Sequel: This War's Not Over. ›
Status: In Progress.
Fall Into Your Sunlight.
Down to a Sunrise.
Evangeline had moved to Tempe with the hope that things could be different; that maybe she wouldn’t be persecuted for what she was, hoping maybe the people there would be more accepting of the freak next door. She had been bitten, yes, and she was supposed to have turned, but somehow she hadn’t. Maybe it was because of the time of day. She was bitten just as the sky began to lighten, just as day was breaking, and even though she felt her body physiologically shifting, somehow, the sunlight had burned the disease away. So she remained a human in a world of vampires. She watched as the world shifted to become more accommodating of the vampire population, and then shifted again as humans became hunted.
She talked over the phone with several vampire members of the Tempe community, including the mayor, and they had all agreed to let her live there, and they would ensure the militia left her alone. They were aware that she had bad blood. Somewhere in the transition, her blood became toxic to their kind. She remembered one of them biting her back in Dallas and he had gone into convulsions, although she hadn’t stuck around to see what happened to him. She just ran.
Either way, the young photographer was currently living in Tempe, Arizona wondering what the hell was going to happen now. She knew at least a few of the vampires weren’t going to be pleased with her living there, but she could handle it. She had placed iron bars over her windows and doors and the skylight soon after moving in, in the daylight hours, more to keep them out, than to keep her in. The front and back doors were barred much like a store in a mall would have been after closing, gates that slid up and down, behind the wooden doors.
Her basement was cleaned, and one of the rooms was turned into a dark room for developing her photos. The others became a laundry room, and an unlikely guest room, in case of unexpected visitors. Her family, now vampires, had disowned her, so she doubted they would wander by, but, any vagrant humans that she needed to hide, she would gladly help as much as she could.
It was a week after she had moved in, a full seven days, before she even began to feel comfortable in her own home, but she was starting to. She had already written up a piece on her blog about it. Thankfully, the people of the internet weren’t as abrasive and arrogant and cock-eyed stupid as the rest of the world. Those who read her blog – thelastofmykind.net – knew who she was, and what had happened and how it had happened, and a good majority of the vampire population online supported her, and some even admired her determination to live out her life. Several of them, whom she called friends, had made it a point to tell her that if ever she needed a place to go, she was welcome. While the sentiment was appreciated, she wasn’t certain if she could trust anyone, let alone a complete stranger.
Time wandered on, and Evangeline fell into old habits, rising just before dawn to go watch the sunrise on a hill a ways behind her property. The house she had bought was a fairly large one, a mansion for the most part, with a massive front and back lawn that stretched two acres. In the back, there was a large hill that wasn’t quite on her property, but she would sit on it anyway, and watch the sun come up. It was her one comfort, to watch the day begin.
One day, several weeks after she moved in, just at the cusp of summer’s beginning, there was a knock on her door as she wandered around the house, preparing to go out to watch the sun rise. She opened the grate behind her front door with caution, and then the heavy wooden door and she stood there a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the lightening sky.
“Can I help you?” She asked, her voice quiet. She had always been soft spoken in person. The vampire who stood there blinked a bit, staring at her as if it was the first time he had ever seen a human in his life.
“Sorry, but, dawn’s coming, and I’m not gonna make it home in time. Can I please crash here for the day?” His voice sounded strained, almost panicked, and before she even thought to say no, she quickly acceded and allowed him inside.
“The basement door is to your left, go down there, and the third room has a door. It’s a guest room. The fourth room has a door, but that leads to my dark room. If you go that way, please, please don’t ruin my exposures.” She said, closing the door and grate behind him, watching as he ran off, in the direction of the basement. A few moments later, she was watching the sun rise out her back door, deciding instead to stay inside, to prepare for any shenanigans.
The vampire was quiet, until a few hours before sundown, when she heard a distinct thump come from the guest room as she was working with her photographs. Apparently, her guest had a penchant for falling out of bed like she did. Deciding to be friendly, she poked her head inside, and asked him if he was alright, or if he needed anything. He declined, but followed her from the room.
The two were quiet and she wandered back to her dark room to finish her last two exposures, allowing him to stand with her, and even ask questions, which she answered to the best of her capabilities. When she was finished with her work, she turned to him, her expression blank.
“Why. . . haven’t you tried to bite me? I mean, not that I’m not thrilled you haven’t, but, well. . . I’m human.”
His golden eyes locked on hers, and a half-smile made its way onto his face. “We were told that your blood’s bad. Most of us know not to bother you.”
That was kind of a relief, knowing the townsfolk weren’t going to lynch her. She let a smile grace her features, and leaned against the doorway, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “Good to know the townsfolk aren’t going to lynch me if I wander into the city at night or something. Either way, if you didn’t notice, I mostly keep to myself. I’m Evangeline.”
