Indulgence

by Liz Crowe

  “No she didn’t. What does this have to do with hunting?” I asked.

  “You see,” Max said, taking over the conversation, “the colored dots represent different types of prey. Green represents herbivores, blue is aquatic life, and red is for carnivores. The black dots represent humans. Over the years we realized that we had to be careful how we hunted. Kill too much of one species in one area and people start to become suspicious. We knew we had to balance mortal and animal kills to spread out the damage. We recognized we needed a plan that would meet our dietary needs yet be inconspicuous enough to not reveal our existence. So over hundreds of years, I amassed a group of hunters all over the world. They track the population of various prey and report back to my brother, Felix.”

  I looked over at Felix who raised his eyebrows at me. “I’m the brain behind this operation,” he said jokingly.

  “That’s right,” Max continued, “our resident tech geek. Felix tracks the population sizes and makes recommendations as to which species should be hunted in a particular area. This way, we don’t eliminate too many of one breed thereby drawing unwanted attention to ourselves.”

  “That’s very well thought out,” I mused.

  “I know, right?” Max asked. “But check this out. Say you see a lot of green dots in a particular area; that means there are a lot of herbivores concentrated in one spot. Tap on the grouping of green dots and they’ll break out into different shades of green, representing different species. Keep tapping down and you’ll eventually get a picture of the animal and the exact location. Then you’re all set for the hunt!”

  “Huh,” I said in amazement. “But you are looking at a forest in St. Lawrence County, New York.”

  “And…”

  “Is that where we’re going?”

  “Mmm hmm.”

  “Well, if that’s where we’re hunting, wouldn’t I get thirsty before I got to the destination?” I asked.

  The room erupted in laughter again.

  “Oh Allison,” Lorenzo said, “you still have so much to learn.”

  “About what?”

  “From here to St. Lawrence County,” Lorenzo said through chuckles, “you can be there in less than an hour with your speed!”

  “Really?” I questioned as if I didn’t believe him. I looked down at my body looking for some indication that I would have acquired any degree of speed from my transformation but I didn’t see anything. “So do I turn into a bat or something?” I jokingly asked.

  There was more laughter which quickly ceased as I grabbed my throat.

  “Allison, what’s wrong?” Marlo asked, concern apparent in her voice as she glided to my side.

  “My throat is getting dry again.” The heat in my stomach began to swirl and crawled its way up my throat.

  “All right,” Max announced. “We would normally run to our destination since it’s this close, but we can’t chance you encountering a human; not for your first hunt. Felix will fly us there.”

  “Excuse me?” I questioned. “Fly?”

  “Hey, when you have all of eternity, you tend to pick up a hobby or two,” Felix said with a wink.

  I knocked back another flask of blood, which Marlo ensured would tide me over until I got to New York. I couldn’t help but wonder where, or who, it came from. But I didn’t dare ask. Some things were better left unsaid. But once the liquid touched my lips, the source didn’t matter. This liquid tasted different than what I drank when I first woke from my transformation. It had an earthy flavor but was just as refreshing. It slid down my throat taking the heat, and my urge, with it.

  The helipad was on the roof of the castle. Max was decked out in full hunting camouflage…shirt, pants and boots. I couldn’t refuse the camo outfit he insisted I wear. It was evident that he loved hunting and the gear meant a lot to him, so not wanting to hurt his feelings, I obliged.

  “Hunting gear has come a long way since…well, since I began hunting,” Max said.

  I grinned and looked down at my jacket, pants and boots. I felt ridiculous. I never hunted in my mortal life and I certainly didn’t equate this type of hunting with the need for actual hunting gear.

  Felix was already behind the controls of the chopper pushing buttons, sans camo gear; he apparently wasn’t hunting with us or somehow resisted Max’s pleading to dress the part.

  Max helped me get in the back of the chopper and placed headphones over my ears.

  “You’ll need these so as to not get distracted by the noise of the blades,” he yelled over the choppers’ swirling blades.

