A Tale By Midnight21:08 Oct 24 2016
Times Read: 411
It was pitch black and cold by the time I finished with work. Autumn came to quickly to these parts, and the trees were fast to shed their leaves, which crunched loudly under my boots as I walked down my familiar path home. Wishing I had brought a lantern to guide me home, or at least a heavier coat to fight off the winds chill effects, I could do nothing but keep moving and pull my waistcoat tighter around my thin form. I was completely exhausted from events earlier in the evening, but there was a need to be quick about this trip home, as I could see the thick black clouds starting to shroud the moonlight in their blackness, threatening to soak everything in a downpour if I wasn’t quick enough.
Hefting the brown satchel at my side, I quickened my pace, and shuffled down the cobblestone walkway. Most people would choose to avoid the cemetery at this hour of night, superstitious fools, but I wasn’t one for believing in ghosts and curses, it was simply another route to get home, and one less traveled at that. As I made my way through the winding paths, I heard something rattle the branches of a nearby tree, and a storm of dry leaves fell to the ground. I stopped, my heart startled for a moment and looked to the tree, trying to see up into the high branches that snaked into the sky like a gruesome silhouette. It was too dark. I couldn’t see anything but blackness. Everything was so still, not a single sound was heard. I found that I was now breathing heavily, the adrenaline starting to pump through my veins, and I could see my breath now, crystallizing on the night air. Assuming that it had been some sort of large bird returning home to its nest to settle in for the night, I decided that it was time for me to do the same. I adjusted the bag on my arm and picked up my pace a bit.
The fastest way home led directly through the graveyard, and I was not in the least bit hesitant to take it. I wanted to avoid the outskirts as much as I could, for fear of unsavory kinds of characters, thieves and robbers waiting to jump out at me and stick a shiv in my gullet. Deeper and deeper I walked, and begun to notice that the unusual stillness was beginning to make me uneasy. No birds were calling, no crickets singing, not even the far off clatter of horses’ hooves on the cobblestones. Nothing. As I approached the oldest and largest section of the graveyard, I heard something behind me. It was faint at first, barely audible at all, and I thought I was merely hearing something, but as I walked onward, it started to grow louder. I couldn’t quite make out what it was, just a click, click click. My first instinct was to shout out, but I knew that would be a bad idea, I didn’t want whoever, or whatever made that sound to know my position. My gaze shifted around the area, desperately wanting to just see a small animal scurrying about to soothe my nerves, but there was nothing.
I knew that I had to move on. I could not be caught in here. I turned on my heel and walked faster now, into the inky blackness and yet the clicking noise seemed to accelerate with each of my own footsteps. I stopped again and looked back over my shoulder, something dark disappeared just out of my line of vision. Was it a shadow? No, it moved too fluidly, almost as if it were made of the night itself. I felt my heart pounding in my chest and my pulse raced. Something was there, lurking in the shadows, taunting me. I glanced down the mist shrouded trail that snaked and wound around the cemetery before me. It was a distance, yes, but since I had a head start, I was confident that I could reach the edge and be at the gate before my stalkers could.
I gripped the leather satchel that I was carrying tightly against my thigh. The old leather creaked loudly and then I had a second thought, that the contents of the bag might weigh me down. Undaunted, I shook the idea out of my head and suddenly bolted for the fence. The moment I took off, I listened, expecting to hear the patter of feet pounding against the dirt behind me, trying to catch up, but instead there was only silence. I sprinted, knowing that my safety was merely a few feet ahead when it hit me, full force, right in the center of the chest and I collapsed onto the cold ground.
As my body sank down, suddenly deprived of oxygen, I found myself laying on my back, eyes to the heavens, gasping for breath. I struggled to sit up, slightly dazed and completely winded. I did not know what hit me, but whatever it was, was certainly not going to keep me down. I had only remained on the ground for a few seconds, before I sat up, looking right and left as I struggled to my feet, for any signs of what I had been struck with. I wasn’t even completely upright when it hit me again, sending me reeling backwards and slamming my head off of the stones. A bright, white hot pain shot through my skull, and I could feel the blood already beginning to seep into the length of my hair. I couldn’t move. Half paralyzed with fear and half with pain, I lay in a dumb stupor on the damp ground when my eyes caught sight of the dark shape coming to approach me. Every nerve in my brain screamed out, begged me to get up, but my body wouldn’t respond.
It was a man. Part of me exhaled in a sigh of relief. A robber, I could deal with, as soon as I got my bearings back. He walked over to me, his boot heels click, click, clicking on the ground. Positioning himself over my fallen form, he straddled me and sat himself down on top of me, in one single, almost feline movement. A sudden stench of decaying and rotting things invaded my nostrils, making me want to almost instantly vomit. The press I expected from the weight of his body sitting on my mid-section did not happen, in fact, he seemed unusually light, almost feather like… but still he held me down like a bag of stones. I looked up at my unknown assailant, and saw that his entire ‘look’ was wrong. Deathly pale skin stretched across the bones of his face, pulled tight and sunken in at his eyes. Dressed in the attire of a wealthy aristocrat, he had the popular foppish white shirt with lace up to his neck, covered in a heavy black tailcoat, fitted and clinging to this thin form, followed by tight black breeches and those high black thigh high boots which resonated a clicking sound as he walked. His hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, tendrils of the pale strands fell loose around his face as he leaned down to smile at me.
