How he blamed himself for what Skiles did to me. I let my eyes travel to the fireplace. Instantly I started to grab anything around me that was flammable and tossed it for kindling. I hated this place; it would have too many painful memories.
Once I was satisfied that I knew everything would burn, I lit a match. Through my tears I saw the lone flame dancing in front of me and then I tossed it in. The whoosh was loud and furious as it started to consume everything I had laid to burn. I ran over to the ballroom windows and started to punch them out so that the house would burn quicker. I turned and saw that the curtains were now catching so I hopped out the window and ran.
I could hear the angry inferno behind me engulfing the property and I smiled bitterly as I ran. No more bitter memories. No more smelling the scent of the people I cared for. Suddenly I let out a heart-wrenching sob and whipped my tears away with my sleeve so that I could see where I was running. I felt the pendant on my chest grow warmer and warmer as I ran. I wanted to rip it off of my body and throw it away, but besides my memories, which I knew would be gone soon, it was all I had left of Cody.
In my distress I realized that maybe I did love him after all. And now I’d never be able to tell him. It only made me feel that much worse. Someone cared for me so deeply and because of me he was dead.
My feet angrily pounded against the pavement as I ran. The weather must’ve felt my pain, because the skies suddenly opened and a heavy rain started to fall out of the sky. Good, the heavens should mourn him, I thought bitterly to myself. I ran for hours and hours. The rain carrying into the next few days kept me shielded from the sun’s deadly rays as I ran. The humans never saw me pass them. I was too fast for their eyes, and if they did see me wouldn’t have cared. Nothing in my pointless existence seemed to matter anymore.
Before I knew what was going on I saw a sign that said, “Thanks for Visiting North Dakota, Come Back Soon!” In my pain I had run clear out of the state without meaning too. Oh who cares? Let everyone fend for him or herself from now on.
I slowed to a walk until I saw another sign that says “Montana Welcomes You!”
Montana, huh? I sniffled. I’d never been here before; maybe it would be a good place to make a new start.
I looked behind me and saw that North Dakota now looked like a black hole to me. So much bitterness and hatred. So many people that wanted to kill me or needed me to save them.
“Well you’re all on your own now!” I yelled at the state line. I turned and started to walk further into Montana. I wondered if this was a monster free zone before me.
Sniffling, I tucked my journal into my jacket and walked further into Montana.
From what I read when I was a child it was supposed to be a beautiful state so I decided to myself that I would stay there for a while. In the event that I ever decided that I was going to go back and destroy Skiles, at least I wouldn’t have to go very far.
I walked a little further and then I saw a sign that said Alzada. I smiled. Since I had never heard of it before, I thought it would be a great place to start over. I saw another sign a little further into the town that said “Devils Tower” and pointed to the left. Apparently I wasn’t going to get away from anything that had to do with the devil. I rolled my eyes and made my way into town though I did make it a mental note to go check it out eventually.
As I looked around I realized that this place wasn’t like Devils Lake. It was probably going to be a lot harder to find an abandoned house here, but if I got hungry enough, I could make someone abandon his or her home in a heartbeat. I looked up and saw that night was approaching. It was going to be a clear and peaceful night so I assumed that the heavens had finished mourning Cody. I also realized that I would have to find shelter before the morning came or I’d be fricasseed.
I found a motel not twenty feet up the road from where I was standing, and fished around in my jacket to make sure I had money on me, and then proceeded to the door. No sooner had I put my hand on the door that I heard a voice behind me.
“You don't want to stay there,” came a friendly greeting behind me.
I turned slightly and saw a pretty female with light brown skin and long reddish brown hair. She had wide light brown eyes, a little too light, and a big friendly smile.
Looks like I'll never have a place to myself, I thought releasing the door and sighing.
I turned so that I was completely facing her. She giggled at the uninterested look on my face. I think she knew what I was going to ask her next because she straightened out her light pink off shoulder shirt and waited expectantly for me to say it.
“Please tell me you're normal,” I said glumly.
“As normal as you'd like me to be,” she said with a smile. “My name is Billie, by the way,” she said extending a well-manicured hand.
I just nodded and mumbled, “Finn.”
“I know,” she said with a smile.
“Great. Listen is there a pest free zone around here anywhere? I'm kind of sick of running into all these different species,” I said sighing.
“I understand,” she said with that kind smile still on her face. “I'd like to offer you a place to rest for the day if you'd like. Free of charge.”
To be honest the temptation of having somewhere to stay without having to pay for it was actually very appealing. But at the same time I didn't know her. I stood their weighing my options when she said something that sealed the deal.
“I have food there for you,” she said softly.
“Let's go then,” I said feeling the emptiness in my stomach. We walked silently most of the way. Or rather I did. She chattered away in a friendly voice and at points I caught myself smiling at things she was saying. She pointed out random little tourist attractions around the town and told me their stories and histories.
After a few more miles we reached a beautiful stretch of land. For some reason I didn’t expect to see farmland in Montana, I don’t know why I just didn’t. But there sat the most beautiful farmhouse I had ever seen. On the property sat an array of farm animals and I saw a windmill in the distance that was turning gently in the cool night breeze. My eyes traveled back to the animals, wondering why they were out at night. Shouldn’t they have been in the barn?
