Ciro muttered to himself as he walked along the crowded Italian streets. He took every precaution he could think of, to protect himself from the blaring sun. He was wearing sunblock, the highest SPF he could find, then covered himself in clothing from head to toe. He got the occasional strange stare, from matching black gloves with a large straw hat, covering his face and hair, a sun umbrella stayed carefully positioned above that, and the heavy wooden chest he dragged behind him raised an appropriate amount of suspicion. He had been planning an emergency escape for years. He had all the necessities kept under his sink in the wooden chest that he kept with him for centuries. It not only carried every birth certificate, real and fake, he’s ever owned to hide his true identity, but also several pints of blood he’s collected over the years. He’s visited more than a few blood drives in his time, and alway made sure to save a bit for a situation like the one he was in.

Eventually, the sun set and he was free to lose a few pieces of his heavy protecting garments. His legs ached, though he didn’t even feel them past all he was going through emotionally. He knew he should never have befriended someone who wasn’t like him. No, he shouldn’t have made connections with anyone at all. Even a fellow vampire could make a catastrophic error if they were as accident prone as Cecilia was. He should have seen it coming. He valued her naivety, though he should’ve seen it as a weakness, a red flag. He knew from the first time he met her that she would be the reason of his downfall, so why? Why did he never avoid her, prevent the situation before it happened?

Because he was no better. He scorned her for being young and stupid and naive, but was he truly any better if he didn’t prevent her? He could blame her all he wanted, though deep down he still knew it was his fault. It was his own fault he had to leave without a word. He had to find somewhere else. Somewhere he’s never been before. Now, in this new age of technology that he had lived to see, there was no escape. There was ways of verifying things that no one would be able to before. Word could spread over countries in the span of minutes, when he was young, that could take years if not an eternity. But he had outlived that period, and now, he wasn’t safe. Not in the slightest, remote sense.

He knew what this meant. Humans had a natural curiosity to them. They wanted to conquer the unknown. And still, somehow, after all this time, he was unknown. A target, for scientists, the wealthy, those who wished to be wealthy, even a regular passersby could be a threat if they had an ounce of common sense. Governments could be after him. No, not that much. It couldn’t be. Though he did cause a stir on the internet, it wasn’t enough. Hopefully, enough people dismissed it as fake. Though, regardless, he knew he couldn’t stay in the city. In any city. He would have to find some isolated mountain cabin in the suburbs to live in. Or even better, he had to leave the country.

The only problem… was getting there. His feet were good for a more couple hours, but even though he couldn’t die from exhaustion, the thought of spending possibly months walking seemed nightmarish. Ciro stopped in his place. The gravity of the situation hit him like a bullet and he found himself too overwhelmed to move. He nearly didn’t notice the large vehicle skidding to a stop a mere foot in front of him.

The door opened and a frantic Cecilia sat at the wheel. Her usual messy bun was messier somehow with curly brown hairs flying in all directions, and her eyes were wide with panic. “GET IN.” she screeched. An order Ciro was somehow scared to deny even if he wanted to. He climbed into the passenger seat with his box on his lap and before he even had time to close the door Cecilia’s car accelerated into action. At the sudden speed, the door slammed shut besides him.

Despite all that was happening, Ciro still felt the numbing sensation and didn’t move a muscle as he asked, “Are you being followed?”

“God, I hope not.” Cecilia clamored, looking into her rear view mirror. Cecilia let out a deep sigh and gave Ciro a side glance. “I took your stupid advice. If Elia actually listened to all my ‘talking about nothing’ she would’ve known that I’ve been learning martial arts from a private instructor for sixteen years. All four of them are… unconscious on your apartment floor.”

Ciro’s mouth gaped. “Cecilia…” he shook his head with both wonder and amusement.

Cecilia smiled, happy to do good for once. “So, where am I taking you?”

“Out of the country. It may be dramatic, but keep in mind I’m immortal. If some sick scientist catches me it will be an eternity of torture.”

“I trust your judgement,” she turned to him and smiled, “How does England sound?”

He looked at her with a testing gaze, though it was filled with determination. “Can you take me there?”

Cecilia made a quick turn onto the freeway, cutting several angry drivers off. She accelerated going nearly twenty over the speed limit as she weaved through cars. “Buckle up, fangs. It’s gonna be a long ride.”