Bayou Moon

  Bayou Moon

  By

  Geraldine Allie

  Chapter One

  For the first time in Maggie’s existence, her immortal life held no more want of living. To her, death would only be a welcome embrace. It was all that she yearned for now. But like so many times before, she feared it was only a wish that would never be granted.

  As she tried to step out into the brightness of day, the rays of the sun scorched and blistered her flesh. As if being boiled alive in a vat of acid, the pain seared her with an unforgiving relentlessness that traveled through her whole body. Beyond the pain, she could almost feel a sense of peace, almost like that of a sweet child’s slumber she would never have to wake from again. All she would need to do is get through the pain.

  The pain was pure agony. Her skin smoldered as the sun ate at her like a beast devouring its prey.

  Even now as the pain consumed her, all she had to do was take that final step out of the shadows and into the light. It’s what she wanted, just one more step.

  The arm she held out in the light broke into a flame that roared to life.

  Maggie screamed and brought the arm back into the safety of the darkness, the only friend that she had, and one that she despised.

  “Coward,” she thought to herself. “Why was she still fighting to live?”

  But something was there deep inside of her that fought to go on, even though she was worn, tired of this existence, tired of taking the very essence of someone’s life in order to sustain her own.

  She told herself it would be so easy to close her eyes and walk out into the angry sun, to allow it to take her and end the torment. But something in her would not allow it. Maybe it was a survival instinct that would push her to go on and not allow her to turn herself into the raging inferno she wished for. Again, like before, she had failed in that quest for peace.

  Her only place now would be in the dark and damp recesses of the house, locked away in a coffin that would keep her until the safety of night. Only to wake like some blood thirsty beast stalking its prey under the light of the moon, it was the existence of a vampire.

  As if out of the deep recesses of her mind, a thought came to Maggie.

  She had lived for so many centuries without a mate that she had no desire to continue. She decided that night that she would no longer continue alone.

  There still remained in her a want and need of any woman, the desire to find a soul mate, the soul that would complete her and make her whole.

  She stood there, listening to the sound of people. She couldn’t help but stare at the world as she stood motionless in the shadows. Her eyes were like glittering jewels as they glistened with her tears. For the first time in centuries, her heart reached out in search of its missing piece. She no longer wanted to die, but instead was filled with the need to love and be loved. How long had she waited? It no longer mattered; tonight her life would begin again, with him.

  Chapter Two

  The very thought of having to dig one more grave made Kreel’s body shiver with an unearthly cold. It could have been the icy rain pelting his body, or even the sop and wet clothes that he wore. But more than likely, it was his surroundings.

  There was always something about a graveyard at night.

  But what other choice did he have? Kreel needed the money, bills had to be paid. Besides, this was the only job he could find that offered full time hours. He would just have to stick it out no matter how much he disliked the job.

  When the guy helping with the midnight shift finally showed up, Kreel thought his heart would pop out through his chest.

  “Dammit Charlie, you about made my heart stop cold. Don’t you know how to announce yourself before sneaking up on someone like that?”

  Charlie grabbed his middle and bent over laughing so hard the man literally had tears in his eyes. “You should have seen your face when I came out from behind that tree, it was priceless!”

  “You wouldn’t think it was priceless if I would have whacked your damn head in with a shovel!”

  “Oh come on now Kreel, no need to get all bent out of shape. There’s nothing here but a bunch of dead people. I don’t think they’ll be going anywhere. Not unless they decide to reach up and grab you!”

  “Dammit Charlie, stop that crap! I can’t stand this place.”

  Charlie shook his head. “Been working here fifteen years and never once saw anything out of the ordinary. You’ll get used to it; just need to calm your nerves is all.” Charlie took a bottle of whiskey from his coat pocket, and took a long swig. “Ah, damn good stuff. It’s just the thing to warm the bones on a cold night.” Charlie held the bottle out to Kreel. “Here, try a swig of this; it will calm your nerves.”

  Kreel stared at the bottle of whiskey in Charlie’s hand. “I don’t know if we should be drinking on the job.”

  “Ah come on, no one’s got to know.”

  “Damn, here, give me the bottle.”

  “That’s the ticket.” said Charlie

  Kreel downed a good portion of the bottle. The whiskey was rough going down, but smooth and warm on the body. “Ewe Wee!”

  Charlie laughed and took the bottle. “Told you it was damn good stuff, didn’t I?”

  Maggie stood waiting behind a tree. She watched the two men pondering which one she would make a meal of first. She was death, who moved just as silent in the shadows and darkness of the night. The deathly kiss she would bestow upon them would be just as cold.

  The misty rain washed over the stone of the earth, her face and clothes coated in the dampness. Her eyes fixed on her prey as they stood there unbeknownst to what was about to happen. It wouldn’t be long now.

  The roar of hunger rushed like water through her veins. Surrounding her, the night came alive with the songs of owls, birds that rose with the moon and began their nightly task of searching for their own prey.

