The Guest & The Change

chapter 5





Sarah reached her car, stumbling the final few meters. Her chest was tearing apart, she was heaving with emotion, not even knowing what she was feeling. Jo. What had happened, what was he? How could this happen? This was the end of everything. She fumbled for her keys, not finding them in her state, instead crumbling to the floor. Daniel was soon at her side, she could see him through her tears, rumpled, muddy, yet gorgeous. She stood up, anger igniting and pushed him back.

‘You. You, stopped him. What are you?’ And she pounded his chest, not caring about the consequences. Her breath tore in her chest, her face wet, she was sickened. She pushed Daniel again and turned away, pounding her car. The metal hurt her hands but she didn’t care. The pain was a distraction. Then she slumped once more to the ground, feeling the earth against her fingers, the cold air surrounding her.

Daniel leant down and fumbled in her pockets, and she let him, not caring about anything at this point. She felt his arms lifting her up and sliding her into the passenger seat. He fastened her seatbelt, making her feel like a child. He then climbed into the driver’s seat, started the car and drove away as fast as he could manage on the bumpy track.

Sarah continued to cry the entire way home. When they arrived Daniel didn’t wait around, he exited the car and hastened to Sarah’s side. Sarah felt numb as he helped her out, picking her up again and carrying her to her front door. He unlocked it and took her inside.

He gently laid her on the sofa, her heart so painful she found it hard to breathe.

Sarah barely grasped that Daniel was now on the phone. She could hear him but she felt far away. He was calling her parents, telling them to stay in, not to let the children out - saying that he would explain later. Then he was in the kitchen, while her breathing shallowed and came in gasps. Sarah looked through her swollen eyes as Daniel returned, hot drink in hand and placed it on the table next to her.

Then he was holding her chin, ‘Look at me Sarah,’ and she couldn’t help herself, she looked into his eyes through her tears and he said, ‘It’s ok. Calm down. I will take care of you. We will work out what to do. You don’t need to be scared.’

Despite herself, Sarah became lost in his eyes, found herself succumbing to his influence. Her breathing slowed enough to take her drink as Daniel pushed it into her hands. He joined her under the blanket on the sofa and Sarah melted into his arms as he held her close.

***

Jo tore the wood from his shoulder. It splintered as it left his body, causing ripples of intense pain. As his blood lust subsided he found a good branch to sit on and took deep breaths, trying to find calm. Sarah. Images of their past together flashed through his mind. Picnics in the wood, dinners, movies, childbirth. Love. Lust. Restlessness. Lust for other women. Betrayal. Boredom. Blood - he wanted it. Who was that vampire she was with? The one who had stopped him feeding. Why was she with a vampire at all? Why were they here?

Sebastian landed next to him.

‘Did you orchestrate this?’ Jo asked.

‘Me?’ He laughed. ‘I thought you might like to face your past. Meet your enemies.’

‘That vampire. Who was he?’

‘Daniel. My nemesis.’ Sebastian laughed again, he couldn’t take the situation too seriously.

‘What was he doing here? Why was he with Sarah?’

‘Well, he was here because she brought him. I influenced her to come so you could see her.’

‘So I could see her? Why? To ignite my passions? To anger me? To make me hunt her? Or to make me hate him?’

‘Does it have to be only one reason?’ Sebastian said, eyebrows raised.

‘How do you know this Daniel?’

‘I sired him, as I did you.’

‘But he’s no longer under your control.’ Jo said.

‘No, you could say that,’ answered Sebastian.

‘Why not?’

‘Hmm, it’s complicated. He retained too many feelings from his humanity. You don’t need to worry about it. Together we can avoid him, he won’t get in our way much.’

‘But he was in my way. I wanted her.’

‘It was good he was in your way, I planned it like that. Had you drank her blood, gloried in it, killed her, you would have regretted it later, when this new lust for blood has diluted in intensity. But now you’ve seen her, you can start processing your feelings. It won’t be such a shock next time you see her. Should it be in public for instance.’

‘What are your plans for me?’ asked Jo.

‘We’ll see. We may just take over this little town, one victim at a time.’

