Cursed

Chapter 2: An uncontrollable hunger

It felt as if a shot of electricity coursed through every single neuron of my body, setting it on fire. If I had screamed, I could have imagined the hairs of bystanders standing on end at the agonizing shriek. The current lasted for only a second before it was gone again, replaced by some kind of hunger. But it wasn't hunger for food like I used to have sometimes, I wanted to kill something. Desperately. Something that was nearby. I could feel it, as if I had a connection to it. It was getting closer. Something in me knew.

My eyes shot open before I jumped up from my kneeling position on the ground. My surroundings were completely forgotten. The only thing that existed now was me and the vampire I wanted to take out so badly. I wanted to end it with everything inside of me. A deep rooted desperation longed for it.

My body worked on its own. Without thinking, I ran through the forest that surrounded my little village, Helfarch. Everything seemed to happen on its own. The feeling of destruction and the undeniable hunger became stronger the closer I got to my target. I had left my village far behind me by now; I ran through pine trees and big oaks. My environment passed by, not sharp enough to notice the beauty of it.

Until, my body stopped abruptly when I entered one of the open places in the woods.

The necessity of this kill was starting to hurt. My body was in agony at the burning inside my veins. It was like my blood was boiling and my target would be the extinguisher that I needed to calm the burning heat. It was an animalistic instinct, one rooted deep into my bones.

With my left arm, I took a tree branch from the ground. My long rough finger wrapped around the equally rough stick. My muscles tensed in anticipation. The vampire was nearby.

One moment everything was quiet, the next I heard faint steps coming closer. Everything happened faster than humanly possible.

The person came out from under the shadows of the trees. He ran to me at high speed and lashed out with his right hand. I ducked and missed his launch just barely. In my squatting position I was close enough in his personal space to kick him back with a strength that I didn't use to have three weeks ago. He flew through the air with a surprised squeal that teared through the air. Before the grouchy man hit the ground, I ran to him in the blink of an eye and pinned him to the ground with my body.

My eyes burned through his unnatural red ones. A glint of fear flickered in his otherwise arrogant look. Before he could attack me yet again, I knocked him out with a hard blow to his temple.

I knew this unnatural human-like being wasn't dead. You take out a vampire by cutting off its head or a wooden stake through the heart, my teacher's voice sounded through my head.

The branch from before wasn't pointy enough to break his skin. My eyes scanned my surroundings for another possible weapon, stopping at a young, broken down pine tree. The rather thin trunk was sharp at one end. In fast steps, I went to get it and with absolute ease I smashed the sharp point of the trunk through the chest of the unconscious vampire. Together with that action, the deep rooted hunger disappeared. My body ran over with new energy. An inner rest settled. It would've been a nice feeling if I didn't just kill a guy.

With a sigh, I let go of the dead tree and stepped back from the body. I wiped my hands on my pants, getting rid of the dirt. Now that I had time to observe him, I noticed his rugged appearance. His clothes were ripped to shreds, his beard was neglected just like his long greasy hair and his hands were disgusting; covered in dried blood and mud.

My eyes dropped to the ground with a sigh. When I lifted them up again, I clenched my hands into fists before relaxing them and repeating the action again and again.