Into the Void

Joshua crouches underneath the shade of a neighboring tree and allows a gutteral moan to escape his lips. He is in need of energy and can't seem to find a decent place to retrieve it. He had poked and sucked the energy from passing Orbs, but it never gave him the satisfaction of full blown pleasure. Joshua slowly formed, to the best of his ability, into the mutilated shape of a man.

His arms slowly came to form as he looked out into the cemetary. Orbs seem to take a stand still to watch his draining form try and make a shadow. It pains him to know that the small Orbs are so close, yet so far away. Joshua reaches out toward one of the larger Orbs, but it swiftly carries itself back. He can hear the snickers coming from the small children that lay inside. It only angers him more.

With one last kick of energy, Joshua reaches forward and takes hold of the Orb. He squeezes it beneath the little pressure his fingers offer and hear it cry out. It was only a matter of second before he had drained the small, foggy circle of it's energy. It disappears, leaving a small trail of microscopic dust to float casually to the ground. Joshua rolls his head back and sighs quietly.

He feels slightly bitter, but with enough drainings he will be back to normal. Stefan had graciously given him enough energy to cope with before he had disappeared. It was the fight that had stolen most of his stamina. Joshua feels his knees buckle under the pressure of his human like form before collapsing back into the dirt. He had to save what energy he had left.

Joshua hides safetly under the weeping willow and cowers into the trunk. Aimee had been within arms reach nearly an hour ago, but had escaped, thanks to her willful friend, Stefan. Joshua's form perks up, however, when a young man walks into the cemetary. His red hair brushes back and forth against his shoulders as he shifts a boquet of flowers in his arms.

He is not upset, but content. Joshua's mind kicks into over drive as he watches the skinny young man make his way toward the back of the cemetary. He slips into the shade of each neighboring tomb stone until he reaches the kid. He stops in front of an old, beaten tomb and sighs quietly. Joshua slowly forms into a large man behind the kid and growls lowly.

He couldn't waste time; he had to take this man and do it right away. While Joshua still had what energy remained in his dark form, he had to push himself inside of this kid. Joshua reaches out and pulls at the small Orbs, taking in what energy he can before facing his newest goal. He feels his left foot step forward, in an attempt to grow closer to the young man.

The dark mass crawls from under his large feet as he raises his hand toward the kneeling boy. With what words he could muster up, he whispers, "Come to me."

The kid perks his head in the direction that the voice came in before resting the flowers on the grave. He stands and runs his hands down his arms roughly, as if trying to keep the heat from his body inside. He let out a quiet sigh and turns to leave the cemetary. His mouth gapes open when he realizes he is certainly not alone.

Joshua feels the shock and fear that eminates from his body. He watches as the young man's aura fades into a bright pink. The light shade only gives Joshua the impression that the kid is unable to move, due to fear. Joshua feels a low growl pucker at the bottom of his throat, which freezes the young man where he stands.

He jabs out his dark arm and pierces the chest cavity of the young man. The boy winces in pain as his body slowly begins to grow cold. Joshua pushes through the flesh, muscle and tissue of the boy and feels himself becoming the living, breathing kid. Joshua lets out a new breath of air and watches as small crystals form in the smoke eminating from his breath.

The young man lets out a breathless scream as Joshua dissolves himself into the meaty mass. The young man falls to the floor, completely breathless. His labored breathing comes in short gasps as he clutches a hand to his cooling chest. His skin is no longer warm and comforting. His single touch is cold and daring. His head begins to spin and force his sight to turn.

He can feel the food in his stomach start to churn and he instantly rolls onto his side. The young man lets out everything his stomach held and wipes his mouth with shaking hands. He slowly climbs to his feet, digging the toes of his shoes into the dirt. He stumbles forward before gaining his sense of balance once more. The young man holds out his hands and lets a small smile crawl against his lips.

His plump, fresh lips. He rolls his palms over and stares at the freckled flesh. He drops his hands to his sides and takes a single step forward. A loud, heart wrenching cackle suddenly errupts from his lips before he takes another step. He brings his hands to his head and curls his fingers in his thick mess of orange hair. He chuckles lightly and whispers, "I think I'll call you Joshua."

Joshua takes a step forward in his new form and grins manically. It had been a long time since he had been in the body of a living, breathing human. His new plan would need tweaks here and there, but in the end, he knew he would be able to manipulate the young girl - Aimee. Joshua begins his exit out of the cemetary and finds the outer, beaten shell of an old '69 Charger.

He reaches into the pockets of his cargo shorts and smiles to himself. When he pulls his hand from the deep pocket, a circular key change hangs loosely from his pointer finger. Joshua steps into the old car and slams the door shut behind him. He revs the engine to life and takes in a deep breath. He played carelessly with the buttons to the radio and settles on the heart pounding song Cemetary Gates by Pantera.

He pulls the gear shifter, which sat nicely on the column, into drive and hangs his hand out the window. It had been a long time since Joshua had felt the rush of a car, especially a classic. Joshua slams down on the gas pedal, leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke and tattered souls behind in the cemetary.