The Kiss of Death

   Eleanor's POV:     "You know the drill Ed. Sit tight, stay low, and I'll be back before dark. We only need enough for a three day trip so I won't be long." I can feel her eyes staring daggers into my back as I tie the arrow head on tight to the shaft and add my twelfth and final arrow to my quiver. I sling the quiver over my head to settle the strap on my shoulder, securing my arrows to my back.     "I want to go with you. I have a bad feeling El, don't leave me alone. Please." Ed pleads as I lean down to shove some apples and nuts into my bag and grab some rope and my dagger, just in case I catch something big on my hunt. I glance up just in time to see Edith tuck my canteen behind her back and shuffle a few steps away.     "Come on Ed, give it here. I don't have time for this. I'll need a few hours to gather what we need and its already almost five. If you want to eat tonight, I need to leave now so I make it back before nightfall." I straighten myself up and brush the dirt and leaves off my knees as I turn to face my little sister. As soon as I rise, my eyes meet hers and I feel the guilt settle heavily into my chest.      Tears swim in her warm, golden eyes and I can see from several feet away that she's shaking like a leaf as she takes yet another step back in a vain attempt to keep my canteen and myself here at our temporary camp.      "Ed..." I murmur, as I stop to think of what to say to calm her nerves, studying her carefully. My sister is actually gorgeous, even covered in the filth used to mask our scent, and would most definitely have drawn the attention of the blood suckers for her beauty alone had we not left the village when we did. She's tall and slim for her age, with long chestnut colored hair and golden brown eyes, deep as quicksand, its easy to get lost in them. Her complexion is perfect and her cheeks are naturally peachy. Even her nails are perfect, I wonder to myself as I glance down at my nails, chewed off and covered in dirt. The girl could be a super model if those still existed.      I'm perfectly plain in comparison. Long, wavy, dark brown almost black hair and green eyes. About a foot taller than her at 5'6" , of course, since I'm seventeen and she's only twelve but I'm sure she'll be just as tall as me some day soon. I've also grown into my curves more than Ed but she's always been an early developer and she's catching up fast.      I make a mental note to stop at the next merchant stand we find to get us both some new attire as I glance up at Ed and notice her clothes are disgusting and almost reduced to rags. It's been a long spring and its taken a lot out of us both to be on our own, surviving out in these woods as we continue forward on our journey. I know Ed must be just as tired as I am of running, hiding, and sleeping in mud to stay under the radar. She knows just as I do that it's our best bet to find mom and dad and make it to the City of Light. I'm the oldest, and it's my job to get us there safe and sound. I cannot fail or we could both end up dead.     I snap out of my head and look back into her eyes as I kneel down to her level.      "Edith, mom and dad are waiting for us and we don't have time to waste sitting here arguing about whether you go with me or not. I can't hunt effectively and watch out for you at the same time. And we both know your hunting skills aren't up to par yet so you could end up scaring off the big game. You know this is the best way, the only way."     I glance up over her shoulder towards the last town we had been through, remembering those crimson red eyes and their sharp, white fangs. She's probably scared that we weren't careful enough this morning as we passed through Aldon.      "No one saw us back there, little dove. I promise the dirt and grime masks our scents. They aren't coming for us. You'll be safe here until I get back." She drops the canteen and wraps her arms around my waist, squeezing me tight and nodding her head into my chest as she sniffles and wipes her face on my jacket. I pat her back and pet her head before snatching my water and stuffing it into my bag. Satisfied that I've calmed her nerves enough for her to let me leave, I stand up, pushing her lightly in the direction of the hollow tree I've instructed her to hide in while she waits and grab the camouflage blanket we always use to cover her up.     "There are some berries and nuts in your bag and the last of our water to hold you over while I'm gone. The blanket should be enough to keep you warm so no fires. I've marked the area so I'll find my way back easily. Just remember the blue markers are the way to the river and the green lead to the last city of light. If, and I do mean if, I don't make it back for some reason, which won't happen, follow the green markers and keep your head down. Stay at the safe zone until I come back for you. Scavenge berries and nuts and fill your canteen at the river." I stop and stare hard into her face, trying to convey all the love I have for this girl in one look before I hug her hard.     "I love you El." She whispers through her tears, still holding it together but barely. "Don't waste time hunting anything too big, it takes too long to preserve it. Hurry back okay?" She tightens her hold on me before I push lightly at her shoulder and step back again.     "I love you too. I promise, I'll be quick." I whisper as I kiss her cheek and turn away, quickly disappearing into the woods, eager to get this hunt over with and return to her side.      Fairly quickly, I return to the traps I set earlier today as she had set up camp and collect the game I was able to catch, two squirrels and some type of rodent. I fasten them off onto my rope and tie it tight around my waist so they dangle by my thighs before slinging them to the back to make room for more should I find it. Having finished with my traps, I kick aside some brush and proceed to follow some tracks as I pull out my bow and get ready for the real hunt.     