Pain
By Paris Lilley

Chapter 1

I dug my fingernails deeper into the mortals skin and pulled my hand back towards me. Just one quick motion and the young man were left with a deep hole in his arm that was quickly filling and overflowing with blood.

I licked the blood up from his wound slowly as the man screamed with pain and repulsion. His stupid cries were begging me to stop but they just encouraged me further. I wanted him to beg for death, then maybe I would stop finally satisfied…or not. But for now I was just getting started.

My name is Maximilian Orlock. I came to be here out in this wonderful night air by the off chance of running out of humans in my castle. Humans were becoming less as Vampires more. It took me a while to find a decent human...and I wasn’t going to waste it.

I picked up the man’s sword that he earlier tried to defend himself with as I selected him as my next meal. He didn’t stand a chance against me.
I began making quick slashes across his stomach, enjoying the high pitch wail of his cries that were never going to be answered with mercy.
Suddenly the man went still. I dropped the sword in disappointment, Humans died too fast.

“Max? Is that you?” I spun round at the sound of my name and spotted a woman stumbling forwards through the long grass. “Ohh it is you!”

The woman approached me with a smile…so naive. Her name was Elizabeth and she was a local town woman I just couldn’t bring myself to kill. Her face was not one of beauty but wisdom. She couldn’t have been more than 20 but spoke as one beyond her years. She was my secret weakness, the only one I had.

I wasn’t in love with her. Love was a stupid human emotion, one I’d never quite understood. But she touched something inside me when we first met a few years ago. We had many conversations under the stars.

“Oh my God!” Elizabeth saw the man at my feet, or rather the bloody mess.

She kept looking from me to the man and back again. One thing about me she didn’t know strangely enough was of my darker side.

“I just found him here like this, looks like another Vampire attack,” I answered softly showing no emotion as usual.

She believed me instantly and nodded. “We’d better get someone up here and clean things up.”

I didn’t want to be around when more people came. Elizabeth might not be able to tell it was me but that doesn’t mean others won’t. It wasn’t exactly something that was hard to guess even at first glance. Maybe Elizabeth knew I was a vampire really...but just didn’t want to accept it.

“I’ll see you another time Elizabeth” I said turning away without looking back.

She didn’t have chance to answer as I fled from the scene. Once out of sight I took to the skies and make a quick flight home.
I don’t know why I cared so much about what she thought. I’d never let anyone come close to me before like I had her. I think I just enjoyed the company.


Chapter 2

I returned to the same spot the next night. Nothing remained of the man and what had happened the night before. Not that I cared if there was.
A familiar voice called out. It was as if she’d been waiting for me. I couldn’t understand why she would. Elizabeth came into view.

“Ah you’re wondering about the man,” she said noticing where I was standing.

Actually I didn’t care at all but I let her continue. “He had a family. Everyone’s deeply upset about whatever happened.”

She looked away sadly. I felt nothing towards the man no guilt or sadness, maybe regret that I didn’t keep him alive long enough to play more games. He was definitely one of my more forgettable meals.

“So what have you been doing lately Max? Keeping out of trouble?” She asked jokingly.

If she only knew…“Of course Elizabeth”

“You hate talking about yourself don’t you? Such a private person you are,” she replied laughing softly.

I felt slightly weekend. The man yesterday hadn’t given me much blood before Elizabeth came and I still needed more.

“Sorry Elizabeth but I can’t stay tonight,” Elizabeth spun round to face me and looked disappointed.

I walked away having said my goodbye in search of another human. Maybe this one could prove to be more fun than the last.

Chapter 3

I spotted a group of teenage boys. One had a blindfold on and the other three were pushing him around. I hid behind a tree and watched as the other boys tied him to a different tree and left him there. The boy was shouting for help and I thought it was about time I stepped in before anyone heard him or one of the boys came back.

I untied the boy and dragged him away into a field where the village was too far away to hear his cries. The boy was struggling in vein. I left the blindfold on as I started ripping at the flesh on his arms.

I laughed when the boy screamed, such a wonderful sound he made.
Getting my sword out I slowly sliced off one of the boy’s legs at the knee. I cut the boy’s remaining foot off and stuffed it in his mouth to muffle some of the screams that were starting to get a little too loud for my sensitive hearing.
My senses told me I was being watched. I sensed a human hidden in the nearby bushes. Whoever it was had to die for this interruption.

Using my speed I shot to the bush before the human could even blink. Behind the bush was Elizabeth cowing under my glare, stupid interfering girl.
I dragged out by the arm. She didn’t scream I had to give her that one for bravery.

“I..I’m..n.not scared of..of you!” she managed to choke out.

I laughed long and hard, “Oh yes you are my dear sweet Elizabeth”

I licked down her arm and she started whimpering. I dragged her over to the boy who was dead. He’d lost too much blood.
Elizabeth’s distraction had caused my meal to bleed to death before I could finish what I’d started. She’d have to take his place instead.

Elizabeth finally screamed when she saw the boy. “It was you all along!” I felt her arm snap as I held on too tight.
Over come with pain and shock she fell to the ground and I let her knowing that she wouldn’t run away.

She lay there shivering with more than just the cold. I smiled satisfied and walked over to the dead boy. As easy as picking up a stick I carried him over to the bush I found Elizabeth hiding in and dumped him behind it.

Then I walked back to Elizabeth and carried her a little further from the town. I hid the boy in case people came looking for him or Elizabeth. I could easily handle humans but I knew to stop them trying to kill me I’d have to kill them and I couldn’t slaughter the humans when there were still vampires that needed to feed. I knew someone would find the boy eventually but by then I’d be gone.

Elizabeth was still in shock, which was good as it meant I didn’t have to waste time restraining her while I took us further away from the village.

Once the village was no longer in sight I let Elizabeth slip from my grip. She hit the floor and cried out in pain.
I thought about what to do with Elizabeth…dissect her, let her alight and watch her burn maybe? She lay there motionless but I knew she was alive and conscious. I finally decided dissecting her would be the best option.

“I love you” Elizabeth mumbled.

I laughed loudly. I was very amused by this. Elizabeth loves me? Hahaha.

“Love is for the weak minded people,” I said while bring my sword down into her leg. She screamed loudly and struggled.

Her struggling caused the sword to rip through her leg. I licked up the blood and ate the flesh that hung off her wound.
Elizabeth’s breathing had speeded up.

“Love me now Elizabeth?” I said.

I carried on bringing the sword down heavily on her limbs. Enjoying her screams and cries of pain. I was soon bored by this game and lit a match, which I always carried around with me just in case.

I threw the match on her hair, which caught and spread throughout her hair in no time. I watched her hair of fire burn till it reached her face. I decided now was the time to stop this game. I didn’t want her to die yet.

I hung Elizabeth upside down from a thick tree branch. Her blood dripped from her many wounds. Amazingly she was still conscious. I picked up my sword once more and began slicing off and eating the flesh on her arms and face.

I knew she didn’t have much time left. I could feel her life slipping away. She was fighting to stay alive. Fighting an already lost battle.
Working as quickly as I could I cut her down from the tree, she hit the ground with a satisfying crack.
I drank from her what little blood remained. Bending down I looked into her eyes that were fighting to keep open. She was dying now. Her light was flickering.

I kissed her lips softly and whispered “Goodnight sweet Elizabeth.”

Straightening up I walked away laughing wildly to myself.