A Willing Sacrifice

A story of Turning

I waited inside the steamy truck, watching the rain splatter the windshield with unrelenting force. My thin lips trembled as I took deep, hurried breaths, fogging up the cold windows. I swore I wasn’t having doubts. How could I? I drove for hours through this heavy rain without rest. I watched the sun rise and fall through my windows… how could I back out now? I loosened the viper grip I had on my steering wheel, clunking my head against it with a long sigh. My long, rain-slicked hair fell around me, hiding my face in a veil of honey. I shuddered, ran my hand up and down my shoulders for warmth. I wasn’t really cold; it was just nerves. I lifted my head and my blue eyes widened; staring across the pavement to the shack they dared call a bar.

 

The bar looked like a young boy’s club house, built from wood and scraps of metal. It was unfriendly. But what was I expecting, a welcome mat? A sign hung crooked with the words “Duncan’s Ale House” painted on in stained red. There were lights on inside, the glow spilling out the windows to light the place in an eerie manner. Lightning split the sky, and I jumped in my seat, heart racing. The low rumble of thunder followed. Remember, I told myself, why you are here. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, blocking out the rain. Opening them again, I gazed at the shack with purpose.

 

I turned off my truck, pulling the hood of my sweat jacket over my head as I slid out. The rain pounded on me as soon as I was outside, determined to get me more soaked than I had ever been. Luckily, my jacket was thick and I only had a little ways to run. I slammed the black door shut and quickly locked it. My boots landed in every puddle as I bolted for the door. It was unlocked and I pushed it open, revealing a tiny, run-down place.

 

Everything was made of wood, even the three unoccupied tables that took up most of the room. There were bowls and cups spread out about the place, catching stray droplets that slipped through the ceiling. The bar was to my left, and a beautiful woman was humming to herself, cleaning a glass. Her hair was a cascade of rich ebony down her back and her face was the color of ivory. Her skin was flawless, while my pale skin was blotchy and veiny. Her eyes were small, like the rest of her delicate features, but her eyes were sharp and the color of the moon. “You are here for something,” She stated. Her red lips formed an amused smile.

 

“I… I am looking for the one called Badriya.” I said, shivering.

 

“I am she,” The woman replied, confidently. She left the bar, her black hair swinging with her hips, as she took a seat at one of the tables. She gestured for me to sit down. “If you have been searching me out, then you must know what I am.”

 

“Yes,” I whispered, looking away. I wasn’t scared of her. It was more like… I was embarrassed. She was so beautiful, a goddess carved of marble, and I looked like the frumpy college girl still going through puberty. I expected this beauty, but it always stung at the first meeting. “I need help and only you can do that.”

 

“Oh?” Badriya exclaimed, leaning on her hand.

 

 “Do you know of a man called G-Geddy?” I asked, gulping. Oops. I had forgotten to use his full name.

 

She grinned, “Gedeminas, you mean?”

 

“Yes,” I squeaked. She said it so regally, with syrup in her voice.

 

“Then you must be Arely,” She murmured, “Gedeminas had spoken so much about you… the human that won his affections.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked me over, noticing the bags under my eyes, their redness, and the sagging way I sat in my seat. She frowned, “But that was a long time ago.”

 

“It’s been three months since he left me,” I confessed, looking down at my folded hands. They turned purple as I squeezed them. “H-He said… oh… everything was going so great. He no longer thirsted for my blood as badly… he could handle being around me. Geddy was there when I finally opened my restaurant… that night, he promised me that he would never leave my side.”

 

Badriya listened solemnly.

 

I took a few breaths, calming my erratic heart. I saw Geddy in my mind’s eye, clapping with the others as I cut the red ribbon. As tall as a tree, he stood out from the rest, a graceful being with a smoldering stare. He was built like a god, strong but lean, his skin as smooth as cream. His hair was a tousled mess of chocolate, light and silky. As cold as he naturally was, for a vampire, he always felt warm when I was held by him. Gedeminas… I never liked saying his full name – it was too regal for me. Geddy made him sound silly, knocked him down a peg. I was the only one who used that name. He used to chuckle when he heard me say it.

 

“What happened?” Badriya asked, bringing me back. The pitter patter of the rain filled the space between us. Her frown was still there.

 

“I had never been so happy until I met him. I loved him more than anything… he was my life. So you have to understand,” I stammered, “how I felt when he l-left me. It was fast, a blur in my memory. However, I can still remember his reasoning. He… he told me that he had been leading me on. His voice was so cold. He said he had only meant to be a friend to me, to watch me as I grew old. Watch me, and try to experience what he could not. He never planned for me to fall in love with him. When he said those things, I could not believe it. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to believe…no… I knew he was lying.”

 

Her eyes widened.

 

My eyes began to burn, and I hastily rubbed at them. “Geddy’s eyes… told me a different story. I could always read him like a book when I saw them. Before he could look away, I was sadness and regret. Somehow, he had convinced himself that this course of action was best. He lied to get rid of me. He walked out on me and I tried to chase after him.” I rolled my eyes, “Of course, I couldn’t.”

 

“Do you understand why Gedeminas did that?” She asked, quietly. Her eyes burned mine.

 

“No,” I whispered, wiping away a tear.

 

“Did you ask him to turn you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Badriya sighed, running a hand through her dark curls. “That is why.”

 

“What?” I asked; I could feel my forehead creasing. “I know he didn’t want to turn me, but I insisted –

”

 

“Gedeminas is too weak,” She said, rolling her own perfect eyes. She smiled, but it was not a nice one. It gave me shivers. “Some vampires let their personal feelings get in the way; they are the weak ones. He could have turned you, but he was afraid that you would regret your choice.”

