ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN

A vampire tale.

    The vampire bit at her long slightly curved talon, one she had only a short while ago painted a lovely cherry red. One of her fangs clipped away a chip of paint. Frowning the vampire eyed the greyish color now exposed with distaste. She sighed.

     She was hungry, so very hungry for blood and she hated that. She hated this seemingly unending need for blood. Human blood. She wondered not for the first time why she couldn't survive on animal blood. Killing animals for their blood wouldn't at all make her feel guilty. Killing an animal to survive wouldn't make her feel horrible about herself. Why should it? As a human being she hadn't felt bad about eating chicken, bacon, steaks, lamb chops or hamburger.

     Jeric, her vampire maker, had tried to explain it when she had woken as a vampire. And it was his fault she was a vampire, the creep. She hated him for what he'd done to her, made her a blood thirsty killer.

    She could even now hear his deep, rough voice droning on and on, telling her stuff she just didn't want to hear. It was like his voice was always haunting her in her head: “Jennifer, you need human blood. Animal blood is lacking in nutrients vampires need. It will not sustain you. You will starve, growing sicker and weaker and eventually you'll shrivel and suffer endless agony, being too weak by then to change your situation. You won't die, you understand, but be trapped and very alert in a dried up dead like husk. Do you want that to happen to you Jennifer?”

     Jennifer sighed. She knew Jeric wasn't lying to her. All these months later Jennifer knew the truth of his words. She had tried to survive on animal blood and had experienced the end result. All she had to do was look in a mirror and see that she was, indeed, starting to shrivel and look very old. And she could feel the weakness invading her body too. No, it wasn't like human aging, more like a plant dying at the end of its life cycle, just withering away.

     Horrified at what was happening to her Jennifer had turned back to drinking fresh human blood, trying very hard not to kill her human victims. But once she had her fangs in a human's throat or somewhere else on their body she found it impossible to stop drinking their blood. Mostly she ended up draining them dry. Or she did stop short from draining them dry but ended up taking too much blood and they died anyway. Either way her victims never survived her assault.

     Jennifer watched the young healthy human male about a block away heading somewhere on foot. She was hungry and he looked mighty tasty. The scent of his blood on the night air was so intoxicating, it smelled so good. How was she to fight the temptation of it? What do I do? What do I do? She knew she had lost the battle before it even started.

     I don't want to kill humans anymore. I can't live with myself being a monster. I can't live with myself being a killer. Jennifer wanted to weep but she couldn't. She felt like a starving predator who has scented prey and the hunger takes control, taking away any will that she had.

     I will not kill him. I will stop before I take too much of his blood. She was closing in fast on her target. The chilly spring night was like a cloak about her, keeping her presence hidden from her prey. She moved silently and swiftly, the few humans on the sidewalk hardly noticed her passage. She only had eyes for him, deadly eyes.

     Jennifer fought for control as the guilt claimed her like it always did just before she struck. She felt it twisting her gut. I will not kill. I will not kill. My soul is already damned. If I keep on killing I will never know redemption. God will never forgive me.

     She started to growl, a soft growling deep in her chest. Her desperate need for nourishment pushing away her rational thinking. She was hungry, so hungry. God forgive me. Jesus Christ forgive me. I can't help myself. I need food. I am starving. I need the food.

     The man the vampire was stalking didn't sense her approach. He didn't feel her move up behind him. He was deep in his own thoughts, had his own concerns clouding his mind. He didn't know a starving beast was just behind him. He didn't know glowing red eyes were trained on him, preparing to strike, to take him down. He pulled out his cell phone to send a quick text to a friend to let her know he was standing outside her apartment and was waiting for her to let him in.

     Jennifer lunged forward and knocked the cell phone out of his hand before he had a chance to send the text. It hit the pavement with a loud cracking sound.

    “Hey!” The man cried in shock and outrage. He started to turn to confront the creep who had knocked his cell phone out of his hand. He never completed the turn. He felt powerful arms pulling him backwards. Those arms closed about him, holding him in place. He cried out again as he was easily carried into deep shadows at the back of the apartment building.

