Prologue

Darkness. Contrary to what the legends will have you believe, I do not see in the dark. In fact, cataracts rendered my eyes almost sightless centuries ago. I can tell when daylight breaks. The sun endows light with a certain unmistakable quality that my eyes still detect. But this is darkness. If light is warmth then this is the very essence of savoury coolness. Should my eyes one day fail me completely, I can still rely on my skin to tell me if it is night. It is like a blanket quenching coals on a hearth. Soothing.

I hear the sounds around me. The details that my eyes deny me are carried to me by my ears. My footsteps are soft but resonate with my surroundings, unveil what is hidden. An insect scuttles across the floor near my right foot, momentarily pausing and then changes direction as it senses my presence. I suppress an urge to bend down and pick it up. I have a bottomless hunger that sends strands of pain through my limbs. Pain whose command is not easily disobeyed. But I know that bending down would hurt more. My knees would give in and the meal would be too small to remedy the pain. The cost is too high. So I stand. Take another step forward. Listen to the echo. Judge the distance to the window. Sense. Oh dear, how long has it been?

There! The sound. It is there again. I can hear a faint breath. Inhale. Exhale. It is a woman. The larynx is different in men and women. They cause different vibrations. I prefer women. I know it may appear vulgar, but they taste better. There is a bitterness to men’s blood. Testosterone, I presume. I don’t know, really. Suffice to say that I prefer the sweeter sex. Not that they fight less. Oh, no. Unlike what you might think, men quickly succumb to resignation whereas women fight ferociously. Both reactions are understandable, I suppose. One knows he might as well surrender and die without pain, the other equally aware of the inevitability, tries to avoid it despite the pain she may suffer. The same mechanism; different manifestations.

I hear her continuously now. Her breath is clear. The slight compression of her organs, as her diaphragm expands into the body cavity. The rustling of her dress as she moves. The air as it gives way to her body. I have her located now. I can track her. Almost depriving me of breath myself, my body is tensing. Making ready for the satiating blood. My tongue is ripping on my teeth. My own blood sends frantic messages through my system. My joints are hurting with the tension of my tightened tendons.

She is very close now. A meter or two. No more. She has stopped. Rummaging through her coat as if she has forgotten something. I can smell her. Oh, how sweet is this? A scent of flowers and a faint accent of iron. I need to be still a bit longer. To have her closer before I charge. I cannot lose this chance to drink. Patience. She appears to have found what she has been looking for. The rustling of her coat has changed. She is turning. Towards me. What is this? Has she seen me?!

The pain is excruciating! Instantaneous! Bolts of lightning are burning their way through my flesh. Like the sun burning my skin. Except it is dark still. I can smell my skin burning. A billow of metallic smoke engulfs me. A faint blue light; flickering. The woman is still here. I can hear her breathing hard. Quenching her teeth. What is this? My legs collapse under me. Throw me to the ground, adding to the pain. For a moment the lightning stops. The woman speaks. She sees me! How so? Then the lightning resumes. The rest of my body explodes in spasms, then yields and sinks. My mind is leaving me. I faint.

“Is he down? Can we put back his IV?”

The nurse looks up. She nods indifferently.

“Yeah, he is gone all right. I hate that fucking guy. He can’t see shit and still he appears to follow me when I move. Did you see the cattle prod? It almost fucking melted.”