$hort$tories

<>CrimsonRed<>

It felt as if I was drowning…in a wave of emotions…first pain, then happiness.  The waves of emotions swallowed me up eagerly, as if it were a hungry animal and I, its meal.  And maybe I was.  It all comes down to the question, do I embrace the darkness or do I not?  I looked into the eyes of the creature of whose embrace I was in.  Its crimson red eyes stared right back me.  It somehow looked haunted, like it’s seen a nightmare and can’t ever escape.  I can see blood upon its cheek…my blood.  I somehow feel calm even though I was sure I was close to death.  The creature took its fangs from my neck in which it was previously embedded.  I fell to the ground…the cold hard ground which once again reminded me that I was alone…all alone with this creature.  The creature slit its hand, and blood began to flow quickly from it.  It offered it to me.  So once again, do I embrace the darkness?  I can easily see my two choices, to drink and become one with it, or die. 

I had a family…my mother is old and needs me.  I look after my nieces and nephews.  I cannot die…I was needed. I took its palm within my hand.  I lowered my head to it and after a minute’s hesitation, I began to drink.  Every time that I swallowed, I remembered my childhood, I reviewed my life.  Was this what they meant when they said that before you die, your whole life flashes before you?  I remember that time I stole my sister’s doll and never returned it.  That time when I hit my brother, in a rage and never apologized.  How I wish I could turn back now.  If only I didn’t take the shortcut home.  If only I went back as soon as I saw that I was clearly alone.  If only.  But now I cannot.  I can never turn back, only go forward. 

Suddenly, the creature turned back.  A few seconds later, I heard the sirens.  The police were here.  The creature looked at me, and I it.  I could see in its eyes a difficult decision…to leave me behind, or not.  It finally decided and picked me up in its arms.  I could see in the reflection of its eyes that one of my violet eyes had turned as red as blood.  A shot rang out in the alley.  The creature fell to its knees and crumpled down, dropping me in the process.  How cruel the world was.  I felt a fire burning inside of me, as if cooking me alive from the inside.  I rubbed my arms, as if it could put the fire out.  I let out a bone chilling scream, then fell to the ground and embraced the cold darkness. 

“Is he awake?” They whispered, “Or is he dead?” Lights blinded me. Where was I?  Perhaps it is only a dream.  I opened my eyes to find many people staring at me.  A woman screamed.  Moisture filled my eyes.  It was my mother.  No, it cannot be, my mother is old and cannot leave the house at all.  Whose dream was this?  Whose life had I fallen into?  Wait a minute…“He”?  Last time I checked I was a girl.  Perhaps they are talking about the creature.  Yes indeed.  That’s the only thing that makes sense now.  The woman who screamed, I mean, his mother, pointed her index finger at me. 

“That isn’t my son!  My son had beautiful green eyes! It cannot be!  This creature! That disgusting filthy creature is not my son!” I, or rather he, cried.  Its tears fell upon my hand…tears red and thick as blood.  I was crying blood.

I sat up quickly, finding myself wearing a white hospital gown and in a white bed that was in a white room with no windows and only one white door.  Everything was so pure and white that I was almost blinded.  I heard footsteps coming down what I presume to be a corridor due to the sound of echoing.  I could hear his heartbeat and feel his heat. The doorknob slowly turned and I glued my eyes on it.  The door creaked as it opened.  A man in a black suit entered, with several guards along with him. 

“Are you by any chance Amaranth Eden Rose?” he asked.  I nodded slowly with my head slightly tilted, as if wondering myself.  He smiled, showing perfectly white and straight teeth.  Suddenly, I was hit with another one of the creature’s memory.

I ran down the corridor quickly, they were after me.  I turned a corner and ran into someone.  It was the guy that was wearing the suit!  I wonder what this memory had to do with him.  He smiled grimly.  He raised his arm to signal the guards that were clearly after me, even though I pleaded with him not to.  He laughed as the guards dragged me away.  He was enjoying my pain and despair…

I glared at the man, my attitude going through a 180 change.  He frowned, wondering why I hadn’t fallen prey to his charms.  I bared my teeth at him and hissed.  He smiled in understanding. 

“Ah yes, but of course….you’re a vampire aren’t you.  And due to my many experiments, vampires can share memories through the blood bond they have with each other.  And you were most likely bitten by Seamus Fredrick Olsen, the newest addition to the vampire clan of CrimsonMoon.”

I froze.  Seamus.  He was my fiancé.  Well, the one that was arranged to be before I was born.  Our mothers were good friends and the engagement was canceled due to a terrible accident that Seamus died in.  I’ve never met him and I never thought I would. 

The man clapped his hands.  The guards stepped forth. 

“Bring this creature to my lab.  I could do with a few more experiments.”  He laughed. 

The guards grabbed my arms and jerked me off the bed and into the corridor.  We made many turns around many corners.  I’ve never been so greatly confused.  Suddenly, we heard something growling.  One of the guards turned and started to shake in fear.  The other turned, a bit calmer and pulled out his tranquilizer as he turned in a circle, looking for the unseen enemy.  A quick shadow jumped on him and he then crumpled down on the floor after giving a loud cry.   The other guard took out his tranquilizer as well, even though he was shaking like crazy and a wet puddle had developed beneath him.  The shadow let out a growl, jumped him, and the guard’s bloody body fell to the ground.  I sniffed the air…amazingly, the blood actually smelled good.  Was I becoming one of the undead?  The shadow walked toward me, and even in the dim light, I could see its glowing red eyes.  I knew at once it was Seamus…he had come to rescue me. 

“Seamus?” I called out to the creature.  It stopped advancing.  It looked somewhat shocked.  I imagine it had been ages since someone had called him that.  It continued walking towards me until we were barely an inch apart. 

Amaranth?  Is that you? I’m Seamus, your fiancé.  I’ve been looking for you. 

“Seamus?  Yes, it is I, Amaranth.  I never thought that I would meet you…your mother said that you had died. 

He laughed.  Yes, that filthy woman would tell everyone that I died.  Better a dead son than a bloodsucker one, huh?

“Seamus…Don’t talk like that about your mother.  After all, she was the one who gave you life.”

And she was the one who took it away from me.

“What do you mean?”

Her boyfriends…there were endless lines of them.  One of them just so happened to be obsessed with her and when she left him, in revenge, he called for his vampire friend to turn me, her only son, into the living dead. 

I gasped.  This cannot possibly be right.  And yet, I see the truth in his eyes…and also the regret…for taking my life away from me. 

An announcement turned on in the building.

“The vampire experiment has not arrived; all guards must begin the search at once.”

He turned to me and I to him.  I nodded, answering the unspoken question.  Yes, I would go with him.  So we made our escape, crawling through vents and jumping out windows.  But we were happy, we had found each other, and would be with the other for all time and eternity…

And so…if you’re ever walking down dark alleys and see two pairs of red eyes staring at you, know that they belong to us…and be afraid.  Be very afraid.