Kevin walked down the deserted beach. Where the hell was he? Oh yeah... Destin, Florida. Wherever the hell that was. He glanced at his watch, even though he didn't really need a watch to tell him it was nearly time for him to get inside. He could see the sky beginning to lighten up in the east. He sat down in the sand and watched the waves wash up on the shore. He missed the beach. Swimming in the ocean. Watching the sun set on the horizon. He sighed and rested his head in his hands.

"What's wrong?" a girl's voice asked. He quickly turned around and saw a girl standing behind him. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but she had a jacket on, too. It was cool out, but he didn't notice too much. In his state of mind, he wasn't noticing too much of anything.

"Nothing. Just thinking," he said, turning his attention back to the water.

"Oh. Sorry. I'll leave you alone," she said, starting to walk away.

"No," he said. "Have a seat." He was really getting hungry, and he needed to feed before he went to sleep. He was weak. He was still young, and when he didn't feed nightly, he barely had the strength to climb stairs. The girl sat down beside him and looked out at the water with him. Her life force was strong. Kevin could feel it. It called out to him. Made his mouth water.

"What are you doing out so late? Or should I say early?" she asked quietly.

"I'm a night owl, I guess," he said, laughing. But his laughter was hollow. He didn't want to get to know this girl. He only wanted to feed and go to sleep.

"Me too. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk," she said. "Aren't you that guy? From the Backstreet Boys?"

"Nah," he responded. "People ask me that all the time. I just look like him, I guess."

"You sound like him, too. I'm Kathleen," the girl said, turning to him. Shit. He didn't want to know her name or her life story. He just wanted her blood... He turned to face her, in spite of himself, and he found himself staring into the sweetest blue eyes he had ever seen. He felt a lump forming in his throat, and swallowed hard. He knew he'd never be able to... He let out a long sigh.

"I'm... Scott," he lied.

"Nice to meet you, Scott," the girl replied.

They sat quietly for a few minutes. Kevin could see the first few streaks of color coming to the sky. He knew he'd have to get going very soon.

"I... uh... I guess I should go," he said. "It's getting late."

"Nah. It's early," she said, smiling. Kevin had to swallow that damned lump in his throat again. She was so... sweet. Pure. He could feel her goodness radiating from her. He could feel her heart beating. It was driving him crazy. He had to feed. But not her... he could never hurt her.

"No, I've really got to go," he said, a little more sharply than he had intended. Then he caught himself. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Maybe," she said, smiling again. "Bye, Scott! Sleep well!"

"Thanks," he said, jumping up and brushing sand off of his butt. He walked back to the hotel where he was staying and entered his room. He felt nervous. He was always nervous sleeping in a hotel when Rhiannon wasn't around. He felt like she gave him some form of protection. He locked the door and put the deadbolt on so the maid couldn't enter. He made sure the Do Not Disturb sign was on the doorknob, then he grabbed his pillow and blanket and went into the bathroom. It was the only room in the suite with no windows, and he was afraid if he slept in the bed, some kind of light might hit him. He was terrified of it. He didn't know if the scars from the sunlight lasted forever, or what, but the way Rhiannon described the burns, they were the most painful thing imaginable. He locked the bathroom door and shoved a towel underneath it. He rolled up in his blanket on the cold tile floor and tried to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come. He was so tired, but he could feel the churning pain beginning in his stomach. He should have fed on the girl... Kathleen. But he couldn't. There was just something so innocent about her. He couldn't do it. His thoughts turned to Rhiannon. His friend. The one person... if you could call her a person... who cared and knew everything about him. He missed her. He missed sleeping in her coffin. Wrapped in her loving embrace. He missed her sweet, gentle caresses, and the way she ran her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep every morning. He hoped she was taking care of AJ. God... AJ... he didn't even want to think about AJ. If there was ever anything he had done in his lifetime that he regretted, it was AJ. He never should have given in. Why had he done it? The guilt that plagued him was eating away at him inside. He had made AJ into one of them. Now AJ as cursed like they were. Now Kevin understood how Rhiannon had felt when she made Kevin. Guilty. Damned.

**********************************

Kevin woke up just after dark. He couldn't remember when he went to sleep. He was so weak, and his entire body ached. If he didn't know better, he'd swear he had the flu. He showered and painfully pulled on his clothes to go out for the evening. He had to feed. He knew he wouldn't make it much longer if he didn't. He made his way to a small bar on the beach, and ordered a gin and tonic. He stirred it absently as he scanned the bar for his victim. Kevin, the Hunter. There she was. The Prey. A pretty young woman. Early twenties maybe. Alone. He stared at her, willing her to look in his direction. Without hesitation, she did. His green eyes caught her stare, and he smiled slightly. He put down his drink and walked to her table. Her eyes were shining.

"Oh my God, you're Kevin Richardson," she said, amazed.

"Nah. I just look like him," Kevin said. That was his line. Damn, why did everybody in the world have to know who he was? He couldn't go anywhere without being recognized.