He shrugged. “There’s been talk that you’re some kind of witch. Most of us would avoid you on principle. Even the military’s afraid.” He chewed his lower lip, a fang digging into his flesh. “Oh, uh, I’m John.” He grinned, and idly, Eve wondered if he was this adorable when he was human. Even though he stood about a foot taller than she was, she felt entirely comfortable in his presence. Normally, she would have been intimidated. “Can I call you Evie? Eve? Angel? Angie?” He rattled off nicknames and Eve laughed.
“I’ll answer to anything. I’ve been called Vangie, Angel, Angeline, Angie, Evie, Eve, Eva, Evan, Van, Ange. Any shortening of my name that you could possibly think of, I have probably answered to at some point or another.” She said, her voice dancing in the stillness of the basement. John’s eyes lightened and he seemed to study her in the dim lighting.
She watched as he studied her eyes with a keen perceptiveness, knowing he was noting the sapphire tone and the odd hints of green and grey and brown that the lighting seemed to highlight. In different lighting they would come across an altered color than they appeared now. It was one of her few traits that she enjoyed having. “Your eyes. . . ” He paused. “They’re so pretty.”
Eve turned pink. “Er, thank you.” She wasn't used to compliments. It had been six years since she'd had one, and that had been from her father. She had been seventeen, and the whole vampire debacle had just started hitting the media. He'd had golden eyes too. He'd tried to make her a meal, to turn her. He had failed.
"Wait. Eve. Eve as in, lastofmykind.net Eve?" He looked startled by his own epiphany.
She laughed, and nodded. "The one and only." She responded, a grin on her features. It was then he spied the scar on her throat. She noticed him staring at it, swallowing convulsively.
"So, the rumors are true. You never turned."
"Nope. Still can't figure out why. Oh, it should be dark by now." She checked her watch, and nodded. "You're free to go home. Oh, and come back whenever. Just knock first." She added, leading him upstairs.
"Can I come back later tonight? I have a few people you might want to meet." He spoke quietly.
"No worries. How many?"
"Four."
She took a breath. "Yeah. I'll be here. Do I know any of them?"
"Maybe. ZombieKiller19?"
Eve laughed. That one she knew. They'd hung out in a chat on her site at one time, just talking. He seemed pretty decent. "Garrett, right? Yeah, I know him. Again, feel free to stop by, just knock first, or.. . .Fuck, can I see your phone?" She entered her number, and handed it back. "Call when you get here. I might be outside on the hill." She explained, running her long, slender fingers through her hair.
After quick goodbyes, he left, and Evie ate a quick dinner before taking her Nikon outside to shoot the stars. She laid across the top of the hill, camera hovering in her hands above her, her eyes watching the crushing black of the sky as the stars appeared. Night was not her favorite time of day. There were things in the darkness that weren't safe. The things that had been human, but had changed; mutations. She had a knife at her side, one that would have been considered an illegal length if humanity still had a say in anything. Now though, it made her feel safe. It stayed by her side as she let herself get lost in her work.
She talked over the phone with several vampire members of the Tempe community, including the mayor, and they had all agreed to let her live there, and they would ensure the militia left her alone. They were aware that she had bad blood. Somewhere in the transition, her blood became toxic to their kind. She remembered one of them biting her back in Dallas and he had gone into convulsions, although she hadn’t stuck around to see what happened to him. She just ran.
Either way, the young photographer was currently living in Tempe, Arizona wondering what the hell was going to happen now. She knew at least a few of the vampires weren’t going to be pleased with her living there, but she could handle it. She had placed iron bars over her windows and doors and the skylight soon after moving in, in the daylight hours, more to keep them out, than to keep her in. The front and back doors were barred much like a store in a mall would have been after closing, gates that slid up and down, behind the wooden doors.
Her basement was cleaned, and one of the rooms was turned into a dark room for developing her photos. The others became a laundry room, and an unlikely guest room, in case of unexpected visitors. Her family, now vampires, had disowned her, so she doubted they would wander by, but, any vagrant humans that she needed to hide, she would gladly help as much as she could.
It was a week after she had moved in, a full seven days, before she even began to feel comfortable in her own home, but she was starting to. She had already written up a piece on her blog about it. Thankfully, the people of the internet weren’t as abrasive and arrogant and cock-eyed stupid as the rest of the world. Those who read her blog – thelastofmykind.net – knew who she was, and what had happened and how it had happened, and a good majority of the vampire population online supported her, and some even admired her determination to live out her life. Several of them, whom she called friends, had made it a point to tell her that if ever she needed a place to go, she was welcome. While the sentiment was appreciated, she wasn’t certain if she could trust anyone, let alone a complete stranger.
Time wandered on, and Evangeline fell into old habits, rising just before dawn to go watch the sunrise on a hill a ways behind her property. The house she had bought was a fairly large one, a mansion for the most part, with a massive front and back lawn that stretched two acres. In the back, there was a large hill that wasn’t quite on her property, but she would sit on it anyway, and watch the sun come up. It was her one comfort, to watch the day begin.
