Lost Souls
Eleven.
Sunday came, so did my parents and with that, Damon left. I missed him, but I didn’t want to care. I moped around; my parents knew it, they just didn’t know why.
What was weird for me though, they came back from their ‘trip’ and acted as if that was the most natural thing in the world.
I sat on the couch staring at the TV screen, not particularly caring what was on. I hated that I was like this. It wasn’t like my world revolved around him; I had a life before Damon Salvatore—an empty shell of a life, but one nonetheless.
The screen fizzed out a bit as I changed the channels. The news headline caught my attention.
Animals attack!
I listened to the reporter—his name irrelevant, to match a face that was easily forgettable, one that could blend in. “The bodies of Janice Showalter and Erin Langer have been found in the woods, contrary to where they were supposed to go, which was to the movies. It has been reported that their bodies have been drained of blood, caused by some rabid animal…”
His voice droned on but I paid no attention to him. I was too confused. Animal attacks? That made no sense. Not to mention, why would an animal drain the blood of those girls? How did those girls reach there? They were supposed to go to the cinema isn't that so...so how the Hell did they end up in an area extremely far from there?
Unless...unless somehow, someone got them there.
But, that still doesn't explain the whole draining of blood and why the police linked that with an animal attack.
I was pondering it but the answer was so clear. Detectives, policemen, reporters, they try to make sense out of nonsense. This whole thing clearly doesn't match up but why should they believe otherwise?
I answered my question out loud. “Because vampires and things that go bump in the night—these irrational things—don’t exist.”
I had to find Stefan.
Stefan Salvatore stayed in a cheap motel, he told me this a while back, if I ever needed help and couldn’t reach him on his cell. The air outside the place was permanently stained with the scent of alcohol and cigarettes, so you could imagine how I dreaded to go into the place. But I did anyways.
The lobby—if you could call it that—was covered all over in this maroon carpeting, lit dimly with light bulbs covered by hazy protecting.
I walked up to the only desk, avoiding the stares from people with eyes that bore straight through you—maybe the eyes of a prostitute’s or a drug dealer’s.
The man behind the front desk was a short Asian man. His hair was slicked back with oil and he reeked of cheap cologne that made me want to gag.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to talk to him, because as I opened my mouth, I heard Stefan. “Ray.” The greasy Asian man forgotten, I smiled and walked up to Stefan who looked around, coolly but wary. HE grabbed my hand and walked briskly away, out of the motel.
Damn I walked in this stink hole for no reason.
Once we reached my car, a safe distance away from the motel, I leaned against the bumper as Stefan began giving me a lecture. “…I know I told you that if anything you can check me here but did you even think to call me first? You didn’t even try! Do you know how dangerous it could’ve been for you?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Chill mom, nothing happened. Would it kill for you to stop being so uptight?” I asked and I felt a pang in my chest, remembering Damon.
Dammit. I haven’t seen him in what? Two days? I shouldn’t be reacting so strongly and so stupidly.
Stefan sighed and looked at me wearily. “Tell me, what was so important that you came here?”
I glanced around the empty lot. “I want to know what you know about the animal attacks that were reported earlier in the news.”
Silence followed.
Stefan opened his mouth and hesitated as if he was choosing his words carefully. Eventually he spoke, “I think we should go somewhere else to talk about this, and maybe you could tell me exactly what you heard on the news.”
We sat in silence as I drove back home.
We both got out and walked to my front door. I entered my home and looked behind me as Stefan stood right outside the door. I blinked and then said, “Oh, um come in.”
“Oh darling you’re back,” I heard. I swallowed. This time it was my mom.
“Yeah mom. I um, ran into a friend from school. Ma, meet Stefan Salvatore,” I said as Stefan closed the door and walked up next to me.
My Mom looked surprised that I purposely invited someone over. That, and that that someone was male too.
Stefan smiled warmly and held out his hand and my mom thought to shake it, but Stefan took her hand and kissed it. “It’s very nice to meet you ma’am.”
My mom flustered. Ew, cougar alert. “Same here Stefan.”
I cleared my throat. “Well, we’re just going to go to my room. C’mon Stefan.”
We walked up to my room and I looked at him funny.
“What?” he asked.
“Dude, my mom? Really? Gross man,” I replied and then told him about what the reporter said. After a while, I just watched him, trying to read his mask of a face.
“As you know vampires rely on blood to sustain their life,” he started, the same way as earlier, hesitant, like he was trying to figure out what exactly to say. Was he going to hold back information? I know I’m just a teenager, but who else is going to question these things? What if there was something out there (not an animal) killing innocents? He continued, “Well, not many drink animal blood like I do, and those who do drink human blood, some try to be a little…discreet about it. They drink a little, like a sip, from a human, trying to make it painless as possible, or they even use blood banks as their source for blood.
“But there are some vampires who don’t just feed from humans. There are those who kill their victims. I’ve known a few who killed by accident and quickly try to conceal the bodies, burning them. And then I know those who just enjoy feeding off the human’s life force and relish the feeling of it slowly slipping away.” My blood ran cold. Stefan referred to us as humans, and it hit even more that he is a different species. It made me feel uncomfortable. Not only that but the fact that there were still vampires who killed like that. I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised, this is what the myths confirmed vamps to be right?
“Okay,” I said slowly, and then realizing something, “You know who did this don’t you?”
