Power in the Blood - Pt. 4
Neal found a little more sense. “Fuck this man, it ain’t worth losing my spot on the team.” He turned and started loping back towards the school’s lights.
Even Don paused as the noises got louder. But he fingered the pistol stuck in the front waistband of his pants and focused on his anger. That pussy would pay for messing him up. The three moved through the trees like uncertain specters through a child’s fever dream.
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Reggie’s sight cleared and even as it did he wished himself blind. Lisa lay in a twist of crimson cloth, her throat torn open and her face twisted in a look of horror. He couldn’t deny the taste in his mouth or the joy it had brought him. He wanted to puke it all back up again. He wanted to be lying there in her place. But the power that hummed in his brain and filled his body couldn’t be denied.
A branch broke off a few feet to his left and he heard voices. The moonlight had come back full strength and he felt naked and ashamed. He could do nothing about the body. The thought of being caught and denied access to this was too much. He leapt ten feet straight up to a nearby branch and crouched. The part of his brain that was still Reggie was amazed and the whisper that grew ever louder promised this and more.
---------------------------
The silver disk in the sky painted the death scene. Don pulled his gun free, taking an inch of skin from his stomach in the process. Joey nearly fainted and merely vomited between his shoes instead. “What the fuck!” Don looked around for Reggie, thinking whatever had done this had also gotten him. It wasn’t out of any sense of concern, but he figured that it would give him some lead time to run.
A sound like falling into dried underbrush came from behind him and he turned to see what he thought was Joey crouching over. His brain registered a second later, that it was Reggie standing on the crumpled body of his friend. He watched as the boy, who seemed no larger, pulled Joey’s head from his shoulders and sucked at the strange fruit in his hands.
He stepped back and pointed the gun. “Don’t make me shoot you.” He thought maybe if he could make it to the shadows at least he could run.
Reggie stepped forward and bathed in the light of the moon seemed to be carved from carnelian. His face, hair, and remaining clothes stained rust. “Oh, shoot me. You know you want to.” Came the unnaturally thick, low voice.
“You killed her…” Don tried to focus the will to carry out his threat. “and Joey.”
“I sure did. It was a shame about Lisa.” His left hand moved faster than Don could see and pain shot up Don’s right arm. Somehow he was holding the gun and something else. “You and your boys? Not so much.”
Don realized that the other thing was his right hand. He saw blood fountaining from it. He watched, his body held prisoner by something, as what was Reggie came forward and drank deeply from it. Things quickly went black for him. The last word he heard was “Delicious.”
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It was easier to see now. His latest victim lay crumpled like an empty sack. The one called Neal had lost its important fluids into the dirt. He needed more food. The changes taking place in this new body were using up energy almost as fast as he could provide it.
His right hand dipped into a pocket and pulled out a once clean square of linen. Even through all of the contamination he could still smell the good sister.
No! Reason and conscience clawed at the back of his brain. He remembered stories of people buried alive and of the marks left on their casket lid as they struggled from freedom. His struggles were as useless and no less painful. For right now he wasn’t in charge, the thirst was.
Running through the night air on feet that would have tripped over one another only days ago, part of Reggie exulted in the power and speed. He didn’t make a sound, at least not one discernible to his ears. Thoughts about what he had done in only the last few minutes and the changes he had undergone over a week fought for his consciousness.
He didn’t love the girl, Lisa he tried to remind himself, but she didn’t deserve that end. He deserved this power though. After a life of abuse, defeat, self-loathing, this was his time.
No. He screamed at himself. Not at that cost.
He chuckled, not quite out loud. Human life was cheap. That’s what everything around him said, no screamed just as loudly as that voice inside his head. This new life was much dearer.
The clearing from wood’s edge to stone buildings was free of witnesses. Fran lived at the school, as did most of the staff serving as dorm parents to the residential students. The building they were housed in was an old rambling thing built from native stone, the oldest on campus. His senses lead him to the right side of the building. His eyes crawled up to window.
Pale light struggled to make its way out, blocked by grime and wire mesh. In spite of the greensward surrounding the school it was still in the middle of a dangerous city, now even more dangerous. There was no one around to see him scramble up the rough wall. Fingers and toes found easy purchase and in seconds he could see her.
The rich smell came through her pores and found egress through a crack left open for night breezes. She kneeled at the foot of her bed, praying to the bloody man above.
He could easily smash the glass to get to her, but that would bring a great deal of undue attention to the scene. “Sister.” He called weakly through the opening. When that wasn’t sufficient to rouse her, he tried louder. “Sister Fran.”
She turned to the window, a look of confusion running across her face. She was so beautiful. Her wimple had been removed, revealing flowing, dark auburn hair. “Reggie?” She cranked the window open further. “Come in. What on earth are you doing climbing up the building? You could get killed.”
He crawled through, any broader and that would have been impossible. “Thanks Sister.” He saw that the only light came from candles placed on nearly every flat surface.
She took in his appearance. “Dear Lord, what happened? You’re covered in blood.” She turned to a tiny sink in the corner and wet a towel.
He leered at her, while her back was turned. “I got in a little scrape with Don in the woods.” Innocence painted his face under the bloody mask when she turned back to him. He wanted this feast to last a little while. “He had a knife. There was so much bl… bl… blood.” He sobbed and crumpled to the floor, letting a little of his remaining humanity to the surface.
