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"Sometimes what we think we know can kill us." - H. Livingston
"Stop it Thomas! This isn't funny," Samantha says nervously, due to her not wanting to be where they were. "C'mon it's not gonna hurt em' none; besides everyone's done it." Thomas nags. "Yeah, well I'm not everyone," Samantha replies. "So why did you agree to do this then?" A stern look for the answer echoes across the pond. Her reflection shutters. "I thought..." Samantha pauses. "Did you hear that?" "Hear what?" "Shhhhh." Whispering, Samantha says, "something's over there." One of her already shaking hands exposes an index finger pointing toward a very large oak tree. They see a large group of tree branches are moving. The wind slows to a steady, dead‑like breeze. Silence sets a freeze frame mode on the scene and Thomas, slightly disturbed by this new discovery, begins to rethinking the situation. "Err... aaa... Sam. Just what is it that you thought you heard?" He stumbles a bit while rising to his feet. Slightly petrified she answers, "A laugh." "A laugh?" he giggled reluctantly. "Mmm Hmm. A laugh." Samantha, at age twenty‑four, left law school to become an archaeologist. Her specialty was odd and unusual archaeological finds; she liked the history in them. She came to Virginia to meander around the wonders of the beautiful state, and to get a chance to look at the different caves and cultures, in hopes that one day she would luck up and find an odd dig that would bring her recognition. "Whew! You had me going there for a minute Sam." Thomas, on the other hand, just wanted to get out of life what he put into it. He received degrees from MIT and the University of Virginia. He became the youngest, non‑partnership run business entrepreneur in Virginian history after taking over his grandfather's forty‑five billion‑dollar‑a‑year engineering firm. Together they knew how to get the job done. Although the time away from dig sights made it impossible for personal relationships to occur, whenever romance entered the picture jobs would start to depreciate in both time and money. It was imperative that one's all‑in‑all came to work, not just a portion. Often times the jobs would not reach their full potential and the digs would become worthless. "There it is again," Samantha murmurs. This time Thomas heard it. "It sounds as if it's coming from those bushes near that tree." Samantha nods. "Yeah I know, I pointed to it, remember?" "Help me,” came a gargling, voice extremely close to them. The two freeze in place when the words leap to earshot. "That did not come from over by that tree. It sounds like it came from that ditch," Thomas stated, a little bit more concerned. "Shhhh! Do you wanna get jumped?" Samantha spoke softly. "What if it's a crazy person out there waiting for an opportunity to separate us?" "If he were waiting for an opportunity, then he would have just waited for us to do it ourselves," Thomas said sarcastically. "Yeah right," the sarcasm returned, "Please just wait. Our society has proven bad in the recent years and..." "Help me!" The voice a little bit more confident this time, breaches their conversation. "Help me... please." "Dammit Sam, someone needs our help and you're worried about our eroding society." "Hey, you are hesitating too mister." She takes in a deep breath as he cuts her an eyeful for blaming him for waiting. "Okay, let's go and see what we can do." They move toward the voice in need like cautious cats to a stranger. Both constantly panning the area as they approach their destination. "Hello..." Sam hesitates. "Help me." The sound very weak. Their dueled gasps harp across the wind. Before their eyes lie what was left of a human body ripped to shreds. Miraculously it was still alive! The view is like that of a horror movie. What they were seeing was not someone in need of help, but someone in need of mercy. "Help me," the voice repeated. Thomas and Samantha looked briefly at the poor soul in front of them and back again to each other. They knew that they could not do anything for it. They could not even lie to it; that just would not be fair. Thomas began to remove his jacket to place it over the dying individual when they heard another laughing sound. "That was closer to us this time than it was before," Samantha responded. Thomas, unsure of how to deal with the situation, began to spout out words of warning. In response came another voice, this one a bit older, but still male. "Do not say things you do not mean. They can get you in deep trouble... sometimes." Again the laugh echoed. "Who's there?" Thomas demanded. "Show yourself!" "I need not reveal myself upon such a proposal. Certainly since you have already seen my handy work." The voice