     Seeing a hazy red mist superimposed over everything, feeling only her need for blood now Jennifer sank her fangs into the man's throat and started feasting. She held her prey so tightly in place he couldn't struggle. With quiet sucking sounds she drained him dry. When she was finished he was a dried withered vessel looking like he'd been dead for many months.

     She shoved the remains of her meal into nearby heavy shrubbery, knowing it would be a while before it was discovered. There would be no evidence he was drained by a vampire. It would be a mystery that wouldn't be solvable.

Jennifer hurried away, feeling remorse and guilt quickly flooding her. “Forgive me God. I was so hungry. I needed to eat. I know my soul is damned.” She whispered.

     “Jennifer. Jennifer. Jennifer.” Jeric said. He had come upon her without her knowing. “Stop with all this guilt. It makes you weak. You didn't even know I was nearby watching you.”

     “No I didn't.” Jennifer fought the blood tears pooling in her eyes. She didn't want crimson streaks on her cheeks. It would only make her feel more shame. “I am damned. You damned my soul by making me a vampire.”

     “No, I did not Jennifer. I made you a god! A god above humans.” Jeric said. “It's about time you started acting like one. Stop being weak. Don't make me regret turning you into a goddess.”

    Jennifer laughed, “I am not a goddess. I am a monster.”

    Jeric growled, “Be that which you so desire then Jennifer. Be a monster! I've had enough of listening to you whine and complain all the time. You make me sick.” With an angry snarl he lashed out at her, his talons ripping into her flesh. “You are damned by your own choice.”

    Jennifer fell to the pavement, bleeding out her life. “Die! Jennifer, die! You hate yourself so much so then I will end your immortal existence. You can't starve to death but I can end your brief immortal life as I am your maker. I made you and I can unmake you. So die Jennifer!”

    Jennifer lay crumbled on the sidewalk feeling herself rapidly dying. Suddenly fear washed into her body. She realized she didn't hate herself so much that she wanted to really die. She didn't really want to die, not at all, she wanted to live! Suddenly being a vampire seemed better than death. True terror at facing her death overcame her guilt and remorse at killing humans. “Please Jeric! I'm sorry! Don't let me die! I want to be a goddess! I do! Really I do!”

     Jeric stood looking down at her with cold red eyes. “If I save you no more talk of being a monster? No more talk of your soul being damned? You will start to appreciate the gift I have given you? The gift of immortality. You will appreciate the power over humans that you have?”

     “No more talk of being a monster, of my soul being damned. I will love being a goddess, of having power over humans.” Jennifer whispered. She was already feeling death stealing her life vitality, leaving her weak and numb. It made her feel terrified for herself.

     Smiling, Jeric went down on his knees beside her and bit his wrist. He held the bleeding wound to her mouth. “You know what to do Jennifer.”

     Yes she did. Holding his wrist weakly to keep it steady she closed her lips over the wound and drank his blood. The healing was quick. In a few short minutes all sensation of death in her body was gone. She felt strong and powerful again. Jennifer got to her feet. Jeric stood up beside her and waited. His wrist was already healed. “Thank you, thank you God and Jesus Christ for helping me see the error of my ways. I am not damned, my soul is not damned. I am a vampire, made in your image to be a goddess amongst your human children. I will treat them as you created them to be treated as lesser beings to your special children, the vampires, the gods and goddesses.” She smiled at Jeric who smiled back at her in return.

     “Now you understand.” Jeric said.

     “Yes I do Jeric. I truly do understand. I will enjoy the power you have given me to its fullest. You will be proud of me.”

     Arm and arm they wandered off into the shadowy night, fading away like so much mist into the darkness.

Reviews

[Black Cat Fever]

Very enjoyable vampire tale. Not hard to read at all, lots of action and it gets to the point quickly.

[Star Wolf]

I really found this to be an excellent vampire. Awesome and different than most vampire stories. :)

[Wolf's Dark Song]

Really good vampire story. Even vampires will toe the line so not to be terminated.

[etxcp]

Really amazing! Impressive!!!!!!! Write on!!!!!!!!!

[Eric Cox]

Cool. Uniquely your pen, I think you do an amazing job on your stories, keep writing!