Craving Charlotte

Chapter 10

           

Ethan pov.

Scents from all over the forest surround me but I do my very best to focus on finding Charlotte's. Sprinting over logs and flitting through the trees I pick up a sweet natural smell which suddenly brings me to a halt. This is a new smell but somewhat familiar, there is however something different to this smell, as though it has been tainted.

"It must be Charlotte," Whispering out loud. Struggling to see where it is that I am going due to forest being pitch black I blindly follow her scent, all I can see is the dark silhouettes of the trees, I weave through them with quick grace. I imagine Charlotte weaving through, her hair flicking across the bark of the trees in sheer panic. A disturbed look twists over my face knowing her distress as I pick up salty tears which have fallen to the ground.
"Charlotte," her name hushes over my lips as my body becomes urgent to find her.

The familiar ache returns with vengeance as I near the usually silent village... although tonight it isn't silent. Screams ring though my ears bringing me to another stand still and a cold shiver of fear runs down my spine. Reality hits me like a bulldozer knocking down a building,
The village. Oh no... Charlotte! My blood runs colder than before, this is bad! This is very bad!

I hear the faint sound of screams and the thick smell of iron lingers in the air. The craving for human blood tempts my fangs to break... I haven't any control as I feel the flames burn up in my pupils.
"Ahhhhhh!" Clawing at my face I fight to gain control; the pain increases the more I fight.

I must find control... I must find Charlotte.

"Come on Ethan! You have to save Charlotte!" I shout out loud to myself in hope to clear my thoughts of drinking blood. Falling to the ground I rub my temples before glancing up at the dim lit village. It's a blood massacre, the blood can be smelt for miles and will attract more, uncontrollable vampires. Alarm bells begin to ring, if they find Charlotte they will take her and god only knows what may happen to her. I find myself stumbling down a bank towards a village the screams become loud and clear. Mothers crying over their dead children, neighbours trying to save one another, wives distraught over their slaughtered husbands. In other houses, there is just silence and a lingering smell of freshly spilt blood.
"Charlotte!" I shout her name but the screams muffle my cry. I run past the first house where I see a man laying lifeless near his front door. I move on to see bloody handprints covering a door and a trail of blood along the path. My fangs protrude but I fight the urges away. Looking around wildly for ay traces I see more houses where doors are open again blood spills onto the path way along with torn up body parts. A woman suddenly startles me as she runs from a building screaming.

"Hey!" I shout to her but she doesn't stop.
"Run!" She screams back as she attempts to flee. I stare at her bewildered for a few moments when I feel a presence stumbling towards me. Automatically I spin around on my feet to see a man dragging an injured leg.
"Help me," He muffles and falls before me, I manage to catch him and drag him to the path.
"There's a girl, she's not human," He gurgles as blood seeps from his lips.
"It's... going... to... be... ok," I strain as I watch the blood dripping down his clothes, "stay here, I will find help."
I lie, Charlotte is my main priority, not some poor civilian who is nothing but a stranger to me. I turn away leaving him slumping in pain. 

"Charlotte!" I bellow once more in hope she may hear me.

I begin to run through the streets past people fleeing the crime scene. Bodies lay everywhere, twisted and hacked, wrists slashed, throats torn out; it's a bloody massacre that for one will draw an army of Vampires to the village along with the armed police or even worse the army! Not once in my whole existence have I ever see such a barbaric scene. My eyes are wide as I stroll listening carefully, the screams of people fleeing die down...

Then I hear...

*screams from a nearby house*

Charlotte... oh God

I walk through the open door and navigate towards the screeching sound coming from upstairs. Soon I realise that it's coming from one of the bedrooms. Quickly I open the door only to be bit by fresh pumping blood; my senses go wild, throat burning, fangs breaking through completely from the smell of fresh iron seeping through my nostrils. Casting my eyes over the room I spot my beloved monster, however she isn't how I remembered her. My heart sinks as I realise that I could be too late, all human emotion and sense may have already faded. She may not have been strong enough to keep some human traits. Vampires who go wild don't ever show sympathy or passion in anything, they are selfish creatures that kill for sport rather than for feasting and they don't stop until they come to an end.

"Charlotte!" I shout her name. She glances up at me, my eyes widen; she remembers her name. her hands and face drip with blood, she slowly glances down to them as sudden realisation creeps over her. A woman is cowering in the corner frightened from watching her husband be ripped apart in such a way it doesn't seem real. The sound of the woman's pumping blood rings through my ears as her heart pounds with fear.

Blood... Blood is now my life line.
Charlotte stares at me with fiery eyes, she no longer looks like Charlotte. Her beautiful skin is stained with blood, hands no longer look clean and soft. But most of all her kind heart is stained with evil, she has killed more humans than I ever have.

Suddenly I flick my head around to the landing as I hear a thunder of heavy footsteps burst through the front door.

"CLEAR!" A man shouts, I stare at the hall way behind me before snapping my gaze of shock back to Charlotte.

They are coming upstairs!

They will kill us both! We have to leave RIGHT NOW!