Bliss and Bloodlust

The bullets left the barrel like a rocket, so loud it made my ears ring, and collide with the flesh of Stephanie's thigh. She cried out in pain and crumbled down to the dirt floor, dropped her gun, clutched at her leg and began rocking back and forth, screaming.

Jayson looked at me with bewilderment. We aimed our weapons at one another simultaneously, I kept one on Steph. She called out to Jayson, she wanted him to come to her. Do it, I thought, and I'll shoot your fucking head off. We stared each other down, both of us aiming to kill. My ears were still ringing.

“You're a lousy shot.” He snarled at me.

“I wasn't trying to kill her, dumbass.” That was the truth.

“Jayson...” Stephanie moaned. “It hurts.”

“Shut up.” he said to her.

“That's no way to treat your lady. She's just been shot.” I teased.

“Shut the fuck up, both of you.” His eyes darted quickly from me to her.

“But Jayson-” Stephanie whined.

“I mean it, Steph.” He yelled. She started whimpering. He tried to calm her down, “You'll live, babe. It's a flesh wound.”

“No, it's not.” She cried out. “Jayson, I need to get to the hospital.”

“We will once I get rid of this piece of shit.”

“Ouch, that stung.” I pouted. If I was going to die it wouldn't be with me groveling and begging for mercy. “You know if it hit an artery she could bleed out.”

Stephanie's lost it. “Jayson!” She shouted.

“She's just fucking with you babe. You'll be fine. I promise.” he said over her shouting.

“Your promises are empty, kid.” I told him. “I should know.”

“Jayson!” Stephanie cried out again, more fear and pleading in her voice this time.

“Stephanie! Please!” Jayson yelled, his anger returning.

What happened next I didn't expect. Stephanie picked up her gun and fired it at me. I had to dive to my right to avoid being shot. Then Jayson's rifle went off. I got down low and felt one of the bullets graze my right shoulder. It just wasn't my shoulders day at all. I rolled away then got to my feet and hid behind a tree. My back scraped against the trees trunk, tearing my t-shirt. I felt some blood trickle down my arm and onto the gun. I hadn't let go of either one, thank God, although my right arm shook a little. I tightened my grip. I took in a shaky breath.

I heard Jayson laugh triumphantly. “Good job, baby.” I heard him say to his lover.

“I love you Jayson.” Stephanie said in a loving voice, her pain seeming to have subsided. He didn't say those three words back to her but she didn't seem to mind.

Both of my shoulder were in pain now and the guns felt a lot heavier than they had just minutes before. I was praying for a miracle. I gritted my teeth against the pain. It's only a graze, I told myself, you haven't been shot. I knew what being shot really felt like.

The first real rays of daylight were coming through the treetops. I shut my eyes for a second and knew I would have to face the pair of them eventually so why delay the inevitable. I slowly peaked my head out to see that Jayson now stood by Stephanie, rifle at the ready.

“Get me to the hospital.” Stephanie was pleading as she laid her head against his calf. Her jeans were stained with her blood, Jayson ignored her. He spotted me and fired. I quickly ducked my head back around and the bullet hit the tree.

“Why is it so important to kill me Jayson?” I asked in a yell.

He ignored my question. “I want my guns back.”

“Tell me why it's so important. Why can't you just let me live? Leave me be?”

“You had someone beat me up.” He exclaimed, sounding so immature.

“I didn't. And if I had, it would be no less than you deserve. You tried to kill me.”

“It was no less than you deserve.” He spat my words back at me. I heard Stephanie give painful groan, the Jayson cried out, “What the fuck?”

Gunshots sounded all around, one after the other, over and over in a rapid session, deafening. What the fuck, indeed. I ducked down, guns ready and Stephanie screamed, in fear or pain I couldn't tell. Then the shooting stopped but the sounds lingered in the air. I think his gun was empty. I looked out then I remembered he had another gun. Stephanie's.

