chapter 5

5

 

 

 

 

The time passed slowly for Alex as she waited near the lake where the previous night had found her sprawled out on a bench.  Though she suffered terrible hunger pains, she had not become ill yet, thus proving to her that food did indeed make her sick.   Perhaps instead of a drugging being the problem she was suffering from a stomach virus she reasoned, this thought giving her some measure of comfort. She whiled away the hours to her meeting by sitting, pacing, and meandering about the park until ten to eleven when she returned to the lake.  Glancing about she found no signs of a man, the area void of human occupation altogether.  Feeling her hope plummet, she took a seat on the bench, reminding herself that she was a little early.  “He’ll be here.”  She said aloud to give herself some reassurance as she placed her elbows on each leg, resting her head in her upturned palms.

 

 

*    *    *    *    *

 

 

A brilliant moon reflected upon the dark surface of the lake and Devon paused a moment to enjoy the sight before seeking out the girl; unlike Alex, he had the advantage of knowing who he was looking for.   A sad smile turned up the corners of his mouth as he spotted her on a bench, she looked so frail and lonely sitting there, her sandy blond hair blowing out like a banner in the night breeze. Again he had to question his friend’s tactics but pushed the conflict aside.  Ash may be a bit unusual but he had been nothing but kind to him since their initial meeting, he had to believe there was a reason for this insanity.

 

Stepping off the path and out of the wooded area, Devon made his way to the awaiting girl, clearing his throat to announce his arrival.  The slight woman jumped to her feet, startled out of her thoughts as she spun around to face the tall stranger,  hands balled up in fists meant to protect her from danger.

 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle ya.”  He said with a friendly smile that displayed a perfect row of white teeth contrasting against his bronzed colored skin. He stretched forth a hand to her.  “I’m Devon.”

 

The girl looked at him with large green eyes full of caution and uncertainty, “Alex.”  She replied a bit nervously, slowly letting loose her fists in order to clasp his hand in her icy cold one.  Fortunately, Devon was familiar with touching the undead, and the sensation went mostly unnoticed.

 

“Why don’t we take a little walk?”  He suggested the hint of a southern accent in his deep voice.  “I think better that way.”

 

Alex looked a little anxious about this request; he couldn’t really blame her for being a little concerned.  Taking a deep breath as her conflict came to an end; she nodded her head and reluctantly left with the man who stood nearly a foot taller than herself.

 

“I’m not one for beating around the bush, so I’m just gonna come straight out with what I have to tell ya.”  He began as he set a casual pace, working their way towards the jogging path that wound its way through the park.  “The reason you haven’t been able to eat, the reason you’re feeling all out of sorts and all is because you’re a vampire.”  This had the reaction he had expected.

 

The girl stopped in her tracks, fear playing across her pale face.  “What are you?  What do you want with me?”  She demanded, glancing around for her escape route, certain that this crazy was intent on killing her.

 

“Please, just hear me out. I swear to you that I am not gonna hurt you.  It’s important that you listen to what I have to say.”  He pleaded, holding up both of his hands in front of his rather muscular chest, showing that he had no weapons upon him, his denim jacket falling open to show off the Yankees t- shirt he was wearing.

 

Alex stood her ground, eyes narrowed as she wrested with her choices.  Everything within her screamed for her to run yet something, something in the man’s eyes, told her that he spoke the truth.  Filling her lungs with the cool night air, she nodded her head in agreement before resuming her walking.

 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Devon set into motion as well, his hands to fall to his side as he came up adjacent to her.   “I have this friend, he’s a vampire.”  He began, wanting to make her understand as much as possible about the situation she now found herself in.  “I know it sounds crazy but trust me it’s true.  Anyhow, he’s been looking for a mate and you, well, you were his first pick.  I don’t know why he left you alone initially, seems it was a test of some sort, I don’t know.  But in the end he decided you weren’t what he needed.  I wa….”

 

“Wait.”  She interrupted, stopping again and giving him that same skeptical look that said she thought he was crazy.  “You have a friend that’s a vampire, and he wants a mate?   Do you really expect me to believe this?”  Alex asked incredulously in no mood for such ludicrous stories.

 

Devon shook his head, no, he hadn’t expected her to believe any of it, but he had to tell her nonetheless so he plunged ahead, not bothering to take a breath for fear that she would run.  “Listen, food makes you sick, you can’t see your reflection, sleep during the day, and you hear blood pulsing through veins.  Am I right?”

