Beautiful Biters - an original vampire story (15+) WATTYS AWARD WINNER 2020

Learning from our mistakes

THE WEST COUNTRY

Justin's body, the one that had brought him here despite the scruples, rose from the ground. The boy's eyes widened in terror.

Justin grabbed him, the boy's screams falling on deaf ears. He pulled him close, the similarity to an embrace striking him. The boy's pulse throbbed, whispering enticement, and the vein in his neck stuck out a mile.

His victim struggled hard, kicking Justin who didn't feel any of it.

The boy pulled his shoulders up to protect his neck.

Justin shoved his face in, his mouth landing on soft, salty skin and his tongue licking it up. Had anything ever tasted so amazing? He took that back a second later as his teeth sank into the boy's neck. The screaming came to an abrupt halt as the boy's blood drained out.

It flooded Justin's body, bringing every cell back to vibrant life. Around him, the dull, beige and grey colours of the compound intensified. Sounds sharpened in the distance, leaves that rustled and small animals moving on the forest floor, and best of all the savour and taste of skin and musky blood.

I'm the king of the world!

Arnaud shook him. "Leave some for Freya," he said. Justin thrust the arm aside, reluctant to share. His victim was still alive—just—and instinct told him blood was better when it was oxygen rich.

Cordelia grabbed him, her hand tightening on his bicep, and flung him across the room where he landed with a crash against the back wall. "Do as you're told."

He struggled, shuffling against the wall to push himself back to his feet. His body fizzed and buzzed. Was Cordelia and Arnaud's superhuman strength part of it? Did you experience it whenever you killed? No wonder the two of them could knock bodies flying across rooms and thrust the stakes people clung onto in the air.

A life without limits beckoned, endless possibilities.

Arnaud held the almost dead boy's dripping neck over Freya's mouth, her tongue lapping it up. He and Cordelia darted off, seeking other victims.

I killed someone. Someone my age—a boy with hopes and dreams.

The inner voice wasn't half as cocky now. Had his victim longed to get immunised and live somewhere way better than this? Did he have a girlfriend, a boyfriend? Someone who would cry for weeks, months, haunted by the way their loved one died?

More shrieking started. His fellow vampires had found other victims—youngsters judging by the lighter, higher-pitched tone of them. If only he could throw up, he would. Expel the blood that marked him as an animal. Worse.

Freya's colour and temperature returned to normal. He pushed the top off her shoulder and helped her take the stake out, easing it out carefully as instructed by Arnaud. The hole healed itself, miraculously disappearing although a scar remained.

She sat up, back against the wall. When she raised her head, her eyes shone.

He said nothing. If Freya wanted to talk about the wonderfulness of blood taken from a live human being instead of the artificial blood bags they'd survived on until now, she'd chosen the wrong audience.

I hate myself.

Cordelia and Arnaud returned ten minutes later, sirens sounding far off. Cordelia glowed, that transparent, luminescent skin even more so. Blood marked her clothes, the green bodice she wore stained dark red at the front.

She plucked at it. "Dammit, this was my favourite top. Do you like it, Justin?"

Mockery once more. The bodice pulled her waist into tiny size, breasts shiny white orbs spilling out the top.