Silly Little Games

Prologue

It's never really murder if you kill the un-dead. It's like toasting toast

I never usually felt weak, or hunted, but as I snaked my way through the alleys of this suburb I felt close to death. I could hear the dripping of an overflowing drain as the droplets crashed to the floor, every one becoming louder. I kept close to the wall, tracking her scent closely, following it as it made its way around the damp corners and dimly lit areas. Why people chose to hide here I had no idea, because horror movies only showed that you had no chance if you hid in an alley, you would eventually hit a dead end. With a sense of victory, I smiled as the scent became stronger and the prey became closer, and this silly little game heated up. A spark of power glinted in my eyes and I stretched my arms, a slight feeling of arrogance flooding through my body, but also a wash of guilt for the person I was tracking. A shimmering trail of blood on the concrete showed they were already hurt, which didn’t make anything fun on my end of this little game. I almost felt that I would end up being too soft because of this injured person. I didn’t care what gender or age they were, whether they had a family or whether they lived alone, they were still my prey; I would drink from them nonetheless.

The scent faded ever so slightly, but it was like it was completely masked when I tried to follow it. I could smell smoke from the kitchen of a house. A smell of meat and vegetables flooded my nose and my mouth watered, but I did not end the chase. I pulled my hood up over my head and flicked my hair away from my eyes, looking up at the moon that barely lit my path. Every few minutes I would hear a breath, faint and gasping, but a breath even so. I looked up from the stained stones beneath my feet and focused on the sound, shutting my eyes and focusing on those shallow breaths. All other noises disappeared.  I opened my eyes and waited until they adjusted to the light again. A flicker of a streetlight made the path a little darker, and a faint buzzing sound from the bulb distracted me slightly. The wind picked up and sent icy daggers towards me, but I quickly and silently pulled my jacket on, deflecting them. I merely shivered.

The breaths that I focused on grew louder as I wound my way down the last alley. The thrill was all in the chase, moments to savour and relish, but that would soon end. My head snapped up when I heard a whimper, maybe the person was in pain. From the whimper I could hear that it was a woman, maybe in her late teens. Such easy targets, practically there and waiting for me. I pulled my hood down and shook my hair, watching as my golden curled hair hung just below my shoulders at the top of my blood red dress. Black tights protected my legs from the cold and trainers made sure that I could be quiet and stalk her. I peered around one of the corners, hoping to see somebody, but I was facing three more empty and cold stone walls. The light here was far brighter so I knew this would be a place to avoid. Nobody in their right mind would hide in a place so well lit, so I turned and stealthily walked down the last alley that branched off from the road.

One by one I could feel everything get clearer. I could hear her breaths loudly now, every single one amplified in my ears. I could smell that she had a bad cut and it was bleeding heavily. All I needed to do was follow those scents and then everything would get more interesting. I followed the cut in the alley and there she was, curled up crying into the wall. I stepped cautiously, avoiding any noise, listening as the rats squeaks died out as I passed by. I pulled my hood up so it shrouded my face again and knelt in front of the girl, but she was too carried away in her crying to notice me. I placed a hand on her cheek and she jolted up shaking. Her pale blue eyes met mine and I smiled softly. She looked down and moved her hand away from her leg, to reveal a large gash, probably caused by a knife or a bladed weapon. I frowned and brushed her hair that obscured her face behind her ear. “What happened?” I asked in a calm and caring way.

“We had a fight, he tried to k-k-kill me” she stuttered, tears rolling down her already make-up stained cheeks. I sighed and wiped the tears away with my finger and looked down at the gash. My eyes widened when I saw that the blood was everywhere, all over her leg, and all over her hand where she had been gripping it. I ripped the bottom of the dress and applied the fabric to the gash, putting just the right amount of pressure on it so that the blood would stop. I wouldn’t waste any in the process; she had already lost a lot and was drifting in and out of consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered shut and I helped her up so she was sitting straight. She groaned from the pain but looked down, her head resting on her knee that was up.

With a clean bite straight to her neck, the blood splattered all over my face, and I was sucking greedily at her succulent blood. Her body sagged and she fell forward but I held her up, wanting more and more of the liquid that gave me so much power. A smirk lit up my face, but within a few minutes she was gone. I licked my lips for the last drops and carefully picked up her lifeless body, brushing the wound shut. I walked slowly and laid her by the nearest river, placing a rose on top of her chest. I stood up with a smile and turned around, and with a groan I rolled my eyes. My fun was over, back home I guess. To my arrogant brother. Hooray for me.

I appeared in front of the dead end of the brightest alleyway. I shook my coat and pulled it back on carefully, looking at the lit up brick wall. I lit a cigarette and placed it on my lips, taking a drag, and then stubbing it out under my trainer. I watched the smoke as it whisked away into the night air and placed both of my hands on the bricks, my head down as I repeated the charm to get back to my world where it was safe, safe from slayers. I felt vulnerable right now, but with fresh blood in my system I could at least go down with a tremendous fight. Just my luck, there was a loud cough behind me, and I took my hands off the brick and wiped them down my dress before facing the person who interrupted my ‘getaway’

I never thought I’d ever set eyes upon a slayer, and a female slayer at that. She was very covered up, wearing a large jacket with multiple pockets, with stakes in I presume. She had a thick woollen scarf around her neck to keep the chill out and she was wearing a hat that made her features dark but I could make out shoulder length black hair and thick black eyeliner. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “Good evening little slayer” I purred sweetly, knowing just how to get on people’s nerves. She looked up and took her hat off, shaking her hair so that it messily sat in place. I scoffed and stepped towards her, as she stood her ground.

“You killed an innocent and hurt person” she said in a frustrated whisper. “You know our laws only permit for you to drink once a month from guilty people. You know what has to happen so I advise getting it done quickly and not putting up a fight” she added, taking out one of the wooden stakes from one of her deep coat pockets. I swallowed and looked at the point of it but I would not show my fear, for it would not be me dying tonight, it would be her. I took my coat off and as a warning bared my fangs at her, my eyes a blood red colour to warn her to leave now, otherwise she would be slaughtered. “I’m sorry, but you can rest in peace now” she sighed, looking sorrowful for a second, before piercing the stake through my chest and then pushing it as far as it would go. I coughed up blood and everything went extremely dark as I hit the floor. A burning sensation took over my body and I turned immediately to ash.