by Douglas Black

Created on: November 28, 2010

As the last of the glowing embers faded away, leaving behind only a scant pile of smoldering ashes and a thin wisp of smoke to be snatched up by the cool evening breeze-Alexander Brandeis stirred beneath the cabin’s weathered floor boards. Even below the oak planks, the foul stench of blood and gore permeated every square inch of the small log-cabin’s interior, remnants of the former family.

For his kind, it was never about choice or preference, it was primal instinct that had served him so well, assuring his survival for just over seven hundred centuries.

Yesterday, mere hours before Alexander had detected the aromatic-fragrance of freshly spilled blood; the young newlywed couple had been busy preparing a fresh garden salad. Outside, their two children; Max and Kayla, were playfully twirling in endless loops, on an old tire swing.

Mary smiled; as she watched them play, unaware that her husband David had just reached around her waist to grab a bowl. David’s sleeve caught the edge of a small glass, sending it crashing to the floor below.  Like dominoes tumbling into place, Mary jumped backwards-a knee-jerk reaction to avoid the tiny shards splintering across the floor. But, her reflexes had deceived her-a single, jagged sliver was already poised behind her heel.  The sting of glass puncturing her skin, released all that was necessary—the hunger took care of the rest.

The young boy; barely eleven—he was the first, Alexander couldn’t resist such an appetizing delight. Alexander preferred youth over age.  With lightning-fast precision, he launched out of the woods, in a blur,  the girl was left  alone. Scared, Kayla tried her best to cry out to her parents, but the cabin window had suppressed her barely audible and terror stricken rasp.

 Alexander made quick work, suckling every last drop from the gaping wound in his neck. In another blink of an eye, he was perched atop a overhead branch—scanning the woods for any unwanted visitors. Alexander watched curiously, as the younger child turned to the woods to look for her missing brother.  Maybe, he would save her for last; his hunger called out to him again.  Through the glass, he could see the mother; the smell of her blood was intoxicating. Arching back, his legs coiled tightly, before taking flight across the small clearing.

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