Mad. Crazy. Red. That’s what I saw, red. I needed what was red, just a little and I’d be fine. I had to be. My mind was spinning, it had been for the last lifetime, yet today was the worst. I had to get out, needed to get out. I’m eighteen, at least I was, but from being here, forced to stay hidden, I probably looked closer to eighty. Desiccation would do that to what I am. If your food source was taken away, you would inevitably die. I can’t die, I tried, and it didn’t work, so desiccation was the next best thing. Hide in a place no one would expect my kind to hide and then wait. Eventually you lose track of the days, time doesn’t mean anything, one thing means everything. Blood. Was my exposure worth the blood? I still don’t know, but I need to get out.
“Keep it together Alexander” I croaked, my voice raspy and quiet for not speaking in a very long time.
I let my fear take over, the one thing that kept me in hiding. The thing that made me forget about the blood, the time. How long had it been? Would a lifetime have passed yet? Has my species been uncovered? These questions kept my hunger at bay, usually. I had always thought I was on top of the food chain. That I was the predator, I was wrong. I’d been one hundred and thirteen years old at the time and I underestimated a human’s intelligence. Little did I know, they already knew about me, what I am. Today however, my fear didn’t seem to matter as much, the blood lust did. I had a burning desire to feed, to feel the thick red blood fill my mouth and quench my thirst.
An animalistic sound resonated from somewhere. I tensed. It then dawned on me that I had been making the noise, my hunger allowing my primal instincts to re-surface. The timeless darkness within the wooden box I was lying in had become my worst enemy. The darkness was so thick, it was like I would never see light again. I strained to see the state my body was in, and the little I could see made me cringe. My once well-muscled limbs had withered and become incredibly thin. Concentrating on my right arm, I felt my fingers twitch, slowly raising my whole hand, I wasn’t able to lift my frail hand much. Even if I could get out I knew if needed I wouldn’t be able to defend myself. This thought brought me back to my fear. All I need is a drop of blood and my fear would be sated. One drop would allow me my full abilities.
I strained my memory, trying to remember what the room looked like when I entered it and hid there.
I hesitantly walked down the stairs from the church, making as little noise as I could. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, the floor was scattered with wooden coffins lying on the floor, one caught my attention. It had a cross on its lid and it was the furthest away from the door. Making my way to the coffin, I heard the running of feet coming closer to the little room. I hid behind the coffin and waited for the person to reach the room. The person was out of breath and the smell of perspiration was highly pungent as they crept into the little room. Slowly I stood up and saw that a girl, no older than 17 was staring at me with wide eyes.
“You shouldn’t be here” she whispered, her breath hitching as I moved around the coffin. She didn’t move as I stalked closer to her, her eyes never leaving mine. I could hear her heartbeat slowly increasing with each passing second, until it sounded close to that of a hummingbird. Her eyes were dilated and a thin sheen of sweat was coating her porcelain skin. Her hands were clasped together as if she was in prayer. No God could save her now, I thought to myself as I took a step closer and delicately lifted an auburn curl from her shoulder.
“Please don’t hurt me” she whimpered, as I took another step towards her, effectively caging her between me and the wall. I could feel my face begin to contort into the familiar face of a vampire. My canines elongating, my bright green eyes becoming redder, and the skin around my eyes rippling with dark veins as the predator takes over. The girl’s porcelain skin goes deathly white and her hands drop, hanging limply at her sides as she realises the myths are true.
I move impossibly closer to her and bring my mouth towards her neck, smelling her scent and relishing in her fear. She smelt beautiful, her blood a mix of Jasmine and something I wasn’t sure about. Opening my mouth I slowly sunk my teeth into her neck and let the sweet red pour into my mouth. She gripped onto my arm, trying not to fall but I could feel her becoming weaker. Her life going into me. I pulled my teeth out of her neck and caught her as she fell, she wasn’t dead. I licked over her bite mark and sealed my venom inside her. Perhaps she was what I needed, someone to be my friend. Carefully I carried her to one of the coffins and placed her inside, closing the lid and placing another on top of hers. I then walked to the coffin I had originally chosen and closed the lid for the next lifetime.
That memory gave me the strength I needed to get out, I had almost forgotten about her. Raising my arms once again, I placed my palms on the wooden lid and pushed with all the strength I had. The lid slowly began to rise and I placed one of my arms outside the box, not allowing the lid to close again. Rolling so that my back was against the lid, I pushed again, and I was kneeling. The brightness in the room shocked me, forcing me to close my eyes. However, the room seemed to be the same as the last time I saw it. With one last push, the coffin lid fell, allowing me to get out. Stepping out of the coffin, I carefully made my way over to the girl’s coffin and pulled the coffin on top off. Hesitantly I began pulling the lid off, and was surprised when I found the coffin empty.
“Looking for me?” a familiar voice said from behind me. Turning around the girl was standing there wearing clothes that I’d never seen before in my life and holding a wooden stake in her hand. She had changed since the last time I saw her, she had a new found confidence, one that was making me step back and run into the coffin behind me. I stepped in it and pressed my back against the wall as she stalked towards me.
“You shouldn’t be here” she smirked as she stood just outside the coffin, the stake raised in her hand. She stepped in the coffin with me and I knew that I should’ve stayed in my coffin.
