Ian drove through the empty streets. He wasn’t quite sure how late it was, but he didn’t want to disappoint himself by checking his clock.
Everything about his embrace had been wrong! He was turned into a vampire just because he lived next to Santiago… and just because Santiago had been Alain’s pupil! And he had been turned by a Sire who couldn’t care less about him and who only left a stupid message on his back as a lesson!
“And I’m sure Adam didn’t write it! He doesn’t seem to have a sense of humor!”
And now, Ian was a young vampire trying to feed in a city where everyone was afraid to be outside after dark.
He had checked the usual places: the subway, the front door of bars, but of the few people he saw, no one was crazy enough to be alone. He thought of his Sire and how hungry he was when they last met, while feeling a slight sympathetic concern. He quickly rolled his eyes
“What do I care? He probably broke down a house and sucked the baby while the mother watched…. The psycho bastard!”
Ian parked the car. He was now sure he wouldn’t find anyone that way. The second he step out of the car, he got soaked. How was he expecting to find someone on that weather? He strolled a while, not paying attention to where he was going; he didn’t even knew that part of town, till he heard a low flute sound muffed by the rain.
He remembered Adam playing the violin and smiled, while following the sound. Then he remembered Diane playing, and Adam taking her and the smile dyed on his lips.
A few steps away, in the entrance to a dirty building, a curved wretched figure was playing, what Ian could now discern to be a children’s music.
The figure must have seen him too, for it stopped playing.
Ian didn’t move. He was thinking fast. He could use his recent achieved speed to approach the person, and then he just had to be strong enough to press him against the wall.
“I’m sure I can do it with my blood”. Then just bite him, without allowing time to cry. “Risky, but I’ll have to…”
His line of though was cut by the beggar, whose voice reveal to be of a woman, an old woman.
- You like it? – She asked the drenched figure in the rain – I wrote it for you.
“What the…?” Ok… he could still use his unnatural speed, grab her….
- They said you were dead… The streets were so silent. –The woman said as she got up.
“Whatever… Speed, grab, bite.” He was not that secure, though.
She came out to the rain, very slowly, with small but confident steps.
- I… I’ve been waiting… for so long now. – her voice was trembling now, making a contrast with her secure steps. – But I knew you’d come for me… I knew…
Ian still didn’t move.
She kept approaching, slowly but determined.
- Will you play for me?
Ian didn’t answer… and didn’t move. She kept coming closer.
He could see her now. Dirty, unkept, but quite young. Her eyes and voice were old though.
She saw him too.
And she smiled.
- You are beautiful. – She said – Will… will it hurt?
Ian looked her in the eyes. He understood why he felt so different and in some ways superior to those around him. He wanted to protect this woman, whoever she was, from the cold, from the rain, from her life…
In that second, he loved her without knowing or caring why. He just smiled back.
- No… - Ian said
He just had to give one little step and he could grab her, but instead he just embrace the young woman protectively. She trembled but brought her body closer to him.
The vampire unleashed his fangs and pierced her flesh.
Her heart pounded fast and strong, in a mist of fear and excitement. Darkness swallowed them both and all left was the beating of the girl's heart. Strong and fast, but regular as if it was marking the beat…
A lullaby came to him, not so different from the one Ian just heard. He couldn’t see anything, but he felt the young woman’s happy moments, and he knew she was singing to her child.
But as soon as the vampire let himself be rocked by the melody, the rhythm changed. Almost like a “grand concerto” was getting ready. The heart pounded faster and stronger… getting ready. Any minute the concert would start… Any minute… But the heart slowed… turning to a lament. The soft heart beating was almost unheard under the song… And very slowly, together with the lament, the same lullaby came back. But slower, weaker…
Ian opened his eyes and realized he was knelling on the wet floor with a corpse on his arms. He felt like crying, even though he wasn’t sure about the reason.
So, he just left himself stay there, crying tears of rain, murmuring the lullaby until he regained composure…
"I take away their suffering..." Adam had said....