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THE NEXT VICTIM

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2013 Rafael Alcolea.

My Place for English: English Readers Collection: 1

The Next Victim.

Registered work in SAFE CREATIVE.

All rights reserved.

7KLVZRUNPXVWQWbe reproduced, stored in retrieval systems or transmitted information any part of this

publication, whatever the medium used: electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording, etc.., without the

prior permission of the owner of intellectual and

distribution rights.

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THE NEXT VICTIM

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She was special, incomparable to all others.

I lived in a working-class neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city, one of those neighbourhoods used to sleep by middle class workers that eternally aspired to move to a more exclusive zone in midtown, in a small, but welcoming house.

She lived in the house in front of mine. Contrary to what you would think, I rarely saw her during the day; and that too, always in a dodging way.

Her face was a blessing in all ways, full mouth, intense green eyes; all this accompanied by long blonde hair and a well proportioned body. But what really attracted me to her, was not her physical appearance, it was her as she was, all of her being.

She had something that hypnotized me; something abnormal strongly attracted me towards her, and forbade me from getting

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her out of my head. Each night while I studied, I searched my window with hope of seeing her.

0RVWQLJKWV , GLGQW DFKLHYH LW DQG WKDWQLJKW , GLGQW KDYHPXFKPRUHIDLWKLWMXVWZDVQWWKHULJKWZHDWKHU,WZDVLQIHUQDOoutside.

It was real shame because my parents had gone to the burial RI WKH IDWKHU RI RQH RI P\ IDWKHUV Fo-workers, and they ZRXOGQW EH EDFN XQWLO ODWH 7KLV PHDQW WKDW , ZRXOG KDYH WKHhouse to myself. If the occasion had come up, I could have invited her for a drink, and that way I could finally get to know her.

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,W ZDV WKUHH RFORFN LQ WKH PRUQLQJ ZKHQ WKH brightness of the light in her kitchen surprised me. I had already lost all hope of seeing her, but it looked like I was in luck. She finally appeared, there in her washed jeans and her favourite black blouse.

Suddenly, an internal force took over me and I decided to talk to her. I quickly picked up the house keys, a small black umbrella that was in the entrance, and I jumped to her door.

Once I was at the doorbell, I hesitated for an instant; it was three in the morning. In the end, my finger settled down on (GLVRQV LQYHQWLRQ ,W PXVW KDYH VWDUWOHG KHU EHFDXVH , KHDUGsomething fall and bang subtly on the floor. Just then I heard her light and cautious footsteps to open the door.

Once she assured herself that she knew the person behind the door, she opened it. When I looked at her directly in her eyes, I thought the whole world stopped existing and was paralyzed around me. who said rain?.

I had never come across such enigmatic and attractive eyes. Once I recuperated from her spell, I was in her home. Inside, it was very welcoming, although simple and quite functional. The

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walls were covered with oak wood, which proportioned certain GDUNQHVVLWGLGQWKHOSWKDWWKHUHZHUHQWPDQ\OLJKWVDQGWKRVHshone towards the roof, leaving the house in shadows.

WhaWVWKHPDWWHU" She asked with a sweet and worried voice.

'RQW ZRUU\ ,P O.K. I said rapidly , GRQW NQRZKRZ WR H[SODLQ LW ,YH VSHQW TXLWH WLPH VHHLQJ \RX LQ WKLVneighbourhood, one night we waved each other, we talked about the weather, trivial WKLQJV ZLWKRXW LPSRUWDQFH DQG ,ZRQGHUHG LI VRPH GD\ \RX ZRXOG OLNH WR FRPH DURXQG DQGhave something to drink or eat with me.

Okay, if you are so interest in getting to know me, why GRQW ZH KDYH VRPHWKLQJ DW D PRUH UHDVRQDEOH WLPH" She protested with an uncomfortable pause, which made me feel like a nocturnal psychopath ,P RQO\ VD\LQJ LW EHFDXVH LW LV SDVWthree in the morning and the weather is terrible. She smiled showing me some white and perfect teeth.

,P VRUU\

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My name is Sasha she said with a big smile closing her front door.

