If I Die By Sunrise

You Lose

"You lose." he said and his cool breath hit my face like an open air vent. He was right; there was nothing to deny. I was trapped. All that I was counting on and I failed.

Trapped; my life in a nutshell. With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. I'd been just a pawn in a sicko's game. Just another dispensable piece in this cryptic puzzle I called a life.

It was going to be over. All my suffering, all my grief ,over. It wouldn't really be a fair trade though. Jerry would have my blood or whatever it was that drove him to me and I would have eternal freedom from pain. I wouldn't have the weight of the world on my shoulders anymore, or someone's blood on my hands if I failed at something. No, I would be free.

But I would still have to die. I peered up at the vampire who's vicious claws my life now lay. His eyes were blank and emotionless, deep dark coals just waiting to be lit with new fire. The anger wasn't completely gone, it was just buried. He was trying to maintain his composure, his last bit of control before my blood summoned him again.

My pulse pounded in my ears so loud and so fast, it was getting harder to focus. Where was the unconsciousness that overcame me in times like this? It didn't help that the pads of Jerry's fingertips were like icicles willing my pulse to pound harder. Deep in my throat a scream was building, but Jerry didn't notice. He leaned in close enough for his frosty breath to graze my face.

"You remember back when I said how much it hurt to have a stake through your chest?" His grip had loosened somewhat, but I was still finding it hard to breathe. Maybe it was the darkness in his eyes, or the chokehold around my jugular that made it seem that nothing mattered more than remembering that conversation. The memory flooded in but so did a new fear. Various images filled my brain, one more gruesome than the next and despite myself I let out a shudder.

Jerry took that as a confirmation. He smiled and his cruel fangs glared behind his lips. "You don't know what it feels like." He said before letting me go. The air hit my lungs like a freight train, causing them to ache at the sudden expansion. I sucked in as much as I could though, gasping as if it was all I had left.

Jerry waited for me to recollect myself before grabbing me by the collar of my shirt and dragging me across the room like I was nothing but a mere sack of feathers. I thrashed violently against him, kicking and scraping whatever I could get my hands on to deter his progress. All it did was tire me out.

Jerry didn't notice. "You know kid? I'm glad you're finally seeing things my way. A loss is a loss. Once you lose, you have to pay up." We were descending further into his house now, going down one of the many ridiculous caverns he constructed. Panic seized my spine as we passed rooms I hadn't recognized before, rooms I hadn't even imagined existed. There were so many. People could disappear forever without anyone having a hope of finding them. Or their remains.

Suddenly the words Peter had said back in his penthouse rang clear: "They like to keep their prey alive for days; snackers." I shuddered again. It was one thing to die because you gambled your life, it was an entire different animal to live in captivity because you gambled your freedom. I didn't like to be considered Jerry's prey, which he could keep and torture for as long as he liked. I wanted to be Jerry'senemy whom he could kill in a fit of rage without any preliminary measures. Besides, the thought of my blood being used to sustain his life was enough to make me sick. Death never looked so good.

But would he do it? Would he allow himself to let loose or was he still planning to drag it out as long as he could? The halting of Jerry's footsteps brought me back to a cold, damp dark reality. He flipped a switch and a watery glow illuminated the room. It took a while for my eyes to adjust, more than enough for Jerry to busy himself by tying me up. He had managed to bind me to a chair in half a second.

His voice was a soothing purr in the background of my jumbled thoughts. "You know kid? You're a real thrill ride. A riot if I may say. Prancing around and smelling like you do, it's hard to say I don't want you. But you're the teaser trailer and I want the feature film." He was slipping something out of his pocket, something I couldn't see until the light hit it. A pocket knife. A beautiful, untouched one at that, with intricate details and engravings it seemed to be more of an artifact than a weapon.

Jerry tilted it at such an angle that I could see myself in its polished blade. He must've enjoyed my sudden shell shock, considering the fact that he held the knife prominently close to my skin. Circling around me, he whispered. "I would usually mesmerize my guests, you know assuage some of their fear so it's not so bad. But you Charley," the calm in his voice was slowly corroding, "the fear emanates from you in torrents. You're the whole deal. Mesmerizing you would be a major waste. Granted, you do like trying to kill me, and it would probably be smarter to make sure you can't do anything sneaky, but it's a risk worth taking." Behind me, I heard the rumblings build low in his chest. He placed two chilled fingers to my neck, where involuntarily my pulse flared at the touch.

The knife made itself present by digging into the small of my back, serving as an extra reminder as to why resisting or any funny business would be a bad idea. It was unnecessary as I was already convinced.

Jerry's Siberian breath ghosting along my neck was the last thing I felt before razor edged needles tore into my skin and an unquenchable fire roared through me.

I jerked and twisted trying to get rid of the obstruction, but it only brought more pain. I couldn't even scream. The fire was so incredible. Just when I thought I'd lose it, die or at least pass out before he was finished a miracle happened; the agony lessened. I slowly became aware of Jerry's ministrations; the slight moans of pleasure as more and more of my blood filled his mouth. I was aware of the goose bumps rising on my skin every time he'd gulp. Pretty soon the burn was just a dull ache and full on lucidity filled my being.

Once in a while he'd slip his tongue in to lap at a stray drop or two of blood but the sensations were mind blowing. A rush. I mouthed his name while inexplicably ignoring the sound of cracking wood. Something like stone or hard metal clasped my arm so hard I felt a bruise coming, but all I could feel was Jerry's torturously sweet mouth.