~Cruor~

Vamptember day 2 ~ Psychic vampire

This day had been particularly draining.

You finally clocked out of your job, practically feeling the bags under your eyes. Your body felt unusually heavy as you struggled moving forward. Nearly sinking down on the pavement, you barely managed to pull yourself together. People passing by shot you odd looks, but never stopped to come to your aid. Sitting down on a bench, you took out your phone. As your vision blurred, you began to search through your contacts. Through blurry eyes you could see the name you were looking for.

'Ethan'

Dialing the number, you sat hunched over with your head in your hand. It didn't take very long for him to pick up. "Hey... it's me," your voice cracked under the exhaustion. There was a small pause before he replied. "Hey hey, something wrong?" The voice of your roommate sounded, little concern in his tone. "I was wondering if you could come pick me up," you mumbled, rubbing your eyes. "Tired again?" Ethan laughed, speaking in a playful tone. You muttered a small 'yes', and sent him your location. He hung up the phone, and you patiently waited, trying your best to not fall asleep. Minutes seemed to blur together and you could yourself slowly fade away.

Until a hand found itself on your arm.

"There you are, sleeping beauty." An attractive young man with curly, honey brown hair and green eyes was kneeled beside you. "You had me all worried!" He chuckled as he pulled you to your feet by the wrists. You stumbled as managed to find your balance. "You look pale, come on, get in the car." Ethan kept calmly talking to you as he guided you into the passenger seat. "Jeez they really took a lot out of you," he chuckled. "I don't know, it's been weeks." Ethan brushed his hand through your hair. "You should take time off work," he muttered.  "I have to pay my side of the rent," you softly argued. "Don't worry about it. If they fire you i'll handle it."

"But you were advertising for a roommate to split finances?" You questioned. Ethan shook his head, chuckling. "Not at the cost of your life, dummy." He gently flicked your forehead. He shut the passenger door before walking around and getting into the drivers seat. "You know if you want to quit your job that's fine, i won't kick you out." You quietly watched the frown on his face as he started the car. Your roommate had a pair of bags under his eyes as well. He didn't look that great either, not ever since you got so sick.

The rest of the car ride was silent, Ethan peering at the road. When you got back to your apartment, Ethan guided you to lay down on the couch. "I'm telling you, quit your job," he mumbled as he went to make you tea. "I know we've only been living together for a month or two, but you're deteriorating." You couldn't argue with that. "I'll pay for your part of the rent, just stay here." Something about his tone was somewhat desperate. You felt yourself calm down a bit from your exhaustion as you rested your head on one of the couch pillows. Ethan sat down the tea on the table, before taking a seat by you, lifting your head into his lap. "What are you doing?" You groggily asked. "I know it looks weird, but bear with me," he mumbled. You could feel his hand rub through your scalp, gently massaging the tired skin. "Take it easy, i'll care for you, alright?" You glanced at your phone. "Maybe i should see a doctor, or call my family."

Ethan furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would you do that? Surely you wouldn't wanna bother them at this hour." Gently plucking your phone out of your hands, Ethan placed it aside on the table. Too tired to argue, you relented and finally shut your eyes.

You don't remember how long you slept afterwards. An odd noise awoke you amidst the night. You assumed Ethan had already gone to bed. Although you felt exhausted, you couldn't help but feel as if something was amiss. Slowly getting off the couch, you looked around the apartment. Ethan was nowhere to be found. Finally, you knocked on his bedroom door. No reply came, and against your better judgement you opened the door. You knew the boundary he had set on you never being allowed to enter his room, but something felt off to you. In the dark you could notice the outline of different items. Skulls made of varying types of gemstones, old pagan items which origins you couldn't quite place.

The pleasant smell of lavender entered your nose as you stepped further in the dark room. Ethan never mentioned any of these interests. Something about it greatly unsettled you, as you looked at a elk skull stood atop his wardrobe. On his bed laid a book. Curiosity got the better of you, and you opened the book to the page with a bookmark. It seemed like nonsense to your tired mind. A few drops of blood were scattered over the faltering page.

"I never took you for much of a bookworm."

Ethan's voice snapped you out of your daze, as you turned to face him. He was leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes were glowing a strange green hue. "Dearie, shouldn't you be in bed?" Stepping forward, he attempted to touch your hand, but you swatted it away. "What the fuck!?" Your voice cracked. "Oh come on, you knew that advertisement was too good to be true."

"What is going on?" You hissed at the man, who only leaned in closer to you. "I need energy too, and you have provided me with plenty." He placed a gentle kiss on your forehead, the contact with his skin sent a wave of dizziness over you. Ethan pulled you into his chest, chuckling. "This is the most entertained i've been since... 1974.. was it?" As you felt yourself sink into his arms.

"Don't worry, i won't let you die. But neither will i let you leave.... that would cost me too much of your energy."

[A psychic vampire (or energy vampire) is a creature in said to feed off the life energy of other living creatures. The term can also be used to describe a person who gets increased energy around other people, but leaves those other people exhausted or "drained" of energy. Psychic vampires are represented in the occult beliefs of various cultures and in fiction.]

[Authors note: This took long as i was gone all day. Technically right before 12 am is still day 2. I'm sorry about the quality, i had a truly awful day.]