In the Blood

A short vampire story.

You would think that eternity lasts forever.

You would think, that a creature as old as I would have learned restraint, that I would have become inured to the temptations of the flesh. Alas, that is not the way of things.

Blood, you see, is the one thing I cannot deny myself. The source of my longevity, that which permits this perpetual death that I am bound to, is also the very thing that compels me to act the monster. Blood is life, everlasting. It is power, it is lust, it is damnation.

Blood is everything.

It is the reason you are here, at this exact moment. A debt must be paid, I acknowledge this truth. My thirst for it is what led us to cross paths. My unslakable need drove me to your doorstep. Its irresistible siren call was the tyrant that forced me to heel. It pulled me over the threshold, into your home, to the sleeping forms of your sweet, beautiful wife, and your three children. And though I freely admit I am enslaved by my hunger, I cannot deny that I reveled in their deaths. I glutted myself on your family, like I have a thousand families before them. Would I the opportunity, I'd have bathed in their blood, for it was some of the sweetest I have tasted in all the years I've roamed this earth.

As you no doubt know, I savored your eldest for hours. Virgins are a great deal harder to come by in this age.

She screamed at first, but I had already found my way into the homes of your closest neighbors, so there was no one to hear her. Of course, like all of you humans, she asked me 'why?'. This made me laugh of course; so humorous to see the same scene play out over and over again, without fail. Well, after that, she begged, and she pleaded, and cried to God, but He did not answer. I wonder if He was even listening.

You're shaking now, positively trembling with rage. Do you have any idea just how many times I've seen your expression on another man's face? Thousands. I've seen you in every skin tone, every shade of hair, every eye color imaginable. My fangs have torn out the throats of every people on every continent. I'm old, you see. Older than your monuments of brick and stone, older than your country, your flag, and your petty wars. I've witnessed history, the best and worst of humankind, like a twisted play one would visit the theater to see. I saw the rise and fall of the Romans, the Greeks, the Persians and the Egyptians. I even sat down one evening to read the epic of Gilgamesh, in the original cuneiform.

It's a shame, really, that you have somehow bested me.

You're not a military man, I've slaughtered so many of them; in Afghanistan and Libya only years ago, all the way back to the time when bronze was considered state of the art. No, you're not even law enforcement.

What are you? You're nothing but a comic book store clerk, armed with a horribly whittled piece of wood and a penlight.

How pitiful.

But I still win, you see. My demise changes nothing. There are more like me. They are just as clever, just as savage, and just as powerful as I.  And they are everywhere.

You cannot hope to overcome us all.

Still, you have won this battle, and to the victor go the spoils. I will share with you a secret, something I'd planned on showing you in person. This will just have to do, however.

I leave behind a legacy.

Blood, I told you, is what permits my kind to exist. Sharing it with a mortal is how we procreate. And I have shared mine most recently. The daughter, whose body went missing from the morgue only days ago?

Yes. I see the horror in your eyes, the disbelief. But it's true. I live on through her. I am in her, just as you are, in the blood. She is our daughter now.

Blood, you see, is everything...

Author's Note

This was written for the contest Vampires in Life, at 2 Am in the morning, while I resisted the temptation to devour my last Baby Ruth.

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm going to enjoy that candy bar.

This now has a sequel titled, "Just a Little More". Read it below.

http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/Caradoc/1262379/

Reviews

[AprilRN1210]

I love when an author can whisk you away allowing you to become the story, or feel as if you are "watching" it as it happens.. You captivated my attention throughout the entire piece and left me wanting more.. I didn't want it to end... I love the "voice" that you gave this deliciously evil short spellbinding work of art.... I don't like being able to "see" where the story is going before it gets there and this definitely didn't do that; each twist, turn, and "thickening" of the plot was imaginative, creative, and well written.. I am definitely a fan!

[Caradoc]

I am beaming with pride at this review. You sure know how to stroke a writer's ego. Haha. Thank you so much for coming by and reviewing this. I'm glad you enjoyed it and weren't bored at all. As for the end being obvious, I don't like being too predictable with my plots. I mean, yes, subtle hints are good. A reader who is on the trail, sure it could go one of a few ways, is caught up in the story, wanting to see which one is right.

Total surprise is something I don't believe I've accomplished before, so this review made me smile.

Again thank you.

