142 Days as a Vampire

Chapter Four: Day Five

Again I seemed to wake up on auto pilot. My throat burned even harder than the previous day. I looked over to check the clock, noon on the dot was what it told me. Why am I up so early? I had fed from a proper human the night before so why was my blood lust hitting me so soon? I grumbled and rolled over into the sheets hoping the normal action would help me forget my hunger and cause me to fall back into the automated sleep. But it didn't. I found myself staring holes into the red brick wall of my room, wishing a poster or a picture hung there to keep my mind off of the burning. 

Then I heard it, shuffling from the the kitchen. I knew the only person awake at this hour had to be the human. Not good. My feral, vampric brain switched to hunting mode. I fought it trying to grasp for that lingering strand of normalcy but I was out of my bed before I could stop my body. 

The urge was too great for my brain. I wanted it to stop, pleaded, tried to reason, but the burn in my throat grew and grew the more I heard the human shuffle around the kitchen. My primal brain seemed to connect the movements of the human as I moved the door open just a crack. I peered out into the hall way and spotted my unaware prey.

His long hair was all over the place, almost like head had just woken up. He was making a sandwich from cold cuts, my nose told my brain as the smell of pre-packaged  ham and mass produced bread hit my nose. But my body didn't care about any of that, my eyes had sighted the prize. The heartbeat at the center of his throat. 

"Don't...." a voice said ringing in my head.

I shook the voice away. Eyes on the prize Stella.

I crouched waiting for the right moment as the human twisted around the room seeming to always have the hallway in his line of view. Just wait, wait for his back to turn. There!

The human turned his back to me as he rummaged through the fridge for more ingredients.  A poor mistake on his part but an opportunity for the hunter. Springing into motion with my vampire speed I had the human pinned to the floor before either of us could blink. A bottle of mustard he had been clutching was flung to the side as the shock from the attack took hold. 

He was on his back, with me straddling his waist while I had his arms pinned above his head. His eyes held nothing but terror, like a deer caught in the high beams of a car. It wasn't his eyes that made me stop the initial strike but rather the scent rolling off of him. Fear. The scent was salty, musty, but most of all intoxicating. Something about that primal smell had me reveling in joy. I leaned down to the side of his face get a closer sniff.

"That's enough!" Said a voice standing just behind me.

Had I been sober from the intoxicating smells of the human I would have known that voice belonged to Erebus. I merely hissed in response as I stared down my prey. It's eyes were darting everywhere but at mine and it pissed me off. I wanted it to look at me. I wanted it to- 

"Stella if you don't stop now then I will have to something I will regret..." Erebus said, his voice softening towards then end.

"Stella! Stop! This isn't you! This is your blood lust! Not you!" I faintly heard Jonny cry out in the background.

I heard foot steps behind me rushing towards me. I blindly pushed the force back with all my strength and it went skidding down the hallway.

"Go get it."

"Erebus you can't be serious?!" shouted another voice, Axel.

"I am."

Whatever. I was hungry. I had food right on a silver platter waiting to be devoured. The smell, the heartbeat, it was to much and I struck.