Kiss of Osiris

Chapter Two

She thought about that. It said he was getting senile, but it looked to be in its' early twenties and in great shape; scrawny but strong. She could sense his strength from underneath his red cloak. "...oh. And as far as what I am..." he squinted his eyes in thought. "I was a man once... you know it's actually kind of a long story. But... it's not like you have anywhere to be right?" he looked at her and flashed her his mischievous grin. Evee stared at him blankly, not sure if she was still dreaming or not. 

"Sorry, let me gather my thoughts, been alive for a while it's a jumble of memories and random crap. Oh! Alright, let's go... I was born Alcinous Sealy to the most wonderful mother you could imagine, in a tiny island town in the Bahamas called Creonis maybe like a hundred years ago. Times were tough, to say the least. We were poor but happy. 

One day when I was out with my dog looking for firewood a creature swooped out of nowhere and attacked us. Blinky ma' dog charged at it bravely but the creature only knocked him away. It cornered me and dug its claws into me. I thought it would eat me or suck me dry. But it seemed like hunger wasn't on its mind. Instead, it turned me. Into what I don't know exactly. The sensation was otherworldly. I felt it pump its' psychic energy into me, its' darkness, chi, lifeforce or something into me. I felt a rush of dark, overwhelming power come into me, unlike anything I've ever experienced. I screamed until I blacked out. Over the weeks I slowly changed... I, I became what I am now."

"I thought about suicide sure, but part of me was curious. I wanted to see what would happen. The rest... is a story for another time. Not sure why I told you all this. I guess one gets lonely in the long stretch of time. And you remind me of someone. Let me tell you of a legend.

 In the Bahamas known as The Hag, Loogarou in Haiti, and the soucrouyant in Trinidadian folklore. The creature takes the form of an old woman by day and at night reveals her true form. Grossly, she takes off her skin and she takes her true flamelike shape and travels through the air looking for a victim, entering their home through cracks and keyholes. Then they would suck their blood through their arms or legs while they slept leaving blue marks. 

If it drew too much then the victim would die, or become a soucouyant themselves. They are believed to practice black magic and would trade their victim's blood for terrible powers to the Bazil. The Bazil is a demon lord who resides in a silk cotton tree. Supposedly you could find out if someone was a soucouynt by piling rice around the village and they would be obligated to gather all the rice, grain by grain before dawn, and then would be caught in the act. They are also supposed to be destroyed by putting pure salt on the hidden place where they hid their skin. So ya."

Evee was oddly entranced by this. It sounds like it, it might some sort of Albanian shtriga, or Grecian vrykolakas. The Romanian strigoi. The legendary European Vampyrus. Oh my god, it's a vampyrus! And it just killed three people in front of me! Evee became dismayed as she increasingly became more unsure of whether she was dreaming or not. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! This isn't funny anymore. Evee pinched herself, and hoped if that she was in a coma from being beaten up, she would wake up soon.

Al looked at her with great interest. "Where do you live?" Only silence. That made sense, Al thought. I did just off three people in front of her. "Are you safe? What do you do for a living?" She told it she got by, but mostly she was a thief. He winced at that. "A thief? Hey, why don't you come with me? I won't eat ya I promise." 

She only looked at it. He rolled his eyes. "C'mon if I wanted ta' kill you we wouldn't be having this conversation. I gotta dig coming up soon and I need an assistant who is privy to my idiosyncrasies. How about it?" Evee wasn't sure about that. "How 'bout this. Do it, or I'll kill ya. Pretty please?" She wasn't sure if it, he, was serious. But she didn't want to find out. He could probably track her down if he wanted to. Besides what else did she have going for her? 

The Guild had turned on her. It was only a matter of time before they took her down. No friends, no family, no boyfriend. No purpose, no place in life. And at least Al could offer her protection, that is if he didn't eat her first. Al walked tentatively closer not wanting to spook her. He squatted to her level and offered his hand. Eh, what the hell? She took his hand and shook it. Part of her was excited...