A Florentine sky at dusk, streaked with orange fire was my backdrop, as I walked along the Ponte Vecchio feeling lonely and dejected.
The city looked magnificent in the half light of fading day and approaching night like a living thing ready for sleep, but perhaps not quite yet.
The taverns were full and voices were raised in song, chatter and laughter too. I listened and sighed. It is difficult to be apart when all around me I see life lived. My existence and I are something else, something apart and yet connected.
I have told you enough of my existence so far for you to know that absolute immortality does bring with it sad and often hopeless isolation. When you are fallen angel spawn and condemned to live forever, forever troubles more than it thrills I fear.
This was how I felt in the spring of 1502 when I, merely out for an evening stroll, happened to see the most fascinating creature—rushing along as though her life depended upon it. She carried herself with such grace and I found myself following, watching her great billowing gown glide smoothly over the cobblestones as if to bless them.
He was suddenly aware of slow movement to his left. The realization began to dawn on him even before he rolled over just what it was. It was her. She hadn’t left, though he wished that she had. He had done her, to be sure, exploring every part of her that she would allow, and even a place or two that he had had no interest in venturing to, but come the morning, he had hoped that the bitch would be gone.
The old church crouched on the corner, ignored. Dawn light crept into the chapel, filtering through dozens of tiny panes of stained glass. The workshop was once a nave, but the only worship now was that of the bald old man hunched over the form of a young lady on a table. There was a scraping as he worked the body, fitting together joints made of wood, plastic, and ceramic with tender care. The curves of the manikin took shape under his thin, gnarled hands. He slid his callused fingers along a newly-smoothed arm and grinned, showing dozens of silver-capped peg teeth.
He was amazing, rock solid and cool to the touch. My fingers lightly traveled his skin leaving quivers where they had touched. Low and seductive his growls kept sounding from his throat. I continued to explore his body until he seized my wrist in an instant. Staring down at me, he brought it up to his mouth and began to lick. A pleasurable smile crept over his face and continued as if he were having something sweet. His tongue, so cold, soft and yet, so inviting I begged for more. I offered my other wrist to which he didn’t hesitate.
My orb is not what it seemed. My orb a glowing monster with teeth like daggers and twice as sharp that tore through my skin, pierced every vessel, muscle and organ. My eyes widened as the pain spread through my body, rendering me motionless.
She breathes hard inside the confined space, flinching with every sound she hears. There is the sound of what seems like chains above her but it’s hard to be sure, even with her abilities. Occasionally a loud bang startles her and it’s everything she can do to stop herself crying out. She tightens her hands into fists, nails digging into bloody palms as again, noises far too close for comfort, follow one after another.
Feeling the electrical anticipation of the feed, he lofted to a door on a second story balcony—leading directly to his quarry. It was locked, but the mere desire for it to be open was all one of Nebuchadnezzar’s power needed to make it so… and being invited? Such was but… superstition—by the young and inexperienced of his kind. Entering silently, he was greeted immediately by the overwhelming scent of the blood! That heady, intoxicating nectar that was life itself! Satiation at hand, he—
‘Untrue to myself. I have thoughts I dare not give platform to speak their evil. I know not what to do or how to proceed. I fear,’ yet another pause, pregnant with tension. ‘I fear I no longer know how to proceed with my own life. I beg the dear Father’s help, if he will oblige me?’
“I pulled into my parking stall late that first night and shut off the car. We don’t have a parking lot, just a few spaces in the alley: there’s only eight units in the complex anyway, so we don’t need much. I drive a 98 Mustang convertible; yellow with black lines and when I opened the door, something caught my ear.”
“Hannah.”
“It sounded very otherworldly, as if I heard it, but not really. More like I felt it. I thought someone was crying, and then realized that that wasn’t it, it was somebody calling. However, when I stopped to listen, it was gone. I stood there in the dark for a while to see if it’d come back, but it didn’t. I was tired and hungry, so I probably only gave it a few seconds before I finally turned and headed for my apartment.”
“I didn’t hear it again until the next night. I had just pulled into my spot and cut the motor.”
“Here, Hannah.”
“It scared the shit outta’ me! I must’ve been daydreaming or something. I even checked the back seat. That’s how close it was.”
“C’mon, Hannah. Come to big sister. Hannah?”
“So I jumped out of the car to see whether I might be able to catch them this time. I wasn’t thinking about ghosts or anything…”
The spinner of the tale paused a moment, slipping out of character. “I know. I love that, too,” he said, directing the comment to some of those who laughed.
Fear gripped me and I turned to run, knowing this was the wrong thing to do. I was running back into the park, which provided little protection for me. I needed to get around more people to be safe from certain death. The vampire moved with speed I could not even see, next thing I knew he was standing back in front of me. He grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off my feet, he was about to take my life, when all at once he released me and I hit the ground. Finding my footing again I looked to see how I became free of his grasp, it was one of my vampire friends that had rescued me.