“These animals are special,” she said as we walked past them.
Of course they are.
“Hm. Actually,” she said to herself. Then she let out a gentle whistle. In response to her call I heard the sound of a faint whinny. She smiled at me and as we stood there I saw something that made my irregular heartbeat pick up so much speed that it was normal for a moment.
“Oh my God,” I said putting my hands over my mouth.
Galloping toward us was my Shire. My true friend that welcomed me the one night I wandered into his home. The one true friend that would never judge me based on what I was. Running over, I met him half way and threw my arms around his neck. I knew that I probably looked like a child but I was terrified that something had happened to him the night Ava took over the fairgrounds.
“How did you get him?” I asked Billie.
“Well I happen to know a little bit about what’s going on. When I felt the opportunity present itself, I took him and the rest of the Shires so that no harm would come to them.”
I pulled back and ran my hand over his muzzle, smiling when he gently blew at me. “I wonder what his name is,” I mused to myself, “I never did ask Ryker.”
“I don’t think he has a name really,” she said. “Maybe you should name him?”
Smiling I stood there thinking of the perfect name for the Shire. I wanted it to be something bold and strong, something meaningful.
“His name is Archer,” I said hugging his neck again. He blew at me again, before turning and galloping back to the barn. I stood there smiling wistfully at him, wishing that everyone in my life could be as kind and simple as Archer.
“Come on,” she said laughing, “I’ll show you where you can stay.”
Sighing, I no
dded and followed her past the farmhouse into a smaller clearing near the windmill. Next to it sat a smaller barn with boards on the windows. I looked at her questioningly and she pushed the door open then walked over to a window and pulled it easily open grinning. Neat trick. She showed me lots of little things. Where the water pump was, where I would be able to sleep, how to lock the doors securely from the inside.
I jumped when I heard what sounded like moaning at the back of the mini farmhouse. I looked at Billie curiously who smiled and told me to check it out and that she’d be back in the evening to check on me. I took of my jacket and set it on the small wooden chair that was by the window. I heard the thud of my journal as it hit the floor. Leaning down I scooped it up and set it on the chair. Looking around I smiled at the cozy surroundings when I heard the moaning again. Curious as to what was making the sound, I made my way to the back of the house and was pleasantly surprised to find a human bound with rope to a chair. As I got closer I saw a note that said “Eat Me” and I giggled. That was very Alice in Wonderland of her to do. Upon closer inspection I saw that the note was folded in half, so I leaned over and flipped it open. Inside was a police log clipping from a newspaper, detailing the latest evil that this man had done. I sat on the floor in front of him cross-legged and read the article. His name was Brian Prince; he was twenty-two years old, and already a vast menace to society. Glancing up at him I could tell that his face made his life incredibly easy. It was a boyish, Prince Charming kind of face.
Deep brown eyes and chin length hair that framed his face making him look like a fairy tale come to life. I looked down at the paper again. His latest escapade had been the armed robbery of a family owned jewelry store, resulting in the death of an elderly couple. Folding the paper back in half, I looked up at him. No one was going to miss such a vile person and I knew it. But suddenly I had a thought. A horrible, forbidden thought and I felt the smile crawl across my face. Maybe I can use him ...
Why shouldn’t I be able to? After all everyone else seemed to do whatever he or she wanted and every time they did it cost me emotionally. I sat there with my eyes closed wondering if I really wanted to stoop to Skiles’ level. I mean I had Billie and she seemed to be a nice enough person, er thing. In front of me I heard Brian start to struggle against the ropes and swear in frustration.
“Who the hell are you?” he asked me.
“Your life or your death. I’m just trying to figure out if I want to be kind,” I said not looking up.
“What? You’re crazy! Let me out of here, or I swear I’ll kill you,” he shouted.
“I don’t think you’re in the position to be making threats,” I said finally looking at up him. My eyes must’ve scared him because he jumped back almost tilting the chair over. I smiled at him. “Do you really think you can kill me, Brian? Well I’ve got a little secret to tell you. You can’t kill something that’s already dead!”
I lunged at him and grabbed him by the shoulders. I decided to be a little dramatic to give myself more time in the choice I wanted to make. He screamed loudly and tears sprung to his eyes when he realized how I strong I was. Then he did what most humans do when they realize they’re in the presence of a monster. He started begging for his life like a whimpering child. Biting back a grin, I decided to keep the theatrics going.
“But I can give you something so much more than that,” I whispered into his ear. “I can give you death and life. I can make you live forever.” Actually, I’m not sure that I’m strong enough for that, so maybe I’ll just give you death, I thought to myself with a grin.
“Get away from me,” he shrieked.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” I said suddenly crouching in front of him. He jumped back again; his eyes wide with fear and it took everything in my power not to laugh. “I’ll untie the ropes. If you can outrun me and make it to the door before I grab hold of you, then you can have your miserable human life. If you can’t, well, then I guess it’s time for a little change,” I said with a girlish giggle. I knew that I was going overboard, but I really was starting to feel crazy lately so someone was going to bear the brunt of it, and why not him?