There I was under the rain, I had made a fool out of myself, a unLYHUVLW\VWXGHQWULGLFXOHGDWWKUHHRFORFNLQWKHPRUQLQJEXWright now I was the happiest thing on this earth.

:KHQ,JRWKRPHD IHZPLQXWHV ODWHU ,GLGQWEHOLHYH Lt. It had been so fantastic, I thought out loud. I took some time to concentrate again after the get-together, just when I thought about leaving it and going with the god of sleep; the light in my bedroom switched off.

'DPQIXVHV WKH\ MXPSHYHU\ WLPHWKHUHVDVWRUP LWZDVstrange thaWLWKDGQWKDSSened before, I said to myself trying to calm myself down in the darkness.

I took a few seconds to turn over my drawer in my bedroom, where there should have been a torch for these occasions. (YLGHQWO\ LW GLGQW DSSHDU :KHQ , ILQDOO\ IRXQG LW , ZHQWbravely towards the garage and the basement of the house, well that is where the fuse box of the house was.

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I was walking down the stairs to the second floor, and ZLWKRXWUHDOL]LQJ,ORRNHGDW6DVKDVKRXVHDQG,ZDVDQQR\HGwhen I saw her come out of it; dressed in a black raincoat and high boots.

Bit by bit, the indignation and fury over the fact that she had tricked me, and that she had said she was staying at home, passed on to an enormous suspense and later a logical preoccupation that made me follow her. < Where do you suppose a young and attractive girl would go alone, at four RFORFNLQWKHPRUning, and on a night like this?>

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When I left the house the storm had passed, it was barely raining now. The atmosphere had changed, and the night was much warmer. I felt my mind clearing out, and the intense and warm smell of wet earth invited me to take a walk even though it was almost five in the morning.

I followed her through the grand avenue with a prudent distance, hiding behind the cars. But when it seemed that she would keep walking on the avenue, she took a right turn towards WKHROGIRUHVW1RZ,ZDVUHDOO\VXUSULVHG,WZDVQWQRUPDOWKDWa youngster walked alone at this time, and even less normal that she would go into a solitary and inhabited forest like that one was.

In the distance I heard the bell of the old church that was near the outskirts of the village. As I went further into the forest the

humidity of the earth as well as the mould decomposing on the floor caused a thick fog that raised up to the waist; which did QRWLQYLWHPHWRHQWHUVXFKDVROLWDU\SODFH7KLVIRJGLGQWPDNHmy job of following her any easier; well I could only see a faint reflection of her figure in the distance. When I had nearly

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thrown in the towel, and had thought about returning to the village, I thought I knew where she was going. Following that

track in the middle of the night, the only civilized place that she FRXOGEHJRLQJWRZDV6DLQW3DXOVFHPHWHU\

The really old cemetery built by the first villagers centuries ago, was surrounded by impressive old cypresses that held dark guards of eternal life.

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People from everywhere of this area came to the old cemetery, and even people from other parts of the country; well people said that it was a holy place, because it was here that the saint appeared to the first settlers. I t was very difficult for me to

locate among so many mausoleums and graves. But I finally found her knelt down in front of a huge monumental tomb made out of white marble. Her delicate figure, and the fragility of her, contrasted with the rough place surrounding us. Suddenly, I felt something hit me on the head and everything went dark, I felt OLNHP\ERG\ZDVQWUHVSRQGLQJDQG,IHOO WR WKHIORRU ,GLGQWIHHOSDLQEHFDXVH,GLGQWIHHODQ\thing then.

,GRQWNQRZKRZORQJ,ZDVXQFRQVFLRXVIRU7KHRQO\WKLQJ,P VXUH LV WKDW VRPH GLVWDQW YRLFHV UHVFXHG PH IURP P\XQFRQVFLRXVQHVV,JRWUHDG\WRRSHQP\H\HVEXW,GLGQWGDUHto, from fear of receiving another bang if they saw I was consciRXV,NQHZWKDWEDQJKDGQWEHHQDQDFFLGHQW6RPHERG\had wanted to get me out of the way, but who? I wondered.

