Just a Bite

So my fans voted for which series I'm going to finish and they voted for Pledging Alpha Beta Kappa. As I worked on it over the last few months, I had to do some editing and had to change quite a few things from what I posted earlier. With that in mind, I changed the name and I've also considerably changed my style. I decided to start writing in a more episodic way. So in this episode, it all takes place prior to classes beginning, and most of what happened in the previous edition like the initiation ritual still hasn't happened yet. I've also added more POV characters and made the supernatural elements that were hinted at in the previous edition more obvious. So let me know what you think in the comments section.

Chapter 1: Taraji Estrada

On a dark and misty night in a small town, a beautiful blonde woman just gets off work at the local diner. She casually walks over to her beat-up jeep just out of the light of the street lamp and digs into her purse, searching for her keys as she quickly looks over both shoulders with wide eyes. She doesn't see the man stalking in the dark towards her. Footsteps as silent as the mist itself.

The dark shrouds him as he lingers behind her, licking his lips as fangs grow within his mouth. That is when I step into his shadow, catching his raised hand that's reaching for her neck. The lady turns and a shrill scream rips through the fog.

The tall pale man hisses as his eyes pry into me. I hardly give the woman a glance. "Get in your car and go home. I'll deal with him."

She drops her keys as she frantically pulls them out of her purse. She desperately scrambles to pick them up and is barely able to fit the key into the car, she stumbles into the car, starts it, and burns out of the parking lot as the vampire makes a swipe at me. I grab his other wrist and smash my head into his nose. Blood squirts out, running down his lips and dripping off his chin. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm the one asking the questions. Who is your sire? You don't come off as a loner. Where are the rest of your coven?" I ask as I kick out the vermin's knee, sending him reeling to the ground.

"You dare! I'm a vampire. I will rip out your throat," he growls as I ram my fingers into his jugular. He screams in agony.

"You can try. Who do you answer to? I want a name," I say as I twist his wrist, causing it to snap. Another agonizing cry.

"Aramastus. He turned me. I'm just trying to do what he wants so he won't kill me," the welp says as his eyes gleam in terror.

"Where can I find him?" I ask as my hand wraps around his throat, squeezing.

"I... I don't... know," he gurgles out in struggling breaths. "He... he always... he always contacts... me."

I release his neck, reach into my coat, and ram a stake into his heart as he burns into ash. Another vampire turned to dust and yet I am not any closer to this mystery of a man named Aramastus. I grab the stake within the ash and put it back into the pocket of my trench coat. Then I grab a vial of that burning rusty orange crap she has me drink and down it. It seers all the way down, but alleviates the urges. I pull out my cell phone and call my patron as I make my way back to my car.

"Killed another bloodsucker, gave me the same name, Aramastus. I'm still no closer to figuring out who he is or where to find him. I'll track down more vampire sightings until I find him," I say as I start up the engine.

"Very well, Taraji. Good work. We're setting up shop in California. I'll text you the address. Stop by when you get the chance. Until then, keep me updated," the woman says.

"Will do," I say and hang up before I drive off into the night. Another dead vampire and another dead end.

Chapter 2: Aaron James

We've finally arrived! My best friend, Casey, and I are finally moving into our college dorm. I ride down with him and his mom because my parents are far too busy and my siblings could care less. Besides, Casey's mom is practically a better mom to me than my own. She has his same golden blonde hair, and honey copper skin, but she has a curvy maturity that Casey lacks, even though he does kinda have her feminine beauty when it comes to their shared facial features.

Anyway, she helps us move in and we are the first ones there. We pick up one of the bunkbeds, with Casey getting the top bunk and me taking the bottom. We decide to wait for whoever our other two roommates are to arrive before we do any decorating or whatever. Casey's mom gives us both a hug and a kiss on the cheek before she has to take off and head back to work.

"So now what?" Casey asks me as we sit on the bed.

"Should we have a look around campus?" I ask as I fidget.

Casey shrugs. "Why not?"

It's not a long walk down three stories of stairs before we're out the door and walking down the sidewalks, checking out the different buildings and passing other students. Some are handing out flyers, others are just congregating and chatting. Lots of other students out, plenty of girls. And of course, they're all wearing booty shorts and yoga pants. We stroll down the sidewalk, passing a building known as the Multicultural Center. The entrance has giant pillars that come out and it's five pillars wide. We pass a few more buildings, one being the massive Library, which is six stories high.

