Vampire Kiss

Zayit, a 348 year old vampire meets and falls in love with a mortal human named Anna. One day Zayit encounters his sire, a man by the name of Dune. After an encounter between the two vampires, Anna is killed by Dune. Now Zayit must make a choice. Will

 

The sun was shining through the window. In the scary mansion on the outside of town, a young boy rose slowly from his coffin. Yawning he stepped out of the coffin and glanced around the darkened room. Though he was three hundred and forty-eight years old, he looked sixteen. Three hundred and forty-eight years ago, he had been turned into a vampire against his will. Faced with what he had become, he had turned into a savage and crazy animal. In those early years of his vampire existence, he had been like a mindless wild animal.

    Zayit had been abandoned by his sire when he was just one year old. He had to learn to fight and learn for himself. Zayit didn't need to follow the laws that were written by humans. Some of the laws were not true. He didn't burn in sunlight. Guns couldn't kill him. He could enter a church. Holy water, crosses, and silver didn't burn him or bother him at all. Garlic just gave him bad breath. The humans had gotten the rule of silver wrong. Silver hurt werewolves. Not vampires.

    Over time, he had learned to control the bloodlust. Yet he could never satisfy the hunger for blood. Blood is what kept him alive. It was the main source of life for all creatures, including vampires. Like humans, vampires also had to eat normal food. Otherwise they would starve to death. It was a myth that vampires could only drink blood. 

    Zayit opened the window just a crack and then turned into a bat. He flew out into the night. Zayit wasn't hunting at the moment. He was exercising. Humans would be so envious if they knew that he could live forever.  

    When Zayit landed on top of a stone wall, he transformed into his human body. He had fair skin, raven black hair, and jet black eyes that were shadowed by dark eyelashes. Zayit had a smooth voice and eyes that were like deep wells. Sometimes he used hypnosis to make it easier to feed on human prey.

    Zayit's fangs slid down to his lower lip. They were as sharp as a viper's and pearl white. A vampire's teeth and fangs stayed razor sharp and pearl white all their lives. They didn't need to brush their teeth or floss, because they didn't get plaque or germs on their teeth. Zayit only had his fangs during the evening. They vanished at sunrise. This helped the vampires not get killed. It was easier to pass off as a human, if their fangs didn't show. 

    He walked along with his hands in his pockets. Suddenly he stopped and sniffed the air. Vampire senses were stronger then human senses. Their sense of smell was twenty times stronger then the average bloodhound. Their sense of hearing was as sharp as a wolf's. Their sense of sight was eight times sharper then an eagle's. 

    Zayit listened closely. He smiled, showing his fangs and then walked slowly and stealthily towards his prey. Where are you? Come on out. Zayit thought. There! Just around the corner was a small dog whimpering in pain. Zayit could smell the blood in the animal's veins and could hear it's pulse.

    "Good doggie. Come here. I won't hurt you." Then he laughed. "Much anyway."

    Zayit swiftly picked the dog up and carried the snarling beast back the way he had come. He slammed the dog onto the hard pavement and lowered his mouth to the dog's neck. Dogs and cats didn't like vampires. The dog was putting up a fight but Zayit quickly snapped the animal's jaw and then sank his fangs into the animal's throat.

    Zayit ripped the flesh of the dog with his teeth, while he drank the dog dry. When the dog's pulse stopped, Zayit stood up. He licked the blood around his mouth and walked off. Let the humans deal with the dog. No one would suspect a vampire of killing the dog. They'd think it was a wild animal.

    He hadn't believed in vampires until he had been turned. Zayit had been turned into a vampire by a man in his thirties. The man had been a serial killer while he was alive. Turning Zayit into a vampire had been a game to the older vampire. Zayit found out later that he had been watched by his sire for three years. Just the memory of thinking of his sire made him shudder.

    Zayit walked into the mall and headed towards the food court. He was going to start school the next day. Zayit bought a large fry, a coke, and a double cheeseburger. He carried the food to a table in the middle of the food court and sat down. He tuned down his sense of smell and hearing while he concentrated on his meal. The dog blood wasn't as satisfying as human blood. I'll have to hunt again before I go to sleep. He thought to himself.

    Humans milled around the food court and walked towards the movie theater and other stores. Zayit was the oldest vampire in the small city. He had seen a couple of younger vampires. They generally stayed away from Zayit. He could be dangerous when he was angry.

   Suddenly his head shot up. Zayit let out a low growl and stared across the food court to another vampire. He pushed his chair back, grabbed the rest of his fries and coke, and walked over to the strange vampire. The other vampire smiled, showing his fangs.

