In Love With a Vampire

Chapter Twenty Nine

Donna



I could feel the air in my hair, the rush in my veins. I was alive; the kind of alive that causes your heartbeat to accelerate with each step, each hand wave, each blink. I closed my eyes momentarily and allowed the sun's rays to caress my skin. I took in the light tingles and the warm feel; I was happy, content.

“Are you just going to stand there?”

I chuckled lightly at Sorokin’s impatience. He was standing beside me with a wide grin on his face. He too looked happy, I had never seen him look so peaceful.

“Tell you what, if I catch the buck before you, I get to take you out on a date underneath the stars…”

“Oh, how terrible…What man does not want to be wooed by a vampire tribe leader? Well me of course!”

I laugh, it is a strange, alien sound; as if it is the first time I have genuinely laughed in my entire existence. After a while, I furrow my eyebrows and look over at Sorokin. He is bent over, ready to take off, hungry for a hunt.

“What do you mean?”

Sorokin, seeing my confused state, straightens his back and squints his eyes.

“How do you mean?”

“You just said…you called me a tribe leader?”

Sorokin blankly stares at me before raspy, nasal laughter escapes his throat. I cringe at the sound, it too sounds alien.

“You sure know how to lift my spirits, my love…”

The endearment strikes me as odd at first but then a smile creeps on my lips. I find myself moving towards Sorokin, arms spread wide, a warm feeling in my stomach. As I am about to reach him, I suddenly stop and flit my eyes to his hands.

“Where is your protective charm?”

“What?”

“We are in the sun…where is your charm?”

Once again, a raspy, nasal sound escapes Sorokin’s throat. This time the sound arouses a fear within me, a fear that causes me to take a step backward, a fear that forces me to examine my environment more closely.

“Where are you going, my love? Is this not what you always desired? To be by my side? To be a great leader? For all vampires to walk under the sun?”

I find myself rapidly shaking my head with tears stinging in my eyes. Sorokin follows me as I try to put some distance between us. His demeanor has changed. His cheery self is long gone, now he seems sinister. His eyes are darker than usual, his smile more crooked.

“Then why have you abandoned us? Why do you choose humans over us? Why did you choose him over me?”

I open my mouth to protest. To defend me and my mission but no words come out. A scream emanates from the depths of my stomach as Sorokin vanishes from sight. I spin around, my eyes frantically searching for the familiar figure that I have been in love with all my life.

“Sorokin…Sorokin where did you go?”

My voice is vulnerable, just like my position. I know I am exposed but that does not concern me. What matters is that I cannot find Sorokin so I keep moving around in a circle, my blurry eyes scouting the familiar clearing in the woods. I feel a presence behind me and go numb. A piece of steel pokes my back and I immediately know that whoever is behind me is holding that dreadful weapon with the ability to obliterate my species.

“Humans are our enemies. Do not forget who you are!”

I release a painful scream as the knife penetrates my back sending waves of agony throughout my being. As I fall, I see Sorokin’s face and his hand; his hand is holding the vampire killing knife.

* * *

Jim

I bang the back of my flashlight with my open palm. Each time I do this, a light flickers, and I gain a little hope. It does not last long though, the light or the hope. I am surrounded by darkness and something more, something evil. Fear brews in the pit of my stomach but I do not give into it. Instead, I distract myself by banging the hind of the flashlight.

Tap

Tap

Tap

The banging has become aggressive now. I grit my teeth as I do it. Words like “alone”, “monster” and “death” swirl in my head but I shove them away.

I mustn’t give in to the fear.

Yet I feel it growing bigger; it’s slowly taking over my being. Soon it will overwhelm me. What would I do then? I cannot run in the dark that is why I needed the flashlight. The only way I could save myself from whatever was out there was through…this…fucking…flashlight.

I let out a defeated sigh.

The flashlight is no longer flickering with light. No matter how much I bang and tap, it remains unresponsive. Did flashlights have feelings too? Had I hurt its feelings? I chuckle humorlessly. This was only a thing, a thing that could not feel. A thing that could not comprehend pain or hurt. Or fear or grief.

Or guilt.

Huh. I was jealous of the flashlight.

I frustratingly toss the flashlight into the darkness. Seconds later, I realize that I feel even more alone without the object. It had served as an excellent distraction so far, why had I thrown it aside? Panicking, I move several steps forward and crouch. I then proceed to blindly pat the ground hoping that my hands will touch something cool and firm.

Nothing.

I decided my mission was impossible. There was no way I was going to find the flashlight in the dark. A peal of weak laughter escaped my throat. What irony. A person searching for a flashlight in the dark. My legs felt weak so I sunk to the ground and brought my knees to my chin. I buried my head in between my legs and snapped my eyes shut.

“I mustn’t give in to the fear…I mustn’t give in to the fear…”

I began rocking myself back and forth muttering these words that were meant to comfort me, meant to get rid of the fear that was threatening to take over my being. My heart felt as if it was in my throat. Its beating was loudly and forcefully.

Padum

Padum

Padum

I tried to swallow the fear but this seemed to accelerate my heartbeat further. I opened my eyes; I was shaking. I wrapped my arms around myself and sucked air through my teeth. Where was I? How did I get here? I tried recalling what had happened before this particular time and nothing.

“Jimmy?”

I went numb. I knew that voice. I had not heard that voice in a long time. I slowly shifted my body so I could see her, so I could see Sara. Sure enough, she was standing there and I could see her, despite the darkness.

“Take my hand Jimmy…”

Sara stretched her arm and beckoned me with two fingers. She looked happy, peaceful. A great light illuminated around her. She was a sight to behold with her stark white hair flowing in waves down her torso and her body draped in a blue dress that complimented her blue eyes.

“Is this heaven? Am I dead?”

Sara chuckled and took a step forward.

“This place is too dark to be heaven silly…Come on, take my hand.”

I c****d my head and examined her face. She had not aged, at all. In fact, she looked younger. I searched her arms, there was no scar.

“You’re not real are you?”

“Oh Jimmy, you can truly be silly sometimes. Take my hand, don’t you see? I am the only light in your life, the only real thing.”

I blinked and felt a tear escape my eye.

“You’re not really here…I know where you are Sara and it’s not here with me…”

Sara suddenly withdrew her arm. Her features became darker, angrier, full of hate.

“And who’s f*****g fault is that? Who’s fault is it that my brother is dead? Who f*****g killed my poor brother? You did Jimmy! You killed him and then you killed me!”

“I didn’t know Sara…I promise, I didn’t know…I-I…I’m sorry-"

“Too late for all that now. No amount of sorrys can ever bring him back…”

The pressure in my chest grew heavier. I desperately gasped for air as Sara approached me. My eyes flitted to her arm; she was holding an ax.

“But you know what? You can join him and finally, he won’t be alone anymore!”

I tried to move but I could not. I stood there, forcing air into my lungs and watching Sara as she hurriedly approached me.

She swung the ax, hard.