Crimson

A Story by

A vampire is plagued by his curse and fights his new instincts in attempt to regain the life he lost.

Beautiful crimson rivers glided and pooled in the nape of her neck. I touched the stream lightly, altering its course. I shuddered as she let out an erotic groan. Licking the drops from my fingers I leaned in. Her skin smooth and as white as a full moon, she was fire beneath my tongue as I lapped the rest of the sweet poison hungrily. It slid down my throat, teasing my unquenchable thirst. Her breathing quickened, I could taste her desire. My lips lead me to the curve of her breast. I nuzzled into them, smelling the aroma of the rising blood beneath. Unbuttoning my shirt, her fingers lightly touching my skin, until she reached the hem of my pants. I clutched her waist, anticipating what was to come next. My lips parted to take in the flesh beneath them, but I quickly closed them once again. This wasn’t right. I couldn’t let this happen again. I leaned back releasing, her from my grip. Lucky woman, tonight I was in control of the beast that prowls within my soul. I closed my eyes, but quickly opened them in surprise as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me back to the source of the rivers I had created. Stupid woman, she has no idea what she is doing. She arched her back, wanting more no doubt. I winced as I realized the control I had before was now nonexistent.

Her screams were whispers in my ear, as I continued to suck the rivers dry. The thumping beneath my hand increased rapidly, struggling to replace what was no longer there. It took a matter of minutes, and when she was no longer useful to me, I stood over her. Her eyes gazed at the ceiling, her mouth slung open. The beautiful color that had played across her skin, teasing of the blood that hid below, that my kind found so irresistible in mortals was gone. Gone forever.

A slight smile crossed my face. The beast was satisfied, for now. I frowned, shaking my head. “Damn it!” I growled, “Damn it, damn it, damn it!” A five hundred year old vase unfortunately found itself flying to its doom. It shattered as its course was abruptly interrupted by the wall.

“F**k!” My eyes stung with the tears that would never come. Running my fingers through my disheveled hair, I paced the room. Avoiding the now dead woman lying entangled in the sheets, her back still arched as if still filled with pleasure.

“Such foul language,” my roommate, Luke, chuckled. I scowled at him, trying to burn him with my eyes. If he sensed my contempt he didn’t let on. He leaned against the door frame, a smug smile pasted on his face. “and in front of a lady too.” He crossed his arms lifting one eyebrow. My behavior after feeding was nothing new to him, nothing new to any of those who knew me. I knelt down and covered her face with the sheet. “Her name is�"“I swallowed hard “�"was, Caitlin.”

Luke crossed the room and began to pick up the shards of vase that freckled the floor. “Who gives a f**k? Who gives a f**k about anything other than, ‘was she good?’ There are too many of them anyway, they multiply every day. It’s like hunting; kill a few and save many. Why can’t your overactive conscious think of it that way?” The cool of his voice infuriated me to no end. He no longer had a beast inside him, he was the beast. I crossed myself and wrapped the rest of the body in a cocoon with an ease and expertise from years of practice. I winced as I realized tonight would be the night to take out “the trash”. Another night deep in the woods, burning bodies, getting rid of evidence.

“Did you have to take out your rage on this vase?” Luke grumbled, “I made this vase.” I glanced over and realized he was right. Before he was turned he had apprenticed as a potter, he became quite good at it. That is until he was sitting alone creating a bowl one night and a young vamp ended his potting career forever.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, though I cared next to nothing about his vase, “I didn’t realize.” I buttoned back my shirt and slowly lifted the cocoon. “Are you coming?” I asked over my shoulder as I made my way out of the house to the trailer hidden in the garage. Luke fallowed, dropping the remains of the vase into the trash as we left. The truck rattled and whined as we bounced through the woods, off the beaten path hidden by a slew of ‘no trespassing’ and ironically ‘beware of owner’ signs. I kept the lights off though it was the dead of night, my eyes well adjusted to the dark seeing all as if in the light of day, one of my many talents in becoming those who haunted the night. Silence fell between us like a cool breeze, comforting and familiar.

“She was a loud one huh?” He broke the silence quietly, keeping his gaze directed out into the night. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Like a brother he knew exactly what to say to get on my nerves. “I’m just saying, she sounded like fun.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I snapped, “let’s just get this over with.” We fell back into the comfort of silence for the remaining of the ride.

The stench of the rising smoke amongst the trees was sickening to our sensitive noses. We stood at a distance but knew better than to leave the pile before it was done smoldering. Evidence must be completely hidden, or it would be the end of us. Luke stood, leaning against a tree, staring at me as I mulled over what had happened earlier. I walked the small border of our clearing, circle after circle. It had been a three months since I had fed, she didn’t stand a chance. Only recently had I started tempting myself with mortals, with the unending effort to make myself more civilized. After forty years and numerous amounts of corpses, I was beginning to wonder if it was even possible at all.