“Alright it’s a deal,” he said licking his lips nervously.
Nodding, I stood up and leaned over him to untie the ropes. I could’ve easily walked around the chair but I thought it was time to use a little girlish charm. I’d let him think the reason he lost was because he got discombobulated by the ‘charms’ that I had practically shoved in his face.
Underneath me I heard him whimpering. Poor guy really thought he had a shot, so in one last attempt to be overdramatic, I pulled off the ropes with a magician’s flourish like Cody had done and stepped back. In an instant he was off like a shot toward the door. I stood there and watched as he clumsily tripped over chairs and tin buckets in the dark. When he reached within a foot of the door, I shot off after him and wound up blocking the door as he was reaching out to grab it.
“No! No! No! What are you? Let me out of here! HELP!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
“I already told you. I’m your life or your death, and since you just failed my little test, I think you know what comes next.” With a deafening growl, I flew at him sinking my teeth into the flesh between his neck and his shoulder. We fell back as he let out a confused and pained scream. I ripped away the flesh and bit clear down into his bone sucking out the marrow hungrily. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make him one of me so I figured that when the acid stunned his body it would be time to stop. So there I was. Laying on top of him, feeding off of him, with the purpose of turning him into a horrendous monster like myself. I felt his body go rigid so I knew that he was paralyzed, which was a good thing for him because I was pretty full. I pushed myself off of him and sat next to him watching his eyes as they closed. Then in an instant, he let out an ear-deafening scream. Oh my God, I thought excitedly to myself, I did it! I watched as the acid wore off of him and he flailed about on the floor in the worst pain that I guarantee he had ever felt in his life. I watched the flesh that I had torn off reanimate to a small wound showing only the bite mark where my teeth had ripped into him. We’ll have to find a way to cover that up, I thought as I watched his breathing begin to slow down and his eyes start to flutter open. I leaned over and looked down at him and saw that his eyes were the same brilliant color as mine. The mark of a monster, I thought bitterly.
“What happened?” he asked in a pained voice. I watched as he put a hand to his forehead and let out a shuddery breath.
“You lost our deal,” I said simply.
“Oh.” He held a hand up in front of his face and waved it back and forth slowly.
I knew he was awed by what he was seeing so I grinned.
“Everything is going to look different from here on out. You’ll get used to it,” I said getting to my feet. “Oh and one more thing. When you get hungry, let me know. I can’t have you going on a rampage on society. Wouldn’t be good for the image.”
Nodding he stood up and looked around. Wandering over to the makeshift windows he pulled one open, “Why are the windows boarded up?”
“That’s another thing I guess I should tell you. You go out into the sun, you die. The sun is unforgiving to us and will eat our flesh away without us being able to do anything. Simple as that.”
Quickly he shut the window again and turned to look at me in shock. I just shrugged and walked to the other side of the farmhouse looking for a bed. What I found was horse trough sidled up against the wall. Looking around I found some linen that had been laid out and grabbed them, making as comfortable of a ‘mattress’ as I could. I gave it a couple of punches and once I was satisfied that it would do, I crawled into it and let my breath out.
“I like your tattoos,” he said from next to me. I cracked open an eye and saw that he had brought up a seat next to my ‘bed’.
“Thanks,” I said closing my eye again. “Great friend of mine did them for me. We’ll have to find someone to do them for you to co
ver up that wound I left on you.” He swiveled his head to look at the mark and he ran his fingers over it.
“That’s why I got mine,” I said holding up my left arm. I grabbed his hand and had him trail his fingertips over my scar. “I couldn’t stand looking at it every day. I couldn’t stand knowing that I was a monster. It’s the world’s worse constant reminder. We all get stuck with it though. Sorry. The one that made me proudly bares his scar,” I continued. “Personally I think it’s gross, so I really don’t want to look at yours. Especially since I know that it’s there because of me.”
“Okay,” he said. Then he cleared his throat. “So why me?”
“Look I really don’t want to get into it right now. Something you should know about us is that we’re nocturnal. So if I were you I’d find a place to sleep because the sun will be coming up soon. We can chat all about it in the evening.”
I rolled over to face the wall, hoping that he would get the hint, which he did.
Chuckling he got up and walked over to the front of the house and stretched himself out on the floor. I heard him yawn and then the unevenness of his breath slow to nothingness as he died for the day.
My eyes popped wide open. Suddenly the severity of what I had just done started to sink in. I made a monster and I made a monster because I felt that someone else should suffer my same fate. True that no one would care about this cold-hearted fiend, but would he be the same way in death as he was in life? I should’ve thought this through. I should’ve just either fed off of him or have picked someone different to have transformed. In that one false satisfying judgment I made, I realized that Skiles was better than me because at least he didn’t chose a murderer. I had a feeling that I had been planned.
That thought alone was enough to keep me from falling asleep. I rolled over to my other side and blew out my breath impatiently. This is one time I wish I were like Skiles because I knew he didn’t lose any sleep over what he did to me and here I was ashamed of what I had done to Brian. Sitting up I looked over at him. I saw that he was sound asleep and apparently very comfortable on the hardwood floor.
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