I tightened my grip on my two guns and stood up, my back and thighs scraping against the tree trunk again. Stephanie's screams were suddenly cut off. I heard my own ragged breath as I waited. I wasn't sure what was going on but I wasn't doing an good waiting here. I turned around from the tree to find the reason why Stephanie was quiet.

Daniel, with one hand, had her dangling off the ground. Jayson had the pistol pointed at Daniel's chest. Dan's eyes were dark, fangs out, purely dangerous. I noticed Jayson was closer to my way than before.

“Put the gun down.” Daniel snarled.

“Don-don't hurt her.” Jayson's voice trembled.

“Put the gun down or I'll break her fucking neck.” I knew it was killing Daniel, the smell of blood and fear was on all of us. Jayson's eyes were fearful. “I'll kill her. Do you want me to kill her?” Jayson had the gun pointed at Daniel, but looked back at me for a second.

“Do as he says.” I instructed him.

“I guess you want me to.”

Daniel's hand tightened and a dangling Stephanie kicked back, but it did no good, Daniel didn't seem to have noticed as her foot kicking his stomach. Her face was turning blue, she was losing oxygen. Did I want Stephanie to die? At this point I really didn't care. I'll let my conscience deal with that later.

“Get your hands off of her.” Jayson's once tough voice wavered

“Or what? You'll kill me?” Daniel said darkly.

I saw the smirk on Jayson's face. “No I'll kill her.” I knew what was coming.

He turned the pistol on me and I didn't hesitate. Our guns fired at the same time.

Jayson staggered back and fell to the ground. I had hit him square in the chest. The pistol fell away, but he wasn't dead. He screamed out but it caught in his throat. I stood there frozen, both guns still aimed, both had fired, the sound still hung in the air.

Daniel threw a limp Stephanie down and was by my side in a flash. Had he kill her? Did I care? He said something but I couldn't hear him. I shook my head, trying knock some of the sound back into my ears. He took me into his arms. He was still vamping out, all of the blood wasn't helping. I saw Jayson's arm twitch out of the corner of my eye. Stephanie reached for his gun but Daniel, having let me go, was on her like white on rice. He hissed inhumanly and got on the ground, ready to bite.

“No, Dan.” Something in my voice made him stop, his fangs just an inch above her flesh. “No please, no.” I don't think I could take it if he killed her. It was bad enough I had shot her. I should have just shot Jayson first.

Daniel turned his face to me, dark eyes and all, and hissed. I knew he was trying hard to restrain himself but all the blood was killing him slowly, he wanted to give in to the bloodlust. Jayson stirred. He reached out and Stephanie's arm reached out to him. Daniel was still on top of her, his face close to her neck, his eyes on me. Stephanie whimpered in pain.

I slowly unfroze and walked closer to the three of them. I saw the pain etched on Jayson's face, he looked up at me with pleading eyes. “Now you know the pain I felt that night.” I said in a voice just above a whisper.

The blood poured from the wound in his chest. He was trying to speak but couldn't, blood was in his mouth. I thought about firing the rest of the rounds into him. Would that make me feel better? Would that change a damn thing? He was going to die out here either way. He deserved it. One shot was self defense, any more was an execution.

Stephanie was sobbing and calling Jayson's name. Daniel got off of her, hit her so hard she was knocked unconscious, and came to stand by my side. I watched the light fade from the eyes of the man I once loved and become dead. Daniel's dark eyes took in the scene before he turned them on me.

I swayed on my feet, that's when I saw the blood running down my arm. There was a hole in my left bicep. I had been shot after all. How did I not felt that? Daniel caught me before I could fall and scooped me up in his arms. He sat us down on the ground pulling my onto his lap and taking the guns from my shaky hands.

“He shot me.” I whispered as my remaining energy faded.

“Shh. I've got you.” His voice was hoarse and unnatural. My head rolled back, the dawn sunlight showed through the trees. Daniel lifted my wounded arm and licked at my wound. “It went straight through, you'll live, darling.” He moaned as he licked my shoulder rather seductively. It actually felt good. I found myself groaning and moaning in both pleasure and pain.

