The Last Beat of My Heart

The cold autumn wind blew past me while I tucked a strand of my auburn hair behind my ear. I hugged my jacket closer to my small frame and waited for the walk signal on the street light. I looked both ways before crossing the street, listening to the clicking of my heels as I did so.

Yet, as I passed by another alley, the sound of struggles echoed to my ears and I stopped dead in my tracks. I tried my hardest to see into the dark, but I failed miserably. The sounds continued to get louder and I was about to turn away when I heard a whimper. I blinked and bit back my fear. After what felt like hours of deliberation, I stepped into the alley.

I tried to keep my weight off my heels so that they wouldn't be so loud. I held my breath as long as I could so that I wouldn't be heard. I walked a little faster, just so that I could find whatever animal or bum was back here to get this over with.

However, I wasn't expecting to find a man and woman in what looked like some kind of embrace. I felt my cheeks flush but before I backed away, the man pulled back and turned only the slightest bit, though still enough to bring his face into the light. I inhaled sharply, though it wasn't at his exquisite beauty or breathtaking features.

His canine teeth, hovering over the woman's bare neck, were smooth and snow white. They came to dangerously sharp points and I had the feeling this woman wasn't back here voluntarily. As my brain spun trying to come up with some kind of reasoning, the man turned my way.

I cursed myself for being too loud as I took a step back. His swirling, red eyes were so intense that I was almost under a trance. Until the woman slumped down to the asphalt, I hadn't taken a single breath. I watched her body crumple on the wet ground and my face twisted in horror. He had killed her.

Immediately, I spun and ran through the alley, wondering why I had put myself in this situation. I should have kept walking and ignored my curiosity. Yet I would have never witnessed this woman's attack, and as I pushed the horrible imagery from my mind, I reached into my purse to grab my cell phone.

Just as I pushed the number nine, my phone was swatted to the ground. I looked up in terror into the red eyes and my heart began to beat faster. He grabbed my wrist tightly and pushed me backward. My breath escaped my lungs as my back collided with the brick wall and he stepped in front of me.

I thought about what would happen when he killed me in this alley. It was a horrible place to die, filthy and damp from the rain that hadn't even managed to cleanse it. No one would be looking for me, I had no family left. My friends wouldn't notice my absence for a few days. He would have plenty of time to hide my body somewhere and get rid of any evidence as to what happened here. I was suddenly furious and I thought that if I didn't even have a chance, then I would at least get a few last words.

"Why are you doing this?" I choked out, hating that my fear was still evident in my voice.

"Because," he breathed, his voice like silk, "you aren't supposed to know what I am."

"You're a murderer," I spat, this time sounding stronger, though I still couldn't admit what he truly was. He was suddenly an inch away from me, his nose almost touching me as he bent his head down. I was wondering if he was going to bare his fangs again, if he would dig them into me and suck the life out. "What are you waiting for?"

His breaths were short and it sounded like he was struggling. A moment of hope flashed inside of me for a nanosecond, thinking that maybe he was going to let me go. But he opened his mouth so slowly it was almost agonizing. "Your blood," he explained, his voice sounding strained, "it's intoxicating." My hope vanished and I knew someone as cold as this would never have the heart to release me.

"Let me go," I asked, biting back the desperation and the desire to beg. I wouldn't give this person the satisfaction of stripping me of my dignity. His hands against the wall behind me boxed me in and I felt him moving in even closer, if it was possible. I closed my eyes and felt them burn with the beginning of tears. I didn't want this, I didn't deserve this.

"Never," he vowed, and I felt the horrible reality of his word sinking in. His mouth moved closer to my throat and my heart flew into over drive. My breathing grew shallow and my mind clouded over. I don't think he even got a single bite in before my eyes rolled into the back of my head and I lost consciousness.