"Wow. The resemblance is just incredible," she said, laughing. She had very white teeth, Kevin noticed. Bleached, of course. Just like her hair. He could smell her perfume. Cheap stuff. Fake Poison. He knew the cheap stuff when he smelled it. It was nauseating. He chatted with her for awhile, making her feel at ease before he made his move.

"You wanna get out of here?" he asked quietly, looking into her eyes, an amused smile on his face.

"Sure," she giggled. Bimbo, he thought.

Kevin led her out into the parking lot and opened the door to the rental car. She climbed in and he closed it behind her. He hopped into the driver's seat and drove off down the beach. They came to a deserted state park, and Kevin pulled into a parking space. He held the girl's warm hand and they made their way down between the dunes. He turned and kissed her, taking her under his spell. She was putty in his hands. He moved her hair off her shoulder and ran his lips along her neck. She sighed softly. Before she knew what was happening, he sank his teeth into her body. He willed her not to move or cry out, and she didn't. He drank from her body, feeling his strength returning. He was so thirsty, he almost couldn't stop himself. But the smell of her perfume was nauseating him too much. He let her go, laying her in the sand.

"When you wake up," he said softly, "you won't remember any of this. You won't remember me at all."

She moaned and looked at him with sleepy eyes.

"Sleep," he said, moving his hand across her face. She closed her eyes and drifted off.

Kevin walked back to the car, wiping his mouth on a handkerchief. He had gotten so much better at feeding. He wasn't the sloppy child he had been at first. When he fed now, hardly a drop was wasted. He drove back to his hotel and walked back down on the beach. He felt refreshed. Alive. He could enjoy the night now. He sat down in a lounge chair and listened to the waves. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that it was daytime. It was still relatively early, and there were people walking along the shoreline. Couples holding hands. Children following their parents and chasing little sand crabs. Kevin smiled. He would have liked to become a father. Impossible now, he knew, but he still loved to watch children playing. He loved kids.

"Hi Kevin," a woman's voice said from behind him. He turned and smiled.

"Hi Kathleen," he said, smiling. He was in a good mood now. "Have a seat."

She sat down in the chair beside him and laughed. "I knew it," she said.

"Knew what?" he asked, confused.

"I KNEW you were Kevin Richardson," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. "You can't lie to me."

Kevin laughed. "Ok, ok. You caught me. Just don't tell anybody, ok? I'm trying to get some rest here."

"I know. I heard about AJ," she said sadly. "How's he doing?"

Kevin stared at her for a few seconds. "He's... pretty bad."

"I'm so sorry. I hope he gets better soon."

"Me too," Kevin said, looking back out at the ocean. The guilt was coming back. He had managed to forget about AJ for a few hours, and now it was all coming back.

"So, let's talk about something else," Kathleen said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. You tell me. What did you do today?" she asked, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them.

"Slept," Kevin said, laughing bitterly.

"That's no fun. What kind of vacation is that? Sleeping all day at the beach?"

"I do that a lot. I just needed to get away from everything. Sleeping lets me forget my troubles," he said, still not looking at her.

"That's not a good thing, Kevin. You shouldn't try to escape your troubles. You have to meet them head on. That's the only way to get through them," she said, placing her hand on his arm.

Kevin looked down at her hand on his arm. He could feel her blood pulsing through her veins. It excited him. Not in a sexual way, but more like a fascination. She was a good person. A gentle soul. He could tell. Unlike himself. He was evil. He knew he was evil. He shouldn't even be around someone like Kathleen. But... he couldn't resist her. He needed to be around someone like her for awhile. It had been a long time since he had been able to be so close to someone so good. He hadn't allowed himself to be that close. He couldn't even look at his cousin Brian anymore, for fear that Brian would see the evil in him. Kevin missed Brian.

"What are you? Some kind of psychologist or a motivational speaker?" he asked, smiling weakly.

"Nah. I've just been there," she said, smiling back.

Kevin laughed again. "You have no idea," he said.

"Tell me," she said, cocking her head to one side and opening her eyes wide.

Kevin shook his head and looked back out at the waves. He was still feeling slightly intoxicated from his earlier feeding. Kathleen's hand was still on his arm. It was warm, and Kevin was enjoying the feeling. It wasn't often that he was able to enjoy warmth anymore. He grasped her hand in his, lacing their fingers together, as they sat silently.

"Wanna do something fun?" Kathleen asked, turning to him.

"Like what?" he asked cautiously.

"Come on," she said, pulling him to his feet. She dragged him up the beach to the parking lot behind the hotel.

"Where are we going?" he asked, following her.

"To have fun. I told you."

"But what kind of fun," he asked, smirking. She turned to him, recognizing the smarmy tone of voice.

"Not THAT kind of fun, you perv," she said, laughing. She unlocked the door to her car for him. He stopped and looked at her for a moment. He was taking a big chance if he got into the car with her. What if... No. That wasn't going to happen. he had to stop being so paranoid. He climbed in and closed the door. She got into the driver's seat and they headed off down the highway.

Panama City Beach 42 miles... Panama City Beach? What the hell?

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