***

Sarah, freed from her fear now, pulled back from Daniel and looked into his dark eyes.

‘Now I’ve calmed down, will you tell me Daniel?’

‘Tell you what, specifically?’

‘What’s going on? What has happened to Jo? What are you? Why are you here?’

Daniel gripped her face between his hands, ‘I’m here because I want to protect you. I feel for you. You, you do something to me. Jo is a vampire, a new vampire. Someone has turned him.’ And intently he looked at her. ‘It was not me, I did not do it. But I suspected something like this. I am following someone, trying to stop things like this happening. I am different.’

‘What are you Daniel?’

‘I, I am a vampire too.’

As he said it he pulled away and leant back against the sofa.

Sarah looked at Daniel. She couldn’t take it all in - she trusted him, but it was all too much, and her attraction to him was obscuring logical thought.

‘What can we do? Will he be after me, my family?

‘I don’t know.’

They sat in silence for a long while. Sarah kept seeing Jo, snarling, bloody and deranged. It was like he was with them, in the living room. She felt as though he was angry at her. As though she deserved it for being with someone else. For feeling for someone else. Daniel. A vampire. She pushed all thoughts from her mind. She couldn’t deal with any of it. She pushed Jo away, refused to see him snarling again. She pushed the notion of vampires away. She would think about it later. One more question first.

‘Is the mythology true? Do vampires have to be invited in?’

‘Yes.’

‘Even to their home they used to live in?’

‘Yes.’

Sarah watched his arms as he reached out for her. She reached for his hair; it was smooth and silky beneath her fingers. She felt reckless, it didn’t matter how she behaved now. Everything was in ruins.

She ran her fingers across his jaw, to his lips. She stared into his dark eyes. Her heart twisted, and once again she pushed out doubts, images. Daniel was here, and he was in front of her. They were here together. Vampire? She traced her hands down his neck, to his chest, and felt his heart beating. He was real. He was solid, full of life. His eyes full of heat, desire. Desire for her, or for her blood?

He moved his hands back to her face and locked eyes, ‘It’s you, I will not hurt you.’ Sarah looked into his eyes as he leant in and kissed her on the lips, gently. He pulled her body closer and their kiss deepened. Her body ignited with tingles and flames. She felt alive in his embrace. As though this was where she was meant to be. As though this was why she existed. She swung her left leg over him to wrap her body as close as she could to his. He ran his hands over her hair and kissed her cheekbones, her eyes, his kisses moving down to her neck. With each kiss Sarah felt energy rushing from the point of his touch to her heart, to her fingers, to her belly.

She opened her eyes and looked into his, he looked almost fierce in his passion for her, his eyes were blazing. He leant in and kissed her lips again. Then he flipped her onto her back on the sofa, and he was on top of her, kissing her passionately.

Sarah wanted him so badly, she pulled against his body, grabbing his back, his legs, his hips and he pressed into her. She wanted to rip off his clothes and devour him, to bite him, for him to be inside her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, feeling him press against her. His body was so firm under her fingers, cool and muscular. And he wanted her, he was all over her.

He grabbed at her jacket, lifting her by the waist and pulling it off her arms. He yanked down her top, running his tongue over her chest. He looked once more into her eyes, breathing deeply, before grabbing the bottom of her top and pulling it smoothly over her arms and head.

Sarah lay there exposed beneath him. She couldn’t help but smiled self-consciously. She reached up and pulled him back down onto her, breathing in his masculine woodland smell, kissing his neck.

She pushed him back and pulled off his jacket and t-shirt, while he sat astride her. His chest and stomach were tight and smooth, delicious looking. She ran her fingers down his chest, to the top of his jeans, and he was back on top of her, pushing against her through their trousers. She pushed back, wanting him, desire running though her.

He reached around her back and undid her bra, removing it and flinging it to the floor, caressing her breasts. Sarah felt in heaven as his mouth came down to her tummy, tracing kisses down to the line above her jeans. Then his fingers were ripping her jeans open and he pulled those off too.

He left her pants on and Sarah watched as he looked over her body, absorbing the site of her nakedness. She reached for him and pulled him back to her again, pulling his hips towards her, fumbling at his belt as he kissed her lips, and breathed in her scent at her neck.

