Andrew staggered back to Vampire Night. He was feeling increasingly weak, like he’d been fighting a cold.
He slotted his card, and picked up one of the light guns. It was then that he saw his reflection in the game screen.
He was pale, though not as deathly so as Lila was. He gasped, and saw his canine teeth were slightly sharper.
“Shit!” he exclaimed. “I’m turning into a vampire, too!” He heard a couple of kids behind him snicker.
Quickly, he hit START, and began gunning for his life.
He found the game much harder this time around. For starters, he was shaking so badly that aiming was harder than it should have been. His strength was steadily increasing, as were the length and curvature of his fingernails, forcing him to constantly readjust the force of his grip and his trigger position. On top of all that, he struggled through a twinge of guilt every time he killed a digital creature of the night; he felt as though he were betraying his kind.
With much difficulty, he reached the final boss, a regal and dignified king among vampires. He took brief note that he almost had the high score.
Was it the loss that made Lila one of the undead, as she had suspected? Or the high score? She didn’t start changing until her initials were entered.
A chill rippled through his already cooling body. What if vampirism was the reward, not the punishment? Had Lila lied to him? Did she want him to be like her?
Her bite had infected him, anyway. He was going to become a vampire if he didn’t go through with it. If he won, would he become human again, or would he complete his transformation?
The boss battle began. But should he want to win?