The Vampire King

A Night without A Bite

I was so cold this particular night. I wished I'd brought a coat, but I didn't care. I was so hurt, and angry at his treatment of me. I was done with his disrespect, done with his attitude, done with his selfish demands. It was time to move on, and this frosty air was cooling my frustrations. As I walked through the dark woods, hearing the snaps of twigs as I walked, my forceful steps calmed over time and my mood began to surprisingly become peaceful. I stopped and looked up into the night sky. A single white wispy snowflake twirled its way down towards me. I didn't realize how cold it actually was. I smiled as more flakes began to fall.

I closed my eyes and smiled taking a deep breath. I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I could feel it. I opened my eyes and laughed as even more gentle flakes drifted to the forest floor. I reached out my hand to catch one. I walked deeper into the woods and stuffed my increasingly cold hands into my pockets to keep warm. Stronger and stronger I felt it, that I was headed exactly where I was supposed to be going. I felt my pace quickening, almost as if I was supposed to hurry. After a short time, I found myself almost running, not knowing why. It felt good, right to be moving so quickly towards something...someone. I didn't understand it, but I allowed myself to follow this feeling.

The last time I ignored this feeling I'd met the guy who'd caused me so much pain and heartache. I knew I was resolving to never ignore it again, and to just go with it. It had never steered me wrong before.

I stopped in my tracks. There was a man lying facedown in the dirt, spotted with random flakes which was increasing in number. I gasped as I realized he was caught in some kind of animal trap. I ran over to him and carefully tried to turn him over to see if he was breathing. I couldn't tell, so I checked the trap around his leg. He had a bear trap clamping down his leg, and ropes tangled around both his legs holding him down.

I turned him over fully, with utmost care and saw his face. He looked so frail, he looked like he hadn't eaten a thing in weeks. My heart shattered into a million pieces for him and I felt a feeling so strong that this was the time and place I was supposed to be. I found my hand reaching to touch his face, I pulled back when I felt how cold his skin was. I reached out again to try to gently wake him if I could. Suddenly, he hissed at me! I jumped back in surprise and stood to my feet.

'Are you hurt bad?' I asked.

'Leave me be, Merc,' he growled as he lay back down.

'But I can help you,' I insisted.

'No!' I don't know why, but his rejection caused me to want to cry.

'Please, I can help you'

'Back away Merc, leave me and do not come back!' He moaned as he rolled away from me.

I knelt next to his legs and he hissed at me as I began to untangle the ropes around his legs. I tried to be careful with each movement so as not to cause him a deeper injury to his clamped leg. As I got the last rope undone from his leg, he sat up so fast I jumped, he was hissing at me again. I looked at his face and I saw it. I knew who he was. What he was. I should be afraid. I should scream. I should run. But I was frozen staring at his eyes. I would not leave. I would not run. If this was the end for me, so be it. But I would never ignore the feeling that I was exactly at the right place and right time again.

His face contorted in anger as he realized his attempt to scare me failed...

I braced myself for the death blow that was coming my way. I closed my eyes, bowed my head and knew no matter what, this is how is was supposed to be. But it never came. I opened my eyes in surprise and looked his way. He was glaring at me.

'You are not welcome, go away,' I felt like he was almost pleading with me to leave him, but my resolve was set and I continued to work to release him from his trap. He fell back to the dirt floor and groaned. 'I hate your kind. You are dimwitted and a fool, you make me sick.'