Beginning Vampire Story

It was a bad day for me. I knew it was as soon as I looked out my window and saw the pitchforks, outlined by torches, grasped in the hands of angry humans. The blood from my last victim was still dripping down my chin, the girl’s lifeless body limp and warm in my icy arms. Using my tongue, I cleaned the last of her blood from the wound at her neck, and threw her corpse into the fire that burned in my hearth.
Downstairs, I could hear the townspeople banging on my door, trying to force it open, and I knew I didn’t have much time. I wiped the remaining blood from my face and stood up. The sun was coming up, its harsh golden rays taunting me. I could almost feel the burning feel of its light on my skin, like liquid fire. There was only one way to escape.
My powers would be no use here. They had somehow managed to lay a ring of garlic around the house. While garlic doesn’t actually harm me, it does render my powers useless while I’m near it. I would have to escape without shifting forms.
Four black flasks lay on the small wooden table by the couch. They went into the small shoulder bag I picked up from the floor, along with a few extra outfits. My black hooded cloak hung by the door, ready for use.
Stupid townsfolk. Why couldn’t they leave me alone? It’s not like I asked for this. The bitter thoughts were quickly pushed away by a growing sense of urgency. I could smell the scent of the torch smoke drifting from downstairs. I had only a minute before they would be here. So I gathered my things and pushed my inky black hair away from my eyes. The cloak settled over my shoulders, and I caught a quick glimpse of myself in the mirror as I turned to the other window, opposite of the rising sun.
My hair was a black silky halo around my face, a sliver of wind from the window tousling it. Gleaming red eyes stared at me, vigorous and bright after feeding. There was still a hint of the never-dying thirst in the depths of the inky pupils, but for my chalky, stone hard, icy skin, there was no change. It was always the same, no matter how much makeup I tried to cover it with.
I would miss that mirror. It was the only one of its kind that was larger than the size of my hand. The surface was made of steel forged in a volcano, spelled to show everything, even the face of a vampire. My hand mirror, made of the same metal, went into my bag. A chuckle forced itself from my throat as I slung the bag over my shoulder and jumped stealthily out the window. When the humans looked in the mirror, they would see themselves as they would look if their beauty reflected their souls. Twisted and misshapen, their screams would give me pleasure if I chose to stay long enough. But the sun was rising, and I had to leave.
Bare feet don’t usually make much noise on the ground, and mine were silent as I landed on the ground in a crouching position, like a cat. It was still mostly dark over here, and I took a moment to savor its cool, soothing tingle on my skin. Thoughts and plans raced through my head as I listened to the sounds of things breaking inside my house. If I moved now, I should be able to get out of here before-
A silver bullet crashed through the window, sending shards of glass into the air above my head. It missed my ear by inches, and I barely had time to duck before another one followed the first. If only it were night. Then they would be my prey, and I could pick them off one by one. But as the townspeople begin crashing through the downstairs window and coming towards me, the sun cast a faint glow over the field in front of me. The forest, dark and safe, was only a few hundred feet away. If I could make it there, I would be safe.
Taking a breath, I stood up from my crouching position and darted toward the safety of the trees, my feet barely touching the ground as I ran with inhuman speed. The townspeople were a blur, the field a steady green streak of paint. One tried to jump in my way, but I jumped over him, kicking out as I went. A sickening snap told me I’d broken his neck. Good. That was one less to follow me.
I may be bulletproof, but that doesn’t mean that silver bullets don’t sting. The rain of gleaming missiles from the men’s rifles hit my back with a resounding pinging noise, and bounced off. They felt to me like little birds digging their beaks into my skin. Darn the sun.
As the cool shadow of the trees enclosed me, and pushed myself to my fullest, reveling in the wind that blew my hair behind my head, and the power I felt. This was one of the greatest things about being a vampire. I was beautiful, immortal, fast, strong, and I had powers above and beyond that which my kind normally had. If I wished it to be so, I could shift my shape and form to whatever I wished, except for a few things like smoke and fire. It was useful in case I had to disguise myself, though I could never go out in public during the day, no matter how many different ways I changed my skin. The sun would leave ugly black marks on it, like I’d stuck my hand in a bonfire.
I would have to return to the town tomorrow night to feed and stock up on fresh blood. I wasn’t sure what I’d find for wildlife in the dense forest, and anyway, human blood always satisfied my thirst for the longest period of time. I would have to take a different route than usual, since the townspeople would probably me combing the woods for me and guarding my house for the next few days. I’d heard that one of the women in town had had a child a few days ago. A newborn and a healthy woman would provide me with plenty of nourishment. There was a full moon tomorrow night as well, all the better for me. The small marks from the bullets were fading, but a quick douse of moonlight would revive my strength to its fullest, preparing me for the journey ahead.
An old oak beckoned to me from deep in the heart of the forest, and I sprung high into its branches, quickly finding a thick one on which to sit. The wind rustled the leaves, and I leaned back against the rough bark, relaxing for once as I did. The trees were thick enough in this part of the woods that no sunlight would reach my skin, and the townspeople would be too afraid to venture here. This was my refuge, and nobody dared come here. Not anymore. Not after that group of teenage boys and the girl camped out in the forest on a dare for two nights.
The first night, I left them alone, to give them a false sense of security. But the second night was the full moon, and I struck one by one, leaving them running for their lives through the forest. To think they could escape me! I killed them as they ran, their warm blood staining the earth. Their blood had sustained me for almost 3 weeks, before I returned their drained, crumpled corpses to the town common on my next hunt. The deafening screams of the teens’ mothers had made me laugh, my white teeth still stained red from my last meal. They’d heard my laugh, and screamed louder, as I left and went back home.
As they’d stormed my house, the men had called me a monster. I couldn’t argue. If you took one look at me, and didn’t differ beneath the surface, you would see only a cruel, heartless being that kills and drains the blood of innocents, sometimes displaying the ruined bodies for all to see. They underestimated me, the humans, so I always made sure to show them what I could do when I had a chance, sometimes hanging a corpse by the shirt collar on the statue of a general in the town common. Maybe that was cruel, but I am who I am.
And as for the blood-drinking, do humans not kill and eat the flesh of animals? They are the predators of the animals, just as I am their predator. I drink to stay alive. It’s just a pleasant side effect that the blood tastes so good to me. If you’re human, you can’t understand. To taste blood as a vampire is different. As it rolls down your throat, it quenches the burning thirst, and refreshes your senses. The salty taste is still there, but it is sweet and delicious, and once you start to drain the blood from a victim, it is nearly impossible to stop. Blood is addicting, and only after years of practice can one learn to stop before they are fully finished feeding. I am still young for a vampire, only 80 years of age. That level of control is still beyond me.
Slowly, my eyes close, and my mind drifts, taking in everything I hear and smell. It is not sleep, that is impossible for me, but it does help me relax and collect myself for the day, the closest thing to it is meditation. But even that doesn’t relay the extra awareness this rest gives me.
A twig snapped beneath me, and I breathed in, sorting out the scents that flood my brain. There, it’s subtle, but its there, the heartbeat beating fast and steady, too fast for a human, the sweet scent of its blood…
I leapt down from the tree, and the rabbit was dead before it realized what was happening. Using my fangs, I ripped open the chest of the dead animal, and drank, my eyes flashing in my satisfaction. When there was no blood left, I tossed the animal into the woods, and heard it hit a tree a hundred yards away with a soft thump.
There was definitely little humanity left in me.