I got caught staring at the library that I didn't even notice there was a girl in front of me and I ran right into her. She barely flinched, but I almost fell, tripping over her, but she grabbed me just in time. "Watch where you're goi... Oh hi there." As soon as she saw me, her face lit up. "You are just the person we're looking for."

She might have been one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen in my entire life. Dark brunette hair that came down below her shoulders. Bright green eyes that seem to hypnotize you. She had on a tank top that clung to her visibly hard abs along with a pair of short cutoffs that revealed a long pair of toned legs. I think my stomach just did a backflip.

"Keep it in your pants, Cass." A dark raven-haired girl with dark caramel skin came over. She had on a tight white shirt that showed off her tight abs as well. Along with a pair of sleek baggy, dark green pants. She looked over at me and then at Casey and her eyes went wide. "On second thought, you two should definitely come to a party we're throwing tonight," she said as she walked closer to Casey, licking her lips.

"I was just about to say that," Cass states, as she looks down my body, with my arm still in her rather strong grip, which sends tingles through my body. "We are a fairly new Sorority and tonight we're having a rush party. Both of you should really come. You would be perfect for our sorority."

I get caught in the charm of her smile that I can't help but nod before I realize she said sorority. "Uh... Aren't sororities for women?"

She winks at me. "We're coed. But mostly women, but we make exceptions for promising cute boys like you. We're having a party tonight, why don't you and your friend..."

She nods over to Casey who's biting his lip as Cass's friend whispers into his ear as he all but hangs on to her every word. "Why don't you two stop by? Our house is on Greek Row. It's Alpha Beta Kappa. We're a rather large sorority house, the third one down on the left side of the street. You can't miss us. And when you get there, ask for me, Cass. I'd be happy to show you a good time."

I nod, absentmindedly, lost in her eyes. Her smile deepens. "Good, I can't wait to see you there. Show up around nine and don't be late. I promise it'll be the best night of your life, at least up until now. It will only get better from here."

Once again, I find myself nodding. Words are not a concept I can understand as I'm completely entranced by her seductive smile and those emerald-green eyes. Everything else seems to fade away, even as she walks away with her friend, her hips swaying with each step making it impossible to look away at her perfect butt. It takes a second for Casey and I to snap out of it. We both trade looks of sincere shock. I truly can't believe what just happened. "Did that just happen?"

"I think so... I honestly can't believe two hot girls just invited us to a party. We've never been the attention of beautiful women let alone get invited to parties. We must be in an alternate dimension or like some reality TV show where they prank nerds like us," Casey says as he pinches himself.

I nod in agreement as I feel like I just woke up from a dream. "Knowing our luck, it probably is a prank. They're probably looking for two loser chumps like us to be the entertainment of their party so they can humiliate us for their own amusement."

"Yeah, like what happened in high school with Lisa and Amanda. We'll never be able to show our faces back home again," Casey says as he rubs the back of his neck, looking away. "We're still going, though... right?"

"Of course. Just in case it isn't a prank. I mean, we can hope, right?" I ask, with a glance back at the women as they disappear into a building.

"Yeah, but that's kinda all we have," he says with a sigh.

We head back to the dorm rooms to find our roommates have arrived. One is super tall and broad while the other is a bit shorter but in really good shape. The shorter one steps up with a smile. He has a rather cute, boyish look and seems to have a bit of Asian and Hispanic ethnicity. He holds out his hand. "You must be our roommates. I'm Logan and this is my friend Devon."

I shake his hand and return the smile. "I'm Aaron and this is Casey. It's nice to meet you."

"No offense, but you two look like a bunch of nerds. Try not to cramp our style. I'm going to definitely be bringing some girls back and I don't want you two to cock block me," Devon says, earning a sigh and an eye-roll from Logan.

"Don't mind him, he can be a bit of an arrogant asshole," Logan says with a shrug. "Well, we're heading out to check out campus. We'll catch up with you guys later."

We nod as they leave, passing by the tallest guy I've ever seen as he heads into the dorm room across from us. Casey and I shrug. "At least one of them is nice."

