Sequel: Broken Wings ›
Status: Old version.
Broken Soul
Eight.
While everyone was packing up, Evan disappeared backstage then took the back exit that led to the alley behind the building. He expected to be alone but sensed another presence a few yards away. “Hey, you,” a young woman’s voice greeted from the darkness. Evan saw her standing against the wall, smoking a cigarette. “I saw you fall on stage. You alright?”
Evan’s glowing eyes could see through the dark and examined her. She was blonde, had a little black dress on and no jacket. Evan remained silent.
“Those contacts,” she giggled after inhaling more smoke. “Are you ever going to take them out?”
He didn’t say a word. He just continued to stare at her.
“You’re the silent type, huh?” she asked, watching him. She started feeling a little uneasy by his stares, his silence and stillness. But she smiled again as she dropped her cigarette on the ground and stepped on it, putting it out. She shook off her eerie feelings and thought about having some fun with him if it was offered. She figured he was a typical guy in a band and was probably just as bored as she was. But that was not his intention.
Evan slowly approached the girl. His eyes glowed at her and entranced her. She had no idea she was to be his involuntary donor. Her back rested against the cold brick wall and she waited as he moved in closer. The tiniest smirk tugged on the corner of his mouth as he observed her willingness to be his. But in her mind, “his” had a different meaning.
He stepped right in front of her; their bodies barely touching. She was ready for him to make his first move. He leaned his head toward her and she lifted her arms to place them around his neck. Evan enjoyed the feeling of dominance and control so he grasped her wrists and pinned them up against the wall. She gasped in surprise but then smiled. Her heart was racing and he could hear it. He lingered his lips a few inches from hers, teasing her, making her wait, until he finally let them touch. He felt her shiver from his ice cold skin, then weaken. His kiss was intoxicating her. Literally. To her, it just felt like a strong lustful daze.
Vampire instincts had taken over him. He knew he had complete control over her now. “Don’t move…and don’t make a sound…” he whispered into her ear just before he brushed her hair away from her neck with his frozen fingertips. He lowered his head toward her collarbone, anxious to taste her. His fangs extended and he pierced them into her throat. She didn’t even flinch when her skin broke. Her warm blood satisfied him and he took just enough to keep her alive. He didn’t want to kill anyone for his benefit. At least some of his humanity had lingered inside of him.
When his hunger was suppressed, he lifted his head and looked down at her puncture wounds. Blood began trickling out of them and he fought off his urge to drain the rest from her. He grazed his thumb over the marks and healed them up completely. Before he left her, he told her to forget his presence and he vanished without a sound. A moment later, he was stepping onto the bus with the rest of the band.
* * * * *
Evan laid in his bunk, wide awake. He knew he probably wouldn’t fall asleep until dawn. Dannie had awoken and decided to check on him. She stood up on her bed and peeked inside his curtain. She smiled when she saw his eyes glow at her in the dark. “Hey,” she said softly. “Can’t sleep?”
“No,” he replied. “I’ve tried for hours.”
“Well we’ll let you sleep tomorrow then,” she promised. “I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”
“Okay, thanks,” he said, then fell quiet. They were passing through a city now and the mechanical street lights leaked through the curtains and blinds, moving quickly across parts of the bus. The brisk city lights allowed her to see him a bit more clearly but for only a second at a time.
Dannie noticed his silence, even though it was common for him lately. Something seemed to be bothering him. “You alright?” she asked, pulling his curtain back a little more so she could see him better.
“I guess.”
She wasn’t convinced. “Come on. You know you can tell me anything.”
“Well…” he hesitated, “I found this girl behind the venue after the show. I fed from her.”
This surprised her. “You did?”
He just nodded to confirm it.
“Did it go alright? Did you scare her or hurt her?”
“No, I tried not to,” he replied. “I entranced her. I didn’t even know I could do that, I just did it.”
“So you kept her alive?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t tell her how he momentarily wanted to have all of the girl’s blood though. The thought alone even scared him. “She won’t remember me.”
“That’s good,” Dannie said. “I’m glad you got to eat a little. You’re not going to want any midnight snacks, are you?”
“No,” Evan laughed. Dannie’s face lit up once she noticed his did.
“Oh my god…Evan, you smiled! For the first time since you changed!” She was grinning from ear to ear. “Aww, you’re starting to look like yourself again.”
“Yeah, I guess I did,” he replied, letting it fade. “Maybe there’s still hope for me.”
“There is,” she assured him. “I bet it’s because you ate. The new blood might be making you feel almost human again.”
“Maybe. But it’s most likely just temporary.”
“What do you think it would take to turn you back?” she asked.
“I wish I knew,” he said sadly.
Dannie felt empathetic for him. His melancholy mood started affecting her. “Evan…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Well, everything,” she explained. “This whole thing is my fault.”
“Dannie, for the hundredth time, it’s alright,” he promised. “And before you ask, no, I’m not mad at you, I know you’re here for me and I’m not leaving you either.” He knew where she was going with this.
A small smile grew on Dannie’s face. “Alright. Can I ask you something though?”
“Proceed,” he permitted.