Stefan looked visibly uncomfortable. “I have a hunch. It’s Damon.”
What was weird for me though, they came back from their ‘trip’ and acted as if that was the most natural thing in the world.
I sat on the couch staring at the TV screen, not particularly caring what was on. I hated that I was like this. It wasn’t like my world revolved around him; I had a life before Damon Salvatore—an empty shell of a life, but one nonetheless.
The screen fizzed out a bit as I changed the channels. The news headline caught my attention.
Animals attack!
I listened to the reporter—his name irrelevant, to match a face that was easily forgettable, one that could blend in. “The bodies of Janice Showalter and Erin Langer have been found in the woods, contrary to where they were supposed to go, which was to the movies. It has been reported that their bodies have been drained of blood, caused by some rabid animal…”
His voice droned on but I paid no attention to him. I was too confused. Animal attacks? That made no sense. Not to mention, why would an animal drain the blood of those girls? How did those girls reach there? They were supposed to go to the cinema isn't that so...so how the Hell did they end up in an area extremely far from there?
Unless...unless somehow, someone got them there.
But, that still doesn't explain the whole draining of blood and why the police linked that with an animal attack.
I was pondering it but the answer was so clear. Detectives, policemen, reporters, they try to make sense out of nonsense. This whole thing clearly doesn't match up but why should they believe otherwise?
I answered my question out loud. “Because vampires and things that go bump in the night—these irrational things—don’t exist.”
I had to find Stefan.
Stefan Salvatore stayed in a cheap motel, he told me this a while back, if I ever needed help and couldn’t reach him on his cell. The air outside the place was permanently stained with the scent of alcohol and cigarettes, so you could imagine how I dreaded to go into the place. But I did anyways.
The lobby—if you could call it that—was covered all over in this maroon carpeting, lit dimly with light bulbs covered by hazy protecting.
I walked up to the only desk, avoiding the stares from people with eyes that bore straight through you—maybe the eyes of a prostitute’s or a drug dealer’s.
The man behind the front desk was a short Asian man. His hair was slicked back with oil and he reeked of cheap cologne that made me want to gag.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to talk to him, because as I opened my mouth, I heard Stefan. “Ray.” The greasy Asian man forgotten, I smiled and walked up to Stefan who looked around, coolly but wary. HE grabbed my hand and walked briskly away, out of the motel.
Damn I walked in this stink hole for no reason.
Once we reached my car, a safe distance away from the motel, I leaned against the bumper as Stefan began giving me a lecture. “…I know I told you that if anything you can check me here but did you even think to call me first? You didn’t even try! Do you know how dangerous it could’ve been for you?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Chill mom, nothing happened. Would it kill for you to stop being so uptight?” I asked and I felt a pang in my chest, remembering Damon.
Dammit. I haven’t seen him in what? Two days? I shouldn’t be reacting so strongly and so stupidly.
Stefan sighed and looked at me wearily. “Tell me, what was so important that you came here?”
I glanced around the empty lot. “I want to know what you know about the animal attacks that were reported earlier in the news.”
Silence followed.
Stefan opened his mouth and hesitated as if he was choosing his words carefully. Eventually he spoke, “I think we should go somewhere else to talk about this, and maybe you could tell me exactly what you heard on the news.”
We sat in silence as I drove back home.
We both got out and walked to my front door. I entered my home and looked behind me as Stefan stood right outside the door. I blinked and then said, “Oh, um come in.”
“Oh darling you’re back,” I heard. I swallowed. This time it was my mom.
“Yeah mom. I um, ran into a friend from school. Ma, meet Stefan Salvatore,” I said as Stefan closed the door and walked up next to me.
My Mom looked surprised that I purposely invited someone over. That, and that that someone was male too.
Stefan smiled warmly and held out his hand and my mom thought to shake it, but Stefan took her hand and kissed it. “It’s very nice to meet you ma’am.”
My mom flustered. Ew, cougar alert. “Same here Stefan.”
I cleared my throat. “Well, we’re just going to go to my room. C’mon Stefan.”
We walked up to my room and I looked at him funny.
“What?” he asked.
“Dude, my mom? Really? Gross man,” I replied and then told him about what the reporter said. After a while, I just watched him, trying to read his mask of a face.
“As you know vampires rely on blood to sustain their life,” he started, the same way as earlier, hesitant, like he was trying to figure out what exactly to say. Was he going to hold back information? I know I’m just a teenager, but who else is going to question these things? What if there was something out there (not an animal) killing innocents? He continued, “Well, not many drink animal blood like I do, and those who do drink human blood, some try to be a little…discreet about it. They drink a little, like a sip, from a human, trying to make it painless as possible, or they even use blood banks as their source for blood.
“But there are some vampires who don’t just feed from humans. There are those who kill their victims. I’ve known a few who killed by accident and quickly try to conceal the bodies, burning them. And then I know those who just enjoy feeding off the human’s life force and relish the feeling of it slowly slipping away.” My blood ran cold. Stefan referred to us as humans, and it hit even more that he is a different species. It made me feel uncomfortable. Not only that but the fact that there were still vampires who killed like that. I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised, this is what the myths confirmed vamps to be right?
“Okay,” I said slowly, and then realizing something, “You know who did this don’t you?”
Stefan looked visibly uncomfortable. “I have a hunch. It’s Damon.”