Bayou Moon Read online

  Maggie lowered her eyes back to the floor before finally speaking in a hushed tone. “I cannot die as easily as others; I suppose you will come to know that now that you are like me.”

  Kreel’s eyes got wide as shivers went through his whole body. Every nerve ending roared to life telling him something was not right.

  She smiled. “Yes my love, a child of the night, a vampire.”

  Chapter Five

  Maggie smiled a dreadful smile, and one of cruelness. “One should not live alone; to do so is a curse. The night I met you, my curse ended. They say the soul cannot survive unless it is whole. They say to live so is only to live a half-life. Last night my soul became whole once again, and you my love have saved me from a lonely death.” She watched him now as she spoke the words. “I have given you the gift of immortality my love, in doing so, you have become the same as I, a vampire.”

  Kreel could not believe what he was hearing; her words were a thousand miles away along with the soul she had stolen from him. She was danger, one that he could not escape. “And what is to become of me if I refuse this life you have offered me?” he asked

  She shrugged her shoulders. “If you refuse to feed then you would surely die, but why would you look for death when I have offered you immortality? There is so much that I can show you, a world you never knew existed until now.”

  Kreel laughed at the words. “It’s true; to never die holds its qualities. But it was also your own words woman that you just spoke, until you came into the graveyard last night and met me, you had no more use for living, and now like some crazy person, you have placed that same curse on me!”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Did you ever think to ask me what I wanted; if that was even a life that I would choose? There is one thing that rings true in your words woman, you are selfish!”

  There was no smile on her face.

  Kreel continued. “I may have been frightened before, but if what you say is true woman, then it’s best to take my life now as there is no way I plan to live a life feeding off of other peoples blood. You cannot force me to choose that life. If you wish to try then trust me, I will find a way to end my life myself, so take it. Drain me and leave me here to die. I don’t care.”

  “I wouldn’t take your life, or allow you to take it, my love. You will soon come to see that my words are right, we are destined to be together.” Her eyes were like fire as she stood on her feet and came over to him. She knelt on the floor in front of him, and cut the skin of her arm open, baring her blood for him to take. “Do not depart me when I have only just found you,” she said. “It is my life that I give you; you have no need to fear me, for my heart belongs to you. Do not forsake me; if you reject me, then I have truly already died.”

  Kreel stared at her. Her eyes were full of pleading and fuller yet with sorrow. The act she had displayed overwhelmed him, his body was betraying him, and he could not fight it.

  She stood slowly, and the hunger she felt for him overshadowed the pain that she had felt. She reached for him, clasped her fingers around the nape of his neck, and drew him closer. With her lips, she kissed softly along his jawline, down to his neck, to his shoulder, until he was breathless from the pleasure she was giving him.

  Then she brought her lips upwards again, to his neck. She parted her lips and kissed the skin where she had bitten him earlier, feeling the pleasure building in him as surely as she could feel the owls of the twilight calling to them to hunt this very night.

  Cupping her head in his hands, tilting it back just enough for his lips to find hers, Kreel kissed her just as she brought her arm up to his mouth to feed.

  Chapter Six

  The scent of her blood shook kreel to the core. So ferocious was his need to feed that he pushed the vampire away and stumbled backward. Falling to his knees, he became overwhelmed by what had just happened. Fighting to his feet, he hurried away from her. His head began to swim, and then just as fast as he tried to steady himself, Kreel lost consciousness.

  “Kreel, wake up.”

  He shook his head trying to rid himself of the light headiness. “What happened?”

  “You don’t remember?” she asked

  Kreel remembered the kiss, followed by the scent of the blood. “You tried to seduce me and make me forget.”

  “Had I tried to make you forget, you would have no memory of it now. When will you see that I mean you no harm Kreel?”

  “When you change me back, and give me back my life,” he said, looking away from her. “I once had a life, one that was given to me to choose what to do with it. I could make my own mistakes. Now you have taken all of that from me, including my own choices.”

  Maggie could not help to smile. “I have not taken your will from you; you still make your own choices.”

  “Then why did you not give me the choice to choose this?”

  “It was my selfishness. And yet, when my heart knew you, I could not stop what I was feeling. I only knew that I did not want to live one more day without you.”

  Kreel still faced away from her. “Like hell if you think I will feed off of others the way that you do.”

  “Do you wish to die?” Maggie asked “All humans die at some point Kreel. Does it matter if that death comes sooner?”

  “To me, yes, the life that they live will not end by my hands woman. It is not for me to decide when the life that was given to them ends, and taking that life from them would make me just as selfish as you have been when you decided to take mine.”

  Maggie was the one to turn away this time. “I have seen the precious lives you speak of Kreel, and I have seen how humans take such a gift for granted, the drug addict that shoots poison into his veins, only to take his own life with an overdose. If the lives to these humans were as precious as you say, then why would they choose to end it in such a way? You may not agree with how I sustain my life, but at least when I take one it is much more merciful and swifter than what I have witnessed in the alleys of your cities.”

