Recognition (Yup, another vampire story)
Before the clashing of swords, before the screams of the dying, the first thing the man noticed was the enticing smell of blood. Rising from his chair, he Raising his head up, he inhaled a deep draught of the air. To him, the scent of blood was intoxicating. The Man’s eyes lit up as he realized what this much blood meant, there was a battle nearby. He usually avoided human’s and their affairs, prefering to keep to himself. However, with all that blood for the taking, and so temptingly close, the man smiled and licked his lips in anticipation. Quickly, he soared out of his hall into the sky above.
The man flew high above the world, it was a dark night, as the moon was covered in a blanket of clouds. He was a creature of darkness, and needed no light. The man could not be seen from below, but as he passed over, the people below felt a shiver of dread go through them. Worried parents called their children inside and locked the doors. “He comes”, mothers warned their children, “the vampire comes”. High above them, the vampire smiled cruelly, amused at the terror he was creating. As he flew on, the scent of blood became stronger and stronger, till he was nearly drunk on it’s very scent. The nearness of it clouded his thoughts, taking over the only human part of his mind. A predatory look came over his features, he grabbed a bird from the air and ripped into it, but it did nothing to satisfy his ever increasing thirst. The man flew faster.
Finally, he came to the scene of the battle. He could see the humans below, a heaving mass of killing and blood. How hilarious that they were fighting each other, unaware that the true danger lay above them, the Man smiled at the irony. He entertained himself by holding out as long as he could, stretching his resistance to the aroma of blood for minutes. His mouth became dry, and his breath turned into ragged gasps as his hunger grew stronger. The minutes seemed to crawl by slowly, and finally, he could not fight his thirst any longer.
His hunger for blood taking over him, the man plunged into the battle. Grabbing the first human he could reach, he tore the body apart in his frenzy. The blood coated his parched throat, smooth, warm and delicious, he gulped it down in earnest. Blood smeared on his face as he ravenously sucked his victim til he was dry and empty. Still, the temptation of the blood so close drove him mad. He tore into dozens more unlucky soldiers before his mind was finally clear. Then he began to drink for his own amusement, slowly sipping the blood from the humans, watching the expressions of horror and terror in their faces slowly ebb away as the very life was sucked out of them.
Bloated and full, he was just about to leave when a particular soldier caught his eye. The man was fighting fiercely, surrounded by downed enemies. His life force was a glow around him, and the man felt his thirst returning. “One last kill” he thought to himself, baring his sharp teeth in a smile. He swooped down on his intended victim, landing directly in front of the man. The vampire realized as he saw the human’s features, that this was no man. This was a woman, perhaps in her mid twentys, her eyes widened in surprise at his arrival. The vampire was amused, but not surprised. He has lived for eons, and seen women fight in conflicts many times.
However, when he was about to sink his teeth into her throat, he suddenly felt a flash of recognition. Hadn’t he seen a woman who looked like this, so long ago. His mind wandered back to a memory he had nearly forgotten, a garden, him chasing a girl, her delighted laughter.
His reminiscing was interrupted as the woman drove her sword into his abdomen. He shrieked in surprise, but not in pain. Yanking the weapon out of his body, he crushed it in his hands, watching the woman’s eyes widen as his wound healed in seconds. Now she was weaponless, weaponless and helpless. Still, the Man could not bring himself to kill her. It was as though some force inside his mind was stopping him.
Snarling in his rage, he slashed his pointed nails over her face. She flinched as he struck her, but did nothing as the blood welled out of the scratches. The man saw the blood, but felt no thirst for it. Screaming his frustration, he shot back into the sky. He would remember her face and seek her out for his revenge, and next time, there would be no hesitation.
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