Newling

-Late September-

(Locke's Point of View)

Cold air pricked at my exposed skin, chilling me to the bone. An engine rumbled nearby. I had no idea what time it was, or even what day. As the acrid tang of diesel exhaust hit me, so did my anxiety. I stepped reluctantly onto the bus.

I hoped, with all of my soul, that Noelle would welcome me home with open arms, and yet I knew that it was a long shot. The push of the bus accelerating jolted me out of my thoughts momentarily. No matter how badly I wanted to be home right away, with Noelle in my arms, the ride would still go on for hours. I leaned my head against the window, staring out at the world beyond. How would I explain why I left Noelle? Certainly she would be upset with me, and not want to hear any explanation I could give her. I of course couldn't give her an explanation that didn't include the secret that I was a vampire.

I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. I knew that tonight I had to hunt, otherwise I might lose control and hurt Noelle, or somebody else. Hurting Noelle was one of the worst things I could do to her, though I'd probably already done that, just in a different way... I kept my eyes closed, deep in thought as my mind swam into the darkness of sleep.

The bus was just pulling into the terminal when I opened my eyes. I realized that I had fallen asleep. I blinked the fatigue from my eyes, getting off the bus, making sure to grab my duffel bag. I swung the bag over my shoulder, leaving the terminal and walked down a small beaten path in the woods, wanting to avoid the café for the time being. As I walked further into the woods, I set my bag next to a tree.

My instincts kicked in, and sensing an animal nearby, I hardly dared to breathe. It was a young moose; who seemed not to notice me; grazing only a few feet from me. I flexed my muscles, positioning my body for the lunge. I crept closer, as silently as possibly. When the moose finally became aware of me, it was too late. I had struck, pinning it down, and started ripping into it. My mind was blank as I drank from the creature, my brain focused only on the feeding.

I cleaned myself up in a small, half-frozen brook nearby, and went back to grab my bag. I continued through the woods until I saw home. A pile of mail sat on my doorstep, the plastic bags sprinkled with frozen water droplets from recent rain. I piled the letters and newspapers neatly, picking up the large stack. The water soaked into my jacket as the plastic pressed against my chest. I slid my hand into the pocket of my coat, pulling out my keys. I unlocked the door, pushing it open.

Everything seemed to be in one piece, just as I had left it. I shut the front door, feeling the chill of icy air that had settled in while I was away. I cursed quietly, knowing it would be a while before the furnace would heat things up. Shivers ran up my spine, my body convulsing. I kicked off my boots, walking to where the thermostat was mounted. I pushed in the red, arrow-shaped button and turned on the heat. Rubbing my arms, I walked to my room.

As I saw my cellphone on my bed, exactly where I had left it, my heart dropped like a stone in water. I wondered what angry calls and messages I'd have once I turned it on. I picked the phone up slowly. It was as cold as the air circulating the house. For some reason, I wondered if it would even work, and was half praying that it didn't. Slowly, I pushed in the power button. The brand name flashed on the screen in white, loading to the lockscreen.

I waited a couple of minutes for everything to load. It didn't take long before my phone blew up with messages and voicemails, vibrating multiple times in a row. I had only two voicemails; both from Ella. It took me by surprise. Most of the texts weren't from Noelle, but were from Ella. I unlocked my phone, opening my messaging app. I read Ella's texts.

'Locke where are you?'

'Locke are you home?'

'Are you okay?'