The ideas piled up in my brain and ran over each other each instant. My head hurt a lot just above the nape. I felt my neck was wet, surely it was some blood that I had lost in the way. Slowly, I regained the rest of my senses work methodically; due

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to the unbearable smell of that place. It was obvious that we ZHUHQW RXW LQ WKH IUHVK air; I noticed the humidity of closed SODFHV WKDW GLGQW have anything to do with the comfortable smell of wet earth from before. That rare air that slowly filled

my lungs, lowered and rose through my respiratory system disgustingly caressing the opening of my stomach, inviting it to chuck up its contents in more than one occasion. I tried to keep the nausea that it caused, and I focused my attention on the hot voices that argued at little distance from my lifeless body on the floor.

6DVKD,GRQWFDUHZKDW\RXUHVD\LQJKHVDZ\RXFRPLQJhere, he followed you. He can discover our secret. We have to put him to sleep. At least, he has found our hiding place, the one that took us long to find.argued a furious male voice. ,PDJLQHZKDWZRXOGKDSSHQLI WKHUHVWIRXQGRXW ,FDQWFRPHout.

1R5DGJOO\RXZRQWkill him. I know this guy, he is my QHLJKERXUDQGKHLVDJRRGSHUVRQ+LVIDPLO\ZRXOGQWEHDEOHto deal with it. He just followed me because he was worried about me; the fool has been in love with me for ages. Sasha tried to defend me in an energetic angry voice.

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As I heard her words, I felt like all my blood went to one place, my chucks How had I been so stupid and let her notice that I was spying her and that I was in love with her? How embarrassing! I thought. I wish the Earth would have swallowed PHEXWZKDW,GLGQWNQRZEXW,ZRXOGILQGRXWODWHUZDVWKDWLWDOUHDG\KDG

Anyway. Why did you hit him like that? I already told you ,NQHZKHZDVIROORZLQJPH3HUKDSV\RXWKLQN,FRXOGQWKHDUhis noisy footsteps in the silence of the night? She asked. 'LGQWLWRFFXUWR\RXIRUDVHFRQGWKDWPD\EH,ZDQWHGWREHKLVfriend, instead of killing him.

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6DVKD \RX NQRZ WKDWV QRW SRVVLEOH KH ZRXOG EHWUD\ XVsooner or later. Remember what happened in Boston. Either, one of us, or against us. ,P QRW ULVNLQJ HYHU\WKLQJ IRU D VLPSOHmortal. Radgll said starting to get impatient. He seemed like he wanted to finish this situation quickly.

/HWV JR DQG DVN WKH UHVW :H KDYH WR JR WR WKHFRQJUHJDWLRQ DQ\ZD\ WKDWV ZK\ ZH FDPH here. Sasha sentenced, pushing him out of the place, before a third person could even have a look at where I was.

I listened attentively to how they walked away, and after the shock of the bang of the big metal door closing. I opened my eyes. Everything was dark; I remembered that I had the torch that I had used at home when the lights went out because of the storm, in my jacket. I searched in each and every one of the pockets of my jacket, until I found the torch in the last one. When I turned it on, thrown on the floor, the perspective of the place nearly made me faint again.

,ZDVLQDThat was, a crypt!

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I found myself surrounded by some type of sarcophagi; water in some place was decomposing, like the bodies. I was sure that that horrible smell came from there. That unpleasing smell made me go stupid at every mouthful of air.

I noticed that my shirt was soaking, I thought that the tremendous bang on the head would have made me lose a lot of EORRGDQGPD\EH,ZDVEOHHGLQJP\VHOIWRGHDWKQRZ

I touched the place where my occipital bone was, and I found WKDW , KDG DQ HQRUPRXV RSHQ ZRXQG EXW IRUWXQDWHO\ LW ZDVQWbleeding; or the blood was at least coagulating. Terribly exhausted, nearly passed out, and with barely any energy to think clearly. I tried to calm myself. In order to achieve it, I

started to think that Sasha and her friends were terrorists or belonged to hidden society r religious group, and this was their KLGHRXW , KDG GLVFRYHUHG LW EXW VKH GLGQW ZDQW WKHP WR KXUWme; on the contrary, her sadist friend, Radgll, had nearly killed PHDQGKDGQWKHVLWDWHGLQKLVGHWHUPLQDWLRQ,IHOODVOHHSIURPthinking too much.

