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Amanda Silverman stepped out of her apartment building into the cold midnight air, a little boy on her hip and another baby on the way. Above her, she heard her now ex-boyfriend Richard screaming through the window of their apartment on the third floor.
�Go on, then, get out of here!� he bellowed. �You think you�re gonna be better off without me? Think again, honey!�
Amanda calmed her son with a kiss on his forehead and told him to hush, not to cry. She hitched him up a little higher on her hip and walked away from the apartment building forever. Her stomach ached and she wondered if it was from her pregnancy or from fear. She had no where to go now, no family who would want to see her, no friends who could take her in. In her purse she had very little money, and in her rush to leave she was barely able to grab enough to take care of herself, her little boy Jeremy, or her baby girl on the way. Her face hurt worse than her stomach did, and she recalled the words Richard had said right before she made her decision to leave.
�Your face isn�t pregnant.�
After the flash of light and the shock of pain emanating from her left cheekbone, Amanda grabbed her son and what she could and left Richard behind. As she walked, though, and the night got colder, she wondered if living with an abusive boyfriend was really worse than staying out in the cold. She kept her pace quick and after a while the baby growing inside of her had had enough. She needed to sit down, rest her tired feet. She found a covered bus stop and brought Jeremy in there, settling him on her lap and brushing his long blonde hair back from his big green eyes. He looked so brave to her. Too brave for a three year old little boy. He held his chin up as he looked at her and smiled reassuringly.
�Jeremy,� Amanda said softly, knowing he wouldn�t understand what she was going to say but hoping he would anyway. �You�re going to be the man of the family now. You�re going to have to take care of your mommy and of your little sister. You�re going to be the protector, okay?�
Jeremy nodded, and somehow Amanda knew that he understood completely.
A voice came from the other side of the bus stop. �Need any help, miss?�
Amanda looked up, her green eyes wide. On the other end of the bench was a man. She hadn�t seen him there when she first came into the bus stop, and she certainly didn�t see or hear him come in.
�Um, no,� she said quickly. �I�m just resting my feet, then I�ll be on my way.�
The man leaned forward from out of the shadows and smiled at her. He was definitely handsome, despite how thin he looked. His skin was pale on his thin face, his eyes a rich dark brown, and his hair was black, long, and had waves and curls that any woman would envy. He was dressed nicely in a dark suit, which didn�t explain why he looked starved.
�That�s a cute little boy you�ve got there,� he said, nodding towards Jeremy, who stared at the man in awe. �He has your eyes.�
�Good,� Amanda huffed. �Hopefully he�ll look nothing like his father when he grows up.� She mentally scolded herself for letting that slip to a total stranger.
The man chuckled and held out his hand. �My name is Nathaniel.�
Amanda took his hand and shook it softly. �I�m Amanda, and this is Jeremy.�
�Jeremy,� the man repeated, taking the little boy�s hand in his.
Jeremy, who had been quiet all this time and had looked as if he was in shock, immediately wailed out in a ear piercing scream.
Nathaniel pulled back his hand, his face contorting as if he was in sudden pain.
You should have just killed her! The voice in his head hollered. You should have just killed her and gotten it all done and over with!
She�s got a child! Nathaniel argued.
Forget the child!
I�m not taking the blood of a young mother!
Amanda calmed her son and looked towards Nathaniel, suddenly feeling panicked. He looked as if Jeremy�s scream pierced right through his skull. She took her son and placed him on the other side of her, protectively and carefully pinning him between herself and the wall. Nathaniel looked up at her through squinted eyes and noticed the little bump in her belly.
Oh, Jesus, he thought. She�s with child.
This could turn out very interesting, the voice in his head murmured. You�re famished and I want blood. Take her life now.
Nathaniel felt a kick in his gut as his face heated up, and then he blacked out.
Nathaniel sat up and looked around frantically. The boy was curled up underneath the bench next to his mother, who was unconscious on the floor. Something warm was on Nathaniel�s lips and he soon realized what it was. Fresh blood. He rushed over to Amanda�s limp body and felt for a pulse. There was one, strong and steady. He found the wound on her neck and instinctively went to it, licking it clean and letting it close with his healing saliva. Jeremy screamed even louder, reaching his chubby fists out and trying to hit Nathaniel. The baby wanted the monster away from his mother. He was the protector now.
Amanda stirred and moaned, her eyelids fluttering even though she was still unconscious. Her hands went to her stomach where her baby was kicking like mad.
Nathaniel tried to stand up but stumbled, his stomach churning in a strange manner.
Good job, slick, the voice in his head laughed. You should have just killed her.
What are you talking about? You wanted her blood, now you have it. Nathaniel cursed.
Yes, but now you�re connected to her. Now you can feel what she feels.
Nathaniel took off his suit coat and tucked it underneath the bench, wrapping Jeremy up in it. That�s impossible, he thought.
Not for you, it�s not, the voice laughed again wickedly. You took her blood, and now you are connected to her. You feel her pain, you feel her sorrows, you feel everything.
Nathaniel rushed out of the bus stop, praying for someone to come out soon and find the young woman and her baby.
Hey, if you think it�s bad now, Nathaniel, just wait until she�s in labor.