grow pierce, and from his throat comes a low rumble of thunder.

“She’s mine. And I would recommend puttin’ that pathetic comb away before you hurt yourself.” His eyes flash once more with a tone I can only recognize now as murderous intent.

“Go home”

The force in his voice almost plummeted me back. Almost turned me straight around and waltzed my own ass straight home. One would almost think I...was being controlled. Despite the overwhelming internal command to do just that, I stayed put. Every second I stood frozen was a betrayal to myself. Just standing there, staring into the depths of auburn. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Daisy. I had an obligation to keep her safe the moment I agreed to take her out. If anything were to happen to her, I was to blame. If I were to run now, there would be hell to pay.

Forcing back the debilitating thoughts, I take another step forward. Sweat is dripping from the switch comb in my clammed hands. Despite my white-knuckled grip upon it, it slips from my hand and falls gracefully to the grass. Daisy closes the gap between me and The Man before me. Her arm clasps through my elbow. The only things that can be heard are the intense large movie screen before us, and my quickened breathing.

“Do you know what?” The Man offers. His facial expressions have not flexed a millimeter. “I guess I'll just have you, instead. I'm not as finicky as usual”

Within a moment, The Man dove towards me. I had been half-expecting this and ducked down. Pulling Daisy down with myself. I felt around on the grass for my switch comb. Though I knew it was useless, it was great for poking eyes.

The Man soared over the both of us. Daisy yelped. I rolled just mere inches from The Man's outstretched clutches. Within a moment from when he hit the ground, he turned towards me again. Something like a wild animal. His eyes burned with fury, but with something else behind it.

Hunger.

I was not fast enough, and he was quickly on top of me, pinning my arms and legs down. The switch in my right hand; useless as a toy. I could see Daisy attempting to pry The Man off of me, but he was set as steel. I couldn’t keep my eyes off his. They were mesmerizing. The iridescent reddish-gold shone from the screen to the right. He leaned down and clasped his mouth onto the crook of my neck. There was a moment of agony where his teeth entered, shredding, and jolting me upward towards him.

Daisy screams once more. “Blood! There’s blood! Someone! Help him!” Was her futile attempt. Which would prove to be useless in saving me. The pain was fading. I still felt as though I was being pulled to him. Though the initial shock was over, the attraction was still between us.

All so suddenly does he drop me. The connection is broken and the pain returning, re-clouding my brain. My lids are closed and I can feel him lift off my limbs. The best way to describe how I am physically feeling is sedated. My body is heavy, almost coma-like. My perception of time warped. My hearing and sense of touch somewhat quiet.

There are people touching me now.

Cmon. I just want to sleep.

Someone then whispers into my ear.

I recognize it now as The Man.

“Run. You don't want to be here”

He’s right. I don’t.

Comforting, strong arms bring me lightly to my feet.

There is a commotion that I can’t understand.

“Run kid! That's right!”

The arms push me all at once, my feet fling into action.

I'm running.

There are quiet touches brushing my skin.

They are nothing to stop me, I push them aside and run.