The Half Bakery

Lily

       I wandered the nightclub, looking for my target for the night. Unfortunately, hunting in this nightclub was near impossible, due to the watchful eyes of the regulars, but I had long since mastered the look of someone who was just looking for a quick lay, and not a potential meal.

       A small woman was watching me from the bar with an unreadable look on her face. I knew that she knew, but I also knew that I would get no trouble from her. She didn't care what happened to others and she knew that I was too hungry to keep from killing her if she intervened. I smiled at her, baring my wickedly sharp fangs, then turned away to survey the dance floor. 

       There. My target became stuck in my mind as I continued to stare at her. She was beautiful, voluptuous curves underneath a tiny red dress and long brunette hair that hid flashing green eyes. She was probably around 5'7", and her heels made her seem even taller, making those milky, mile-long legs of hers stand out. She was dancing slowly to the fast-paced music and giving all the men nearby quite the show. 

       Finally, after a few minutes of just watching her dance, I caught her gaze. Her dancing slowed, then stopped as she kept her eye contact with me, a slightly dazed smile gracing her beautiful face. Perfect, my compulsion was easily effecting her. The poor woman was probably drunk. I walked toward her with my confident swagger and flashed her a hundred-megawatt smile. When she reached me, she immediately latched onto my arm and smiled up at me as if I hung the moon. "Would you like to go somewhere else?" I whispered into her ear. Her smile widened and she nodded at me stupidly.

       I led her by the arm toward one of the side doors of the nightclub, carefully holding her body steady to escape the watchful eyes of the regulars and that stupid bartender. I glanced over at the bar to look at the woman again. She was staring straight at me, a smug smile on her face and humor in her blue eyes. She knows something I don't. This is a bad idea. I'm too hungry to care.

       Quickening my pace, I shoved her out a side door and quickly ducked behind a dumpster. Not the classiest of places, but again, I was too hungry to care. I was moments from biting deep into her neck when something that felt like a small cannon ball shattered against my skull, making me stumble forward, my vision reeling. A strong odor reached my nostrils when I looked down to see what had assaulted me. Purple and white goop was splattered against my back and the ground, and I quickly looked up to see a small form staring at me angrily.

       An onion? She hit me with an onion?  I stared at her, dumbstruck, as she put a cigarette to her lips and took a long drag, still glaring angrily at me. She was tiny, maybe 4'11'' (and that was being nice), with a thin frame and deep brown eyes. Her black hair shone in the pitiful light that shone from the open door which, judging from the smell, lead to the kitchen. Intricate, black tattoos lined her arms and shoulders, giving her a mysterious aura that fully captured my attention. "Don't eat my best friend, you disgusting leech." She said, without any real disdain. I continued to stare as questions ran through my mind at speeds I didn't even knew my poor, starved brain was capable of. Questions like, 'Who is she?' and 'How did she manage to break an onion on my head? This skinny, overly tattooed woman couldn't have possibly thrown it that hard.' and, 'An onion?'

       She released a short, humorless laugh after another moment of staring at me and took a step toward me. I took an quick step back and hissed at her, trying to use my compulsion on her and make her back down. The only thing she did was hiss back and break out into loud laughter. "You... You look so surprised!" She giggled between mocking laughs. She looked up at me, tears of mirth at the corners of her brown eyes and a beautiful smile on her face that eclipsed that of the passed out woman in my arms. I don't know what happened at that moment, but I was mesmerized. Is this what it feels like to be compelled?  I thought to myself. I simply watched, enamored, as she took several steps toward me and took the sleeping woman out of my arms, replacing her with the half-finished cigarette. She easily hefted the brunette on her shoulder and turned away from me, walking back through and shutting the door behind her. 

       The loud slam of the door broke the dazed spell on my body with a jolt. I stood still in the alley, trying to process all that had just happened when my stomach growled loudly and rain started pattering on my head.

       Well, crap.