The Amalgamation Of Two Worlds

Damon’s POV

I’m not a philosophical guy. Heck, I don’t even like philosophy. I’m alive, I exist in reality, the end of that matter. I don’t care about how things work, or how they don’t. I don’t watch sunsets and think of the great wonder of the world, nor do I find myself pondering the many quandaries. Honestly? I don’t care.

Nor do I care about many things. I don’t bother with eating healthy, not that it would matter to me. I don’t care about exercising, for killing is the best way to stay in shape. And I don’t care about others. Just a simple fact about myself, one I openly share with everyone. And even though I don’t care about life in general, I acknowledge it. I acknowledge that I am alive, that I have, unfortunately, people who depend on me, and that I have a standard to live up to. But the most significant piece of information I acknowledge, would be life.

Past. Present. Future.

My past? Long gone; history.

Present? On fire.

Future? Burns and with any luck, a dead Audrey.

Vampires are deadly in many aspects, and can repel the most horrendous of attacks, if properly trained. However, one thing that don’t go well with vampires, are their combustibility. They’re like a bucket of gas; once on fire, hard to get out.

In a sense, a vampire is dead. It’s a form of life without life. Some people say imagine a dead tree, still there, still imposing. Now imagine the dead tree with fangs that can rip you apart, and voila, you got a vampire. To those people who actually use that saying, I say bull-shit. First off, vampires are nothing like tree, and whoever spread that saying, doesn’t know squat about vampires.

A vampire is dead. Or, at least half. Vampires aren’t at all like humans, but they have similar traits, much to my ever much dismay. Take a human for example, and kill it. You’ll get a cold body, with no senses, no functions. Now take that human, and somehow revive it. Only leave out some functions; leave out the beating heart- although they still can beat- the extra sensitive nodes, and the compassion. Keep the coldness, for the colder you are, the number you are. And the number you are, the less you feel; the less pain; the more durable. Now start up the brain functions, only enhancing the agility, the strength and the intelligence. The question would be, then, how to revive it?

A body can’t live without blood. Give it blood, and everything courses through it. It’ll keep the muscles from cramping, going stiff, or thinning. Now, deprive a vampire of blood and you got a paper-like corpse with functions.

Human culture always disgusts me. Vampires bursting into flames in the sun? Not having a reflection? Wolves having to turn on the full moon? Who thinks these things up, people on drugs? Humans are pathetic and despicable, and their myths only strengthen that theory. Take their zombie theory for example; a shambling slow rotting corpse wanting flesh; a dead body resurrected. Incorrect.

A zombie is a vampire off blood. They’re not slow, nor do they rot. Their skin thins and they’re not as strong, nor are they as fast, but still fast compared to a human. They do not eat flesh... they’re just more desperate for blood, therefore not taking precision in the bite. And due to their paper like skin, zombies are highly flammable.

The longer you’ve gone without blood, the more flammable you are and the harder you are to put out. For the blood is the liquid within the substance. Take away the liquid, and all you have is substance. Flames love substance. A vampire will always catch on fire, the severity will just vary.

Now, I just fed off her blood, and I’m not a full vampire. So I could be put out, if anyone cared to do so. It would also take many hours for the flames to kill me, not that I planned on just standing there on fire. I was relevantly safe. Safe, however, doesn’t mean painless. On fire is on fire. No matter how combustible you are, being on fire still hurts like hell.

While my eyes were still locked onto Audrey, and my body urged me to rip her throat out, I didn’t. I swallowed my ego and pride, and opted to be out of the endless pain. So I stopped. I dropped. And I rolled. Damn, did I feel stupid.

And as I was crushing my ego with passing seconds, I learned something new. Audrey did have a small sense of self preservation, for she ran. She ran fast. Too bad I loved a good chase.

Audrey’s POV

Animals are wild. Even domestic animals have their wild streak in them, for you can never take the freedom out of the animal, for some small part will always be there. And people know it, they plan around it. They build fences, produce leashes and make laws about strays. Animals are one of many symbols of life, and they’re meant to be displayed. To be shown what used to rule the world. Hence a zoo.

Animals aren’t meant to be caged. Nor are they meant to be taunted. Animals are meant to be left alone, and when they’re not, bad things happen. At a zoo, when a kid throws rocks at a caged animal, or taunts it with food, it angers the animal. And the animal? Usually it’ll charge, or show some sign of anger. But the kid is safe, for the cage is in tact. Now take away the cage, get the kid taunting the animal, and you got a dead kid on your hands.

I taunted. I hurt. And now I was running. Running in an animal’s home ground; the wilderness. And what was the animal going to do? Hunt me down.

Damon wasn’t an animal. He was a beast. Same rules apply, the only difference? More gruesome outcome.

Damon’s POV

Dead. Horribly dead. A growl tore from my throat as my stiff, still somewhat burnt, legs pushed with power. I ran. Ran after the human who just lit me on fire! All I could see was red, all I could feel was hatred and pain, and what I really wanted to do, was hear her scream. I wanted to cause it, to breath it in, and make a melody of it.

Some part of mind was trying to be rational. I didn’t claim her to kill her right away, nor did I save her to kill her hours later. But I also didn’t save her so she could light me on fire. So screw rational.

Hayden would keep her safe. And she had been heading in the right away. Too bad she was too spooked to keep in one direction. She was running away now. Far, far away.

I could see her. I could smell her and I could almost touch her. Showtime.

She turned, just as I leapt. I don’t think I would ever understand her, I realized in that second. Sheer terror ran through her eyes, her hand flew up in a surrender position, but although she was terrified, she didn’t scream. Nor did she try to defend herself. No, I don’t think I would ever understand her.

