The Temptation

Death is not my friend today.

Part 2 - Jay Ridge

As I lay in the cold, desolate, dirty, cobbled street. I feel the freezing grasping fog envelop me as I slip into deaths icy embrace. Behind my eyes, I see the lost souls I have taken playing out like a macabre moving picture. A stark reminder of the bloody carnage I once bought into this world - their decaying, clawing hands trying to drag me to my hell. I hear the deafening screams chanting my name as I slip further and further down the bloodied slope towards my existence coming to an end. I've often wondered if death would feel like a welcome relief, but right now I crave my life, well, whatever life this is - amongst the creatures of the night.

I start to feel a disgusting sensation and the sound of a rat gnawing on the tip of my finger - how can I feel when I am dying? Am I stuck between my so-called life and death? I was sure 'she' had ended my life as she bit into my cold flesh and the lifeless blood poured from me. Do I dare try and open my eyes, fear grips me? How ironic - I am the merciless killer yet here I am laying here feeling emotions usually devoted only to my prey. My heightened senses are on high alert as I cast my sonar like ability to map the street in my mind, looking for any shapes or movements that could indicate the location of my would-be killer.

I squint through half-closed eyelids, I am unaware of how long my slumber in the afterlife has been but the cursed sun hasn't started to rise as yet, much to my relief. I can barely move, every bit of strength I used to have feels drained and I feel, dare I say it - mortal, Just that image disgusts me. I use what strength I have to crawl to a nearby drain entry. As I pull myself along the wretched dirty cobbles I see my hands - They are thin, veiny and look old and weak - From this, I know my state is desperate and I need to feed. I slither myself into a sewer opening and fall a fair few feet to the liquid waste of humans below. It covers me in its rancid stench. I lay there for a minute touching my once beautiful face; it feels gaunt, skeletal even, my eye sockets sunken, skull-like. I feel the flesh around my mouth - my lip has receded revealing my teeth and gums. I can feel the outline of my skull. It must be visible. My hair feels missing in places. My insides shake with anger at my unexpected desecration - I must have been close to death but why wasn't I dead? What mysterious power has saved me? Or maybe it just wasn't my time.

I chuckle to myself - maybe a desperate plea to my fragile sanity? I'm alive, well I am existing anyway and that's something. I listen to the darkness around me, craving flesh of any kind and I hear the footsteps of food - not my usual South London cuisine but right now I can't be picky - I roll on to my front and submerge myself in the faeces I lay in - I can't use my speed or strength now so it's back to basics. I lay as still as I can feeling the vibrations around me, using my senses to know when to strike. Closer and closer it comes - the vibrations almost deafen my senses. I feel almost overwhelmed with pain as I strike upwards and grab the scruff of the furry meal that awaits. What do we have here? A feline feast is hissing and clawing in my general direction - she looks utterly delicious but alas I have a soft spot for cats and even as desperate as I am, I cannot bring myself to eat the fellow hunter of the night. I place her down gently and strike to my side, grabbing a scurrying rat by its fleshy tail. Damn, is this what I've become? The cat I released is looking at me with wanting eyes, she is also hungry, but alas this is my feast. I sink my teeth into the squealing rodent with a crunch, there is barely enough blood to quench my thirst but every warm molecule that touches my palate is healing my decrepit and ridiculous state. I kneel to the cat and give her what's left.
'I will call you Fang' I chuckle to myself again, at least my humour isn't dead. Fang curls herself around my leg, purring as she looks at me with light blue eyes. It's a strange comfort for me in this darkest of times - I guess we stick to our kinds, killers of the twilight realm.

'Ha ha ha ha how pathetic!' the words that I hear echoing around the sewer strike fear into me once again, as I turn to face my wannabe killer in the darkness, just beyond my reach. She moves closer and I can see her eyes glowing red and her lips are still stained with my blood. She lunged towards me with frightening speed, almost like a blur and grabs Fang.

'You are not what I was expecting' she hisses, she snapping Fangs neck and drops her corpse onto the vile shit covered floor with a dull thin. Her once beautiful eyes are now dark and lifeless.

'Now then Larond, shall we get down to business?'