I met him the next day on the crowded street, holding onto my brother’s hand and the other holding onto my suitcase and other things. He wore a black beanie, a grey shirt with a brown overcoat and again, black skinny jeans. What is it with guys and skinny jeans?
“Are you ready? I’ll take some of your things for you.”
He reached for my bags but I threw them behind me and his smile faded a little and turned to an expression of hurt.
“You don’t trust me, do you?” He asked and he tried his best to muster up a smile.
“I at least need your name.” I had never sounded so childish before but that’s what I was-a child.
I didn’t know any better than to not trust anyone we come across. Even the store clerk was someone who couldn’t be trusted in my eyes. The only person I could trust was my brother, Jordan, because he was the only person left who I loved.
“I’m Harry.” The vampire said smiling gently before tilting his head towards the direction of the forest and as he started walking, I pulled Jordan closer towards me and followed him.
I moved my hand through Jordan’s lengthy, golden hair the way our mother used to and pulled his head closer to my hip as if it would somehow protect him.
We ventured through the forest and eventually came to the field of flowers I had visited previously. I couldn’t believe it, he really did bring us here, though I still didn’t trust him. He could have easily brought us here so the other vampires roaming the streets wouldn’t smell the desiring scent of blood and go on a rampage.
He brought us to a large rock, bigger than himself and he turned around and smiled at us. I pushed Jordan behind us and we both took a couple of steps back, yet this time instead of his smile completely disappearing, it only faded a little.
“This is where you guys will be sleeping and you needn’t worry, I won’t kill you in your sleep and I didn’t bring you here just for a snack.”
I glared at him. Of course, how could I forget? Vampires can hear your thoughts. I knew I wasn’t safe here. Jordan and I quickly took more steps back and we were about to break into a run but as we turned around, he stood in front of us and once again, I reached out and pulled Jordan to my side.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He put his hands out only slightly in front and his palms faced us to signal the truth but I knew better than to trust another person.
“Then why won’t you let us leave?” I questioned frantically, trying my best not to break out into tears for Jordan’s sake, he must have been terrified at this point.
Harry sighed and moved his body to the side, allowing us passage and permission to leave if we desired.
“You can leave if you want, I just don’t want you to get hurt. I’m trying to protect you here. I remember when I was human and I almost died by a zombie, I was bitten and the only way I could have been saved was a vampire bite, it’s much more powerful.”
I looked up at the forest and my eyes widened as Jordan ran for them but stopped and looked back at me when he realised I hadn’t taken one single step. He ran back to me and grabbed my hand before tugging the edge of my shirt and signalling me to follow him.
I looked at Harry who stood to my side and I gulped nervously.
“If we go back, how long will we last?” I asked, looking at the ground ahead of me, refusing to look at his captivating eyes.
He laughed softly for a while before shaking his head and looking up at me. Did he really think I was that incapable of surviving?
“Well how long have you survived without your parents?”
“Four years.”
He nodded and seemed impressed by my answer.
“At most, you would last ten years, for your brother maybe five and that’s if you stay together. However if you stay here, you can live out your entire lives, live happy lives and I will help get you whatever food and things you need to survive.”
I looked down at Jordan and crouched down to meet his eye level. I could see tears forming in his eyes, he really didn’t want to be here with Harry.
“Jordan, we are going to stay here for a while,” He began to shake his head vigorously so I grabbed his shoulder gently and shushed him, “Jordan, Jordan it’s okay. He won’t hurt us, he’s going to protect us.”
I didn’t believe what I was saying and due to Harry being able to read minds, he knew that too but Jordan needed to be told a lie in order to be protected. I would rather have us be under threat by one vampire rather than a city full of vampires and zombies and even some desperate, brutal humans.
Jordan quickly jumped behind me as Harry turned to face me, a small genuine smile crossed his face.
“Thank you.” His deep, almost monotone voice seemed to make Jordan shiver and I won’t lie, it made me shiver too, but not out of fear.
Everything about him was absolutely captivating. His eyes, his hair, his voice, everything about him made me want to trust him but I knew I couldn’t.
“I didn’t do it for you.” I said coldly, yet it just made him smile even more.
The day quickly passed and I watched amazed as Harry zipped at vampire speed through the forest and came back seconds later with leaves, ferns and more, though what amazed me the most was how he created such a realistic hut. With wood for its walls and ferns and sticks to hold up the roof, it was spectacular. It was done at night fall and I just stared wide eyed and open-mouthed. Jordan remained by my side, unwilling to go inside.
