Blood and Bats

My breath came in shallow gasps.  I dared not move.  I dared not breathe.  I dared not live.  Not here not now.  The feeling in my heart was too much.  It was like my very soul was free falling into a never ending dark tunnel.  My heart beat so hard.  I swear I could hear the dull throbbing in my chest ringing out into the forest, leading the hunter to me.  I felt like a mouse that was caught under the cruel talons of a predator waiting in pain, fear, and hopelessness for the darkness to consume me and wash me away in a flood of nothingness.  The dull moon-washed forest emitted an eerie glow.  It reminded me of a grave yard with pools of moonlight flowing over the rocky and uneven ground, except there were no tombstones.  I almost wish there were, that way when I died I would be welcomed into the open arms of the dead, who were resting in their beds of soil.

My blood ran cold as I heard the chilling howl of a coyote far in the distance.  Maybe it sensed the danger and was warning his fellow comrades.  A tear ran down my face.  It reminded me of how the first mother had warned me about him.  I remembered how she told me he was trouble.  She warned that he would lead me to my death.  She was right.  I only wished that I would live long enough to be able to tell her that she was right.  My heart stopped instantly at the sound of my wrist watch beeping the hour.  I panicked and immediately struggled to smother the noise under my torso.  For one terribly long minute the watch insisted on making my location known, and then it stopped.  I could only pray he hadn’t heard it.  I ventured to take a peek at my watch.  At least I would know what time it was when I died.  It was midnight.

I thought of moving out of my cramped position under the enormous roots of a tree.  It might help me get away if I carefully slunk through the trees to safety.  I almost did it, but I stopped myself.  I was tempted to slap myself for even allowing an idiotic thought like that to enter my mind as an option.  I didn’t do it because of all the noise it would make.  My main priority at this point was to keep the noise down to a minimum of a shallow breath here and there.  That was probably what he wanted.  He wanted me to move and make noise so he could find me easier.  Either way I was going to die.  I knew it.  There was no escaping death this time.  I had cheated him too many times already.  He would be making sure that this time I join his realm as one of his most tortured subjects forever.  I could just hope that he wouldn’t be too harsh for old time’s sake.  I smiled to myself.  He probably wanted me dead because of the old times.  My skin tingled, warning me of my impending doom.  It was the dreaded sixth sense.  It was said in ancient times that the sensation is only felt right before a person dies.  Maybe there is an exception for me since I’m not a person.  I thought to myself.  It was too much to hope for. 

All hope was lost in one heart stopping moment.  The only thing I thought was "I should have moved"  The blood chilling whisper, sounding like a thousand  echoes, tickled my ear.  His beautiful, perfect voice scraped across my soul causing my will power to melt away into nothing. 

"You can't hide for your life."  The voice taunted. 

I was incapable of stopping the current of tears from flowing down my cheek.  I screeched and flailed as a terrible murderous hand closed around the collar of my shirt.  Warm blood ran down my neck from a gash in the back of my neck as his sharp nails raked  across my delicate white skin.  I screamed in pain, agony and fear as he dragged me from under the tree, and held  me firmly at eye level with him.

"Literally."  He smiled, exposing his glittering fangs.

At that moment I could envision my blood dripping from those deadly weapons.  My skin crawled, as I stared into the depth of his hard crimson eyes, like pools of blood.  My throat constricted in fear, I needed to say it.  It may have been the only thing that could save my life.  He frowned.

"Don't you have any last words?  Any last requests, maybe?"  he asked

"You can't kill me,"  My voice came out in a hoarse whisper.  "I have not yet done it.  I haven’t completed my task." 

He once again cracked that pitiless smile.  "What do I care?  I'm not here to follow the rules, I'm here to kill you."  He drew a cold finger across my face leaving a trail of a burning sensation.  "It's such a shame that a beauty like you has to be wasted, but I have to do what I must  to keep you from defeating  the Almarta."

Suddenly at the mention of that terrible organization, the last piece of the puzzle was fitted into place.  I finally knew the Alamarta's motives, and why.

"You lied to me."  I screeched.  I was outrageously angry.  Mostly because he cheated on me.  A little bit because all this time he had led me to believe that he loved me.  All at once  an inhuman  rush of energy  took my body.  Blinded by anger, fear and pain and with fire coursing through my veins, I landed a powerful punched in my ex-boyfriend's face.  It felt good, so relieving.  His body glided ten feet away and crashed into the thick trunk of an elder tree. "Now you die."  I sneered, pulling the crimson dagger from my vest.  Soul Reaper, which had been given to me two summers ago for my 14th birthday, glimmered in the moon light.  This dagger was about to prove itself useful after all.  The  blood red ruby in the pommel began to glow as I advanced on him.

He was on his two feet in a split second and was sliding Midnight Fear from its sheath that hung from his side, but he was too slow.  I was on him in less than a moment.  With blinding speed I rushed at him and sliced at his throat with the hungry blade.  He dodged quickly and rolled out of my reach. 

"Prepare to meet Death."  He laughed.  "He'll pay well for your soul."  With a flick of his wrist he sent the first of his throwing knives at me.  Because of my razor sharp reflexes I was able to dodge  it by doing a double back flip.  I was already ready for the second one.  As soon as my feet touched the ground I slid to the side, avoiding the second dagger.

"Pretty good,"  His eyes glittered deadly, "But let's see how you do with hand to hand combat."

I could feel his uneasiness flowing through the air.  It pierced me like a dagger.  He was faltering.  I actually had a chance.  I rushed at him, dagger out to the side.  An Idea was forming in my head.  It would be close, but if I succeeded I would win the fight.  He dodged easily and plunged Midnight fear into my side.  I grunted and fell limp over the weapon.

"Seems to me you're not that good"  He whispered into my ear.  I gathered my strength and took my last opportunity.  All at once, before anyone could think,  I inserted my dagger into his chest, piercing his heart.  Blood oozed from around the blade, welling up around my hand.  He looked up into my eyes with pure hatred.  "May Kronos curse you and make your life to be a desolate wasteland."  It was the ultimate curse in our world.  I angrily  dug the dagger deeper into his heart. 

"May Death torture your wicked soul forever, shade."  With those last words I pulled the dagger from his limp corpse. 

"Curse you"  He said.  Then his pulse stopped and he  died.

  I watched with cold eyes as a pool of purplish blood welled up beside his cold body.  Seeing all that blood made my hungry.  I was tempted to feast on him, out of spite, when suddenly his body burst into smoke and a swarm of bats that drifted away into the night.  Pain lanced through my body.  Blood ran down my leg from the stab in my side.  I needed to find a doctor before I bled to death.  I sheathed my dagger, disappointed, and started walking away from the scene, but then I stopped.  I wanted to have the last word.  I turned to look at the pool of blood.  "You really are and Idiot.  Didn't you know that the only way to kill a vampire is by stabbing one in the heart with a stake?"  With that I turned toward the city and headed for the hospital.