replies. "Can you help this person?" bursts Samantha. "Of course I can, but why should I? I did it! However, that which you ask cannot be accomplished. The body cannot be helped. You see, that creature is already dead... and you, well let's just say, you will begin my festival of talent again tonight." Suddenly the ground beneath the unsuspecting pair explodes upward. Debris cast from the explosion lifts into the air and begins a dance that surrounds the two in unison. The terrain forms the scraps of earth into walls of stone that fit together like a puzzle all around them. Near Thomas a hand emerges from the earthly wall behind him. Changing from dirt to flesh as it exits through the hardened cell of clay towards the pair. "Thomas, behind you!" Samantha screams. Jumping away, Thomas notices the entire body of a man following the appendage in the same matter as the hand. "Stay away from us!" barks Thomas, almost unheard because of Samantha screaming in the background. The figure in front of them is tall, about six‑three, medium in build with long, black semi‑curly hair. His clothes are sharp, pressed and unstained. A long tan colored duster and boots covers some of his clothing. About mid‑to‑late twenties, fairly attractive with golden stained skin. "Watashi wa chi o suu oni, jinsei o koroshite imasu." His words howl. Crying and scared, Samantha hears the words spoken and recalled the language, "Japanese." She learned quite a bit as a foreign exchange student during her high school years, and it had been a long time since she had heard or even spoken it. "You're a demon who sips the blood of humanity?" she says, unsure of her translation. "Very good. So, you know of the ancient tongue of this world. I am impressed,” the dark man spoke aloud. "Kyuketsuki!" Samantha blurts. "A what?!" Thomas yells back. "Vampire!" She says still panicked. "Get the hell outta here." he spoke in disbelief. "Yes. I am a vampire. But... I am not like any of those you've read about or have seen on your television. I am what you would call a new and improved version. Unfortunately for you, that will be all you need to know to take to your graves." A second elapses and the mystery man leaps forward. His right hand quickly striking at Thomas' temple. The digits pierce into the young billionaire's skull like hot knifes through butter and the boy's head opens up effortlessly. CRACK! Thomas' neck follows and he drops lifelessly to the ground. "Please don't kill me,” Samantha begs the stranger. Tears flowing effortlessly down her face. "I am not barbaric. Nor am I heartless." Stopping his advancement, the stranger looks to the sky. "I am day and I am night. I am also my own arch‑nemesis. Nothing more, nothing less, and sometimes I must kill." He pauses again and inhales deeply, "but, I... must... feed." His speed pulls him instantly to her side and the stranger's mouth opens, revealing his instruments of fate. Gleaming in the moonlight, aligning in unison, the four sets of talon‑like fangs call for her blood. Her need to fear him left and she wanted very much for the stranger to bite into her neck. The want to scream quickly vanished and there was pain but it did not hurt. It felt so good, erotic in sensation. The beautiful sounds of the night engulfed her ears, as her heart began to beat faster and faster. The feelings of lust, desire, love and compassion merged together as an overpowering burst of emotion, controlling every thought. She couldn't break free from this grip of ecstasy. She wants to be with him all the rest of her life. She wants to be his forever. Seeing his inner darkness. Her body feels cool. Needing his desires. Her body feels cold. Wanting his love. Her body feels colder. Asking to be his forever. Her body feels nothing. The dark towering figure lays Samantha's body down slowly and places her arms across her chest. Two single red roses, one with and one without thorns, are carefully placed in her hands. A cock crows. Dawn paints storm clouds and a new day begins. "Love is the answer we seek, Samantha. Unfortunately, we all do not have a choice in the matter. Some of us just have to do without." The walls of clay meld back into the ground, the stranger looks up to the rising sun then sheds a tear for her and all those who came before her. █ To be continued next time... █
I hope you have enjoyed this week's Chapter and hope you will join us next time for:
Released November 10, 2006 Read It Now! • Edited By Henry Livingston • Originally Printed By RIVER CITY PRESS • • ISBN 0-9740933-5-1 • All rights reserved © Copyright 2003 • • Published and Distributed By RIVER CITY PRESS • Disclaimer - No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. |
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