"I feel your presence amongst us
You cannot hide in the darkness
Can you hear the rumble?
Can you hear the rumble that's calling

...

Can't you see that you're lost without me?"

Cirice by Ghost

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my original characters and content.

Prologue:

It is often said that dreams are gateways to the future. Some dreams have significant meaning in every day events. They serve a higher purpose; one that humans have no understanding of. Dreams offer a glimpse to the past and future while still in the present.

What about nightmares? They can't possibly serve a higher purpose or be a gateway to the future. Especially those horrific nightmares that you pray to God you never have to encounter in real life.

What no one ever discusses are recurring dreams. There can't possibly be one particular moment that means so much that you dream about every night... Could there? Professionals insist that most dreamers forget about 90 percent of them, but I honestly believe that to be bullshit. I remember every detail vividly. From what I've researched, you only dream of people and places you know, but ding ding, I call bullshit on that too. The man I dream of, I don't recognize in the slightest.

He had the kind of face that I knew I could pick out of a crowd, a menacing look to him that would make any smart girl run for the hills. The thing that captured my attention the most, however, were his eyes; fierce, crystal blue eyes that sent a shiver down my spine, and a stare that could see into the depths of my soul, picking apart every detail until I was nothing but a hollow shell. He frightened me, but I was irrevocably mesmerized by him.

However, this man was not the only element of the dream that stuck out to me. The second was blood. It is the universal source of life for all living mammals, carrying oxygen, hormones, nutrients, etc. through the body, allowing it to function properly. Without it, death is inevitable. Even though the mechanics were obvious, the reason I dreamed of it was not. The constant sight and smell of it was overwhelming at first, but now i selfishly craved it. In my dream state, it caused a thirst so unquenchable that my body physically ached. I wanted to feel the rubicund wine flooding down my throat, sticking to my skin; no, I needed it.

The dream started the night of my twenty-first birthday, and after waking up dazed and confused, I knew something drastic was going to happen in my life. I didn't know when, but I had a feeling it was going to be sooner rather than later.

A month came and went, but the dream remained the same. It started out on one of the many beaches in Santa Carla, a bon fire illuminated the surrounding darkness while rebellious teenagers circled around it, dancing, drinking, and drowning out the world with rock music. After a few moments, the wind would pick up, but the hoodlums never noticed their surroundings change, a sinister feel replacing the mirth. Menacing laugher filled the air moments before the screaming began. The first time or two, I was completely horrified, yet fascinated at the gruesome scene taking place before me. The attackers were nothing but faceless shadows, all except him. While the other flocked the scene to claim their victims, ripping and tearing into as many as they could, he would saunter in, a sly grin etched on his face. That didn't stop his attack from being any less brutal though. In the end, blood was everywhere. Nothing that the incoming tide wouldn't fix, of course. The part that frightened me the most, however, was his ability to look directly at me as he lifted his bloodied face from the victim's neck. His contorted face returned to normal by then, the blood a striking contrast from is pale skin. He would smirk up at me while licking his lips before saying something inaudible and turning away. I always woke gasping for air, a physical gnawing ripping through my body.

The more they occurred, the more I craved them. It got to the point where I was ecstatic to go to sleep and see the man again. As strange as that sounds, I was becoming attached to this blue eyed monster of a man. Not only that, but I could feel a bloodlust rising in me that I couldn't shake. Thankfully, the ache only came during my dream.

It was mid July, the first night of the New Moon that my dream changed. Whether that was significant in the change, I didn't know. This change was minor, albeit significant nonetheless. The events of the dream remained the same until he looked at me with his bloody face. Before, I wasn't able to distinguish what he said before turning away, but this time, I heard him loud and clear: "Rowan, come join me."