Fire. Fire licks the pads of my feet. It spreads throughout my body, burning my veins till they're nothing but ash. My bones have become liquid under my skin.
Where did the sun go? How could it have just disappeared? Did She take it from me? Did She force it down when it started to rise? Is that why there's nothing but darkness?
My heart is racing faster now. It's going to explode out of my chest soon. There will be a gaping hole, showcasing where it used to live. I wonder what will become of me then. I wonder if I will still be here in the dark, or if I will cease to exist.
I think I would like for it to end. Nobody wants to die, but I'm already burning alive. I'm burning bright in the darkness, and I want to be set free from it.
And then. Then there is an explosion so powerful, my eyes open. I'm not breathing anymore, but my eyes open. The burning has traveled to my throat. It has settled there, this monstrous sensation that refuses to go away. I'm driven mad by it. The desperation is overwhelming. I want it gone, I want it soothed so it doesn't have control over my mind.
"She's awake," a soft melodic voice speaks.
"How lovely," is the reply.
One is a man, the other a woman. It's The woman. Her deep, luscious voice is thick like mud. There's a slight lilt to her voice, making her sound more innocent than she is.
"Come," she beckons, stepping to my side. "It's time."
I turn my head slightly. I see her. I see past her gentle smile and her dark, red eyes and her perfectly curled hair. I see her, and she is a monster.
"Is she mute?" the male questions, coming to stand beside her.
The olive-skinned woman stares down at me, her straight, white teeth on display. The smile is meant to look friendly. It isn't. It's dark and greedy. It's a decaying body, it's a rotten piece of meat. "She's stubborn," The Woman replies.
"I will break her of that," the golden-haired man says.
"I know, darling." The Woman kisses him deeply before she slips out the door.
I gaze at the man. He's quite beautiful. His skin is flawless. His features are distinguished. Hard, smooth lines make up his face, but it is his eyes that draw my attention. His eyes are so very red. It gives his angelic features a demonic air. He's as much a monster as the Woman who brought me here.
"You are now property of Maria," he says authoritatively. "You are her soldier, and you will do as you are told. Is that clear?"
I push myself up by my elbows. The movement is fast. Too fast. I end up on my hands and knees on the floor. What just happened is impossible, and yet it happened nevertheless.
"What am I?" I ask.
"You're a vampire." He says it as if he's talking about the weather or describing what he had for lunch.
I laugh then. I have no idea what comes over me, but I laugh and I laugh and I laugh until I die. No, wait, I'm already dead, but not really dead. My life has become a puzzle. Except this puzzle is too big to put together, and there are pieces missing.
I get to my feet once the laughs taper off. I glance at Him as I dust off my clothing. "I'm a vampire," I inform him like he doesn't already know.
His expression is guarded. He looks as if he doesn't know what to make of me.
The doors to the barn fly open suddenly. Another vampire comes in, dragging a young man with him. The burning in my throat intensifies to a painful degree. I smell the blood, and it calls to me, it's song relentless.
"Here ya go," the greasy looking vampire says, throwing the human boy down at my feet. He leaves quickly, slamming the wooden doors as he goes.
My gaze is steady on the boy. He can't be older than 17. He has clear, blue eyes. His hair is dark like the night sky. He's trembling uncontrollably. His fingers are digging into the dirt floor as if he plans to dig his way out. Those sky blue eyes of his flit between us, diligently watching out for a sudden attack. His heart is beating a mile a minute. The smell of his sweat mixes pleasantly with the red substance flowing through his veins.
I swallow. My eyes find the other vampire, and I find he's been watching me, a curious look in his eyes. My fingers clench at my sides. "No," I say quietly.
I want to tear into the boy's flesh. I can't remember ever wanting anything more, but I won't do it. My repulsion is strong. I couldn't live with myself if I killed this young human being.
The vampire raises his eyebrows at me, his gaze challenging. "You refuse to eat your food?" he asks, doing a fairly good job at hiding his surprise.
"I won't hurt him," I say resolutely, proving the statement by backing up a few feet.
He hums thoughtfully. There's no warning when he lunges for the boy. It's fast and graceful. Instinct drives me when I counter his attack, my body ramming his as I throw him backwards, away from the gasping human.
He comes for me then, his hands finding my throat quickly. He digs his fingers in, tightening his grip painfully. I can't get out of his hold, and after several seconds, I stop trying. I stare up at him instead. "Are you going to kill me?"
Confusion and astonishment shines from his eyes. "You're not afraid," he murmurs.
I stay silent, but I don't look away. I'm begging him to kill me. I don't want to be this. I can't live with what I've become. And I don't want to. He would be doing me a favor by ending me.
I'm let go abruptly. He goes to the boy and he bites into his neck viciously. My cry is loud; my hands reach for the dying boy. It's too late though.
After he's done, he tosses the body away from him, a wicked smirk set on his mouth. "Soon you're going to learn who's in charge. And it's not you."
The boy's mouth is still twisted in a horrified scream. Sickened, I turn away from the scene. "I would rather die than be who you want me to be," I say.
My newly attuned ears pick up on his silent footsteps. He's walking towards the door. "That can certainly be arranged," he replies on his way out.