Forbidden Blood

Prologue

Sitting, waiting for the world to shut off all the lights so that I can rise from the shadows and prowl on the frightened humans like the bloodsucker I am. The rosewood chair was my dearest companion as I set my cream-colored mug onto the surface of the ample, hazel brown table in the kitchen. A liquid, that is most unfamiliar to drink, rested quietly in the mug, creating silent ripples as a small chill ran through the room. A silent wind blew into my ear like it was trying to seduce me. Tick. Tick. The noise dripping out of the large clock on the wall was enough to make me want to smash the clock against the floor, but at the same time, it calmed me. The simple nature of the meaningless ticks. I clicked on the flat screen television on the wall in front of the table and flipped through the numerous channels until it fell onto the eight o’clock morning news with Ellen Kamischke. Bright colors shot out of the television as I looked down at my mug. I placed my index finger into the liquid and twiddled it in small, dramatic circles. The liquid swished side to side like waves crashing against the shore. I sucked on the amount of waves my finger was able to gather. It slid down my throat like water down a smooth river. I fought back the urge to dispose of the foul liquid, but I had to keep myself strong and alert for anything that might come lurking into the darkness of Salemn, Colorado. The dark blinds served as soldiers as they guarded the enemy rays of light from touching my skin. I was invulnerable to the effects of sunlight unlike the others. Even with this fact, I still did not enjoy being in the sun or having it touch my cold, dead skin. The brightness of it always seemed too much for me and pushed me until I fell in love with the loveliness of the night. The blinds may have been shut tightly, but tiny bits of sun slipped into the house, making the tile glisten like diamonds under a shining light. My hands trembled slightly as I wrapped them securely around the glass mug. This world of humans gave me a strong case of the tremors. Just their presence made me lose my mind in a place of unimaginable existence. My mind ate away at those negative thoughts and commanded my eyes to face the television. A young woman entered the kitchen wearing banana yellow pajama pants that were running down her long legs and almost completely over her toes. A hazel brown tank top covered her torso and stomach area, clashing with the color of her pants. Her elegance as she swayed across the room, was rare compared to what I have seen in my time. A flawless beauty that could bring the most ruthless men to their knees. Her dark brown hair was trapped in the cage of a messy ponytail. When it was liberated, her hair went a little past her shoulders. Light brown captured the color the inside of her eyes and she stood about six feet tall. Her skin was a little pale due to her lack of sunlight. Like me, she was a creature of the night.

Chapter One

“Good morning.” I greeted with a smile that shined brightly in the dimly lit room. Her footsteps were like music to my keen senses, telling me that she was an open target in the field that was once a kitchen. I tapped my fingers against the coffee mug, patiently waiting for her to sit at the table with me. I was always waiting for something. Mostly waiting for a mistake, either hers or mine. My smile was a disguise of what was admittedly running through my mind. The Olympic runners of her sinister demise. The scent of her gratifying blood was making my hands shudder like they were afraid they would hurt her. I held the cup firmly almost to a point of breaking it. The clenching did not ease my deviously, hungry thoughts. Human blood is an interesting substance, but hers was human mixed with a hint of goddess. Aphrodite may have been beautiful, but the scent of her blood is what hypnotized her prey. The simple pinch of beauty had reached her bloodstream and blessed it with a scent that could only make you obey any command that came from her glossing lips. Even those who did not dare let their knees hit the floor, would fall onto the ground for the scent of such an addictive substance.

“Relax Deanna. Relax.” I told myself. I had to bring my mind back to this world of sanity and out of my world. A world made of bloody oceans and fleshy grass. This was a world that was disgusting, but so pleasing to a creature like me. How I yearned to be an animalistic monster that captures prey like the air they breathe. The creature in me wanted to rip itself out of my chest and fight the world for a sip of blood. Just a taste. For now, I was trapped in this world of humans. The world’s biggest sin
.
"Hey." She shuffled straight to the fridge, stretching her arms to the ceiling. The fridge pulled it’s lips away from the door as she opened it. She has grown a great deal since our first encounter two years ago. It almost seems like it has been longer than that, like an eternity. The girl joined me at the table as Kamischke delivered tragic news.

“A young woman was found murdered in the alley near Eddie's Bar earlier this morning. The murder weapon has not been recovered, but it seems the suspect has been drained of all her blood.” I nearly choked on the blood in my cream-colored coffee mug. Our eyes were glued to the television as if a child had misbehaved with Elmer’s glue.

“What seems like puncture wounds were discovered on the right side of the victim's neck. Investigators are not sure what has happened to this young woman, but whomever did this is still at large.” I shut the television off and set down the coffee mug. Darkness has finally found Salemn, the brightest place in this world.

