Denial

It’s been five days since you were attacked by a vampire...It’s been three hours since you went into denial.

It’s been five days since you were attacked by a vampire

Sofia drew her coat closer around her, shuddering to fight away the chill. Every shadow looked threatening, every passer-by a dangerous thug. The moon scuttled behind the clouds, leaving only the old flickering streetlights to lead the way. Her steps echoed, the sound ominous in her frightened mind, and she quickened her pace.
It’s just an illusion; she chanted the mantra to herself, just a paranoid illusion. A hand encircled her mouth, cutting of a scream as she was dragged back into the shadows. She struggled, mind clouding as sharp needles pierced her throat.
The moon wandered back into view and Sophia dropped to her knees, pupils blown wide, panting. Alone.

 --

It’s been four days since you tried your first drop of blood

Curled on her sofa, blinds slammed shut, Sofia moaned and hissed. The mirror lay smashed where she had thrown it across the room, shaken from eyes drained red. A tabby dug at the door edge, frantic claws scritch-scratching, making Sofia’s ears ring. She shouted at the cat to stop; scritch-scratch, scritch-scratch.
The blessed silence that blanketed the room tempted Sofia’s eyes to slip open. Her damp tongue licked the last of the thick red iron coating her lips. She looked at the limp body of her pet.
And she screamed.

 --

It’s been three days since you were burned by the sun

Jonas came round; knocked on the door. Threatened to kick it down after the twelfth dismissal; worry coating his tone. She opened the door; wouldn’t let him in. He persuaded her to leave, get some fresh air, Sofia followed him reluctantly.
They reached the street corner, turned into the encroaching sunlight where before there had been only shadow. Her skin blisters at the heat, a quiet hiss leaving her as she flees back into the shadows. She turns away from Jonas, tells him she’s ill, that she needs rest. She strays thrice more into the burning suns reach before she returns to her apartment.
It’s only when she closes and locks the door behind her that she realizes she can’t remember when her teeth began to grow. She wonders if Jonas would have noticed.

 --

It’s been two days since your veins went dry

She paces the apartment, seeking, seeking. Her hands reach to clasp something, her nostrils flare as she searches. She turns the apartment upside down searching. She doesn’t find what she’s looking for.
Her tongue lies dry in her mouth; no amount of water seems to quench the desert. Her stomach roils and rumbles in complaint but the scent of food turns her sickened. She sees the scratches clawed into the bottom of the door and thinks, that’s what I need. She doesn’t understand the thought.

The phone rings. And rings. She picks it up. Jonas speaks on the other end and her hands clasp the air. She doesn’t answer, but she tears the device apart searching.

 --

It’s been one day since your friend told you he knew what you were

She lives in a cloud now, pacing, looking, digging, searching. Thumping against a wooden wall makes her pause. She goes to search the wall. Her hands reaching, grabbing. They clasp the wooden handle and pull. Pull. The door opens with a crack.
Meat. Red. Food.
Sofia pounces on it, yanking it to her mouth, licking the strong, glorious liquid down. The cloud grows clearer with each gulp and she’s lapping up the last drops, eyes watching the man behind the leg of bloodied meat. Jonas grapples with revulsion and relief; that she hadn’t sought the only live prey.
“Well…that proves it,” he stammers. Sofia watches him with red staining her teeth.

 --

It’s been three hours since you went into denial about being a vampire

She’s refusing to look at him. Wrong; he has to be wrong.
She’s naturally pale; that day was a heat-wave. It made her ill; the sickness clouded her mind for the past days. She’s been starving herself; he shoved the meat in her face.
Her mind drifts to the cat wrapped in towels and buried deep in her closet; she shakes her thoughts away from such lies.
Turning to watch him, her mind plots. He’s feeding her lies. He’s telling her myths. He’s driving her to doubt and question her own sanity, her own existence. But she can fix that. She can fix the problem.
He runs; she catches him before he leaves the building. Sinks deep; drinks her fill. She goes back to her apartment, through the broken door, perches on the upturned couch.
The cats been missing awhile; poor thing might be lost. She should go look for it, like a responsible owner. At night; everyone knows cats prefer the night. She thinks of her friend; wonders why Jonas hasn’t called.

Author's Note

What do you think of the layout; does the ending sound reasonable?

Reviews

[jlhaessly]

I liked it! Loved the format. And really liked the ending. Denial can be so powerful. Even if you are a vampire apparently.