Autumn slammed herself against the side of a dark building and vanished into the darkness. As she swung her arms around her middle, her bag fell to the floor. Her vision began to blur in green, then red, and finally the two colors merged into one, giving her the impression that she was staring at the world through a microscope. An outline of heat formed. Colorful dust swirled through the air. Her eyes started to water from the intense clarity of her vision. Her toes curled in, her feet spasmed, and the pain gripped her like a pair of giant fingers determined to squeeze the life out of her. The mind emptied itself. She jerked her head back and slammed her arms down on the stone wall. Her knuckles dug into the table as her fingers flexed and strained.
With a gnashing of teeth, she slid to the floor as the sound of her nails scraping against the brick made her jump back. Her throat muscles tensed and her voice weakened. She tried to scream, but all that came out was a low crackle of thunder, a sound as ancient as the cursed blood that coursed through her veins. As if the ground gave way beneath her, Autumn vanished into nothingness, accompanied only by the tortured growl that had followed her throughout her life. Until, only the hunger for blood and the rush of killing were on her mind.
