PARTIES:Caleb Aesil (@dirtwatchman) and Mercy (@disengagedspirit) TIME: Current (June 3rd) SUMMARY: Aesil has kept Mercy locked away for quite some time now. They have a surprise for the vampire. WARNINGS: Animal cruelty (just in case)
Caleb's undead roommate was a problem. The undead were a scourge just as much as the humans were. It didn’t matter that they had to feed on the latter to keep alive, though that part was amusing at least, they were still pretty much scum in their mind. It didn't matter in the end though. Even if they had preferred the blonde to not exist they had no qualms about making her wish the same exact thing once the cover had been blown.
Playing nice didn’t work out too well when she had walked in on them dragging a body through the door one night. She might have been used to Caleb doing that same thing, Aesil wasn’t sure, but she certainly wasn’t used to seeing the torture that Aesil had committed upon the human who was still breathing by some miracle act of nature. They had to take care of that quickly and ended up locking her in the room that the zombie had provided for her so they could think about what to do. A slow torture was a favorite go to of theirs and so the demon kept doing small things here and there to make her life a living hell.
Starving her had been their latest endeavor. They had never witnessed what would happen to a vampire if they didn’t eat so they’d locked the jars of blood away in the basement for good and let her go for weeks at this point. That, along with the other atrocities they had committed against her, was enough to drive her mad, they thought. Yet, the best part was still to come.
The jars downstairs indicated that the useless zombie had been getting her blood the humane way. Which had to mean that they were trying to keep her from hurting people. Starvation mixed with the sudden appearance of a human would make for fun results. “It’s okay, darling. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” They whispered the words into the terrified girl’s ear as they led her towards Mercy’s room. She was shaking like a leaf, the false hope that Aesil was trying to provide, not doing anything to calm her fears. “It’s going to be over pretty quickly, I’m certain of it.” That drew tears from her eyes which only made Aesil roll their own as they came up to Mercy’s door. “Wench, I have a surprise for you!”
It was gradual, the way Mercy had noticed Caleb was starting to change. The man who had been so kind to her and had given her the small dragon trinket was easily starting to shift in his demeanor, and it was something the vampire had taken note of. So much so that she had started to tread lightly around him; a feeling of comfort she once had slowly starting to fade away. But the night she watched him drag someone through the door who was worse for wear, Mercy knew that something was seriously off.
Unfortunately for her, it was also the night that things had changed for her too, and not for the better. It was small at first. The way Caleb would do little things to annoy her which later led to bigger things that could actually harm her. At first she had assumed it was just an accident. Maybe the material covering the windows had slipped, allowing light in, or he had forgotten to bring up a jar of blood for her. But soon the little things became bigger things that she knew had been intentional. And by the end of it, Mercy had found herself unable to leave her room, and even worse, without food.
The first day she was locked up left a certain small worry lingering just below the surface. She had managed to feed on some squirrels she had found in Caleb’s yard. Not thinking of anything out of the ordinary. Sure, she didn’t have access to the human’s blood, but it was okay. She’d managed. She had done it before in the past. But by day three, when Caleb hadn’t unlocked the door, Mercy was becoming more concerned, “Caleb. Are you there? I need to get out of this room. I must find food. Please. If you are afraid I may hurt someone, I promise, I will not. I swear it.” But when she didn’t get a reply, Mercy had settled back onto her bed.
By day seven, the vampire had found that the worry that had lingered in the pit of her stomach was now leading into a full blown panic attack. She could feel her body growing weaker, and in doing so, she could feel her mind starting to shift into a place it hadn’t been in a very long time. A place she didn’t want to go back to, but without food, she knew there would be no other option. It wasn’t until she had found a nest of spiders crawling around in the corner of her room under a floorboard, that Mercy had decided to pick them off one by one day after day, but not without having a full blown conversation and apologizing profusely to them, before she would pop one in her mouth and chew getting very little from the arachnid.
By week two, Mercy, though not nailed through the heart and stuck in a small, pine box underground, was going stir crazy. Anytime the sun would shine, she would be forced to walk along the outer edge of the room or squat in a corner, until it grew later in the day; all at the hand of Caleb, after the blackout curtains had been removed from the window in her room. And though she would occasionally get brave and try to cross the path of the sunlight, she would immediately feel the sting of her skin, which resulted in her hissing and scurrying back into what little bit of shadow she had. But this had also resulted in her hunger pangs worsening as her body tried to heal itself, but couldn’t.
By the time Mercy had heard from Caleb again, she was covered in open, non healing wounds. Her speech had been limited and anytime she did say words, it was usually a garbled mess of olde English that even the most well versed scholar probably wouldn’t be able to understand. She did, however, raise her head up and peer through the darkness of the room with red eyes, and with a hiss, she stayed huddled near a wall daring not to come near the man if he opened the door only sniffing the air, which was starting to smell sweet, like lavender and honey.
