Chapter Two: GOD
I woke up the next day with a small beam of light shining in my face, illuminating the blankets that covered my naked body. With eyes still closed, I turned my body to the side, trying to absorb myself deeper into the warm abyss and center of my bed. The light, however, were like hands eagerly pressing against my eyelids and willing me awake. I pulled a blanket over my head and sighed, gaining nothing but a mocking darkness where sleep had already stolen away from my entirety, fleeing until the next darkness to descend upon the Earth.
When I brought sight into my brain, I looked at the plain furniture and white walls that surrounded me, filling my bedroom. The shadows I was used to where now gone and replaced with the actual objects, no disturbance in the color of the walls. Lifting myself up, the blanket that hovered over my figure slipped from my head, trailing lower to settle in a wrinkled heap at my waist. A sudden frigidness waft through me, as if my body itself was telling me I needed to be clothed. Looking south, I saw the perk of my breasts; gentle pillows that had matured over the years. Sighing out, I leaned back and turned my gaze to the ceiling, watching the indents of the material.
Like any other morning, I soon got up from my bed, dressed myself, and headed out and into the kitchen for a glass of water. That was the advantage of being a half breed, between vampire and human. I could live on either blood or human food. I, however, preferred human food over the consumption of blood, not that blood was disgusting, mind you, but I find it easier to obtain and with many different flavors to add. Of course, blood was much the same, with each and every different person tasting a bit of something else. I had just grew up eating what others ate, and the desire to see the beauty of a crimson waterfall, and the flow of human life force was enough proof to say I was still the beast I was born from. In the end, basking in the redness of liquid was just as exhilarating as drinking it.
Turning my focus to the television, I flipped it on with the remote. As per usual, the channel was stuck on the news, and so with my eyes glued to the screen, I sat down onto the couch whilst taking a sip of water.
"…another murderer has arisen… two victims were found last night… on the loose… careful…"
Bits and pieces of words shot out at me, one right after another, and each one taking place to connect and form into a puzzle. My eyes were glued to the screen, it showing the scene of my last kill. The house was blocked off with 'caution' tape, the entirety of it enveloped with the yellow strips. Police were invading the area, detectives coming in and out of the doorway. Of course, there were no visuals of the actual victim, other than a small split second image of the male being taken away in a black body bag. Other than that, it was just the words from the news crew. The woman was standing in the center of the camera, explaining in great detail the events that I took part in the day before.
"Impossible…" The breath was literally knocked out from my lungs, leaving me gazing at the flickering screen, mouth gaping at the realization of what I'd just heard. Utterly impossible! I mentally screamed, blinking my two colored eyes, and letting the uneven glow of the screen reflect upon my irises. Can't be! There can't be… another murderer?! No… it's impossible… There just… Grabbing the glass of water next to me, I hurled it at the wall. In a mere second, a shower of glass burst from the container, spraying shards in every possible direction until a bed of broken glass blanketed the floor. The sparkle of the pieces drawing my attention momentarily. "Damn it!" I cursed, my eyebrows darting south in pure hatred and anger.
Jolting up from the couch, I began to pace back and forth. My strides were quick, long, and eager, whereas my thoughts were filled with this new information. "A new murderer… he dares to enter my territory. My town, my city, killing my people!" I could only curse this newcomer, thinking of him as filth while picturing a faceless being in my mind. I wanted to shred him to pieces, rip him apart, tear him limb from limb, and humiliate his corpse by slaughtering his insides and discarding the remains onto his body. I wanted to slit his throat with my cleaver, to feel the hard pull, the ragged rip of his skin. Last, I wanted to bathe in his blood and mock him for his sorry attempt of overcoming me, the expert murderess by the name of Shiiko Lenne. "This town can't handle the two of us, dear Murderer…" I began, the words slipping from my lips with a sinister tone, deep with the hatred I now suddenly and wholeheartedly harbored for him.
Moving away from the couch, I ran toward the kitchen to grab my precious children that were waiting patiently in the drawers. The night before, I had washed and stored them away, while shredding and scrubbing my crimson stained dress I had wore prior. The jacket I'd stolen was thrown in a crumpled heap in the hallway and figured I'd deal with it later. No matter, I hurriedly clasped the dagger upon my upper thigh, letting the folds of my new white dress cover and hide it. Next came the cleaver, the ultimate weapon of my destruction. It, like usual, was hidden securely in the folds of my dress. Finally, grabbing the nearest jacket that belonged to me, I slipped my slender arms through the sleeves of it and adjusted the clothing around my frame.
I had to get out.
Slipping on my shoes, I quickly stepped over the mat of broken glass, hearing them crack and crumble as they broke into further shards under my weight. Just as quickly as I had gotten to the door, did I fling the wooden rectangle open and give way, opening a pathway to the world beyond the dark abyss of my house. I approached the front step, turning my body around swiftly to close and lock the door, in order to secure the place that I called home. The early wind billowed the hem of my dress, the top part hidden away with my jacket and strands of my hair were flying, tickling my face and creating copper lines along my features.
