Watcher in the Darkness, Book 3: Imprisoned

Chapter 7

I guess she told me.

May 7th

I just got this email, and it was too interesting to not copy and paste. The source was anonymous, but here goes:

"Dear HalfVampToby,"

I like that she called me dear.

"Under normal circumstances, I avoid drama, especially drama that occurs over social media. However, your recent blog posts have caused such an uproar amongst my kin that I felt compelled to investigate the matter further. I must say that while your sentiments are not the most hateful or subversive I've ever encountered, they are very disheartening."

I said demon. It's just a word. If that word conjures up bad feelings, it's because demons have spent every second since the beginning of time earning them.

"You are very young, and therefore can't boast the wealth of life experience I've enjoyed."

Yeah, that's it. Talk down to me, it makes me horny.

I may not have been around for thousands of years, but it doesn't take long to figure out that where demons live, misery follows. And demons are literally everywhere.

"You haven't witnessed firsthand just how damaging this sort of vitriol can be. Why, in just the last century, what began as a murmur of discontent all too quickly snowballed into the Holocaust."

I had to look up what vitriol meant, but now that I know, I think you might be giving me a little too much credit. If I had the power to cause demon genocide, trust me, I would have done it by now.

"First, let me tell you a bit about myself. My true form—rather, the essence of which I am comprised—has existed with distinct sentience since dinosaurs roamed the earth. I have experienced life as a mighty tyrannosaur, but I have also inhabited a field of wildflowers. I've lurked at the bottom of the oceans as a leviathan, and soared high above the treetops as a butterfly."

Bullshit. I call bullshit of the highest caliber. Every demon I've ever met has the exact same backstory. I have no proof you're lying aside from the fact you're a demon and your lips are moving, but my gut says this is crap.

"In every form, there are joys, as well as great sorrows. More than anything else, there is always something that can be learned.

"For the last four decades, I have resided in the body of an ordinary, lower-middle class black woman from Chicago. I took control of her while she was in her teens, in a manner closed-minded individuals would call possession."

This, I absolutely believe.

"However, I am thoroughly convinced that my invasion saved her life. She was a runaway, addicted to heroin, and her existence was defined by suicidal despair. One tragic night, she overdosed, and her emotional agony provided a wide and very accommodating door for me. Her true soul still lingers within, comatose and content, while her physical body has thrived under my care."

That's what they all say.

"In this life, I have experienced the long and treacherous road to recovery. I have discovered the thrill of love and marriage, as well as the lingering heartbreak of divorce. Three times I have endured the torment of childbirth, to be repaid by the joyous rewards of motherhood.

"No one in my family—and I do consider them to be my family—has any idea what I truly am. I am gainfully employed as a middle-school math teacher. I sleep, I drink, I eat; with perhaps too much enthusiasm, lol. I attend church for the sake of keeping up appearances. The public consensus is unanimous that my life and my worth have vastly improved since 'I turned my life around.'"

Well, aren't you a big fat hero? Middle-school kids are bubbling crockpots of fucked up hormones. A demon like you could feast on the negative energy they spew out every single day. But I'm sure that had nothing to do with your career choices, right?

"Unbeknownst to my loved ones, I cooperate with a Wiccan circle. I share with these very special men and women my wisdom and my power. In exchange, they offer a variety of small tributes and offerings. It is a mutually beneficial relationship for everyone involved."

Everyone except the tributes, or should I say sacrifices? Did you think I wouldn't know what you really meant?

"You are not wrong when you describe the correlation between vampires and faekind as almost purely antagonistic. However, you must admit that the animosity stems almost exclusively from the vampires."

I don't have to admit shit, because that's a lie. I've been Kill on Sight to demon-kind my entire life. Don't try to blame all the bad blood on us.

"You said that 'predators don't like other predators' and I believe that this is where the fundamental difference in our worldviews lie. Vampires view humans as cattle, as food, whereas my kind sees every living thing as part of the delicate tapestry that creates life. Everything is connected; everything. Simply put, all living things depend upon other living things for sustenance. To vilify one means of survival while accepting another more brutal means is hypocritical and unfair."

Oh, really? It boils down to this. The relationship between vampires and humans is straightforward and honest. We feed on blood, they have blood. There are no grey areas between us. Biologically, we evolved to live alongside each other.

Demons change their environment to make it a hundred times worse, then feast on the pain they create. There's nothing hypocritical or unfair about the truth.

"Is it true that some of my kind deliberately cause harm for the express purpose of feeding off the negative energy? Yes. I don't want to be defined by these individuals. Vampires don't want their race defined by the bloodthirsty few that ghoulify their victims. There are wicked fairies, wicked vampires, and profoundly wicked humans, but not one of these individuals should be representative of their entire species."

I guess I can't argue with that. Except I'd like to point out that I've run across maybe three vampires in my entire life whose bloodlust was that out of control. Not one of them are still around. Every single demon I've ever met has lived only to fuck up everything around them.

Less than one percent of the population is a vampire. Demons reside in everything. So, statistically, which one of our species is being judged unfairly?

"The hatred you are emitting runs is in the same deadly and destructive vein as racism, sexism, and ethnocentricity. No good has ever come from any form of bigotry. This truth is supported by historical and empirical fact. I can only hope, going forward, that you think twice before broadcasting such hateful sentiments. As I'm sure you will come to discover, what you send out will return to you tenfold.

"Please, take care and be well."

I have to say, this was the most well thought-out and well written argument I've ever gotten.

This was my response: Fuck off, Skinrider.

*Thanks, as always, for reading. I just wanted to take this opportunity to let everyone know that my website is up and running. Please, come check out kmspires.com.