From The Darkness

BLOOD-PREY-2

She began dragging herself up the steps, screaming with agony with every movement. Looking at her goal, she felt herself feeling invigorated as the darkness fell outside. Even the fog in her mind was beginning to clear.

The door creaked open above her and her hope for salvation died.

The man who had attacked her was stood at the top of the steps.

He hurried past her when he saw the exposed bone, his gentle French accent betraying a hint of concern. "You're hurt. Let me see."

Staring at his aristocratic features and long brown hair, Melissa's leg erupted with agony as she tried to drag herself away from him. "What do you want?"

He remained silent.

Unable to turn away from his brown eyes, Melissa felt her ankle stiffening and her entire leg begin tingling almost with relieving pleasure. She managed to break the trance. Glancing down at her leg, she managed to move it with ease. All trace of the injury was gone. She stood up, a little unsteady at first. Then she retreated from him.

As she brushed the hair out of her eyes, he saw the blisters on her hand. "I'm sorry, Melissa. I should have been here to stop this."

Her hand disappeared behind her back as she moved to keep the sarcophagus between him and her. More memories returning, she touched her neck. Everything sank in when she felt the wound. "You know my name?"

His voice was compassionately soothing, "I've been watching you."

The fear that he was going to kill her returned with a vengeance. Melissa backed against the wall, pressing herself firmly against it.

Something wet and soft nudged her ear.

She turned toward the large rat returning her gaze and screamed.

As she screamed again, the man flashed forward and gently lifted it from her shoulder. "You've frightened him."

Still nervous about his intentions, Melissa watched him begin stroking the rat. Her curiosity began to demand answers. "Who are you?"

Placing the rat on the musty floor, the man let it safely scurry away. Glancing at her, he saw the terror in her eyes and halted. "Julian."

Touching the gash on her neck, she felt stupid even considering her suspicions. "What are you?"

There was sadness in his voice when he answered, "After I became a vampire, my parents pretended I did not exist. I was shunned by my family and friends who considered me to be a monster. I remained in France until my dear sister passed away, forced to hide in places like this." He glanced around the crypt, hating being forced to live in such a distasteful dump. "There was a community of us in New York at the turn of the century, they welcomed me without hesitation and taught me how to survive. They were my friends. I watched mortals torture and mutilate them because of what we had to do to survive."

Despite everything he had done to her the previous night, Melissa couldn't help feeling sorry for him. "But you were killing people."

Advancing toward her, Julian grabbed her shoulders. "No, we were surviving." Releasing her when he realised that he was scaring her again, he turned away. "I'll teach you how to survive."

The realisation of what he was suggesting became clear. Just the idea made her sick to her stomach at the prospect, yet there was some part of her that liked it. "I can't kill anyone."

Julian wondered whether he had made the right choice in selecting her to keep him company, "You're a hunter; you enjoy the chase and the kill."

Melissa wiped her tears from her cheeks, trying to make herself believe that he was wrong. "You can't compare vermin to human beings."

An undercurrent of anger appeared in his voice. He knew that her protests were part of an attempt to cling to a world she was no longer part of, "Foxes kill for survival. You kill for sport."

It surprised her that he seemed to have such a passion for animals, "I'm just a student, I have friends that I care about."

He remembered watching his sister dying, trying to spare her all that. "Forget them." He glanced at his watch, "We must go." He held out his hand, invitingly. "Please?"

As he began heading up to the door, Melissa thought about escape again. She figured she'd have a better chance outside and followed him. The cemetery was brightly lit by the nearly full moon overhead as she emerged and then she saw the gate.

Julian was quite far ahead of her when she began running in the opposite direction. Reaching the gate, she saw the padlocked chain and looked back. She felt sure he was going to catch her.

There was no sign of him among the mass of tombstones.

Turning back to the gate, she scrambled over it, tearing her jeans on the sharps rails and gashing her legs. She fell onto the pavement and set off running along the path, determined to reach the police station.

She reached a brightly lit bus stop in about a minute and checked the time table, a glance at her watch making her realise how long she was going to have to wait. Certain he was going to find her; she felt the odd drop of rain begin hitting her head.

Every so often, an occasional car went past, but she was constantly on the lookout for Julian. She didn't even realise that the bus had stopped until she heard the door open. She was inside in an instant, fumbling for the money to pay the driver. Snatching the ticket, she took the nearest seat. She couldn't believe that Julian hadn't found her.

As the bus began moving, she glanced at the blisters covering her hand and then remembered being bitten. There was no longer any wound when she touched her neck. She quickly made herself believe it had all been a trick.