    "Dune. What are you doing here?"

    "I thought I'd come by for a visit and see how my fledging is doing. Are you still reluctant to hunt and kill humans?"

    Zayit snorted in disgust. "I learned to kill after you left. Now get out of my town."

    "Come Zayit. Let's not be hasty here. I'd love to have a tour of this place. So many prey are roaming the mall right now. It's fascinating. All this food makes me want to howl." He laughed at Zayit's look.

    "Dune get OUT!" He screamed pushing Dune back into the wall.

    Without warning, Dune reached out and tightened his hand around Zayit's throat.   Zayit could feel his windpipe cracking. The damage wouldn't last for long. Vampires had a high tolerance for pain. He snarled and used his hands to draw blood on Dune's face. Dune flung Zayit into the wall with a cry of fury. 

    Your still a little brat. Just like when I decided to turn you into one of my own. Dune spoke with his mind.

    Wrong Dune. I'm stronger then you'll ever be. Do you really want to start a confrontation in the middle of the humans? That will give us both away.

    Dune disappeared. But his words echoed in Zayit's mind. Whenever your ready Zayit. We'll see who's stronger. Don't forget that I could care less if someone drove a stake through your heart.

    The humans were staring at the crack in the wall that Zayit had made when Dune threw him. He brushed himself off and quickly left before he started killing people. Zayit could feel his windpipe scraping together as it healed. He steadied himself against the wall that marked the entrance to the mall. He let a loud growl rumble in his chest and then went behind a clump of bushes. A few minutes later a white wolf streaked out and ran away into the dark.

    The next morning just before dawn, Zayit woke up. He threw on a dark red t-shirt, and black jeans. Then he grabbed his book bag and headed out the door. He walked to the bus stop and waited for the bus to arrive. Zayit was tired. He had forgotten to hunt and now was starting to feel sick. Vampires had to feed on humans every three days, otherwise they would get sick.

    As he walked into the school, Zayit looked around. This school wasn't like the school he had attended when he had been alive. Zayit had been in 10^th grade when he had been turned into a vampire. That had been in the year 1670. 

    While he was walking by, he noticed the girls stopped to look at him. Zayit smiled. He had a charming effect on the female prey that he hunted. Zayit walked into the office and stood waiting for his class schedule. Without warning Zayit sensed someone outside. 

    He turned slightly and stared. A girl of about fifteen years of age was looking in the window. Zayit quickly probed her mind to determine if she was a threat. When the girl noticed he was looking at her, she turned away. Zayit saw the color rise to her cheeks. 

    "Excuse me. Who's that girl?"

    The woman looked up and then out at the girl who was walking quickly away. "That is Anna Walker. She's a freshman."

    "Really?"

    Zayit hadn't sensed anything threatening about her. But he did find something fascinating. This Anna was fascinated about the strange new boy. He laughed at what he had read in her mind. She was just dying  to be immortal.

    At lunch, Zayit easily located Anna and sat down beside her. He picked up his roast beef sandwich and took a bite. Anna tried not to notice him but she was failing. Who is this boy? If only I had the courage to ask him about himself. She thought. Zayit chuckled and decided to start a conversation with her.

    "My name is Zayit Harrison. What's your name?"

    "Anna Walker. I'm fifteen. When did you move here?"

    "I've been here for a couple of months."

    "That's cool. Do you live with your parents?"

    "They died a long time ago. I've been on my own ever since I was fifteen."

    "Oh I'm sorry. How did they die?"

    "Old age."

    "Oh." Stupid me. Of course his parents died of old age. What did you expect Anna? That his parents jumped off a cliff and killed their selves?

    Zayit appeared startled so she asked him what was wrong. "Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about something."

    "Thinking about what?"

    About you getting half the truth right. My dad jumped off a cliff because he couldn't deal with the grief of me being dead. My mom was killed by the townspeople when she refused to go to a mental asylum. "I was thinking about when my brother was born. My parents were really happy. I was really jealous of my new brother."

    "Yeah lots of people are jealous of their younger siblings. Does your brother live with you?"

    "No."

    "Where is he?"

    "Dead."

    "Gosh. You've had a rough time."

    "Yeah." You don't know the half of it.

    Over the next few months Zayit and Anna talked about everything except him being a vampire.   One day Zayit took Anna to the movie theater. He hadn't fed for five days, so he was really sick. Zayit could barely keep any food down. He munched on some popcorn he had picked up at the concession stand, when he suddenly sensed someone standing in the shadows. He shuddered as he realized it was Dune. With a low snarl, Zayit got up and walked outside. 

