A little girl was walking down the dark street. It was past midnight, but it didn't matter to her at all. She was hungry. That was all that mattered.

It didn't matter that she wasn't wearing any shoes, or that her thin clothing seemed not enough to keep her warm. It didn't matter that her skin was dirty, that her hair was tangled and rough. She kept walking, sluggishly, looking for something that will quiet her protesting stomach. That was all that mattered.

She was an orphan. Her parents died a long time ago, and she barely remembered them. It didn't matter anyway.

Sounds. Slow footsteps. She quickly turned around to see who it was. But the street was too dark. She could barely see a shadow, moving under the weak light of the moon. The shadow seemed to be just standing there, beside a building that she thought was a church. She decided that she could get something to eat there.

She walked towards the church, towards the shadow. He must be a priest, she thought. Priests were good people.

She was so hungry.

She was now just a few feet from the shadow. She stopped. She looked up, and realized in horror the mistake she had made. No! I know this man! How can I be so stupid!

"Don't move," the man warned her. She knew what he meant. She knew she would die if she moved an inch.

"I... I'm hungry... " she tried to explain.

The man lunged forward, a knife on his hand.

But she was quick. She didn't survive the streets for being slow. She didn't last this long for being weak. She easily dodged his knife. With an energy born of fury, she grabbed the man's arms and pulled him towards her. She pulled his neck towards her and whispered to his ear.

"I am not running away from you anymore."

She then buried her fangs in the man's neck. The familiar warmth of blood started flowing in her mouth and down her throat. She was surprised that his blood tasted sweet. As sweet as the blood of his 10-year-old son that she killed 5 years ago. She didn't mean to, but she was hungry. And her hunger was something she cannot control.

When she was done, she laid him down slowly on the street. She knelt beside the dying man, took his hands, kissed them, and laid them on his chest. She looked at him with sorrow and regret, and said "You could have lived forever. As my friend."