“What took you so long?” I whispered as my head began to swim.

He actually chuckled. “Traffic's a bitch.” His face was returning to normal. His eyes less dark but his fangs were still extended. He took of his shirt and wrapped it around my arm.

“You said I'll live but I feel like shit.” He smiled a fangy smile. “How did you find me?” I asked slowly. I was feeling more and more lightheaded.

“Don't worry about that now.”

“What are we going to do about them?” I moved so I could look at the two people on the ground in front of us, one who's life I had ended.

“Let me handle that.” he growled. I didn't even have the energy to raise a questioning eyebrow at him. “Are you feeling weak?” I reluctantly nodded. “Have my blood. You're going to need it.” I didn't argue as he bit into the flesh of his own wrist. It began bleeding. “Suck on it before the wound closes.”

I latched my mouth onto his wrist and found myself closing my eyes as I drank his sweet blood. Daniel wrapped his free arm around my waist as he leaned us against a tree and began singing softly A hymn, I think. I rested my head against his strong chest. It had been a close one, if he hadn't shown up... I shuddered at the thought.

Dan's voice was beautiful, the sound soothing, and took away my pains, and made my eyes feel suddenly heavy. I released his wrist and shut my eyes. He kissed my cheek, it was the last thing I remember feeling before I passed out.



The feeling of being lifted up almost pulled me out of my sleep. “Is she alright?” someone asked. I couldn't be sure who it was but the voice sounded familiar.

I was in some sort of haze, a space between awake and sleep and my eyes couldn't find a way to open, not that I was truly trying. My body was close to something cool, it felt nice. I didn't feel like moving, I didn't want to move for a long time. It took sometime to realize that the cool thing was a person. Whomever was carrying me was walking swiftly, almost running. The smell of grass and dirt and something metallic filled my nose.

“Yes” A second voice said in response to the first. That voice was closer to me and also familiar.

“Good.” the first vice sounded relieved.

“You didn't do something stupid like call the police, did you?” the second one asked quietly.

“Give me some credit. I'm not that stupid. But they'll have seen the car by now.”

“None of our concern. What's done is done.” The second voice sounded slightly irritated.

“This is a mess. So what are we going to do with her?”

“She won't remember a thing.”

“I saw what you did. I know what you are. I've known for a while.”

“Congratulations.” the second one said darkly.

“Had she known before all this?”

The second one scoffed. “She isn't stupid.” he chuckled, a sound so familiar I nearly figured out who it was before it slipped from me. “It's probably best if you leave. No need to get more tangled up in this more than you already are.”

I heard a rustling sound and birds. Was that right? Then someone was stroking my hair. “This is so fucking weird. Like some crappy horror flick. What are we going to do about this?”

“I told you I would handle this. You should have listened to me and stayed behind.” the second scolded.

“Well it's too late for shoulda, coulda, woulda.” The first said in a dry voice. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” The first said coldly. “But I'll feel better once she's in proper care.”

“She needs a hospital.”

“I have someplace better. A hospital will have to report a gunshot victim. I'm not going to let her go through all that drama. She's been through enough.”

“And her?” the first one asked, “What about her? And him?”

“Come on.” the second one said without answering the first. Then we were moving yet again and soon enough I was being laid on something soft. I felt something cool touch my forehead.

“I'll get him.” The second said. Then no one spoke. I felt someone touch my head.

“I'm so sorry.” the first voice whispered. “I'll follow.” he said in a louder voice a few moments later.

“That's what I thought you'd say.” said the first.

Then something shut close loudly, followed by something else gently shutting near my head. I couldn't hear them speaking anymore and a moment later I felt like I was moving again.

“Hang on, darling.” someone whispered, then I felt myself drifting away again.

Sleep. It felt good to sleep. Sleep was good.