"You must have a fetish for buying jackets." A male voice trailed through the blowing wind, forcing its' way to my ears. Instantly, my blood had turned ice cold, and another shiver came about my spine. I couldn't breathe, the air being knocked right out a second time, and yet my beating organ was thumping inside my chest. Much like an animal waking up from a long slumber. I turned my head to the direction of my neighbor and locked eyes with his magnificent, powerful, black optics. And there he was, leaning his back against the wooden surface of his door, arms crossed and a smirk plastered upon his finely sculpted lips. Upon his masculine body was clothed formal attire; a suit that didn't really match lounging outwear. His silver hair was pulled back into a pony tail, however, it was long enough that locks of it lay rest over his shoulders, upon his chest. It reminded me of fine silk, each strand mixing in perfectly with the others, some flying loose in the breeze. And how his eyes seemed to glisten under the daylight. It, too, brought a shiver down my spine.
"W-what are you talking about?" I finally managed, willing my words to reach his own ears. The male merely smirked wider, uncrossing his arms and pulling himself from leaning against the door, enough that he was now facing me with a shoulder where his back was making contact with the wood. His hair was left dancing in beautiful unheard melodies, the shine of it mesmerizing me, drawing me in… willing my hands to run through his silver sea.
"You left yesterday wearing nothing but a holy white dress, upon your arrival, you were cloaked in a jacket. Where did you get it?" Narrowing his dark eyes some, it was like the piercing stare of him was trying to probe through my mind, creeping along to find a flaw in my skull and big enough so he could slither invading fingers into my knowledge. I narrowed my eyes back at him and crossed my own arms over the pillow of my small breasts.
"What, are you watching me or something?" I flashed him a look of disgust.
"Merely curious, is all." He said with a smile, but his eyes were not smiling. Rather, they were watching me, continuing their effect of rooting me to the ground. I swallowed and took in a breath of air. "So, where did you get it?" He egged on.
"None of your goddamned business." I barked back.
"Spicy little one, are you not? My dear fox, I do not mean to frighten you." He said, now grinning. The mere expression upon his features mocking me, and I wanted to just rip that grin right off his face.
"Stay out of my life." I hissed and quickly turned my back on him. I didn't stay to hear what else he had to say, but I did catch a small 'tch tch' as I disappeared from his sight, turning the corner with an even more heated body of anger.
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I didn't really have a destination to head to, since it wasn't the time to commit any murders, and not to mention it was bright with the shine of the sun. People were everywhere, each being lost in their own individual world. As I walked, I gazed at one and then another, wondering what result happened when their families found out that they'd been killed, murdered. A small smile formed on my lips, showing off the tips of my teeth that guarded the dark moistness that was my mouth. But it angered me beyond anything in the world, it brought such a hatred to my mind and body, that my hands would clench, imprinting crescent moons in my skin from my nails, that someone else was stepping on my stage. Someone else had begun to steal my glory, my desire, my hobby. Gritting my teeth, the smile quickly had been washed away, forcing my gaze to dart south. I wanted to kill, even slaughter a whole town in order to release the rage that was quickly building up inside of me.
In the end, I approached a park that was littered with children and their mothers. Taking one step after another, it amused me about the fact that I was walking amongst all these mortals, with their minds unknown to the reality that I was the murderer who killed almost constantly in this town for years. I was their number one most wanted being, and yet here I was surrounded by civilians. I almost laughed out and would have, too, if it wasn't for the heightened anger that took hold of my being.
Taking place at the swing set, I sat down on one of the rubber seats, taking a few steps back and then releasing my weight on it. A gush of air came at me as I swung forward, and then I felt my copper strands come forth as I headed backward. My eyes were upon the many families that were socializing and letting their children run free. Even next to me was a little child giggling happily as his mother was giving him tiny pushes as he egged her to push higher.
I could remember a womanly figure in the blurred and shattered memories of my past. She was petite, sickly, and she had the most blood red irises I'd seen, which pierced me and etched itself in my brain. However, they were nothing but dull orbs, a mere shadow of the glisten and life they once held. Blind. And she was the start of my corruption, the switch that was turned in which awakened the darkness, opening a door to the sins I fell victim to.
"… so tragic about those deaths…"
My ears perked up at the closest conversation, causing my feet to dart and marry the ground, my shoes leaving skid marks in the dirt below me. My swing came to a stop, and the voices came clearer as I eavesdropped.