One day, several weeks after she moved in, just at the cusp of summer’s beginning, there was a knock on her door as she wandered around the house, preparing to go out to watch the sun rise. She opened the grate behind her front door with caution, and then the heavy wooden door and she stood there a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the lightening sky.
“Can I help you?” She asked, her voice quiet. She had always been soft spoken in person. The vampire who stood there blinked a bit, staring at her as if it was the first time he had ever seen a human in his life.
“Sorry, but, dawn’s coming, and I’m not gonna make it home in time. Can I please crash here for the day?” His voice sounded strained, almost panicked, and before she even thought to say no, she quickly acceded and allowed him inside.
“The basement door is to your left, go down there, and the third room has a door. It’s a guest room. The fourth room has a door, but that leads to my dark room. If you go that way, please, please don’t ruin my exposures.” She said, closing the door and grate behind him, watching as he ran off, in the direction of the basement. A few moments later, she was watching the sun rise out her back door, deciding instead to stay inside, to prepare for any shenanigans.
The vampire was quiet, until a few hours before sundown, when she heard a distinct thump come from the guest room as she was working with her photographs. Apparently, her guest had a penchant for falling out of bed like she did. Deciding to be friendly, she poked her head inside, and asked him if he was alright, or if he needed anything. He declined, but followed her from the room.
The two were quiet and she wandered back to her dark room to finish her last two exposures, allowing him to stand with her, and even ask questions, which she answered to the best of her capabilities. When she was finished with her work, she turned to him, her expression blank.
“Why. . . haven’t you tried to bite me? I mean, not that I’m not thrilled you haven’t, but, well. . . I’m human.”
His golden eyes locked on hers, and a half-smile made its way onto his face. “We were told that your blood’s bad. Most of us know not to bother you.”
That was kind of a relief, knowing the townsfolk weren’t going to lynch her. She let a smile grace her features, and leaned against the doorway, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “Good to know the townsfolk aren’t going to lynch me if I wander into the city at night or something. Either way, if you didn’t notice, I mostly keep to myself. I’m Evangeline.”
He shrugged. “There’s been talk that you’re some kind of witch. Most of us would avoid you on principle. Even the military’s afraid.” He chewed his lower lip, a fang digging into his flesh. “Oh, uh, I’m John.” He grinned, and idly, Eve wondered if he was this adorable when he was human. Even though he stood about a foot taller than she was, she felt entirely comfortable in his presence. Normally, she would have been intimidated. “Can I call you Evie? Eve? Angel? Angie?” He rattled off nicknames and Eve laughed.
“I’ll answer to anything. I’ve been called Vangie, Angel, Angeline, Angie, Evie, Eve, Eva, Evan, Van, Ange. Any shortening of my name that you could possibly think of, I have probably answered to at some point or another.” She said, her voice dancing in the stillness of the basement. John’s eyes lightened and he seemed to study her in the dim lighting.
She watched as he studied her eyes with a keen perceptiveness, knowing he was noting the sapphire tone and the odd hints of green and grey and brown that the lighting seemed to highlight. In different lighting they would come across an altered color than they appeared now. It was one of her few traits that she enjoyed having. “Your eyes. . . ” He paused. “They’re so pretty.”
Eve turned pink. “Er, thank you.” She wasn't used to compliments. It had been six years since she'd had one, and that had been from her father. She had been seventeen, and the whole vampire debacle had just started hitting the media. He'd had golden eyes too. He'd tried to make her a meal, to turn her. He had failed.
"Wait. Eve. Eve as in, lastofmykind.net Eve?" He looked startled by his own epiphany.
She laughed, and nodded. "The one and only." She responded, a grin on her features. It was then he spied the scar on her throat. She noticed him staring at it, swallowing convulsively.
"So, the rumors are true. You never turned."
"Nope. Still can't figure out why. Oh, it should be dark by now." She checked her watch, and nodded. "You're free to go home. Oh, and come back whenever. Just knock first." She added, leading him upstairs.
"Can I come back later tonight? I have a few people you might want to meet." He spoke quietly.
"No worries. How many?"
"Four."
She took a breath. "Yeah. I'll be here. Do I know any of them?"
"Maybe. ZombieKiller19?"
Eve laughed. That one she knew. They'd hung out in a chat on her site at one time, just talking. He seemed pretty decent. "Garrett, right? Yeah, I know him. Again, feel free to stop by, just knock first, or.. . .Fuck, can I see your phone?" She entered her number, and handed it back. "Call when you get here. I might be outside on the hill." She explained, running her long, slender fingers through her hair.
After quick goodbyes, he left, and Evie ate a quick dinner before taking her Nikon outside to shoot the stars. She laid across the top of the hill, camera hovering in her hands above her, her eyes watching the crushing black of the sky as the stars appeared. Night was not her favorite time of day. There were things in the darkness that weren't safe. The things that had been human, but had changed; mutations. She had a knife at her side, one that would have been considered an illegal length if humanity still had a say in anything. Now though, it made her feel safe. It stayed by her side as she let herself get lost in her work.