He pushed her pants aside, forcing himself inside her, pounding into her repeatedly, pulling her bum hard against him. Sarah touched him everywhere, trying to be as close to every part of him as she could. Feeling him deep inside her, she pulled him even deeper, contracting her hips towards his, pushing into his rhythm. She kissed him passionately as he penetrated her, feeling his hair, his chest, his back. She felt she was living in a fantasy, a book, a make believe world. Like this couldn’t be real. But it felt more real than anything she’d ever experienced.

She felt tension building within her, moaning as she released, repeatedly. Shaking around him as she held him tight. She felt him release into her, while he kissed her and loved her. Sarah leant into him as he pulled her back on top and held her tightly, stroking her hair, their breath slowing. She looked up into his intense eyes, regarding her with awe, and what looked like love. She couldn’t break his gaze and just let herself look at him, taking him in, connecting with his soul.

***

After Sarah had lain there, looking at Daniel for what she felt could never be long enough, she forced herself to get up. He watched her mischievously as she dressed in front of him. She felt her cheeks warming again, he was so hot.

‘I’m going to fix some food, would you like anything? Do you even need to eat?’

‘I don’t need to, I can survive off blood, but food does nourish me, especially when I don’t feed as often as I should. So yes, please, I would like some food.’ He said with a smile.

Sarah just made a couple of sandwiches and a small salad to share, opened some wine and fetched glasses. Daniel came in and sat at the table, watching her as she poured their drinks. He raised his glass ‘Cheers’.

‘To what may I ask?’ said Sarah.

‘To us, to staying strong, to sorting out this mess.’

Sarah clinked his glass and tucked in. Her sandwich was simple but tasty, she hadn’t realized how hungry she was. Images from earlier in the woods flicked back to her mind, but she pushed them away. If she let them in she would lose it all over again. No. That couldn’t happen. If she let them in she wouldn’t be able to plan. She wouldn’t be able to sort out the mess at all. And she had to do something, otherwise she was in danger - it was likely her whole family was in danger. And the town?

‘What was it you said the night we met? Something about writing a book about vampires invading our town? Was that true, are you writing a book? Or were you testing me?’

‘I admit it, I’m not writing a book. It’s partly my cover story, and partly I wanted to see how you would react - to the idea of the supernatural.’

‘But when you said about invading our town, did you say it because you think this town is being invaded? And who is it that you’re following?’

‘I’m following Sebastian. I think he must have turned Jo. And killed, or turned, other people in this town who have been reported missing. Sebastian likes creating havoc. He is old, he’s wild, he finds fun in hurting people. He turned me.’

Daniel looked sad so Sarah interrupted ‘He hurt you too?’

‘Well yes, but it’s complicated. It was a long time ago. I never turned wild like him. He took things from me - my family, tormenting me, trying to make me act like him. It didn’t work though, he made me insanely angry, but at him, not at the world. I didn’t want to take it out on victims as he’d hoped. I wanted to destroy him. I do want to destroy him.’

‘Why haven’t you?’

‘He is substantially older than me, he has taken more victims, more blood, more lives. He is stronger than me.’

Sarah stood up and paced, ‘Then what can we do?’

‘We must kill him, we must think of a plan, before he destroys us. He will want you too, to spite me.’

Daniel got up and walked towards Sarah, she felt her heart pound as he took her hand.

‘Sarah, I want you now. I want you to be with me.’

Sarah felt confused, she pulled away.

‘But, I don’t want to be like you. I don’t want you to turn me.’

‘I won’t.’ He stepped forward and brushed her hair away from her face, his cool fingers making her tingle.

‘I’m so confused Daniel, I feel crazed by my feelings for you. I want you, but this is all so crazy. I’ve only just lost Jo.’

‘I know, I’m pushing things, but I’m crazy for you. You are so beautiful. And your smell, he pulled her close and breathed her in again, you smell different, amazing. And when I look into your eyes, I see you, I feel this draw I can’t explain.’