“Did you do this?” She immediately questions me, knowing I'm capable of killing someone. A raw anger leaked from her tone, making me question her questioning. Her eyes began to boil like hot water in a pot. Steam rose from her body and the heat was making me uneasy. Very uneasy. I shifted my position in the chair.

“Jessica, you know I would never…”

“Deanna,” I didn't look at her. At no time could I ever look Jessica in her light brown eyes. They were like a gate into the cold pits of the Underworld, a place I’ve come to resent. Such a sweet face holding the most devious of poisons. Her eyes were the fire to the pits of Hell, but at the same time, they were the wings to all the angels. They were a contradiction to her entire existence.

“Deanna,” She grabbed my chin and made me look at her. The grip she had on me was demandingly tight. I felt as if I was being held captive by the demons in my mind. Those hateful sins that burned into my brain. An everlasting fire that was passing through my body. Out of complete reflex, I roughly pushed her backwards. Jessica stumbles into the marble kitchen counter, scratching a wound into her sensitive, human skin. Small drops of blood dripped from the wound in her forearm, to the spotless tile of the kitchen. It stained our floor with the blood of what could of been, a fatal mistake.

“Don’t do that.” My hands shook vigorously as I held them together. The anger was gathering into my fist, waiting to release itself vividly. Tick. Tick. The clock was matching the beats of her heart as she stood there gazing at me. Her mind was chasing fear. Trying to put together what she thought was bravery. Jessica saw the hunger my face had revealed as each drop splashed against the tile. My mouth was watering from the rare dryness her blood brought. I wanted to attack like a vicious monster and intake all of the sweet nectar that had fallen onto the tile. It was too precious to waste.

“What’s wrong with your hands?” Jessica grabbed hold of her bleeding arm. Instead of answering her, I watched as the sweet nectar splashed onto the tile. Each drop became more tempting. Jessica gazed at me with a dead curiosity, trying to decode the thoughts she imagined were racing through my mind. There was a dead silence in the room. I could hear the drums of her heart, beating at a steady rhythm of seventy beats per minute. The blood was rushing through her body, urging me to release it from their holding. It was an instinct I could not control. An instinct that wants to cause pain or prevent my own, but that is not who I am or at least, who I try not to be. After a few more agonizing seconds, I replied to her question with a simple shrug.

As she began to leave the kitchen, she held her arm to attempt to stop the throbbing. I didn't reply to what I was seeing. I grabbed the washcloth off of the sink and wiped the blood up. My nostrils expanded as they took a whiff of the liquid. I tossed the washcloth into the oven and turned it to 500 degrees. If I couldn’t have the blood, I would make sure no one else did. Replaying the previous event in my head, I realized that humans are quick to act, but don’t think of the consequences of their actions. Their consequences always seem to be a benefit for me. I want these humans to feel as if they are powerless in the world. It gives creatures of the night the right amount of fear they need to survive.

After a few more moments of sitting at the table by myself, I set the mug back down. Somehow, her pain was pouring into me like an airborne contamination. Out of guilt, I walked up the wooden, spiral stairs without making a sound. The wall felt unusually rough as my hands ran along the ruffles in the brown paint. The tips of my fingers were taking in the full material of the wall. Carefully tasting each detail as their tongue savored each second. Soon the paint would fade and the wall would crumble. Then it will just be another thing we walk over.

“Jess,” I pushed open her bedroom door. She was sitting on the edge of her queen sized bed, still holding onto her arm. The precious red substance seeped through her fragile fingers. I looked down at the cocoa-colored carpet. My feet pressed themselves into the relieving softness and I got the words that have been jumbling around in my mouth, an apology. At least the same contents of an apology.

“I did not mean to hurt you.” I admitted. There was no regret in my vocals. A part of me wanted her to bleed so I could feast on the blood and satisfy my thirst. That part of me is the part of me I loved, but most hated. It was the most hidden piece of me, yet it was apparent when observed correctly. As a creature, I was not born to feel anything. I was motionless stone on the inside. The only emotion I’ve grown to feel is anger. The others were slowly growing on me, but before they could ever fully sprout, my anger would kill them without hesitation.

“It’s just a scratch.” She smiled. Her mind was saying something else. Jessica was deeply afraid, though she would never show it externally. I could see the goose bumps rising on her skin. The way her heart was beating, it was incredibly calm, yet frightened. She was scared of death, a death caused by me. It was interesting to see the way she saw this world. I kept both her feet on the ground. She never dreamed of a world that resembled a utopia. Jessica knew that it would never exist. She saw what this world truly had to offer, and it wasn’t safety. If anything, it was death.

