Evilution

by Lisa Moore

  Chapter 20

  A Moment of Bliss

  I watch as Lily slowly awakens from her nap on the couch. Like a lioness waking from its noon time slumber, stretching her body the length of the couch, her muscles outlined beneath the thin fabric of her pants, she is slow to rise. “Wow! The last time I napped during the day was when I was an undergrad. I’m sorry for passing out on you like that but I have to say, I feel awesome. I guess I needed that.” As Lily got up from the couch she made her way over to where I stood and a sudden and overwhelming desire to feel her flesh against mine over came me. I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her greedily. Standing in the kitchen, I undressed her while my mouth explored hers. As I moved my lips down her neck I could feel her pulse quicken with desire. My mouth explored the point where her slender neck reaches her collar bone. As Lily’s passion grew she arched her body up toward mine, allowing me to cup her breast in my hand as my tongue circled her hard nipple. Lily, reaching around my waist, freed me from my restrictive pants. In one swift motion I picked her up off her feet, straddled her legs around my waist, and drew her onto me, plunging deep inside her warmth. Our passion was intense, Lily cried out in ecstasy as she pulled me deeper inside her until waves of pleasure rippled through us. As our intensity slowed my mouth continued to explore her breasts, neck and face ending in a deep, passionate kiss. As our lips parted and I looked into the face of the woman that has forever changed the course of my future, I resigned myself to enjoy every moment that I was lucky enough to have with this remarkable woman.

  “I’m not sure what I have done in my life to deserve such a moment of bliss as this; but right now my world is perfect.” I said, as I slowly lowered Lily till she was standing facing me. “Lily what ever happens in our future I want you to know that my love for you is eternal and pure. The passion we share, the look of love in your eyes a reflection of my own, this moment is real.” I was overcome with emotions so foreign to me it was almost painful. I pulled Lily into my embrace, her warm flesh smooth against my cool skin. She felt incredibly warm against me, warmer than usual, not feverish but a degree or two higher than normal. “Are you ok? You feel hot.” “Could that possibly have anything to do with you being on fire? Max that was the most intense sexual experience of my life, definitely capable of raising my body temp a degree or two. You on the other hand, how is it possible you are not even flushed? You’re actually cool.” I reflected her astute observation with “What is that saying, never let them see you sweat?” a reference to some type of product that I cannot recall. I quickly bring the subject back to Lily. “Well, don’t let my apparent lack of sweat be seen as a lack of intensity. I have never felt with another soul, the way I feel with you. Every moment I share with you is like a gift. I feel complete with you Lily, like I belong with you. I have never felt that way with anyone, ever.” “I love you Max, and as for our future, as long as we are together we can handle what ever is ahead of us.” I hoped with every cell of my being that she was right.

  We got dressed and ate the dinner I had set out some time ago. After dinner we sat by the fire playing scrabble. The game box looked at least 20 years old; left by some previous occupant, or possibly the park supplies it. We had and enjoyable evening, Pumpkin showed no signs of fear or worry. She even ventured outside the yurt, albeit staying within eyesight of the door, to do her business with no sign of concern. As the logs in the fire slowly burnt down so did Lily’s energy. “How are you not tired?” She asked between yawns. “What makes you so sure I’m not tired? I ask. “I don’t know, but you always seem so alert, not the least bit extended or worn out. It must be your youth.” She said the last remark with a playful tone, but what really concerned me is that twice tonight she has seen me. With the intensity of our passion I should have been sweaty, any typical human would, and my lack of tiring, I never thought to mask it. My emotions are making me sloppy, and Lily is too observant to fool for long. I will have to tell Lily the truth soon, the sooner the better. And then it hits me. I will tell Lily the truth in New Zealand. After we meet with Victoria, I will tell her the truth and if the old woman seems up to it maybe I can seek redemption from her for the lives that I stole from her.

  As we settle into bed Lily quickly falls asleep curled up under my arm. As I sit and watch her slumbering form, a new sense of relief envelops me. With the decision made when to tell Lily the truth I feel that soon my fate will be decided. What ever happens after my revelation is beyond my control. I will be at peace having experienced at least this moment of pure joy in my existence.

  The storm has quieted and I go out on the porch to see what Mother Nature has left in her wake. The now clear night sky, so dark in this secluded area reveals some of the mysteries of space. The visible stars, so much more numerous in this region, far from all the light pollution of life, shine their ancient light down upon the earth. And the Milky Way, so distinct, creates an arc of white above the trees. The trees themselves are also coated in white as is the ground. The snow is windswept and forms beautifully carved drifts. The landscape has an overly bright quality that gives it an air of the surreal. This truly is a magical place, in these woods I could live peacefully. I venture out to the wood pile, everything is quiet. No menacing scent lingers in the air, no footprints or tracks alluding to the presence of something or someone, I sense that I am alone. I purge the dinner eaten with false gusto earlier. I smile as I finish knowing that at the very least my charade as a consumer of food will be coming to an end soon. It is quite amazing the amount of time typical humans have to devote to eating. It is really an inefficient system. I look forward to not having to endure this discomfort.

