A Village Vampire

Prologue

I knocked quietly on the door and it opened almost instantly. The girl who opened it took a step back allowing me to step past into the hallway. My gaze had locked on her the second the door had opened. Fortunately our eyes had met and so connected to her I was able to walk past her without fear.

"Are we alone?" I asked as I walked slowly through to her lounge. I could smell her blood and I fought to control my breathing. Be calm I told myself.

"Yes," she replied.

"And you are not expecting any callers, your mum or your boyfriend?" I continued. I scanned the lounge; impressed by the décor and pleased to see there was no one else around.

"No," she replied.

I turned briefly to look at her. I smiled appreciating how pretty she was and how her long legs and slim body offered wondrous opportunities for the time we would spend together. Even wearing scruffy jeans and a tea shirt she looked hot and I felt the bulge in my trousers growing. For my first solo hunt I had made a good choice.

Turning back I walked over to the large window covering the back wall of the lounge. The glass went from floor to ceiling suggesting the view would be spectacular. I looked out. Her apartment was high up and so I could look out over the city at night. The lights outside mingled with both my reflection and hers bouncing back off the glass.

"Go and change. Put something on that I will like. Something I will enjoy taking off you." I said to her reflection and I watched myself smile back as she turned without a word and disappeared.

Looking back into the window I studied my reflection and wondered how people had ever thought vampires cast no reflection. Vampire, I dwelt on the word. How had it come to this?

First a short cut to disaster

How had it come to this? I thought back of the events of the past couple of months and how so much had changed for me.

My name is or was Mark Greenson. I had lived a pretty boring life in a typical English village. A village where nothing happened and I was nothing special. I had a few friends. I had the occasional girlfriend. It was a happy life, well sort of.

Okay I have to admit it was pretty stupid to cut through the playing fields at 1am on a Saturday morning but I had done it from time to time for years. Understand I live in one of the safest areas in the country. Its not like the other options were much better they all were dark and quiet routes too. The walk through the playing fields saved 15 minutes. I would be in bed a quarter of an hour faster. When you have had a night out, are tired, and yes a little drunk all you want to do is get home. 15 minutes means a lot. You know I am right. On this particular night it wasn't even going to be that dark. There was a full-moon lighting the way for me.

Walking from the train station I had not seen a soul. A few times in the past I have helped hapless travellers who had got off the train expecting a town and taxis. Confused they would walk up and down looking for civilisation. I would grin to myself then help by explaining where they were and offer to call them a cab. If confronted by a damsel in distress I would be gallant and offer to wait with her. At this station there was nothing it was two miles from the village and very quiet.

On this night however there had been no fellow travellers lost or otherwise and I had started the walk without seeing another soul. The couple of miles along the roads to the playing fields had been the same. A few houses had lights on but at that time the good residents of the villages would be sleeping in their beds. The odd dog had barked. A barking dog always startled me. Dogs had always terrified me after one had decided to bite me on the leg when I was about five.

"Don't worry son he won't hurt you," the owner had said about 5 seconds before his dog's teeth pierced my skin and I screamed in pain. "Oh god he has never done that before," the owner said over and over, but by then it was too late. The die was cast and for my whole life dogs would terrify me. So even years on a simple bark brought that all back and I would strain to hear if the barking dog was now chasing me. Of course it never did.

A car had passed maybe two, but no more than that. A passing car was always a spark of hope for me, that someone who knew me would stop and save me the walk home, but much like being chased by a dog that never happened.

By the time I reached my little short cut I was cold and fed up and so had decided to take it. Who am I kidding a few times on the walk I had convinced myself I would go the long way round but when it was this late I always cut across the playing fields.

The first part was not too bad cut across the school field, tennis court on the right, and nervous glance to the church complete with graveyard on the left. At this point I always thought of my mother and one of her pet phrases. When I was little and scared at night of ghosts and demons she would always tell me "the dead can't hurt you." Ironic when you know the whole story.

Next there was the footpath that allowed me to reach the playing field itself and moon or no moon this was always very dark. It was a path cutting along the back of the school before you got into the field proper. It was narrow and hemmed in by high bushes and trees. For some while I had carried a little LED torch on my key ring and so I used this now. It helped to show the way ahead but not very well and my heart would always beat a little faster at this point.

The little white light tried to pierce the gloom and I strained my eyes to see what lay ahead. Always hoping not to see a figure or sudden movement. As ever it was oh so quiet. Twice before at this point I had been very frightened, once by a deer and once by a fox. They had briefly stopped, looked at me and fled. More normal was surprising rabbits that scattered into the undergrowth. The rabbits didn't bother me, but the bigger animals always made me jump.

At the end of the path was a brief chance to relax as you were directly beside the school's playground and it was brightly lit. Why does light make us feel so much safer? This part of the short cut was the furthest from the roads on either side so a person collapsing here would probably not be found till the morning. A person attacked had no chance of help and surrounded by trees could be jumped on from multiple directions. So this was the most remote point but felt the safest because of the light. So here I always felt a bit better and my nerves eased a little.

