The Dead
1
Baby looked down from the blackened night sky, a slight frown pulling at the corners of her shimmering lips.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full," She rolled her eyes, sweeping her gaze to the man kneeling on the ground, his lips slopped with the kind of blood that made Baby screw her nose up, "I honestly don't know how you prefer the taste of Granny, Vlad."
Vlad broadened his lips into a smile, "Acquired taste, so what's bugging you?"
Again Baby stole her glance to the sky, "The stars, they're hiding."
"What is it with you and the stars?" He kept his smile as he stretched his height.
"She's still breathing," Pointed Baby.
"So she is," Taking one booted foot, Vlad brought it down with a sickening crunch, "Now she isn't."
Wet grass flattened itself under her bare toes, tickling the soles of her feet, "We should get back, it's almost light."
Vlad watched Baby slip herself from the tree branches, never had he bred such a graceful creature, sliding a dead arm around her shoulders, Vlad stole a kiss to her cheek, "Maybe they will be out tomorrow."
"Where have you both been?" Hilda batted back honey comb lengths of hair from her shoulders as she stormed out from a chipped brown doorway, a dripping wash cloth clutched in her hands.
Baby took a step forward, taking the cloth from Hilda's hands and headed toward the doorway, "You shouldn't worry Hilly, you'll send yourself gray," Vlad let out a barking laugh.
"Of course I was worried, you expect me not to be after Prague?"
Letting out a sigh, Vlad swept his hands over Hilda's arms, "I expect you to be vigilant, not constantly worrying. We are far from Prague, it's not going to happen again."
"Tell that to Oliver."
Stepping through the doorway, Baby closed the heavy door behind her.
"Hilda?" A males voice rasped in the dark.
"Baby," She replied, keen sight leading her through the blinding blackness.
"Ah, Baby ... they still ... at it?"
She smiled, finding the edge of his bed, "They will be at it for all time Oliver, you know that."
Coughing a laugh, Oliver's limbs shuddered around his chest, "It burns."
Quickly finding Hilda's wash bowl in the dark, Baby took the cloth in her hands and soaked it in the water, washing the cool liquid over his burnt and raw chest, the smell of burning flesh still lingered.
"Were the stars out?" He gasped, pushing out the pain, forcing his mind to gain full attention of Baby.
"No," She shook her head, frowning again, "They were hiding."
"They were hiding ... when the hunters came ... for us," Oliver reminded her of the blazing basement and then of Vlad clawing and smashing at the brick walls until his claws bled and the wall fell, but it was too late for Oliver. Hilda had screamed to leave him behind, scared for her own life.
Baby shook her head, riding her minds eye of Prague, "They might be out tomorrow," She repeated Vlad's words.
"And ... they may not ... you know they ... will always be after ... us."
"I know," She nodded in the dark, "I know."
Another night and the stars still weren't out, again Baby found herself perched in low branches, this time Vlad stood with an arm stretched out over the tree, watching as Hilda took down her food. Her sweet voice and dazzling eyes luring her boy in.
"We should bring back something for Oliver," Baby suggested, watching Hilda make short work of the boys chest.
Raking long pale fingers through his curtain of black hair, Vlad nodded, "We should, I doubt he'd eat though," Glancing over at his creation, he noted the constant sadness plaguing her. The little frown on her lips, the way her eyes swept around like dull lights, "Why so sad?"
She shrugged her pale shoulders, her feet swinging with the breeze humans couldn't feel, "I miss it."
Vlad furrowed his brow, "Miss what?"
"Living. I hear heartbeats and pulses every night and I know they'll never be mine, not again. I can barely remember what the sun looks like, or if there really was one. And I don't understand, why me?"
"Are you crazy?" Hilda spoke up, another bloody mess of entrails surrounding her angelic form.
Baby shot her a look, "No, I am not crazy."
"Vlad, tell her she is crazy" But when both girls turned to him, there was but a mere scent left, "Where'd he go?"
Opening his senses up, Vlad let his head swim in the cities hype. Lights burning and flashing from every building he passed, thudding music competed from every second doorway and women flashed their goods for dollars in every other.
The world hadn't changed, not an inch and as he wandered the clubbing streets, he kept coming back to the night he found her, his Baby, though she wasn't Baby then and she wasn't his.
She belonged to her family and her name, he hadn't thought of in decades, Merelda. It was his nose that brought him so close to her home and it was her scent that had him coming back night after night, just something about her hounded him to no end, until after months of sleepless days he decided to do something about it.
"Vlad," Her voice washed over him, sending a dead shiver down his spine, he could hear her silent footsteps over the pavement as she caught his stride.
"Do you hate me?" He stopped mid step.
Baby turned to face him, "No," Now it was her brow that furrowed in the night, "Why? Do you think I do?"
Vlad shrugged, "I don't know."
"I don't," her hand wrapped around his, gently tugging him forward, "It isn't your fault I miss it all, you only did what any of us would do."
With a shake of his head, he sighed, "I was thinking of the night I found you."
"And what about it?"
"If my heart were beating, it would have ripped through my chest that night."
"Like you did the hearts of my parents?" She looked up at him, wonder creeping into her eyes.