  I make my way back to the yurt. Lily is still curled up in a ball asleep on the bed. I let Pumpkin out and she quickly does her business and returns to her bed. Her demeanor is calm. It is early, not quite sunrise, but it looks like it will be a beautiful day. I crawl into bed beside Lily and enjoy the felling of her pressed against me. Her touch, the mere presence of her near me makes me feel whole. I lie next to her content to breath in her scent and feel the beat of her heart against my chest.

  Chapter 21

  Being a Vampire is “Totally Awesome”

  Lily came into the kitchen dressed in my boxer shorts and a t-shirt. I had prepared her a breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and coffee. She looked even more radiant this morning if that is possible. Sitting at the breakfast table, happily eating her meal while absently fingering the pewter and ruby charm hanging around her neck, Lily let out a contented sigh. “This was a spectacular weekend Max. I feel recharged and ready to face the last week of classes and finals week. I still have so much to do before we leave. I have to make arrangements for someone to watch Pumpkin while we are gone and put together some things for our trip, not to mention pick up a few gifts for Christmas and send them out to my mother and brother. It will be strange not seeing them for Christmas. My mother was disappointed when I told her of the timing of this trip; I have never missed a Christmas with my family. My brother on the other hand thinks my research is cool; his only comments were to bring him back something from New Zealand, and try not to get bitten by a vampire. But if I should get bitten, then come back and bite him. He thinks it would be “totally awesome” to be a vampire.”

  “What do you think?” I ask her. “What do you mean?” she says. “Do you think it would be “totally awesome” to be a vampire?” She laughed at my youthful imitation as I said “totally awesome”. “As a young girl I had more than my share of fantasies of becoming a vampire. Being bitten and turned by a gorgeous young vampire stud, living together for an eternity, all very glamorous in my dreams.” “And now?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. The situation seemed like a perfect opportunity to gain insight into her true feelings of vampires. “Hmm, well first of all the only person I want nibbling on my neck is you, but now I think life as a vampire would be much like life is now, full of ups and downs, challenges to overcome. It is probably a lo
nely life though, and alone for eternity doesn’t seem very glamorous. Outliving everyone you know or care about, I imagine that would be very difficult. And obviously I would have issues with killing people, but think of all the things you could learn and do with eternity, all the places you could travel. To have the world to explore, and the time to explore it with special vampire abilities, I bet it could be pretty cool at times. What about you?”

  “Me?” I was trying to digest her response and never expected for her to turn the question to me. “Ha!” How do I answer that? “Well I think that if it is not a choice, one would have to just accept it. Like being born with a disability or as a twin or even as a boy or girl, we can’t choose these things so it would just be who you were. Everyone, whether, a typical human, boy or girl, with or without a disability, you go about living the best life you can with the tools that you are given. At the same time, cool abilities, an eternity to explore the world, with the right partner it could be paradise.” These types of conversations, “What if?” questions, I remember as a child. In school the teacher would always assign these as essay questions. “What would you do if you were President, if you could fly, if you met an alien?” All questions designed to make you think creatively, but one’s response is seldom as it would be in reality. For example, ask a person what they would do if they met an alien, you get a lot of answers like ask them about the universe outside our world; ask them about how we can solve the earth’s energy problems, all relatively benign reactions. In reality, humans would be more likely to shoot first and ask questions later if an alien being showed up. Fear is a big driving force of human actions. New things scare them and differences are not usually embraced. So while I am encouraged by Lily’s response to my question, I don’t have any grand delusions that when I tell her the truth it will turn out like the fairy tale fantasies of her youth. My only hope is that it doesn’t seem to her more like a nightmare.

  After breakfast we packed up the truck and decided to take one last walk amidst the serenity of the woods and lake. I remarked to Lily that it seemed her ankle was ok. “It’s fine actually. It’s weird, when I stepped out of the shower and slipped I definitely felt and heard a snap. I thought for sure at the time it was broken, but now it feels fine and there is hardly even a bruise. I have hurt this ankle so many times my ligaments and tendons are pretty loose. I guess one just snapped over a bone or something. It made a loud sound but I guess didn’t cause any real damage. I consider myself lucky. How is your thigh by the way? I never got to take a look at it, how bad did Pumpkin get you? It seemed to bleed quite a bit.” “Oh, she barely scratched me, I think some of the blood may have come from her mouth or something, my leg is fine.” I quickly tried to steer the question away from me. I really didn’t want to keep telling Lily lies. Soon the truth. Will it set me free or resign me to a life of solitude? Only time would tell.

  After our short walk we piled into the truck and said goodbye to our beautiful hideaway. The drive back was smooth and uneventful. We talked about the class I missed on Friday while setting up this trip and about the class winding down this week. When I pulled up to Lily’s house I helped her inside with her things. I told her that I had some things to do to get ready for the week and that I would pick her up in the morning on the way to campus. “Oh, I will miss sleeping with you tonight. I love having you beside me in bed.” “I like having you beside me too.” I confessed. We have been practically living together for the past two months and I have enjoyed the closeness. But I have some things to do, like feed, and I need some time away from Lily’s too observant eyes. I only have to keep my secret for a short time longer, but it grows more difficult each day, she sees too much of me and it is only a matter of time before she starts to realize there is something different about me. “Ok. I will see you in the morning. Thank you again Max for such a wonderful weekend and the necklace and the jewelry box. It was a perfect weekend, one I will remember always.” We kissed, long and sweet, and then I left my love until the morning.