Aesil listened for her reply with rapt ears, so much so that they almost placed an ear against the door she was trapped behind. They had heard small noises throughout the first couple of days, let her voice drift through the house and away without so much as a second thought when she’d called out for food, grinned at the panicked shuffling of her feet as more and more time passed but now the demon could hear nothing coming from the other side. Whether that was due to Caleb’s poor hearing or the growing whine of the human they had a firm grip on they couldn’t say.
With a disapproving stare at the girl waiting for certain death, they moved their hand up to the back of her long hair and gripped a fistful before yanking. Her head snapped back, giving better access to her neck and Aesil pressed a finger to her lips as she whimpered. “None of that. Don’t you want to die with dignity?” The tears finally fell from her eyes as a sob escaped her lips at those words. “Apparently not…” Disgust tugged at Aesil’s insides. Andras was right about these creatures. They didn’t deserve to live if they wouldn’t fight for it with every part of their being. They were vile, disgusting things that took so much for granted, especially their safety. Their humanity made them far too weak to be so dominant on this plane.
“I should have chosen a feisty one.” The words were said under their breath as they unlocked the door and pushed it open. But the human was almost forgotten when their eyes landed on Mercy cowering in a corner. She was covered in sores, most likely from the ripped fabric that now barely covered the windows, mumbling to herself. The lack of blood must have been making her delirious. Aesil grinned at the sight.
“Little monster, you look awful. Peckish, are we?” They yanked the girl by her hair and pulled her into the room next to them, her sobs growing with the pain. “Luckily I have a fix for that.” They wanted to see this blonde thing currently fighting for her life tear this scared doe of a woman apart. They wanted to bask in the screams of this woman who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They wanted to watch as her skin paled more and more, the blood draining from her minute by minute as the starving vampire gorged herself.
And then they wanted to watch the vampire break.
Because if this moment had proved anything to the demon it was that the undead were just as vulnerable as the human scum that walked the earth. Mercy had once been just like the woman standing there with her neck on display only now she had a few extra gifts. Those gifts were nothing if someone knew exactly how to weaken them and that humanity might ebb away over the years but it was still there lying in wait, wasn’t it? She would prove as much, even after becoming the animal she feared. They were certain. “She smells…heavenly, doesn’t she?”
Somewhere deep deep down in the darkest parts of her heart lay a scared woman, who feared what would happen if anyone dare approach her, but it could no longer overpower the bloodthirsty and starving creature that was clearly apparent by the redness of her wide and curious eyes; the only thing that could be seen. Days upon days upon weeks of being locked up had left Mercy stir crazy, and a room that once held light via the magic pulsating through the walls had been ripped and shattered by the hands of a woman who was slowly going insane.
But now, this great temptation lay just across the room. Just at her paling fingertips. The human’s cries only pulling Mercy closer to ripping her throat out, more than steering her away. There was no sense of the kind and goodly soul left. At least not in this state. No, she was the monster, she had been forced into many, many years prior.
At the sounds of Aesil’s voice, Mercy was lured forward. And with her head cocked to the side in animal-like curiosity, she slowly began to crawl out of the shadows with nothing, but the light from the hallway cascading into what looked to be a destroyed room. Her nose was raised to the air as she weaved back and forth in a fluid motion, much like that of a snake slowly coming forward to claim its next meal. Her movements were methodical and unrecognizable of someone who was usually so well mannered and kind. But she didn’t want to scare the woman anymore than she had to. And she damn sure didn’t want to have Aesil punish her for lunging too quickly.
Instead, when she had finally crawled close enough, she let her body slowly move upwards inhaling the scent of the woman once again; even stronger this time as her ears picked up on the pounding heartbeat pumping fresh blood at a record pace through the living woman’s form. And when she had reached her neck, Mercy was now standing at her full height, her fangs bared as she looked between the sobbing human and Aesil as if waiting for permission to strike.
They watched her scuttle across the floor towards them, the demon feeling that anticipation, that excitement with each step she took. This…this was the feeling that Caleb had when they tried to fight Aesil through each murder. This was what ran through their shared mind as each stab of that blade was being made. The deliciousness of it coated the zombie’s disgust each and every time. Excitement, anticipation, he wanted it to happen. He wanted to be able to do all of this with no hesitation. But he was gone now, pushed back into the darkest recesses their dead brain carried. A sheepish whisper that Aesil barely noticed anymore. They were under no delusion that he was completely wiped out of his own mind which was even better in the long run. He got to experience it all now, see everything that was happening, but not get in the way as Aesil did their thing.
She was on them now, a feral creature scoping out her prey. Aesil could feel a buzz starting to roll through their body as she sniffed at the girl. Any second now. At any moment Mercy was going to lunge and completely destroy this woman.