‘I feel it too.’ Sarah let him kiss her, and she kissed him back fiercely. She made herself pull away, ‘I have children Daniel. If Sebastian leaves this town, what then, you will follow him? You will just leave? I can’t follow you, I love Megan and Bea, I need to look after them.’

‘That’s why we have to end this, to destroy him. Then I will never have to leave.’

‘And Jo, we destroy him to? We kill him?’

‘If we don’t he will kill. He probably has already.’

‘What if he’s like you? What if he feels things more intensely and can reject that life?’

‘From seeing him earlier, I think that’s unlikely. He wanted to kill you Sarah.’

‘But if we kill him, it’s so final. I can’t accept this is happening.’

Sarah pulled back and sat back down at the table. Picking up her glass she glugged at her wine, numbing her reality.

‘I don’t want to kill him. I don’t want him to be dead. Can’t we leave, get my kids and run away?’

‘But if we do that, how many people will die? Do you want that?’

‘No, I don’t! But to kill him. Who would that make me? What would it do to me?’

‘You would be a protector, you would be protecting this town. He’s completely lost to you already. You can’t have him back Sarah.’

Sarah looked into his eyes. ‘I don’t want him back. I just don’t want this to be happening.’

‘Neither do I, although it has led me to you,’ he actually grinned, ‘I’m sorry Sarah, I know it’s destroying your world. But I’ve been in this alone.’

‘For how long?’ Sarah asked.

‘Thirty years.’

‘It’s only thirty years since you’ve been a vampire?’

Sarah actually laughed herself, ‘I’m sorry, it’s just I would have expected you to be a lot older.’ And she raised her eyebrows at him.

‘That still means I’ve been a vampire for longer than you’ve been alive though,’ he smirked, smoldering at her. Heat rose in her cheeks again, and she let it, watching him watch her appreciatively.

‘Daniel,’ she said more seriously, trying to bring him back on track. ‘What can we do, even if we are to plan to kill them. Both Sebastian and Jo. How are we going to do it? Have you ever tried to kill Sebastian before?’

‘Yes, I have. A few times actually. I’ve fought him, I’ve tried to trick him, but it’s never worked. He laughs at me, like I’m an annoying fly he can brush aside. He doesn’t really try that hard to kill me though. He turned me - I think he still wants me to be like him.’

‘How old is Sebastian?’

‘He really is old, a lot older than me. Maybe 700 years. I don’t know exactly.’

‘And is he invading this town? What has he done before? What have you watched him do?

‘He has done all sorts of things. He picks towns, always a long way away from each other. Typically in different countries to cover this tracks. Then he tears them apart. He turns people. He kills people. He turns people against each other. Sometimes he leaves it at that, moves on, finds something else to amuse himself with. Every few years he will take it all the way, completely destroy everything and everyone in the town. Literally leaving no-one alive. He will create some cover story and influence investigators to forget, tell media some story, gas explosion, the like. Then he will leave to torment someone else. That’s what he enjoys.’

Sarah fell silent. She couldn’t bear the thought of so much destruction.

But thoughts played at the edge of her mind. ‘Could I kill a vampire? Am I strong enough?’

‘Yes, I’m sure you could ram a stake into a vampire’s heart, up through the ribs or from behind. You would have to catch them by surprise though, as they are much faster than you. You probably couldn’t manage to decapitate a vampire. That takes greater strength, or a weapon. But it would be hard to wield a weapon strong enough for the job, fast enough for them not to defend themselves.’

‘Have you killed other vampires?’

‘Yes, I’ve killed other vampires Sebastian has turned.’

‘What next? We need a plan but my mind is drawing up blank.’ Sarah said.

‘They will probably be out later tonight, looking for victims.’ Daniel said. He looked bleak, sickened himself. ‘I could go out, watch them, see what I can do.’

‘We could go out, I can’t let you do this alone.’

‘You should stay here, where you’re safe.’

‘But I won’t feel safe. And it will drive me mad not knowing what’s going on.’

‘If you come, will you stay with me? I can’t let you unless you promise to stay by my side. Otherwise I can’t protect you.’

Sarah looked at Daniel, so earnest, worried for her. She couldn’t help but agree. She nodded, looking into his dark eyes.