as jim waited at the bus stop, there was a motion in the corner of his eye, someone beckoning him from the shadows, next to a flickering, burnt out lamppost.

he stared at them for a moment. it was a slow movement, a casual movement. it wasn't the motion of someone waving for help with something, it was the motion of someone discreetly trying to get your attention, the motion of someone saying, "come here."

it couldn't have been directed at anyone else. it was a quiet night, with no one nearby, no cars passing along the street.

if he walked over to them, he would risk missing the bus, he thought, as his legs moved, and he shuffled vaguely in their direction. there was no reason to talk to this stranger. another small step. he really shouldn't. another step. it was dark. there was no one around. he had no idea who this stranger was, or why they were trying to get him to approach. why wouldn't they just come to him?

another step, another step, another step. one foot in front of the other. his eyes still fixed on that shadow, on that beckoning. he knew his behavior was odd. he tried to tell himself that it was just his curiosity getting the best of him, or maybe that this was a dream. it felt almost like a dream.

he was getting closer to that figure, to that burnt out lamppost. the closer he got, the more he had the feeling that something was going to happen. his heart pounded, his body becoming more and more overwhelmed with a strange, sickly excitement - but his legs were steady, walking at the same regular pace, until finally, he stopped, right in front of them. it was still difficult to see them in the darkness, but he could make out their eyes, which were staring right into his, and presumably had been the entire time.

"it's a bit warm to be wearing that scarf and coat," they said, in a slow, drowsy voice.

his arms lifted before he even thought about it, his body flushing as he grabbed his scarf in an oddly robotic sort of motion, staring forward the entire time. "right..." he muttered. "it... it is a bit warm."

he unwrapped it, absentmindedly dropping it on the ground before beginning to unbutton his coat.

"that's it," they said. "you want to feel the cool air against your neck."

he felt the rush of adrenaline through his body, but even as his hands trembled ever so slightly, they continued moving down, button by button, undoing them one by one.

he couldn't think of it. he couldn't think of the word. he just felt it. some part of him understood what was happening, and understood the danger of it, but it was distant, just out of reach.

finally, it was fully unbuttoned, and dropped unceremoniously onto the ground, right next to the abandoned scarf.

"very good. come closer."

he stepped forward. though he thought that would be enough, his legs continued moving, until he was close enough for the stranger to wrap their arms around him, leaning over his exposed neck.

a cold hand gently rubbed his back. "just relax," they murmured, holding them a bit more tightly to keep him upright as his muscles lost some of their tension. "that's it..."

their lips gently pressed against the sensitive skin, kissing, then slowly licking.

everything felt quiet and distant, except for their touch, their voice, and his own pulse, which was slow, but pounding.

in that moment, it felt like the most natural thing in the world, for them to take his blood, to drain him. there was nothing else, but his blood, and their mouth, which was still slowly, carefully caressing his neck with its lips and tongue. the skin was tingling.

when the fangs sank in, he felt no pain at all, just a surge of sensation, of even more tingling, of pleasure, of weakness. their arms were the only thing keeping him from falling limp to the ground as they drank. he could hear every gulp, every hum, every satisfied sound that came from their throat as they fed. it was the only thing he heard, aside from his own beating heart.

he had never felt so relaxed, so slow. he couldn't even feel his limbs in order to attempt to move them - his body was more like an object now. there was no reason to move, anyway. every moment of it felt good. their satisfaction gave him pleasure.

finally, they withdrew their fangs, licking the wound, which seemed to close it up. he wasn't sure how much blood he lost - the feeling of weakness had started before they had even begun drinking, so he didn't know how much of it was from the blood loss. at the very least, he hadn't lost consciousness.

"it would be a waste to drink all of your blood now..." they murmured, still holding him closely.

his legs were no longer completely limp, weakly, shakily supporting his body.

"after all... you're quite obedient... and easy to control... and if i let you live... you'll make more of it... you'd much rather serve me and let me continue feeding on you, wouldn't you?"

his head nodded, without a second thought.

"that's it... i thought you might..."

their arms shifted, picking him up, carrying him bridal style.

he was at least vaguely aware of his surroundings again now. he saw his scarf and coat on the ground, before the stranger turned away, walking into the darkness with him. he supposed he wouldn't need them.