  Max hopped in and closed the door.

  “Where are Marlo and Lorenzo?” I yelled.

  “They’re going on a different kind of hunt.”

  “Different? How so?”

  Max returned my question with a stare that meant I should know what he was talking about.

  “Oh.” I responded. “Where are they, um, who are they, um, going to um…what is their…”

  “Marlo is hitting a men’s prison and Lorenzo is paying a visit to the club scene in New York City. You know, prison, big city, no one will suspect a thing.”

  “Oh,” I responded flatly. I knew sooner or later I was going to have to face this challenge. Some poor soul out there was eventually going to be my meal and suffer at my hands just so I could survive. This just didn’t seem right; it wasn’t the natural order of things…or maybe it was in this new world I found myself in.

  “How do you know when you need to eat a mortal?” I asked.

  “Eat a mortal,” Max laughed. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”

  I felt embarrassed, again and stared out the window waiting for Max to stop laughing.

  “Didn’t you notice Marlo’s and Lorenzo’s eyes?” he asked me.

  I thought about how Marlo’s eyes had looked when I had stared into them, trying to gain control of my senses. Her eyes had been pale, the lavender faded from its typical vibrant hue. And the spikes of gold twinkled more fervently than I had ever noticed before. I hadn’t really studied Lorenzo’s face, but now that Max mentioned it, his typical gemstone green eyes had also been quite pale.

  “I didn’t really think about it, but I guess their eyes had faded in color a bit,” I mused.

  “And the gold flecks?”

  “They were definitely swirling around faster than usual.”

  “When you’re starved of mortal blood, your eyes lose their luster and will fade in color. Of course, only we can see that; the mortals are oblivious. The longer you go without mortal blood, the paler your eyes become. The gold flecks begin to move feverishly around your pupils. We’re not really sure why. Maybe it’s like how the fruit glimmered on the tree, drawing Eve and Cain towards it. Anyway, our glimmering eyes are mesmerizing to mortals. They don’t notice the gold specks but it’s exactly that which pulls them in, making it quite easy for us. Well, that along with our scent, our touch and everything else about us. Our whole essence makes a hunt way too easy. But your eyes are an indicator of your hunger; if they fade too much, the pit in your stomach ignites, throwing its fiery flames to your throat until you can’t take it and your senses take over and you go on a wild hunt.”

  “Good grief,” I said in horror.

  “That’s why we hunt like this, Allison,” Max reassured me. “It’s so well planned that you don’t get starved to the point you lose control.”

  “But then what’s wrong with Marlo and Lorenzo?” I questioned.

  “This was an unusual week. They didn’t have a chance to hunt before the party and they also expended a lot of energy chasing Vincent after he bit you. And they both spent a lot of time with you throughout your transformation, making sure you were fed and were as comfortable as possible.”

  “Oh,” I simply stated. “Wait, they chased after Vincent? Why? Did they find him?”

  Max appeared uncomfortable. “It was instinct to go after him, but no, they didn’t find him.”

  “Oh,” I said again. “What happens if you d
on’t feed for an extended period? A vampire obviously can’t die that way.”

  “True, it won’t kill a vampire, but it’s nothing you want to experience. If you go without eating anything your skin eventually petrifies, becoming hard and brittle and discolored. I hear it’s very painful. Some other kinds use that as a form of torture. You become entombed in your skin, trapped until you are nourished again. It’s a living hell.”

  “More so than this existence?” I muttered. Max either didn’t hear me or ignored my comment.

  “What about hunting animals? Can’t they fight back, like bite and scratch?”

  Max chuckled again. “They can, but it won’t do much good against our skin.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “While in pursuit of prey, our skin transforms into a protective barrier. It becomes hardened and impenetrable with the exception of our neck. No animal bite or claw can break the surface. So you just have to protect your neck.”

  “We’re here,” Felix’s announced.

  “Woo hoo, baby!” Max exclaimed.

