The Vampire of The Bridge TM

The Vampire On The Bridge TM

Kiera stared down at the murky waters below. They churned heavily in the brisk November winds, bounding with great crashes against the steel girders climbing high into the air and holding up the great bridge she stood on. She wondered if it would hurt to be battered against those great steel poles, if any of the fish caught in its power met their end quickly by the harbor or if it was agony. She hoped for the former.

She felt the wind around her and felt like flying, taking a great leap into the air. The wind through her hair made it feel possible. She-

"Hello."

Kiera jumped with a shriek. A woman suddenly loomed over her like a waiting spector. Her piercing blue eyes roamed over her before settling on meeting her eye. She smiled, and a wink of her pearly white teeth caught the last of the dim evening light.

"You seem lost there, my dear. Can I help you?" She asked. Her voice flowed with a strong English accent that reminded her of a cheesy period drama, but the warmth behind it made Kiera squirm. Kiera dropped her gaze, feeling as if those eyes were picking her apart and leaving her vulnerable.

Kiera shook her head. Her throat had closed up, and she felt too exhausted to even try working around it. She waited for the woman to go, wordlessly pleading with her to go, but the woman stayed. She stared at her intensely.

"What are you doing out here then?" The woman asked. Kiera hesitated.

"Just on a walk."

"Looks like you want to do more than walk. Perhaps, you were looking to go for a swim?"

Kiera froze, looking at the woman. The woman gave a pleasant smile, her eyes staring on ever as attentive. She felt like she was being pinned down like a butterfly in a bug collection.

"Don't try to stop me." Kiera said. She tightened her grip on the bridge's railing. As if to make her point, she swung her leg over the edge, catching the little concrete left, keeping her from the water below.

The woman chuckled. "Oh darling, I don't want to stop you."

Kiera paused, thrown wildly off from her assumptions. She stared at the woman's pale face and searched for some falsehood. She merely smiled pleasantly at her. Her pearly white teeth seemed to radiate in the low light while her eyes flashed an odd amber glare.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to give your life to me." The woman suggested calmly as if she were suggesting a restaurant for lunch. Kiera stared at her for a long moment.

"I'll make it quick, I assure you." The woman continued on. "Though, I'd rather move this to a more favorable location. I hope you weren't too fond of this bridge."

"No. I'm not." Kiera said. She had picked the bridge, because it had seemed the best option for her, quick and irreversible. Her body would be swept away from the world with no messy aftermath to be accounted for for her family. It was almost romantic, merely disappearing into the water from her life.

Still, the thought of stepping down now was exhausting. It had taken her weeks anguished contemplation to step up to this exact spot, and she had sworn to herself that she wouldn't back down. Yet, the thought of plummeting in sight to someone else was also just wasn't something she could bring to do.

"Here, darling. Let me help you." The woman grasped at her hand straining against the rail, soft but insistent. Kiera looked into the woman's face, into her strange amber eyes, and found herself stuck there. The bone crushing exhaustion ever present inside her lifted to an easy, blurring haze. It was almost as if she was watching herself move as she threw her leg back over the guardrail.