Bloodlust

Chapter One

Solitary Object

There were few lights in the large building, each a soft glow of dark purple or red. A few tables were scattered around, filled with men playing poker. People were chatting as they placed their bets; some laughing as waitresses brought them drinks, pinching their butts as they walked by. Chairs surrounded what looked like a stage that came out into the audience, a metal pole at the end. The stage was empty and dark, draped in deep shadows. Thick smoke hung in the air, blocking out some of the rays of crimson and violet.

More people, mostly men, began to come in as the sun had long since set. The large room was slowly filling up. A group of tall, brawny men with pale skin took their seats that faced the front of the stage, calling over waitresses to get something to drink.

A loud pound of bass silenced the room. Dim, blood red lights flashed on the stage as a shadow strutted towards the end of the stage. Music began to play, soft at first.

"And now, the Lady of the Night, the Blood-sucking Beauty, Lady Lilith!" A male voice announced in a charming, elegant voice. The shadow on the stage walked into the light that spilled onto the stage, first her slender legs visible with their high-heels, then her waist, her flat stomach and her large breasts. The men howled and whistled, unable to take their eyes off her. She wore a short red dress with a slit up the side that sparkled in the light, the straps thin on her shoulders. It was low-cut, showing her cleavage as she slowly stepped foreword, taunting the men.

Her long, straight black hair trailed down her back and stopped above her butt, loose strands hanging in front of her blood red eyes. She leaned over, and gently touched one of the men's faces, smiling at him. They all went wild as the music got louder, and she turned her back to them and walked towards the pole.

The men yelled and cheered as she danced to the music, straddling the pole. She enticed them without even trying. She stopped briefly, the pole still in between her legs, and slowly pulled the straps of her dress down her shoulders. The red dress fell to the floor at her feet. She wore nothing but a black thong.

She slid down the pole smoothly, until she was low enough to pick up her dress. She slid back up, and tossed the dress into the audience, who yelled even more. All the encouragement from the audience had her smiling now, and she continued to work the pole as the music picked up.

After her routine, she walked to the very edge of the stage, getting down on her knees in front of one of the men in the audience. She looked down at him and smiled, lifting her head up slightly. He stood up, and ran his hands up her torso. She leaned back her head further as he sunk his teeth into her neck. As he sucked her blood, her smile faded into a subtle look of pain.

When he finished, he slouched back into his chair, his head back and eyes staring up blankly at the ceiling. He smiled and licked his lips. A few more of the men in the front row got a taste of her as she pretended to like it. The stripper stood back up, blood running down her chest.

She gracefully flowed across the stage, back to her pole. She ran two fingers across her bare chest, licking the blood from them as she rubbed in between her legs against the pole, up and down. Suddenly the loud music faded out as the red lights followed. She became a slowly sinking shadow on the stage, until the music cut off completely and the stage was left in complete darkness. The men roared and whistled as she exited the stage through the back, finding her way she knew by heart through the pitch black.

"That was awesome, Lily!" A man with hair as jet black as the stripper's said, handing her a baggy shirt. She put it on, and fell into him. Without a word she bit into his neck, catching him off-balance and falling on top of him onto a ratty couch. He yelled out in surprise, cringing from the unexpected pain. He tried to push Lily off of him. She did not let go. A man with long blonde hair back in a ponytail walked backstage.

"Ow! Getter offame, Luke!" Jan whined. Luke just shook his head.

"Lily..." Luke said, watching her feed but not stopping her. She stopped after a minute or two, and stood up. The black-haired boy stayed on the couch, groaning, his eyes shut. Lily grinned at Luke, wiping blood from her mouth.

"Oui, Luke?" She said with a heavy but not overpowering French accent. She stared at him with menacing eyes, on her face an evil and smug grin that dripped blood. Luke met her gaze, watching her through his glasses. He said nothing to her. Both of their blood red eyes watched the other for a while, Luke's filled with provoked agitation, Lily's filled with only disinterest and boredom.

"Did you want to say somezing to moi, Luke? You should be getting ready to closing down ze club, daybreak ez not far..." She smiled at him as innocently as the snake to the unsuspecting bird.

"Nice show, Lily... You're keeping my club in business, you know?" He smiled at her, a sort of forced, unfriendly smile.

"Heeey...Don't you mean, our club...?" The black-haired man said, still sprawled on the couch. Both Lily and Luke ignored the man's remarks.

"Est-ce que tu es vexe, Luke? Does talking to moi make you nervous?" She cocked her head to the side, smiling more, flashing her fangs. "If you want to say somezing nice to me..." Luke closed his eyes, sighed, and turned to walk away. Lily stayed perfectly still, like a beautiful statue dressed in a man's baggy t-shirt.

"Au revoir," Lily said to him in a fake, sweet voice that did not match her devilry appearance. She turned, looking back over her shoulder. "To you, too, Jan. See you tomorrow night, mon ami," She grined at him, and went up a metal spiral staircase to the attic-like room with nothing in it but a metal bar going lengthwise that her many dresses hung from. She changed into a strapless black, skin-tight dress that went down to her ankles and had a long slit up each side nearly to her waist.

She went to the only door in the room, in the corner. In it was a creaky wooden stairway with no hanging lights. She slowly walked down them in her heels, opening the door at the bottom. The door opened next to the entrance, and she closed it behind her. This door couldn't be opened from the outside, in dried blood was written "Restricted Area" at the top. She left through the front door without a backwards glance at the murmur of the club behind her.

Lily walked up the stairs leading down to the club doors, a deep, narrow staircase like one that would lead to an underground subway. She emerged from the alleyway the entrance was hidden in, and walked down the empty sidewalk of the city, cars appearing as nothing but two bright oncoming lights as they drove down the dark road. Street lamps were lined up along the sidewalk, spread out. Many of them flickered, a few were out or broken.

A girl with short blonde hair and casual clothes was standing at the intersection, waiting for the crossing light to let her when it was safe to cross. Lily glided up beside her, unnoticed. The girl turned and jumped, gasping.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," She said, looking at Lily who was slightly taller than she. Lily just smiled at her, sure to keep her mouth closed and not reveal her fangs.

"Beautiful night, n'est-ce pas?" Lily said to the cautious woman beside her. Their eyes locked for a second, until the bright innocent blue ones self-consciously looked away and back to the crossing light. She had been amazed by Lily's red eyes, and felt bad for staring.

"Yes..." The light couldn't turn green fast enough. Lily could sense the woman's unease, the way everyone without a desire for her felt when she was near. It was either be looked at as an object of pleasure, or a misplaced freak. When the woman turned back to her, all that filled her place was the thin cold night air.