Prologue

Blood was all over the victim’s blouse, and it was running down her arms. She ran for the balcony doors, tugging on the knobs in a state of hysteria, screaming and sobbing. I thought she was going to make an escape when the hand that created the original wound found its victim by the throat and picked her up off the floor and held her in mid-air. The coughing and gurgling sound she made sickened me. She clawed away at the vampire, as she struggled and kicked. Then the woman in black opened her mouth and licked her red lips. As the victim’s eyes grew as big as saucers for the last time, the vampire set her down on the tiled floor. Then she relaxed her grip with the one hand and in one swift, deliberate motion with the other, she pushed the victim’s head back and sunk her fang-bearing jaws into the girl’s neck.

I had to watch this and listen for what seemed a half hour. The sucking and gurgling noises nauseated me. The smell of fear dissipated from the room, as did the girl’s life force. I said a prayer for her and myself asking forgiveness that I could not interfere. My tears of sorrow and shame ran down my face while I just stood there until she was finished feeding. Then she did something I will never understand. When she finished, I saw her kiss her victim on the cheek as if to say good-bye or to say thank you for her sacrifice.

Then she stood up, turned to face me with that beautiful face which now had color to it, and said, “Please forgive me!”

The woman in the black gown had changed, and I found myself in doubt of my own sanity. I put my hands to my face so that I would not have to look at her or anyone else for that matter. Between my fingers, I could see her fangs disappear; her claws retract and recede back into her slender fingers. The burning glow in her eyes where the pupils are supposed to be, disappeared as one would blow out a candle. Her eyes were a dark violet again. She was no longer hungry. She was satiated.

Chapter 1 »