In the morning (Open to anyone)

Jack finally felt his feet stop running and he leaned up against the wall of the Grocery Store. His legs burned from the long distance sprint he just did. He gasped for breath and fell down to sit.

It was freezing, he didn't like this. Why did he obey that order? He wouldn't have usually...but his body just kept going and going. He winces and rubs his calf. He was numb all over and confused and frightened....what was this?

Tzipporah managed to catch her father at the Grocery store and sent him home to tend the sheep. She was on her way back home when she stopped and heard someone panting. She looked down and saw a boy. She took a bottle of juice from the bag and handed it to him.

"Here. You could probably use this." She said.

Jack looks up to the woman and winces, nodding in gratitude, "Thank you very, very much." He drinks the juice and sighs, exhausted, "did....did you see those things?"

"Things... You mean the bats? Yeah. I had my run in." Tzipporah said as she showed him the bite marks on both of her arms. She kneeled down and touched his hair. "Has this always been this color?"

She handed him an apple since he looked like he needed the nourishment.

"yeah....stay out in the sun long enough with blonde hair when you're a kid and it has a habit of turning white." He gratefully takes the apple and nods, "Thank you."

He glances to her arms, "What'd they do to you?"

Tzipporah stood up. "I don't recall much of what happened. It's still a blur to me. I got bit by four or five of them at once and the first thing I saw was my hands engulfed in fire. I managed to put myself out but I felt like I was picked up and became one with the wind. The last thing that happened was I was dropped into a pond where I spent the rest of my night. I couldn't get out until I saw the rays of the sun." Tzipporah said wonder if this boy was caught in the line of fire as well.

"Sounds rough." Jack breaths, nomming on the apple hungrily. "Sounds really, really rough." He winces and rubs his legs, "I was ordered to run by a little kid and my body moved without me controlling it. So I ran and I ran until luckily someone was playing Hammer Time at the right moment."

He lets out a long breath and leans up against the building, closing his eyes for a moment, "What....what were those things?"

Tzipporah looked at him questioningly, "I'm not sure. They seemed to come out of nowhere and just attacked anyone on the street. I have only heard of things like that in my mother's stories as a child but it was more along the lines of taking you away at night."

"as far as I know, no one's been taken away." He looks up to her, nodding, "they....they seem like they came out of a nightmare."

Tzipporah sighed and looked at the ground. She knew it wasn't a nightmare... Nightmares ended. This was literally the beginning.

"How about I help you get home? Your parents must be terribly worried." Tzipporah said as she ran her hands through his oddly white hair.

This kid was so adorable. She couldn't help but want to hug him and squeeze him till there was no life left in him but she contained herself.

Jack shakes his head, "I live alone, parents wouldn't worry even if I got hit by a train." he finishes off the bottle and nods to Tzipporah, "thank you for your generosity though, I really, really appreciate it."

He rubs his calf, groaning, "never running again, never ever."

"You live alone? How old are you?" Tzipporah asked concerned.

Jack nods, "I'm nineteen. Still young, but old enough to be out on my own." He rubs his neck, "Though I don't much care for it."

Tzipporah looked at him and nodded. "I'm sorry to pry. I haven't properly introduced myself and you're probably bored with me imposing into your life." She said as she was going to leave. "You probably don't want my help anyway."

"You helped me, I don't mind you talking and asking questions." He groaned, leaning up against the building, "I greatly appreciate the help as well."

Vlad whisteled to Grom to heel, a short tune and clipped the leash onto the hound. Grom didn't take kindly to strangers and last night, although not directly affecting the horses or the house directly, terrified all the animals. Grom was still jumpy and Vlad had no intentions of letting the hound get into trouble yet. He was still trying to figure out what wasgoing on in the town. He just needed to pick up some water and he'd be on his way to the park to read, observe and hopefully sniff out his prey.

Jack blinks, looking up and tilting his head once he hears some noise, "Who's there?"

Tzipporah looked around but didn't see anyone. She couldn't tell if it was something he heard or someone he saw.

"You shouldn't spook me like that." She said as she smiled at him. Thinking it was a joke.

"I heard a whistle." Jack frowns, looking around for something, "Didn't you?"