You Were There
There was a definite chill in the air as I walked into the kitchen. Maybe it was because I'd just woken up. Maybe it wasn't. At the moment I was more interested in breakfast. I slid the door to the fridge back and pulled out a bottle. I stared at it for a minute, contemplating whether it was really worth getting a glass. There wasn't much left in the bottle anyways. What the hell. I shut the door and headed for the couch, sinking down onto the cushions as I popped the top off the bottle. I was about to take a drink when I looked up. It couldn't really be there, could it? What had caught my eye was a picture of Coraline. She'd given it to me a few days before our wedding night. I set the bottle down and picked the picture up off the bookcase. I gazed down at her photograph. Closing my eyes, I was drawn back to that night.
I turned from the mirror to look at her. What had she done to me? I was a monster. She inched closer but I backed away.
"Stay away from me," I ordered.
"Mick…we can be together now…forever. You promised me we would be," Coraline begged. I couldn't handle this.
The next thing I knew, I was huddling in an alley, trying to breathe, to calm down. It wasn't working. Every person that passed by smelled of a sweet fragrance that called to me. I swallowed to try and keep it together until that familiar voice broke into my thoughts.
"Mick…I've been looking for you everywhere," she gasped.
"Leave me alone," I spat.
"I brought you something. It will make you feel better," she cooed. I looked up to see a woman gagged.
"No," I protested. But that animalistic instinct was taking over. I could see every vein in her body pulsing with blood. I couldn't fight it anymore. I took the girl by the arm and sunk my teeth into her neck.
I lost track of how long I fed on that poor woman. But I do know that when I let go, she was dead. I couldn't look at her. Oddly enough, Coraline just took her away. When she came back I stood up and started to walk away.
"Mick, wait," she called.
"What?" I asked.
"I know you don't believe me but I've given you a gift," she repeated.
"And I'm going to be here to help you," she whispered, catching my hand in hers. I looked down at her. Part of me didn't want to believe her. How could I? She'd betrayed me. Yet…another part could. She'd wanted to be together forever. She'd loved me and maybe that made this seem a little bit ok. After a few minutes of contemplation, I leaned down and kissed her briefly on the lips.
I sighed as I opened my eyes. I set the picture down and grabbed the bottle again.
"Here's to you," I muttered and took a swig.