  I looked out the window to my left and could see the pale moonlight reflecting off of the lake below. To my right, I saw treetops. I felt the helicopter descend and could see the water drawing closer and the trees getting bigger.

  “Are you ready?” Max looked over at me.

  “Where are we landing?” I asked.

  “We’re not!” Max exclaimed.

  “Then how are we getting to the ground?” I asked, sensing another embarrassing moment about to present itself.

  “Trust your instincts and you’ll be fine.” And with that, Max opened the helicopter door and gracefully dove headfirst out of the chopper.

  “Ahhhh,” I yelled as I gripped the overhead handle.

  Felix’s voice broke in over my headphones. “Trust me, Allison; you’ll be fine. You don’t have to showboat like Max. Don’t look and just jump. Your instincts will take it from there.”

  I clung to the grip, determined that I wasn’t going to jump out of the helicopter. From my estimation, we were still a good 70 feet or so above the ground. There was no way I could jump and not injure myself.

  Felix looked over his shoulder at me, “Allison, you will be fine,” he reassured me.

  There was something in his eyes that made me believe him when he spoke those words. And besides, I didn’t really have another option. I unbuckled my seatbelt, removed my headphones and hesitantly scooted myself over the bench seat. I pushed myself off of the seat Max had just occupied, but my hands lingered behind, gripping the seat as I peered out of the chopper. It was total blackness below. Without the moonlight reflecting off the water, I couldn’t see anything. I turned my head and looked back at Felix. He gave me a reassuring nod. I took a deep breath and leapt from the safety of my transportation.

  The cool air felt refreshing against my blazing hot skin. Surprisingly, my stomach wasn’t in my throat, where I expected it to be. The air blew past me as I descended. In a matter of seconds, I could see the ground closing in on me. I saw every detail of the sand beneath me. My feet landed squarely on the ground, my knees buckling to absorb the impact from the jump. I stood straight up and looked around. I had landed on my feet and unharmed. The mortal version of me would not have been so lucky.

  My eyes immediately adjusted. I could clearly see Max standing in the darkness with a huge grin on his face.

  “See, that wasn’t so bad now was it?”

  “I don’t understand how I did that.”

  “You don’t have to understand. That’s the great thing about our abilities; they take care of us. That was very graceful, by the way.”

  “Really?” Nothing I had ever done was graceful.

  “Really,” Max replied. “Now let’s go hunt.”

  Max was off running at full speed into the woods. I took off after him.

  Trees whizzed by me with amazing speed. Even in the darkness, I could see every obstacle in my way and was able to avoid it. I caught up to Max in no time and maintained my pace a few steps behind him.

  “We’re almost there,” he said, not even remotely winded from the run. I heard him without a problem despite how quickly we were moving.

  We ascended the top of a large hill where the trees and foliage gave way to a clearing. The cloudless sky was full of stars and the air was fresh and intoxicating. Various scents filled my nose and stirred the venom in my stomach.

  “Are you ready?” Max asked.

  “Do I really have a choice?” I asked in return.

  Max gave a quick chuckle. “You remember what Marlo told you about concentrating so that you only see what’s right in front of you and hear what’s only immediately around you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well all that goes out the window when you’re hunting!” There was that glimmer in Max’s eye again. It was apparent that he was completely in his element.

  “Really?” I asked, trepidation sweeping over me at the realization of what I was about to do.

  “Yep,” Max said and walked over to me. He stood close, ignoring the concept of personal space. He grabbed my wrists and straightened my arms at my sides. He stared me straight in the eye.

  “Close your eyes,” Max commanded.

  I stared back into his chocolate brown eyes before resigning to his command.

  “Now let your hearing go.”

  I opened my eyes. “What…”

  “Allison, just close your eyes and let your hearing wander.”

  I closed my eyes again and concentrated on letting my hearing stray, as Max had directed.

  “You’re trying too hard. Just listen.”

