1807

It was difficult to not drag my skirts through the muddied footpaths of Oxford, England. For the sixth straight day it rained, and when it rained… it poured. I was lucky enough to confess that it was only a slight drizzle but that didn't stop me from regretting going out at all. I used to like the rain when I lived back in the rural parts of Ireland, where the water droplets gave every surface a fresh face. Now, I lived in a busy city where rain just made everything uglier. Mum used to say that sun showers erased the pain and horrors of the days past, but I know that to be false now.

Nothing could erase my past horrors.

The rain made everything cold now and I pulled the neck of my jacket snuggly against my skin, my shoulders hunched against the sharp winds on my back. I watched as a gentleman up ahead run across the street after his top hat had blown off, he left his Missus stranded on the footpath while she desperately tried to keep her hair in place. They then linked arms and continued to walk in the direction of their home and I envied them as I watched the gentleman caress his lover's cheek and she in turn placed a tender kiss on his lips. This couple was obviously in love, and I wish I had what they did but unfortunately I did not love my own lover.

My home was filled with warm yellow light when I returned and the voices of three men filled my ears when I stepped through the front door. I heard my lover excuse himself as I hung my jacket up and when I turned he stood in the doorframe.

"Where were you?" he inquired, coming up close to run his hands along my cold arms.

"I was visiting Juliana, I'm sorry Jeremy. I just got caught in the storm," I offered an apologetic smile and he kissed my forehead.

His hand clasped mine and he began to tug me into the room, "come, I would like you to meet my coworkers."

"Are you mad?" I resisted against his strength, "I look like a drowned rat, and I'm not nearly presentable."

A sound of disapproval passed his lips, "you're right, go draw yourself a hot bath to take the chill off. I've left a present in your quarters. Wear that when you come back down," he stated before dismissing me with a kiss on the cheek. I watched his retreating back, lean muscles working underneath his dress jacket and it was at that second that I could almost say that I was in love with him.

Almost.

Slipping into the hot water upstairs was a real treat, immediately I could feel the chill vacating my bones and a sigh escaped my lips, my eyes closing in pleasure. This exact moment actually made me believe in comfort, and in safety. It was a good hour before I finally pulled my pruning body out of the now lukewarm water. Droplets of water trailed off of my skin and onto the floor, leaving a trail has I crossed the hallway nude and into my quarters. The door shut with a snap behind me and I smiled down on my bed, eyeing the gorgeous new dress that Jeremy had bought me. Which, now that I think about it, had been completely fitting as my previous dress had been ruined because of the muddy bottoms.

I smiled at the fact that Jeremy spoiled me rotten; he gave me something new every week almost. Flowers, dresses, jewelry you name it. One time I asked him why and he told me that he'd rather spend his money on a beautiful woman than on useless things, we slept together that night. The smile was removed from my face when I thought about that night, it had been my first time and all I could think about now was why didn't I wait until I really loved someone. Honestly though, how much do I have to love someone in order to sleep with them, I'm pretty sure that I had loved Jeremy enough. Why was I feeling guilty now?

I pulled my new dress over my hips and struggled to do the clasps up at the back by myself. Somehow I managed to do so and then focused on pulling my braided hair into a bun, fastening it with a pearled comb.

I returned to the kitchen minutes later, it appeared to have stopped raining for the time being. Outside, I watched as a young man went about lighting the gas lights along the road.

"Jeremy dear? Are you hungry? You must be, can I fix your guests something as well?" I called out but received no answer.

"Jeremy?" I called out again, and I didn't hear a single voice. Not even from one of his guests.

I walked into the sitting room and found Jeremy sitting at our table, his back to me. I chuckled at his game.

"Jeremy, love, didn't you hear me?" I came over to place a hand on his shoulder but when I did his whole body swayed and slumped off of the chair and onto the floor.

I gasped in surprise and rushed to pick him up but when I got closer I saw the bloody hole in his neck, like a chunk of flesh had been ripped out. His skin was strangely pale, paler than what was normal and his skin was losing heat quickly.

"Jeremy!" I cried out, my hand passing in front of his mouth.

He wasn't breathing.

I placed my ear against his chest, his pulse was dead. And I screamed.

Jumping to my feet I ran towards our front door, someone was bound to have heard my scream. I didn't even reach the door though, a body had beaten me there and I ran right into the front of a man. My hands gripped his arms, tears blinding me just enough to disguise his appearance but not enough to block his bloodied mouth.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, an eyebrow arching and I pushed away from him roughly. There was stony strength under the thin dress shirt that he wore, which was also stained with the blood of my lover.

