Tracing Lines of Red

Tracing Lines of Red (chapter 10)

We were walking through the forest. Roots were huge and branches hung down low, sometimes hitting you in the face or snagging on your clothes. If you weren't careful, you'd be tripping and falling over at every step. It was tedious work. Of course, having night vision was great. I don't know how Shadow managed to manuever every single tree. It's like he knew it so well, he didn't need night vision.

Suddenly, Raven disappeared. One second, he was there. The next, gone. Behind me, Shadow crashed into me and we both fell.

"Get off!" I pushed him off of me. "It's a test. Stay calm."

"I think you're the one least calm." A voice said behind me. What? I hadn't even sensed him or anything. I spun around, throwing a punch. He grabbed my fist and suddenly pulled me to him, twisting my arm behind my back. His other hand came over my eyes.

"When one of your senses is taken away, the other four instantly kick into overdrive to make up for it. Now listen. Keep your eyes closed. I'll know if you open them. I will attack you. I want you to use all your other senses to stop me from hurting you."

He was gone again. I closed my eyes, listening. I could hear Shadow breathing nearby. His heartbeat was slow and steady. He seemed calm. I heard wildlife. Birds, rabbits, squirrels. Even a distant coyote somewhere. It was a quiet night. No wind, no breeze, yet the cold seeped in somehow. Or maybe I was just nervous.

I heard a light footstep and a whoosh of wind. He jumped! He's coming from above! I swiped my hand out, but my fingers only met a leaf drifting down slowly. While I was puzzling over the leaf, I heard another set of footsteps, barely audible. I stood still, pretending I hadn't heard it. A small blast of wind shot past me. Then I heard it. The sound of a heartbeat. Of blood pumping through veins.

Why didn't I realize sooner? I'm a vampire. I shouldn't be listening for the sounds a person makes, like footsteps. I should be listening to their blood. Instead of standing here waiting, I shot forward for the sound of the heartbeat, holding my own breath. And I was upon him, taking him by surprise. I aimed for the throat, my fangs ready.

Shadow wasn't wrong. Vampires are monsters. Animals hunting on instinct and desire. But most importantly, instinct. We had animal ways of hunting that came naturally. So all we had to do is to let that monster take over.

Of course, I wasn't the only monster around here. I was swatted away but I landed on my feet, ready to attack again. Suddenly I felt fingertips pressing into my upper stomach, below my heart. I stepped back, realizing what he was about to do. But it was too late. I was stabbed once again, feeling his arm go all the way through. Then his arm slid out. Waving his arm, my blood splattered everywhere. I heard a gasp come from Shadow somewhere behind me. I'm guessing my blood landed on him.

I sank to my knees, holding my hands over the gaping hole that just wouldn't stop spilling blood. I coughed, choking on my own blood.

"This won't kill you if you heal yourself. And if you're tired of it, why don't you get your revenge?"

I was in no condition to be getting revenge. I managed to stop the bleeding but I couldn't heal anymore. I had run out of energy. I finally opened my eyes to see Raven towering over Shadow.

"What's wrong? Does all the blood bring back memories? The way I just attacked Marie, does that frighten you? Do you remember how your family was killed?"

Shadow just sat there, his head in his knees. I could hear his heart beating faster, his breathing becoming ragged and shallow.

"Do we scare you? Are we bad vampires? Scary? Terrifying? Are you scared yet?" Raven grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him to his feet. He shoved his hand on his face, my blood getting everywhere.

I realized with a start, that Shadow was crying. The tears mixed in with the blood, blending together.

"Well?" Raven screamed in his ears. "Are you shaking in fear yet?"

Raven's fist connected with his jaw, sending him stumbling back. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back in. He then began to drink his blood.

The smell of human blood was unbearable. I forced myself to heal the rest of my wound. It was a weird sensation, feeling the flesh sew back together, the damaged organs and broken bones fixing themselves in a matter of seconds. I nearly passed out from the effort. Now I was really low on energy and the smell of my blood and Shadow's blood wasn't helping.

I heard a strange growling noise. Then I realized it came from me. I saw Shadow flinch; I had never seen him so vulnerable before. It snapped me out of my hunger crazed state.

I backed up quickly, my back slamming into a tree. I sank to the ground, gripping my throat tightly. Everything was red, completely drenched in red. I could feel my fangs, huge and sharp. Each breath I took was laced with pain, a burning in my throat that couldn't possibly be satisfied.

"Are you scared yet?" Raven repeated cruelly, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Stop...." I choked out. I got to my feet and started walking forward. Shadow flinched again.

"Don't hurt me.... I don't want to die.... I'm scared!" Shadow jumped up and started running. Why was he acting like this? He was always so strong. So why now?

I already knew.

I ran after him, easily catching up. I pushed him up against a tree and stared into his eyes. He stared back, probably mesmerized by the glowing blood red color.

"Yes, we are scary, Shadow. You should be afraid." I said. I leaned forward and let my fangs brush against his neck. Almost losing control, I quickly pulled back. "But you said it yourself. You trust me. Remember that. I won't hurt you. No matter what happens to me. I'll kill myself before I hurt you. This world isn't full of just bad vampires. So snap out of it and be yourself again."

The clouded fear in his eyes slowly faded as he realized what was going on.

"Raven messed with my mind. It's another vampire power. He pulled up memories and had me convinced you would kill me. You...." he paused, staring at me. "You just used that power on me. To make me calm down."

I slowly pulled away from him. I barely had the energy to stop myself from ripping Shadow's neck apart but I had the energy to manipulate his mind? Of course, as soon as I thought that, the hunger came back worse than ever. I spun around, facing away from him. I slammed my head into a tree to distract myself. I felt blood leak down my face.

All I wanted was for that blood to run down my throat. To feel my fangs piercing skin. To hear myself suck it out of the vein. To soak in that blood forever.

I slammed my head into the tree again. I heard a loud crack and I looked up. A long crack ran along the trunk of the tree. I turned back to Shadow.

"I'm sorry." I managed to say before I ran away.

To get as far away as possible. To distance myself from the wonderful scent of blood. To go crazy with hunger and longing and pure desire. Until it could finally be satisfied.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE- I know I post a lot of chapters quickly but I'll always have several weeks in between them. So you can probably expect the next chapters in a few weeks.