  I relaxed a bit, my shoulders falling back. I heard crickets chirping throughout the darkness but not much else. I drew in a deep breath and listened more intently. I could hear the grass swaying in the breeze like a melody accompanying the cricket’s tune. Then I heard the soft lapping of the lake against the shore though we were miles away. I drew another breath and could hear bat wings fluttering in the air. Another breath and I could hear soft footsteps against the earth. My nose twitched.

  “That’s it,” Max whispered, his hands still clasping my wrists. “What do you hear?”

  “Footsteps,” I whispered. I drew another breath which greeted my nostrils with a pleasant fragrance. The fire in my belly burned, its flames clawing up my throat. My throat was so hot I felt like I could spit fire if I wanted.

  “How many do you hear?”

  I listened for a moment. “Eight.”

  “That’s right,” Max replied, confirming I had picked up on my prey. “Take another breath,” he instructed.

  I drew another breath and the scent intensified, making the pit in my stomach roar with desire.

  “Where are they?” Max asked of my prey.

  I tossed my head over my right shoulder. The herd of deer was to the northeast.

  “Mmm hmm,” Max responded with approval. “One more breath.”

  I drew another breath and the scent was stronger yet. My feet began to tingle, the sensation making its way up my legs. I felt the venom begin to flow in my mouth, numbing my tongue.

  “Now open your eyes,” Max commanded.

  My eyes sprang open and I saw Max standing there but only for a brief second. His eyes were illuminated and the gold specks swirled with excitement. Max fled to my left, the opposite of where I was headed.

  Every detail of my environment was apparent to me. I could see every leaf, every blade of grass, every piece of bark on the tree trunk. I threw my head over my right shoulder. My vision cut through the trees and foliage and zeroed in on the herd. The sound of their heartbeats filled my ears. I broke into a full sprint, my eyes never leaving the target. I could see their hearts and the luscious blood pumping through their veins. As I approached, I felt an odd sensation overcome my entire body. My skin stiffened forming its body armor to defend itself against my prey. I leapt through the air and pounced on one of the beasts. The poor thing never heard me c
oming, the fear apparent in its eyes as I held it in my fiery grasp. My lips curled back and my fangs emerged. I saw the vision in my prey’s eyes and had to admit, it was quite frightening. Long white spikes protruded from my otherwise delicate lips. I plunged my teeth into the doe’s neck, penetrating the flesh with tremendous ease. The animal briefly struggled but then fell still. Warmth filled my mouth, and the liquid was a most pleasant taste. The blood slid down my throat, extinguishing the inferno. My belly filled with precious liquid which cooled the incinerator that otherwise dwelled there.

  The ordeal was over in a matter of seconds. I stood above my prey, my breathing rapid. I felt satisfied, but I wanted more. I surveyed my surroundings. The other deer had scattered when I attacked. My vision cut through the forest and my hearing reached out further, seeking more victims.

  A slow clap broke through my concentration. I reigned in my hearing and vision. This sound was close and very much misplaced. The details of my surroundings disappeared and I could only see the immediate area where I stood. The clapping got louder as if it were somehow approaching me.

  I focused in the direction of the noise. I saw two silvery blue specks among the shadows. I had seen this before. I knew what it was, or rather who it was.

  “Vincent,” I snarled.

  I squinted and concentrated on the two eyes I saw looming in the darkness. The rest of his body appeared as my eyes quickly adjusted. He was leaning against a tree, his right leg crossed at the shin over his left. He was wearing jeans and his motorcycle jacket over a tight black shirt.

  My instincts moved me to a crouched, defensive position. I hadn’t expected to see anyone out here let alone Vincent. A wave of anger and emotion swelled within me at the sight of the man who had transformed me into the living dead. On one hand I was angry that he took away the last choice I could have made as a human. But in doing so, he also saved me from being killed. Vincent’s presence was a shock and I wasn’t quite sure how to react to him so I remained frozen like a statue.

  “Hello, Allison,” Vincent spoke from the shadows. My eyes narrowed, never leaving his. A low hiss escaped through my lips.