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More than an hour must have passed while I was sleeping, because something that was moving in the darkness of the crypt woke me up. There was something or someone else in that

sinister place next to me, and it came closer with discretion and

the caution of a grand feline or a snake; as it spied on its innocent prey. Was it coming for me? Was I going to die swallowed by some kind of creature in the darkness? I asked myself paralyzed with horror.

, FRXOGQW EHOLHYH ZKDW ZDV KDSSHQLQJ WR PH LI , RQO\listened to dad and focused on my studies of medicine, instead RIJRLQJDIWHUJLUOV,ZRXOGVDYHP\VHOIDOOWKHVHKHDGDFKHVDQGWKDWVQHYHUVDLG better, according to my situation. I had to GR VRPHWKLQJ TXLFNO\ WR VDYH P\VHOI , NQHZ WKDW , FRXOGQWVFUHDP,FRXOGQWDVNIRUKHOS,GLGQWKDYHDPRELOHSKRQH,GLGQW HYHQ KDYH VRPHWKLQJ WR GHIHQG P\VHOI ZLWK DSDUW IURPthat ridiculous torch, which I decided to switch on as I remembered it. I never thought I would die this way, well, in fact I had never thought about dying until now.

But now That I was so close, I thought. When I was thinking that all was lost, I UHFRJQL]HGKHUYRLFH,WZDVKHU

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An intense smell of burnt was flooded my sense of smell, alleviated from not having to smell that nauseating stench, I inhaled the penetrating burnt smell. Immediately I felt that her hands caressed my face, and then I dared to open my eyes out of

darkness. The blinding light of the candle next to my face, it PDGHPHMXPSEDFNDELW,FRXOGQWVHHFOHDUO\EHFDXVHP\H\HVhad got used to absolute darkness these last hours. Once my eyes adapted to the light, I could observe the crypt more thoroughly. In the end, it was really a really creepy place. Sasha sat on the floor by my side and started to talk.

,VHH \RXYHZRNHQXSshe said looking at my head ,PUHDOO\VRUU\DERXWWKHEDQJRQ\RXUKHDG5DGJOOZDVRQO\trying to protect us.

And he did it well. She smiled.

Because of the appearance and the amount of blood, you ORRN OLNH \RXYH ORVW D ORW RI EORRG EXW \RXU OLIH LV QRW LQdanger.

She got something out of her pocket, it was a doubtful ORRNLQJ IODVN LW GLGQt have any labels, nor any sign of identification.

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,I \RX WDNH WKLV SRWLRQ \RXOO EH IXOO\ FXUHG VRRQ LWV Drevitalizer. She said as the dark green flask was coming closer to me. You will quickly recover all the lost blood with this potion.

I nodded, incapable of pronouncing words.

,JXHVV\RXOODVN\RXUVHOIZKDW WKLVVLWXDWLRQPHDQVDQGWKHTXHVWLRQVZLOODOOSLOHXSLQ\RXUPLQG'RQWZRUU\\RXOOknow soon.

'RQWZRUU\

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Tell me about yourself! Tell me how your life is she asked me with sudden interest of someone who wants to be VRPHRQHHOVHVIULHQGRXWRIQHFHVVLW\DVVKHVDWRQDFRIILQ

7KHUHVOLWWOHWRWHOOI explained my parents have a real estate business downtown, I spend all my time studying and going to university. My name is Marc, and the rest of my family lives in Italy. My grandparents are Italian, but I was born here in the States.

Italy! I adore Italy! Sasha exclaimed loudly, I love that country, what I enjoyed the most was Venice, so pretty in the day time, but so mysterious at night.

,YH QHYHU EHHQ WKHUH 0\ SDUHQWV KDYHQW JRQH EDFN WRYLVLW WKHLUIDPLO\VLQFH ,ZDVERUQ ,WVDOZD\VWKHPZKRZDQWto come and visit us, the trip ends up being really expensive. :K\ GRQW \RX WDON DERXW \RXUVHOI QRZ" I asked, trying to figure her likes and interests.

