Towering buildings sat all around Emma. The girl observed her surroundings in confusion. Neat city blocks held tall skyscrapers between them, yet the ground was covered in snow. The snow dropped down onto her head, creating a freezing sensation that ran through her finger tips.

  “Was this how cold is supposed to feel like?” The girl asked. Even with her fluffy jacket, the blizzard was too cold against her exposed fingers. The tips had already started reddening, and her warm breath came out and created a cool mist in the air.

  Cars drove by slowly as the girl took in her surroundings. A voice in her head whispered to her. This was your life.

  Emma looked down, and a briefcase seemed to appear in her hand. On closer inspection, the clothes covering her were work clothes. The thick fur was but an illusion. That’s right, I always hated the cold.

  Even though she felt like running to her work building, a rger part of her just wanted to sit outside. She heard that when victims of frostbite started dying, they’d take off their clothes because the feeling would be warm. If I can find that warmth, then the cold will no longer affect me.

  Emma had no time to react to the scene in front of her. One of the cars slid, unable to control itself on the slippery road. It smmed hard into a pole on the side of the sidwalk.

  Airbags infted, and gss shattered on impact. Nearby people began shouting. Others acted like they couldn’t see, but Emma, she could only hear the low crying of a girl in the back seat.

  Sora?

  Emma ran to the window, but all she could see was blood. The cracked window had streaks of blood slowly crawling down the interior. Emma shot forward in a panic.

  ///

  The vampire awoke with a start. Her head shot up, but she took the wrist that was in her mouth with her. She looked down in confusion at whose wrist she’d been biting, only to realize that it was Sora. The little girl looked down worried at her vampire companion.

  Emma quickly pushed the wrist out of her mouth, the smell of blood still filling her senses. “Sora? Why?”

  The girl looked at Emma with her eyes full of tears. “I had no idea what else to do, and you wouldn’t wake up.”

  Emma sat up and grabbed the little girl by her cheeks, wiping away the tears with her fingers. “I’m so sorry, Sora.”

  The little girl could only respond by shaking her head. Her little body shivered as she sobbed. Sora could no longer hold back the dam, and she cried her little heart out, burying her head into the vampire’s chest.

  Emma slowly wrapped her arms around the little girl’s head and pat her back. “I’m sorry.”

  “I thought you were going to die as well…”

  Emma let the little girl cry until she managed to calm down a bit. The vampire held onto Sora and looked around. The ground around them was no longer covered in snow. They’d managed to flee until they found grassnds. The morning sun would have made the scene beautiful if it didn’t make Emma feel so weak.

  The vampire shook her head and continued to comfort the little girl with soft words and a gentle touch. “You don’t need to worry anymore. We’re all still alive.”

  Sora looked towards the horse standing on the prairie, and the little girl ughed. “Even the horse is still alive. I thought of a name for her.”

  Emma smiled and ruffled the little girl’s hair. “What did you think about?”

  “I want to call her Arrow if that’s okay?”

  Emma looked towards the horse, yet it only responded with a neigh and a bob of its head. “I guess Arrow it is.”

  Finally, the vampire stood from the grass and walked over to Arrow. She gave the frozen reins a tug and willed Karck to turn back into a sword. “I’m not really sure what we’ll do with a horse, though.”

  Arrow walked over and nudged the vampire with her head.

  “Alright, alright, I won’t leave you here. It’s not like I was thinking of doing that anyway…” The sword in her hand responded with a glow of its own. “Don’t you start talking back to me as well. Did you not see my majestic form before? The only reason everyone here is still breathing is because I acted as a human...a vampire shield.”

  Sora jumped and rushed over to Emma, hugging the vampire as tight as she could. “Please, never act as a vampire shield ever again. That was too scary.”

  “Okay, no more vampire shield. I will learn some better techniques for next time, but first...we need to figure out where the heck we are.”

  Sora nodded. “Arrow kept running until it was morning, so I think we’ve gotten a huge distance on those scary people.”

  The horse in question responded by lifting its head, seemingly proud of its accomplishment. It huffed through its nose in smug satisfaction.

  Emma could only helplessly shake her head. “I guess, I’m going to have to make new reins for you…”

  Sora grabbed Emma’s hand, stopping the vampire from casting her magic. “You can’t do that right now. I already know you’re weaker in the day. It’s not a good idea to make things right now. What happens if those people catch up?”

  Emma sighed helplessly. “I guess you’re right. Geez, you’re starting to sound more like the mother in this situation.” The vampire paused and looked further out into the grassnds. “It’s still too early to stop moving. We need to be faster than our pursuers, and we need to be smarter. We have to make better pns going forward. I’m not strong enough to protect everything.”

  Sora nodded at the vampire’s expnation. “That’s exactly why you have to teach me magic! If we’re going to survive, then Sora needs to be strong, too!”

  “Alright, you don’t have to be so gungho about it. I was going to suggest that anyway.”