The arrogance of a predator. Ch. 4

I ran, ran as fast as I could.  I guess I had no choice but to believe vampires were real and that this was no figment of my imagination.  I’d seen the fangs, again.  I’d seen the cold darkness of his eyes, again.  This was so wrong.  I thought that Caitla was being sarcastic.  She accused the church and politicians of vampirism all the time, not doctors.  Either way, I thought that was just a metaphor for sucking the money out of innocent people.  Now, I’m running for my life.  This is insane, where am I going to go?  He’s probably already started hunting me.  Ha, like I’d be able to outrun something like a vampire.  I stopped briefly for a breath and to collect my thoughts.  I wonder if they’re as fast as the stories say. 

“Yes, we are” said a voice from a dark corner to my right.

“AAAAHHHHHH!!!”  I screamed as loud and high pitched as I could, made a quick sharp left and continued running without bothering to look back.  Apparently, not only are they incredibly fast, they can read minds too! It was quick decision time so I looked for a building nearby.  I spotted an old cotton mill that had boarded windows and empty crates everywhere.  I decided that was probably my best bet.  Now what?  Being cooped up in a ratty mill wasn’t exactly safe central, and to top it all off, it smells funny!  Ok, get a grip.  Hmm, maybe I should have gone to a crowded area instead.  Yep, I definitely just walked into the ideal horror story plot. 
"Single young girl followed by psychotic killer into an old mill meets her demise!"
       
The headlines were clear.  I was doomed.  At least in a huge crowd this thing couldn’t hear my thoughts.  Oh crap, if it can hear me I need to stop thinking! 

“I could only hear yours, crowd or no crowd,” the same alley voice said from inside the building.

“That’s impossible...”  I squeaked.  How did he follow me?  I didn’t even think about where I was going!  Panic driven and filled with fear, I lashed out in my bravest voice praying it wouldn’t shake.  “How did you get in here?  You weren’t invited!  Who are you?  Where are you?  Come out, now!  I have a stake and I’ll use it!”  I didn’t of course, but it was worth a shot.

“First of all, this is a public building.  Second, who I am is none of your concern.  Third, you know where I am so there’s no need to come out and lastly, it wouldn’t matter if you did.  You have one thing and one thing only.  A body full of adrenaline spiked blood that any vampire could track.  Even if I couldn’t hear your screaming thoughts I’d still find you if I wanted you.”  He chuckled quietly to himself.

“Now what’s so funny?  Too scared to show yourself?  Come on, I’m just a puny little adrenaline spiked kid remember?”

Another small chuckle escaped from the darkness around me.  I tried to figure out where it was coming from.  Wait, stop thinking!  He can hear everything.  Now how am I supposed to stop thinking, I practically live in my head.  This time a full hearty laugh penetrated the still air.

“Do you always talk to yourself like that?  I mean, in your head that is.”  It was impossible to ignore the humor this creature was getting from my obvious fear and panic.  That pissed me off.
“Sue me for being a little nervous; I’ve never been on someone’s menu before and quite frankly I don’t want to die!”  Great, stupid sarcasm was probably a sure fire way to get myself killed.  “And stay outta my head!”  I screamed.

“Don’t think so loud and I won’t be able to hear you.”  He simply responded.

“Don’t think so loud?  What are you talking about?  I’m not thinking loud!  How do you think loud?  Thinking is the most silent process a human being can be involved in.  Besides, vampires aren’t real.  For all I know you’re some wanna be psychic that’s really good at reading body language.”  Great, I’m playing mind games with a psychotic that obviously thinks he’s some thousand year old vampire and possibly even hungry.

“Actually, you’re wrong on both accounts.  I am neither thousands of years old, which is quite unheard of, or hungry for that matter.  I’m also no psychotic.  I don’t play mind games, not unless you ask me to.  Besides, I ate earlier this evening and have no desire to eat again for the rest of the night.  Though, even a psychotic can feed off of the amount of adrenaline you’re generating.  There’s nothing more appetizing than a fear inspired adrenaline rush.” 

“Now that’s just disgusting and totally immoral” I said, getting more and more agitated by the second while still trying to sound brave.