Blindly, I ran back into the kitchen and armed myself with a knife from our cabinet before I made a run for the other entrance. I knew there was a slim chance that I would get away, and even then I knew I was lying to myself. A slim chance was much further than the truth. I was proven correct when I was blocked again but this time it was by a completely different person, a male nevertheless though.

The air was sucked into my lungs so hard that pain shot through my lungs, sending black spot to my eyes. I could barely speak, I could only wheeze, "oh God."

It was completely out of context but a small, ghost of a smile touched the man's lips, his head tilted to the side slightly, "not exactly."

I took a step back and spun on my heel at the same time, the confusion in my actions caused me to stumble in the general direction of where I had just come from, but not so much to my surprise, I found myself blocked yet again by the first man. He licked his lips, moistening the caked blood around his mouth and I whipped the knife around, pointing it at him, making good and sure my back was to the kitchen window and not the man that blocked the other entrance.

"D-don't ta-ake another st-step," my voice and the knife in my hand shook in unison, I wasn't sure if it was out of fear or adrenalin. Perhaps it was both.

He defied my threat and laughed. "Silly girl, do you really think that will hurt me?" His voice was a purr.

I edged away from him quickly, and I felt inner defeat when my back hit the table surface. There was nowhere else to go, I was trapped and so I relied on the art of delay, "the knife might not hurt you, but the silver it's made of certainly will."

Now that I think about it, it was probably out of stupidity rather than bravery that I decided to try and talk my way out of things.

Both of them paused and I rushed to speak, hoping to stall them even further. Stupidity or not, it was my only shot, "Yes, I know what you are, the both of you. You aren't the first Vampires I've come across."

The first Vampire bared his fangs at me and I too bared my own small, square and very human teeth at him, I hissed, "I am not afraid of you."

This was a lie; obviously, as my heart was thundering in my chest like a million galloping horses as they raced for the finish line. My body shook and my palms were sweating and my eyes flicked frantically between the exits. I was a stuck little pig, and we all knew it.

"Your heart says differently."

I had almost forgotten that there were two of them and my eyes glanced at the other doorway. The second Vampire advanced two steps and I swung the knife around at him, "it's not the first time my heart has betrayed me."

"It beats fast," the first Vampire growled, desire laced his voice, and when I turned my attention back to him I found that he had edged even closer than before.

I decided to keep the knife pointed at him, but my attention remained focused on the second Vampire. I figured that with the position of the knife, I would be at ease to defend myself against either of them, but again the probability of me surviving was even smaller than slim to none.

"I see what you're doing," I stated, the knife jumping in my hand. I could feel my palms sweating still. "One gains my attention so the other can advance. Either way, one of you is going to kill me. I'm not stupid; I know what wolves do to take down a deer."

I heard the second click as the second Vampire extended his fangs and I jumped, somehow he looked over three times more menacing than his friend did. If one of them lunged, I was ready. I knew I was not going to survive tonight but there was no way that I was going to go down without a fight. If I can really hurt even one of them, it will make me feel better. Out of the corner of my eye I watched at the first Vampire slowly advanced, long and lean he was. Like a jungle cat, prowling around his prey while his friend was more calculating and cautious, like a bird of prey.

It was the second Vampire who lunged first, completely throwing me off guard; I had expected the first to lunge first. In the half a second that I had to prepare I spun around and my arm lashed out, the sizzle and sharp scent of burning flesh caught my nose but before I could praise myself the wrist connected to my knife hand was grabbed and smashed against the surface. I dropped the knife and screamed out in pain, knowing for a fact that it was broken. A hand wrapped around my throat and it squeezed, causing me to choke. I was pressed harder into the surface and forced to look in the eyes of the first Vampire, the jungle cat. His fangs were inches from my face and he snarled, "Wrong move." That was when his fangs sunk into my throat; the second pair had latched onto my wrist and slowly, the life was drained from my body.

My mouth opened to scream but not a sound could be emitted, my vocal cords crushed. The hand that was not trapped came up and grabbed at the hairs on the first Vampire's head and I pulled desperately, but my strength had already depleted entirely. My body slumped against the counter and I desperately wanted to laugh as my final thought crossed my mind.

Death really was inescapable.