To be honest it was important to relax here as the next bit was through the wood and this bit scared me the most. Often my nerves strained enough for me to consider walking around it. During the day the woods were great fun for children. The wood had become a cycle track using the tree roots to make little jumps and the churning up of the ground had produced a clear course around the wood. At night the wood felt dark, brooding and full of hidden danger.

The wood I always went though despite feeling scared because salvation lay on the other side. The other side was a clear path across the main part of the field. There were lights from the scout hut and lights from the Rugby club and so you could see all around. Best of all you could also see the road and the road meant home was close. So it was a quick walk through and you were safe that's how it felt to me.

So once again despite all the reservations I plunged into the dark wood, my little torch producing enough light to show the path in front of my feet so I didn't trip on a tree root or a rock.

Despite all my fears and nervousness nothing had ever happened on this walk but something very strange was about to happen. Oh if only I'd booked a cab.

Striding swiftly through the wood trying to feel calm and in control my heart suddenly jumped when without warning someone rushed out of the trees just behind me, they sped across the path and into the trees on the other side. While I stood frozen three more people followed as though chasing the first. The first was maybe a man. I was pretty sure the rest were women, two in white and one dressed in dark clothes.

What the hell was that I thought and then I heard the scream. You will have worked out being brave was not part of my make up, but despite this I had to find out what was going on. Convincing myself I was safe as they had not noticed me I slowly and carefully followed them into the trees.

They hadn't gone far so it didn't take long to catch up with the four people who had startled me. I had been right it was a man and three women.

The man was standing quite still his back against a tree. In the moonlight I could just see his chest was bare. His shirt lay on the ground at his feet and the two women dressed in white were running their hands up and down his chest. One giggled and lowered her hand to rub up and down the man's groin. He was still motionless. The other lady, who was in the dark dress had her back to me and was quietly observing the scene. It was bizarre, unheard of, but even in our quiet village there were all sorts I thought. What would the vicar say? One of the ladies in white dropped to her knees, her hands working at undoing the man's trousers. The lucky bastard was going to get a blowjob I thought. Feeling awkward I slowly backed away, voyeurism was not my thing and most of all I feared the embarrassment of getting caught watching.

Crack went a twig and the three women turned. To my horror they seemed to be staring straight at me. I knew it was too dark for them to see me and yet it felt like they were looking right at me. The older woman raised her hand ensuring the others stayed put while she took a slow step in my direction. Her head slowly inclining to the left, as though she was trying to pierce the darkness. Her face, mostly hidden by the dark seemed to stare at me with black eyes. Around her neck glinting in the moonlight was a weird triangular shaped necklace. The pale light made her seem more demonic than human. Terrified I turned and fled.

I always did my best to avoid scary situations but once in them I could always think fast. A plan formed in my head. I needed to get away but stay hidden. The fields were not flat and the way they raised and fell could help me. Keep on through the trees come out the back of the wood, up the slope and down the other side and then run up the fence to the other gate in the corner of the field. This way I would be hidden from view all the way to the road and then by turning left and then right I would still come to my house but from the opposite way. A little longer but should these strange people follow me they were less likely to see me.

Explaining why I was there would just be too embarrassing. God forbid I might even know them. Later I would realise God had nothing to do with it.

It was not a long run but my promises as yet unfulfilled to get back to regular cycling meant I was soon out of breath. I laboured up the final part of the run to the gate. My tiredness meant my head soon dropped and so it was only when I was upon the gate that I realised a lady was learning against it. That gave me a bit of a shock I can tell you and I came to an abrupt halt. For what seemed like ages I stood just staring dumbly at her.

It seemed to me this had to be the lady I had just seen, but it couldn't be. As I told myself that was ridiculous I saw the necklace and realised it had to be her. How the hell did you get here I was thinking but all I did was stare at her blankly. My heart thumping in my chest and my panting breath the only noise I could hear.

"Bit late for a run isn't it?" She said smiling. Her eyes had stayed fixed on mine from the moment I had seen her. I found myself trying to look away and my head struggled to form a good answer to her question. I felt it was not a good idea that she guessed I had run from her but then if she didn't know that already why was she here. How did she get here? There was no sign she had rushed after me she could just have been out of a casual walk if the hour wasn't so early.

She laughed, making me feel like she guessed the thoughts in my mind. Her eyes still fixed on me she began to slowly walk towards me. Her hand softly stroked my cheek as she walked straight past and from behind I heard her say.

"You know a few have run from me, but none have escaped." Her exaggerated emphasis on the word "have" and "none" made me shiver.

The touch of her hand on my cheek had been incredible. My skin tingled at her touch and I tried to prolong the contact by moving my head into her hand and turning as she went by. As the contact was broken I sighed. It was a wonderful sensation making me forget to breath despite my long run. I felt an instant hard-on forming and my desire for her my only thought. It was because of this that I spent a few more moments transfixed before remembering to breath and then stumbling forward I recovered my self-control.

Finally able to move I looked around. I could not see her anywhere. My heart sank that she had gone but then from far away I thought I heard another scream. The scream jolted me back to reality and I rushed out of the gate.

