by Slay (epub)
Last night, we hitch-hiked motorcycle rides into town to get away from her rural environment and the smell of barn hay and horse manure. Leather and tattoos combined with engine smoke and industrial smog was just the sort of combination to get Tetra thinking of mischief. I wrongly presumed Tetra would engage in sexual behavior with one or more of the MC’s members, but she had other nefarious intent. She convinced me to steal two of the motorcycles with her and beat them within an inch of their lives when they followed to recover their own property.
I wish I could say I felt sorry for them, but no. I’m having a hearty laugh even as I write this, and I at least let them live.
I would write more, but I’ve got to hurry out into the night to meet her. She’s going to invite me into her house tonight, so that I can be in there when her guests arrive during the day. We’re going to crash her cousin’s wedding tomorrow. Isn’t that exciting?
Forever in Death,
A.
ASHANTI’S DIARY
March 16
Dear Diary,
Apologies again. It’s been a busy, fun-filled week. I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s see…
Tetra and I have done some club hopping in the city, dancing and talking all night. We’ve gone to amusement parks, riding on the scariest roller coasters we could find. We’ve passed through several haunted houses and, one night, we went to a creepy circus and freed all the animals after it closed. We’ve been rock climbing, where I even saved a couple from falling and meeting their demise, if you can believe that. We’ve also been strolling through cemeteries, pranking as many teens as possible with the near truth that I was part of the walking dead, except I’m no ghost.
Though a few of our unsuspecting victims may have had premature heart attacks, Tetra and I truly meant no harm. We were just enjoying each other’s company and having fun. And when all else failed and we were out of ideas, we stayed in Tetra’s room and played dress-up in her parents’ clothes.
For the first time since I’d turned, it felt weird playing a kid’s game of dress-up and not being able to see my reflection in the mirror. Whatever I looked like in her father’s clothes earned much laughter from Tetra, so I could only imagine but desperately wanted to see for myself. So, Tetra drew me a picture. I stared at her portrait of myself for quite some time, admiring her artistic skill and appreciating my full features.
As I took off the borrowed clothes and began to put my cloak back on, Tetra’s hand, a stark contrast from my deep dark skin tone, glided down my breast and abdomen and thigh. She said two words that will stay with me forever, “You’re beautiful.”
As you know, I have not cried in so long, I had no idea what the moisture forming in my eye was, but Tetra did, and she wiped it away for me without making it awkward. In fact, she changed the subject and asked what it was like to take a life. A much more sobering conversation, indeed.
She wanted to know how I went about doing it, and in my vulnerable state, I explained it to her. The easiest way was to gain my target’s trust before an attack and use the element of surprise to do it suddenly.
I took no pride in killing, however. I just did it because it was in my nature, and I learned how to do it well from the aristocrats my family used to work for before I was turned. They taught me how to be more cultured with heinous acts, and that was about the only thing I missed about them. Those barbaric brutes.
These memories are upsetting to me, Dear Diary, when I only want to dwell on the newfound happiness I have with Tetra. So, on that note, I will end this entry and rest for the day.
Forever in Death,
A.
ASHANTI’S DIARY
March 20
Dear Diary,
I haven’t killed Tetra yet. I haven’t moved on to another, fancier location yet either, unless you count the inside of her house, where I’ve gotten comfortable on the second bed in her large bedroom. Most importantly, I haven’t gotten bored yet. So, I’ve made a decision. I’m going to ask her to be my companion.
Crazy, I know. It’s risky. But she likes living on the edge, and she’s already used to minimal sunlight. I wouldn’t force vampirism on her. In fact, I wouldn’t require her to turn and would only leave that as an option for when or if she becomes ready. I would keep her as my human companion until she wanted to join me in eternity, and I would only take blood from her if she permitted. She’s already proven she can keep my secret.
I would be terribly heartbroken if she said no, but I think she’s feeling what I am. She’s already asking for more details about how I feed, how long I can go without feeding, and if I actually live forever. I explained as thoroughly as possible what she could expect if she decided to take this path sometime in the future. Vampires are not only vulnerable to sunlight, but also fire after being staked. Garlic doesn’t bother me. Churches and religious symbols mean nothing to me. Only blood is essential to my existence, and only in small quantities since I’ve been around so long. My system has become more efficient at sustaining me on less. I let her know that she would be consumed with bloodlust as a new vampire and would no longer be able to stay under her parents’ roof… unless she wanted to drain them.
She took it all in like a pupil of pathology studying for an exam, and then she asked me simply why I haven’t bitten her yet. Ha! I had no other reason than because I liked her as more than food. Because someday, I’m hoping she would see me as more than just a vampire. I see myself as her equal, not a predator to her prey.
The longest I’ve stayed with any other being, living or undead, has been twenty nights. If Tetra and I can make it the full month of March, I’ll know it’s meant to be. I’m just going to throw caution to the wind at that point and ask.
