Blood of the Thorn

2

After I had accepted my fate, I laid myself down on a nearby stone bench that sat before an elaborate Mausoleum. The large structure was shielding some of the night breeze that was flowing through the air. The whiskey did provide some false comfort for my cold skin, but it also made my head a bit dizzy, and I needed to take a quick rest. I closed my eyes and thought of the haunting tune to the ballet of Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky, one of my old favorites. The orchestra playing in my head provided some comfort and I had felt the best that I had in a long time.

After a while I sat up and felt like doing something a little reckless, something to make me feel alive. I needed to get off. My eyes darted around the area to make sure no one was watching. I started to touch myself through the thin fabric of my black baby doll dress, my hands moving over the leather harness on my waist and then the curves of my body as they made their way closer to the top of my thighs.

Suddenly I felt the air around me get even more chilly, and I froze. Something seemed off, I felt as if I was being watched. My eyes scanned the shadows and after a few seconds I saw a silhouette propped against the side of the Mausoleum in front of me.

My heart was beating fast for almost getting caught touching myself in a public place, let alone a graveyard. I could feel my cheeks getting warm from the blood rising to them. I couldn't see the person very well since they were hidden well in the shadows. Had they been hiding there long? How long had they been standing there watching me?

I cleared my throat and spoke, "Um, hello."

The person didn't move at all, still as a statue. I waited for them to respond but nothing was said. I suddenly felt uneasy, hoping that I hadn't stumbled upon some creep. Then again, I was in a cemetery on Halloween night...it was VERY likely that this person would fall under the creep category.

I decided that my smartest move was to be bold, show no fear, "Are you going to come out of the shadows? Or are you just going to hide like a freak?"

The person laughed a dark and deep sinister laugh and spoke with an equally low voice, "A freak huh? Now I could say that you seem very "freak" like yourself. Or is this look you have on a Halloween costume?"

I scowled, angry that someone would dare comment on my appearance. I had worked too hard to prove myself to let anyone tear me down based off my appearance, "No it's not a costume, this is how I dress, and I could care less what some lowlife thinks about it."

There was that sinister laugh again, it sent chills down my spine.

"Whoa, relax my dear", they stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight, "I am definitely NOT one to judge."

My mouth fell so far open that I was sure my jaw was touching the ground. He was a young man, likely about thirty years old, and he was the most attractive man I had seen in a while, maybe seen ever. He was tall and lean, looking very physically fit. He wore black skinny jeans paired with low black combat boots and a leather jacket that seemed to be splatter painted in red. The jacket was open, and his pale bare chest and torso were softly glowing in the moonlight. He had a black tattoo covering his neck up to his jaw and the top of his chest. He was too far away for me to make out the design. His long black hair was covering most of his face, but I could make out that his face was painted with makeup to look like a skull.

I tried to close my jaw, but that seemed to be more difficult than I expected. The whiskey I had running though my veins was not helping me keep my composure.

"I-I", I stopped to take a breath, then shook my head a bit to get back into focus and try to ignore the sudden sexual attraction I had towards this stranger before me, "Gee, sorry you took me by surprise a bit, you were definitely not what I expected to find here tonight. Nice makeup by the way.", I spoke with a smile, somewhat acting like my typical self.