"Couldn't you eat other things? You said you can't taste anything, right?"
"I choose to eat human flesh because I feel like it."
"That makes no sense!"
"You have no escape anyway, so shut up!"
I had been captured by a vampire. A vampire who possessed no sense of taste. She had long black hair, skin as pale as a corpse, and sharp teeth, but what struck me the absolute most were her blood-red, piercing eyes. A mole under her right eye made her look seductive and human—which was exactly what made me fall into her trap the moment I saw her.
I had gone out to have fun with my friends, and now I found myself in the arms (trapped) of a bloodthirsty vampire. I never thought I would die at the hands of a beautiful, alluring woman who wanted to eat me (and not in that way). The only thing left for me to do was try to talk her out of it!
"Why do you eat human flesh?"
"I get more blood, faster, without using stupid tricks like seduction. There's no point in taking just a little blood, still being hungry, and having to go hunt another prey!"
"Maybe your predator friends do it so they don't kill us?"
"Yeah, that could be it."
I tried to turn my head to read her expression, but she was carrying me slung over her shoulder, and the only thing I could see was the ground and, well... her butt. Why did she have to be so attractive? Why was I so attracted to women?! It was a curse.
"You could even just request blood bags and solve a lot of problems, right? Why risk it, when I'm sure you could just sit back comfortably while your meal is delivered to you?"
"Mh..." the sound of her voice had been a low blow for me when I met her. And by low blow, I mean exactly what you're thinking. My first reaction would have been to scream "take me" and throw myself at her. Why hadn't my friends stopped me? By now, I would be at our hotel, enjoying a bath and then relaxing on my comfy bed...
I wanted to cry, but I had already done way too much of that when I was being chased by the vampire. She said her name was Melanie, but I didn't really buy it. "What's your real name?"
"Why should you care? You humans are so weird."
"Just say it, right? It won't change anything... you're going to eat me anyway..." I whined sadly.
"Mh... my name is Vanessa."
"Vanessa is a pretty name... it doesn't suit a human-eating monster."
She growled, or at least it sounded like a growl, and tightened her grip around my waist. I jolted, letting out what was supposed to be a whimper of fear, but it sounded completely different to both of our ears. I blushed instantly and kept quiet. At some point along the way, I realized my dress had ridden up my hips, and my red lace panties—worn specifically in the hopes of a one-night stand—were probably showing. I tried to pull the fabric down, but it was hard in that position. Suddenly, Vanessa grabbed my wrist and hissed, "What are you doing?"
Her apparent anger made me feel even more embarrassed. "The dress... i-it rode up and..."
Vanessa didn't seem to understand and muttered something about the stupidity of human beings. "Don't tell me you're worried your dress might get ruined."
"Of course not! You're full of prejudice against humans..."
"And you against vampires. For example, you think you can escape us by trying to make us feel guilty or pity you... it's all useless."
The trek to her lair felt endless, and I was terrified at the thought that she wasn't alone, that she had followers ready to eat me as soon as she arrived. Did she want to throw a banquet? Maybe it was a vampire feast!
Suddenly, Vanessa stopped dead in the middle of the woods, and I heard her growl. Speaking of which: since when do vampires growl? I started to think it was a trait unique to Vanessa, seeing as she looked like a vampire but had the temperament of an angry dog. Her wolf-cut hair made my description even more accurate.
"What's wrong?"
"Shh!" She silenced me and dropped me to the ground, telling me to stand perfectly still if I didn't want to die prematurely. As if I cared whether I died in a minute or an hour. What difference did it make?
I crossed my arms over my chest, a move I usually pulled to draw attention to my cleavage, especially in the skimpy dress I was wearing that night. Unfortunately, I had no one to seduce right now, only a vampire to convince to let me go.
"Please... let me go."
"I told you to be quiet."
"Please..." I dropped to my knees and grabbed her leg, which was clad in shiny leather that highlighted her slender physique and firm, sexy butt. Vanessa responded by clamping her hand over my mouth and grabbing my arm to drag me away. "Someone is following us."
She must have noticed my hopeful eyes because she bared her teeth, flashing her sharp fangs. "Don't think there's someone coming to save you. We are in the middle of nowhere, in a forest frequented by starving beasts just like me."
I gasped as her grip on my arm tightened, and she slammed me against a tree trunk. Her body covered me completely, and only then did I realize she wore a delicious perfume. "This way they won't catch your scent..." she explained, more to herself than to me.
"What kind of perfume is that?"
"W-what?" Her bewildered face would have made me laugh in any other context, or maybe in another life. But I was her prey, and she was a vampire who was going to eat me alive. It was probably the fear making me lose my mind, pushing me to ask stupid questions so I wouldn't think about the gruesome end waiting for me.
"What do I have to do to shut you up? Eat your tongue?"
I glared at her, preparing to bite the hand she clamped over my lips again, but at the last second, I decided to lick her palm instead. Vanessa recoiled in surprise, and I took advantage of it to try and run, but I barely made it three feet before her arms wrapped around my waist again, lifting me off the ground.
"Let me go!" I screamed, and shortly after, I heard a very deep growl that definitely did not come from the vampire behind me.
"Damn stubborn humans!"
"You know what? I'm not going to make this easy for you!"
"I could snap your neck right now and solve all my problems, are you aware of that?"
At that point, I shut up for the rest of the journey. Vanessa threw me over her shoulder and ran incredibly fast, ignoring the howling of the woods, until she reached an abandoned, dusty castle. As soon as we stepped inside, she slammed the door shut behind her, and I sneezed.