“What do you expect?  I am a vampire after all.”

“Stop saying that!!  There’s no such thing.  You’re just some psychotic with no soul apparently, so it’s ok to find amusement in my problems.  And what were you doing following me then, if you aren’t hungry or planning to kill me?”

“So cruel.  Of course I have a soul.  Is it my fault you think so loudly?  Plus, you’re very amusing to listen to.  I was enjoying listening to you argue with yourself when you realized what was standing in front of you back at the church and then at the doctor’s office.  Oh, and for the record, I apologize for their behavior.  Attempting to feed on you in public like that was completely uncalled for and very irresponsible on both their parts.”

Oh crap!  The doctor’s office!  I just remembered why I was supposed to be running. 

“No worries, neither of the gentlemen are following you anymore.  My own scent has put them on another trail.  We tend to get out of each other’s way while on the hunt, especially if one vampire is considerably older than the other.”

“STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!!”  I shouted.  This is going to get very annoying very quickly.  As I silently evaluated the situation I realized no matter what, I wasn’t going to show any fear.  This guy, who seriously thinks he’s a vampire hasn’t threatened me in any way.  If anything, he’s been getting on my nerves.  I wonder what he looks like.  He said he wasn’t hungry but he’s still a psychotic.  I could only hope his eyes weren’t all creepy and dark like the other guys.  Curiosity finally got the best of me and I decided to take a peek and see if I could spot the crazy man.  I looked around the box I was hiding behind and back toward the entrance I came through.  That’s where I saw him.  He was a tall slender fellow leaning against the main door.  Dark leather sleeves crossed his chest and a white tee-shirt covered what appeared to be a muscular torso while ragged designer jeans and a pair of black leather shoes defined his lower body. 

It was him!  The model guy from the church!  How did he find me?  I looked again to see if I could figure out for sure who he was.  I saw one foot was propped up against a wall and his head was ducked down.  A shadow kept his face veiled in a very annoying Stephen King kind of way so I couldn’t see his eyes or if there was some kind of smile to go along with his continual chuckling.  “What do you want?”  I asked, curiosity overriding the fear.

“Nothing at all.  I saw you running from the doctor’s office and I just thought you’d rather not die tonight but if I’m wrong then I shall be on my way.”  He dropped his foot and began to turn.

“Wait!  Don’t leave.  If no one is chasing me that must mean you’re older than he is right?”  I might as well play along with his delusions.  Crazy people can be helpful, right?

“Well, we won’t discuss my sanity but to answer your questions, yes, I am older than your pursuers.”

“Well, you said you weren’t thousands of years old so...”

“Don’t be ridiculous.  No living creature but trees are thousands of years old.  Though, there are very old things that live in this town; things, my dear that you should respect and be wary of.”  He paused, apparently thinking about his next words carefully.  When nothing came I didn’t know what to say, or think for that matter.  He said everything with such nonchalance that I couldn’t help but become even more disturbed.  What did he mean ‘very old things that live in this town’?  That’s when I decided that my life had officially taken a turn for the worst kind of insanity.  I mean, think about it.  I’m in an abandoned cotton mill having a conversation with a stranger that claims to be a vampire when vampires are supposed to be completely fictitious characters in story books!

“I can assure you I, along with what you saw, am very real.  Insanity would be to ignore it completely.”  The voice was suddenly quite serious and almost seemed concerned.

“Didn’t we already cover this whole ‘stay out of my head’ business?  Don’t try and push your crazy delusions on me!”

“I just don’t want you to be in denial of the truth.  Sometimes the truth is quite dangerous when it comes to our world but considering where you live, I’d recommend you embrace the truth for what it is and be on your guard.”

“Gee, thanks for the tip.”  Psycho…sarcasm was still dripping from every word I spoke and then suddenly, without warning, I heard a whooshing sound and looked up.  I was face to face with the greenest eyes I’d ever seen.  They were old and devastatingly beautiful green eyes that completely stole my breath.  I backed away slowly, anger gone and the fear rebuilding once more.

