Vampire Auction

Instantly I froze in fear as I realized these hard cold hands were, in fact, not James’s hands. The stranger felt me freeze and immediately let go of my eyes and instead grabbed my wrists and pulled them together behind my back. I tried to turn my head to see who it was, but his threat stopped me.

“Don’t move or I’ll break your neck.” I stood still as he tied my wrists together with…chains? No, it was too thin and too tight, and did not nearly make enough noise. Wires? I winced as my faceless attacker tightened the ties on my wrist. It almost cut off my circulation and it dug into my sprained wrist. Ugh! This is the worst Halloween break ever.

I gave a small surprised yelp as my eyes were recovered, except this time with a blindfold. My heart started racing when my sight had been taken from me. When he finished tying the blindfold, I asked him with a shaking voice, “Um…Mr. Stranger, sir, are you a, erm, vampire?”

There was a short, still silence and then, “The bastard already told you? Now he’s just becoming annoying. I’ll have to do something about that, too.” He mumbled the last part.

I didn’t know what he was talking about. “Uh, does that mean that you are one? A vampire, I mean. Not a, um, bastard.” Not good to anger someone stronger than you. And I surprised myself when I kept my voice steady saying the word “vampire.”

“That’s right, human. So I suggest that you do what I say without question or I’ll kill you. Which you know is within my power.” I did know.

Without warning, the ground left me as I was thrown over his shoulder. I yelped again in response. He ignored my weak, half hearted attempt in protest and ran in a direction unknown to me. The only indication we were moving was my hair floating and blowing against my face.

After some time, he stopped and dropped me on the ground. I fell on my butt and winced in pain as I felt the full impact on the fall. I heard a door open and I was picked up again. He started moving again and a moment later, the top of my head hit what I think was the top of a doorway frame.

“Ow!” I would have rubbed my head, but my hands were still tied together behind my back.

Again he ignored me and dropped me down roughly on a chair. He untied my wrists, only to retie them on the chair. He took off my blindfold. I looked around, but it was too dark to see anything. Then a light flicked on and I squinted through the brightness. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw him approach me. His eyes were as dark as James. His hair was a golden brown rather than black, like James.

He interrupted my obsession by stepping closer to me. It was an intimidating movement that made me cringe slightly against the chair. He stared me down, “You’re going to sit there quietly like the weak human you are and wait until James comes,” he repeated bluntly, “He’ll come and try to save you only to finally die by my hands.”

“Whoa, what? James? Save me? What universe do you live in?” My shock and surprise prevented me from giving a better and smarter response. Like shutting up, for instance.

But he didn’t seem offended. He looked more amused, like he couldn’t believe I’d actually say anything. “No, he’ll try to save you. Unless, of course, he doesn’t care about his own life.”

Curiosity got the best of me. “Why would James not coming here to save me make him not care about his life?” I almost didn’t understand my own question, but he seemed to. He sighed heavily, but it was like he sighed heavily on purpose to hide an inner emotion.

“I take back what I said earlier. That bastard’s told you almost absolutely nothing, “ he sighed again, “He chose you at the auction he was delivered to, so he willingly chose to tie his life force to yours, or yours to his, whichever you prefer.” He shrugged. I was horrorstruck. Does that mean if I die, that James does, too? And the other way around? Then something clicked in my mind.

“If you want to kill James, and our life force is tied together…wouldn’t it be easier to kill me? Then he would be dead, too.” It took me a moment to realize what my words must have sounded like. I might have as well handed him a gun and ask him to shoot me in the head.

“No, that would be too easy. Killing him physically with my own hands would feel better for my ego.” I realized, listening to him, that he liked to hear himself talk. I tried to use that to my advantage.

“So…uh…why do you want to kill James?” The more he’s distracted the better.

He answered me eagerly. “My family were always complementing James on how great he was at everything. I was just the little brother that could never do any better than him. I was always James little brother. No one even bothered to use my name. I bet than on one, but me, even remembers my real name anymore! And it’s all because of James.

Once I was given permission to leave home, I planned my revenge against him, and finally it’s time.” He sucked in his breath in anticipation, “And you are the bait.”

“I would have felt sorry for him, if he wasn’t using me to kill someone, or have threatened my own life. I frowned as something he said dawned on me. “Wait…you’re James’s little brother?” I had assumed he was older than James, in appearance anyway. But until he mentioned it, he did have a few similar features as James, which included their eyes.

He glared at me. “I am no one’s little brother.” He quickly advanced on me and I quickly tried to make amends.

“I mean, you look older than James! I didn’t even realize you two were even related!” I silently prayed he would not change his mind and kill me.

He stopped directly in front of me and narrowed his eyes as he studied my face for a trace of a lie. I bit my lip as I hoped to all the higher beings up there to spare me. I swear I’ll never be mean to my sister again!

He leaned closer to me and I flinched as he sniffed my neck. He gave out a small, satisfied sigh. “Mmm…I must say, for a human, you smell pretty good.” The way he said it did not sound like a compliment. I felt the blood drain from my face and my stomach retch as he ripped off the band aid on my neck and licked the base of my bare neck. Reflexively, I kicked him.

My mistake.

In a split second, I was hurled across the room. I was pulled from the chair so forcefully, the bindings on my wrists broke and lefty bloody gashes on my forearms. I stayed on the floor, in pain and in fear. In the next second, he had me suspended in air and I dangled helplessly from his hand.

“Look, human, be lucky that I didn’t tear you apart. You dared even consider opposing me. You, a weak human, challenging my superiority. For that, you’ll be punished.” I didn’t even have the energy to lift my head, let alone defend myself.

In one swift motion, he changed his grip on my neck to my upper arms, brought my neck to his mouth, and bit me—hard.

I screamed as a burning sensation spread from my neck and out. This is worse than when James bit me. With James, it was merely a small sting and than I would fall into an unconscious state. With his brother, it was like being set on fire, after being drenched in gasoline.

As I continued to scream, he pushed me back against the wall and kept on sucking on my blood greedily. I started shaking violently from the rapid blood loss and I begged him to stop. He went on as if he didn’t hear me.

Just as I was going to pass out, the far right wall gave out a deafening crack and broke down. Thankfully, the literal, life sucking leech at my neck broke away and twisted his head to see…James. The fury on James’s face was plain to see just as the surprising amount of relief was on mine.

“Get your hands off her, Bastien!”