The Price of Immortality

A Voice offers immortality, who'd have thought there would be a catch?

I close my eyes as the blade slashes across the young man’s throat, warm blood gushing over the alley wall. I let the body fall to the ground and set about the ritual which drives my compulsion.

Three days since the Voice first spoke to me, three since my first kill and this is the fourth victim. I lay the body out on the ground, cleave my curved blade into his chest, expertly cutting round the heart and removing it intact.

Holding my prize in one gore stained hand, I snake my tongue out past pointed teeth, the first taste was always the sweetest, savoring the flavour for the pain of metamorphosis which would come after.

Four days ago I had a normal life, a job, a wife and child, they had been the first to die. I pictured their faces as I consumed the heart but I felt no regret, I had to pay the price for my immortality. Twelve hearts to be consumed, which was the price the Voice demanded, and with each one new alterations of my form occurred. First my teeth, my claws came next, the third heart had given me acute night vision. I shivered as I considered what would be next, the shiver becoming a convulsion, spasms wracking my body as the gift took hold.

My muscles bulged and thickened, my legs and chest becoming more powerful, the scream from my throat like a feral roar and I fled into the night. I had to hunt my next prey.

Rushing through the night I explored my new found power, bounding to ledges and trees. I hear it then, sounds of something following me. I pause in the shadows and there I spy them, spirits in the dark rushing towards me, fire and ice in their eyes and a wailing scream on their lips.

The Voice had warned me of this challenge, that as my power grew I would draw to me beings which sought to stop me. Ha! They would not catch me, I who had been promised power above all men, I would escape these seekers and find my next sacrifice.

But I could not escape, they were fast, closing down on me their terrible screams filling my ears. I would have to try to fight, the Voice told me I was not ready yet but I was too exposed out here. As I reached the end of the road I turn, bared my teeth and roared at the seekers, their terrible eyes blinding me with fire and I leapt…

 

 

Officer McCarthy stepped out of his car, the young Officer with him was shaking and pale as he followed.

They had had reports of a homeless man covered in blood running around the park screaming and waving a knife and had rushed over, full lights and sirens blaring. It had not taken long to find him but he fled as soon as they came into sight and they were forced to give pursuit. What had possessed him to stop and attack the cars like that?

McCarthy was a little shaken himself, he could not stop in time to avoid hitting the man and now he was laying there in the road, dead. The ambulance would be here soon but McCarthy lent in to check for a pulse, it was then he saw the teeth and recoiled. His bloodied mouth was full of brown teeth, filed into points and above them blood shot and hugely dilated pupils in eyes which seemed almost black. Ah so it was drugs them, always the drugs.

The car radio burst into life and McCarthy went over to answer it, the young Officer walked round to look at the body.

After a brief conversation McCarthy hung up the radio “Looks like they found another body missing a heart, not half a mile from here, I reckon our guy here might be who they are looking for”

The young Officer, knelt by the side of the body closing the eyes, did not respond.

“What you reckon he wanted with the hearts anyway?” McCarthy asked the world in general, walking over to the body once more.

 

The young Officer spun, grabbing the knife and stabbing up through McCarthy’s stomach, his eyes were black… “I just need twelve of them” he hissed, and McCarthy’s world went dark.

Author's Note

Written for the Mortify Me competition.