It was early spring and most of the snow had melted. I found myself driving to work a little late because I just didn’t want to go, but being late for work wasn’t anything new. Maybe it had been a year since the incident occurred, but it just put me in a slump and even thinking about it made me sick to my stomach. It made me lose touch with all of my friends. I never see them much anymore neither do they have time really to hang out with me so I just spend my time in my room alone, or working at my job in the back of a convenience store. I tend to not interact with a lot of people but that is how I like it, or at least how it should be.

I had soon started my job after the usual rant and bitch from my supervisor but I didn’t care much. It did irritate me a little, but it soon passed when Amy came by. She was one of my co-workers that was always really nice to me and I guess enjoyed my company because she always came to eat lunch with me. She seemed a little different as well and we were kind of similar in looks. Both of us had kind of a “dark” style about us that some people would think made us emo or goth because of our dark clothes and our depression like attitude. However her big goofy glasses always made me laugh and it is what broke the ice for us. We were just the average young adults that just didn’t like to socialize with everyone around us everyday of our lives and that is the way we liked it.

We spent the majority of our lunch hour talking and soon came to the topic of dating. I hadn’t been on a date since the incident occurred but I wanted to take the chance, I needed to, even if it was a mistake I knew I had to try. Just as I was about to ask her, there was a gunshot that shook the air and made the atmosphere between us go from ecstatic to instant fear and life preservation.

Amy hid under my desk as I went to check it out. I peeked around the corner just as a man in a black mask and holding an AK-47 in his hands came barreling through and told us to get moving. In any other situation I would have fought back with every tooth and nail I had but I decided to just go along with his orders on the off hand that Amy got hurt. He led us to the main area by the checkout counters where they gathered their hostages. Most of which were people who just happened to be in the store at the time and some employees as well but also more people in black masks holding guns and guarding the hostages. We were told to get in with the group with the others and stay there or there would be consequences.

Three hours had passed and we were still huddled together in the group. Amy was crying in my arms and told me she just wanted to go home and forget all this happened. The robbers were making no progress and became desperate as they grabbed several of the hostages and lined them up; on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Amy was one of them. They started to kill the hostages one by one beginning at the end of the line, opposite of where Amy was. My heart raced and I grew scared and angry as new feelings began to twist in my stomach and my muscles tighten as I could no longer sit and wait.

Just then the police barged in from the back and there was a massive confusion. I ran to Amy and ducked behind one of the counters to avoid getting hit by the bullets. Eventually it became a deafening silence before the leader of the group stood up and started to yell out the door.

“You think you won pigs! I’m still alive and I am not going down without a fight!”

While he was distracted, I grabbed Amy’s hand and tried to make a break for it but I tripped on one of the dead gunman and fell to the ground. The leader instantly looked over at Amy and ran over to grab her. I got up quick and tried to fight him off but he was too strong and threw me to the ground before plunging a hunting knife into my abdomen.

At that moment I could feel everything start to grow cold and my life flash before my eyes. All I could hear was Amy’s screams of panic. I could do nothing more but watch as the gunman put a gun to Amy’s head and threaten the cops once again. At that moment something happened, I could feel my heart slow down but thump harder. My senses grew to what seemed like super human and my strength returned but it was nothing compared to my unbridled rage that drove me to stand up. It felt as if I had lost all control of my body and could do nothing but watch as my arm pierced through the masked man's chest.

I thought I had saved her but to my horror the gunman was able to get off a shot and severely injure Amy. She was barely breathing and her blood was escaping her body at an alarming rate. She looked up at me in horror, to what she was more afraid of I was not sure but she was dying and I felt as if it were my entire fault. I didn’t know what to do, until I looked at her big goofy glasses again and saw the reflection of my brightly glowing red eyes and knew how I could save her.

I bent down and extended my fangs before biting Amy on the neck and turning her in the same way I was. That’s when it hit me: I had finally become the thing that changed my life forever.