    "Dune. I know you’re here. Show yourself."

    "Zayit. How nice to see you again." Dune chuckled.

    "What are you doing here? I told you to leave."

    "Interesting girl you have there. Does she know that you’re a vampire?"

     "No. I haven't told her. I'm afraid to tell her in case she drives a stake through my heart."

    "That human doesn't have the courage to kill monsters."

    "I'm not a monster Dune. You are."

    "Really? Don't you remember the French and Indian War? You killed thousands of people very violently. Ah, I can still smell all the blood that flowed onto the ground like a river."

    "Don't do this Dune. Leave me and Anna alone."

    "Anna. What a beautiful name for a meal. Or perhaps I'll turn her into one of us."

    "NO! Don't hurt her Dune."

     "Zayit? What's going on?"

    Dune smiled in triumph. Slowly Zayit turned around. There was Anna standing behind him. He took a deep breath and quickly moved in front of her. "Anna. Go back inside the movie theater. Or better yet go get in the car. I got business to take care of."

    "Who's your friend? What are you hiding from me?"

    "Aren't you going to introduce me to her Zayit?"

    Stay out of this! I'm warning you Dune.

    Or what? I can tell that you haven't fed for a while. Maybe you need a little encouragement to feed? Without warning Dune disappeared and then appeared behind Anna. He spun her around and smiled, showing his fangs. Anna tried to scream but Dune clamped a hand around her throat, cutting off any screams she might have. "Well Zayit? What are you going to do about this?"

    "Let her go Dune. She's not a part of this."

    "On the contrary Zayit. She has everything to do with this. I see you've gone soft hearted since I last saw you in 1706."

     Anna mumbled something. Dune dropped his mouth to Anna's neck. Swiftly, Dune's fangs slid into her flesh. Zayit could smell the blood and hear Anna's heartbeat quicken as it tried to pump blood to the rest of her body. He shut his eyes and started to sway. The smell of the blood was intoxicating.   With a roar, Zayit grabbed Dune's head and snapped it back, causing Dune to let go of Anna. She slumped to the ground.

    Zayit snarled at Dune and then threw him into the wall. He turned to Anna and checked her pulse, trying not to listen to his hunger or look at her blood. "Get back inside and stay there Anna. I'll explain everything later."

    "Zayit… what…"

    "GO ANNA!"

    She pushed herself to her feet and hurried back to the mall entrance when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A tiger was coming straight for her. Suddenly a wolf flew in between her and slammed head first into the tiger. The wolf and tiger went sprawling in a heap of tangled limbs across the sidewalk. Get inside! Anna shuddered at the voice in her head. Without looking back, she rushed inside and walked quickly away from the fighting.

    You'll never win Zayit. You haven't got the strength to fight me. I'll kill you, and then Anna will be all mine.

    Not if I have anything to say about it.

    Snarling the tiger swiped at the wolf, cutting his side open. The wolf let out a mournful howl and then lunged at the tiger's stomach. The tiger bent down and snapped his fangs close to the wolf's right hind leg. Zayit could feel his blood trickling out of the wound. He shut his eyes and concentrated on letting the wound heal. But in just a few seconds the tiger was on the attack again. Zayit had to leap nimbly aside as the tiger ran headfirst into the glass door. No! Zayit shouted with his mind.

    Pushing himself to his feet, the wolf ran after the tiger and leapt onto the tiger's back. Snarling and growling, the wolf sank his fangs into the tiger's neck. The tiger whirled and threw the wolf off. The wolf crashed into the wall. Before Zayit could move, Dune was upon him once more. 

    Dune smiled a tiger smile and sank his fangs into Zayit's front leg ripping it open. The wolf snarled in pain and struggled to move from underneath Dune's crushing weight. He could feel his strength ebbing. Suddenly Dune let out a sharp cry of pain and released Zayit. Zayit raised his head and sniffed the air. Anna. What are you doing?

    Anna glanced between the tiger and the wolf. She had a knife in her hands. There was blood on it. The tiger was growling in pain. Slowly, she stepped towards the wolf with a curious expression on her face. "Zayit? Is that you?"

    Zayit stood still, as Anna walked over to him. She carefully put out her hand and touched Zayit on his head. Zayit shut his eyes so he wouldn't see the blood on her throat. Then Dune pounced. He grabbed Anna with his front paw and pulled her back across the ground with him. Then he drew back his front paw and swiped it across Anna's head knocking her into the wall. NO! Dune get away from her."

