The incandescent moon wasn�t visible. It floated over the vast hill, below
the horizon. A cool chill clung to my skin, causing the little hairs on my arms to stand up. I sat on the balcony, legs dangling, and looked out upon the green lawn, the round shrubs, and the tan garden gazebo. I was emotionless; neither happy, nor sad. My mood could have been classified as confused.
I received a phone call earlier that day from my boyfriend, Chris. His voice quivering, he said, �I�ve been cheating on you with my neighbor, Kim. You met her. I�m sorry.�
Yes, I had met her. She was 5�9�, blonde, with a Bachelor�s in Science. Chris had said he was in love with Kim and that he and I couldn�t be together anymore. It�s not like I�d want someone who cheated on me anyway. So, I said, �I understand. Goodbye.�
I didn�t cry. I looked around my living room and spotted my favorite painting. I sat there upon my blue-gray couch looking at it. The open woods, the sun shining through, the flowering path�it comforted me. I sighed and knew there was someone better out there for me.
A soft breeze pushed its way around my long-auburn hair. It was then that I saw a figure in the grass staring up at me. He was a tall, pale man, with short black hair and the most captivating blue eyes. He was wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and black pants. Standing perfectly still, with a slight grin, he continued to stare up at me. My legs began to tremble, and my heart started racing. I gasped, jumped down off the ledge onto the porch, and ran inside, shutting and locking the glass door. I closed the white blinds clumsily, and grabbed my cordless phone that was beside my bed. It was then that I dialed a 9, and then a 1�until I heard the doorbell ring. I paused.
Maybe I had been overreacting. I hung the phone up hastily and made my way downstairs. The blue, flowered sun dress I was wearing swooshed. Barefoot, I made it to the front door. Sweat began to appear on my brow. Looking through the peephole, I saw the handsome, dark-headed man standing patiently with the same grin on his face.
Slowly, I turned the brass doorknob, unsure, and opened the door. His eyes shifted to mine. I cleared my throat and spoke, saying, �Yes?�
He didn�t say anything at first. It was as if he weren�t breathing. Then with the most mesmerizing voice, he said, �You were waiting for me, Abigail, so here I am."
My eyes widened and my heart raced even more quickly. My mouth was dry, but I managed to reply, �No, I wasn�t.�
His grin increased into a smile. I looked at his teeth and noticed the canine ones were really long and pointy. �You, my dear, may not think you have been waiting for me, but I assure you, you were.�
I was losing patience and this man was frightening me. I stuttered, �Who�who the hell are you, anyway?�
The grin returned and he answered, �Who do you think I am?�
�I�m sick of your games. Either tell me what you want or go away.�
Finally, the grin disappeared and a frown appeared, and his eyes showed he was hurt. My heart was forgiving and I said, �Just tell me who you are.�
�Landon,� he said abruptly.
�And Landon, what do you want from me?�
�I can�t tell you right now. May I come in?� he questioned, �I wont hurt you.�
He looked somewhat trustworthy, but I had been mistaken too many times before. I began to think about Chris and his unfaithfulness. I had trusted Chris. Maybe Landon was different, but I was too afraid to find out.
He knew I was hesitating, so he said seriously, �You can search me. I promise I don�t have any weapons, poisons, ropes��
I interrupted, �Okay already.�
A smile played on his lips and I spoke again, sounding annoyed, �Get in here.�
I stepped behind the door and let him in. He stood, once more, quietly and motionless. �Now what?� I asked.
�Is there somewhere you and I could sit and talk?�
�Sit and talk?� I repeated.
He nodded and I beckoned him to follow me. Trailing behind me, we went under the archway and walked into the living room. There was my blue-gray couch and I sat down slowly. There were about six inches between us. Landon was sitting sideways, head cocked to one side, with an almost irresistible grin upon his lips. I swallowed hard, but didn�t speak. The sound of the clock on the fireplace mantle ticking made my head pound.
Ultimately, Landon spoke, �I don�t want to frighten you more than I already have, but I need you to know I�ve been watching you.�
�Uh�� I muttered, my heart still going at a rapid pace. �Okay,� I stammered, �Why have you been watching me?�
�Because I believe that you and I are destined to be together.�
�To be together?�
I was repeating him again. He nodded. I was flattered, but this was getting too creepy for me. I glanced over at the mantle clock and it said 10:37 PM, so I spoke suddenly, �It�s late, so I think I should go to sleep now. I also need to ponder over all of what you said. It doesn�t quite make sense to me. Will you come back here around one tomorrow afternoon?�
He shook his head and said, �I can�t. How about the same time as tonight?�
I shrugged and said, �That�s fine, I suppose.�
I felt the urge to kiss his cheek or shake his hand, but Landon stood up. He followed after me to the door. I opened it, standing off to the side. A silken breeze climbed up my spine and I shivered. �I�ll see you tomorrow,� Landon said matter-of-factly, an enchanting smile on his face, blue eyes gleaming.
