Prophet
Valentine
He jerks upright, feelings his eyes flash red as he reaches out with his mind. The thought repeats again, like a recording.
‘Hello, Thomas. Hello, Thomas. Hello, Thomas.’ It’s mildly unsettling, and the hairs on the back of his neck rise. The person is nearby, he can sense it. ‘Hello, Thomas. Hello, Thomas.’ ‘Who are you?’ he asks with his mind. ‘Hello, Thomas.’
Balor, his name is Balor, not Thomas anymore, not Tommy and he can feel the thick fear closing his throat. He shoves his door open with a thought, too frantic to care, and nearly stumbles over the boy outside. The kid is black, dark curling hair messy, wearing only a long white t-shirt splotched with blood.
Balor can smell it. He can’t be older than fourteen, his arms and legs skinny. His hands are clenching and unclenching in his lap. Balor reaches a hand out, unthinking, feeling the wave of thoughts grow faster and louder. ‘Hello, ThomashelloThomashellothomashellothomashellothomasHELLOTHOMASHELLOTHOMAS.’
The boy looks up and grins with a mouthful of fangs, nostrils flaring.
“Hello, Thomas,” he murmurs, licking at a bead of blood on his lower lip. His eyes are slanted and old, so, so old. Vampire.
The boy sags against the wall with a sigh, eyes closing, teeth turning human. He looks innocent and worn, and Balor’s neighbors will be waking soon, so he scoops the vampire up and carries him into the apartment.
Sadie spends the day sleeping. She’s slept a lot lately, but she’s so exhausted her bones hurt. Death lets her sleep, keeping a watchful eye. He’s unwilling to admit how important she’s become to him.
She sighs in her sleep and turns over, towards him. He strokes the hair away from her face and smiles. He never understood before, why angels had favorite humans. As he looks at Sadie’s peaceful face, one hand resting near his leg, her cheeks slightly flushed, he understands.
He is not a changeable being. Emotions do not come easily to him, but this girl has swept in and tied him to her. He will rip anything that threatens her into a thousand pieces and scatter them throughout the universe.
Death brushes the hair away from her forehead and smiles, feeling his skin tingle when they touch. She has power, inside her, although she can’t access it at will, and it responds to him. He sits back to read, smiling to himself.
The repeating thoughts have stopped. The boy’s mind is quiet, slow with sleep. There’s still an edge there, a thread of thirst and blood and fangs and ancient. The vampire part, all tangled up with his human side. Nothing cruel, though, nothing like the creatures who come after him.
Balor takes care to be gentle with him, laying him on his only couch. The vampire sniffs in his sleep and smiles, burrowing in. Balor’s mind is racing, his hands shaking as he finishes feeding his snakes. He has to do something about the boy, then get out of here, run and run until he’s a different person. The vampire snorts, innocent, a little calming. Balor sighs and sits near his feet, thumbing through a book.
The vampire wakes eventually, jumping to his feet. His fangs are out, and he’s hissing. Balor holds his hands up defensively.
“Hey. Hey, kid, it’s okay. Calm down.”
The boy snarls, pushing his face close.
“I’m not a child, human. I was old before your grandmother was born. What have you done to me?” Balor starts to speak, but the vampire pauses, sniffs at his neck, nose brushing his skin. He takes a step back, eyeing Balor. “Demon blood. What would a human with demon blood want with me?” he asks, almost to himself.
“N-Nothing. You showed up at my apartment. Don’t you remember?”
The vampire’s eyes go mournful, then blank. His bottom lip sags, revealing fangs, but he’s just staring into space, hands clenched into fists. His mind feels foggy suddenly, clouded and confused and wrong. There’s been damage done here. Balor shakes his shoulders, watching as the boy comes back with a grimace. He looks very young.
“Wha...What?”
“Are you okay? You blanked out on me there,” Balor says cautiously, watching his eyes.
The vampire wraps long fingers around Balor’s wrists, holding him in place. His voice is frantic. Balor can hear his heart pounding, stolen blood rushing through his veins.
“Help me, demon blood. Make this wrongness go away.” His eyes are wide and dark and without guile.
“I...what?” The vampire seems to take this as a refusal, because he drops easily to his knees, still holding Balor’s wrists.
“I’ll guard you, demon blood. I’ll owe you my life.”
“How do I know you won’t suck me dry?” Balor asks suspiciously.
The vampire’s nose wrinkles.
“Drink demon blood? It would burn my throat out.”
“How do you know my name? Why did you come here?” The vampire just looks puzzled.
“I know your name? And I....I’m not sure how I got here...”
The feel of his thoughts are honest, so Balor sighs and motions for him to sit.
“I’m not even sure I’ll be able to fix you at all,” he warns.
The vampire shrugs. “I’ll take the chance.”
He sprawls out on Balor’s couch, long limbed and easy. The shirt barely covers his dick.
“Uh, are you wearing anything under that?”
The vampire tilts his head and grins, suddenly playful.
“Maybe. Why, you interested? I gotta admit, you’re pretty cute for an anti-Christ.”
Balor snorts and blushes and accidentally makes the lights flicker off. The vampire’s voice floats through the darkness, amused.
“Taking initiative. I like that. My name’s Valentine, by the way. Now you know what to scream later.”
Balor blushes, turns the lights on, and tries not to stammer.