But it didn’t come. Instead, the blonde looked to Aesil as if she needed permission. It told him that they hadn’t waited long enough for her to completely lose herself and that was on them. Not that he wouldn’t put any blame on her either. Their eyes burned, the blue of them darkening slowly as anger replaced the excitement that they had just started to like.
“You don’t need me to tell you what to do.” Disappointment laced their words, Aesil’s dissatisfaction at the lack of haste perfectly clear. Some part of them wanted to be happy that she was submitting to them, willing to ask permission even though she was clearly ready to sink her fangs into the girl's flesh. But a stronger part of them craved that carnage that came with a rabid vampire. Caleb’s features screwed up with anger as it flowed through Aesil, a hard glare being sent the blonde’s way. They should have known. Once a wretch, always a wretch. “Tear her apart, wench.”
They jerked the human’s head back more, a grunt leaving her lips as pain surely radiated down her spine. She was staring at the ceiling but Aesil could still feel that tangible fear rolling off of her in waves even if she couldn’t see what was coming for her stark white neck. “Just leave the head intact.” The zombie still needed to be fed even if his mind was tucked away.
And there it was. Just. like. that. The permission Mercy needed to consume the meal of the woman standing in front of her. And without further hesitation, the little bit of humanity that was left in Mercy’s eyes disappeared. With fangs showing and hues a piercing red, the small vampire let her tongue slowly drag across the skin of the woman’s neck. It tasted so sweet. As sweet as the scent Mercy had been smelling since Caleb had returned with her. It was like the morning dew on the skin of a fresh picked peach. Juicy and ripe. Ready to be consumed.
Without further hesitation, Mercy opened her mouth as wide as she could and in a downward motion let her sharp canines press into the soft flesh; the smallest bit of blood being drawn out, before the taste of copper filled her entire senses and switched on the carnivore waiting to be released.
A strong pull and Mercy’s mouth was quickly filling with the blood of an innocent woman, but it didn’t matter. The nearly 400 year old woman being brought into a world she currently only knew one thing about was savoring every bit of the essence being drained from the meal in front of her. And with each passing drop of blood, she could feel the restoration of who she once was. Feel the slow return of words, memories, and most importantly her sanity. But because she had been so deprived, she didn’t want to stop. The small, quiet voice of her conscience hadn’t quite pressed its way to the surface yet, so she continued to drink. Continued to take her fill as the woman in her grasp was starting to go slack in the knees.
Everything in that moment was about indulgence in the delicious crimson that filled every inch of her being. Not Caleb. Not feeling guilty for what she was doing or who she was. Not trying to plan an escape route. Simply the glutenany for fresh blood that made her feel whole again.
The anticipation returned as soon as Aesil saw that last shred of humanity slip out of her eyes, the light in them dimming to let the red fully take over. They kept their eyes on the girl’s neck, waiting, watching as Mercy played with her for the sweetest moment. They would never tire of a human’s whimper, of the shocked gasps as pain radiated through them. They knew that Caleb pretended to hate it himself but the demon? They could never get their fill of it. It was what they needed to lighten the sting of their own impatience in bringing the girl here too early. Mercy may be an animal, but she wasn’t the animal they were looking for.
They could feel the pull of the woman’s hair as she started to lose any semblance of energy that remained. There was no doubt that Mercy was going to kill this woman but Aesil wished it had been more gruesome. All they could see was blood trickling down Mercy’s mouth, down the woman’s neck, and again they were disappointed. That carnivore he had been expecting was nothing but a lamb but at least she couldn’t control how much she was taking. That would have been the biggest sting of all.
The human was gone, slipped away too peacefully for their liking, but Aesil kept holding the body up by her hair. The roots were starting to pull out as their cruel gaze landed on the blonde wretch again. “Well, that was underwhelming.” They yanked the woman’s head to the side and tossed her to the floor, not sparing her a second glance. They would come back to her later. “But it served its purpose. Reminding you of what you are, of who you’ll always be, that was all I needed.” They brought a finger up under her chin, rubbing some of the blood from her skin before bringing it to their own lips. “An animal with no control. Pathetic.”
With each passing moment, Mercy was starting to feel like herself again, but with that relief also came regret. She was now fully registering just what she had done to the woman now lying limp on the floor, and as much as she wanted to check on her, the vampire knew what the answer was going to be. She also knew that the man standing in front of her was nothing like the man who had helped her the day she returned to the land of the living, and while it had confused her, it had also frightened her. Caleb had been sweet and loving, but this…this was something altogether different, and though she had lost her mind over the past several weeks, she could still remember that he was the initial cause of it, and she didn’t want that.
