Twin Curses

It was among the most perilous periods in history.  People barely survived in these dangerous times; where superstition reigns, death is king.  This is the story of two individuals involved in those beliefs, one who perpetuated the fears and one who watched quietly from the sidelines, rooted just as deeply, both unleashing a curse on their world. 

There are beings that exist in the shadows, stalking humans like cattle.  Never seen during the day by the masses, drunks who described them claim they melt into the shadows as if they were one, the whites of their fangs gleaming in the night.  They are the cause of rampant fears, repeatedly devouring people.

The tell tale signs of a vampire feeding nearby is their delicate bite, like a kiss of death.  Almost always on the neck near their veins, there is a pair of slightly raised pinkish red pinpricks.  Their incapacitated victims usually descend into madness where they exhibit irrational fears of many things.  Very few foam at the mouth or scratch at anything that comes near them; instead, most speak of dreamy creatures that see them nightly.

Their visitors seduce them with tales of an eternal love together, one that even death cannot separate them from.  So infatuated by their lovers, the victims forgo eating and drinking, remaining in a catatonic stage.  Truly pitiful creatures, they are incapable of taking care of themselves, eventually succumbing to death.  Doctors and families spend all night vigils ready to attack at the slightest movement, yet few have seen anything; rarely has another person shown up during their watch.

Most vampires strike in the spring and summer.  It seems their thirst needs to be slated because of the sweltering sun beats down on them.  What should be a time of joy, planting the harvest and watching it grow to fruition, is tainted with the feeling of dread permeating the air.  In the winter and fall, there are no known vampire bites but it’s enough that no one goes out in the middle of the night.

Despite all the horror, a woman exists solely to fight these monsters that threaten humans.  She seeks out the beasts for the infested villages she travels upon, chasing the inhuman creatures until she kills them.  Wielding wooden stakes, she is the shining beacon of hope for all; the only one standing against the wily, charming ways of the demons.

To stave off any attack from a vampire, she found that the scent of garlic chases them away so she recommends hanging garlic around the infected.  For some reason, the expensive, fragrant water bottled by men wearing brown sack coats prevented vampires from nearing their targets.

One day, this auburn headed woman, Helen, went to a small village when her fiancée, Menelaus, came by.  He worried that her constant hunting would bring disaster upon her and he begged her to stop.  Angry that he would even suggest such a thing, she pulled off her promise ring, and threw it onto the road.

“I am doing an important service and you are simply anxious over my safety?  What about any child we might bring into this world?  Do you want me to leave them in the hands of those beasts that would drain them of their blood?!”  In her rage, she stomped on the glittering ring, breaking off their upcoming marriage.  “Coward!” 

Helen left Menelaus, upset that she was ever engaged to such a weakling.  Her untamable mane of chestnut brown hair combined with her blazing green eyes made her a beauty by any standard.  She never paid any attention to her looks yet her creamy porcelain skin was always flawless since cuts and bruises disappeared almost as soon as they appeared.  It was her beauty and fiery nature that attracted Menelaus to her.

Menelaus’s family hated her guts; they figured that the poor beggar girl seduced their angel boy for his wealth.  Even though he was the one who chased her, they refused to acknowledge her, generating endless tension between them.  Although she was famous, this never translated into class.  Of course she was unworthy of him, the successor to one of the wealthiest merchant families in the country.  His family absolutely loathed her and longed for her death.