When a Feeling Overtakes You
The alley stank, as all alleys inevitably do, of garbage and human refuse. She waited alone, her clothes dark, her eyes focused, her senses sharpened over a millennia of living and hunting. She sensed them long before she saw them, three men in their mid-twenties, all three inebriated and neither of them were armed. She hid behind a dumpster, her ears perked up at the sounds of their conversation. "Fuck you, man, you don't know what it's like." It seemed that they were in the midst of an argument.
They turned the corner into the alley, neither of them sensed her behind the dumpster when they walked past, too embroiled in their argument to stop what happened next. She was on them in seconds, the first she subdued with a palm strike to the back of his neck. He grunted as he fell unconscious, the other two turned at the sound of the noise to see a young woman, no more than twenty in appearance, grab one of them and slam his head into the wall beside him just hard enough to knock him unconscious. The last turned to run, but with super-human speed she threw him to the ground and held his wrists over his head. He kicked at her, but she slammed her head into his knocking him out.
With her three adversaries subdued she began her grim task. She buried her fangs into the last man she had brought down, drinking just enough of his blood to cause him to lose memory of the event. She went to each in turn and performed the same ritual, afterwards she manipulated the bodies around each other to make it seem as if they had gotten into a fight. Two bite marks on their necks were the only sign she had ever been there.
She left the alleyway and walked down the street, she drew a few glances from the bar crowds but a stern look from her red eyes kept it at just looks. A feeling suddenly overtook her, like an alarm clock that rang through her blood. Dawn is coming, I need to get home. She turned down an abandoned alley, checked to make sure no one was looking and jumped to the roof. She ran along the rooftops at full speed, feeling the rush as the wind whipped through her brown hair. The buildings passed beneath her as she nearly flew across the city and landed on the patio of her apartment, opening the door and falling into her bed before the sun rose and she slipped off into her day sleep.
People think vampires don't dream, but she certainly does. Her dreams take her back a millennium, to when she was still human. She feels the sun on her face, the feel of the grass beneath her feet and the smell of the ocean breeze as it wafts across the field. "Shizuru." The voice, even to this day, can send shivers down her spine. She turned around and looked into green eyes, "Michio." Those eyes pierced her, through her dream and into her reality, "Let's go to the beach."
Shizuru doesn't remember the beach, all she can remember is Michio's soft hands in her own, the way the wind blew her dark hair around her face, a tender kiss while laying in the sand. She remembers the walk home, a kiss goodnight, the cold hands that grabbed her shoulders. The night that she became a monster.
Her eyes snapped open, the total darkness a comfort to her as it always was. The hunger soon followed, her only companion for the last century of her un-life. She had lived in Texas since the civil war, she owned property across the state, the apartment in Austin she woke up in was one of her favorites. She left the windowless room built in the center of the apartment and fell into the most comfortable couch she had ever owned, and turned on the television.
It had taken her many years for her to adjust to the television. She still had to be careful of what she watched, even the sight of blood on the screen could trigger her blood lust causing the end of many of her television sets. She cycled through the channels, found nothing on that she liked and could not stifle the hunger anymore.
She went through her dressers and closets and found a suitable outfit, a backless black dress and heels, and decided to go to a night club for her next meal. She knew of a place downtown with access to some dark alleyways where she could feed on the, more often than not, men that would immediately fall to her grace and good looks. The club, Pantomime, was busy this day, but the dress and heels helped her easily gain entry.
She sat at the bar and was immediately offered drinks by several of the patrons, who all received a smile and a rejection. She was looking around the bar when she noticed something, or rather someone, that made her heart stop. She was alone, her dark hair hung to the leather pants she wore, her leather jacket fit loose over the tight shirt she wore underneath. No matter how many men walked in her direction, all returned empty handed. Who could resist such a prize? Shizuru ordered a drink and approached her, catching eyes with her as she leaned against the table. Her eyes stopped Shizuru's heart again, the purest emerald green eyes she had seen in a century. Could it be you? "Michio," she breathed, catching an odd glance from the woman. "I think you have me confused with someone, my name is Natsuki."
"Natsuki." She tasted her name as it left her tongue, delicious. "May I ask what brings you here alone?" Natsuki sighed and took a sip of her drink, "I was supposed to be here with a man, but he stood me up." Shizuru lowered her head, "Yeah, me too," she lied. Natsuki looked at her, waved towards the other seat, "Do you want to sit down, talk for a while?" Shizuru's smile threatened to reveal her fangs, "I would love that. My name is Shizuru, by the way. Shizuru Viola." The other woman took another long drink, "Natsuki Kruger."
They talked for hours, before either of them knew it two o'clock rolled around and Natsuki yawned, "Wow, it's gotten late." Natsuki stood up and Shizuru followed. "I should really get back." Shizuru wasn't ready to let her leave yet, "How are you getting home?" Natsuki shrugged, "It's not far, I was just going to walk." Shizuru walked with her, "I could walk you home, it's probably safer if we walk together." Natsuki opened her jacket just enough for Shizuru to see the handle of the pistol she carried, "I have this, I'm not worried about it."
They were outside Pantomime, Shizuru's expression grew somber, "Okay, I guess this is goodbye." Natsuki pulled out a business card and handed it to her, "I like talking to you. I don't know why, but I feel comfortable with you. Call me if you want to hang out, or something." Shizuru took the card and skimmed it. Natsuki M. Kruger, Texas Custom Bikes "You work on motorcycles?" Natsuki smiled, "We'll have this conversation next time, I really need to get some sleep. Goodbye Shizuru." Shizuru watched the young woman walk away, "Goodbye Natsuki." Until next time.
Shizuru walked down an alleyway towards her apartment. When the hunger struck, she realized that she hadn't thought about feeding for the whole time she was with Natsuki. Michio, have I found you again? She noticed a homeless man lying on a broken down box in an abandoned corner of the alley. She looked around her, saw no one was watching and buried her fangs into the man, taking a bit more blood than she meant to. She wiped her mouth and the alarm in her body went off, telling her that she had to get home.
She ran across the rooftops, making it into her windowless room and falling into her bed well before the sun rose. She thought about her encounter with Natsuki and a feeling rose in her that hadn't in a century, not since she had seen Michio's ghost last. She grew flush and her hand found it's way down to an area she hadn't used in years, her soft moans and growls filled the room as she felt a wave of euphoria overtake her, followed by the sunrise and her fall into her day sleep.