Carry On

                      Carry On
  Pacing up and down winding paths of dirt and moss, darting in and out of looming trees and depressing skies her thoughts seemed to devour her from the inside out. Her realization that life could never be explained to the common human mind made her stomach reel. She wanted to know why these things happened. Why do people who never intend any harm to others die a painful and tragic death? Why do those who are misunderstood choose to end their life one night instead of another? Once again she knew that her enduring mind would over power her as the night grew on, swirling with thoughts and ideas she could not speak to be heard. Was it even possible to say what was slowly eating her alive inside? She wasn’t even sure that she herself knew what this lingering disease was. And yet she continues on into her sea of loneliness, engulfed by her own depression. She gazed up at the moon, mesmerized by its beauty. How bright it shone, filling the night air with life and courage for those who are willing to continue on their own journey whether it is for the good Lord all mighty or for the satanic ambitions of the powerful Hades. It didn’t care which road you chose to travel upon. As long as you never gave up on your true desire, it kept a light glowing at the end of your tunnel insuring safeness and comfort. Many nights she looked up at this magnificent rock in space and dreamed of flying up to greet it, to sleep in the ominous clouds that lie beneath it, to just once really get away from the harsh world. Instead she must disguise this escape with long walks to herself or other unspeakable things. But after long deep thoughts kept entirely to herself, she finally made a decision to choose a different life to fill up her boring world, one that would keep her soul alive throughout the endless days.
Anxiety surged through her body as she came to the full realization of what the next hour would hold for her. She stood in the dim light of day. It was sundown and she gazed up at the sky with awe at the pinks and blues flowing around the bright orange sun. It had just come in contact with the horizon and it seemed to be struggling to stay above surface, something she felt like she could relate to. But knowing that she had to get moving fast, she turned back to face the trail that led into the dark forest. As she walked, she tried to relax and concentrate on the soft howl of the wind and the night bugs chirping a song of sadness in unison. She accidently stepped on a brittle twig without notice and it snapped in half loudly. She jumped back, alarmed then let out a nervous laugh as she realized what she had stepped on. ‘Get a grip’ she kept telling herself over and over. ‘After tonight everything will be perfect….I hope.’
She kept walking as the wide path of crunchy golden leaves and pine straw grew narrow. The trees seemed to stare at her, boring a hole into her back. She closed the coat she was wearing tighter around herself. Once the path wore away, she stumbled over broken logs and twigs until she came to the clearing. This was the spot, the place she had to wait. She found a not-so-moldy log and sat down on it, glad for a rest. The wind was getting stronger now as her fear began to rise. Questions swirled through her mind. Am I doing the right thing? What’s going to happen to me after tonight? But she shoved those thoughts away with the hope of being different, of being able to have more- scratch that- any adventure in her life. So she sat and waited for what seemed like ten years but to anybody else would have been a mere ten minutes.
Finally, a dark figure merged from behind a group of trees. It was a tall, hooded, black mass which she soon realized to be a person in a hooded cape. She couldn’t see his face. She gathered up all the courage inside of her body and asked “Are you the one?” She waited for an answer. The hooded stranger only nodded after a long pause and relief rushed through her but at the same time, she became more nervous. Memories of her spending hours trying to find vampire ads to change her life swept around in her mind and for the billionth time she wondered if she was doing the right thing. “Are you positive you want to do this?” he let out. His voice was thin and raspy as the wind carried the words over to her, making it seem as though the wind was speaking, not him. She hesitated, and then nodded reluctantly. “Ok then” the wind spoke again.
He slowly lifted the hood off his head and let it drop onto his back. Now that he had revealed himself, she could tell that he was a teenager, perhaps around nineteen. His hair was as black as a crow and his skin was as pale as a sheet of paper. He glided over to her and placed a thin hand on her shoulder. As he touched her, a sensation of ice bolted through her arm. She gasped, but then sighed. It felt good in a way, like he held a kind of power no man could even come close to thinking of. “You must understand that my only reasoning in doing such a horrible thing to a human is only because I once lived an unmentionable life.” His eyes glistened of misery as he spoke.  “For years I searched for a way to change it when one night I was interrupted in the woods by a fearsome predator. My life was changed that night but I had no say in it. From then on I vowed to help others willing to brave such an enduring never ending journey. It is your turn now.”
  She closed her eyes tight, bracing what lay ahead. “Now don’t be afraid” he told her. As he spoke, a row of razor-sharp teeth glistened in the, what was now, moonlight. She was scarred, that was for sure, but somehow she knew everything would be okay. His soft lips bent close to her neck and for a moment they tickled and sent a chill down her spine. Then she felt the warmth of his breath across her skin and finally the sharp pain and tingle of blood. As his teeth entered into her flesh, she remembered her past life. With this new life, she would never be bored again. She would have adventure and excitement. As these thoughts swirled around in her dizzy head, she fainted to the cool night ground knowing that she wouldn’t awaken until the clock struck midnight and her new life would begin.