Mercy's now blue eyes shifted from the dead body on the floor to the man merely a few feet from her. He was tall and intimidating, and she dared not question him out of fear of being locked back up. Instead, she listened to him, his disappointment evident in her lack of maiming the woman’s corpse. And though his words stung deeply, and some innate part of her wanted to lay bare her teeth into his putrid flesh, she didn’t. No, Mercy had other plans. And those plans were to run. Run as far away from what was turning into an absolute and utter nightmare that she had once again been forced into, when all she had wanted was a chance to live out the life she never had the opportunity to.
They could see the panic filling her eyes as she slowly started coming back to earth. Her eyes were flitting between the two of them, Aesil crossing their arms over their chest as they stared back at her. There was a look that they saw quite often these days, one that told them that she wasn’t planning on sticking around, and finally satisfaction started to sink in. They wanted her out of Caleb’s house. They wanted to be free to do what they needed to do without interruption. They wanted her gone. Even so, they were tempted to keep up the facade of keeping her locked away in this now fucked up room just to cause the vampire more worry.
But they weren’t going to do that. No, the sooner she was gone the better. “Let's get one thing straight, wench. If you stick around, I’m either going to keep you prisoner or I’m going to kill you. There’s no in between, not anymore.” And they wouldn’t tell her that they weren’t actually the man that brought her to stay here. It was more fun to keep her second guessing everything she had learned since coming here. Now Mercy could go out into the world and never trust another soul again without the fear of them turning on her in the back of her mind. Now Caleb would have to live with the knowledge that she was out there afraid and believing that he was a monster even while he was stuck in those dark corners of nothing.
“I can see that you want to run. It’s the smartest thought you’ve had since I met you. Maybe think twice before you decide to live with someone else again.” The demon’s lips pulled into a smirk before they turned and walked out of the room. The door was left unlocked, their footsteps retreating into the basement to prepare for another harvest, and no remorse filling any corner of their mind…not even from Caleb.
Mercy stood silently; the words spoken to her so harshly ruminating in her brain over and over and over again. She had thought Caleb was a kind man. There was even a part of her that was tempted to stay and see if that man would return, but the threat of death, or worse, being locked away, sent a jolt of fear so violently through her small body that Mercy could feel tears coming into her eyes. No, her only option was to leave. To run. To disappear into the night like she had all those years ago leaving behind her husband and daughter. This town, a town that held her captive for almost 400 years, had given her so much. From a place meant to start over in the late 1600s to a lesson in history and culture that was only just beginning, Mercy knew this wasn’t the end of her story. She knew there was a vast world just beyond the horizon waiting for her, and this time, she was going to take it and make it hers.
Glancing back at the wrecked room one last time, Mercy laid eyes on her broom. It had been a source of protection when she had needed it. The clothes she had come back into the world in, hung neatly in the closet, but their reminder of a life no longer attainable had left her with the hard decision of leaving them behind. And then, she caught sight of the small dragon trinket that Caleb…Goodman Caleb…not this demon of a man…had given her. It represented strength and bravery, and though he had made her life hell and would always leave her scarred, there was still the part of Mercy that had believed the kind soul still lingered somewhere deep, and if she could pray for him and his salvation, she would have. But the best she could do was to take the dragon with her. At least to show him, if he ever came back around, that she still cared.
“Thankee, Goodman Caleb. May your soul find peace.”
Slipping out of the darkened room and giving the woman one last look both grateful for what she had given Mercy and remorseful for the loss of her life, she eased down the hallway. She knew the monster she was living with had offered her freedom, but the distrust of him had lingered in the back of her mind. She had feared what he was capable of, and she didn’t want to stay around long enough to give him a chance to imprison her once again.
The house, which had once been full of happiness, was now dark and gloomy. The scent of blood lingered throughout and even though Mercy’s mouth watered for the sweet, metallic taste, freedom was a far greater reward than that of the dead that lay just down the steps behind a door the vampire had swore she would never cross.
The trek forward had seemed long and slow. It was like walking through a house of haunt, a place she had discovered via the people who performed in the frame on the wall. Why anyone would want to actively seek out this feeling had been beyond her. And it was just one of the many things that still continued to confuse Mercy about the 21st century. But she would learn.
“Fare thee well, bunnies of dust and all the memories that lay within these walls.” Taking a deep breath, Mercy slowly let it out as she had finally stood at the front door and her long awaited freedom. And with one last look back towards an assumed direction of Caleb, she let her feet carry her forwards as she pulled the door open and took off running. It would be miles upon miles before she stopped refusing to look back at Wicked’s Rest knowing all the pain it had caused her for so long. And when she finally did stop running, she was standing at the county line and the Welcome To Wicked’s Rest sign. For a place that she had gone to with good intentions, it had taken so much from her. But what it was giving her now was a real second chance at her life. And knowing that, dragon tight in her hand, Mercy bid the town farewell, heading off to live out the life she knew she deserved with the determination to find happiness, love, and peace once and for all.