DonWEHLPSDWLHQWLI\RXUHDOO\ZDQWWRNQRZVRPHWKLQJabout me, you could wait until tomorrow she said mysteriously ,JXHVV\RXUHWLUHG\RXVKRXOGOLHGRZQDJDLQShe said while I obeyed her as hypnotized and lied on her lap,

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as if some magic spell occurred after hearing her words. I felt an enormous peace inside, and all the muscles of my body relaxed, until my mind slowly stopped functioning, and I ended up in a lovely sleep. In the last instants in which drowsiness over

powered me, I could only see her precious eyes fixed on me. At my side was the miracle flask of revitalize, and my last thought ZDV DQG ZKDW LI LQVWHDG RI PHGLFLQH WKH IODVN FRQWDLQHGpoison?

When I woke up, I was sweating. I should have cried loudly because my parents entered in my bedroom, blinding me with the light.

Oh my son! Are you okay? my mother asked with a worried face. She neared a glass of water that was on the bedside table.

6RPXFKVWXG\LQJFDQWEHJRRG0DUF

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As soon as my parents closed my bedroom door, I ran sneakily to my bedroom window, to observe her house. All seemed normal, the windows were closed, and on the horizon the sun started to rise. She would be sleeping and all of that would have been no more than a terrible nightmare. I went back WR VOHHS EXW , FRXOGQW 0\ KHDG ZRXOGQW VWRS ILOling with VFHQHV WKDW , KDG GUHDPW RU OLYHG WKDW QLJKW , GLGQW NQRZZKDW WR WKLQN EXW HYHU\WKLQJ KDG EHHQ VR UHDO DOWKRXJK WKHmost horrific dreams were always the most realistic ones.

When I woke up, it was three in the afternoon. I was

surprised by how long I had slept. I was home alone; my parents ZRXOGQW EH EDFN XQWLO RFORFN 7UXWKIXOO\ , FRXOGQWXQGHUVWDQGKRZWKH\FRXOGZRUNDIWHUDQLJKWRXW ,VWLOOGLGQWknow what to think about what had happened the night before. I went to the kitchen to eat something because I was famished.

,VSHQWPRVWRI WKHDIWHUQRRQVWXG\LQJDQG ,GLGQWJRRYHUthe subject any more. Surely I fell asleep while I was studying and my subconsciousness played a bad pass time.

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$W DERXW VL[ RFORFN P\ SDUHQWV DUULYHG So they were the perfect excuse to close my books, and quickly switch on my WHOHYLVLRQWRQRWKDYHWROLVWHQWRPXPWHOOLQJPHWKDWVKRXOGQWstudy too many hours without a rest.

Hello, son! Mum exclaimed, smiling as she saw that I was doing something other than studying. I hope you have recovered from last night, because your friend told me that you are going out tonight. She said that at ten she would come over again. She seemed like a very educated girl, and a pretty, right Leonard? She asked dad trying to involve him in our conversation, and between the two of them convince me to go RXWZLWKWKH6WHYHQVRQVGDXJKWHU

0XP+RZPDQ\ WLPHVGR ,KDYH WR WHOO\RX WKDW ,GRQWlike Helen.I protested DQ\ZD\LWVDOZD\VDVWUXJJOHWU\LQJto get a phrase of more than three words out of her.

/HWV VHH VZHHWKHDUW , WKLQN\RXUHJHWWLQJFRQIXVHG ,Pnot talking about Helen, who is the best girl you could go out with in this town. But that blonde chick that is so cute, our neighbour!My mother announced.

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Then, I was petrified; I noticed that the blood left my cheeks to go to my heels. Unconsciously, I took my hand to my head, and quickly localized an enormous bump on the back of my FUDQLXP ,W ZDV WUXH HYHU\WKLQJ , KDG OLYHG ODVW night was right.I thought without believing it.

6RQ :KDWV XS"

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This philosophical debate with myself, over powered me, and soon I fell asleep.

, GRQW NQRZ ZHOO KRZ ORQJ , ZDV VOHHSLQJ IRU EXW , PXVWhave rested for quite a while, because a little noise from the window made me jump. I switched on the light and went to the window. When I drew the curtain, there was only darkness outside. I opened the window to check that the noise came from outside, and assure myself tKDW,ZDVQWH[SHULHQFLQJVRPHW\SHof post-traumatic paranoia.

