Survival

Did you miss me? I know you did. I can see it in your eyes. I assume that I need no introduction, and that you have all waited with bated breath for the continuation of my tale.


Where was I..ah yes, I tasted something wet upon my mouth. It was, at once, sweet and tangy and I felt something come over me as I reached violently for the fount of this liquid ecstasy. Latching onto my sisters hand, I drank of her deeply. It was like life itself I was drinking. I felt my body changing, strengthening, and feeling every emotion and torture that Karissa had been put through. Never before had I felt as close to her. My only thought was a prayer that it would never stop. But stop it did. Karissa violently pushed me away. I lay on that rough ground, my sisters eye's upon me and I became…. no word was available to my ninth century mind to describe the exact nature of my new found disposition. I was the same but changed. I had never felt so strong. I could count every creature in that cell just by taking a breath. I ran my tongue across my lips, feeling the sharp fangs that had grown from my teeth. I was broken from my reverie by Karissa grabbing my hand and rushing me from the room. We made our way through the the master's house and out into the city, beyond the gates of our prison.

It was in these dirty streets that I learned of my true nature, and felt the thirst that rule my existence for the first time. I followed my sister through the streets of Rome, silently watching the reactions of the people around me. Pulling my hood closer around my face, I did not walk long before she led me down an alley telling me to wait. She returned in a moment, her arm around a very tall Roman. I remember murmuring some nonsense at the time as to why she had brought him here. She lifted him like a doll in her one hand while he beat and kicked upon her chest. I heard her laughing softly, then saw her sink those evil teeth into his neck. The man went limp as she pushed him in my face. I was repelled by her, but the scent of blood filled my nostrils, my body vibrating to the rhythm of that incessant beat. When he was completely drained, Karissa unceremoniously dropped his corpse onto the ground. She embraced me as the heat of blood warmed our cold flesh. Taking me by the shoulders, she started spouting plans of escape when suddenly he walked into the alley, his cold eyes upon us. Grabbing me by my tunic, and giving my sister a heated look, he hauled us back through the streets to his home.

I find it hard to speak his name even now, some fifteen hundred years since his ashes have been scattered to the wind, the one who brought this curse upon us. Even the thought of him brings his ghost, and that strange atmosphere of so long ago, to my eyes. I lived in dual states -- burning thirst and ecstasy. He kept me in a coffin for long periods of time. I remember breaking the nails from my fingers, scratching at the lid, and how the pain of hunger clawed at my insides. When I thought I would go insane, my lid would open, and soft flesh would be pushed into my mouth, filling it with sweet human blood. Perhaps the thirst saved me from this dark time. I was never allowed to become strong or to be completely full. But I did see my sister occasionally, when he was feeling giving and would allow my presence for a period of time. As evil as he was, he did love my sister. And the affect of his love was madness. When I was with her, she was lucid at some moments, but the majority of the time she would murmur insensibly, her eyes lost and tragic. We used those moments when my sisters eyes were clear to plan our escape from his hold.

Walk with Me

Hello my beauties, as most of you know my name is Chara Aurelia and I am a vampire. I have lived over 1800 years and oh the stories I could tell but just now, if you will indulge me I will tell you of how I became a vampire.

In the time of Alexander Severus I was 16 years old and a slave in a large Roman household. My master Valervis Maxims was a kindly man, and I was but one of the many slaves he had acquired, my sister being one of them. My days were spent attending to my master his sons and wife and the nights in the company of my big sister Karissa. We were not born slaves but captured from our homeland of Greece when my sister and I were 10 and 11 years old. It was common for the Romans to raid outlying villages, our father was killed and my mother and sister and I were taken by wagon to Rome where we were put up for sale. The Romans were a disgusting bunch, I wont go into the things that happened on the ride to Rome, but when we did arrive we were immediately separated from our Mother, never to see her again but a little luck was on our side for my sister and I were purchased together and for six years were treated as well as we could hope for by our Master. One evening I would say it was about three hours before dawn we were awoken and told the Master had a visitor and called for us. The man was speaking softly to the Master when we entered, he turned suddenly and looked at us. He was a tall man with blazing white hair and skin so very pale it seemed almost translucent. It was like we were unable to move or think while his eyes were upon us. He returned his gaze to the Master and we were at once conscious of our duty. Laying out foods and wine we stepped back to the shadows of the hall. I remember looking to my sister and seeing her shake as though afraid, the man left after an hour or more never once sipping the fine wine or nibbling on the foods. I tried to speak with my sister about what had scared her so but she would say nothing.

A year passed after that strange evening, life continuing on in its normal rhythm. Until that fateful day when upon leaving my room I found the house in panic I tried to find my sister to no avail. A passing slave let me know that the Master had been slain. I ran frantic through the house searching for Karissa I finally did find her and we ran to our room to wait out the storm. Days passed until one night we were ushered from our room to stand before the Mistress of the house. She said that with the Master gone she must sell off most of the slaves and that we were lucky and had been bought by a man of great wealth. Just as she spoke those words the man from that strange night stepped from the shadows. Karissa started to tremble and I wide-eyed gazed at this man wonder, thinking him truly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. We were immediately led from our late Masters house and to an alley nearby, he seemed to speak into my mind, and I felt a sharp piercing in my neck, the next I knew I was lying on the ground in a barren cell. Rising from the floor trying vainly to recollect how I had come to this place, to no avail. I wondered where Karissa was and started to cry then to scream, I kept this up for hours when finally the little door to my cell opened and the man, the beautiful man stepped through. I asked him quietly Master my my sister Karissa he stopped me with a finger then spoke to my mind again telling me I would see my sister soon and not to fear. He then came towards I fell to the ground in fear for his eyes were at once feral and bright he picked me up as though I was a doll and before the lights went out I saw his opened mouth and sharp white teeth that seemed to grow.

How long did this continue I am unsure I know it was months it could have been a year, many days I saw no one not even the man, the cell with its rough ground and cold walls was my existence, not a day went by I did not cry out for my sister. The one night my cell door opened and in walked my Karissa, but she was not the same her skin was so pale, like the man's, and her eyes seemed to glow, at once I was consumed by fear. Glancing at my sister and backing into the corner I beseeched her to speak to me, silence pervaded the cell, then I heard in my mind a soft sob. Karissa advanced on me, I could move no further she said to me; He is not what you think Chara and I am no longer like you, but you will join me. He is evil and I cannot fight him alone I need you to come with me. I tried to scream at her but only a whisper escaped my lips come with you into what Karissa, there was no reply. Sobbing violently I saw her opened mouth the same sharp teeth coming at me except this time there was no loss of conciseness as she bit into my neck, I tried to fight but for once in our life we were not equal. I knew I was dying, I could feel my heart speed so it seemed it would burst, the visions I saw then; my mother and father called to me and light so bright so very bright I lifted my hand to it and heard the voice of Karissa calling me back to her, I did not want to respond to my sister but I tasted something wet upon my mouth it was at once sweet and tangy I felt something come over me as I reached violently for the fount of this liquid Ecstasy. Latching onto Karissa's hand I drank of her deeply it was like life itself I was drinking I felt my body changing strengthening, feeling every emotion and torture that Karissa had been put through, never before had I felt as close to her, my only thought was a prayer that it would never stop, but stop it did Karissa violently pushed me away and I lay on that rough ground my sisters eye's upon me and became a vampire.

I am tired now and cannot write more, I feel the loss in my soul for my sister but if you would like my audience, my beautiful ones I will in the days ahead tell you how we broke the chains of our slavery and how I lost my sister to the wasteland of time.