Status: I'm a horrible updater.
Bat Country
I'm too weird to live, but much too rare to die.
Alexis had no subtlety. That was something that came with age and experience. Matt watched as Alexis held the man in her arms. He was maybe mid 30s, blonde, and average in every way. Alexis had a grip on him like a boa constrictor, one arm was around his head and holding his head back for easier access to the neck, and the other around his waist, pulling his body up as she knelt on the ground. The man was still alive for now, despite the wound in his neck Alexis had made with her double set of fangs. When she came out of bloodlust, Matt would have to tell her how to kill her prey items more efficiently. Alexis’s head shot up and Matt saw her pale yellow eyes gleaming in the night. The entire bottom of her face was draped in blood. Alexis was watching something, Matt turned around and a woman was coming back with a small pile of wood. When she saw the man in Alexis’s arms she dropped the wood and prepared to scream. Matt didn’t plan to hunt tonight, but he hadn’t fed in days, and although he was doubly cursing himself now, he ran to the woman and covered her mouth and pushed her head back and buried his face into the crook of the woman’s neck and shoulder. The woman clawed at him furiously, but with no luck. Each heartbeat became fainter and fainter as it pumped the blood into Matt’s mouth. Eventually the woman fell slack and moments later, Matt let her body fall to the ground.
When his bloodlust subsided, he heard Alexis crying. Looking over, she was standing over the dead man.
“Alexis…I know killing like this will be hard for you to take. You don’t have to kill them if you don’t want to.”
Alexis looked over at Matt with an almost entirely bloody face. “Hard to take?” she laughed, bloody tears still streaming down her face. “I’m not…I’m not crying because this made me feel bad.” She pointed to the man on the ground. “I’m crying because it felt so good.” Her head fell back again and she laughed but then her head would come back and she would cry again. Matt snaked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her away, walking slowly with her.
Matt had left her at a stream and disappeared. She used the water to clean the blood off her face and chest before sitting underneath a tree along the bank. Eventually Matt returned and rinsed his own hands and face clean before plopping down next to Alexis.
“What do you do with the bodies?” Alexis looked over to Matt and leaned on him slightly.
“Depends on the situation. Eventually you’ll pick it up. I put them in a clearing. A bear or some wolves will mask what happened.” Matt said softly.
“Are we dead?” Alexis asked rather flatly, looking down at Matt’s hand.
His eyes focused on her and he thought of how he should describe this.
“Most people would say so. But…you still have a heart. It just doesn’t beat as often.”
Confusion washed out Alexis’s face. “How does that even work?”
Matt shrugged. “It just does, I guess. We’re close to humans. Whatever makes us…us…doesn’t exactly kill us…just slows everything down.”
“How often does our heart beat?” She asked, studying his face. Why she was doing this was a mystery even to her, but if she had to guess she was looking for any trace of a lie. He was a large guy all around. He had a pretty face, but then again, none of the vampires…she had seen, were exactly ugly.
“Once every 15-20 years or so?” He said, looking back at her and catching her gaze. Alexis blushed and all of a sudden she threw her hands up to her face in pain.
Matt smiled. “When you blush, your blood vessels break instead of just filling with blood like a human’s does. So sometimes it can hurt.”
Alexis rubbed her face. “Fair enough…if our heart beats…does that mean I‘ll die?”
Matt laughed and closed his eyes then tilted his head toward Alexis and opened his eyes back up. “No. You won’t die. The reason humans age like they do is eventually the damage to their bodies adds up. They wrinkle, their organs fail. Our bodies constantly heal so rapidly that we don’t…we don’t…get old.”
“How do you have tattoos, then?”
Matt laughed sharply into the night. “You are really going to take advantage of this aren’t you?”
Alexis nodded with her eyebrows raised, nonplussed.
“Alright, I’ll give you that one.” He ran his hand over his hair and over his face. “We mix our own blood with regular ink.”
Alexis’s body dropped like it was the lamest thing she ever heard.
“Hey you asked! I didn‘t say it was going to be interesting!” he laughed.
Matt only got silence. When he looked over, Alexis’s face was blank and her eyes distant. Matt almost worried, but he thought it best to let Alexis think of what she wanted to ask next. Whatever that might be.
“Why did this happen to me? And who are you?”
Matt’s eyes narrowed and his brain almost panicked. He should have been prepared for this, but apparently he wasn’t prepared for a lot of things with Alexis.
When his bloodlust subsided, he heard Alexis crying. Looking over, she was standing over the dead man.
“Alexis…I know killing like this will be hard for you to take. You don’t have to kill them if you don’t want to.”
Alexis looked over at Matt with an almost entirely bloody face. “Hard to take?” she laughed, bloody tears still streaming down her face. “I’m not…I’m not crying because this made me feel bad.” She pointed to the man on the ground. “I’m crying because it felt so good.” Her head fell back again and she laughed but then her head would come back and she would cry again. Matt snaked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her away, walking slowly with her.
Matt had left her at a stream and disappeared. She used the water to clean the blood off her face and chest before sitting underneath a tree along the bank. Eventually Matt returned and rinsed his own hands and face clean before plopping down next to Alexis.
“What do you do with the bodies?” Alexis looked over to Matt and leaned on him slightly.
“Depends on the situation. Eventually you’ll pick it up. I put them in a clearing. A bear or some wolves will mask what happened.” Matt said softly.
“Are we dead?” Alexis asked rather flatly, looking down at Matt’s hand.
His eyes focused on her and he thought of how he should describe this.
“Most people would say so. But…you still have a heart. It just doesn’t beat as often.”
Confusion washed out Alexis’s face. “How does that even work?”
Matt shrugged. “It just does, I guess. We’re close to humans. Whatever makes us…us…doesn’t exactly kill us…just slows everything down.”
“How often does our heart beat?” She asked, studying his face. Why she was doing this was a mystery even to her, but if she had to guess she was looking for any trace of a lie. He was a large guy all around. He had a pretty face, but then again, none of the vampires…she had seen, were exactly ugly.
“Once every 15-20 years or so?” He said, looking back at her and catching her gaze. Alexis blushed and all of a sudden she threw her hands up to her face in pain.
Matt smiled. “When you blush, your blood vessels break instead of just filling with blood like a human’s does. So sometimes it can hurt.”
Alexis rubbed her face. “Fair enough…if our heart beats…does that mean I‘ll die?”
Matt laughed and closed his eyes then tilted his head toward Alexis and opened his eyes back up. “No. You won’t die. The reason humans age like they do is eventually the damage to their bodies adds up. They wrinkle, their organs fail. Our bodies constantly heal so rapidly that we don’t…we don’t…get old.”
“How do you have tattoos, then?”
Matt laughed sharply into the night. “You are really going to take advantage of this aren’t you?”
Alexis nodded with her eyebrows raised, nonplussed.
“Alright, I’ll give you that one.” He ran his hand over his hair and over his face. “We mix our own blood with regular ink.”
Alexis’s body dropped like it was the lamest thing she ever heard.
“Hey you asked! I didn‘t say it was going to be interesting!” he laughed.
Matt only got silence. When he looked over, Alexis’s face was blank and her eyes distant. Matt almost worried, but he thought it best to let Alexis think of what she wanted to ask next. Whatever that might be.
“Why did this happen to me? And who are you?”
Matt’s eyes narrowed and his brain almost panicked. He should have been prepared for this, but apparently he wasn’t prepared for a lot of things with Alexis.