 

“No!” I yelled, slamming my hands on the table. Badriya was unaffected, watching me coolly with her silver eyes. I stood up quickly, knocking over my wooden seat. It rattled loudly as it hit the ground, but I hardly noticed it. I was in rage. “I told him that I would not miss being a human,” I hissed. I thought I had convinced him of this; I thought he left me for other reasons. Sure, I just opened a new restaurant… but I could stay there a few more years before selling it off. I could still taste the food I’d make, even if it wouldn’t fill my belly. I could live off of hospital blood, animal blood, like Geddy – I wouldn’t be forced to kill like the vampires of old. Most of all, I would be surrounded by Geddy’s love, the only thing my heart required of me. My blazed blue gaze landed on Badriya. I shouted, “Please, turn me!”

 

“Arely,” She warned, a purr to her voice.

 

“I mean it!” I bellowed, getting braver, “That is why I came to find you!”

 

She stood up from her seat and stared down at me, her mind processing things I could hardly imagine.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re one of the weak ones,” I mocked, temper simmering.

 

“Hardly,” She said flatly. She frowned, “I could do it… but it will be painful. Can you take that?”   

 

“Yes,” I hissed, trying to burn holes with my liquid blue stare. Geddy had told me about turning, just to quench my curiosity. He probably secretly hoped I would never want to do it. As soon as the first bite hits the human, a ripcord, so to speak, is pulled. What is supposed to be numbing pleasure turns to pain. It rumbles through the body, as cold as ice and hot as fire. Burning and freezing through the body. With the will of the vampire, the human starts to change. It was a long and grueling process and could last weeks. Every human was different. I hoped mine would be swift. Nothing, I thought, could be worse than the pain I feel now. It was like there was gaping hole where my heart used to be. Whether me knew it or not, he ripped it out of me when he left. I wanted it back. I wanted him back. I would do what I had to. This was the final straw.

 

“There is no turning back, quite literally,” She warned, chuckling at her play on words. Then she looked… looked honestly concerned for me. “He could have been telling the truth,” She whispered, “He might not take you back.”

 

“I made my decision… long before this,” I said, quietly. “Now I’m finally getting it done. I’m ready.” I had planned it all out. I already knew how I would survive in the human world, already knew how I would come to Geddy. This was the first to a new life… I was ready to make it. I tugged on my sweatshirt, pulling it over my head. Then, I stretched my T-shirt’s collar, eyes never leaving hers.

 

“Here,” I said, baring my neck. “Let’s do this.”

 

Badriya’s eyes turned from silver to steel, and she effortlessly lugged me in her arms. She brought me to the back of the bar, to a cot I hadn’t noticed before. She laid me down in it, with my hand still pulling back the collar. She released my hand and ripped the top of the shirt so that she had to hold nothing away. She smiled down at me, serious but proud, her red lips shining. The sharp teeth underneath glimmered too. “Do not give up, Arely,” She whispered, brushing back my hair, “I want to be the first to welcome you… to your new life.” I nodded, and closed my eyes. She held me down, fingernails digging, and brought her lips to my pale neck.

 

Another second… and she bit.   

      

Author's Note

It's back!

Reviews

[C.m.v]

wow, this was excellent!!! I had no idea what Arely's purpose was...very interesting!
You do a really good job when it comes to description. really good.
Badriya was a well written character...menacing, yet intriguing.
What I really really want to know is if Geddy and Arely will be reunited onc she is turned?
Will he take her back? Is there more to the story? Tell me! I can keep a secret! Just ask Sarabeara! lol

[Jaeda]

This is a really good one. It's not so cliche like all the other kinds of books out recently; Twilight and Nightworld. They have gotten a bit overplayed and tiring. It was a refreshing read!

[Pauline Ramsey]

I love the names of the characters and this looks like an interesting story. I'm a vamp fanatic! :D

[Janie Lee]

I think it is fairly good, keep at it. It reminds me of sci-fi fantasy and that is what it is, it shows and doesn't just tell so that is good also. Keep working.

[Fantasyfairy]

wow, I read the turning first, so I had to come back and read this one, amazing detail, it really makes the story come to life. I want to read more, are there any other parts to this wonderful story? Very well written, You become a part of the story and thats half of the trick of winning the reader over. Well done.

[Ice Queen of the Vampir..]

Wonderfully written!!

[:)]

Wow. The descriptions in this story were amazing! The beginning caught my attention and it was just one of the parts I really liked. Especially this one: { I waited inside the steamy truck, watching the rain splatter the windshield with unrelenting force. My thin lips trembled as I took deep, hurried breaths, fogging up the cold windows.} It was so detailed yet made everything animated and it felt like I could be there. Your story was 'alive' in a way. Good job!

[Alistair Canlin]

Rain is always a favourite tool of mine to use in dercriptions, it conjours up many images and you used those images well. You managed to capture a great sense of both loss and forboding in just the mood of the peice.
There was one thing that left me a little disapointed, I think you missed a trick on describing the changing, the pain, the hurt, the hunger, the images. It could have been a really great chance to let rip.
Overall I liked the story, it felt like part of a larger story, which is could because it made me want to know more.

[Kelley Pascoe]

WOW this kept my heart beating faster and faster! I loved how you told this story and how you explained the pain a human would go through to become a vampire. Great story!! Thanks for sharring. I don't think she will get him this way but I might be wrong.
Kelley Frost