The Blood God

Chapter 9

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Josith sat up in bed. His gaze dropped to the pile of dirty clothes on the floor. The blood stains on his wrinkled, blue, linen shirt arrested his attention, reminding him of the cup of child’s blood he’d drunk and from the man he’d fed from yesterday. Frowning, he went to pick up the offending garment and put it somewhere out of sight when he caught his reflection in the mirror. He studied himself, hating what he saw.

Sharp teeth peeked between his parted lips. His body, exposed from the waist up, revealed skin void of warm human hues, reminding him that he’d died. His strong fingernails had ripped into the flesh of so many. The female vampire’s cruel words echoed as a sort of finality to what he saw in the mirror, “…six months…there will be nothing human left in you.”  This was not fair. He would not see his humanity part from him. Josith eyed the pitcher and was just about to throw it across the room, when his door burst open, ricocheting off the wall as the human girl entered. She breathed heavily. Her eyes were wide with fear.

            “I came as quickly as I could, my lord,” she spoke hastily.

            He stared in confusion. The loose tendrils beside her face fanned outward. Color blushed her cheeks. “I did not...”

Another vampire appeared behind her with fangs extended. He was tall and thin, his face bony and cheeks shallow. She shrunk away from him, moving closer to Josith.

            The other vampire snarled. He snatched her by the arm and yanked, pulling her back toward the door. She struggled desperately, her feet dragging on the floor. Josith froze, wondering at the sudden intrusion before realizing the girl was in trouble.

            “Yes, of course!” he snapped. Josith crossed the distance between them and pulled her away. “Thank you. I have need of your services,” he said to her. Josith positioned himself between her and the other man, pushing the thin vampire out of his room. “Get out!” he barked, closing the door on his face. He turned and saw tears brewing in her eyes.

She brought her hands to her chest. “Thank you.”

He didn’t understand. What had made her think she could come to him when she needed help? Hadn’t she seen that he was just as dangerous as the rest of his kind from the brutal feeding she’d witnessed at his hands? “Why did you come here?”

“Because….because you helped me last time.”

“You mean I helped you after I almost killed you.”

“Please, if you send me back out there, he will find me and feed from me again.” She pulled her torn sleeve up above her shoulder only for it to fall back down again. “He’s not supposed to feed from me yet, but he doesn’t care.” A tear fell down her cheek and she wiped it away. “He does whatever he wishes. I was just fed from two days ago, and I cannot handle it again so soon. Please, just let me stay. I won’t bother you, I promise.”

            “He feeds when he wishes?” After discovering the feeding room with its rotational system and the strict rules he’d been given, he didn’t think any sort of random feedings were allowed.

She nodded.

He considered her request, but he had also just woken up, and the first stirrings of hunger were already playing with his thoughts. He felt torn between helping the fragile girl, and drinking her blood. “I doubt you’re any safer in here with me than out there with him. If you stay in here, I am liable to kill you.”

            She stood motionless, staring at him for a long time. More tears rolled down her cheek. He saw what little hope he had given her die, and her chest sunk before looking away. Solemnly, she made her way to his door.