“How did you learn to do this?” I asked amazed.
He laughed and signalled for me to go inside which I did. Jordan, being incredibly brave and cute, growled like a dog at Harry as he followed me inside.
“Before I became a vampire, I had spent most of my life living without the care of others so I had to learn to take care of myself. When I became a vampire it became so much easier to build stuff like this-it’s become a passion of mine really.”
Inside it looked like the Tardis from that ‘Doctor Who’ show as it was bigger on the inside than on the out, or at least, that’s how it seemed to me. It had two windows, a small wooden box and three beds made out of leaves, which looked really comfortable but also alarmed me a bit.
“Three beds? You’re staying?” I asked, a tone of worry and terror lined in my voice.
He nodded and sat down on the smallest bed which only just looked like it covered enough for his head down to his hips. I thought that would have been Jordan’s but maybe not.
“I’ll have this one so you guys are comfortable. I made it smaller anyway because vampires hardly sleep. The only time they ever sleep is when-”
“When they have used all their energy or been drained of blood.” I finished his sentence for him and he smiled and nodded.
I nodded back and agreed to let him stay which set Jordan off growling and snarling at Harry. I poked Jordan in the shoulder and mouthed the word ‘Don’t’. He glared at Harry one last time before making his way over to one of the other unoccupied beds and curling up into a ball.
“Sometimes I wish I knew what he was thinking…” I breathed to myself and I jumped when I heard a voice.
I didn’t expect to be answered.
“Sometimes I wish I didn’t…” Harry nodded, his face was expressionless as he looked over to Jordan.
Some time had passed and it was well into the early morning when the silence was finally broken by that all too familiar deep tone of Harry’s voice.
“You can sleep, you know.”
I shook my head vigorously, refusing to move my eyes off of his.
“You STILL don’t trust me?”
His voice sounded shocked and almost in a way, defeated. I shrugged and finally turned my head away from his which made him chuckle softly.
“Well I admire your honesty.” He said simple before continuing to talk, “but if you think about it, who would go through all that effort to build all this for someone they wanted to kill?”
I turned my head to face him and I smiled menacingly.
“I thought you said it became easier when you turned into a vampire?” I mocked which made him nod.
“It did but I doubt many vampires can achieve something to this level. This didn’t come from my time as a vampire, but my time as a human. I just merely shortened construction time with my speed.”
I cocked an eyebrow and looked at him with a judging gaze to my eyes. Was he really that confident that he actually believes other vampires can’t do this? How naïve is he?
“You sound overly confident. Big ego much?” I laughed.
“I am overly confident but it’s not because I’m good at this or I like being a vampire, it’s because unlike other vampires out there-I think humans are the higher race.”
My head shot to his. What did he just say? Saying something like that could have easily got him killed in court. Vampires were known to be the highest rank of creatures and if you deny or disprove of that, then whether you were human, vampire or zombie-you would be killed on the spot.
“You do?” I asked unsure if he was speaking the truth or not.
He nodded vigorously and looked up at the roof of his masterpiece.
“Vampires can spend a literal eternity trying to perfect a craft but if you had a particular skill as a human, it gets magnified by a thousand when you become a vampire, hence why the human race is better.”
I gave him a funny look. What was he on about? He made it sound like vampires were far greater by that sentence. He looked down at me and he seemed alarmed when he saw my expression.
“I’m sorry, let me explain. I mean that humans are the real source of power. If you think about what I just said, it all comes from humans. A vampire who learns to paint can be great over a few centuries but a human who can paint, can become legendary the moment they turn into a vampire. I know how that sounds, it sounds like I’m trying to glorify vampires and believe me and I’m not. All I’m trying to say is that vampires are merely just an extension, an update if you will to human society. All the data, all the genes come from humans. It makes me sick to my stomach, the thought of hurting a race as amazing and precious as yours.”
My eyes widened. Usually I didn’t like trusting people, but I’ve lived long enough and in such brutal conditions to know when someone is lying or telling the truth and either Harry was a fantastic actor or he was telling the truth.
“Then what about the humans you kill for food?” I asked sorrowfully.
He shot a worried look up at me and his eyes widened as he processed my question and I couldn’t help but feel a tingle run up my spine….