My body slammed into hers, and for that I got a gasp. We hit the ground hard, her body taking most of the force. The breath whooshed out of her and I took no time in pinning her.

“I won’t go back!” She screamed, catching me by surprise. No! I was the angry one! Not her! She was supposed to gravel and to beg. To scream and cry, but damn it, she was yelling at me! When she just lit me on fire! What the hell was wrong with her?

“Shut up!” I yelled, my hands clenching tightly around her wrists. “That was low, Audrey.” I hissed, lowering my head, making our eyes incredibly close. “I give as I get, remember? But I don’t have any matches on me.”

I tightened my grips more, to the point of almost snapping the bone. She let out a sharp hiss of pain, as tears began to slowly form in her eyes. I savoured the look in her eyes for a moment, before lowering my head down to her neck. By the increase of her pulse, I knew she figured out what I was up to.

My fangs came out, tauntingly slow, and pressed against her neck. Her body squirmed, but not enough to annoy me. I closed my eyes, bringing the scent of her, and her fear into my nostrils. Delicious.

Anger was still in my system, very much so, but now so was hunger. And the hunger side was more rational; saying to let her live, and just drink. Whereas the anger part was still with the whole rip out throat concept. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do yet, but if I didn’t kill her, I would have to do something painful. For now? This would do.

My fangs pressed against her skin, just barely breaking the skin...

“You broke the deal.” It was raspy, breathless, and it got a pause out of me. Most likely her goal. I ignored her and went back to the task at hand.

“The deal,” she continued, her voice now laced with fear, “was to get me out.”

“Did.” I grunted, though it came out lisped. I growled dangerously, before pushing my fangs in. Her body arched and she let out a small grunt of pain, before again, continuing.

“Claimed me,” she murmured through the pain, though I was just shocked she was still talking as I drank. Her blood flowed down my throat, healing the burns that had yet to heal. “Claim means yours. You live... you live down there,” her voice was growing weaker, as the pain grew in her. “You’d bring me there. Won’t. Won’t go!” Wasn’t her choice whether or not she went, so I ignored her. “Broke the deal. You broke your word Damon!” I growled and tore my fangs out of her.

I never broke my word, not when I was little, and not now. That deal was over with, and what I had done didn’t count into it.

“Want your neck in one piece? Shut up then.” I began to go back, but her irritating voice met my ears. Where was a mute button when you needed one?

“You broke your word, your deal. You’re credibility is gone.” I rolled my eyes.

“I didn’t break anything, Audrey, but that could change. Your neck is looking pretty tempting to be the first thing.” She laughed at that. Maybe she didn’t even have that little bit of self preservation I gave her credit for.

“Touchy, Damon? Defensive? Why is that?” Anger pulsed through me, making me almost break her wrists. I took a deep, painful breath, to get in my bearings, before speaking.

“Didn’t break any-“

”You broke it! You broke your deal, you word, and everything you ever said! All I did was light you on fire, I think you-“

”All? All you did? How about I light you on fire and see how it feels?! It’s excruciating and you wouldn’t last one dam-“

”How about being tortured all through your childhood? Getting beaten to an inch of your life while being bait? Multiple times?! Ever experience those, Damon? Because-“

”Suck it up, Audrey. No one cares.” She glared, I glared back. Wasn’t I supposed to be doing something? Like ripping her throat out? My eyes went to it, but I made no move. Besides the little bit of blood on her neck, it was clean. Just pale, smooth skin. Milk white skin.

That’s when I really noticed it. Her body beneath mine. The tenderness of it, the fragility. She was so small, only she didn’t act like it. She acted like she was the biggest being in the room, the toughest. When in reality, she was small, weak... and frail. I could feel her bones bending under my hands, and I could feel her blood pumping underneath my body. With only a thin layer of skin protecting it. She was so weak, so human, and I couldn’t help but take it in. It was different, raw, and just... different?

Her eyes, that were still glaring at me, seemed almost like and endless pool of water. The baby blue just pooling together, as if getting ready to drown anything that approached. Or merely, to drown any emotion that threatened to show.

I pushed her wrists together in one hand, and pressed my hand against her cheek. Soft. Like her neck. Her lips tightened, the rosy colour gathering tighter together. I moved my hand to her hair, that was pillowed out behind her head.

Silky, as I remembered it. That thought alone frightened me. Why had I remembered anything about Audrey? Why I had I ever thought about her? And why was my touch gentle, not painful? Why was my heart, that beats out of habit, pounding? And why were her lips looking more, and more, inviting?

“Get off of me.” Her voice was shaky, but for once, I didn’t revel in it. Instead, my eyes were drawn to her lip. Images from Caleb’s kitchen slammed into me, making me cringe. I hated myself for doing that, yet here I was... contemplating it... why? I hated her. Didn’t I?

“Have you ever thought of it?” I breathed out, my voice low. I leant down, my eyes onto hers the entire time. Our noses almost brushed, but I stopped. Her lips were right below mine, and her eyes seemed depth less. “That day? In the kitchen?”

“Get off,” she managed to choke out, her voice quiet. Her lips had barely moved, seeming to be afraid to touch mine. Interesting.

“I have. And I hate it,” I said, my head lowering. What was I doing? I should just salvage this situation by biting her, and then beating her up. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Some part of me just cringed. “I hate you more, though,” I breathed, my breath whispering across her lips. They were so close now, and she was so still. So... frozen. “But for some reason, some unfathomable reason, I find myself...” I leaned even closer, my lips barely touching hers. I felt her body tense under mine, and heard her catch her breath. “Wanting,” closer I leant, “to do...” even closer, pressing feather light, just like last time. “This.” And I kissed her. Hard.