Chapter 4: Vampire

The first things she noticed were his eyes. Deep-set and canopied by long lashes, they were the lovely golden hue of malt whisky and seemed almost to glow in the margin of light cast by the nearby streetlamp. As her eyes traced a path across the rest of his face, she found she couldn't help it when a soft gasp escaped her lips.

The only suitable word her mind could find to describe the rest of his features was "cruel." Those same eyes which had at first intrigued her sat beneath two dark, trim brows, angled downward in a decidedly displeased expression. The straight, narrow bridge of his aquiline nose hooked over harsh lips, one corner of which arched in a condescending and pitiless smile.

It wasn't until he approached her that she realized just how tall he was. At 5'10, she was considered a fairly tall woman. Add heels to her already generous height and she clocked in at just above 6'0. The broad-shouldered man moving steadily closer was nearly a head taller and his threatening presence alone made him seem even more so.

She'd been walking home alone from a dinner party and had cut across the park as she had done many times before. It was bordered by a nice neighbourhood and she had yet to experience any problems while walking home.

That was, until this evening.

She was almost at the edge of the park; she could see the exit and her own little bungalow from where she was standing. She'd just been thinking how relieved she'd be to finally take off these darned heels and have a nice, hot bath when a dark shape had seemingly come from nowhere and planted itself directly in her path. His appearance had been so sudden she'd almost fallen over out of surprise. She'd been willing to laugh it off; her startled, confused mind had even entertained the notion that maybe one of her friends had followed her and was playing a practical joke.

That thought had died the moment she'd seen his face.

Backing up, she quietly reached into her purse, her rising wave of panic settling slightly as her fingers closed around the can of pepper spray she always kept with her. As the man continued to advance, she debated her options. Calling the police was definitely number one on her list of priorities, assuming she could get away from him long enough to make the call before he pounced and dragged her off to God-knows-where. She could see her house from where she stood. All she had to do was get there.

Thankfully, she had something that could help with that.

Her long, bright red hair had fallen into her face, temporarily obscuring her vision; she pushed it roughly aside. She'd just pulled the small canister free from her purse when the man spoke.

"Please don't do that," he said quietly, his voice deep, his words lilting with an English accent. "It won't have any effect on me, but it will ensure that your evening goes rather poorly."

She screamed.

He was on her in a heartbeat, one arm encircling her waist and one large hand relentlessly gripping the bottom half of her face. The pepper spray fell to the asphalt at her feet. He leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Now, that's tricky, isn't it? I didn't tell you not to scream, so I can hardly hold you accountable for it, now can I?"

She struggled against him, thrashing as much as the limited amount of space between their bodies would allow. She screamed again, the sound muffled by his firm grip.

His hand never once loosening its hold, the man leaned back just enough to look her in the eye. For a moment, his eyes seemed to glow even more. Eyes wide, her struggling intensified.

She didn't want to die. Not here. Not now. Not in this park, her mangled body stuffed in some filthy trash can only to be discovered several days later. She had to get away from him. Right now.

"Everything is fine. Now be a good girl and stay still," he continued, his smile broadening into something infinitely more terrifying. "Otherwise this could get messy and neither one of us wants that, do we? Not in that lovely dress of yours."

Oh my God. He was going to kill her. He was going to -

A flip switched in her mind. Immediately, she stopped moving. In the span of a few seconds, her mind when from panic frazzled to completely calm. Everything was fine. She would stay perfectly still now. She didn't want this to get messy, after all. Not while wearing her lovely dress.

Everything is fine, she thought again as his fangs tore into the flesh at her throat.