You shudder to think of what your life has become, you ’re cruising along, everything seems to be on track. And just when you think that you know with absolute certainty where life is taking you, one day it throws you the first curve, and you begin to move away, from your path. And then another curve, then another. And soon you begin to move in a direction that you are no longer in control of. You didn’t mean to end up here, and yet here you are, in a place that you aren’t in the least bit familiar with, spiraling out of control.
She can’t see him anymore but feeling his presence is an entirely different matter. He is after all still there somehow in some sense or another. She stares down the dark street for what seems like hours, her tired eyes searching through the cold empty darkness almost wanting to see him there. Almost wanting him to come for her. It has been a rough patch for Annie Carelli, a rough life in all reality that no matter how hard she tries she can never seem to escape from. She has always had all of the tools to become whatever she wanted, she’s still reasonably young, beautiful, intelligent, but all of the potential in world has never been enough to keep her from what seems to be her destiny. Someone else always caught all of the breaks. Someone else always got Mr. right. And she always had to settle for Mr. right now. So here she is on this dark cold rainy night all alone searching for God only knows what, this man that she’d seen, this stranger, that for all Annie Carelli knows could possibly be some whacked out serial killer or something of the like. She first noticed him four nights ago, he followed her six blocks from Market square all of the way to her apartment. He was tall, dark and strikingly handsome. Long black hair that fell down to his shoulders, he was well dressed, a long black leather coat, but the oddest thing, here it was in the evening, well past dark and this strange man wore these dark blue round shaded glasses. She saw him seven times all and all and never recalled seeing his eyes. She sits down on the bench in front of the stone wall just outside of the entrance to Hatfield park. She pulls her coat tightly around her to fend off the cold chill that is growing around her neck.
She can feel him, he is close now. Her body tightens up and she closes the coat tighter around her. Her eyes begin to nervously sift through the growing mist of the very early morning air. And as she watches her breath rise up in front of the dimly lit street light she hears his voice. Cold… Crisp.. Almost mechanical he is above , but somewhere behind her. She doesn’t turn to face him.
“Good morning Annie.”
She doesn’t answer.
“So here we are. Alone at last. Right where you’ve always wanted to be.”
She struggles to answer him.
“I don’t understand. I’m just out for.. A walk?”
“At 1:30 in the morning Annie? On a dark deserted street? You are here because you knew that I would be here. Isn’t that right?”
She doesn’t answer.
“You came here because you figured out what I am.”
She nervously glanced over her shoulder.
“I don’t know.. What are you?”
“I live in darkness.. Waiting for people like you Annie. But you already figured that out didn’t you? You figured it out when you saw me . The other night when I was on your balcony while you slept with.. Him.. But you woke up didn’t you? You woke up and saw me.. So you came looking. And here you are.. And yet. I sense a fear in you Annie. But its alright. They all fear me at first.”
“Y.. Y.. You’re a Vampire?”
“If that’s what you think I am.. My name is Chapel.. And yes I am a vampire.”
“Are you going to- kill me?”
She can hear him rise to his feet, he is moving back and forth across the top of the stone wall directly above and behind her. She feels her body stiffen, as though it were expecting him to attack right then and there.
“No Annie. I did not come here to bite you.. To kill you.. To feast on your blood. Or to dine on your flesh. None of those things. I have come here to talk to you sweet Annie, Because quite frankly, something puzzles me.”
“What then?”
“ Human beings.. Now there’s a puzzling lot… You while away your lives locking yourselves up in your ivory towers. Shutting yourselves in.. You lock your doors and windows.. And you swear your protecting yourselves from the dark and all of the monsters that live there.. You sleep with guns.. You worry about Vampires.. And were wolves.. Well Annie Carelli.. I’m here to testify. I’ve walked this earth for centuries.. And what I’ve learned from watching humans is .. You maim.. You torture each other.. You kill each other.. For greed.. For pride.. For vanity.. You slaughter for love.. For faith.. For glory. You hide from us.. But the biggest monsters of all are human beings themselves. You know I speak the truth Annie Carelli.. Because you live with such a monster don’t you?”
Now she turns to look at him fully. But it isn’t a look of fear, it is a look of puzzlement.
“W.. What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about your life Annie. And the real live monster that lives in it . The one that tells you that he loves you.. but blames you for every short coming that he has. For every failure that he has committed.. every time he escapes to and crawls inside of that bottle.. And brings those demons back out with him.. every time he lashes out at you Annie.. Every time he beats you, and swears that he’ll never do it again.. But always does.. How many broken bones Annie? How many days have you worn extra makeup to cover the bruises. You always tell your friends and family that you fell, or you had an accident of some kind. But that isn’t exactly the truth now is it? How many times did you lock yourself away from the outside world for days on end until the scars healed? I’m not talking about Vampires and were wolves here Annie. I’m talking about real monsters.”
“I thought that you would-” She is almost crying now.
“You thought that I would take you away from it? Hmmmmm.. No Annie.. I didn’t come here to be a monster. I’m most certainly not going to take your life. I have come here to tell you that I am going to give your life back to you.”
He lands in front of her, slowly kneeling. Looking her in the eyes.
“You will walk home.. You will get undressed and you will go to bed.. And you will not only sleep sweet Annie. You will finally for the first time in many years rest. You will do this, and you will leave the monster to me.”
She stares at the sidewalk for several minutes and when she looks up he is gone. She wonders about everything that he said.. Before rising to her feet and turning for home.
Mark Caruthers stands almost defiantly out on the balcony of the apartment that he shares with Ann Carelli. He seems almost immune to the bitter cold temperatures as he lifts first the cigarette to his lips and then the whiskey bottle. He smiles to himself as he feels the warm alcohol as it makes its way through his veins. Annie stepped out. She wasn’t here when he got home. The bitch is going to pay dearly for that. Or so he thinks. He doesn’t hear Chapel walk up behind him, and by the time that he knows that he isn’t alone its already too late.
“Expecting someone else Mr. Caruthers?”
“WHAT THE FUC-!!!”
The words choke up in his throat as he feels the icy cold hand slowly crushing the breath from it. He stares into the eyes of his assailant. His chilling cold words tearing through his brain like a cold steel blade.
“You’ve taken enough dreams from her Mr. Caruthers. And if you are wondering about me? Well.. Don’t mind me.. I’m just here to take them all back. Now then.. How about you and I go someplace quiet where we can talk in.. Private.”
She unlocks the door and slowly enters the room as an odd feeling rushes over her. She turns on the light and finds herself alone. She moves to the bedroom and begins to undress for bed. As her fingers reach for the table lamp when she notices a piece of paper that falls onto the floor. On it is written four words; Rest.. Sleep.. Dream.. Live.. She lays down on the bed and pulls the covers up over her, and listens as the distant sounds of an ambulance siren softly echoes through the early morning air. For the first time in a long time she will sleep peacefully tonight. It feels good to feel safe.
~Scratch. A B.T. Copyright © 2009~
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