Instantly I tried to struggle against him, but it was no use. His skeletal hands clamped onto my wrists and he lowered himself to pin me firmly to the ground, keeping his face just a few inches away from mine. I could smell the fetid stink of his breath, and it was revolting. “What do you want?” I shouted, and instantly regretted it, for it echoed loudly in the massive space. The assailant smirked; one corner of his mouth cracked an almost indecent smile. He reached up and ran his fingers along my jawbone, his flesh cold and lifeless made me want to vomit. I tried to turn my head to be out of his grasp, but a sudden twinge of pain reminded me of the still bleeding open wound on the back of my head. A stray strand of hair fell across my eyes and he pushed it away with unusually sharp pointed fingernails. The stench of death hung on his body as if he had just crawled out of a month old grave.
“You are either a very brave man, or a complete imbecile.” He sneered at me and adjusted his body on top of mine so that he could poke those obscenely long nails into my shirt. I could feel the talons pressing lightly into my flesh. I knew that I was in incredible danger and had to get out at all costs. This was no ordinary robber. Seeing the confusion on my face, he started to explain, swirling that finger up and down my chest in a almost playful manner as he spoke. “Perhaps you were deaf to hear, not to hear the stories about the dangers of being in a graveyard at night? There are all sorts of unsavory characters that dwell within these iron gated walls, some of which would gladly steal your gold, others..” He hesitated and tilted his head up slightly, as if to accentuate the point. “…would steal your life just for the pleasure of it.”
The coldness of the hard cobblestone road was beginning to seep into my body, seizing it up, and the pain from my head was beginning to make me dizzy and weak. I knew I had to get out of there. Summoning all my strength, I struggled against his unusually thin but strong form. “I fear no man!” I shouted, very aware of how loud my voice echoed.
He smiled at me again. I stared at him in horror, for when his pale lips parted, I could see the bony protrusions of two piercing sharp fangs, and I immediately feared for my life. “I am no man, as you can clearly see. And it’s most unfortunate that you chose to take this path to your home tonight, because this is our home, and you’ve trespassed on it.”
Our home? Almost as if he could hear my thoughts, he moved slightly to the side, and I could see that there were at least four others like him, dressed in the same decaying clothes, surrounding me on all sides. Unlike the creature who sat on top of me, their clothes were not kept as nicely, and were covered in what I could only imagine was the tell tale burgundy stains of dried blood. “Listen… just let me go, I mean you all no harm. I was out late and was in a rush to get back to my home before the storm rolled in, and threw caution to the wind and took this as a shortcut. I meant no disrespect.” To accentuate my point, there was a rolling echo of thunder off in the distance, followed by a bright flash of lightning, which illuminated the sunken features of the vampire’s face. I gave him the most pleading look that I could muster.
He called to one of his minions. “Peter, what night is it this night?”
“It is All Soul’s Night my Lord.” He answered. I could see one of the other vampires pacing, looking anxious, but I lost sight of him as the Vampire on top of me used his nail and flicked one of the buttons of my jacket off to get my attention. I heard it pop and rattle to the ground. I silently wondered if that would be the only trace of me left behind after I was dead.
“You are fortunate this night, boy. It would please me immensely to rip you to shreds and drink every last drop of your blood.” He paused to lick his lips. “But tonight, I am a most gracious host and will forgive this discretion. My eyes are set on a much bigger prize than a scrawny little thing like you, who happened to invade my home.” He loosened his grip, but only a little. “You will live, and most certainly learn a lesson.” He laughed and I cringed.
A rustle caught his attention and he turned to look at one of his minions who was approaching him from behind with something in his hands, I struggled to see but I was still being held down with such a brutal force that in my weakened state, I knew I had no hopes of breaking free. Moments of silence passed that felt like an eternity before he turned to face me again with a angered look in those sunken eyes. “You said you were on your way home?” I couldn’t say anything, but managed to nod. The Vampire crouched, hunching his shoulders and looked very much like some sort of predatory bird, waiting to devour its prey. “No doubt you were not lying to me, however, I think you left some very important details out.”
My heart raced and my head spun, trying to figure out what he was talking about. “I have no idea what you mean..” Another rumble of thunder, this time moving closer now, the storm was almost upon us. A few random raindrops splattered on the cobblestones and I was dully aware of how shiny they seemed.