Forever in Death,
A.
ASHANTI’S DIARY
March 23
Dear Diary,
Goddammit, Tetra almost got me killed today. She wanted to see what would happen if I were exposed to indirect sunlight, and I awakened to her opening her curtains as wide as she could pull them. I had to smother myself with her blankets to keep from bursting into flames, and if that weren’t enough— her father, responding to my screams, broke through her bedroom door armed with a loaded shotgun to blast away whomever had gotten inside to do Tetra harm. Even though the sunlight from her window would have caused more permanent damage to me than shells from his gun, I would not have enjoyed the lengthy healing process from being shot, not one bit.
While I hid under her blankets, she lied and told him she’d had a bad dream that made her scream then fell on the floor, laughing when he left. There seems to be no limit to her recklessness, and when it puts me in danger, that’s where I draw the line.
I do not think I will speak to her for the rest of the day. Or rest of the week. The last human that made me this angry didn’t have enough pieces left for her family to bury when I was done with my retribution.
Forever in Death,
A.
ASHANTI’S DIARY
March 24
Dear Diary,
To make up for what she did yesterday, Tetra tried to offer her aging parents as blood sacrifices for my next feeding. This did not make me happy at all. I refuse to kill the people who have cared for her just for her fleeting amusement. Perhaps, this makes me hypocritical since I’m the one who killed her innocent dog, but I’m the vampire. I get to say whose blood gets to stay on my conscience, and I say it will never be her parents.
As sickening as her actions have been lately, I’ll give her this— there’s never a dull moment with her. That’s still worth a few close calls and questionable choices in my book.
Forever in Death,
A.
ASHANTI’S DIARY
March 25
Dear Diary,
Tonight, Tetra let me bite and feed from her neck, and it was the most delicious meal I have ever had. Better than my first taste of blood after I turned. Better than that traitorous president I drained and left in enemy territ
ory years ago. Tetra’s blood was simply divine, and I hope she’ll offer it to me again. Often.
So, that’s it. All is forgiven. I’m going to make like Aladdin and offer to show her the world.
Forever in Death,
A.
ASHANTI’S DIARY
March 26
Dear Diary,
Tetra promised me a big surprise tomorrow. I can hardly wait.
Forever in Death,
A.
ASHANTI’S DIARY
March 27
Dear Diary,
Today, Tetra let me lick clean any remnants of her monthly menstruation from between her legs before she got into her bubble bath. This was not my first time doing such a thing that humans call unsanitary and disgusting. It was my first time with someone who willingly offered without me first making the suggestion through hypnosis. It was also the first time my menstrual blood donor showed unbridled pleasure as I fed and reveled in me watching her climax.
This demonstrates Tetra is anticipating my needs and wants and not leaving me lacking on any level. It also shows she is learning to manipulate me with her blood and not just her personality, because she asked me to take her flying thereafter, something I had refused to do many times before.
Since I can’t actually fly, my way of giving her a flight experience requires putting her life in extreme danger, something I wasn’t willing to attempt… until she looked at me with those piercing red eyes after I’d become high on her blood. Against my better judgment, I did it at nightfall anyway by going with her to a high building in the city, climbing the floors by elevator, and letting her freefall from the top of it. I ran down the side of the building, rushing with superhuman speed to the bottom to catch her before she hit the ground. Lucky for us both, my timing was more precise than my sense of caution. She survived without a scratch, and she rewarded me with kiss. A kiss I’m still thinking about all these hours later.
It is painfully obvious Tetra has me wrapped around her pinky finger, and she knows it. Even though I’m the vampire and she’s a mortal girl, I now fear it is she who holds all the power between us, and that I am just a pawn in her game. A game I’ve become addicted to playing. A game I’m beginning to love.
Forever in Death,
A.
ASHANTI’S DIARY
March 28
Dear Diary,
I watched Tetra like a lovesick puppy as she picked her kinky white curls today. I have decided that this is meant to be, and I am resigned to my destiny and all that it will bring.
Forever in Death,
A.
ASHANTI’S DIARY
March 29
Dear Diary,
Tomorrow’s the big day. I’m so excited. I have finally found my match. After a century and many continents and countries, I’ve found a girl so exciting, so full of life, so full of wonder. She will make this after-death so amazing. I just know it. We’ve had so much fun already, and I’ve not gotten bored even once. She accepts my shortcomings, my need for blood, my aversion to sunlight… and she trusts that I won’t drain her. I accept all of her and will care for her and protect her, and make sure she has everything she needs.
Finally, after all this time, I have found the one. I’m going to ask her to be my companion forever. To travel with me, and prank people with me, and talk about mundane things with me. To complete me.
I’ve picked out my favorite dress and favorite shoes from her closet, and I’ll spray on her favorite perfume and put my hair up in a matching wrap. I’ll walk her to the tree in front of her shed where we first met and make my proposal there. Everything’s going to be perfect. Like destiny. The moment I’ve been waiting for my whole existence.