    Why? She's dead anyway. Why don't you look?

    Zayit snarled and tried to lunge at Dune, but Dune swatted him away. He turned back towards Anna and transformed back into his natural body. His fangs glistened with saliva as he lowered his head once more to her throat. With a tremendous force, Zayit landed on back of Dune and twisted his head back. Swiftly, Zayit ripped Dune's throat out, letting the blood splash the ground and Anna.  

    Desperate to feed, Zayit lowered his mouth to Dune's throat and hungrily lapped up the blood as it spilled out. Within minutes, Zayit was drunk, but refreshed from the meal. Vampire blood was like wine. It was stronger then human blood. 

    "Anna. Are you alright?"

    Anna slowly opened her eyes and gazed around her. "Zayit? What are you?"

    He felt for her pulse and was relieved to feel it beating. But then a frown crossed his face. "Anna you're dying. I can save you, but you'll still die. It's the only way."

    "What are you? Are you a monster?"

    "No. I'm a vampire. Now do you want to be a vampire? If you do, I can turn you right now. I'll teach you everything you need to know about our kind. Trust me."

    "I trust you."

    Zayit breathed a sigh of relief and gathered her in his arms. He disappeared and in a few seconds arrived in his house. Zayit laid Anna down on the table and then sat down beside her. He flicked his fingers and the lights sprang on in the entire house. He was still a little drunk from Dune's blood. His head was woozy and that made it hard to concentrate. 

   "I was turned in 1670. I made a big mistake. My family was one of the first families to settle in America from Scotland. I was sixteen when I was turned by Dune. I ended up slitting the throat of a young girl. I didn't know at the time that she was a vampire. I found out later that she was one of Dune's recent fledglings. 

    "She had tried to feed on me. I panicked and easily overpowered her. She was only three years old at the time I killed her. Very over confident. Dune found out that I had killed her and he came after me. He had been stalking me for three years before I had been turned. 

    "Apparently Dune found me interesting. Originally he wanted me as a pet. But then he thought I'd make an excellent fledging if I was trained correctly.   When I was turned, Dune killed all of my family emotionally. My mother was convinced I had been turned into a monster. I… I drove her insane."

    "How did you do that?"

    "I went to visit them after I was killed. Vampires can shield their existence from mortal eyes. My mom saw me when I revealed myself to her. I was feeding when she came upon me. She went insane when she saw blood on my fangs and chin. The town killed her when she refused to be locked up in a mental asylum. They were convinced she would damage the rest of the city.

    "My father jumped off a cliff shortly after my mother was killed. He had lost me and then his wife. My brother was taken in by the neighbors next door. I never saw my brother again." 

    Anna winced as the pain of death went through her body. "Zayit, will it hurt?"

    "Only for a little while. You'll be crazy for the first four years of being a vampire. And the mark of my bite won't go away for one year. So it will be safer if your not around people. Don't worry, I can make the bite not hurt so much. I have the power to do that."

    "How… How will you turn me into a… a vampire?"

    "I have to drain most of your blood from your body. Once that's taken care of, I'll mix my blood with yours. That's to make sure the transformation works. You may feel a little woozy when you wake up, and you'll have a fever. That can be cured by feeding. Then I'll drain the rest of your blood until your heart and pulse stop."

    "That's it?"

    "Yes. You'll be a vampire soon. Hang on a little while. I need to go get you a coffin to sleep in."

    "Do vampires need to sleep in coffins?"

     "No. We don't need to follow any of the old rules. We can walk in the daylight and evening. Holy water, and crosses don't harm us. Garlic only gives us bad breath. The only thing that can kill us is a stake through the heart or beheading. There's a lot more things that I can teach you over the next eternity."

    "Can I just stay in your coffin with you?"

    "It will be cramped. But if that's what you prefer…"

    "Yes."

    "Very well then. Are you ready? The sun will be up in an hour and then my fangs will disappear until sunset. It will also be to late to save you."

    "I'm scared Zayit. I'm scared to die."

    "Death can be scary.  Don't worry I won't hurt you."

    Zayit pulled back his lips in a snarl and sank his fangs into Anna's neck, where Dune had bitten her. He lapped up the blood, paying attention to Anna's slowing pulse and heartbeat. Finally he raised his head and quickly slit open her wrist and then slit the skin just above his heart. He pressed her wrist to his wound and felt her shudder as his blood poured into her body. He kept her wrist against his wound for ten minutes and then brought her head against his chest.  Drink Anna. He whispered to her with his mind. He lapped the blood up from her wrist for five minutes and then pushed her away.

