LIFE AFTER DEATH

I never thought I would be this interesting; I was the quintessential housewife, looking after two kids, three if you count my husband. And I liked that, it was safe, it was happy, it was, well, it was boring.
This, of course, changed the day I died. Yeah, I know; it sounds insane even to me, and I’m ‘living it’, so, to speak. As I said, I was your typical housewife; I did laundry, I cleaned the house, looked after and fed the kids, and made sure my husband didn’t starve and always had a fresh crisp shirt for work.
This was until I found out my husband had been sleeping with his very beautiful, very elegant, very male boss. – I rebelled, hard. It wasn’t the affair, or even the fact that he was sleeping with a man; I got it. I was just so, mad that after twelve years of marriage he didn’t trust me with such a big part of who he was.

Like I said, I rebelled, in royal fashion. Found the closest bar and started drinking, and didn’t stop. It was about five that evening, just after the sun had settled, when a young and alluring man walked in, and I watched as he scanned the room.
I should have known, I suppose I did, and didn’t care; but, the mood in the room changed. The barman poured him a glass of the deepest red wine I have ever seen, yet, he didn’t take a sip, instead he gently swayed the glass in his hand, letting the contents rhythmically slosh from side to side.

Whereas before everyone talked in hearty, excitable tones; everyone had become hushed and subdued. And he was different; he was utterly calm, seamless, and for his age, which looked to be no more than twenty, he appeared timeless.
With his dark hair combed back into a sleek quiff, and the sides kept short and neat, his skin was pale, but he looked healthy despite this, with a squared jaw and deep brown eyes; and a swimmer’s physic, wrapped perfectly in a tailored, dark grey, three-piece suit.
He was still scanning the room as the bar-staff gave him a nervous, wide birth; when he caught me looking at him, the only person in the bar that seemed to dare to. With ease, he lifted himself off the barstool he had been perching on and started walking towards me.

I felt my heart quicken, and at the time, I didn’t register the quick smile dance across his face. But, looking back, it had made him happy.
“And who are you?” He asked looking at me with a sly and inviting smile, his words were like liquid silver.
“You first,” I replied coyly, trying not to look him in the eye, even though every inch of my body wanted to. I wish I could say I sounded equally as slick, but, I had been drinking all afternoon, and tipsy was well within my minds rear-view-mirror.
His smile widened, just enough to show the start of glimmering, perfect white teeth. “Fair enough, I’m Luke.” Luke said smoothly, still eyeing me with a tilt of the head, the one that dogs get when they are curious.
“Anna.” I managed.

“You seem upset Anna.” Luke said abruptly, his gave finally catching mine.
“Yes,” I replied obediently, feeling my body going limp, surrendering to his deep brown pools of eyes. Which in that moment, had a golden sheen to them.
“You want to have fun.” Luke stated, his voice hypnotic as what little noise remained in the room fell away.
“I do.” I replied, feeling my chest pound, and my stomach knot, I may have been thirty-four, but, I had always kept in shape, and now, I felt every muscle I had fought so, hard to create contract and relax as Luke leaned in closer.
He brushed my ashen blond hair with his cold fingers, “I can give you fun, if you ask.” Luke cooed in my ear.
“Ask what?” I heard myself reply, but, all I could see and feel was him.
“Say, can I have fun with you?”
“Can I have fun with you?” I parroted, and, everything went to black.

***

The next thing I remember was waking up in a pit, in the dark, starving hungry and feeling as though my veins had been pumped full of adrenaline. I jolted forward and out of the pit in one, glorious leap, landing Terminator style on the grass next to it.
“Well, that was impressive.” I heard Luke say, as he clapped slowly.
I couldn’t explain why, but, everything sounded louder, I could pinpoint exactly where Luke was, just by his words. I turned to walk towards him, yet, I was already stood toe to toe with him.
Smiling widely to show his fangs, still dripping with my blood, which made my hunger surge forward, he said sweetly, “You’ll get used to it.”

Remembering myself, I felt my own mouth, and the two sharp teeth which were new additions; panting, gasping, and crying I realized I wasn’t actually breathing.
“Oh, God, what have you done to me?” I screamed, wanting to double over, I instead threw myself backwards into a tree, which promptly broke in half. “No.” I moaned, still sitting among the wreckage.
“You will learn to control your strength.” Luke said kindly, possibly seeing his own rebirth in mine.
“I just want to go home.” I uttered, streams of red started to pour down my face, I was crying.
“That would be dangerous right now,” Luke started, rubbing the stubble on the back of his head, looking down at me with a wince on his face. “You need to feed and hone your strength, then you can go home.”
“Feed?” I asked, disgust rising up inside me as Luke helped me up from the tree stump.
“Yes, let me teach you how to be what you are now, then you go home.”