Her expression turned serious. “Do you…regret helping me?”
Evan didn’t even have to think it over. “No, of course not. Why?”
“I don’t know…” she sighed. “I have so many regrets about that night and I was just wondering if you had any.”
“What do you regret?” he asked.
“Standing out there alone, valuing my possessions more than anyone’s life, running away instead of going back inside, allowing you to get involved…failing to protect you because I got scared…” She looked away and tried not to get emotional. He could see her eyes glistening, even through the dark. “I’m sorry…” she said again, then stepped down from her bed and hurried inside of it.
“Dannie…” Evan wanted to see if she was okay. He hopped down from his bunk and knelt beside hers. He saw her laying down, looking at him. “Hey, it’s okay.” Evan didn’t want her to cry. He moved his hand over hers and then held it.
“You’re still so cold…” she uttered, forgetting that he was.
“Sorry,” he apologized. He thought she was bothered by it so he started to pull his hand away but she gripped it tighter, refusing to let him.
Evan wondered what was on her mind. She decided to open up to him. “Do you know why I couldn’t sleep?”
“No, why?”
“I dreamed about it again,” she confessed. “Every time I close my eyes, it’s there. I can’t seem to make it go away.”
He knew what she meant. And he wanted to try to help her. He remembered how he made the girl he fed from forget him and he wondered if he could erase Dannie’s bad memories. “I think I might be able to help you,” he told her.
“How?”
“I can make people forget me. So maybe I can make you forget the whole experience.”
“Are you sure it works that way?” she inquired. “What if you can only make people forget you? I don’t want to do that…”
Evan let that sink in. He knew he wasn’t sure about all of his abilities yet and didn’t want to test them out on Dannie in case something went wrong. “Okay, I won’t do that, but maybe I can at least make the nightmares go away and help you sleep.”
“Alright,” she agreed. “What do I have to do?”
After remembering how he hypnotizes, he regretted offering to do this. “Actually…” he said nervously, “maybe it’s not a good idea.”
“Why?”
“It just isn’t.” Evan was worried that it wouldn’t work and she’d remember him kissing her and then everything would get awkward.
“There’s nothing you could try?” she asked.
Evan wondered if he could help her without entrancing her. He had an idea. “Yeah. Relax and close your eyes.”
Dannie did just as he said. He continued holding her hand with his left and touched her face with his right. He concentrated his mind on her bad dreams and then moved his right hand up onto her head. Evan was able to block them and expel them from her subconscious. He waited a moment and pulled his hands away from her. “Dannie…” he whispered to see if she had fallen asleep. She didn’t budge. What he did had worked. Apparently he could not only heal injuries, but he could remove nightmares as well. He climbed back up into his bunk and laid silent and still for the rest of the night. He was finally able to sleep at dawn.
Evan’s glowing eyes could see through the dark and examined her. She was blonde, had a little black dress on and no jacket. Evan remained silent.
“Those contacts,” she giggled after inhaling more smoke. “Are you ever going to take them out?”
He didn’t say a word. He just continued to stare at her.
“You’re the silent type, huh?” she asked, watching him. She started feeling a little uneasy by his stares, his silence and stillness. But she smiled again as she dropped her cigarette on the ground and stepped on it, putting it out. She shook off her eerie feelings and thought about having some fun with him if it was offered. She figured he was a typical guy in a band and was probably just as bored as she was. But that was not his intention.
Evan slowly approached the girl. His eyes glowed at her and entranced her. She had no idea she was to be his involuntary donor. Her back rested against the cold brick wall and she waited as he moved in closer. The tiniest smirk tugged on the corner of his mouth as he observed her willingness to be his. But in her mind, “his” had a different meaning.
He stepped right in front of her; their bodies barely touching. She was ready for him to make his first move. He leaned his head toward her and she lifted her arms to place them around his neck. Evan enjoyed the feeling of dominance and control so he grasped her wrists and pinned them up against the wall. She gasped in surprise but then smiled. Her heart was racing and he could hear it. He lingered his lips a few inches from hers, teasing her, making her wait, until he finally let them touch. He felt her shiver from his ice cold skin, then weaken. His kiss was intoxicating her. Literally. To her, it just felt like a strong lustful daze.
Vampire instincts had taken over him. He knew he had complete control over her now. “Don’t move…and don’t make a sound…” he whispered into her ear just before he brushed her hair away from her neck with his frozen fingertips. He lowered his head toward her collarbone, anxious to taste her. His fangs extended and he pierced them into her throat. She didn’t even flinch when her skin broke. Her warm blood satisfied him and he took just enough to keep her alive. He didn’t want to kill anyone for his benefit. At least some of his humanity had lingered inside of him.
When his hunger was suppressed, he lifted his head and looked down at her puncture wounds. Blood began trickling out of them and he fought off his urge to drain the rest from her. He grazed his thumb over the marks and healed them up completely. Before he left her, he told her to forget his presence and he vanished without a sound. A moment later, he was stepping onto the bus with the rest of the band.