I nodded and he leaned over and kissed my left cheek. His pale lips were freezing, but I got a sensational chill. I tried to smile, but there were dark clouds in my head. I watched him walk away into the frigid night air. Then, absent-mindedly I closed the door and went to bed.
Landon inhabited my dreams the entire night. In one dream he was my lover. In another dream he was a murderer. And in the final one, before I awoke, he was a good friend.
The sunlight streamed through my window and upon my white carpeted floor. A headache came on and I felt as though I had a drunken hangover. It was a normal summer day. I pulled weeds from my flower garden, ate lunch out in the gazebo, took a swim in my pool, sunbathed, took a walk next door to visit my friend, Glenda, read a novel and watched television.
Glenda was very sympathetic about Chris, but I didn�t speak a word about Landon. She would first think I was a nut for letting a complete stranger in my house at 10 PM. Then she would say he was a stalker and that I should call the cops. But something told me that he wasn�t a bad person. My instincts were the only thing keeping me from reporting him to the police for �watching� me.
The moon wasn�t in the sky again and around 10 PM the doorbell ring. I knew who it was immediately, so I opened the door. Landon stood there. He wasn�t wearing the same clothes, but these ones were also black. He was grinning and he looked charming. �You�re precisely on time,� I said with a smile.
He beamed and stepped inside. �I�m glad you didn�t change your mind, Abigail.�
�Please, call me Abby.�
He smirked. �Abby.�
I felt really warm and I was afraid this man was turning me on. It was entirely too soon after being dumped. Yet, I knew I didn�t want to dwell on the fact that I was dumped. I shrugged slightly to myself and walked in to the kitchen, Landon trailing after me. �Coffee?� I asked.
�No thank you,� he said with a straight face and a sad look in his eyes.
�Do you want anything?� I asked again.
�I�m fine, really. Thanks anyway.�
I nodded and sat down with a cup of coffee. I signaled for him to sit across from me. He did willingly, speaking, �Have you thought about what I said to you last night?�
�Not really. I dreamt about you last night though. Strange dreams.�
�I figured.�
I glared at him and asked, �You figured?�
He shook his head, �It�s nothing.�
I ignored his comment and uttered, �I�m still very confused. I have so many questions.�
�Ask them. I will answer them as honestly as I can.�
I stared out the kitchen window and looked at the night sky. The twinkling stars cast out there helped me think. I finally inquired and spoke, �Why have you been watching me?�
He looked into my eyes and I got a �full� feeling in my chest. It�s hard to describe. I felt so drawn to this man. Landon answered with a plain visage expression, �Because I feel you and I are meant to be together.�
�Care to elaborate please?�
He smirked and giggled slightly. I smiled and he continued, �I feel that there is one woman for me. One night, I walked around this town and came to your house. I stood unseen on your lawn and watched you dance with some man on your balcony porch��
�You watched us?�
�Yes.�
I gulped, shifted in my seat and put my hair behind my ears. I looked down at the white table and then at my pitch black coffee. I brought it to my lips, drank slowly and looked back to Landon, whose eyes had never left my face. He resumed, �I�m sorry�but I watched you two dance. I saw that you were happy, but I felt he was a shady character��
I chimed in, �He is a shady character. He cheated on me��
He seemed to grow angry, because he clenched his fists. He wrinkled his forehead and a sympathetic look came into his bright eyes. �I don�t understand why, but I�m glad.�
�You�re glad?� I said sarcastically.
�I�m glad because then you and I have a chance.�
I pushed my anger aside. �Okay,� I said, �I got it that you have been watching me and that you feel we�re meant to be together. So, who exactly are you? What do you do for a living? Where do you live?�
Landon looked worried. The clock on the wall belled at the strike of 11 PM. I looked at it and so did Landon. �Do you want me to leave?� he asked.
�No�I�d like you to answer my questions first.�
Nodding, he began, �My name is Landon Doraly. I do various jobs for a living. I write mostly. I�ve had many articles published in various magazines. I live�well��
�You�re not going to tell me are you?�
�I don�t want to freak you out.�
�Too late,� I suggested.
�I live in the cemetery.�
�Um�why do you live in the cemetery?�
�Because I need a coffin to sleep in.�
I was fed up. �Okay! That�s quite enough. Could you please leave?�
He hung his head and sighed, �Yes, I will leave. I�m sorry that you think I�m some sort of morbid human, but I�m not that. I have to live in the cemetery, because I need to sleep in a coffin.�
�Leave!� I yelled.
He got up quickly and walked to the door, opened it, and walked out. I started to cry and sob and he stood there with a worried look on his face. I collapsed on the floor and I didn�t know why. He stepped inside, kneeled down beside me and held me in his arms. My head was against his chest and I was sobbing uncontrollably. He stroked my hair. He smelled of night air, clear, clean, satisfying to my senses. He kissed my lips and I didn�t push him away. I didn�t care who this dark creature was. I was going through something inside my heart and I gave in to his touch and his lips.
The door was still open and the breeze came in as he passionately kissed my mouth. I felt so alive and I wanted him so badly. I stopped crying and gave into him. Upon the wooden floor, the passion exploded and our naked bodies heaved with delight.