Finding a set of deer tracks is so rare around here that I don't even hesitate to follow them when I stumble across some. I turn off, heading towards the river in pursuit of my dinner. A bird chirps some of her last songs of the day and I glance up towards the sky, squinting at the bright sun until a tree graces me with some shade and I can see clearly again. The sky is so blue, not a cloud in sight and the sun did shine brighter today, a sure sign that summer is on its way. Another sure sign that summer is just around the corner is the spring flowers starting to whither, making room for the heat.      Hunting will be much easier soon due to the weather shift and migration, but by then I'm hoping to have found our parents already and made our way to the nearest City of Light. All humans are free in these cities and the red eyed monsters are ordered by the king to stay away to allow for the human race to breed. Of course once the city reaches full capacity, some are forced to leave and those people become free game to any vampire who happens to cross their path.     Which of course explains why Ed is terrified to be left alone. A couple of months ago, rumors spread about a vampire prince making his way to our home town, collecting humans for feeding, hunting, and breeding purposes. Although it is not uncommon for a human to be kept long term by a noble as a sort of pet or slave. They do love their games and enjoy using people as their play things. And they think of us as animals? Who really behaves like an animal here?      When our mother and father heard of these rumors they went ahead to the nearest city of light in order to secure a home for us. We were instructed to wait exactly one month before following behind them to the city ourselves. All our efforts were to protect Edith from the blood suckers as well as to keep our family together. We had not received any letters or any word whatsoever of whether they did in fact make it to the city but I have no reason to believe otherwise. It took some time to gather what we could and to convince Ed to make the trip was entirely more challenging than the trip itself was proving to be. It's been instilled in her, that fear, and she's right to have it. I just wish it didn't control her so completely sometimes.     I shake my head and arm my bow as I peak around a tree to peer at the doe I spotted several yards back. Its clear that she hasn't noticed me because she continues to munch on the leaves and grass, calmly glancing around between bites to ensure that she is still safe from predators. I take aim and track her as she turns towards the river and bends her head to take a drink. She looks young, small, not a lot of meat on her bones. Enough meat though, for my sister and I to make it three more days through the woods into the next town with little to no stops except for water. It may take some time to skin and collect the meat, and at this rate I must only have about an hour left of day light, but it would be worth it not to have to stop again, and I'm eager to get back to Ed. If I make this shot, I can make fast work of the doe. I pull the bow string back and hold my aim steady.     A snap of a twig to my left startles both the doe and myself and I accidentally let my arrow fly as I turn towards the noise, missing the doe by a long shot since she has already taken flight and retreated into the foliage on the other side of the river. I curse and return my bow to my back before I back into the tree and peer into the woods. Scanning the trees silently, holding my breath and staying absolutely still for several long minutes to make sure that the area is clear, I pray to whatever higher power is out there that the twig was just a bunny.     I'm just about to chalk the noise up to the wildlife in the area when I see it. A flash of deep red and a slight swirl of the trees, a sign that I'm not alone and that I am no longer the hunter, but the prey. I glance side to side, wondering if I'm already to late to make a quick escape. The speed of a vampire is of course unnatural and their senses are incredibly heightened, one wrong move and I would be caught for sure.      I wait for just a moment longer before I hear another noise off to my right and know that if this thing gets much closer, I'll be a goner for sure. Just as I debate whether I should run or hide I remember Edith and the fear clouds my judgement. I can't leave her alone. I can't let them find her. What if I'm too late? I don't think I'm far from camp so I've got to lead them away from her. I pause. I promised her I would be back before dark. I told her she would be safe. With mom and dad gone, she'd be all alone.     With that last thought running through my head I take off running, away from our little camp, desperate to lead the monsters away as fast as possible so they don't catch a whiff of her before they notice me. I stumble and crash through the forest, loudly stomping my way through, leading the killer to his victim and myself to my own demise. This can't be it. We've come so far. I shake my head as hopelessness starts to set in.     I bound over a fallen tree and grab onto several vines, flinging myself off of them and almost tripping in my haste to get away when a strange hand reaches out and catches my hair in a fist, tugging hard and tipping my equilibrium off balance which ultimately flips me to my back before my feet get the memo to stop running.     I grunt from the pain and gasp as the air whooshes from my lungs at the rough landing and stare up into the eyes of a monster. Instinctively, my hand reaches back to claw at the fingers in my hair.     "We've got a live one Will! Looks like our lucks beginning to change. Told you it would." The vampire with hair black as night and eyes red as blood calls out to someone behind him as he pulls me to my feet by my hair and spins me around so that my back is to his chest. He wraps his other arm around my body, grabbing my shoulder as he tugs hard on my hair to pull my head to the side and bare my neck to him.      I wince and stomp on his foot hard, causing him to make a startled grunt and almost, almost, fumble his hold enough for me to escape before he tightens his arm around me again and turns to face his friend.     "You play too much Matt!" The second vampire, Will, calls back as he speed travels quite literally fifty feet within seconds until he's standing right in front of us. "We should've stuck to the main road and continued on to the village. We could be walking away with a dozen different humans, already returning home. Instead you've managed to catch exactly one rogue." He gestures to me with one hand and shrugs his shoulders in exasperation before he finally breaks eye contact with his friend to look down at me. I shuffle my feet a little, nervous at his obvious scrutiny, and take the time to study him as well.     The first thing I notice is that his eyes are not the same crimson as his friends, which can only mean that he hasn't fed on a human in at least twenty-four hours. Instead his eyes are their natural color, a deep and gorgeous grey-blue with dark indigo rings around the iris. They stand out startlingly well from his pale vampire skin and pair nicely with the ash brown hair, just long enough to curl over his ears and forehead in a boyish way.      He's tall, at least a foot taller than me because I have to tilt my head back to look up into his eyes. His build is very thin and slightly muscular though its hard to tell with the layers he has on. He looks dressed for the type of cold that would usually have graced us on an early spring day. As luck would have it, this was one of the warmest days we've had this year which just makes him seem overdressed. Though, if rumors are true, vampires are immune to the cold and usually just dress more for looks. By the looks of his fine clothes, he must be of no lower class than a noble, made of money and power.     "She's a looker though, isn't she Will?" The creep holding me questions as he licks my neck grazing his fangs over my skin, causing me to snap out of my reverie and and make a noise of disgust as I struggle uselessly to get free. I'll be damned if this one bites me and I'm not going down without a fight.     "Hmm." Is the only response Will has as he continues to look me over and nods slightly in approval. "How many slaves were we supposed to collect for the castle?" He asks the creep, Matt. "I could use a new play thing and this one looks like fun. You know I love a good challenge. I bet if we cleaned her up she'd do well enough." He murmurs as he reaches out to brush the back of his fingers against my cheek. I turn towards his hand and open my mouth just slightly, his finger brushing against my lips for just a second before I open wide and chomp down on his finger.     "Ouch!" He yelps and pulls his hand back quickly, sucking the blood off of his pointer finger as I spit at the ground by his feet. "She bit me!" He laughs, his brow furrowed in confusion and surprise. "Ironic isn't it?" He makes eye contact with me and I glare up at him, his blood staining my lips and teeth. His eyes seem to harden like ice before he seems to make a decision and nods his head back towards where they came from.      "Don't eat this one. I'm taking her home. Let's get back to the carriage, It'll be dark soon and I want to make it to the village to find lodging before then." He states, taking one last long look at me before taking off in a blur and disappearing in a flash, heading to what I can only assume is their cart.     "No!" I scream as I elbow and kick and squirm at the leech, trying like hell to get free. I look around at my surroundings, noticing that I'm too far away from camp to be heard and hopefully too far for them to catch a whiff of my sister. I know all too well that I'm fighting a losing battle even before the vampire swoops me up into his arms and speeds off in the direction of the road. He dumps me unceremoniously into the back of a baggage cart and uses my own rope to tie my hands and feet together before he smirks down at me and shrugs.      "Sorry." He mutters, though his smirk doesn't hold that apology true. "Can't have you running away." He takes one last look at me and removes my hunting gear and bag, tossing them to the other side of the cart before jumping down and heading back to the front of the carriage to accompany his friend. I yank and pull and tug at the rope as the horses start to trot away, a single tear falling from my eyes as I work tirelessly at the ropes, knowing full well that without my knife, there's no way I'm getting out of these knots. I look back into the woods, peering in the direction of our camp and curse. "Damn it."         The tears start to stream down my face as the reality of my situation sets in. "I will find you Edi. I will find my way back to you. Wait for me, little dove." I whisper as I look up to the heavens and see the first star poking through the darkening sky. God I hope she doesn't get too cold.      I make a promise then; to myself, to my sister, and to anyone who dares to get in my way. As I watch the sun set behind the horizon, the tears dry and my determination sets in. I will free myself if its the last thing I do. I will get back to Edith. I will protect her until we find our parents. I will not fail.      I stop struggling with the ropes and decide to wait out the ride and see where it takes me. I don't allow myself to wallow in sadness and defeat. Instead I sit silently, waiting for my open window, waiting for the first opportunity to make my escape. I just hope that I don't get myself killed in the meantime.