On the Edge of Humanity Read Free

slammed shut.
    Sam gripped the bat with both hands, as if he were standing behind home plate waiting for the pitcher. “Take the knife away from her face,” he growled.
    “Come any closer, kid, and I will carve your sister’s face up. She’ll look like the Bride of Frankenstein when I get done with her.”
    The tip of the knife punctured my cheek and warm liquid oozed out. I drew in a breath as I raised my hand to my face. The pain stung me as if I had just pissed off a bumblebee.
    What the fuck is happening?
    Sam lunged at Cliff.
    Cliff whirled his head towards me, with his eyes bulging from their sockets, and drove the knife into my cheek. Pain shot through me and my eyes watered, the salt from my tears stinging as it seeped into the cut. I froze, trying to bite back the pain and not scream. If I moved even a tiny bit, the blade would do more damage.
    Then the bat connected with Cliff’s head, sounding as if Sam had just hit a home run. Cliff shrieked so loud that it reverberated throughout the room and the walls vibrated. I held my breath, praying he would let go of the knife. But it was too late. He dropped his hand, pulling the knife with him, and the blade sliced through my skin.
    I wailed as the blood gushed down my cheek spilling into my mouth. I didn’t know what to process first, the pain or the fact that I liked the taste of my own blood.
    I placed my hand over my cheek and stood up. My legs trembled. I used the dresser as an anchor to support my body. As I glanced around the room, all I could see was Sam standing over Cliff with blood dripping down the bat.
    Then Sam shouted, “Jo, don’t pass out. I’ll be right there.”
    My arms were shaking. I couldn’t hold myself up much longer. Blackness filled my peripheral vision. As it grew darker around me, someone squeezed my hand.
    “Sam?”
    “It’s me, Jo,” he said.
    “I’m sorry, I tried…I tried to take care of myself and protect you,” I said as tears streamed down my cheeks.
    “Shh,” he said. He ripped off his t-shirt and placed it over my left cheek.
    “What’s happening to me? The blood… I want more blood.”
    “Everything’s going to be fine,” he replied.
    I vowed revenge against the disgusting beast as the light around me flickered in and out. And then it was dark.

Chapter 2
    M y eyes fluttered open and blinked a few times. I shivered. Where was I? The temperature in the room felt like a walk-in freezer. I wiggled my feet to wake up my toes. I couldn’t tell if they had fallen asleep or if they were frostbitten under the thick layer of blankets on top of me.
    I drew in a breath, the air burning my insides as it seeped deeper into my lungs. The scent of alcohol hung in the air. I tried to raise my upper body, but the pain on my left side stopped me. I tried again, only this time I lifted just my head and scanned the room.
    As the cloud of haze grew thin, different noises peppered the room. A beeping sound dominated my left ear and voices whispered somewhere near me.
    Am I in a hospital? How did I get here? Where’s Sam?
    Two people stood at the bottom of the bed, their backs toward me. From what I could tell it sounded as if they were arguing.
    The man in the doctor’s coat said, “No, it can’t be.”
    “I ran it three times,” said the nurse in blue.
    “Well, run the test again. It’s impossible. Her blood type can’t be ‘AF’ negative.” The man speaking wore a red and white cap that covered his head and his voice had a velvety tone as if I were listening to a song by Josh Groban. A sliver of a tattoo peeked out on the back of his neck just below his cap.
    I squinted. It appeared to be some sort of symbol, but I couldn’t quite make it out. My eyes were still adjusting to my surroundings.
    “Dr. Case, I’ll have her blood tested again, but the outcome will still be the same,” the nurse said.
    Were they talking about me? Were they talking about my blood type? I think I was the only one in the room. A brown