 

Alex stood silently for a moment, her face reflecting the truth of his words.  “But….but how?  Why?”  Panic began to lay hold of her as she recalled the horror movies and stories that were so popular.  All these years she had thought them nothing more but a figment of someone’s imagination but now, now she found herself in this very real horrific story.  “I can’t do it.  I won’t.”  She stated firmly, shaking her head, eyes wild with fright as she struggled to breathe, her fists clenched in white knuckle defiance at her sides.  Devon was certain that if she were capable of it the girl would be crying about now.

 

 Slowly reaching out a hand, he laid it upon her shoulder in an attempt to comfort and calm her, the weight capturing her attention so that she focused her eyes once again on him.  “I can’t explain why he chose you.  Maybe it was your looks, your carefree spirit at the club, and your vulnerability in walking home alone that night.  But the fact is you are what you are.  I can help you though.  There are loop holes with the whole drinking blood thing.  You can live.”  He added, wanting to give her some measure of hope.

 

“Live?”  She said with a sarcastic laugh that held no mirth.  “Is that what you call what I’ll be doing?”  She shook her head, glancing up at the moon.  “No, this is not living, it’s hell.”  Alex spat out between clenched teeth before biting her  bottom lip to reign in her emotions as she searched his face, she seemed so much smaller than when they had first met, depleted almost.

 

 “Listen, I’ll help you find some food for tonight then go home.  Think about what I’ve told you.  I’ll call tomorrow night and check in on you.  You have my number still?” 

 

Alex nodded, unable to speak right now; this was all too surreal, too unbelievable.

 

“Right then, come with me.”  He resumed walking once again, the girl falling in step beside him, lost in her thoughts, eyes down cast.  Devon led the way to a twenty-four hour market and ordered a steak from the butcher while Alex squirmed near by, the brilliant lights causing pain to her now sensitive eyes.

 

Back outside, Devon handed her the brown wrapped package.  “Here, take this and go home.  Don’t eat the meat, just suck at it.  It’s imperative that you do this.  From what I understand, it’s pretty good for sustaining your kind in a pinch; though not as good as fresh stuff.”

 

Alex glanced down at the bundle now resting in her hands, trying not to think about what this man was asking her to do.  Nodding her head mutely in understanding, she turned and walked away, not even bothering to say goodbye, lost in deep reflection and denial. Devon watched the girl leave, his chiseled face reflecting his somber mood.  He liked Ash, he really did, but it was stuff like this that really had to make him wonder if there was a heart in that dead body of his.  Shaking his head, he turned to leave, making his own way back home.

 

 

 

*    *    *    *    *

 

 

 

Ash was sitting at the dining room table when Devon returned.  It was still a little early for him to retire but he wanted to visit with his human counterpart before sunrise.  As soon as Devon entered the room he sensed the change, that something was different between them.

 

“So how was your evening?”  Ash asked, watching his friend closely, reading his body language and monitoring the heart rate with his keen senses.

 

“Uh, good.  Yours?”  Devon took a glass from the cupboard and ran some cold tap water into it before taking a seat at the table, trying to act as normal as possible.

 

“Found a few prospective ladies but I think I’ll wait a little longer.  Don’t want to repeat my mistake.”  Ash replied nonchalantly, his dark eyes never leaving Devon’s.  He saw the quick flash of anger, the judgment call in that split second.  “You saw her, didn’t you?”  It was more of a statement than a question.

 

Devon briefly thought of lying but he valued their friendship too much for such petty games.   “Yes, I did.  I’m sorry but I couldn’t simply turn a blind eye to someone in need.”

 

Ash shook his head, always amazed by his friend’s tender heart.  He briefly wondered if he had been so soft in his human years, concerned with the welfare of others.  When did it change?  It hadn’t been an automatic adjustment but something that simply happened over time, years of seeing suffering and cruelty, years of violence and selfish deeds.  Over time he became calloused, toughened by life itself.  “No, you couldn’t.  Steak?”  He inquired, assuming this is what he would have recommended initially for the girl.

 

Devon nodded his head, thankful that Ash didn’t seem too angry with him; in fact, he didn’t seem surprised at all and voiced this thought.  “You knew I’d go to her, didn’t you?

 

“Of course.  One doesn’t spend two hundred years walking among mortals without some kind of understanding as to their actions and motives.  Will you see her again?  Teach her to hunt?”