  I drove home to my farm and unpacked the rest of my things from my truck. After making sure everything was in order around the barn and house I decided that I would venture into the woods for a quick feed and come back and do a little research to find a nearby blood drive this week. I wanted to make sure that I fed well in the next two weeks. I knew I would not be able to take any human blood with me on the trip so it was important to be well fed and strong before we leave. It will be nearly two weeks, away without human blood, and while I can exist indefinitely on animal blood, I like to feed on human blood at least once a week just to be strong and satisfied. I am sure New Zealand will be a difficult trip, facing my demons from the past, and facing my past with Lily. I do not want to add to that by being weak or under fed.

  My trip into the woods alone is liberating. As dusk falls the nocturnal creatures start to become active, I am filled with a childlike joy at being able to run and move at my extraordinary speed without fear of being caught by Lily. I go deep into the woods and travel into the upper regions of the Adirondacks. My pace is unhurried and I enjoy my time, free to behave as nature allows me. Climbing to the tops of the tallest pines I get a panoramic view of the valley and woods for miles. I feel a little like a kid being let out at recess. Free to break away from the constraints of the classroom for a brief time of pure play. Up in my perch I notice tracks that move deeper and higher into the mountains. Staying in the tree tops I leap from perch to perch as I move toward the tracks. I smell the distinct scent of wolf. A small pack is moving in the night, weaving its way through woods as it searches for food. As I continue to track them I finally catch up to where they have gathered. There is a strong alpha male nuzzling his alpha female lovingly. They are joined by four more females and two young males. Three young pups frolic nearby. When I feed on a pack animal like a wolf, I try not to destroy the pack dynamic by my choice of animal to kill. Killing the alpha male or female could allow a rival clan to come in and destroy this pack. The young pups would certainly be killed to put the females back into estrus. I decide on one of the young males. There are two, both strong and at an age where they will soon be forced to leave the pack to start their own. If the alpha male lets them stay too long one could take over as alpha and he would be killed or exiled.

  I make my way closer to the wolves and am close enough to hear their whines and yelps as they communicate with one another. I give my best wolf call, trying to draw one of the adolescent males towards me. Both young males seem to be interested in my call and they break off from the group and follow my call into the woods. Leaping to the ground ahead of them I assume a four legged stance and howl to the two young wolves. They approach cautiously each moving to opposite sides of me. They are working together, sizing me up. When I stand on two legs, their demeanor changes instantly. Close enough to see me now; they have also picked up my scent, their mood changes from curious to combative. The two males start to circle me, snarling and showing their teeth. I let loose with my predatory self, as a guttural snarl leaves my own lips, my canines elongate and my venom begins to flow. The scene becomes frenetic as the two wolves move in simultaneously to attack. I am hit by the lunging form of the larger male as he leaps towards me. His canines rip into the flesh of my right buttock as I turn in time to deflect his partner’s attack, a glancing blow to my shoulder all he manages. There is a flurry of growls and gnashing of teeth as I spar with the two. When the larger male makes a powerful leap his teeth latch on to my shoulder, missing his intended target my neck. I swivel my head and body enough to sink my canines into his powerful flank. As he howls in pain from the bite, he made the crucial mistake of letting go. I move swiftly and lunge, this time my teeth sink into his throat and puncture his carotid artery. The second male has taken a hard fall when I threw him off me as he attempted to maul my leg. I see him retreat, limping off in the woods. I drink greedily and the wolf’s thrashing slowly ceases as the last of his blood is drained. Completely in the moment
I let out a howl of satisfaction as the energy form the wolf’s blood surges through my body. Still hyped up from the fight, I follow the tracks of the retreating male wolf. He hasn’t made it very far. A few hundred yards from where I drained the first I find the second. He is alive but badly injured. When I threw him off me in his attack he suffered two broken legs. Coiled up in a defensive posture, his growls less menacing and more pleading, I put the animal out of his misery. I lift him by the scruff of hair on the back of his neck and tear at his throat, finding his artery and drinking until he is drained of life.

  The pure savagery of the moment has ebbed. The power of the blood fills me and my body hums with energy. I make my way slowly to a stream and wade in. The icy water washes over me, pulling away the last vestiges of my feral nature, cleansing me of blood, dirt and fluids from my battle. My wounds suffered during the attack are already healed as I step out of the stream; my clothes on the other hand have no power of regeneration. I am left in dripping tatters, but I feel good, powerful and satiated. My trip home is swift. I arrive home under cover of darkness, enter my property and go into the barn. Once home I undress, and once again burn my ruined clothes in a fire. I head naked, into my house, shower and retreat to bed where I sleep for several hours. It has been days since I slept, the rejuvenating power of blood combines with the healing power of sleep and I awake refreshed. Sometimes being a vampire, is totally awesome. Last night was. I haven’t let go like that in a long time and it felt great. For now, I get myself together and make my way to Lily’s to pick her up for class.