I tried to drag my feet as I ran so the leaves wouldn't rustle. I could still hear him behind me, barking, howling, and worst of all laughing.

How had I gotten myself into something like this, again?

*****

I mean the diner hadn't been any busier than it normally was, Fred was over in the corner nursing his normal morning coffee, Josie was behind the counter doing her thing, the only person who was missing was Raymond, but hey, people get sick right? Things happen and you end up staying home or whatever.

I was just starting to feel the blood flowing back into my fingers as the door flew open. A shotgun was the first thing to cross the threshold and I ducked under my table not knowing what else to do. A pair of black combat boots walked in the door and a loud barking laugh broke the silence.

"Take what you want..."

I turned to the counter and saw Josie's eyes go wide as she reached out for the till a concussive blast threw her across the diner in a smear of red where she hitched up on the back counter for a moment as if having a rest before falling sideways and slapping onto tile like a big steak hitting the grill.

I bit my tongue from under the table and watched the legs walk by slowly, the shotgun waving back and forth nonchalantly as a dribble of smoke sputtered past the end of the barrel and up into the air.

"I don't want any... " another patron started as the shotgun swung up and plowed him with a double one-two punch that I'm sure he wasn't going to get up from.

*****

How long had I been running? My knees were starting to creak with each step, each foot plant making them feel like they were about to bend 90degrees in the wrong way. My breath was fire coming out of my lungs, a sensation I wasn't too unfamiliar with after all, but one that still wasn't welcome.

"You should really stop hiding dear. We both know how this ends." His voice taunted me.
Shaking my head slowly I got up to my feet and ran on again as the shotgun roared to life once more and some invisible beast took a huge bite out of the tree I was hiding behind.

*****

The black boots turned slowly and started walking back up the isle again. I backed up against the wall and held my breath knowing that there were only myself and the cook left in the dinner.

"Common Mary, let's not play this game anymore."

I know it sounds cliché but a shiver actually did go up my spine as he spoke. My hands that were already numb started to shake as I cowered under the table, doing my best not to hit the underside with my head, and still crawl further back in.

"How long are we going to keep this going Mary, you and I both know you can't hide forever."

The footsteps came to a complete stop at the end of my table, as a hand reached down to the shotgun and grabbed the fore-end, pulling it back and loading another shell into the chamber. The legs turned around once more and started to slowly walk to the next table over before slowly starting to crouch.

"Hey! I called the cops, get out of ..." Another roar from the shotgun shattered the night and I moved in that moment, kicking out from under the table and connecting with the front of his legs. A satisfying pop and snarl told me that I'd at least slowed him down, and I darted from under the table. The roar of the shotgun greeted the outside air as I turned the corner and bolted for the woods behind the diner.

*****

"You know what I am Mary, You know why I'm here, and you know there's no way you can get away from me forever."

The shotgun barked to life again, a section of the tree I was hiding behind becoming nothing more that sawdust. A five-inch splinter buried itself into my leg as I fell on my side with both hands holding the now useless leg.

The whole forest flashed red as the pain soaked into my stomach. The rain continued to fall on my face but almost seemed to hiss as it hit my skin. My scream of pain was answered by a healthy chuckle as I pulled the piece of wood out of my leg and tried to stand again.

I was on the forest floor again as pain shot up my leg and almost stopped my heart.

"Okay. Fine. You got me." I managed to squeeze out, through tight lips.

Marco came into view a couple trees away, snickering and looking down on me, his long black trench coat dragging across the floor of the forest where it had been tied in the diner. He let go of the shotgun which swung to his side as he stood there and looked down where I was laying.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" He said, nodding at my thigh. "Almost as much as finding your whole family slaughtered in their beds." He opened his mouth and his fangs shone with a quicksilver that I'd seen more than once before.

"They deserved what they got Marco, and you know it," I grunted and sat up against the tree.

A single hand reached out and brushed my cheek.

"We were supposed to be married, you and I." his breath smelled like raw meat as he got closer and I cringed away.

"But now I guess that will never be." He said as he bared his fangs one more time, backing slightly and getting ready to strike.

The taste of his blood as I drove my fangs home into his neck was sweeter than I Ever Imagined it would be.