"… my friend knew the poor guy…"
"… it's so hard not to be scared, now that another killer is on the loose…"
"… he doesn't strike in the city, like the one we've been trying to catch… he-"
Say it, dear Lord, say it…
"… seems to commit in the woods…"
That's it, I thought, the woods. Now, with the knowledge of where I could possibly find this second killer, I could string him in my trap and be rid of him. Grinning, I lifted myself off from the swing and begun to walk away from the laughing children and their gossiping mothers. I left the park and zigzagged my way around town in search for the woods; the only place that would be the perfect secluded area for the murderer to strike. And I would wait for him, sit all night, and be his victim… his prey.
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Beams of light shone through the creases and cracks, as well as empty spaces between the trees and their leaves. Those rays of light descended to the damp ground, bringing light and illuminating the path of a darkened trail leading deeper into the woods. I walked with confidence, a bit of a spring to my step as I disappeared into the blackness of nature. From there, I could hear the chirps of birds, hidden amongst green brush and trees, whereas various insects screamed and sung their hymn. It was nature's melody that seemed to sway around me like little dancing musical notes. Of course, it was pleasing to listen to, and even a dark corrupted murderess like me was able to enjoy the beauty of the Earth. Or the limited beauty it had despite the horrors this planet had succumbed to.
Leaves crinkled below me, sticks breaking in two as my foot brought weight upon it. The sounds bringing me to remember all the times I had snapped, broken, and manipulated the bones of a human being; how the sound of it forcefully put in two was like a crack that was unique and beautiful in it's own way. A sound that stuck with you, and only made my heart flutter with anticipation as well as a twirl of my stomach.
Once deep enough in the woods, lost and enveloped with the guarding stalks of tree trunks, I took a seat at a boulder I came across. Sitting on it, I gazed up at the sky, which was obscured with branches. It reminded me of the starry sky, where diamond stars would twinkle in space, whereas now, the tiny specks of light brought a sparkle to the depths of the area. Come now, my murderer, I await you. And waiting was a game that I did play, from early on until the sun began to descend from the sky.
It was when I was beginning to doze off just slightly when I heard and felt another's presence. With the distant crunch of a twig, my attention sprang to life, along with me hurling my body from the boulder and onto the ground. My eyes searched the area, my whole being on alert. This was it, I thought, this was the moment where I would show the other who was boss…
"You know it is dangerous, my dear little fox." A voice and a stroke of my hair was enough for me to almost scream. Jolting around, I came face to face with my neighbor, and I was blissfully aware of how close his body was to mine. Only a few inches apart, so much that I could feel the heat radiating off his body just as much as I was sure he could feel mine. My breath came out slowly, shivering just like my body. My eyes were upon his, staring him down, and watching him and he watched me, still, with those endless black abyss of his eyes. "I'm quite sure you've heard the tragic news of people being killed from left to right." He leaned closer and I tried to step back, if only he hadn't bolted me to the ground. I couldn't breathe and his whole presence was filling me up. "We wouldn't want our little fox to be injured, now do we?"
"What are you doing here…?" I breathed out, narrowing my eyes at him. Lifting a masculine hand of his, he brought his palm to caress my cheek. Such a gentle touch, like a flutter of a butterflies wing gracing the smooth of my skin. My eyes threatened to close, to fall into his grasp… His hand trailed, brushing back a few strands of my copper hair, a smile forming upon his lips.
"Guarding." He answered, his breath landing on my face. The gentle warmth of it, touching my lips, tempting me. I inhaled deeply, forcing myself to swallow, to breath more, to focus, but it was useless with how close he was. "-You." The male finished, moving his hands to cradle my head, gently forcing me to continue under his spell.
"W-who are you…?"
He smiled. "You can think of me as your neighbor…" Smirked. "…or a guardian angel…" Grinned. "But, I prefer the term God." His other hand snaked around my waist, bringing gooseflesh upon my skin. I silently yelped, mouth half open, as he pulled me against the his front, binding our stomachs to make contact as his strong arm held me there.
"What is your name…?" I whispered against him, moving my hands so that they landed, planted, upon the flat of his chest.
"Shinu Shikane." He told me, giving my body a light squeeze, a handsome smile being displayed over his features. "Your God."
"Shinu…" His name gave a sensation like devouring a piece of candy. It was delicious, salivating, and oddly perfect coming out of my mouth. "Are you stalking me?" And with that, I began to pull myself away from his rock hard grasp, but his arm didn't budge, his gentle touch never strengthened.
"A guardian, my dear." He repeated, a short laugh escaping through his lips.
"I said to stay out of my life."
Shinu leaned closer, his lips passing away from my own and nearing my ear. As his breath tickled my lobe, he let his voice grace my mind. "Never…" And with that, quicker than a blink of an eye, he'd shifted his arms to lift me bridal style. With a gasp, I was lifted into the air, pressing against him as he began to walk.
"Let me go." I ordered, my blue and green eyes glaring at him. He just shook his head, a few loose strands of silver swaying around him in movement.
"Relax… my Goddess."