Looking out through the window as the bus crossed the iron bridge leading into town; Melissa saw the lights from the college. She had lurched forward and was standing by the doors before she knew what she was doing. She didn't understand what was happening, but she felt she had to get off here.

The bus slowed to let her off.

Melissa jumped out as the doors opened, landing unsteadily on the wet pavement. She stared at the windows of the college, the bright lights seeming to invite her to enter.

Passing through the doors into the lobby, she glanced at the trophies in the display case until a noise made her look toward the stairs. Her stomach felt alive with butterflies as she began moving toward the sound. Reaching the stairs, she could actually feel that there was someone up there.

She climbed the stairs slowly.

Mrs Blaylock was stood by the classroom door talking to the caretaker.

The thoughts flashing through her mind shocked her. All her time in this class and she had never thought about Mrs Blaylock like this. She didn't know what to think, she was actually having feelings for her teacher. She had never understood the attraction two women could have for one another, and then it hit her.

It wasn't Mrs Blaylock that she was attracted to, it was her blood.

The craving was growing stronger inside her and no matter how much she tried to fight it, she found herself liking the way it was making her feel. She summoned every vestige of her will to subdue her desire.

Mrs Blaylock returned to the classroom and the caretaker returned to his work.

Melissa wanted to stop herself, to stop these sick thoughts in her mind. She failed. The thought of the feel of hot sticky blood filling her mouth and coating her throat became all she could think about. When she reached the door to the classroom, she realised that she was smiling.

She stared at Mrs Blaylock sitting behind her desk, her hand rubbing the back of her neck as she thought about the kill.

Something made her think about Gail.

The image of her best friend's face helped her conquer her urges. She focused more of everyone she cared about.

Staggering back against the dull blue wall, she brought her lust under control and rushed down the stairs. Hurrying out into the rain, she collapsed against a lamp post. Her face stained with the tears, she felt like she was losing herself to these sick urges.

Julian stepped from behind a battered red van parked on the small college car park, the lack of blood on her lips was discouraging. He knew the answer before he asked it, "Have you killed?"

Every thought she had screamed at her to run, she just had to figure out why she didn't want to. Still barely managing to control her urges, she forced herself not to think about them. "I told you, I will not kill anyone. I just want to go home."

He brushed her cheek, wiping the rain from her skin. "Your instincts are growing, soon they will be part of you."

The brief thought of giving in to her craving made her feel ecstatic and, despite not wanting to, she climbed into the back of the van. She still clung to the hope that she could resist everything she was feeling, watching Julian sit behind the wheel. She collapsed onto the soft cushions scattered across the metal floor, closing her eyes as the rain outside became heavier.

It felt like she had only been lying there for a couple of minutes when she felt the van stop. As Julian opened the back door, she felt someone was near. Climbing out, she stared at the van parked between the trees. Whatever she was feeling was directed toward a small cottage tucked away at the end of a long driveway.

Julian glanced at her, "The one that lives here, she won't be missed for a while."

Her face dripping with rain, she tried to think of any rational reason not to go through with this. "We can't just break into her home and kill her."

The lights went out in the house.

"It's time." He paused to look back, hoping her instincts would have grown enough to stop her from trying to run away. "Stay here."

The fear that she wouldn't even want to stop herself from killing sickened her as she saw him reach the door. Her hand clasped the back of her neck nervously as he removed something from his pocket. She moved closer, recognising the key as he began unlocking the front door. "How did you get that?'

When he looked back at her, she got a feeling that he was not enjoying this as much as she was trying to pretend she wasn't.

"I was prepared."

She forced herself to feel disgusted by his cold preparation for the murder, her wet clothes clinging to her skin as she watched him. It felt like hours, standing out there in the rain. Then she heard the scream from inside.

Rushing inside without a second thought, she was lost totally in her desire to satisfy her new lust.

A last moment of clarity stopped her by the bedroom door. Julian was pinning a struggling woman to the bed, his head pressed against her throat. The woman's face, she had seen it before, they had been at school together.

The woman's strength beginning to fade, Julian tore his teeth from the flesh and glanced at Melissa. "Feed."

Sickened by her delight at the blood dripping from his lips, Melissa stared at the woman's throat with mouth watering anticipation. She made a final attempt to resist her hunger, "This isn't right."

Julian climbed off the bed and approached her.

At first she thought he might kill her this time, but instead he pushed her toward the bed.

"It's part of you now."

The blood was intoxicating. Melisa felt herself wanting to taste it, but managed to hesitate when she noticed the woman's body tremble.