Thanatos : The Red Dawn

(2)Tuscan Red Rogue

Slowly, I could feel a headache make its way up to my temples. The light was far too bright...

The man looked up from his new toy and watched with a suspicious eye as I came to stand before him, my expression deadly. At first, the woman didn't sense my presence, but quickly she noticed the man's attention on something else. She too turned her head towards me and softly gasped.

"What do you want, princess?" The pungent man slurred his words, lingering on his vowels like they were empty beer bottles.

I smirked. "Princess? How unoriginal."

I watched as the man's expression changed upon hearing my voice. It cut like a thousand knives. The woman whimpered at my voice and I could feel her eyes roam my body. Typical... Rather sad, I would've liked to stalk her down, but there was no time for that. Neither was there any time to fulfil her every dying wish.

I lead a sad life...

"You, my friend," I spoke my words slowly and with deliberate threat, "need a few more stiff drinks if you think you can fuck with me..."

The man pointed a dirty finger to my chest and spoke with so much concentration, it was somewhat depressing, "You gonna leave or am I gonna have to slice your dick-"

With a swift movement of my black-gloved hand, I abruptly silenced his slur. I savoured the sound that echoed off the walls. The sound of a man's finger breaking multiple times.

The woman shrieked from the sudden jolt in my stance and without blinking, I quickly grabbed her neck and snapped it like a twig to stop her from alerting anyone. Her neck broke without resistance and she fell limply to the floor, her red hair falling across her face. The man opened his mouth to scream, but I put my hand around his neck to stop any sound from escaping.

I watched as his eyes started to bulge from his skull and his skin turn a sickly shade of red. I pressed harder and felt his hands fly up and try to pry mine off. It made no sense to fight.

I was Death- this was life. You're born, you die.

My life, and frankly everyone's lives, would be much easier if humans would just accept their fate.

The life drained from the man's muddy eyes and I loosened my grip on his throat. In a moment, his arms hung loosely to his side and his head rolled back in my steel grip. I watched as my shadow smiled from ear to ear, its teeth making a thrilling, ragged pattern. I indicated to the corner, signalling to my shadow to keep watch while I fed. It nodded its head greedily and scurried off, moving like a shade against the alley walls.

I brought the man's mouth closer to my face and parted my lips. I clenched my fists into balls and held onto the drunken man as a ghostly black essence flowed from his partly open mouth towards mine. Not only did his breath smell like a liquor store, but his soul tasted of a mini bar. I suppose it was bearable, but sour.

I swallowed, feeling the black soul move its way down my throat. I let go of the man and dusted off my gloved hands as he fell to the floor. My shadow made a sound similar to a sigh and shook itself. I watched as a black light flickered around it for a split second and the black flames around my shadow vanished. Good, the beast was fed.

I turned my bloody gaze to the woman on the floor. Such a waste, I might as well drain her as well. I picked her up by the hair, her shoulder-length locks tangling in my gloved hand. I loosened her jaw, ensuring that there was enough space for the soul to escape from and watched as a bright, pretty orange light illuminated from her lips and danced across the space to my open mouth. I swallowed, tasting a fresh citrusy flavour linger in my mouth. She was delectable...

My shadow made a chirping sound, almost like a crow, and an orange glow consumed it and then was gone. I tapped my shadow on the back and took out my scythe. It knew what to do with the bodies. I didn't want to be present as it feasted on their flesh and bones. I knew he'd clean up the place; like these two mortals never existed. It was a bloody feast and I had somewhere to be, so I sliced the air and stepped through the black, star-flecked abyss.

It would know where to find me.