In Memoriam

My God, My Tourniquet

It was a cold night and Rickey was outside, a long row of parked cars on either side of the street in front of him. It was late and everyone in the neighborhood was sleeping. He moved the aluminum bat in a small circle beside him, pulling it up him and looking at the cars with a gleam of devious intent in his eye. He moved from car to car, smashing every window in, every taillight and side mirror. Car alarms began to go off and house porch lights came on. He walked along the cars slowly when a black 1932 Ford Roadster caught his eye. "Oh, lovey." he said to himself, as he swaggered up to the car and gently moved his fingertips along the side. "You're coming with me." he said. People from the neighborhood began walking from their houses and into the streets. Rickey looked back at the crowd gathering and looking in his direction, then turned his attention the house closest to the Roadster turning their porch light on and opening the door. A middle aged woman in a robe came out onto the porch and Rickey began walking up to her. "Is that your car?" he asked her. The woman looked down at the aluminum bat in his hand and nodded. He gently grabbed her jaw and moved her face up for her eyes to meet his. "Keys." he said softly. The woman's breath caught in her throat. He moved close to her face, his lips nearly touching hers as she gasped for breath. He teased her, brushing his parted lips against hers, before pulling back and smiling manically as he held up the keys to the car he had taken from her robe pocket. "Gracias, mi amor." he said. He walked away from the woman with a smile on his face. The woman slowly dropped to the ground, feeling light-headed. The neighbors were whispering to each other, surrounding the Roadster. They began to back away as Rickey approached the vehicle. He looked at the terrified neighbors and turned to unlock the Roadster, stepping inside and starting the engine. He revved it as loud as possible, causing the people watching him to back away quickly and move out of his way, as he pulled away from the house and passed by the destroyed cars.

Rickey pulled up to the Shademoors Cemetery and stopped the car. He got out and immediately spotted a woman walking around the cemetery alone. He kept his eye on her and lifted his eyebrow slightly, half smiling and taking in her intoxicating scent from a distance. He began to walk around the car and toward her before stopping himself, remembering the run-in with the cemetery fairy that Ami seemed so eager to invite in. He squinted his golden eye and continued forward, reassuring himself that he would be safe, as their abilities didn't work on him. He kept himself at a distance, watching her walk around and touch the gravestones. Then, he noticed her drop something. He waited until she was further from him and walked over to where she was standing, picking up what she had dropped. It was a velvet navy blue scarf. He held it against his cold cheek, feeling the warmth and taking in the scent of lilies, looking up to see her wandering toward the cathedral. He flung the scarf over his shoulder and walked toward the cathedral behind her, catching sight of her long black gown that shimmered hues of blue in the moonlight, watching her enter the cathedral. "A good thing some myths are just myths." he whispered to himself, as he walked inside behind her. It was dark, lit only by candles placed throughout. Rickey looked around, seeing that it was beautiful inside, deep mahogany walls, floors and pews. He looked toward the front of the cathedral and saw the altar, a navy blue velvet cloth laying over it, golden candlesticks on either side and a large golden cross in the center of it. He looked to the wall beyond the altar, seeing an enormous crucifix. Then, looked to either side of him, before reaching over to dip his fingers in holy water and making the Sign of the Cross. The woman stayed silent, hidden in the dark, watching him from the shadows with curiosity. He walked up to the altar and looked at the cross, as if he were lost in a dream. He reached out and gently touched the base of the golden cross. "Father forgive me..." he whispered to himself. A woman's soft and kind voice spoke closely to his ear, whispering "What is your confession, my child?". He jumped and turned to look behind him but no one was there. A thin and pale arm reached out over the altar, snatching the velvet scarf he had flung over his shoulder. "This is mine." the woman said.

He turned quickly to see her standing on the other side of the altar. She looked down and back up to meet his shocked gaze. She was beautiful, tall and pale as the moonlight. Her black gown clung to her slender figure. Her eyes were solid black, no white sclera to be seen, shining like galaxies in the darkness. Long, black hair flowing in soft waves to her hips. Her full lips were painted black and glistened as she smiled at him, showing a pair of small sharp fangs. Rickey realized he was staring at her and shook his head. "Who are you?" he asked. "My name is Abigail." she said quietly. He looked down and furrowed his brows in confusion, certain he had heard the name before, then looked back up at her. "I was just-" he began to say. "Following me." she said, finishing his sentence. He drew in a deep breath, preparing to explain himself, but she lifted her hand. "It's alright." she said. He felt himself smile slightly, strangely comfortable in her presence. He picked up on the scent of lilies again and watched her smile fade slightly. A feeling of dizziness washed over him and he looked up, confused, to the giant crucifix on the wall. "It's not the crucifix...Father." she said. He looked back at her, just as she reached out and grabbed him by the front of his neck, dragging him partially across the altar with ease. She turned him over and laid him against her chest, pulling his head back onto her shoulder by his hair. Rickey felt panicked but could do nothing, looking up again at the crucifix, as he heard the golden cross and candles clatter to the floor. The woman opened her mouth as her fangs grew longer, quickly coming down and piercing his neck. He kept his sight fixed on the crucifix, as his vision began to fade and blur, blood quickly leaving his body. He heard the echoing sound of her drinking his blood, draining him quickly. A sudden loud noise rang sharply throughout the cathedral and Rickey felt himself drop onto the altar. The last thing he saw was a different woman looking down at him with her green eyes, a bloodied sword laying upright against her shoulder, before his vision faded to black.