Prompted Shorties

Variants of Vampires

Prompt: While most famous vampires like Count Dracula and Edward Cullen are known for sucking blood, there are other types of vampires who seem to survive by consuming other resources. Count Chocula's purpose seems to be sucking the boringness out of kids' morning routines. Sesame Street's Count von Count has an insatiable thirst for counting rather than blood. Real-life energy vampires like the microwave suck up sufficient electricity when not in use.

Think of an alternative vampire that survives on something other than blood. Write a story or scene based on this character.

Story:

"You're in a dark mood today." Kaitlyn, a friend and a 'quiet' neighbor, said as I walked to my backyard to throw out the trash. "Who'd you feed on this time?" She asked. She knows I'm one of "those" things – Vampires – as they called it. But none in my family drink blood though.

"Harvey." I replied.

"Ah. Again?" She then started walking from her backyard to the rainbow colored fence that separates their yard and my uncut mess of a back yard.

"Looked like he needed it." I threw the trash and went towards to the fence.

"You know he'd be dead by now if it wasn't for you." There she goes again with her optimism BS. I don't listen to her anyways, or rather, that part. I guess.

"And I'll say this again, I just suck the sadness out of people. But keep just a tiny bit of it in them so their sanity will be in check. I don't think that I'm helping them "live" per se." But if they're suicidal in the first place then no amount of sadness sucked from them will stop them from what they think they want to do.

"Well yeah, but, you help get rid of their negative thoughts." Not necessarily, but yes, some if not, most of a person's negative thoughts. Then it gets transferred to me, like energy. I have to consume it depending on how intense the sadness is. Some only last for a few hours, but the longest I've had was five days.

"But it still doesn't tell me why you don't want me feeding off of your sadness." I was poking the bear at this point, but it didn't matter. I really wanted to know why she won't let me do it to her.

"You're not the only one who wants to keep their demons to themselves Brandon." Her eyes showed a darker shade of brown, like she'd been possessed for a split second there, but went back to normal as soon as I catch it.

"And you think you need those demons?" I leaned forward to try to get a better look on her eyes, just in case she does it again.

"Well yeah, kinda like how you need them to eat. It gives me drive, motivation, focus, it keeps me grounded, it helps me think objectively-" At that point, I shut her out. I get her point. Kinda. "And, whether you like it or not, it kinda helps me be sane."

"Hence the little bit of sadness that I leave alone in them. It keeps them, themselves. You know?" It's been in our law for as long as I can remember. No "vampire" shall suck all of the sadness in a person, for it is punishable by death.

My great grandfather told me stories when our kind used to feed on all of a person's sadness. It drives the person insane with happiness and "uncontentment" of something that they want in their life which is their sadness, because there's nothing left of it in them for it to manifest, which will drive them to extreme situations that often led to death.

"Cool. Well, see you later Brandon." She then started walking away and back to her house.

"See ya, Kaitlyn." I said as I looked at her eyes one more time. I was for sure, they turned white for almost a full second, then it disappeared. It's starting. Her smile didn't even fade this time, like a mindless robot.

But her sadness just tasted so good that I couldn't stop.