Forever in Death,
A.
TETRA’S DIARY
March 30
Dear Diary,
I killed a vampire today. Not because she killed my dog, and not because I didn’t like her, ’cause I did. It’s just that... I was getting tired of her. The whole vampire thing just wasn’t doing it for me anymore. She wasn’t nearly as exciting as I thought she would be. Hell, she wouldn’t even kill people. What a waste of supernatural power.
When you have the thoughts I have, do the things I’ve done, and live in the same place year after year, you just get bored. And well, I did it because I could.
She had gotten dressed up in my clothes for some reason that didn’t make sense, since we were just hanging around my shed, but right when it seemed she was about to ramble about something serious again, I rammed the wooden end of my yard rake through her chest. She took two wobbly steps back as she gaped at me with shock, fear, and pain, I assume, and that’s when I doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. I didn’t feel anything as I watched her burn and smelled her flesh, except that I wish I had marshmallows to roast over the flames and music to blast in my ears.
Her screams were loud, as one would imagine, but no worries. No one heard a thing. My parents take their hearing aids out at night, and the nearest neighbor is miles away. Ashanti’s screams even lasted a few moments after she was a complete pile of ashes, which was weird and cool at the same time. When the echo of her screams finally faded, I gathered her ashes in a jar and stuck it on my shelf to display for sentimentality’s sake.
Ashanti and our fun times together will forever live on in my memories, but it’s time to move on to new adventures tomorrow. If I’m lucky, I just might meet a werewolf.
Love Eternally,
T.
The Return of the OV
Jeff Carroll
New York City, October, 1920
The moon cast an ominous purplish, green light as it reflected off the Manhattan river. It was a perfect autumn night, not too cool and quiet. Two well-dressed lovers shared a stroll. Had they returned from an important gala? The man wore a green plaid suit with a thick silk shirt and a newsboy style cap, and his companion wore an off white cloche hat, fur collar coat and a drop-waist dress which fell below the coat and past her knees with a loose but, straight fit.
The woman smiled as they walked. The young white couple didn’t have a care in the world as they strolled along the tree lined pathway. As they approached a bench, there were sounds of crushed leaves.
“What was that Timothy?” The white woman looked over her shoulder as she allowed her mate to guide her to the bench.
“I don’t know Agetha.” Timothy sat down next to Agatha. He squeezed next to her partly because of his love and desire for her and also out of fear of the wildlife around them. “We are not supposed to be out here by ourselves. I can’t even see Holly Mansion. I doubt anyone can hear us scream all the way out here. I can just imagine all of the wild animals out here: deer, squirrels or bats.”
“Okay, relax your nerves, Timothy. This is Lover’s Lane. It was probably just another couple. I just don’t want anyone seeing us. My mother is saving me for Ebenezer Hartwall. You know the graduate from Princeton. He is rumored to run for the Senate. She doesn’t know I am yours. I can’t wait for us to be able to tell people. So, we don’t have to sneak around.”
Crunch!
Timothy jumped up and looked around. There was movement in the trees behind them. He gripped Agatha’s shoulder.
“I think I see a deer,” he whispered “What if it is a raccoon? Those things are nasty.”
Crunch!
This time from a different direction. Timothy whirled around. In the shadowy dark, branches moved and creaked in the breeze.
“This is a forest in a city. But, it’s still a forest. So, of course there are animals in it silly.” Agatha pulled Timothy back down and started to kiss him.
Crunch!
This time, it was closer, and Timothy moved his eyes to the sound, trying not to let Agatha know he was getting scared. As she moved his hand over her breast, he saw a figure move in front of the trees. Timothy peered, trying to get a clearer look. It resembled the silhouette of a man. Timothy jumped and pulled his hand out of Agatha’s blouse.<
br />
“Oh my.” Timothy fell back on to the ground, falling from the bench. “There’s a man.” He scrambled to get back to the safety of the bench. “I saw a man. Someone is out here.”
Agatha turned to see what had startled him. Amidst the purple and green shadings, she searched, but saw nothing.
“What has got your feathers so ruffled? I thought you embraced science and don’t believe in ghosts?” Agatha found Timothy crouching in fear.
“I am a man of science and I do not fear the supernatural. I fear the killers. They are real. Other men. Men who have gone mad. Now, let’s go back inside.” He got to his feet and brushed off his clothes.
Agatha stood up. “Come on I will prove to you that your fears are without merit.” Agatha led him through into the trees. “I see nothing.”
Timothy searched in front of them and behind them, jumping as he turned. As he walked along with Agatha his senses peeked. He heard everything. He knew what he saw was a mad man. A lost lunatic. A killer. Someone stalking them.
As they reached the trees, birds rested took off into the night’s sky. Timothy shook from the birds’ scattering. The further he walked with Agatha his muscles relaxed. He started to believe it was an animal.