The Vampire motioned grandly, and one of the others stepped into my line of sight carrying something in his hands. Finally I could see what it was. I let out a gasp, for he had my brown leather satchel that I had at my side. The strap had apparently snapped when I had fallen, and it had been flung to the side of the path. He snatched it out of his hands and shook it furiously before me. “They call us ‘monsters’, but it is people like YOU who are the MONSTERS!” He snarled and the others moved in closer. “Take a look my brothers, see what atrocities that he brings to us.” The vampire threw the bag down, the clasps letting go and the contents spilling open onto the ground. Lighting flashed directly overhead, illuminating the myriad of trinkets now scattered everywhere around us. Rings, pocket watches, bracelets, necklaces, gem encrusted cuff links, hair clips, and every sort of adornment for the body was there, the profits of my nightly work. I swallowed hard.
“I am no thief!” I shouted, knowing that my voice was hard to hear now with the wind whipping madly around us. The vampire had a murderous look to him now, the wind flowing through the long strands of his hair and making him look as ghoulish as ever possible.
“Of course you aren’t a thief, you don’t steal from hapless passerby’s on the street. You’re much to noble for that.” He reached down to the ground and picked up something, clutching it in his hand. “No no, you do something worse!” Opening his hand, I could see what he had, and my stomach turned in guilt. It was a gold-filled tooth. I was caught. “You are a disgusting grave robber! Your victims can’t fight back, or scream out as their precious trinkets are being taken from them.” He threw the tooth at me in disgust. “The last items they will have with them as they pass on from his life to the next are the ones that line your greedy pockets. How many nights have you violated the sanctity of death so that you can have your belly full of food and fine clothes on your back?” Those bony hands gripped my wrists so hard, I could feel my bones starting to break. I wanted to scream out for help, but I knew it was a foolish thing to do. The world was starting to spin, the blood loss from the wound on the back of my head now making it hard to stay conscious. The Vampire howled in madness. “Answer me! Choose your words wisely, because they very well may be your last.”
He was right. I would slip into the various graveyards and cemeteries in a town, from night to night, seeking out the graves of the richest, wealthiest families in town and crack open their coffins, to take whatever I pleased. I stole jewels from around the dead, lifeless necks of the most prestigious dead women in town, slipped off the silver and gold cuff links of their husbands, and yes… I have taken lockets with photos in them from the most precious eternally sleeping babies, laid to rest too soon. When I had picked a boneyard clean, I would move on to the next, until I emptied the town out, then move on to the next, returning every few months for a fresh buffet. This was how I kept myself alive. It would be a lie if I didn’t admit that I loved doing it. The thrill of opening that sealed wooden box for the first time and gazing upon the dead flesh there was quite euphoric. I searched from the tips of their feet, to the tops of their head for anything that might fetch a few coins. When I couldn’t find anything on the body, I would pry their clenched lips open and hope to see that bright flash of metal inside, a filled tooth, which would bring a pretty penny or two when melted down into a pure ore.
I smiled at the horrid creature. “It would seem that we are both monsters, but my conscious is clean, unlike yours. You’re evil.”
The Vampire pulled his arm back and struck me across the face. I felt my nose breaking and the rush of warm blood spilling over my face. He stood up and removed himself from my body. Pausing to give me a firm kick in the ribs, more broken bones. I lay in a miserable heap on the ground, the rain now beginning its relentless downpour. He paced around me as he spoke, like a father speaking to his son, those boots click click clicking on the stones. “I know there’s evil in the world, and there always has been. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you see everything. But you don’t need to believe in Satan or demons to explain it. Human beings are perfectly capable of evil all by themselves.”
I struggled to drag myself into a sitting position, the rain was pouring now, and my eyesight was dimming quickly. I stared him down, wanting to be defiant to the end. “I do what I do to survive, you kill mercilessly!”
The Vampire regarded me with interest, listening to my words with great amusement. “I too do what I must to survive. I protect my family. Do not speak to me of moral things, thief.” He took a few moments to collect himself, the others around him beginning to get anxious and impatient with all the talking. Turning his back on me, he picked up one of the trinkets off the ground, a silver locket that I had pryed off the neck of a recently deceased young woman who had passed away under mysterious circumstances and started to walk away, his cloak dragging on the muddy ground, looking like some sort of dark shadow, returning to the night. “However, I am not a murderer.”
I let out a sigh of relief. The temperature had dropped and I shivered uncontrollably. It wouldn’t be long before the rain would be turning into snow. My wounds would heal and I would live to see another day, swearing to myself that I would never steal again. I watched him dissolve into the darkness and then his pack of servants approached me, with hunger flashing in their eyes. Within moments, their claws and fangs were on me, ripping flesh from bone and I let out a scream. Then his words formed inside my head with a mocking laugh. “I said I wasn’t a murderer, I never said that they weren’t.”
The rain poured down onto the cobblestone path, washing all the stolen gems and jewelry down into the gutters, in a bright red trail of my own blood as the storm raged on.
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