“You need not fear me tonight but trust me when I say, now that you are enlightened to our existence, your life is about to become a lot more dangerous.  Maybe even interesting if you allowed it.”

‘Wh...who are you?’ I thought to myself, unable to speak much less barely able to breathe still captivated by his eyes.

“I’m the person who just saved your life.”  He sighed gently, backed away then and gave me a moment to steady my breathing.  His breath smelled of something sweet.  Nothing I've ever smelled before.  I tried to focus more on his face.  It was a young face and couldn’t possibly be much older than 23 or 24.    A light clear pink liquid began to form at the edge of his eyes and light glinted off his dark reddish hair.  His sudden change in emotion snapped me from my thoughts.  I blinked a few times and took one more step back.

“Will you ever stop doing that?”  I said exasperated that yet again I must have been thinking too loudly.  “Ok, look.  Let’s say I believe you are a vampire.”  For the sake of getting out of here quickly, I might as well play into his delusions.  “You’re helping me because I’m entertaining and somehow you can hear my thoughts because I think too loudly.  Can you explain to me how to think quietly then, that way I can think freely without any eavesdroppers?”

Reverting back to his humorous demeanor, he responded lightly, “Sorry, you’re the first person I’ve come across and I’m no stranger to oddities.  There are plenty of people that think they are psychic with other creatures, but you are the first voice I’ve heard outside of my normal conversations..  Oh, there are your odd ones now and then that claim they’re psychic, but none of them have ever been considered authentic.  You’re the first true human I’ve ever met that I can hear the thoughts of.  It’s very refreshing.  The other creatures I meet usually have two things on their minds, the hunt they’re on and when the next hunt will begin.  It gets very redundant after a while.  That’s why I prefer to travel solo.”

“Not that I’m ungrateful to you for not killing me, but, why are you telling me all of this?”  I couldn’t understand why this guy was telling me all the things I would think he’d want to keep secret.  Not that he was divulging anything major, but still.  Maybe he just really liked the sound of his own voice and was just really, really crazy.

“Yes, we do become arrogant after a few years.  Oh…sorry.  You asked me to stop listening in.  I apologize.  I’ll try harder.”  He chuckled again still clearly amused with himself.

“On that note, I’m going home.  Thank you for your help, I think.”  I took a cautious step back and away from this fascinating creature and headed towards the door.

“Please.  Don’t leave yet.  I promise not to listen in again.”  He stayed where he was but now that he was in the full light and I could see his face, I could tell he was genuinely sorry.  It seemed he just wanted to have a simple conversation if that was even possible in my current state of mind.

“I have to get home.  My mother will be looking for me.  She’s clearly going to be wondering where I went and what the Doctor had to say.”  What I really need is to get back and come up with some kind of stupid lie because there is no way they’ll believe I was held up in a cotton mill with a crazy person thinking he’s some old vampire.

“At the very least, may I walk you home?”  What and let him see where I live?  He really is crazy.  Then again, I’ve seen the movies.  If he’s in any kind of way a romantic, he’ll just follow me there and find out where I live anyway.

“No, I…” he started to say but stopped himself.

“No, you won’t what?”  I asked.  He’d been listening again.  I’ve got to do something about this thinking loudly issue.

“Never mind.  If you’d rather I not walk you home then I won’t.  Just be careful and hopefully I won’t see you on a night when I’m hungry.”

“Uh, sure, hopefully.”  As I started to nervously walk away I thought maybe I should grab one of the old planks to keep with me for a weapon just in case.  You know, the whole stake in the heart thing might be true and if it was, I was ready.  Then I heard the chuckle one last time in the distance.

“It won’t work” he said.  “You’re best bet is to stay in public areas and don’t walk alone.  Have a good evening.”  That was the last I heard.  There were no footsteps walking away, no doors opening or closing, just silence.  I nervously stepped outside, ran to the nearest street, gripped the board for dear life whether it would work or not, and started on my way home.  After a block or two I started to see more people and began to feel much better.  I tossed the board so I wouldn’t look like a complete lunatic and pulled out my cell phone to call someone.  I figured if I was talking to somebody, they’d at least hear the scream if I was attacked by someone…or something.