Death is Only the Beginning: A Guide to Vampirism

Six : The Victim Bites Back

There once was a girl who fed

While most were asleep in their bed

This girl was a fright

Because she would bite

It happens when you are undead

"Quietly."

"Shush."

"Shushing is making a sound. Now this time try it quietly."

But it was too late. Arguing with Gabriel (the vampire angel of all evilness) had scared away my dinner. I'm not sure if I'm aggravated or relieved. If I were being honest with myself, I'd say more relieved than aggravated. I feel sick at what I'm about to do. Necessary or not, this just feels plain ol' wrong.

Dinner was supposed to be a nice older lady walking alone with her groceries. The plan was that Gabe was going to give her the whammy and make her go all gooey on him so I could go up to her and start sucking on her throat. After biting her, of course. Thing is, for her to stay in thrall, Gabe would have to keep his eyes on her, which means he'd be watching me bite her. And that kind of weirded me out.

A lot.

A whole lot.

So, when we talked about going 'shopping' for dinner tonight, I told him that I decided to go it solo. Of course, it would have been more helpful if he had taught me how to put someone in "thrall" like he can. Telling me that "believing I can do it was all I needed" wasn't really a big help. Apparently, I just had to believe that they would do whatever I wanted and they would.

Yup, that was the extent of my pep talk and training.

Closing my eyes, I believed as hard as I could that they would do whatever I wanted, then I stared at my victim. Of course, that didn't work out. Either I'm a terrible student or Gabe is a terrible tutor. In case anyone is keeping track, my vote is that it's Gabriel's fault.

My grossly inadequate tutor (it HAS to be HIS fault... really) said it works best if you use it on someone of the opposite gender. The first three guys I tried it on laughed themselves silly. That really didn't do a whole lot to boost my self esteem. They didn't have to laugh at me that hard. One actually laughed 'til tears started running. How rude. The fourth gave me a funny look and backed away slowly. The fifth smiled real big and offered to take me to his place and I could do anything I wanted. Gabe grabbed me, shoved me in the truck and said we'd be sticking with nice little old ladies from then on.

But I didn't want him to do the hunting for me. If I'm going to be stuck like this for the rest of my life, and I'm talking possibly centuries here, then I need to be able to do it myself. And the best way to learn is by doing. So I kept trying.

And trying.

And trying.

It's all trial and error. Though to be honest, it was mostly error.

Eventually, we had to give up on the 'me doing it myself' plan. It is getting late and I'm so hungry, I feel sick. The street is nearly deserted, just a few cars going by now and then. We wait near a bus stop, one with lots of greenery and with a convenient dark alley to hide in. Perfect for muggers and killers and vampires looking for some dinner. Definitely not a place you'd want to be alone at night. Things that go bump in the night are real.

Like me. Sheesh, what a depressing thought.

It finally makes sense to me why they always show vampires wearing black. It isn't an emo thing or a fashion statement. It's so we can blend into the shadows easier to stalk our prey. Gabriel had shaken his head at me sadly and sighed heavily when I met him at the door wearing my favorite red t-shirt. Hey, I thought I was being smart. You know, in case things were... um... messy on my first attempt at this sort of thing. Plus it was super comfy. I thought it was a good choice. Apparently not.