  Maggie listened to the nightly song as if she had never heard it before. Always it had been a reminder of endless nights she was doomed to walk. Now somehow it was different, almost as if they were singing to her. She closed her eyes and relished the serenade as she awaited death’s summon.

  Then an unwelcome sound interrupted the song, one of carelessness, a mistake that would warn the others that she was there. It was the sound of a twig breaking under her weight, caused from the careless step she had taken….

  The sound of breaking twigs came from the far side of the cemetery.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “Damn Kreel, you need to get ahold of yourself. It was probably just a cat or something.”

  “A cat, are you serious? Must be one hell of a big cat to break twigs like that!”

  The sound of movement came from the same area, but this time there wasn’t the sound of breaking twigs.

  Maggie opened her eyes, angered at the thoughtlessness. The men, they knew she was there. Straightening herself to full height, she began to walk out into the open, knowing the time had come. But when she saw him, she stopped in her tracks, her body having a will of its own.

  As both men watched the area the sound had come from, a woman stepped from the shadows.

  Even at the distance she now stood, she could see that he was the one. There was no doubt in her mind; she had found her destined mate. She stood on the opposite side of the darkened graveyard, on the very edge of its boundaries, staring at the man that stood across from her, and she knew that she intended to make him hers.

  She intended to turn him, just like her.

  Every hair on Kreel’s body stood on end. “Crap Charlie, that’s no damn cat!”

  Chapter Three

  What was a woman doing in the graveyard at this time of hour? Kreel watched as she came closer. Something wasn’t right about her,
it didn’t sit well. It was her eyes, her eyes were not right. They were darker than midnight and held even more darkness than night.

  “Hey lady, you lost or something?”

  “Charlie, hush. There’s something not right about her.”

  “Kreel, you worry too much.”

  The woman made her way over to them with an unearthly grace. Stopping within just a few feet of them, she set her sights on Charlie. “I saw you guy’s having a drink over here and was wondering if I could join you?”

  Charlie got a smile on his face that went from ear to ear and handed her the bottle of whiskey. “Here you go sweet thing, be my guest.”

  She didn’t take the bottle. Charlie offered it to her again. “Well here, I don’t bite, it’s just whiskey.”

  She smiled then, revealing the sharp fangs. Both men jumped away from the woman.

  Charlie’s eyes got wide as saucers. “Lady, you got some messed up teeth!”

  “Do I? I haven’t really noticed. Besides, I don’t know much about the whiskey, but I can assure you that I do bite.”

  Just as she said that, she lunged for Charlie knocking him to the ground. Holding him down, she looked up at Kreel who was about ready to crap his pants. “Don’t go anywhere honey, this will only take a minute. With that said, she sunk her fangs deep into Charlie’s throat.

  As kreel stared in horror, he could hear the muffled groans of his coworker between the sounds of wet slurping.

  “Forget this shit!” Kreel took off running across the graveyard in the direction of his truck. He didn’t stop in his full speed run even once to look behind him. There in front of him, the truck finally came into sight. “Almost there,” he thought

  Just as he got to the truck and pulled the keys from his pocket, he heard the sound of something like a thud come from behind him. Slowly turning around he saw the woman sure enough standing there. All he could do was stare in shock.

  She stepped closer, wiping the back of her hand across her lips. “Looks like I drained that one. Too bad for you I haven’t had my fill yet.”

  With a flash of unnatural speed, she was on Kreel. The last thing he remembered was the sharp pain in his neck as the two fangs punctured his skin finding the jugular in his throat. Then as his body became weak with each precious drink she took from him, everything around him dimmed to a pitch black.

  Chapter Four

  Kreel awoke in darkness. As he fully regained his senses once again, he became aware that he was lying in a horizontal position. He tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness around him, but the blackness surrounding him remained. Holding his hand up in front of him, he could not even make out its shape.

  As the memories returned he was thrown into a panicked driven state. Using his hands to push himself into an upright position, he hit his head on something half way up. “What the hell?” that’s when he realized he was trapped in some kind of makeshift box.

  He used both hands and pushed against the top. To Kreel’s relief, the lid gave way. The room that met his eyes was dark, but not as dark as the box he had just released himself from.

  “Where the hell am I?” Kreel jumped out of the box as fast as his body would allow him to. He turned to eye the makeshift box that he then realized was actually a coffin. Brushing invisible items from his body frantically, Kreel hurriedly backed away from the death box.

  More memories flooded back into his mind of the cemetery. He remembered the fate of his coworker, and his untimely demise. Then the memory of the woman flooded his head as his own attack was replayed in his thoughts. Out of reaction he reached his hand up to feel his neck, unfortunately, the memories had been real. The two puncture wounds that he felt were a grizzly reminder. “Damn witch, she really bit me!”

  Kreel then turned his attention to his surroundings. Over on the far side of the room he spotted a door. “If that’s the way out, then I’m taking it!” Kreel started for the door, he stopped just before getting to it. The sound of squeaking hinges came from behind him. Turning slowly, Kreel noticed another coffin that he had not caught site of before. Slowly the coffins lid began to open, and the woman from the cemetery rose from its confines.

