The Man Of Her Dreams

Aaron couldn’t figure out what had happened to her. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. The light breeze carried unpleasant odors as she discovered that she was in a doorway with paned glass, framed by red brickwork to either side. She sat up and peeked around the corner of her brick cubby to see that she was in an alley way, with trashcans scattered up and down both sides, garbage spilling over the top of many of them. How did she get here? As her head began to clear, she recalled that she had been at a party the previous night. She had met a man that fit every criteria she’d ever had for what a desirable man would be. He was tall, at least 6’3’’, dark, olive complexion and hair the color of midnight, slicked back into a small ponytail that curled at the base of his muscular neck and shoulders. His attire was foreign to her, but strangely attractive with black pinstriped Armani suit, accented with a bright red handkerchief, neatly folded and tucked into his breast pocket so that just one corner peeked over the top. But the finishing touch of the black silk floor length cape with a red silk lining only added to the air of mystery that radiated from him. She thought that she might have left the party with him, but her memories were clouded and she couldn’t be sure. Aaron got to her feet and stood there on wobbly legs, leaning against the rough brick wall until she felt steady enough to walk. Her head reverberated and the noonday sun was blinding to her. What the hell happened last night? She messaged her stiff neck as she made her way, slowly and carefully down the alley. The fingers of her right hand found moisture, which she tried to brush away, only to see smears of scarlet when she looked down at her hand. A vision of the handsome stranger kissing her neck flashed through her memory. As she emerged onto the deserted sidewalk, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a shop window. She stopped to take another look. What was wrong with her? Her flesh was so pale that she might be mistaken for a ghost or spirit, perhaps even the walking dead. There was no color to her facial features at all. She feebly attempted to flatten down the tangled mass of hair with her fingertips. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t much she could do. Her hair stuck up in every direction with tangled masses randomly interspersed all over her head. Another flash of memory struck as she stared at her own image. She remembered climbing into a limousine; the feel of the real leather upholstery, smooth on the backs of her legs. Aaron glanced down to see that she was still in the short black cocktail dress that she had worn the night before, although now it looked as if someone had taken a knife and shredded it, with long slits running its entire brief length. What had she been through, and why couldn’t she remember? She examined her neck in the window to try and see where the blood had come from. She spit on her palm and tried to rub the blood off of her throat. In her reflection she could see two small spots where the blood was beginning to crust over. In another flash back she saw a vision of necking in the back of the limo and the passion rising, only to realize that combined with the pleasure she had been experiencing there was also a sharp pain, where her partner had sunk his teeth in. As her mind began to clear some, she recalled the feeling of panic as she tried to push him away, but was helpless to do so. As she recalled the feeling of light headedness as she slipped from consciousness beneath him, the same feeling returned and she had to lean up against the store window until her head cleared once more. -1

Aaron gathered her senses, she pressed on down the sidewalk, not knowing where she was going, but needing to stay on the move. Her memories were clearer now and as they fell into place, she didn’t like the picture that was forming in her mind. The pieces to the puzzle began to add up. The sensuous stranger, the ride in the limo, where they were making out hot and heavy, how she had lost control of the situation before she had known what was happening made her feel vulnerable and violated, although not in a sexual way. The puncture marks on her throat (and she was sure now that that is what they were), gave proof to the fact that she had indeed been violated, perhaps in an even more intimate way. The thought horrified her. A car horn blared and tires screeched, bringing her back to the reality of her surroundings. She looked up to see a blue Sedan skid to a halt only a few feet away from her. Aaron mouthed, “Sorry” to the driver, who responded by yelling out his window for her to watch where she’s going as he accelerated past her. She continued on, thinking about how pale she was; wondering if that was how a person looked when all the blood has been drained from them. She didn’t even try to figure out where she was. She just wandered the streets aimlessly as the conclusion of all the facts began to form a final picture in her mind. She looked like the walking dead, because that was exactly what she was. Well, maybe not exactly, but she was pretty sure that she had died the previous night, which meant that the only reason she was walking now had to be because her mysterious stranger had left her with the gift of his own blood, bonding her to him, making her one of his kind for eternity. Now, where was he? Surely, he wouldn’t just give his gift and then disappear from her life forever. Forever sounded like a very long time to be alone. She had to find him again. The more she thought about him, the more obsessed she became with him. Just when she had found the man of her dreams and she is put in a position to spend all of eternity with him, he skips out on her. Now what was she supposed to do? She caught the smell of something that she couldn’t quite put a finger on, but it stirred hunger pangs deep within her. Aaron began to walk with a purpose, following that scent to its source. As she turned a corner, she collided with a woman, who had been coming from that direction, knocking the papers she had been carrying out of her hands and scattering them across the cement. The scent overwhelmed her as she mumbled an apology, hastily scooping up papers that the wind was trying to carry away, handing them back to the woman. Their fingers touched as the woman rook the papers from her and Aaron realized that she was the source of the scent she had been following. Her eyes were drawn to the vein that throbbed in the woman’s neck. Before Aaron knew what was happening, she had sprung onto the woman, sinking her teeth into her throat and greedily drinking from the fountain of life fluid that she had created in doing so. Aaron wiped her lips in satisfaction and set out with a new purpose. The unfortunate woman, she left lying on the sidewalk, lifeless. Her little ‘snack’ had rejuvenated her. Her strength had returned to her legs and her thoughts were crystal clear now. A smile formed on Aaron’s face. The man of her dreams would not get away from her now. She had a whole eternity to spend looking for him, if she had to.