“This situation could have ended up badly. It could have been so much worse…” I kept my head down, keeping my eyes away from the sin she was bleeding out. Jessica shouldn’t be human. She deserved to be a god. Her blood was cherished and worshiped by me, but I would never let her know. I could not let her have any sense of power. She would abuse it, just like the rest of her kind.

“Well it didn’t, but...I’m sorry for accusing you that way.” Her smile faded to a sincere frown. I could smell the sadness in her tone. It was a revolting scent that brought my senses to a stand still.

“I get it. I’m a vampire. It only makes sense.” I finally glared at her as I explained. I smiled at her slightly to show her that I held no hatred against her. That’s all she wanted, her thoughts told me so.

“No, I was just stereotyping with your kind. Not all vampires have to drink blood. You’ve proven that.” Jessica replied. I sat beside her on the fluffy mattress. My hands sunk into the fabric as I positioned myself.

“It’s still hard, but I owe my habit of animal blood to you. You give me a reason to be better, a reason to not commit the crimes I once did before. You put the human in me.” I said with a smile.

“That’s not human Deanna. It’s normal, but I shouldn’t give you a reason to be better. I’m....nothing to this world. I just take up space.” Her mood turned to a sudden sorrow.

“Is that what she told you? That you are...nothing?” I questioned.

“My mother...don’t even mention her.” Jessica said. The anger was seeping out of her mouth, brushing against her lips. Her blood was irresistible when it was boiling like it was now. It was pumping through her with vigorous hate. Even with that, I hated her externally anger. I walked away from her and leaned against the door frame.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered. I kept my face away from her eyes, she would be able to see the falseness in my expression. I could never be sorry for the words that come out of my mouth. She could not take what needed to be said, it had nothing to do with me. If I ever had to apologize, it would take a situation that has severely hurt someone, either internally or externally.

“What vampire apologizes to a human? That just shows how pathetic you are Deanna.” I nodded my head in an upset yet, understanding motion then shut my eyes. The thoughts of how I gave up half of who I am for such a selfish human, halted in my mind. They floated there with a bright light underneath it. It was highlighted as an idiotic thing for me to do. After a few seconds to myself, I made my way back down the stairs

“Deanna.” Jessica called out my name, but I continued down the steps.

Jessica walked slowly into the kitchen with a bandage wrapped around her wound. She approached me as I sat there casually sipping on the mug filled with animal blood. Her lips kept parting slightly as she tried to find the words to say. I could hear her thoughts, they were scraping her brain, trying not to sound desperate in forgiveness. She was on the verge for begging for it, as if it was her life on the life. In this case, it well could be.

“I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry, it’s just every time you bring her up, I just...”

“Become more human. More like them.” I finished the sentence she could not put together.

“What do you expect me to say Deanna ? You consistently drag that memory out of me ” She felt pressure into raising her voice. I threw the mug against the flawless tile. The blood dispersed as if it was in slow motion. I glued her to the wall by her wounded arm. Jessica moaned in pain as I squeezed the cut until blood oozed out slowly. Her homemade bandage fell to the ground, dancing swiftly across the tile. She continued to whine as I increased the pressure of my grip.

“Sensitive human. Look at you cry at this simple wound in your human flesh. You are not invincible in this world.” Jessica’s eyes became glossy as tears built up.

“You are only a god until you bleed Jessica. Commence in being more careful about the words that you let out of your mouth.” I released her throbbing arm.
“You may be able to say whatever you want to everyone else, but watch what and how you say things to me. The only person I can never protect you from, is me.” I grabbed my keys off of the table and headed for the garage.

“Deanna.” There was regret in her gentle voice. I stopped at the door. My mind wanted to go, but my legs were reluctant to the commands.

“Just let me go right now. I need to be away from you. It was my mistake for letting you into my life in the first place. Now I just...can’t understand why I did.” I shook my head.
“I don’t want to be your mistake ” Jessica began to cry. Those tears were always a sign of weakness that could have easily been mistaken for an opening to end her life.

“Stop crying This situation doesn’t deserve your tears or anything you have to give You aren’t my mistake Jessica I’m yours ” I tapped my impatient fingers on the wall as I watched the tears stream down her cheeks. Her emotions weren’t enough to change me. I thought they were once I began listening to what she said, but then I realized I was just as pathetic as she said I was. Anger raised through me as I thought more deeply about it. My fist took a huge chunk of the wall with it as it went through. I rushed into the garage and jumped into my car.