Part Five...
Even Don paused as the noises got louder. But he fingered the pistol stuck in the front waistband of his pants and focused on his anger. That pussy would pay for messing him up. The three moved through the trees like uncertain specters through a child’s fever dream.
---------------------------
Reggie’s sight cleared and even as it did he wished himself blind. Lisa lay in a twist of crimson cloth, her throat torn open and her face twisted in a look of horror. He couldn’t deny the taste in his mouth or the joy it had brought him. He wanted to puke it all back up again. He wanted to be lying there in her place. But the power that hummed in his brain and filled his body couldn’t be denied.
A branch broke off a few feet to his left and he heard voices. The moonlight had come back full strength and he felt naked and ashamed. He could do nothing about the body. The thought of being caught and denied access to this was too much. He leapt ten feet straight up to a nearby branch and crouched. The part of his brain that was still Reggie was amazed and the whisper that grew ever louder promised this and more.
---------------------------
The silver disk in the sky painted the death scene. Don pulled his gun free, taking an inch of skin from his stomach in the process. Joey nearly fainted and merely vomited between his shoes instead. “What the fuck!” Don looked around for Reggie, thinking whatever had done this had also gotten him. It wasn’t out of any sense of concern, but he figured that it would give him some lead time to run.
A sound like falling into dried underbrush came from behind him and he turned to see what he thought was Joey crouching over. His brain registered a second later, that it was Reggie standing on the crumpled body of his friend. He watched as the boy, who seemed no larger, pulled Joey’s head from his shoulders and sucked at the strange fruit in his hands.
He stepped back and pointed the gun. “Don’t make me shoot you.” He thought maybe if he could make it to the shadows at least he could run.
Reggie stepped forward and bathed in the light of the moon seemed to be carved from carnelian. His face, hair, and remaining clothes stained rust. “Oh, shoot me. You know you want to.” Came the unnaturally thick, low voice.
“You killed her…” Don tried to focus the will to carry out his threat. “and Joey.”
“I sure did. It was a shame about Lisa.” His left hand moved faster than Don could see and pain shot up Don’s right arm. Somehow he was holding the gun and something else. “You and your boys? Not so much.”
Don realized that the other thing was his right hand. He saw blood fountaining from it. He watched, his body held prisoner by something, as what was Reggie came forward and drank deeply from it. Things quickly went black for him. The last word he heard was “Delicious.”
---------------------------
It was easier to see now. His latest victim lay crumpled like an empty sack. The one called Neal had lost its important fluids into the dirt. He needed more food. The changes taking place in this new body were using up energy almost as fast as he could provide it.
His right hand dipped into a pocket and pulled out a once clean square of linen. Even through all of the contamination he could still smell the good sister.
No! Reason and conscience clawed at the back of his brain. He remembered stories of people buried alive and of the marks left on their casket lid as they struggled from freedom. His struggles were as useless and no less painful. For right now he wasn’t in charge, the thirst was.
Running through the night air on feet that would have tripped over one another only days ago, part of Reggie exulted in the power and speed. He didn’t make a sound, at least not one discernible to his ears. Thoughts about what he had done in only the last few minutes and the changes he had undergone over a week fought for his consciousness.
He didn’t love the girl, Lisa he tried to remind himself, but she didn’t deserve that end. He deserved this power though. After a life of abuse, defeat, self-loathing, this was his time.
No. He screamed at himself. Not at that cost.
He chuckled, not quite out loud. Human life was cheap. That’s what everything around him said, no screamed just as loudly as that voice inside his head. This new life was much dearer.
The clearing from wood’s edge to stone buildings was free of witnesses. Fran lived at the school, as did most of the staff serving as dorm parents to the residential students. The building they were housed in was an old rambling thing built from native stone, the oldest on campus. His senses lead him to the right side of the building. His eyes crawled up to window.
Pale light struggled to make its way out, blocked by grime and wire mesh. In spite of the greensward surrounding the school it was still in the middle of a dangerous city, now even more dangerous. There was no one around to see him scramble up the rough wall. Fingers and toes found easy purchase and in seconds he could see her.
The rich smell came through her pores and found egress through a crack left open for night breezes. She kneeled at the foot of her bed, praying to the bloody man above.
He could easily smash the glass to get to her, but that would bring a great deal of undue attention to the scene. “Sister.” He called weakly through the opening. When that wasn’t sufficient to rouse her, he tried louder. “Sister Fran.”
She turned to the window, a look of confusion running across her face. She was so beautiful. Her wimple had been removed, revealing flowing, dark auburn hair. “Reggie?” She cranked the window open further. “Come in. What on earth are you doing climbing up the building? You could get killed.”
He crawled through, any broader and that would have been impossible. “Thanks Sister.” He saw that the only light came from candles placed on nearly every flat surface.
She took in his appearance. “Dear Lord, what happened? You’re covered in blood.” She turned to a tiny sink in the corner and wet a towel.
He leered at her, while her back was turned. “I got in a little scrape with Don in the woods.” Innocence painted his face under the bloody mask when she turned back to him. He wanted this feast to last a little while. “He had a knife. There was so much bl… bl… blood.” He sobbed and crumpled to the floor, letting a little of his remaining humanity to the surface.
Part Five...
© 2004 by Scott Roche
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