"Dust does this to me."
She didn't say a word, just scoffed and headed toward what had to be one of her torture chambers.
My eyes went wide when I saw blood on the floor, and I started to tremble. I couldn't die like this, I was only 24! Why me of all people? I had never done anything bad to anyone, I always helped everyone, I was a kind and reliable person; I was an optimist, ready to achieve my dreams. Why did I have to die inside a vampire's digestive tract? My family would never know what happened, and my friends would blame themselves for my disappearance... I couldn't allow it!
"Have you ever tasted human food?"
"You mean flesh?"
"No, I mean food cooked by humans—"
"Mh... maybe centuries ago. I don't remember."
"Food wasn't as tasty centuries ago as it is now."
Vanessa stopped in front of a table that looked an awful lot like a dining table...
"I could cook something for you if you want? How about that?"
"I'm not interested."
"Can you really not taste anything?"
She dropped me onto the table, and I stared at her in sheer terror. What was she going to do to me?
"Mh..." her disinterested grunt of agreement told me she wasn't going to say anything else. Her eyes locked onto me, ready to devour, red and predatory. "Undress and shut up."
"W-what?"
"Are you deaf? I said undress."
My green eyes grew glassy; I wanted to burst into tears. I grabbed the zipper of my dress, only to realize I wouldn't be able to reach it on my own. "I can't..."
Vanessa sighed, closed the distance in a flash, and ripped the fabric open in one rough motion. My bare skin broke out in goosebumps, and I tried to scramble away from her, searching frantically for an exit. "You're not running away again." Her body loomed over me, pinning me against the dark wood of the table. I tried to fight her off, but she grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head.
"I'll offer you my blood, but let me live, please!" I begged, trembling, pushing her away with my hips and legs since my arms were immobilized. She seemed to like my weak, sobbing voice; in fact, she smirked and pinned the rest of my body down too, pressing her hips flush against mine.
Desperate, I tried one last time to change her mind. "Have you ever tried drinking blood the way other vampires do? Maybe it's more p-pleasurable and tastes better!"
Vanessa froze. She seemed to be thinking it over, even though she kept that same scowl and annoyed grimace. That's when I realized that maybe she had never actually tried sucking someone's blood before. Mine was obviously a bluff—I knew nothing about vampires—but if it worked, I could save myself!
Or at least prolong my life...
"I could suck your blood down to the very last drop, and what difference would that make for you?"
"Why kill me right away when you can keep me and have my blood long-term? You just have to not drain me dry, give me time to recover, and you wouldn't have to look for other prey."
Vanessa pushed herself up, though she kept her iron grip on my wrists, bringing her other hand to rest on my stomach. Her muscles tensed, and I shivered.
"Stay right here. If you move a single inch, I'll tear you to pieces."
"You could have asked a little more nicely."
Vanessa ignored me and stormed out of the room. I didn't know why she had left, but from what I knew about her, she might have gone to fetch some torture devices, or worse, meat cleavers...
Like hell I was going to stay put. I looked around for a weapon. The room was completely bare except for the table, a few pieces of furniture draped in dusty white sheets, and some candelabras. The windows were all boarded up, as if there were external dangers threatening to get in. In reality, the beast was already inside...
It was pure luck. Just as I was looking for something to defend myself with, I found something better: behind a small cabinet, there was a low opening, maybe some kind of tunnel. I didn't care why it was there right now. Without a second thought, I crawled inside. It was narrow and damp, but my whole body managed to fit through.
After a lot of struggle and disgust over the dust and God knows what else, I ended up in another room. It looked like a kitchen.
I started rummaging through the drawers and built-in cupboards, but there wasn't a single object in this room either. It was clear that not even Vanessa actually lived here. I heard footsteps and a door slamming, and I froze.
Moving as quickly and quietly as possible, I reached the kitchen door that led out into the hallway. I opened it slowly to avoid making noise, but it was so old it probably would have creaked even without me touching it.
"Damn it," I cursed under my breath, trying to gather my courage. A growl not too far away told me my predator was furious.
If I went out there, she'd spot me immediately, but I didn't see any other way to escape.
Think. You only have one shot.
Vanessa was stronger and faster than me; I didn't stand a chance in hand-to-hand combat. I was surrounded by nothing but wood, I couldn't find any weapons to defend myself... Unless I used a chair leg as a stake. Without a second thought, I raised my heel and kicked a wooden leg off a chair, wielding it like a sword. I crept toward the kitchen door and opened it slowly, hoping the creaking wouldn't be too loud. I didn't see anyone in the dark hallway and didn't hear a thing, so I stepped out, convinced I was alone. But suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed me from behind, making me scream at the top of my lungs.
"Oh, look here! What kind of kinky game are you and my sister playing? I have to say, she has excellent taste." A man as pale as Vanessa, and equally fascinating and terrifying, gripped my face in his hand and locked his red eyes onto mine.
"Let me go!" I raised my arm to stab him with the wooden stake, but it was useless; it didn't even scratch him.
"Mhm, aggressive... I like it."
"She's mine." Another pair of hands grabbed me by the waist, pulling me away from the unknown man. Vanessa was right behind me, and I could feel her growl vibrating from her chest against my back.
"A prey or your girlfriend? You know, I really can't tell... at first glance, I'd say the latter." His eyes roamed appreciatively over my body, and I tried to cover myself with my arms as best as I could. For some reason, Vanessa immediately pulled me away, completely ignoring the man who claimed to be her brother.
"What are you doing here, Nathaniel?"