 

Devon glanced down at the polished surface of the circular wooden table they found themselves sitting at, wondering the same things.  “Probably, though I think you should be the one teaching her.”   He hoped he hadn’t crossed the line with that little remark, his voice even a bit accusing but Ash seemed nonplussed.

 

“Maybe.”

 

Devon didn’t trust himself to say more and therefore simply allowed the subject to drop.  Despite the fact that Ash drank blood for meals, he found that he really was a likeable guy.  In fact, Devon even felt a bit sorry for him.  His mortality was robbed of him, much like the girl’s.  No asking, just simply taking.  However, that was where the parallel ended.  Ash was brutally attacked by a group of vampires who decided to get their kicks by torturing some poor mortal.  If it hadn’t been for the arrival of their clan leader he surely would have died.   Taking the wounded and near lifeless young man into his arms, he did something that surprised the others, he took mercy on the human and offered him the gift of life, or of the undead as the case may be.   He kept Ash at his side for several years, teaching him the way of the noseferatu, until one evening he simply disappeared; leaving Ash to fend for himself.

 

“We’ll work it out later, right now, why don’t you go get some sleep.”  Suggested Ash, seeing the reflective mood his friend had slipped into.

 

 

 

*    *    *    *    *

 

 

 

 Alex arrived back at her apartment, not bothering to turn on the lights as she headed towards the kitchen where she deposited the package of raw meat.  The scent of blood was oddly enticing however she couldn’t bring herself to indulge, not yet.

 

Slipping off her hoodie, she walked to the window, dropping the garment onto the back of the sofa as she moved to peer outside at the silent street below.  A wave of pain wracked her body causing her to clutch the window seal in a white knuckled grip.  She knew then that she couldn’t go forever without eating, whatever that life source might be.  Once the pain subsided, she went back into the kitchen, sniffing disdainfully at the meat while unwrapping it from the brown butcher paper, hating the fact that the metallic smelling liquid within was so alluring.

 

Taking several cleansing breaths, Alex closed her eyes, forcing herself not to think about it as she brought the slab of beef up to her lips.  Instantly fangs emerged, startling her enough to cause her to drop the meat onto the counter.  With hands shaking, she reached up to touch a fingertip to the pointed incisors that hung down an inch past the others.  The words to describe her horror hung on silent lips; again she felt the urge to cry but knew that tears would never again touch her cheeks.  Pushing aside these nagging thoughts for favor of quenching her immense hunger, she again picked up the slab of raw meat, not pausing, not thinking, she sunk her fangs into the tough texture, sucking deeply of the bloody liquid found there, surprised at how rejuvenating it really was.  She had expected to feel sick, queasy at the least, but instead she was excited.  Tearing into the meat with a savage furry that left her clothing and face splattered with juice and meat particles as she drained the blood from the steak, a euphoric high coursing through her veins leaving her wanting more.

 

When at last she was convinced that there was no more to be had, she tossed the dry remains of the mangled animal product into the trash can and leaned over the sink to splash some water on her slightly flushed face.  Washing her hands, she removed the soiled t-shirt and tossed it onto the countertop.  She felt alive in a way that she never had before, giving her the surreal sensation of invincibility.  Thus, when she closed her eyes at dawn she was able to truly sleep the sleep of the undead.

Author's Note

still a work in progress. Any and all feedback is welcomed.

Reviews

[Noa]

This review applies to all chapters so far :)

The slow discovery and strong denial Alex goes through in the first few chapters is very realistic and kept me reading, just to see what she would do. I felt sorry for her as she kept trying to eat, and it became hard for me to see Ash as a 'good guy', even though Devon confirm this later on. For now, Devon seems to be the good guy.

As far as the writing goes, I love your vocabulary, especially in descriptions. They are fitting and make surroundings come alive. Personally, I would like a bit more spacing in between paragraphs; the format of this site may be the one to blame though.

I would like to learn who Alex is, aside from the situation she's found herself in. Is there no one around her who would have contacted her over the course of the days? No friend she would talk to about her sudden illness? What is she 'living' for at the moment, why did she even bother to accept Devon's help?

I'm also curious about the setting of this story. What place do vampires have in society, and how much did Alex know of them before she became one of them? What are the dangers to being a vampire, or, in Devon's case, hanging out with one? These are all questions that can be answered in the course of the story though, I am not asking them because I was expecting to find an answer in these early chapters :)

I hope this review has been helpful to you. I would enjoy to see where this story goes!
-Noa

ps. Respect for writing about vampires regardless of the Twilight hype!