Friend Of The Dead

Method To Madness

Blood drips like paint from a wall, sliding across my smooth, granite skin. A downward spiral of red. The colour held little meaning when I was human, if nothing but reminding me of the halo of hair that surrounded the head of the woman who haunted me. But now, its sight is grotesque to my eyes, igniting both a desire and disgust in me that I held with considerable contempt. I looked at it and saw my own blood, pouring out of my dying body. I saw my immortal eyes in it, proof of my eternal existence. I saw Dorian in it, a vessel of blood so easily prone to danger, one prick against his skin and out it flows, soul and essence gone as swiftly as it was reclaimed.

But what kind of danger could he be caught in aside from me? There, look what lies at my feet, carcases of desecrated animals piled on top of each other like a small little hillock of victory. They gave me no satisfaction, not since I've smelt human blood, tasted it in the air of a room and wondered if it would taste differently on my tongue. I now understand Jasper's struggle with his diet even after decades of practice, and a little part of me wondered whether I would have chosen the same vegetarian style, had I started with the regular human diet.

Even now, it wasn't enough. I was insatiable, I wanted – needed more – if I was going to meet him face to face. Has it truly been fourteen, sixteen hours since I decapitated her? It feels like mere minutes has passed. I don't think I noticed a second pass by, not until I acknowledged the burning in my throat, and the blood my thirst demanded. Several hours later and still, here I am, scouring the forest for prey.

I reclined back against the forest floor and stared through the canopy of trees at the stars that shimmered distantly behind them. Worms and fleas had long since claimed the dead carcasses at my feet, but they kept their distance from me. I repelled even the lowest of creatures.

Feelings hadn't come back. Touch, sense, and smell, they were all within my range, but emotions were far out of my reach. I killed Victoria, I ended her immortal life, those cat-like eyes that followed me around looked at me one last time with hatred and malice before they stopped seeing altogether. I think, in some way, I anticipated this state. Some part of me knew that something like this would happen to me, and that's why I made that deal with Sam. If I'm not getting revenge, then what am I doing?

What is Sophie Cullen's purpose?

My mind was more stable now; I understood what happened hours ago on that porch and exactly who I spoke to. And with that clarity, came questions. What was he looking for? Have you found it? I'm not sure. I feel like it's looking at me, but - it looks different.

It looks different.

I wonder what he saw.

And I have to see him, today, at a time and place we never specified.

Alice was somewhere in the forest heading my way, I could hear her tiny footsteps against the forest floor. She was coming to see me, probably to talk about what was supposed to happen today. She probably got a vision of it the second I agreed to his request. Which means there's a chance that Edward has seen it and knows about it.

Wonderful.

It was three minutes before she stood over my body, hands on her hips. "Were you planning on telling me about your little meeting or did you just want for me to hunt you down?"

I blink up at her. "I wasn't thinking about it,"

Alice crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing. "Well, that's for certain. Did you even think about how this meet up will go?"

I raise my hands and stare at my blood-soaked fingers for a minute before they fall back at my sides.

"If I'm being honest, it hasn't really sunk in." Alice stared at me, letting out a sigh before she sat down and stretched out by my side, folding her arms over her stomach.