If either of the two people who knew what Carter was were to ask what made him post the photo of himself with his fangs extended, he would have shrugged and told them that he didn’t know. Mainly because he didn’t know what made him do it. Bravery? Boldness? Stupidity? He could have gone on with the possibilities and still not be sure of the reason. Ever since Carter had woken up and realized he was a vampire, the young man was always so careful about keeping it a secret. The photo he posted was a bold move, even if it was Halloween weekend and he was using the excuse he was playing around with costume ideas as a cover-up.
Carter looked at the photo he posted on the dash once again, his fangs still extended. He slowly ran his tongue along the length of them as his gaze shifted toward his window to look out at the night sky. He’d been spending so much time inside lately, or it felt like it anyways, and he was starting to feel claustrophobic. He knew it was the ‘normal thing’ to do with everything happening in town, but Carter wasn’t normal. He didn’t have the same weaknesses as the human population in town. His primary weakness was the sun and that kept him from going out during the day when it was “safer”.
The vampire pushed the thoughts of what was considered safe and unsafe from his mind as he slid his phone and room key into his pocket. He then headed out of his hotel room, locking it behind him, before making his way toward and through the main entrance of the hotel and into the night. It may not be considered the “smart” thing to do, but Carter couldn't even bring himself to care. He’d been feeling out of sorts and off-kilter for the past few days, maybe longer, and Carter was hoping a run would help him to clear his head, or at the very least tire him out so he could sleep properly later.
He moved quickly, but with human speed, along the sidewalk until he came to the forest. It was already after two in the morning, so Carter only looked around the surrounding area before bolting into the trees at vampire speed. It was late and he was hoping people were smart enough that they wouldn’t be roaming around in the forest at this hour.
The wind blew through Carter’s hair and over his face as he maneuvered through the trees and bushes inside the forest. He had no true destination in mind and was literally running to run, weaving in and around trees and bushes as he circled around the forest at random. Carter didn’t allow himself to think or worry about anything, but what he could see and hear there in the forest; the sound of the wind whipping past him, the pounding of his feet as they ran across the ground, the leaves and sticks crunching and breaking beneath him as he ran over them, and even the occasional sounds of the forest wildlife mixed in.
Soon, it was like nothing else existed and he was simply running on autopilot; around a bush, under a low-hanging branch, over the root above the ground, and so on. Carter hadn’t even realized he’d been tense until he felt it physically leaving his body. The vampire ran for practically twenty minutes before he jumped up and onto a tree branch just a few feet above his head. Carter knew he would have easily fallen out of the tree if he had been human, but he made the landing with ease and moved easily along the length of it until he could take a seat against the trunk.
The vampire couldn’t explain it, but he felt more free tonight than he had in months. He wasn’t apprehensive about the photo he’d posted earlier that night, the idea of someone catching him while he was out running, and anything else that had been on his mind lately. He knew he’d have to figure things out at some point, but it felt nice to have a few minutes where he could pretend like everything was fine.
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