  Kreel turned making a mad run for the door. Only when kreel went to reach for the knob, there was none. He slammed his body into the door but it would not budge.

  Kreel turned and stared at the woman in horror. The vampire just looked back at him as if he had lost his mind.

  Kreel wondered why she was just staring at him. He knew at any moment she could be on him faster than the blink of an eye. “Lady I like your place, but I think it’s about time for me to be getting the hell out of here. So if you would be kind enough to tell me how to open this door, I can show myself out.”

  She looked at him bewildered by his words. “Leave, why would you want to leave?”

  “Why? Well let me think. I seem to recall you draining my coworker’s body drier than the Sahara Desert, and then trying to turn me into your own personal chew toy!”

  She laughed. “You’re funny, chew toy. I have to admit, I have never heard that one before.”

  “There is nothing I find funny about this situation lady. I don’t know what kind of crap you’re into but you’re just too damn freaky for my liking. What are you anyways, like one of those Goth Chicks?”

  She looked at him odd, confused by the words. “Goth chick?”

  “Honestly, I have no idea what you are lady, but in all my born days I have never ran across anyone like you!” Kreel got a chill that ran up his spine as the memory of the graveyard began to replay through his thoughts again.

  Maggie threw her legs over the casket and stood up. Kreel watched her as he backed his body further up against the door. “No, I’m sure you have never met anyone like me before.” she said

  Kreel could feel his heart rate increase. “Lady, do me a favor and stay where you are.”

  She stared at him with a quizzical look. “Do I make you nervous Kreel? And the name is Maggie.”

  Kreel’s eyes shot wide open as he gave her a look of shock. “Nervous? Lady you make me more than just nervous, you scare the shit out of me!”

  She took one step towards him. “I don’t mean to, scaring you is the last intention that I have.”

  Kreel laughed uncomfortably. “Oh no? Then what the hell would you call the stunt you pulled in the graveyard? Some calling card you have there lady. Now why don’t you be nice enough and let me out of here?”

  She hung her head as the light in her eyes dimmed with the smile that had been on her lips. “I can’t do that.”

  Kreel’s mouth gaped open. “You can’t do that or you won’t.”

  She only shook her head. “That’s what I just said.” She rolled her eyes at him in frustration. “Why do you keep repeating everything that I say?”

  Kreel stood there gawking at her with his mouth open again. “Lady, do you think this is some kind of game?”

  She seemed to have an enthused look on her face. “A game, no, would you like to play one?” Maggie pointed to a stack of board games.

  Kreel followed in the direction she was gesturing and noticed a stack of old outdated games covered in dust and spider webs. He lifted his head to look back at her. “Hell no I don’t want to play a damn game! Lady, you really need to get out more.” Kreel reached his hand up and rubbed his neck. “But lay off of the neck biting part.”

  Maggie looked a bit disappointed. “It can’t be helped.”

  Kreel looked at her with a bit of his own confusion. “What can’t be helped, the getting out part or the biting?”

  Maggie shook her head and sighed. “Both actually, my kind only live a half existence.”

  If kreel wasn’t on edge before, he definitely was now. Figuring he had nothing else to loose, he decided to ask the question he wasn’t sure he was ready to hear. “Umm, your kind?” he suddenly felt he should not have asked. He was sure he wasn’t going to like the answer he was about to get.

  Maggie wa
sn’t sure how much she should reveal just yet. He had already seen in the graveyard what she was capable of. She decided it would be better to tell him under the circumstances, but she would choose her words wisely. “What would you like to know?”

  Kreel thought out his question carefully. “Why have you let me live and not kill me like my coworker?” He waved his hands in the air in front of him. “Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be alive.” Then Kreel had a thought of a cat playing with a mouse before striking the fatal blow. Kreel swallowed hard.

  Maggie only shrugged. “I knew you were the one when I saw you; I only knew that I wanted you. It may have been selfish on my part to take you away from your world like that, but I don’t care. The instant I saw you I knew we were meant to be with each other, when I saw you standing there in the graveyard, I knew you were mine.”

  Kreel looked at her like the woman was raving mad. “Believe me when I say that I am flattered, truly I am, but I don’t belong to you. Lady, what you did is called kidnapping! So how about you let me go and I promise not to say anything to the police about any of this.”

  Maggie looked at him with contempt, her eyes as red as fire. When she spoke, her voice sent shivers down Kreel’s spine. “I will not be letting you go, understand that, your place is here with me now!”

  Kreel looked at her and shook his head. “What do you want from me? You have already taken my blood; all I have left is my life. I don’t know you, or what I could have done to upset you enough to act this way.”

  Maggie only looked at him with eyes that held sadness. “In you I see my mate, and someone that can understand me and share the pain and torment that I feel.”

  Kreel lowered his head. “I agree. Bringing me here the way that you did was entirely selfish on your part.”

  Maggie smiled. “When you have lived as long as I have, sometimes being selfish is the only thing that you have left.”

  Kreel stared at her as if caught in a trance. “Why do you say as long as you have lived, as if you are talking about hundreds of years?”