  “You have only seen but a few of the people then, not everyone is like that. Have you ever watched a mother with their child, or a father playing catch with their son? Have you seen the look on a couples face when they hold their child for the first time and realize the joy that they are parents of such a precious life? Not all life is like what you see in the alleys, you have only seen what the night has to offer you. You have missed out on life Maggie, life that takes place in the day.”

  Maggie lowered her head, understanding for the first time what Kreel was saying, knowing that she really had taken something precious away from him.

  Behind her, Kreel spoke. “Now I am like you. The one thing you have always despised.”

  Chapter Seven

  Maggie wondered if she had really made the right choice in telling Kreel what he had become.

  God only knew that Kreel had no desire to live the life that had been offered him. And his resentment was now beginning to turn against this demon of the night; he resented her for what he had become.

  “What is going through your head Kreel?” The vampire prompted him to answer her, “Will you share your thoughts? I only want you to be happy. Whatever it is, I can help you deal with it Kreel. Please do not shut me out.”

  “I have nothing more to say to you.”

  “You cannot possibly mean that.” she cried

  Kreel turned towards her, and tipped her face up to his. “But I do. With every day that goes by I will grow to hate you more and more. I can promise you this; I will never be your mate Maggie.” And then he jerked his hand away from her face.

  Maggie fought back a gasp that was followed by tears. Her eyes once again held the sadness, a sadness that turned her heart cold. “How can you say such a thing?”

  “Because it is the truth woman. Never in my born days have I despised anything as much as I despise you!”

  “And yet you still live, and not try to take your life,” she whispered. “You will be nothing without me Kreel.
That is a promise I make to you!”

  “Oh but I will, somehow I will find a way to end this curse you have placed on me.”

  “Never!” she screamed

  Kreel smiled as he saw the contempt in her eyes. She had not expected him to refuse her.

  She kept turned away from him. “Will you learn to survive the night on your own until you find this miracle cure which you seek Kreel? Will you stay alive long enough without taking the blood of those you need to sustain your own life?”

  “Yes,” he whispered. “Yes I will. No blood will be spilled by my hand.”

  “All vampires eventually give in, soon so will you…there is no cure to be found, Kreel. The blood will soon enough call to you. It will insist that you answer, and you will not refuse even if you try.”

  “You can live your life this way if you wish woman, as for me, I choose life. And I will tell you now, when I do find a cure, your death will come soon. Stay away from me, do you hear me? Sleep in the safety of your coffin while you can, for one day you will never awake when a stake finds its way to your heart by my own hand.”

  Chapter Eight

  “You very well might succeed Kreel,” she said. “But that’s to be seen. If you refuse the way of the vampire, then your immortal life will end as easily as your mortal one. And if you die, then so will my life with you end, I shall have no more need for this life.”

  He lifted his head, his eyes were on her now, and with contempt in his own eyes, he wished for death to find her soon.

  “If I can share my life with you, and share what I know, then maybe you would see that the life I have given you is not as dark as you believe. Kreel, perhaps you can give me the chance that I ask?” Tears filled her eyes as she waited for his answer. But no answer came. “I will release you then.”

  And so they slept as the dawns of light began to rise and spread its light onto the outside world. Kreel only knew that tiredness had come over him that he could not fight. Hunching down in the corner of the room, as far away from the vampire as he could, he closed his eyes to the nightmares he had learned.

  Kreel slept. He slept with no memories, no dreams and no conscience. And yet he remained in that deep slumber, until the light of the next moon. Only aroused with the awareness of someone near, when he felt the touch. He knew that it was not the woman, but a man, whose voice stirred something in him as the hand shook his body impatiently.

  “Kreel! What do you think you’re doing sleeping on the job? Get your things and get the hell out of here, you’re fired! And take that stinking drunk Charlie with you too!”

  Kreel felt the thirst begin to stir; it took over and consumed all of his thoughts. “You need to get away from me Jeb, now! I…I can’t control it, the urge is too strong.” He was fighting it with all that he had, but just as Maggie had promised him, the true nature of what he had become would take over.

  “What the hell is wrong with you boy?” Jeb was becoming impatient. “Get your ass up now boy! I want you cleared out of here, do you hear me?”

  Kreel felt the elongated fangs begin to sprout just below his curled lips. He ran his tongue along their surface, sharp and solid. He moved from the hard ground in a swift manner as he lunged towards his boss.

  Kreel grabbed hold of the man’s shirt collar and pulled him in close to his face. “I need something from you Jeb, I’m sure you will understand, since you’re an asshole anyways.”

  Jeb tried to pull back. “What the hell did you just call me, you little shit?” Then Jeb’s eyes got wide as Kreel bared his teeth and sunk them into his boss’s throat.

  Chapter Nine

  Kreel drank from the man with a thirst that could not be quenched. He could feel the blood renewing his body, building his strength. As his bosses’ blood spilled into his own veins, kreel pulled away with blood dripping down the corners of his mouth. “What the hell am I doing?” Kreel looked down at the body of the man he held in his hands, and dropped him at his feet. “What have I become?”

  “Kreel, is that you?”

