The vampire

She hadn’t eaten in two weeks. Her lips were dry and crackled, the tongue without saliva stuck to her palate, it felt as an old rag between her sharp teeth.
The conflict between her own survival and that of her victims was killing her. She didn’t want to kill, but if she didn’t do soon she would deteriorate without repair. So she went to the street to find a prey with the sorrow of someone that doesn’t want to follow the dictation of her nature but obeys her destiny with no choice. The streets at dawn were full of zombies, people living in misery and the drunks coming out from their party, the loneliness, the wet asphalt after the rain. And all those beings ready there to become victims, non prepared to die tonight. She could see it in their eyes the lost sight, the emptiness. She didn´t want to cut short the time for someone who was not ready. She found herself excuses not to attack when she passed by them and felt the smell of warm blood in each and everyone of this dark beings that crossed her path, without even noticing her.
It was then when she saw him, it was him. A bit older. Walking on the same street, alone, with the same air as usual, the same with shoulders. She followed him without him knowing. It was ironic, today she was going to kill, she was going to do what all vampires in the world do, with guilt or without it and she found him there at this precise moment. Work of fate, no doubt. His time had come, and she thought she couldn’t wait any longer, however she followed him as he turned to the left.
Several years had passed since they met. He used to play every night in a bar, she went to find prey, when she had no guilt to be what she was. But one night he invited her a drink, she knew she couldn´t devour him without awaking suspicion, so she played along. He was fascinating and charming. He was bright and young, she knew what she wanted with her 116 years but he made her feel nervous and excited as a teenage girl. He started by touching her hand and a strange chill crossed all her body, little was needed for them to end up in her apartment like to wild people. A night she could never forget and in 116 years many nights fit, very few as that one. Between kisses, anxious hands, unstoppable, eyes that registered every movement with mad desire, with over flooding passion. And her with the fine sense of smell of the vampire aspiring every essence, but above all the smell of his blood in effervescence, she felt her teeth coming out, the tips touched her tongue, then fresh and lively, his neck invited her for a taste.
Just a bit-, she thought, but the pleasure was greater so she stopped before biting. The morning came and he promised to call. She thought he wouldn’t do it, but he did. And they saw each other that same day, and the next and many more. She woke up with the joy of having him there between her arms, of feeling his warmth and his company every day, and every night. How ever his neck was always there, she came close and kissed it, and felt her teeth coming out waiting for a bite. The call of the blood sometimes felt stronger than her feelings for him. Between the animal attraction she started feeling that need of him, of his voice, his presence, the word exchange, of the hours spent together just gazing at each other’s eyes that humans call love and vampires find so hard to define. But he wanted to be with her all the time and she found less and less chances to sneak out to hunt. And one of many dawns together, while he was sleeping, she went out. She went to find prey, carefully, quietly, with her black coat wrapped in shadows between the darkness, exactly as this night when he sees him again. She found some sleeping beggar and she threw herself over his neck mercilessly draining him till the last drop impatiently. When she was done, she raised her eyes only to see her lover's eyes horrified, her lips were still covered with the beggar’s blood, her retractile teeth still out, she tried to explain but he refused to listen. “Stay away from me! You are a monster!” he shouted as he run away from her. For the very first time in her life she felt ashamed of her nature? No one had ever called her that, but what was worst was the terror in his eyes which said a lot more. She was used to terrified eyes of others, but never some eyes that before saw her with tenderness, with desire. And for the first time since her blood baptism she felt like crying.
She stopped eating, spacing the “meals”. She missed him in the nights, but specially in the mornings. And she lost interest in all. Every time she attacked when she saw her victim’s eyes, she could see his face again and it stole all the grace of her kiss of death. She had never been this long without eating. And finally she had decided to do so again; her instinct didn’t allow it to go on for much longer, after all, vampires are immortal and they can’t starve to death, they just deteriorate and loose everything.
Suddenly he felt her steps behind him and looked at her. His face reflected astonishment and fear. He never expected to see her again, but there she was with the same brunette long hair over the shoulders, with the coat he saw her the first time, the same she wore when he saw her full of the beggar’s blood like a beast. She was much thinner, her face was paler than usual, her eyes a bit sunken were still the shiny olive green eyes, her crackled lips were the same he had kissed to madness, the same where the poor man’s blood came out. She approached him and kissed him in the cheek, delicately, almost as a breath of air. He felt like running, but something more powerful than him kept him there. She caressed his face and observed him for a long time, she smiled. His time was up, it was time to be who she was with no guilt. Then, she traced his neck with her fingers sweetly, putting the jacket aside and brought her lips close. She felt intoxicated, her teeth were showing again, she kissed tenderly the neck she so much desired, while he felt paralyzed, at once terror and desire, the power of persuasion of the vampire that with one look dominates others and makes them offer the neck without hesitating, together with the old love he had felt for her and the memory of all the nights he only lived with her,kept him immovable. She got her teeth closer to his skin and he felt them tearing it down slowly, soon they were in and he felt the vertigo of the bite. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, more like an ecstasy that invaded him, nevertheless he soon started feeling very weak, he felt more and more her lips biting with avidity, little by little he was feeling with no strength at all. She masterfully helped him to lay down on the floor without stopping the bite for a second. When he felt close to death, she stopped, she opened his lips and put some blood to his tongue and between his teeth. He tasted it, and he felt a sudden urge for more, much more, but she stopped and stood up, and after a long look she said: “Who’s the monster now?”. She left him in the pavement alone and confused and disappeared with her ethereal walk by the wet street, between the fog of dawn, satisfied with a smile on her –again- red lips. He would call her, she knew it. Now he was like her…