Good evening Marc! A whispery voice spoke from the garage roof GLG\RXWKLQN,ZRXOGOHDYHDQG,ZRXOGQWFRPHback to tell you more about me?

It was her, Sasha! She had come back, I couldQWEHOLHYHLW,had so many questions that her invitation to chat was irresistible. $IWHU WKLQNLQJ LW RYHU D VHFRQG , UHDOL]HG WKDW , GLGQW NQRZwhether to shout for help, throw myself on her and kiss her or close my window, and run through the back door. But finally, I decided to do the thing I least expected I would do without hesitating: accompany her.

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I suppose you are asking yourself thousands of questions I nodded WKDWVZK\,PKHUHWRH[SODLQHYHU\WKLQJ\RXQHHGto know. She asked me to follow her, and like a poor little white rat hypnotized, I did what she asked me to do. Maybe it was because I had spied on her from my bedroom every day, but QRZWKDW,KDGKHUFORVH,GLGQWZDQWWROHWKHUHVFDSH,IHOW,could not control my mind and senses.

She started walking quicker, but without any apparent effort, so much that sometimes I could only see the reflection of her golden hair as she went round some corners.

It took ten minutes to reach our destination, an enormous weeping willow at the start of the forest. The inhospitable place was a constant mash up of giant moths and the close howl of some owl that lived nearby in a stunning tree. We sat on an enormous grey rock, covered with electric green moss which was a bit humid on the bottom; and she started to narrate.

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XQGHUZRUOGHWF$IWHUWRnight, your way of looking at life will change forever, I assure you. It just depends on joining us or not.

(YHQWKRXJKP\PLQGZDVZRUNLQJRYHUWLPH,FRXOGQWRUPD\EH,GLGQWZDQWWRILJXUHRXWZKDWVKHZDVVD\LQJ

Before confessing everything, you must give me your word that you shall never tell anyone that you have spoken to me after that incident, or what we have spoken about. Because all of us, even you, would be in terrible danger she said in a serious tone, looking directly into my eyes like never before. Ok! ,OOVD\LW,PDvampire and the most important aspect for you: I have chosen you to be my partner, and before the night ends, you could also become a vampire.

,Q DQ\ RWKHU QRUPDO FLUFXPVWDQFHV DQG EHIRUH DQRWKHUperson, I would have laughed at her face. Thinking she had gone mad, I would have walked away, leaving her with a big letdown. But the strange transformation, nearly imperceptible, that her IDFHVXIIHUHGZKHQVKHWROGPHIUR]HP\EORRG+HUIDFHGLGQWstart to wrinkle, nor did she grow tusks like in the movies; but that devil like grin of a wild hunter after its prey, made her face

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change. Her gaze on my neck and her absolute mind control over all my movements made me shake.

1RZZKDW"I thought.

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But my thoughts about death lasted a few seconds. I returned to myself as I heard the sound of the blood passing her throat at a fierce speed, I needed to do something or she would kill me. 6KH ZRXOGQW VWRp gulping; she never seemed to satisfy her thirst. I tried to pull away from her, but all my titanic efforts stayed in a brief thought of the action. A few seconds later, my mind started fogging over until it finally switched off.

An intense smell of something familiar woke me from my

lethargy. My senses were asleep like when they start to wake

DIWHUDVXUJLFDORSHUDWLRQ6KHKDGQWNLOOHGPH,GRQWNQRZLIWKLVZDVKHUZD\RIGHPRQVWUDWLQJEXW,GLGQWIHHOOLNHVWD\LQJto figure out more. I tried to move, and I realized I was chained up, as bit by bit I recovered sight.

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Once again I found myself on the filthy and disgusting floor of the crypt. I started to focus more, I noticed that something had changed in that place, it was lighter and I could distinguish the silhouettes better. Some lifeless silhouettes that were barely

SHUFHSWLEOHZHUHPRYLQJQHDUWKH\ZHUHSHRSOH,ZDVQWDORQH. I slowly looked around, three hundred and sixty degrees of perplexity. The whole crypt was full of guys and girls of my age more or less, who were asleep but with difficult breathing. They slept thrown on top of a grave or lying on a tombstone; some girl sobbed at the end of that good damned place, but most of them were dumb struck from the effects of some sedative drug.

