A woman's despairing cry echoed in my soul, tearing at me, reprimanding me, reminding me that I was back in the godforsaken dream where I had no control over anything.
And that I was starving for blood.
Vampire much? Couldn't I hunger for something else? Maybe water or peppered noodles?
The words echoed bitterly in my head, sardonic humor masking the hollow ache swelling in my chest.
I burst through the rich layers of soil, into the air, my heart thundering in my ears, my mind screaming. And I landed in a crouch in the midst of dense shrubbery and thick vegetation, taking a slow, careful look around me, not in the least concerned about how I could jump out from the ground.
I've never been concerned, and I should be. But I wasn't, and that was scary. What was I doing sleeping beneath the soil like the undead?
The night was thick here. Dark, heavy, suffocating. My lungs filled with the scent of damp leaves, of earth clinging to my skin like a second layer.
