The Blood Stalker

         She walks up the dirt road. I watch. I’m silent. I hide. She never sees me. I watch her from the shadows. She comes to the house. She opens the door. She enters.
         The door closes; I come out of the shadow. I look at the moon. I smile. Won’t she be surprised when she sees me? Won’t it be such a joyful reunion? My smile gets bigger. I will enjoy it. Yes. I will enjoy it…
         I step onto the porch. I reach for the door. It opens with barely a sound. I step inside. I smile again. I sniff the air. I can smell her. Each bead of sweat, every drop of perfume, and the overwhelming sorrow… I can smell it all. It smells good.
         I step into the living room. I look at the carpet. There it is. Just barely noticeable. A small speck of red stained on the carpet. I kneel down. I smile once again. I breathe in deeply, taking in the scent. The glorious scent.
         I close my eyes. I remember. I remember the day she found me here. I remember her tears. I remember her holding my body close to her own. I remember checking for my pulse. I remember her horror when she couldn’t find one.
         I laugh. I try to keep it quiet. A soft chuckle fills the room. Won’t she be happy to see me? Won’t she just be overjoyed to know that am well?
         Won’t she be terrified to see me standing there?
         I turn around. I walk back into the hallway. I walk up the stairs. None creak. I step into a room. My room. Our room.
         It’s empty. It is full of furniture, but empty none-the-less. Dust covers it. She has moved to a different room. She can’t stand the emptiness. I can still smell the tears she shed on the bed. I can still sense the sorrow hanging the air around me. This room is lonely. This room is empty. There is no hope in this room. The hopelessness overwhelms me.
         I embrace it. I embrace the lack of hope. I love it. So empty… so lonely… so beautiful!
         Beautiful… truly beautiful… There is no beauty to be found in life. The death in this room… that is beautiful.
         I walk back into the hallway. There is one more place I must visit before leaving. I take in another deep breath. The beautiful smell of loneliness… The smell of emptiness… The smell of death. Yet, there is something else…
         It is nothing. There is no hope in this house.
         I walk down the hall as silently as I can. I find her new room. Quietly, I push open the door.
         There she is. She sits in front of the mirror. She brushes her hair. I allow my eyes to wander across her body. Her beautiful body. I am surprised to learn of how much I want it. No matter. Soon, I shall have it.
         I walk toward her. She continues to gaze in the mirror. She does not see me until my hands rest upon her shoulders. I flash a grin as she gasps in terror. She looks up. Her eyes meet mine. I can see that she is scared. I can see that she is confused. My joy rises as her fearful, questioning eyes gaze into mine.
         I bring my face down level to hers. Our lips meet. We kiss long and passionately. I whisper into her ear.
         “Now we can be together for all of eternity.”
         My tongue slides over the skin of her neck. My mouth opens wide. I feel my teeth elongate. I bring myself closer…
         And I stop. I can smell it again… That strange scent from the hallway. It seems so familiar…
         It is nothing. I bite down into her flesh as hard as I can. She gasps in pain and surprise. I can feel warm blood flowing into my mouth. I can taste it. It tastes so sweet. Truly delicious.
         I pull my teeth out, letting the blood flow freely. My tongue slides over her skin once more, lapping up the blood. She goes limp. I hold her body close to mine. Drinking my fill. A bit of blood falls from my mouth and onto the carpet.
         I let go. Her lifeless form tumbles to the ground. In two days, she will awaken. In two days, she will be like me. No… She will be nothing like me. She will belong to me.
         I stand up and smile. I will have to wait for her to be found…
         That smell, it returns. It’s stronger now. I feel it burning my nostrils. I feel tears swelling in my eyes. My heart pounds. I suddenly recognize the scent. My body is filled terror.
         Garlic.
         I run. Terror grips me. My feet pound the steps. I must escape. I must run. I cannot be captured…
         I reach the front door. I stop. There is someone blocking the entrance. The shape keeps me from leaving. He pulls a sword from its sheath. He holds it out. A line of flame engulfs the blade. I stare in horror as the blade comes at me.
         The instant before the blade makes contact with my flesh, the instant before it severs my head, in the instant before my body falls to the ground, the name of my killer flashes through my mind.
         Alucard Hell-Singer, the Blood Stalker.