"Have you eaten yet?"
"What's wrong?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full," She rolled her eyes, sweeping her gaze to the man kneeling on the ground, his lips slopped with the kind of blood that made Baby screw her nose up, "I honestly don't know how you prefer the taste of Granny, Vlad."
Vlad broadened his lips into a smile, "Acquired taste, so what's bugging you?"
Again Baby stole her glance to the sky, "The stars, they're hiding."
"What is it with you and the stars?" He kept his smile as he stretched his height.
"She's still breathing," Pointed Baby.
"So she is," Taking one booted foot, Vlad brought it down with a sickening crunch, "Now she isn't."
Wet grass flattened itself under her bare toes, tickling the soles of her feet, "We should get back, it's almost light."
Vlad watched Baby slip herself from the tree branches, never had he bred such a graceful creature, sliding a dead arm around her shoulders, Vlad stole a kiss to her cheek, "Maybe they will be out tomorrow."
"Where have you both been?" Hilda batted back honey comb lengths of hair from her shoulders as she stormed out from a chipped brown doorway, a dripping wash cloth clutched in her hands.
Baby took a step forward, taking the cloth from Hilda's hands and headed toward the doorway, "You shouldn't worry Hilly, you'll send yourself gray," Vlad let out a barking laugh.
"Of course I was worried, you expect me not to be after Prague?"
Letting out a sigh, Vlad swept his hands over Hilda's arms, "I expect you to be vigilant, not constantly worrying. We are far from Prague, it's not going to happen again."
"Tell that to Oliver."
Stepping through the doorway, Baby closed the heavy door behind her.
"Hilda?" A males voice rasped in the dark.
"Baby," She replied, keen sight leading her through the blinding blackness.
"Ah, Baby ... they still ... at it?"
She smiled, finding the edge of his bed, "They will be at it for all time Oliver, you know that."
Coughing a laugh, Oliver's limbs shuddered around his chest, "It burns."
Quickly finding Hilda's wash bowl in the dark, Baby took the cloth in her hands and soaked it in the water, washing the cool liquid over his burnt and raw chest, the smell of burning flesh still lingered.
"Were the stars out?" He gasped, pushing out the pain, forcing his mind to gain full attention of Baby.
"No," She shook her head, frowning again, "They were hiding."
"They were hiding ... when the hunters came ... for us," Oliver reminded her of the blazing basement and then of Vlad clawing and smashing at the brick walls until his claws bled and the wall fell, but it was too late for Oliver. Hilda had screamed to leave him behind, scared for her own life.
Baby shook her head, riding her minds eye of Prague, "They might be out tomorrow," She repeated Vlad's words.
"And ... they may not ... you know they ... will always be after ... us."
"I know," She nodded in the dark, "I know."
Another night and the stars still weren't out, again Baby found herself perched in low branches, this time Vlad stood with an arm stretched out over the tree, watching as Hilda took down her food. Her sweet voice and dazzling eyes luring her boy in.
"We should bring back something for Oliver," Baby suggested, watching Hilda make short work of the boys chest.
Raking long pale fingers through his curtain of black hair, Vlad nodded, "We should, I doubt he'd eat though," Glancing over at his creation, he noted the constant sadness plaguing her. The little frown on her lips, the way her eyes swept around like dull lights, "Why so sad?"
She shrugged her pale shoulders, her feet swinging with the breeze humans couldn't feel, "I miss it."
Vlad furrowed his brow, "Miss what?"
"Living. I hear heartbeats and pulses every night and I know they'll never be mine, not again. I can barely remember what the sun looks like, or if there really was one. And I don't understand, why me?"
"Are you crazy?" Hilda spoke up, another bloody mess of entrails surrounding her angelic form.
Baby shot her a look, "No, I am not crazy."
"Vlad, tell her she is crazy" But when both girls turned to him, there was but a mere scent left, "Where'd he go?"
Opening his senses up, Vlad let his head swim in the cities hype. Lights burning and flashing from every building he passed, thudding music competed from every second doorway and women flashed their goods for dollars in every other.
The world hadn't changed, not an inch and as he wandered the clubbing streets, he kept coming back to the night he found her, his Baby, though she wasn't Baby then and she wasn't his.
She belonged to her family and her name, he hadn't thought of in decades, Merelda. It was his nose that brought him so close to her home and it was her scent that had him coming back night after night, just something about her hounded him to no end, until after months of sleepless days he decided to do something about it.
"Vlad," Her voice washed over him, sending a dead shiver down his spine, he could hear her silent footsteps over the pavement as she caught his stride.
"Do you hate me?" He stopped mid step.
Baby turned to face him, "No," Now it was her brow that furrowed in the night, "Why? Do you think I do?"
Vlad shrugged, "I don't know."
"I don't," her hand wrapped around his, gently tugging him forward, "It isn't your fault I miss it all, you only did what any of us would do."
With a shake of his head, he sighed, "I was thinking of the night I found you."
"And what about it?"
"If my heart were beating, it would have ripped through my chest that night."
"Like you did the hearts of my parents?" She looked up at him, wonder creeping into her eyes.
"Have you eaten yet?"