Vampire Vocab

Jane finished her grocery shopping, cradling Sarah to her chest with one arm, pushing the cart with the other. She puts her items on the belt, and as the cashier rings them up, she rummages around in her purse, looking for her wallet. She finds it, and, in triumphantly pulling it out, pulls her amulet with it which flies, shimmering like a silver minnow, through the air before ending its glorious flight by clattering to the feet of a well- dressed man. He picks it up, a bemused smile tugging the corners of his lips, before he hands it to Jane. She takes it carefully, avoiding touching the mans fingers as she did so.

A fine repayment that would be for helping a stranger, she thought bitterly. Unless it’s his secret wish to be reduced to ash. Somehow I doubt that. Only then did she glance up at the mans face. She froze, her mind scrabbling for some explanation, some excuse for why he looked exactly like the vampire who had changed Sarah. He leaned close and whispered chillingly in her ear,”The time has come to pick sides, Jane. Sarah doesn’t have the choice you do, she’ll fight with us. But when the time comes, who are you loyal to?”

He struts off, that arrogant smiles still in place, unfazed. He opens the door and Jane shivers, but it’s not from the icy fall air that flows like cool water into the room, lapping at Jane’s feet.

“Ma’am! Your groceries are all ready!” A confused, if friendly, cashier peeks at her from behind thick glasses. “Are you all right? Did that man say something nasty to you?”

“No, I’m fine, ” She replies, mustering a weak smile. “Really, I am” she adds when he looks doubtful. She pays for the food, and, hoisting the bag, steps out into the approaching dusk. The sun bleeds red, pink and gold across the sky, spreading its colors that dance in the sky before retiring behind the horizon to sleep until dawn.

“Hey there!” calls a jeering voice from across the street. Jane glances up and sees a small group of men, four at most, emerging from the bar. She keeps walking, expecting that they’ll leave her alone. She was wrong. They follow her progress, shouting suggestive comments and roaring with laughter. As they begin to cross the street, Jane ducks into a darkened alley, practically running now, her frantic footsteps echoing of the  brick walls on either side of her. Sarah burrows into her chest, softly stating, “I’m thirsty”.  The men round the corner into the alley, gathering dark and threatening as the shadows that we all switch our lamps on to ward off. The things of nightmares. As if I’m one to talk, Jane thinks, then a new fear hits her.

“Don’t touch me,” She says to no avail. The men just laugh, cruelly. The leader reaches out and she shies away like a nervous horse. “Don’t touch me,” she begs again, but the leader snickers and replies,

“After chasing you that long? Too bad, little lady,” he leered at her and reached out a hand. Jane looked about frantically, searching for a place to go, her blond hair shining like dull gold as her head moves. As soon as the mans finger touched her face, his hot breath which stunk of whiskey ruffling her hair, he combusted into ashes. Jane straightened, and the other men’s faces changed slowly from idiotic pleasure to outright fear. At this, Sarah leapt out of Jane’s arms, and before they could scream, drained each man dry. “I told you I was thirsty, Mother” her sweet voice that rang like the tinkling of tiny bells intoned, to which Jane shrugged nonchalantly.Playing cleanup, Jane brushed her fingers over each of them in turn, reducing their bodies, faces still frozen in shock and trepidation, to ash. Picking up Sarah and her groceries, Jane walks to the mouth of the alley as a wind picks up, ruffling the hem of her skirt and swirling the ashes around her.

“I told them not to touch me.” She murmers before setting off towards home.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 11:19 am and is filed under Ramblings, Vampires, Writing.
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