Christmas Consort

Chasing Blood

Lara's car was in much better shape than she was. Her chest hit the steering wheel with enough force to crush a human's rib cage. Luckily, Lara was not human. Still there were broken ribs and internal bleeding as well as lacerations up and down her arms which she threw out and broke through the windshield with. Small cuts healed fast but bones jabbing out were a difficult matter and the healing was slowing as her thirst grew. She was a relatively young vampire and had been breaking the rules that Silas said were meant to protect her as much as humanity.

"Taking blood makes you weaker, draws the death taint from your victims into your own body," he lectured. "Even healthy humans have their eventual diseases hiding in their lifeblood waiting to take them down--or you if you don't learn to do things right."

Silas was a slow rap song, repeating the same rules over and over in a cadence for the elderly. Every time she fed she was more powerful, at least for a few hours. She couldn't smell the taint he spoke of or feel any sapped energy. Still she knew if his body was this mangled it would probably straighten itself out.

Lara vowed to suck that Buick's driver dry if she made it to safety before day's dawn. Finding the second automobile with its empty driver's seat smelling of fresh blood turned Lara predator. She coughed trying to inhale the sweet aroma.

The second accident victim was walking ahead and turned at the noise. Fear scent hit the air, another of Lara's delights driving her mad. In this condition she thought she might actually lose a chase, so she raised her hands to plea for help as she slowly closed the distance.

The woman stepped toward her and then stopped again when their eyes met. Fear scent rolled off the woman's skin, her respiration shot up, and Lara could hear her heart pound. With only a moment to realize the woman knew what Lara was, the chase began.