  Dear God, it was Charlie. He would know that voice anywhere. The old man had not met an untimely demise after all. Kreel turned to look at Charlie, but the sight in front of him about knocked him down. Charlie’s body looked like a damn blow up doll, with a head that looked like it had been bashed in on one side with a brick!

  “Damn Charlie, what the hell happened to you?”

  Charlie looked down at himself, and shook his head slowly. “I don’t know Kreel, I don’t feel like myself. I think that woman gave me some kind of venereal disease, damn Mr. Winkie’s done went and shriveled up on me!”

  “That witch didn’t give you any venereal disease Charlie; she’s done gone and sucked all of the body fluids out of you. You’re drying up worse than a shriveled prune.”

  Charlie went down on his knees next to the Willow he stood beside. “I’m sick man, I’m really sick! You have to get me to a hospital, please Kreel.”

  Kreel looked at Charlie with a doubtful look. “I don’t think a hospital is going to help you Charlie, I don’t think a hospital is going to help either one of us.”

  Charlie stood up then. “Why? Are you sick too?”

  Kreel pointed down to Jeb. He was starting to think that the dent in Charlie’s head was caused from his brains being sucked out.

  Charlie shot away from Kreel and placed his hand across his chest, looking down at the man at Kreel’s feet. “Damn Kreel, why did you go and eat the boss?”

  “I couldn’t help it, besides; the old fool went and pissed me off. I warned him to stay away from me, but he wouldn’t listen. I was…I was hungry.”

  Charlie gawked at Kreel. “You mean were zombies?”

  “No you damn fool, vampires!”

  “Then why did you go and eat old Jeb for?”

  “I didn’t go and eat no one Charlie, I only drank his blood.”

  “Drank his blood? That’s gross Kreel!”

  “Damn Charlie, were dead, gone, the undead.”

  A light started to return to Charlie’s eyes like a light bulb had just turned on. As he crossed his arms in front of his chest, Charlie shook his head. “Well hell, how am I supposed to explain this one to my wife?”

  Chapter Ten

  The fire in her eyes was as hot as the ice ran cold in her heart. One hand held the stake in a tight clenched fist, while the other hand steadied her against the building. She held the stake tighter as her nails dug deep into her skin.

  “No one rejects me…no one…not even you Kreel! I am the one that gave you the life of immortality, and yet you refuse me. No more will you live either life if you choose not to live it with me. You may not have feared me before, but you will fear me now.”

  She flinched and told herself that she could change his mind. He just didn’t understand the way of the vampire yet. He was only afraid, did not understand. “I am not the monster you accuse me of being Kreel. I am a woman, your mate.” She began to walk again in the direction of the graveyard, where she had left him while he slept. “I will make you listen to me, make you see that what I say is true.”

  She brought her head up, fixing her eyes on the surrounding parameters of the cemetery. “You told me that you would find a cure. What cure could possibly exist? I would have found one by now if it would have existed.” She shuddered on her final words.

  She searched the graveyard, old mausoleums, but there was no sign of Kreel. Every angry thought that she had before returned, and her heart froze solid.

  Maggie ran through the cemetery, moving as fast as her legs would carry her. Then she froze in her tracks as her eyes rested upon the body on the ground. A smile formed across her wicked lips. She began to laugh hysterically. “So you do feed after all, Kreel!”

  Chapter Eleven

  Kreel knew he needed to find answers. He led Charlie out of the cemetery as they both made their way down a darkened country road.

  “What’s going to happen to the both of us?” Charlie asked. “If th
at woman returns to look for us, what makes you think she’s not going to finish the job?”

  “If she returns to the cemetery, she’s not going to find us there. That’s why we have to keep moving Charlie. We have to find someone who can cure us before she can finish the job.”

  Both of them picked up their pace. Then Charlie stopped walking as a thought came to the old man. “Do you think maybe that old voodoo woman down in the Bayou South of town could help us?” Charlie whispered looking around. “I heard once they know about Zombies and all of that.”

  “I already told you Charlie, were not zombies!”

  “But if she knows about that stuff Kreel, then maybe she knows about vampires too, it wouldn’t hurt to at least ask.”

  “You know people don’t go around her Charlie, it causes gossip,” Kreel sighed and shook his head as he walked towards the old man. “Besides, I don’t even know how to get to her place.”

  Charlie looked down at the ground and kicked a stone with his foot. “I could show you.”

  Kreel looked at Charlie gawking. He raised his voice, “Show me? What have you been doing down there you old fool, the voodoo woman messes with black magic!”

  “She isn’t all as bad as what people say, Kreel. She’s good people once you get to know her, it’s just no one has ever given her a chance is all.”

  “Damn Charlie, I suppose we could go see if she knows of some cure. But she better not try anything dirty, I already had enough with crazy women tonight to last me a life time.”

  “She won’t, Kreel. You’ll see, and I bet she can help us. She knows a lot of things, and has good whiskey too.”

  “Then come on, show me where she lives Charlie.”

  The two hurried off in the direction of the swamps, hoping the old woman they were about to seek would hold the answers they were looking for. After walking several miles outside of town and then trudging through the dark swamps, they finally came upon a little shack. The old woman that greeted them at the door had no problem inviting them into her home.