    She fell back hitting her head on the table. Zayit glanced up at the sky. Outside the dawn was starting to appear. Zayit quickly sank his fangs back into her neck and sucked up the rest of her blood, draining her dry. He didn't raise his head again until her pulse and heart had stopped. He saw the fog close over her eyes and snapped his fingers again. The lights instantly went out.

    Sleep. Tonight we'll hunt.

    Really?

    Yes

    He laid her in his coffin and sat staring at the rising sun. Zayit closed his eyes and fell asleep. Towards sunset he woke up and gently rapped on the door. Anna had woken up a few hours after she been turned. She snarled and tried to run for the door. Zayit slammed her against the table and held her there as she struggled. He knew they would have to leave the town, otherwise they would be hunted down. 

    "Anna! Don’t move. I can feed you, but you mustn't do anything stupid. I don't have time to babysit and hunt for both of us."

    She nodded but Zayit knew hunting for them would be a challenge. He had had a hard time dealing with his own transformation. As soon as the sun went down they went into to a nearby park and walked around the forest. Zayit sniffed the air and quickened his pace.

    "Hush. I smell food. Watch me and pay close attention."

    Zayit moved swiftly and silently through the dense forest. Anna stood near the darkest part of the woods watching curiously. Already she could see better then she originally had as a human. What fun. Oh I wish I had been born a vampire. What fun running through the woods must be. She thought. A few minutes later, she heard a scream and a snarl.

    Zayit came back dragging a limp human with him. He dropped the unconscious park ranger on the ground before Anna and sniffed the air. When he was sure they were safe he buried his fangs in one side of the human's neck. Come on Anna. If you don't drink you'll get sick. It will take a while for your powers to be full strength. Listen for the heartbeat. Imagine the smell of blood in the human's body. You’re a predator now. Just sink your fangs into his neck or any other part of his body you choose.

    Anna licked her viper sharp fangs and felt them press into her bottom lip. She could smell the blood in the human's body. I can do this. Zayit saved me from death. If he can do this for three hundred and forty-eight years then so can I..

    Zayit glanced at her, his smile encouraging her. Finally she savagely tore into the human's wrist and together they drained the human dry. It took only five minutes to  finish the meal. 

    "How do you feel Anna?"

    "Better. I don't feel so sick anymore."

    "The feeding has made you strong. We need to get out of here. The humans will be looking for me."

    "Why?"
    "Because as far as the humans know, I kidnapped you. You can never go see your family again."

    "Can I turn into a wolf like you?"

    "Certainly. Do you want to try?"

    Eagerly she nodded. Zayit smiled with pleasure. "Concentrate on the wolf. Picture the image of a wolf in your head. You can pick any color wolf you want to be. Once you picture the wolf in your head, concentrate on becoming the wolf."

    Anna pictured a light brown wolf in her mind with amber eyes. She shut her eyes. Concentrate Anna. Focus. She heard Zayit speak in her mind. When she opened her eyes, she saw everything in gray and white. She tried to speak but heard only a yelp. Then she noticed the other wolf. 

    Good job Anna. That's a lot quicker then I learned how to transform.

    Zayit? You’re the black wolf?

    Of course. Who else would be a black wolf? We're the only ones here. Come on. It's time we get moving.

    Where to?

    Anywhere. Far away from here.

    Do we have to transform back into our human bodies?
    No. We can stay like this for a while if you want.

    Cool. Let's go. Let's run.

    And run they did.     

Author's Note

This short story is from my book Sands of Time. COPYRIGHT 2008 by Ayisha Blevins.

Reviews

[chunky]

That was really good. I find myself really wanting to know what is going to happen to the characters and I've have already began to become attatched to the characters even from an extract, there are a lot of this type of story and it's hard to find a unique story but yours was. I hope it is ok if I use this as a style model for my english coursework (if it isnt then please send me a messege or something as soon as possible ). And I think your names really fit your characters well. A really god piece of writing.

[Jocelyn Elizabeth]

You have a very interesting style. It took me a few paragraphs to get fully used to it, but then the words really sucked me in. I admire you for finding your own voice. You held my attention until the end. I liked how naive Anna was. My sister is named Annaliese, and everyone calls her Anna for short. Haha. It kind of made me think of her... but she is fourteen and five foot eleven. (Taller than me even.) I also enjoyed your unique name choice and the way you made it your character. In my opinion, the names make the character. Some names just don't fit, but yours most certainly do. Bravo.

Jocelyn Elizabeth