I supposed that that was the dispenser of those beings or something like that, because nearly all of them, until the faint light let me see, had a pair or several pairs of dots around their necks. I started to get closer to some of the lifeless bodies, I was sure I had seen them somewhere.

One thing was clear: I had to escape. That was serious now. I had to manage to get out of there, quickly. With a gigantic effort I managed to stand up. From that height I could see some sort of door that led to an extension, but logically it was closed. I crept up. When I was near touching the door, I heard that somebody

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was coming closer. The only thing I could do was hiding in the space that the door left when it was opened. A massive door of WKDWVL]HFRXOGQWEHWRRHDV\WRRSHQVR,KRSHGWKDWWKH\GLGQWopen the door,

A figure dressed in long and dark clothing, and very white face, crept up, as it floated instead of walked. The being went to the last place of the room. In that moment I came out of my

hiding place, it was my last and only opportunity. As I could I managed to close the door behind me, and I blocked it with some wood I had found at my feet. I ran like I ever thought I could until I found some spiral stairs. As I climbed them at full speed, I tripped, I slipped, I skimmed the dry walls with my bare arms: I heard some blood curdling screams from the creature trying to open the door of the crypt. When I had nearly reached the end of the stairs, for even more disaster, my right leg sank in the old rotten step. My foot was stuck, and an intense pain ran up my back until it reached my brain. Then I heard how the door gave way. I leant on the previous step and with an inexpressible pain; I pulled put the member from the step. I fell face down from the force used. When I got ready to go on the march again,

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something pulled on my wounded leg. Had I broke my ankle DQG,FRXOGQWZDON"I asked myself.

I looked down to find that horrible being, biting my wound. The smell of blood blinded him and instead of grabbing me, he started to lick and bite my wound. It was so disgusting and annoying seeing that parasite attached to my leg that I used all the remaining energy to hit him with the other leg in the face

three times. The vampire that was in trance from the taste of my

blood fell rolling down the stairs.

I continued dragging stairs until I finally reached the surface. The door of access to the mausoleum had an enormous lock, I closed it behind me. After recovering my breath for a second, I UDQ WHUULILHG ,KDG WRKLGHXQWLO VXQULVH ,GLGQWKDYHDQ\ LGHDhow many of those monsters would come looking for me; I had to find a hiding place and get out of the cemetery.

When I thought I was nearly safe, and I had slowed down; because the pain of my leg was unbearable. Radgll appeared in front of me.

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I had to do something right now or he would kill me, it was barely fifty metres that separated us. The belfry of the church, far away chimed seven rings of the bell, soon the sun would rise. I just needed ten minutes more and I would be saved. But I FRXOGQW UXQ IURP WKDW IDVWYDPSLUH IRU DOO WKDW WLPH , UHDFKHGthe old stone bridge when Radgll was right at my heels. I could nearly hear his grunts and feel his smelly breath on my nape. Then, I distinguished a figure at the end of the bridge; the PRUQLQJIRJGLGQWKHOSPHGLVWLQJXLVKZKRLWZDV,VWDUWHGWRshout for help like an insane. I was saved. As I was reaching the other side of the bridge and my savior, something elevated me from the floor that was the end, it was Radgll. I started to shout for help, and Radgll burst out laughing. Now he had me, I was

his prey.

Instead of elevating us, suddenly I started to lower very fast. From about five metres he threw me to the floor, the collision with the hard surface was brutal. Thankfully, the ground was somehow softer after the heavy rains, and the mud balanced the bang a bit.

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inattention, I stood up stupidly and advanced to the edge of the bridge. I glanced at my capturers and it seemed like my look alerted them. Rapidly, when I overcome the security railing of the bridge and was ready to jump, they started to run at full speed to the place where I was. The annoyance could be seen in WKHLU H\HV HVSHFLDOO\ LQ 6DVKDV IRU KDYLQJ WULFNHG WKHP DQGfaked my death; I confirmed my negativity to turning into one of them. All three of us understood in that moment that for me there was no option but death.