“I...uh...I...stop it!” His voice is whinier than he would like. Valentine just winks.
‘Hello, Thomas. Hello, Thomas. Hello, Thomas.’ It’s mildly unsettling, and the hairs on the back of his neck rise. The person is nearby, he can sense it. ‘Hello, Thomas. Hello, Thomas.’ ‘Who are you?’ he asks with his mind. ‘Hello, Thomas.’
Balor, his name is Balor, not Thomas anymore, not Tommy and he can feel the thick fear closing his throat. He shoves his door open with a thought, too frantic to care, and nearly stumbles over the boy outside. The kid is black, dark curling hair messy, wearing only a long white t-shirt splotched with blood.
Balor can smell it. He can’t be older than fourteen, his arms and legs skinny. His hands are clenching and unclenching in his lap. Balor reaches a hand out, unthinking, feeling the wave of thoughts grow faster and louder. ‘Hello, ThomashelloThomashellothomashellothomashellothomasHELLOTHOMASHELLOTHOMAS.’
The boy looks up and grins with a mouthful of fangs, nostrils flaring.
“Hello, Thomas,” he murmurs, licking at a bead of blood on his lower lip. His eyes are slanted and old, so, so old. Vampire.
The boy sags against the wall with a sigh, eyes closing, teeth turning human. He looks innocent and worn, and Balor’s neighbors will be waking soon, so he scoops the vampire up and carries him into the apartment.
Sadie spends the day sleeping. She’s slept a lot lately, but she’s so exhausted her bones hurt. Death lets her sleep, keeping a watchful eye. He’s unwilling to admit how important she’s become to him.
She sighs in her sleep and turns over, towards him. He strokes the hair away from her face and smiles. He never understood before, why angels had favorite humans. As he looks at Sadie’s peaceful face, one hand resting near his leg, her cheeks slightly flushed, he understands.
He is not a changeable being. Emotions do not come easily to him, but this girl has swept in and tied him to her. He will rip anything that threatens her into a thousand pieces and scatter them throughout the universe.
Death brushes the hair away from her forehead and smiles, feeling his skin tingle when they touch. She has power, inside her, although she can’t access it at will, and it responds to him. He sits back to read, smiling to himself.
The repeating thoughts have stopped. The boy’s mind is quiet, slow with sleep. There’s still an edge there, a thread of thirst and blood and fangs and ancient. The vampire part, all tangled up with his human side. Nothing cruel, though, nothing like the creatures who come after him.
Balor takes care to be gentle with him, laying him on his only couch. The vampire sniffs in his sleep and smiles, burrowing in. Balor’s mind is racing, his hands shaking as he finishes feeding his snakes. He has to do something about the boy, then get out of here, run and run until he’s a different person. The vampire snorts, innocent, a little calming. Balor sighs and sits near his feet, thumbing through a book.
The vampire wakes eventually, jumping to his feet. His fangs are out, and he’s hissing. Balor holds his hands up defensively.
“Hey. Hey, kid, it’s okay. Calm down.”
The boy snarls, pushing his face close.
“I’m not a child, human. I was old before your grandmother was born. What have you done to me?” Balor starts to speak, but the vampire pauses, sniffs at his neck, nose brushing his skin. He takes a step back, eyeing Balor. “Demon blood. What would a human with demon blood want with me?” he asks, almost to himself.
“N-Nothing. You showed up at my apartment. Don’t you remember?”
The vampire’s eyes go mournful, then blank. His bottom lip sags, revealing fangs, but he’s just staring into space, hands clenched into fists. His mind feels foggy suddenly, clouded and confused and wrong. There’s been damage done here. Balor shakes his shoulders, watching as the boy comes back with a grimace. He looks very young.
“Wha...What?”
“Are you okay? You blanked out on me there,” Balor says cautiously, watching his eyes.
The vampire wraps long fingers around Balor’s wrists, holding him in place. His voice is frantic. Balor can hear his heart pounding, stolen blood rushing through his veins.
“Help me, demon blood. Make this wrongness go away.” His eyes are wide and dark and without guile.
“I...what?” The vampire seems to take this as a refusal, because he drops easily to his knees, still holding Balor’s wrists.
“I’ll guard you, demon blood. I’ll owe you my life.”
“How do I know you won’t suck me dry?” Balor asks suspiciously.
The vampire’s nose wrinkles.
“Drink demon blood? It would burn my throat out.”
“How do you know my name? Why did you come here?” The vampire just looks puzzled.
“I know your name? And I....I’m not sure how I got here...”
The feel of his thoughts are honest, so Balor sighs and motions for him to sit.
“I’m not even sure I’ll be able to fix you at all,” he warns.
The vampire shrugs. “I’ll take the chance.”
He sprawls out on Balor’s couch, long limbed and easy. The shirt barely covers his dick.
“Uh, are you wearing anything under that?”
The vampire tilts his head and grins, suddenly playful.
“Maybe. Why, you interested? I gotta admit, you’re pretty cute for an anti-Christ.”
Balor snorts and blushes and accidentally makes the lights flicker off. The vampire’s voice floats through the darkness, amused.
“Taking initiative. I like that. My name’s Valentine, by the way. Now you know what to scream later.”
Balor blushes, turns the lights on, and tries not to stammer.
“I...uh...I...stop it!” His voice is whinier than he would like. Valentine just winks.