Urban joggers are a Nosferatu's best friend.

For the past few weeks, Jackson stalked the alleyways of Sacramento. To say he was "Down on his luck" was somewhat of an understatement. Food was scarce, and Jackson hadn't come across another damned Kindred at all. Where were they?

"It wasn't supposed to be like this, " he thought to himself. His, perhaps necessary, flight to Sacramento and struggle for independence from both his sire and his former "friend" had left him with nothing to his name. Without their support, he spent most of his nights trying to keep himself from going into Wassail. Most nights it was rats, or the occasional stray dog, but tonight he was determined to feed on human blood - even though he was terrified. Human blood was not only more filling (and tasty), but humans were also more stupid[. Animals have an uncanny tendency to be perceptive, and most animals larger than a human fist would put up a larger fight than your average human when fought. Jackson couldn't really afford to spend blood to augment his strength and whatnot, so he instead resorted to hit-and-run tactics.

That's why he loved it when people jogged at night.

He lurked in an alley somewhat removed from the main roads - the inner suburbs, he called them - close enough to the city for the well-off to have access to it's resources, but far away so they didn't have to deal with the city "rabble." He started early, despite that he knew that joggers wouldn't come around until Zero-Dark-Thirty, fairly close to when the some would come up. But he thought he might get lucky... and he did.

A young woman, adorned in quality athletic gear came jogging down the sidewalk, unaware of her impending fate. Her white poly-blend shorts glimmered in the light of the moon, as well as the white headband on her forehead that was covered with sweat. Jackson watched carefully as she approached, waiting for just the right moment to strike - he couldn't afford to miss. He had to grab her perfectly, and he put all of his energy into the timing before...

Snatch!

He snatched the girl off of the sidewalk, covering her mouth immediately before sinking his teeth into her neck. The jogger went limp as he drained a small amount of Vitae from her, just enough to make her woozy. After he was done, he quickly stepped into the shadows of the alley and returned to obfuscate - the girl never had a chance to see his face. In some ways, he felt sorry for her - but she was probably one of those types who wouldn't give him a second thought if he had tried to actually socialize with her.

No, I don't need to be guilty. This is what I am now...