Chapter 7: Hunting Humans
I walked down the streets of London. It was pitch black outside by now. I have never done this before, hunted a human on purpose. I've had a couple close calls, but nothing like this. I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I still really had a problem with hunting innocent people.
Then I thought of Esme, and more importantly, the way her husband treated her. He beat and abused her. I saw it in her mind. He forced himself on her without her consent. Nobody should ever treat a woman like that. Especially someone as good as Esme. Then I thought of all the women out there who are being misused, raped, beaten, or worse, because of scum like him. I thought about all of the scum on the streets getting away with those crimes. Well... they wouldn't get away with them anymore. If I was going to prey on humans, I was going to hunt the hunters.
Now I was in the mood to kill. I wanted to rip those men to pieces. I walked down the street, searching the minds of those around me. I was searching the minds of men, when I found one that was worse than them all. 'Ooh, there's a fresh piece of meat. She looks like she's never been touched. Well, I'll fix that. She sure is a pretty little thing. She won't be a girl by the time I'm through with her.' Sick pervert. I went toward the thoughts. I could see through his mind a young girl, probably no older than fourteen. She had long curly blond hair, big light blue eyes, and very petite. She didn't deserve this. I would make sure that she didn't have to.
I turned the corner, and I saw the girl in question and my prey in a back alley away from public eye. Good, I wouldn't have to worry about witnesses. I saw through his mind that the girl noticed him, and was starting to walk quickly to get away from him. He was faster though. By the time I was a few feet away from him, he had her cornered. Quickly, I pulled on the back of his shirt, turned him around, and shoved him against the wall, holding his neck in my hand. I could feel his blood pulsing quickly through his veins. I turned to the poor wide eyed girl, who I've no doubt was just as scared of me as she was the scum in my grip.
"Run!" I nearly growled at her, trying to make her understand the urgency of the word. She didn't need to be told twice. When I saw that she was safely down the street, I turned back to my prey.
I took this opportunity to get a good, hard look at him. There wasn't much to look at. He was probably pushing mid forties, and obviously has nothing better to do with his time then to lye around in cow manure, drink at the pub, then ruin young women. He was overweight, with a gut sticking out of his middle. His hair was messed, coated in grease. He looked like he just finished taking a mud bath with the pigs on the farm. Smelled like it too. He wore a once white undershirt, and an old pair of overalls with only one of the sides snapped. This one was definitely a piece of work.
"Hey there bloke, whatya think yer doin! Lemme go right now urI'll –" He was cut off by my fist shattering his nose. Not only was he a rapist, he was a drunk one! Sometimes, I honestly wonder how the human race has survived this long. Either way, I wasn't going to let him talk anymore. I was too distracted by the blood dripping down his nose to focus on anything else.
I didn't quite know what to do next, so I closed my eyes and let my instincts take over. All at once, I decided I was going to make him suffer a little before I killed him. I'd make him suffer like the countless girls he made suffer on his behalf.
"Are you scared of me?" I asked, making sure he saw the pitch black of my eyes, and flashed him a glimpse of my razor sharp teeth. His eyes grew large, sweat beads started to drip down the side of his face. He was a vile creature indeed!
"N-no..." he stated, though I knew from his thoughts that he was lying. 'That is one horrifying bloke, he is. Just act tough, you'll get the best of him yet.'
"You should be." I snarled at him. I was tired of dealing with him. I didn't want to listen to his voice, vocal or mind, any longer. His chubby face paled, and I could smell urine. This man was not worth the oxygen he breaths. I would be doing the world a favor disposing of this filth.
"You made countless young girls suffer, and now," I told him, getting within an inch of his face. "Now, I'm going to make you suffer just like they did." Then it began.
I punched him square in the jaw so fast he didn't have time to blink. I squared another one to his left eye, and then another to his already broken nose. I could hear the cracking of bone. By this time he was begging for death. I would wait just a little longer. Breaking his legs, like he had those of his victims, he fell in a heap on the ground. I lowered down, so I was level with him.
"Please, please, let me die!" He pleaded with me. Well, I would grant him his wish.
"I'd be more than happy to oblige." I growled. Since I really wanted this one to feel it, I didn't snap his neck, like I would an animal. I simply lowered my head to his pulse point, and sunk in my razor sharp teeth. An attempt at a scream came from his lips, but before it could come out, he had lost consciousness. Oh, the taste of mountain lion had nothing on humans! It was pure ambrosia. Never in my life have I tasted nectar so sweet, so enticing! Slowly, I drained him of every drop of life. Just like he had drained young girls of their innocence, and on more than one occasion, their very lives. As I dropped the lifeless course to the ground, I felt alright about taking another life, because I was freeing the world of garbage like him. I was doing them a favor. Saving one life by destroying another. I decided from then on out, the only humans I will hunt will be the hunters. The ones who don't deserve to live.
Suddenly disgusted at the sight before me, I quickly tossed the body over my shoulder, and ran down the way, to a bridge. There, I tossed the body over the water with enough force to make sure it sunk to the bottom. Not that anyone would really miss him if he was found.
I spent the next few days walking the streets of London, listening to the petty minds of those around me. Who was seen with who, is she really to marry that man, he is having an affair... the list goes on. They all lead such mundane lives, I hardly see the point in living.
Sometimes, when you're immortal, life can become a rather tiresome job. Pretending to be human, fitting into their world, and pretending to care can take a lot out of you. Not to mention, immortality only goes so far. What was the point in having eternity to walk among the earth when you have no one to share it with? For that matter, there was much on this earth that isn't worth living for. I haven't found much that is. There is one exception to that of course. Carlisle and Esme. They are perfect for each other. That kind of love is worth living for, because you can share it with another, confide in another. As I walk the city streets by myself, I felt more alone then I ever have before.
I started making a mental note of all the filthy minds of men in this city. I have started to compile a list of potential prey. After all, the chase of the hunt is half the fun. Esme disagrees. She always used to tell me to stop playing with my food.
After a week of being in the city, just wondering and listening to the minds of those around me, I decided I should start checking some names off my list. I decided to follow the mind of a man who was about to murder his friend over a game of cards. Pathetic. According to his mind, he was in a dark ally way, on the way home from the game. His friend didn't suspect a thing. Well, I certainly wasn't going to let him kill an innocent man.
I neared the street, walking in from behind the prey of my choice. The victim's eyes went wide, and started running. I took a step forward, toward the murderer. The second I got my hands on him, I heard a sound from behind me. A crack of a twig on the ground, but I knew somebody was there. Why hadn't I sensed them before? I guess I too busy focusing on the murderer, I didn't think to hear anyone behind me. It was probably nothing. I started toward him again, when I heard a voice from behind me.
"Hey! Drop him, he's mine!"