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To die by the sharp jaws of those two vampires, or God knows how many other evil creatures were not preferable to die drowning. So I jumped. I noticed quickly the change of temperature as I entered the water. It was really cold, nearly

freezing. I must have lost consciousness because I woke up early in the morning in a faraway shore. The rays of the sun

heated my soaking body in the open air. The sun gave me my life back, and protected me from vampires. I had been saved I thought barely believing it. I got up with difficulty, I walked a few metres, and when I thought that my strength and I would die at the shore, a neighbour of the village walking his dog saw me a few seconds before I fainted. Five hours later, when the doctor had gone back home, told my parents that some crazy man had run me over and had thrown me in a next place to the old bridge. Listening to his distant words, I fell asleep under the security of my home.

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7

Some months had passed since that episode in my life. It was clear that the vampires had left. A few days later I was found, watching TV with my parents. They put on a programme about missing people. Then, they were all shown. Every single one of

the boys and girls that I had seen in the crypt appeared in the TV screen. Poor guys, for their families they had just disappeared, but I knew the truth. I wanted to tell my parents, but that was useless and nobody would have believed me. So that was what those freaks used for substance.

Meanwhile, I had met a girl at the medicine university and we had been together for four months. One weekend our group of friends decided to practice hiking in the mountain. We rented a very welcoming little house at the bottom of the mountain. The first day in the pure nature was tiring, but we had a great time. We all went to sleep about twelve.

I looked at my wristwatch jumping for some reason, at five in the morning. I thought it was the bed, as it made noises when \RX PRYHG DQG LW ZDV TXLWH KDUG $QQH ZDVQW E\ P\ VLGH ,seemed to see certain brightness under the door that came from

40

WKHOLYLQJURRPDIWHUDJRRGDPRXQWRI WLPHVKHGLGQWUHWXUQbut the light stayed on. I got up to find out what she was doing up at those hours and with all the lights on. When I reached the living room, nobody was there.

Suddenly, the light switched off. A shiver ran through my ERG\ 7KHQ 5DGJXOOV GLDEROLF ODXJK ZDs heard all over the house. I knew what had happened to Anne and all my friends. The door behind me slammed shut in the middle of the darkness. I understood it was the end, this time it was impossible to escape. They had returned, and this time they wouldnW OHDYHwithout me.

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WORKING WITH THE BOOK IN CLASS

Questions about the book

1. What is Sasha like?

2. Why did Marc feel angry with Sasha in chapter one?

3. Where did she go in the middle of the night?

4. Who are those people in the crypt?

5. WhDWDUH6DVKDVIHHOLQJVWRZDUGV0DUFLQWKHWKLUGchapter?

6. Describe the character: Radgll.

7. How did Marc escape from the vampires?

8. Do you think that the end of the story is appropriate?

:KDWLVJRLQJWREH0DUFVIDWH"

10. Write a summary of the end of the story.

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Further Activities:

1* Invent a different ending for the story. (100-120 words)

2* Name books or movies related to vampires.

3* Investigate about Dracula and its author Bram Stoker.

4* Imagine the past of Sasha or Radgll before becoming vampires. (60-80 words)

5* Find out the main features of the Mystery and horror literary genre.

6*Find elements in the story related to the gothic novel.

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Acnowledgments

I want to offer gratitude to Casey Talboys and Amber Crookshank, their help in the translation of this book was invaluable, (you got your A+ in the end).

I am grateful for the encouragement provided by many students and my wonderful family to publish this story.

The English Department of my high school, they are always

giving me support to write and revising my works.

I am also most grateful to all those creatures that exist

EH\RQGRXUUHDVRQDQGZHGRQt admit their existence, at least LQRXULPDJLQDWLRQ

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About the author

Rafael Alcolea Harold is an English teacher at a secondary education High school in the south of Spain. His father lived half of his life in Australia so he was in touch with English since

a baby.

He has written other novels and short stories in Spanish such as: Legado infinito ( Eternal Legacy, available in Amazon.

The Next Victim is his first story in a collection of English

Readers published in his web for learning English: My Place for English.

Contact: rafalcolea@hotmail.com

Twitter: @RafaelAlcolea

www.myplaceforenglish.blogspot.com