Chapter 3: Calvin Schwartz

I manage to arrive at the dorms just before a long-blonde-haired boy shows up. He's about half my size, skinny, and more than a little feminine. Could've easily confused him for a girl if I didn't know he was my roommate.

"Hi... I... I'm Nicholas," the meek boy says as he avoids my eyes.

"The name Calvin. I hope you don't mind, but for obvious reasons, I prefer the bottom bunk," I say as I put my duffle bag down on it. He nods.

"Yeah... No problem. I get it," he says as he cranes his neck up to meet my eyes.

"By the way, I don't drink or smoke and I don't plan to," I say, getting that out of the way. I should probably have waited until everyone was here, but I like to set my boundaries early.

Just then, one of our other roommates arrives. He's about the same height as Nicholas, with dark brown hair and light mulatto skin. His hair is shaved on the sides and done up in a ponytail on top. He seems to wear a perpetual smile. "Hey, how's it going, roomies? I'm Anton and I'm stoked to finally move out of my parents if you know what I mean. Got a fat sack of weed, if you guys are interested in sneaking out to have a few tokes."

I can't help but sigh. Just my luck. Nicholas tenses up and looks over at me with a look that asks for help. The new guy also looks up at me. "What about you, big guy? Want to get high?"

I drag my hand down my face. "I don't smoke, nor do I drink."

"Seriously?" the stoner asks, looking almost offended.

"Seriously," I retort in a flat and sarcastic tone.

'Dude, you're like... A jock, right? Don't they all party hard and do a bunch of drugs?" he asks, scratching his head.

"Not this jock. I'm here on an academic scholarship anyway. I played sports in high school, but only to stay active. I like to keep a clean body and a sound mind," I say as I finish unpacking my protein shakes and then stark unpacking the current stack of books I'm reading.

"Vampires?" Nicholas asks as he looks at the stack of fictional books. I shrug. "I'm kind of a geek. Especially for sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural."

I try to act nonchalant when I talk about it. I don't want anyone to think I have an unhealthy obsession with the topics. Especially when it comes to vampires.

"Awesome! Me too! You guys play tabletop at all?" Anton asks and I have to take a second to contain my surprise. Didn't expect a chill stoner to be into tabletop gamer.

"Definitely," Nicholas says with excitement exploding throughout his smile.

"Yeah, I'm definitely down for a weekly session. As long as it doesn't interrupt my studies," I say, barely able to contain my glee.

"Fuck yeah! We'll just need to recruit a few more players and then we'll have a pretty good campaign going. Although, we'll have to figure out who's going to do it," Anton says as he grabs his weed out and packs a small little electronic device I'm assuming is some kind of vaporizer. "Hopefully our other roommate will join up."

Speaking of the devil, the door swings open, and in comes our last roommate. He's a head shorter than me, but he looks as if he keeps in good shape. He also comes off as overly confident, borderline arrogant with his head held high even seeming to look down on me somehow. His short golden hair is messy in a way that's on purpose. He's clean-shaven and shows off his biceps in a shirt that has both sides ripped off, not just the sleeves, but basically from the shoulder down to the hem of the shirt.

"What up bros. Who's ready to fucking party. I'm so pumped to finally get out of my parent's house. Let's get so fucking drunk tonight and fuck some bitches, am I right?" he says as he holds his hand up for a high five towards me.

I sidestep him. "I won't be getting drunk tonight and I definitely won't be having any... women over to have... sex with."

"Oh come on, man. Don't be like that. This is what college is all about. Frat parties, bitches in yoga pants, and getting drunk enough to do something you'll probably regret," he says with a grin. He then looks over at Nicholas and Anton. "What about you two dweebs? You probably won't get laid, but we can still get you drunk beyond recognition. Huh?"

Nicholas fidgets as he looks at Anton and then at me. He bites his lip and shifts his weight.

Anton only shrugs. "I'm more of a stoner than a drinker if you catch my drift. Getting drunk is fun on occasion, but it always leaves me feeling ill the next morning and I'm practically useless. Weed on the other hand never leaves me feeling sick."

"Man, you guys are all lame. How did I get paired with a bunch of losers? I'd expect it from the two bitches over here, but not from a fellow gym bro," he says as he tosses his stuff on a bunk. "Fuck it, I'm going out to find some fucking real men who know how to party."

