My stomach shifted uneasily and I noticed that I unconsciously used my arms to warm myself. I could feel my pulse pounding in my temples. The sound of my heart throbbing against the cage of my chest seemed to be even louder. I fell to my knees and rested my head in my hands. There was a swelling in my veins waiting to explode. My chest tightened. My cheeks were wet from unanticipated tears, but I didn't wipe them away. I remained as still as a cadaver and acknowledged every insignificant detail. Humid air. Cracked wood floor. Peeling wallpaper. Empty boxes. Broken cheap beer bottles. Dead insects.

The pain was deep within my arms, stinging and burning, but I pushed it away and stood up. I was nothing like the orthodox vampires. No temperature drop around me nor did I live in a cemetery.

I ran my tongue over my teeth. I looked as pallid as yesterday, but my lips weren't as thin. There were no graceful traces and I did not melt into the shadows. My hair had no luminous sheen, it actually looked greasy.

I bit my lip. A shiver ran through my body like an electric current and the feeling of myself bleeding blurred my vision. Every color seemed brighter. Every noise louder. I was no longer startled. I was alive.

I had lost any sense of how long I'd been there, standing, staring at nothing. The burning sensation in my throat grew more intense as each second passed me by. I licked my lips, trying to wet my mouth. After a few minutes, my curiosity was peaked. I stood on the brink of something I couldn't describe.

How will it feel to suck the life out of a human?

I drew in a deep breath and a sweet, savory aroma filled my nostrils. It was intoxicating. It made my hands tremble.

Do I go after it?

I was unwashed, starving and trapped inside that ugly old house. The sun kept me there and my need to eat increased.

Pale? Check. Fanged? Check. Totally fictional? Not so much.

The sunset somehow intensified my pain. The sky bejeweled itself with different shades of reds and oranges.

Ten minutes later

The sun was already gone, but the daylight still lingered in the air. Those beautiful shadows finally dissolved into the darkness of the nighttime. I stood up as quickly as I could. I could have pulled off being an actual zombie. Something dead on the inside but subconsciously awake and very much alive.

I had no shoes, but I couldn't bother myself enough to care. The wind carried so many different fragrances. I inhaled enough air to be afraid of my lungs exploding.

Barefoot and alone, I walked outside to find my next meal.

I ambled by someone with a sweet, powdery scent, but the aroma didn't seem appealing to me. I took a few more steps and reached an area filled with people. A crowded street. Floral didn't invite me in, it only upset my stomach. A couple of fellas, drunken fellas, smelled woody, but that made my nausea worse. Then a salty scent filled my lungs and I began to walk towards it. The unique aroma of salty something, dried herbs made me salivate. Seven minutes later I noticed I was standing in front of an old truck. A man was inside. He smiled and sooner than I thought he started telling me things that I couldn't even hear or understand.

I looked around, without thinking. Old habits die hard. We were in some dark corner of some street. His face was peaceful. Relief filled his eyes as he took my hand. His calloused fingers were soft, and only at that point I spotted his clothes. His cowboyish style suited him. His pungent scent was like a slap on my face and before I could raise a hand to hide my teeth he saw what I was trying to conceal. White and polished small fangs stood out there. That man laughed and said something else. It all came to this. I no longer cared about what I was about to do so I pushed him to his knees and dived in. First his left side of his neck, then the right side. Nothing ever felt more satisfying.

The man laid still as numbness took control of him. I looked down, said my goodbyes and left to somewhere else.

I was really hungry.

THE END