My Soul To Take

Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. - Norman Cousins

How did it end up like this?

How did everything just explode in our faces just as we were on the cusp of happiness, why is my heart more broken than when it was before?

Do I even still have a heart?

Let me not overwhelm you, let me tell you my story, please.

Let’s take it back to where it all began.

*5 Years Ago*

It was a normal night or so I had thought. I had gone out for hunting with a couple of others like me. Even though throughout the day a feeling of dread kept building up, I still went out.

A storm came suddenly in the middle of our hunt and it cut us short so we all decided to head to our respective destinations. For me, it was home to my parents. I think I should’ve paid attention to the coincidence that was the storm, it was the beginning of the end.

As I arrive home, I notice that it seems way too quiet. Like the street and houses are holding their breath waiting to see what happens. Walking to the front door, the flash of lightening is illuminating my face against what’s left of the glass of our front door.

It’s completely shattered. Chilled and soaked, I step into the house and sniff trying to find anything out of place. The smell of blood is very prominent.

Fear for my parents suddenly kicks in and having a foolish moment, I call out into the seemingly empty house,

“Mom?”

Well great, whatever or whoever is still in the house definitely knows exactly where I am now. Fantastic.

My mother isn’t answering me. That’s weird she always answers me, no matter what. I thought she would have been over the argument we had in the morning. She wanted me to stay home for a couple of days. They’ve both been on edge lately, looking out of windows, checking that everything is in order as if they are expecting something horrible to happen, but that doesn’t make sense as my parents are Oldies, nothing to my knowledge can harm them. They are invincible.

But this morning, my mom almost breathed fire that’s how angry she was, she didn’t want me going anywhere. She wanted me to go to see my grandmother (she isn’t really my grandmother, I don’t have one but she is the closest thing I have to a grandmother), for a couple of days. I refused and stormed out of the house without saying goodbye. My biggest regret.

With no one answering my calls, I slowly head up the stairs towards my parent’s room. Entering I notice that it’s completely dark but I can see the outline of my dad’s body.

“Dad what’s going on? Why are you just lying on the bed when it looks like someone had a lot of frustration and took it out on our house?”

He doesn’t answer me, so I ask the next best thing.

“Where is mom?”

I’m still met with silence.

“Daddy, why aren’t you answering me?”

Walking towards him, I shove him in the shoulder, my hand comes back wet. Weird. But still no response.

Deciding to lighten up the room, I head to the light switch. Turning it on, I glance down to my hand trying to figure out why it’s wet.

Blood is all I see. Everything slows down and my dead heart feels like it just gave a very alive thump of panic.

Turning around slowly, I see my dad with a wound in his chest, a gaping open wound. As if someone wanted to rip him apart. Blood is still gushing out of him.

Silver stakes are everywhere, in his shoulders, in his hands, in his eyes, his chest and legs and his mouth is gaping open as if he was calling for help. They staked him to the bed. Oh god oh god oh god. No. Finding the strength from I don’t know where, I head towards the bed to see whether he is still alive. I can clearly see what I’m refusing to admit to myself. My father is dead.

I’m losing my mind, but I have to find my mother. Closing my eyes, I listen to any sounds going on in the house. Hearing the shower going on in my bedroom has me frowning. Why the fuck is my shower running and I’m not even in the shower.

Refusing to acknowledge what I see before my eyes, I turn and head towards my bedroom. Pushing the door open, I stop and take a moment to close my eyes, god I wish this wasn’t me, and I wish I could go back to yesterday when we were happy and safe. Where is my mother?? Turning towards my bathroom, slowly I give the door a nudge with my shoe, I walk in, oh god, this isn’t real, this cannot be real!!

I see my mother’s body lying face down in the shower, her dress in tatters as if she was in a struggle. Opening the shower door, I get in not caring that I’m getting even more wet from the water splattering down on me. Squatting down, I turn her over and her head rolls to the side, fuck she is really dead, decapitated, that’s one of the only ways to kill a vampire.

I register weird noises echoing in the bathroom, I realize that it’s me. Gut wrenching sobs are coming out of me. My soul is shattered. My parents are gone. My parents are fucking gone. That makes me cry even harder. The pain in my chest is too much, I thought we couldn’t feel pain but god this is a black hole of pain. Blackness is taking over me, it’s like I’m losing all sense of what it means to be an ordinary vampire. I can feel the good part fighting to get control back.

No one is here. I am all alone.

Finally, the reality of being left all alone shatters what’s left of my sanity and the pain and anger turn to vengeance for the people that killed my family. I will find them and I will kill them. They will bleed rivers of blood, “And so it shall be done.” I whisper, sealing my oath into a promise that will happen.

Disorientated, I turn when I hear footsteps coming towards me. The light behind them makes it hard to see who the person is.

“Ah love, can’t you handle a bit of blood?”

Crack and darkness is all I see.