Thank god, he walks out. I let out a sigh. "So much for having another person for our tabletop campaign."

"For real. I can't believe we got paired up with a giga-chad. Ironically, I thought you'd be a bigger Chad than him, but he really takes the cake," Anton says as he grabs his vape. "Well, I'm going to take a toke and be right back."

It's just Nicholas and I after the stoner leaves and things fall into an awkward silence as we both finish unpacking.

After fidgeting for a long time, Nicholas finally speaks up. "Have you seen those docuseries where this group of people try to prove vampires are real?"

I shrug, feigning a lack of interest even though dying to rant about it. "I may have seen a few episodes."

"They do make some compelling arguments. That video where they catch that guy feeding on a rat before he vanishes was so crazy," he says with his eyes widening.

"It was probably edited or some deep fake," I say, trying a little too hard to act apathetic even though I do have my doubts about the video in question.

"I take it you're not a believer?" Nicholas asks, biting his lip.

I force a shrug. "I need substantial proof to believe in anything. What about you?"

He nods. "I think it's definitely possible. The evidence the Vampire Hunters have shown on their docuseries and podcasts are pretty substantial."

I shrug with a sigh. "Ehhh, circumstantial or anecdotal evidence at best. It's hard to prove something without actually being able to run a scientific analysis on it."

Even my words carry a hint of disbelief at the lies I've gotten so good at telling. Anytime I talk about vampires, especially at home, I'm looked at like I'm crazy. Most of the time I'm gaslighted and ridiculed. Especially by my dad. He hates it whenever I even crack a joke about the supernatural. All because of my brother. Now, I just have a tough time truly discussing my beliefs on the subject even though I'm obsessed with it.

Chapter 4: Anton Huber

With the vape in hand, I manage to get to a secluded spot where construction is going on and take a few long hits with my vape. It doesn't take much to get high as a kite before I dump withered dried-up herb out of the dry vape's oven.

I put it in my pocket and slowly make my way back to the dorms only to get sidetracked by all the tall buildings. A smaller one looked rather ancient compared to the others drew my attention and I couldn't help but walk inside.

It was all but empty since classes don't begin until next week, but I could hear whispers creeping through the hall. I can't quite make out what they are saying, but they just seem to grab my attention. The thing I found super odd about the whispers was that it seems like there are a ton of people whispering to each other. I can understand just a few people whispering to keep quiet, but the sheer number of people whispering to each other just seems like far too many.

I find myself following the whispers down the eerily dark hallway. A chill breeze creaks through the halls with a whistling howl. And the whispers seem to grow louder. The dark hallway seems to close in as I continue down. I look back behind me and feel a dizziness rush up to my head. The hall seems to go on. I turn back around and quicken my pace down the hall, hearing the whispers grow louder and louder until I finally arrive inside a classroom and they go completely silent.

I look around the room to figure out where the whispers were coming from and that's when I notice some strange symbols drawn on the whiteboard. I have no idea what they mean. It's almost like some Egyptian sandscript but more malicious. I feel a chill go up my spine and my mind screams at me to get out of here. I turn around and nearly run head into someone.

A tall dark figure stands before me. I can't see his face. It's completely covered in a black cloak. I trip and land on my ass as I try to retreat, my heart racing inside my chest. The figure steps closer, reaching out for me. What the fuck is going on? I close my eyes, frozen to the floor. I'm going to die...

Chapter 5: Aaron James

Casey and I spent all afternoon fussing over the party to come. Of course, Devon didn't believe us. When it's finally time to go, we leave both wearing jeans and t-shirts, trying to play it casual.

It's a decent walk to greek row from the dorms and takes us about a half hour. Once we arrived at the infamous street, music was glaring and parties were in full swing.

We walk a few blocks before we think we're at the address listed on the flier. The house is huge. At least three stories plus a possible addict. The bottom half is built with stone while the upper half has wood paneling, plus it's on a hill with a walkout basement. Most homes in Cali don't have basements. A bunch of people are on the front yard and porch, congregating. Some are playing corn hole while most have a drink in hand. Most are beautiful women, none seem to be the two that invited us. We hesitate, feeling a little out of place, seeing how we've never even been to a party before, let alone one full of beautiful women.