The Damned, Eager to Feed

The previous installment of teenage Chloe Bradshaw’s dark tale is here.

“Wow, that would be amazing,” Travis responds to my offer of eternal life quickly, but immediately looks the floor, dispirited. “It’s sick, you know.”

“What?”

“Me killing my parents. If somebody would come to me and say that they can turn time back so my parents will still be alive, I’d say no. I can recollect feeling extremely powerful with their blood on my hands. But I don’t want to go around slaughtering people and then going prison for it.”

“But I told you, you will never have to worry about police again.”

“That is impossible.”

“And if I was to argue and say that it is possible then what-” I was cut off by Marius snapping:

“Just tell him straight out!”

“Marius and I are Demons.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Ha, only if. You saw Marius’ eyes, he is hungry for blood. Sorry for being blunt, but you only have two choices. You either let me turn you, or I will have to let Marius kill you.”

“Good choices aren’t they? Either get killed or suffer a life of damnation.”

“I take that as a no, then.”

“I never said that.”

“So you want to become a Demon?”

“Sure, where do I sign?”

Again I find myself smiling at the boy’s cheek, though I know that he is going to be extremely annoying.

“All you have to do is drink my blood,” I tell him.

“What will happen after that?”

“Nothing,” I lie.

“Right then what are we waiting for?”

I bite into my wrist, it hurts but I don’t let it show. Blood fills my mouth. Crimson colour runs down my arm like exposed red veins. I bring my arm up to Travis’ mouth. His nostrils flare. He held my wrist in a strong grip. I feel his lips close around the teeth marks. There is a sensation of my blood completely gushing out of my body making me feel dizzy. But I stand still, not breaking the contact between us, until I feel a stabbing pain my chest. I stagger back and hear a thud as Travis makes contact with the floor. I run a finger over the wounds in my wrist and I press hard upon them, it’s the only way to stop the bleeding. I turned my attention back to Travis who is still on the floor, writhing in pain.

“How long do you think he will be like that for?” Marius asks.

“Only for about five minutes.” I answer.

“Why did you lie to him?” He asks, eyes fixed on the boy dying his mortal death. I can still remember mine, it hurt like hell. “He asked you what will happen after he takes your blood. And you answered, if you can remember, ‘nothing’.”

“Well if I had said ‘You will be in a hell of a lot of pain,’ then he wouldn’t have agreed to it now would he?”

“I think he deserved the truth,”

“I did what I thought was best. We need to win this. If it isn’t demons stalking the darkness the universe will only throw some other danger into the world.”

“I know.”

We stand there in silence after that. The only noise there is that of Travis dying, but I know he is coming to the last stretch of the unbearable pain. He tries to sit up; he fails and falls back again.

“Take your time,” I tell him. “It is a lot to get used to.”

I take a chair and sit down, Marius does the same, setting his chair near mine. Travis stays on the floor, hands over his head, chest rising and falling quickly. We stay like that for a while, each dwelling on our own thoughts.

The patches of light on the floor soon fade as night comes to the city. I feel the redness swell in my eyes; I look at Marius and see that he too has blood red eyes.

“Marius and I are going out. Would you like to come?” I ask Travis.

“Where are we going?”

“To feed, I’ll teach you how.” I walk out of the broken front door, Marius and Travis in line behind me. It is like I am leading a parade of darkness. And I am smiling again with the thought.

The alley is even darker now. Wee see the array of stars above, walking along the pavement, boots hitting hard upon the ground. The bite of the wind stings my face.

“We go to a house.” Marius tells a curious Travis. When we find a likely place, I look left and right before approaching the door. I press my ear up against the wood. I can not hear anything apart from the sound of somebody snoring. I walk back towards Marius and Travis and tell them that the house is fine.

Marius starts picking the lock on the door. This is when the sound of rustling reaches my ears. I whip my head around to see where it is coming from. I nudge Travis and whisper “Follow Marius, and if he asks where I have gone tell him that I think I saw a Hunter.” He nods. Good boy.

I draw my sword out but keep it behind me so the Hunter doesn’t know I am carrying it. He steps out from behind the hedge and addresses me with my name.

“Lilith, if I was you I would kill that new recruit. Spare him the humiliation of dying at the hand of one of my allies.”

“How do you know my name?”

“Every Hunter knows your name, dear Lilith. You should heed my advice.”

“I never listen to Hunters.”

“Then you are a fool.”

“Why are you here?” I snap.

“A Hunter has already come to warn you of your imminent demise, and you killed him cheaply.”

“I ask you again, why are you here? Why are you warning me of this?”

“I have been ordered to do so. I do not know the reasons my master has.”

“Who is your master?”

“The oldest Hunter,”

“Do I have the pleasure of knowing his name as he knows mine?”

“He has told us not to say.”

I grow bored of this ridiculous conversation. I charge him, whipping the sword from behind my back, leaving the Hunter no time to contemplate what to do. Before he even knows it, the sharpened blade of the sword had already made its way to his neck and sliced through the bone.

I plunge my hand into his chest and rip out his heart for dinner. I look over at his decapitated head, he had an expression of shock before he died and that expression remains in death.

I turn away from the dispatched nuisance and walk towards the house in search for Marius and Travis. I find them in a small room, where I see Travis standing over a body, feeding upon the human.

“Where did you go?” Marius asked.

“I saw a Hunter. Got rid of him.”.

“So that explains your hand.” I nod, licking the blood off my fingers.

“How is Travis getting along?”

“Well. just look at him.”

Travis has just finished, wiping his mouth free of blood, wiping his hand on black trousers.

“I could grow used to this new life.” A smile spreads across his blood-stained face.

“Good. Now we have to get out of here. Rule number one, Travis, always leave as soon as you have finished.”

We come back to our old and broken house. I sit down on the chair which I have claimed as my own.

Travis disappears for a moment and comes back with a lit candle. The flame dances in the air. I look at Travis, his eager face lit up by the glow.

“I have to tell you a few things about this life that you have chosen.” I tell him.

To be continued…