* * * * *
Evan laid in his bunk, wide awake. He knew he probably wouldn’t fall asleep until dawn. Dannie had awoken and decided to check on him. She stood up on her bed and peeked inside his curtain. She smiled when she saw his eyes glow at her in the dark. “Hey,” she said softly. “Can’t sleep?”
“No,” he replied. “I’ve tried for hours.”
“Well we’ll let you sleep tomorrow then,” she promised. “I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”
“Okay, thanks,” he said, then fell quiet. They were passing through a city now and the mechanical street lights leaked through the curtains and blinds, moving quickly across parts of the bus. The brisk city lights allowed her to see him a bit more clearly but for only a second at a time.
Dannie noticed his silence, even though it was common for him lately. Something seemed to be bothering him. “You alright?” she asked, pulling his curtain back a little more so she could see him better.
“I guess.”
She wasn’t convinced. “Come on. You know you can tell me anything.”
“Well…” he hesitated, “I found this girl behind the venue after the show. I fed from her.”
This surprised her. “You did?”
He just nodded to confirm it.
“Did it go alright? Did you scare her or hurt her?”
“No, I tried not to,” he replied. “I entranced her. I didn’t even know I could do that, I just did it.”
“So you kept her alive?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t tell her how he momentarily wanted to have all of the girl’s blood though. The thought alone even scared him. “She won’t remember me.”
“That’s good,” Dannie said. “I’m glad you got to eat a little. You’re not going to want any midnight snacks, are you?”
“No,” Evan laughed. Dannie’s face lit up once she noticed his did.
“Oh my god…Evan, you smiled! For the first time since you changed!” She was grinning from ear to ear. “Aww, you’re starting to look like yourself again.”
“Yeah, I guess I did,” he replied, letting it fade. “Maybe there’s still hope for me.”
“There is,” she assured him. “I bet it’s because you ate. The new blood might be making you feel almost human again.”
“Maybe. But it’s most likely just temporary.”
“What do you think it would take to turn you back?” she asked.
“I wish I knew,” he said sadly.
Dannie felt empathetic for him. His melancholy mood started affecting her. “Evan…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Well, everything,” she explained. “This whole thing is my fault.”
“Dannie, for the hundredth time, it’s alright,” he promised. “And before you ask, no, I’m not mad at you, I know you’re here for me and I’m not leaving you either.” He knew where she was going with this.
A small smile grew on Dannie’s face. “Alright. Can I ask you something though?”
“Proceed,” he permitted.
Her expression turned serious. “Do you…regret helping me?”
Evan didn’t even have to think it over. “No, of course not. Why?”
“I don’t know…” she sighed. “I have so many regrets about that night and I was just wondering if you had any.”
“What do you regret?” he asked.
“Standing out there alone, valuing my possessions more than anyone’s life, running away instead of going back inside, allowing you to get involved…failing to protect you because I got scared…” She looked away and tried not to get emotional. He could see her eyes glistening, even through the dark. “I’m sorry…” she said again, then stepped down from her bed and hurried inside of it.
“Dannie…” Evan wanted to see if she was okay. He hopped down from his bunk and knelt beside hers. He saw her laying down, looking at him. “Hey, it’s okay.” Evan didn’t want her to cry. He moved his hand over hers and then held it.
“You’re still so cold…” she uttered, forgetting that he was.
“Sorry,” he apologized. He thought she was bothered by it so he started to pull his hand away but she gripped it tighter, refusing to let him.
Evan wondered what was on her mind. She decided to open up to him. “Do you know why I couldn’t sleep?”
“No, why?”
“I dreamed about it again,” she confessed. “Every time I close my eyes, it’s there. I can’t seem to make it go away.”
He knew what she meant. And he wanted to try to help her. He remembered how he made the girl he fed from forget him and he wondered if he could erase Dannie’s bad memories. “I think I might be able to help you,” he told her.
“How?”
“I can make people forget me. So maybe I can make you forget the whole experience.”
“Are you sure it works that way?” she inquired. “What if you can only make people forget you? I don’t want to do that…”
Evan let that sink in. He knew he wasn’t sure about all of his abilities yet and didn’t want to test them out on Dannie in case something went wrong. “Okay, I won’t do that, but maybe I can at least make the nightmares go away and help you sleep.”
“Alright,” she agreed. “What do I have to do?”
After remembering how he hypnotizes, he regretted offering to do this. “Actually…” he said nervously, “maybe it’s not a good idea.”
“Why?”
“It just isn’t.” Evan was worried that it wouldn’t work and she’d remember him kissing her and then everything would get awkward.
“There’s nothing you could try?” she asked.
Evan wondered if he could help her without entrancing her. He had an idea. “Yeah. Relax and close your eyes.”
Dannie did just as he said. He continued holding her hand with his left and touched her face with his right. He concentrated his mind on her bad dreams and then moved his right hand up onto her head. Evan was able to block them and expel them from her subconscious. He waited a moment and pulled his hands away from her. “Dannie…” he whispered to see if she had fallen asleep. She didn’t budge. What he did had worked. Apparently he could not only heal injuries, but he could remove nightmares as well. He climbed back up into his bunk and laid silent and still for the rest of the night. He was finally able to sleep at dawn.