• The next night, for lack of anything better to do, he was back at the same spot, with a new party already in full swing. There was no sign of Laura or Spike anywhere. He mainly watched from the sidelines, not wanting to get in the thick of things again. As he watched from behind his disguise, he couldn't help but wonder what separated him from these vampires. They didn't seem to question the morality of their actions. Maybe it was her that made him different. Unbidden, memories flooded his mind and blotted out the party…
    The woman lunged at him. John tried to raise his arm, but he was too slow and was knocked back a good ten feet. He was sure something was broken, but he rose from the ground anyway, his knife held in front of him, a puny defense against what this strange woman was capable of. She moved in close and slammed his face with a right hook. He nearly passed out, but he stubbornly got up again. The woman attempted a roundhouse kick, but he was able to duck, barely, and lashed out with his knife. John struck one of her ribs. The woman retreated, clutching the wound. John was surprised to see that the blood that was steadily flowing out of the wound was not red, like he expected, but pitch black. That observation was lost as he got hit again, the woman lost in her anger. She hit John again, and again, and again. His knife was knocked out of his hands. She hit him one more time, and he fell to the ground. He knew he was going to die. He tried to rise, but his arms wouldn't respond to his commands. John looked for the woman, but she was gone. Nobody was around. He was sure that he was going to die. Then, as from nowhere, another woman appeared…
    The party came back suddenly, shaking away the memories like a splash of cold water. He couldn't afford to lose his focus here. Not with so many potential enemies around. And there were more pressing concerns, like the fact that he hadn’t fed in days.
    There were many people to choose from, so he didn't have to worry about lack of choice. He approached a young girl dancing near a speaker. He sedated the girl using his mind, then moved in. She went limp, but John caught her before she hit the ground. He bent her neck back, and then lowered his mask. He willed his fangs to extend, then bit down. Oh that tasted good! He wanted more then anything to suck every bit of pleasure from this morsel, to feed on her until nothing was left, until her veins were dust, but he knew he couldn’t. He took only a relatively small amount of blood, enough for her to survive, although she would be out for a while. He wasn't fully sated, but he wouldn't kill for his food. He shortened his fangs, and replaced his bandana. Then he hid her in the shadows of a nearby bush. She would probably wake in a few hours.
    He stayed at the party for a while longer, but nothing overly exciting happened, so he began to make his way back home. He briefly wondered what to do tomorrow, but he soon realized it didn't really matter.
    Suddenly, he stopped. All his senses were on high alert. Something was wrong. That was confirmed a moment later when a body went flying over his head. With a start, he could tell that it was the girl he had bitten earlier. He whipped around, and was not at all surprised to see Laura.
    “She was good. I’m surprised you let her go,” Laura said. “But that’s what happens when you’re weak.”
    John knew he was in trouble. He wasn’t sure if he could her. But he would not die a coward. Growling, he assumed a combat stance. “Then let’s go!” he shouted. She dashed forward and attempted to run him down. John rolled to the left, then had to roll again as Spike attempted a roundhouse punch. John got to his feet, then went on the offense. He lashed out with his foot, connected with Laura’s nose.
    They went on like that for several minutes, both locked in a seemingly endless battle. John knew it could potentially go on forever, as the only way for a vampire to die was to either lose the head or be stabbed in the heart. He would need something hard and sharp to end this battle.
    He was suddenly aware of a rather pointy rock not far away. Seizing his chance, he hit her with a particularly viscous punch to the face.. He spun away towards reached for it and…
    The woman walked softly over as John lay there; bleeding, dying. She reached down…
    His hand closed on the rock. He whipped around to face Laura…
    “My name is Rose. I can help you…” Rose leaned in towards his neck. John, barely alive at this point, struggled weekly. She bit his neck. There was a temporary pain; then nothing at all…
    Laura hissed at him and charged. John stabbed her with the rock, felt it sink into her flesh…
    When he awoke, Rose told him everything. They were vampires. So was the woman who had attacked him. Rose began to train him. Told him to hold on his morals always. That was always the last to go, the last remnant of his humanity…
    Laura jerked one, then stopped moving altogether. John would have breathed a sigh of relief he still drew breath.
    Then the day came when it was time for Rose to leave. “I don’t know if I’ll see you again,” she said a little sadly, “But take care of yourself anyway. You’ll find your way eventually.” He never saw her again…
    Those words drifted, unbidden, into his mind. He finally knew what she meant. His purpose in this life. It was to try and stop monsters like Laura. That must have been what Rose saw in him. He saw the beginning rays of a sunrise, and, for the first time in a long time, he honestly cared what this day held.