A Night In The Life OF...

A Night in the Life of…



Sunset Awakening

Boom.
Sounding like a drum beat my heart starts.
As the sun sinks slowly in the sky awareness floods my brain.
The sun is sinking lower the sky will be starting to go a blood red.
Even here where I sleep, out of the suns view, I know where in the sky it is.
The bottom off the sun is just starting to disappear below the skyline of my city.
The slow beat of my heart has started the blood flow around my body, giving me my unlife.
The sun is now more than half hidden behind the skyscrapers.
The feelings are spreading across my body, down my legs, and along my arms.
My thoughts are come quicker and quicker as the beat of my heart picks up speed.
When the sun has gone I will arise and go into my city.
The sun is beginning to sink below the horizon; soon it will be night time.
My time.
My heart beat is quickening as the sun gets lower.
More than half the sun has gone.
My limbs are coming to life, soon I will arise.
The sun has gone, my time is now, my eyes snap open.



Dusk Arising

Mere inches from my face is the quilted velvet lid to my sleeping place. The plush crimson, coloured like blood, is a constant reminder of what I need to continue my existence. Not that this worries me. I like my life. The solitude suits me down to the bone.

I slowly uncross my arms and reach up to push the lid away. My joke on my situation that one, when I sleep I assume the position the mortal herd place their dead in when they lay them down to rest. And I’ve caused enough of them to go to their final rest. The irony of it sets me laughing, the one thing I can no longer control, my laughter. It’s a strange curse to accompany this gift I was given. I find humour in the strangest of things, and can control my reaction to things I find funny no more than I can control my thirst.

In a swift movement I jump from my resting place and land with catlike grace beside my ‘bed’. I stop still and stand in place reaching out with all my senses. My heartbeat no longer overwhelms everything and other images, feelings come through.

First my home. Not a sound to be heard, the air is as still as the dead. Good I have spent another day undisturbed. Reaching further out I find the city. Unlike here it is bustling with activity. It’s my favourite time right now, that in between time. The day people are heading home and the night people are coming out. They all rush about so concerned with their insignificant little lives. The mortal herd, so unaware of the harsh realities of this world. Another joke that one, they actually thinks its their world, that they are the higher beings.

As I sink deeper into the city I start to pick up thoughts, as clearly as if they were stood next to me speaking. This one wants to get home to their children. This one is hurrying to his mistress. This one hates their job. This one is thinking of committing a crime. And on, and on, and on. Petty fears and thoughts from petty creatures.

My time approaches. Soon I will step out into the city and join them. No that’s wrong. Soon I will step out into the city and walk among them.

There it is. Just as I’m about to pull my senses back in I pick it up again. That vague sense of, of something. Almost like being watched, but no-one can watch me, I’d know. Its been there a week now. Not all the time but every now and again I pick it up. Almost as an afterthought. It’s as if someone is hiding themselves from me but is letting me know they’re there on occasion to see how I react.

Enough, time to prepare. I glance down at my clothes – my customary black. I don’t know why, it’s not like I need them to hide, I can hide myself at will. I just find the black fitting.
I glance round out of habit – I’ve survived this long by being careful. As far as I know no-one knows I’m here any more. I step up to the door and push it open.

I step into the city.


Twilight Choices

The warm night air meets me. To some it would be too hot but temperatures no longer effect me. The noise on the other hand is overwhelming. I’m never prepared for it and again it gives me pause. I can hear it all. The footsteps of those in the streets, the call of birds overhead, a dog barking, cats fighting, trains, cars the life of the city. But overpowering it all I can hear their hearts, beating in so many different times, a staccato of sound. I stand and recollect myself gradually siphoning out the sounds. A very useful skill that. Over the years I’ve learnt to siphon the sounds I don’t want and to lock into the ones I do.

Now that I’ve regained ‘normal’ hearing I venture into my city. It’s time to choose.

I wander for half an hour or so, looking but not finding. They just aren’t right. It’s not age, or looks or sex or anything like that, it’s the mind. I like them a little mad. I stalk the streets unnoticed by the ones around me. Its not that they don’t see me I just encourage them not to notice me. I’ve always been good at that sort of obfuscation.

Suddenly it’s there again, that familiar presence, that watcher. In a moments distraction my concentration slips and I’m noticeable. Before I’ve even realized it one of the street walkers has walked up to me.
“You looking for a good time mister?”
I turn towards her and let the mask fully slip, letting her have some idea of what I really am. With a sharp intake of breathe she backs away in terror and runs off. I’ll have to remember that one. She could be fun another time, but not tonight. She may be a long term project. By the time this interplay is done the presence has gone again. It almost seems to be toying with me. Hell, I’ll deal with it later. I still need to choose.


Then I sense them, tonight’s prey. Two blocks away, but I can sense their mind from here. As I trawl for their thoughts and find what attracted their mind to me. They’re not actually mad, not really. They’ve seen one of us before, but where laughed at when told by people. Told they were mad, and bit by bit they’re beginning to believe it themselves. Now that’s amusing, I’m going to have some real fun with this one. Silently I head for them, let the game begin.

Soon I’ve found them, a young man, looking somewhat worn. I’ll follow behind him a while, see what else I can find out about him. It’s pathetically easy – he’s broadcasting his thoughts and not just with his mind. His body language is shouting as well. He’s dreadfully lonely. He’s just beginning to realize that we are all alone in this life; the only difference is in how we deal with it. In fact he could learn a lot from this experience. If he was going to live through the night.

Ever since he saw one of the others he has been living scared. He saw them feeding. Clumsy really, must be one of the youngsters who live in my city. They should know better, not that I’ll tell them they’re blissfully unaware I exist. Any who see me never get the chance to tell anyone else, I make sure of that. So he saw one feed and now lives in fear. His friends have shunned him and he’s scared to go home as it happened outside his front door. Another loser in this city of losers. Well his problems will be over before this night is through. Although not in the way he’d like.

Enough waiting, it’s time to play. I step up my pace, soon I’m just a few steps behind him. He has no idea I’m here; because I don’t yet want him to know. Now I let a couple of my footsteps sound just behind him. As he looks back over his shoulder I slip into the shadows and go unnoticed. He shrugs and continues on his way. A few seconds later I do the same. This time he takes a longer look before heading on. Now I wait two minutes before stepping heavily right behind him, then again vanishing into the shadows. This time he stands for a couple of minutes looking around, still seeing nothing. I can sense the worry beginning; good that’s what I want.

When he starts walking again he quickens his pace and keeps looking over his shoulder. That’s fine by me; he won’t see me until I want him to. As he starts to relax I drop back a little, then walk up to him stepping heavily. As he spins to face me I walk past him without looking at him at all. He registers me as a figure walking past but that is all. He is still looking behind him so I step into an alleyway and wait.

Just before he reaches the alley I step out in front of him. I drop all the pretense and let him see me for what I am. The look on his face is almost worth it on its own. He freezes and is looking on in pure horror. Then he starts to back away, his legs moving furiously but not getting him very far. Slowly I smile at him letting my teeth show. He stumbles to the ground, still moving backwards. I lean toward and speak only one word.
“Run”.

I stand back and fold my arms. He slowly gets to his feet and continues to back away. As soon as he’s sure I’m not following he turns and runs. It’s time.