[AprilRN1210]

You should definitely beam with pride, it is well worth the "stroking" of the ego:) .. I really do enjoy the way you write; the way you articulate ideas speaks to me.... This is my new FAV of yours and from this site... And might I add, I am excited to see there is a sequel available!! You are more than welcome, it was an absolute pleasure to read...

[Dewella~Vintella]

Oh my goodness this was fantastic. I..I honestly dont have words to say how much I loved this. I was hoked from the very beginning, reading on to see what this talk of blood lead to, and I was not disappointing. For this being a short story it was wonderful but what I liked most was your take on it. Not so much your take on vampires and how they are portrayed, but how you lead on the story.

The scene playing out with the vampire telling its story to the man who bested him. The elaborate and gory details of how he killed the mans family, his neighbors. The bored drool tone that was set out as he admitted he was bested, but oh, he might of won the battle, but the war was far from over. Simply genius. Gah if I had been sitting down when I read this I would be jumping with giddy in my seat right now. XD

[Caradoc]

I'm so glad you liked this one. I tried very hard to make the narrator seem evil in a bored, arrogant, yet detached way. I wanted that old world feel to him. I am pleased it got through.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this.

Oh and by the way; that Baby Ruth was amazing. >:D

[Dewella~Vintella]

You suck so much because after reading your AN all I wanted was Baby Ruth. I had completely forgotten about it by the time I wrote my comment and now you have reminded me. DX I am going to have to pick one up on the way home now. Damn you XD

[Caradoc]

LOL

I'm only a little sorry. ;p

[Dewella~Vintella]

Only a little, lmao. Evil man.

[Caradoc]

You could say I'm a bit evil, lol.

[Lyn Anderson]

I like it. very neat take. I am tired, oh so tired of the teen vampire thriller love crap. I want my vampires wicked and evil, and not marriage material. lol

[Caradoc]

I'm glad you liked it. And while I have no problem with the vampire romance genre, even working on a few myself, I find that vampires will always be called back to their roots. They were villains first.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

[joshua deathdealer]

This is really good. I love the gothic imagery and tasteful feel. Song is nice as well.

[Caradoc]

Thank you.

[Pax]

He is a definition of evil dead, the dead that walks and drink blood. The reference you've used are highly amusing, the facts of history and different shades of fear matching everytime he kills. I like this story, enjoyed it much that I've read it twice to get how was he defeated by this human... now I am heading to the next part... great story my friend...

[Caradoc]

Thank you once again Pax.

I wanted this one to be old and powerful. I wanted the reader to experience a feeling of shock and exasperation at the vampire being defeated by an average joe, and to wonder how he did it. I also wanted narrator to be irredeemably evil, to enjoy the pain he's caused.

I am pleased you enjoyed this to such a degree.

[David Scott]

You pen well the evil imaginations of the darkness.
The story is well written and I kept an interested mind as I read your words.
"Blood is everything."
This is more true than most people understand. It is in every single religion. It is in almost every folklore and myth known to man. Even the Greeks passed on their godlike attributes through the blood.
Yet there is a story about blood that heals the damage of every monstrous attack known to the imaginations of men and demons. Accepting this blood will make you a son or daughter, even if every drop of your blood had been spoiled by darkness...
I love vampire legends because they represent passion and sexuality and the very fabric of our DNA... They remind us the darkness is not a fairy tale and neither is the light.
Wonderful story!

[Caradoc]

Thank you so much, David.

I didn't want this vampire to be brooding or romantic. He had to be evil, and he had to enjoy it.

Indeed. I agree with all you say. And as it is often quoted; "The blood is the life."

Have a good one.

[Horizon K.]

Yummy... Yes I agree, blood is quite delicious.. Now I am hungry:D
Anyway, very fun story, loved the double-twist ending. I'm wondering where this creepy voice is coming from, an immortal who dies, yet is heard, and lives on through another in his afterlife. Nice crisp writing too. I enjoyed this Cara... And I see you have a thing for Vampires, I'll have to read more soon...
HK

[Caradoc]

Thanks, Horizon. I'm so glad you enjoyed this. It was certainly a blast to write.

In regards to the voice, this is actually the vampire's dying monologue, as per the requirements for the contest this piece was written for. One of the prompts specifically asked for a story where a vampire talked about his life as he died.

Be well.