The rest of the walk home was more nervous than any walk I had ever taken in my life. I kept imaging someone behind me but when I turned there was no one there. Yes, get home I kept saying, but it was still a 15-minute walk up the hill, into my road and then into my house. The roads were quiet and dark. The trees blocking the streetlights making it gloomy with long shadows that moved in the breeze. An owl hooted making me jump but finally I made it safely to my front door and went in.

Pausing in the hall before turning on the lights I listened intently for sounds. The boiler triggered by me letting cold air into the house made a whooshing sound, two thumps and then the kitchen was lit in a faint green glow as the central heating burst into life. This made various tapping and banging noises around the house as water flowed through the radiators and pipes expanded with the heat from the boiler.

No danger assaulted me but I stood still ears straining for sounds of movement. Finally satisfied I took a deep breath and turned on the lights. I cautiously went into the lounge. Feeling safe at last I flopped onto the sofa. I sat still trying to make sense of the evening. My phone buzzed making me jump and my heart race. It was just a text from a friend saying he had got home safe and he hoped I had too. Well I had, kind of. The regret of not being able to see the lady with the necklace again kept popping into my head but this mingled with relief of escaping such a weird situation. Suddenly I felt very tired.

So I went to bed and the next thing I knew it was morning and it all felt like it had never happened.

You know what's its like when you are really busy following a big moment in your life. At first you think about it all the time, then a bit and then it goes out of your head. Well that is exactly how it was for me.

The following two weeks were very busy, full on and so the incident went out of my mind and the normal routine of work, work, work took over.

So when three weeks later I met a nun near the playing fields it never occurred to me to connect this odd meeting with the weirder events of earlier. A nun I hear you exclaim. How did you come to meet a nun?

Well let me explain this was not as weird for me as it might be for you because the village has a convent in it. The convent was quite near the playing fields, by the school in fact. It was a big old house, quite ornate and Tudor looking. It always seemed to us villagers that it contained only a few nuns. The graveyard showed that it had been there for a long time with gravestones to sister this or sister that dating right back into the 1800's. However right now the convent did not seem that popular as there were only a few residents and to be blunt most did not seem to far away from joining their sisters in the graveyard.

Anyway back to my meeting. It was about 7pm that evening and I was close to the school and therefore the convent. I was riding my bike and debating how far I should go. You may remember I had kept vowing to take up exercise again. Well I had. So there I was riding along and this nun waved her hand at me asking me to stop. So I did. Well wouldn't you?

"Sorry to bother you," she said. "I know you young people are so busy these days but could you pop and see me at the convent we could use some help with lifting some heavy boxes. My sister superior sent me out to find a willing pair of hands. It will only take a moment. I can find you somewhere to put your bike where it will be nice and safe."

She smiled at me and waited I could not think of one excuse so of course I agreed. Together we walked back to the convent me pushing my bike. To my surprise there were a couple of bikes in a shed hidden to the side of the front door. So with my new friends help I popped my modern carbon bike alongside the rusty old boneshakers that were already in there.

"It will be safe there." She assured me.

We were now at the convent door. It was a very solid dark oak door with a small window and a large knocker. However the nun simply pushed the door open and I followed her in. It was dark and musty smelling in the hallway. The carpet was worn and the few pieces of furniture were old and tatty.

"Not like your nice modern house I expect!" Commented the nun looking at me as I scanned the room. "This way." She said.

So I followed her down the hallway, up some stairs into a large room containing a desk and a bed. There was a women head down at the desk writing away. What ever she was writing must have been engrossing because she did not appeared to have heard us come in. The nun stood and patiently waited and so assuming this was the thing to do I stood by the nun's side.

Growing irritated at being kept waiting I looked around. This room was not much better than the hall. All the carpets and furniture showed signs of age and the same musty smell was in the air. The walls were covered in bookcases full of old books. I could not see the titles, but I could see from their condition they were old. It was also very clear they contributed greatly to the musty smell. There was also a bed in the room. It was big, king-sized or maybe larger. The bed seemed very out of place in this study come library partly from its location and partly because it looked new and expensive.

"Hmmm you like my bed then?" Commented the woman at the desk who now looked up and as her eyes met mine I gasped realising this was the women from the gate all those nights ago. The necklace still hung around her neck. At the same moment two women appeared from behind me and stood one either side. I had not heard them approach. As they were dressed in white I guessed they were the other two I had seen in the woods.

"Out," barked the women at the desk to the nun and the nun turned and scuttled out of the room leaving me alone with the three ladies. From behind the desk the women learnt back and continued to fix me with a hard stare.

Like before I found myself frozen, not able to break away from her eyes. Eventually she rose from the desk. Her eyes staying fixed on me.

"I did warn you that although some have run from me none have escaped, did I not?"

I found myself blankly nodding.

"I am Countess Ivana," she said, "and these are my daughters."

"You may play for a bit my children," she said, "but remember he is mine to take and maybe even to turn. For I have not met his strength for many a century. He ran when I called and no one has done that for a long time. Such strength of will may merit eternal life."

"Play nicely," she said to me and again walked past brushing her hand against my face. The wonderful tingling feeling and sense of lust again sprang up inside of me, triggered by her touch. Again I was unable to move and so she was able to escape.