Soundless

My life is an endless day. It fades between dark and light, changing but still the same. I’m alone most of the time, not needing anyone or anything but blood. Yes I’m pale and yes I find your scent irresistible. I live but do not breathe, I see but do not feel. I long for but never love. I will exist long after your demise; forever and a day longer.  But here where I am right now, in the middle of my hunt, time stops for both me and my unfortunate victim. The snow covered the ground and hung in the canopy of the old pine tree above us. We were in Canada, around 4 or 5 in the early morning, the deer rustling through the low branches as we approached. I moved as a quick blur, soundless and barely visible. I swept behind a trunk, holding my breath as I let her gain some ground ahead of me. I peered out from behind the bark, her dark shape clearly distinct against the white of the snow. It was time to close in again, toying with her sense of security, making her screams ones of hysteria. Trees fly past me as I place my prey on edge, driving her further into madness. I could hear her rough, unsteady breathing as I stalked her through the snowy woods, hiding behind the dark trunks of ancient pines. She stumbled aimlessly over the uneven ground, whimpering and screaming hoarsely every so often when she would almost fall. I suppressed my urges to laugh cruelly at her as she ran blindly into her own death. The young woman tripped, destroying half the fun of my sport. She bent forward, pulling roughly at something I couldn’t see from behind her. I closed in on her, my fanged teeth bared threateningly as she shook violently with pure fear. She screamed and clutched again at her bleeding leg that I could now see was stuck between two thick branches protruding from the leaf-littered ground. The smell of her blood filled my nostrils as I flared them eagerly, gazing down at my helpless meal. A quiver of pleasure ran down my spine as I watched with glee as she struggled against the tree’s roots. A glint of white caught my eye. It appeared as though her femur had been broken in the fall and was now protruding through her leg. She screamed even louder as I crouched beside her, my mouth simply watering at the sight of her. I pushed her back so she was lying on the ground, her hair knotted in with the dead leaves and sticks. I put my face close to hers, my lips right at her ear. I could feel her tremble beneath me as I whispered, "Game Over."

She sobbed once and I tore into the flesh on her neck. The red liquid gushed out onto the snow, staining it deep crimson. She cried out loud but the blood now in her throat made her voice gargle. She screamed again and I was in too much of a frenzy to care about playing anymore. I threw my head back violently; the look on my face clearly horrified her. I placed my white hands under her chin and behind the back of her head. I smiled merciless down at her, blood dribbling out of my mouth onto her sweater. She wailed again at my psychosis and I moved my hands quickly in opposite directions, hearing a loud “SNAP” as her neck gave out to the pressure. She went completely limp and silent, her trembling body a bare memory now. I sniggered and continued with my meal, her warm blood flowing into my open mouth.

The color had left her face as she lay dead, deprived of life and cold on the forest floor. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and left, leaving the corpse behind me and a red stain on my skivvy.

I walked at my own pace, taking in the crisp air as I wandered back towards the woman’s camp site. Two people were still there, asleep and blissfully unaware of their friend’s disappearance.  In a minute or two, the small square tent came into view and I could hear a man snoring obnoxiously. I squinted through the trees, the sun rising higher and beginning to glare brilliantly off the clean snow. I moved faster now, the urge for another good meal burning in the back of my throat. The tent was close enough to reach out and touch now, so I did, pulling the sheet back and letting myself inside. The man was still snoring, his mouth hanging open, while the woman on his right laid perfectly still and silent on her side, facing away from him. I grinned darkly and bent over her, listening closely to her steady breathing.  She had light colored hair, thick and lush. I breathed in through my nose, smelling her scent strongly in my sinuses. My mouth began to water again, so I gently picked her up, taking her quietly out of her sleeping bag. I left the tent behind us, and soon it was no longer in view. I placed her in the snow, feeling her shiver as her skin touched the icy ground. I put my hand over her mouth and slapped her with the other. She jolted awake and raised a hand to her cheek before realizing her dilemma. I felt her mouth trying to open and her eyes widened in fear as they focused on mine. I raised an eye brow and smiled evilly. I took my hand away from her face and basked in the sound of her shrill screams. I stood back up and raised my arms as if to say “Run for it.”