The Price of Death by Margaret Roarty
The Vampire told her to meet him at the top of the parking garage . Tonight was the night , James thought as she bounded up the stairs , two at a time . Tonight , she would convince him to let her become like him . A creature that would never get old , never die . He ’ d said no before , more times than she could count , but she wasn ’ t going to give up . Not about this . The fact that he agreed to meet her at all , after refusing countless times before , filled her with hope .
Trash littered the stairwell . A thick smell of sweat and piss permeated through the air . The elevator stopped working years ago . Faded , yellow tap hung limply around the door frame . She quickened her pace , her bones vibrating with anxiety . Her breath was heavy , and a stabbing pain shot through her ribs . When I ’ m dead I won ’ t need to breathe , she mumbled to herself .
She burst out onto the roof . The cold air hit hard and fast , chilling her right to the bone . Her breath unfurled into the air like smoke . Her eyes fixed on it . She wondered how odd it would be when her lungs no longer needed oxygen . When her heart no longer beat . When she could walk into the winter night and not feel a damn thing .
Her eyes darted around the empty space , scanning to see if he was here yet . The sky was blue-black and hazy , the light pollution of the city obscuring the stars that were
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