In his arms, I felt so complete. The clock chimed 2 AM and I sat up and started to put my clothes on. I looked at his nudity. I put my hands on his hair-covered lean chest and looked into his eyes. I spoke, unsure of what I was saying, �What happened?�
Landon laughed. �We made love.�
�But why?�
�Because we gave in to our needs.�
I sighed. �I�m afraid.�
A gentle look acted on his face and he pulled me into his arms. �My love, this was supposed to happen. I just have something I need to tell you and I want you to erase all that you know and listen to me.�
He took my face in his hands and looked me deep in the eyes, �Abby, I�m a vampire.�
For some reason, I believed him, but I was scared. �You�re not lying to me, are you?�
Shaking his head, he said, �No��
�How long have you been a vampire?�
Gulping, he said, �Not very long. About fifty years.�
I sighed again, looking down in my lap, and said, �Okay, so how old does that make you?�
�Seventy-seven years old.�
I seemed satisfied with the answer and went on to my next question, �All right, and how did you become a vampire?�
He put his strong arms around me, and looked at me with a melancholy expression, and aforementioned, �A woman came to my room one night. She had long, blonde hair and gray eyes. She had some sort of power over me. I was laying in my bed and she came to me and bit my neck, almost draining me of life.�
My mouth was agape, �So, you turned into a vampire after that?�
�Yes. I begin to get sensitive to light and I started craving blood.�
�So, you kill people?�
He shook his head, �No��
Puzzled, I repeated, �No?�
�I merely kill animals. I don�t have the heart to kill human beings.�
A small smile came on my lips and I said, �I�m sort of glad.�
All of a sudden, everything seemed to make sense to me. Landon stood up and started to dress. I got up after him and it seemed as if time went by so quickly. It was already 4:30 AM. �I really need to leave,� he said, �because it�s almost daylight.�
�Okay�will I see you tomorrow?�
Smiling he stated, �Yes, of course.�
He kissed me gently and left. I missed him already.
The next day, I seemed really happy. Yet, it was almost as if last night was a confusing dream. His scent was still on me. I went to Glenda�s house around 2 PM. She was sunbathing and I sat down beside her in a lawn chair. A broad smile covered my face and Glenda said matter-of-factly, �You got laid last night.�
I couldn�t believe it. �How can you tell?� I asked.
She squirted herself with water, tucked her black hair behind her ears, and said, �You are glowing.�
I giggled and put my hand on my chest where my heart was. She spoke again, �So, who was it?�
�Ahhh!� I yelled cheerily. �He�s so amazing. His name is Landon and, I can�t describe it, but what we did last night wasn�t something I�ve ever experienced before.�
�So,� she continued, �you�re saying he is the best sex you ever had?�
I nodded, blushing when she asked, �Where did you meet him?�
�Um�� I started to lie, �At the grocery store.�
�Oh�� she giggled, �Classic!�
Around 3:00 AM, Landon came to my door, rang the doorbell, and I let him in. He was late, but I didn't care. We passionately kissed and I wanted to rip the clothes from his body. He shook his head. �I have to talk to you about something tonight.�
�Okay,� I aforesaid, �What�s up?�
He put his arm around me and we walked into the living room and sat upon the same blue-gray couch. I noticed he was wearing a silk, black shirt. He was staring at my neck when he asked, �Do you want to live forever?�
This is it, I thought. He�s going to make me into a vampire and we�re going to live forever. �If you�re asking me, Landon, if I want to be a vampire and be with you forever, I�m saying yes.�
He smiled brightly and hugged me tight. He kissed my neck and was about to bite into me when the doorbell rang. �Shit,� I cursed under my breath.
�I�ll be right back, okay?�
He nodded and I went to the door. I forgot to look through the peephole and automatically, and cheerfully, opened the door. I saw Chris there, a bouquet of roses in his hand, with a smile on his face. He put his other hand through his blonde hair and said, �Hi! I came over to apologize and say that I made a huge mistake and that I want you back.�
I frowned and commanded, �Go away.�
I almost shut the door, but he stopped me. �Aren�t you even going to give me a second chance?�
I shook my head and said, �No�so please go away.�
He walked inside and I heard Landon coming behind me. Chris� expression changed into pure anger. �Who the fuck is that?�
Landon came beside me and asked, �Is this the infamous Chris?�
�Yes.�
�Do you want him to leave?�
I nodded.
Landon took Chris by the arm and pushed him outside, shutting the door. �Where were we?� he questioned.
I signaled to the living room when Chris burst into the door with a handgun. I felt dizzy and Chris aimed at Landon and pulled the trigger. Everything seemed to be in slow motion and I screamed �No!!!�
The bullet hit Landon, but he wasn�t hurt. He only laughed, and then became outraged, charging at Chris. He took Chris by the neck and Landon seemed to transform into an angry creature, eyes glaring, teeth sharp, his voice deeper and he yelled �How dare you! Leave us alone!�
I ran up to Landon, shook my head vigorously and looked at him with sadness. I grasped onto one of his arms and he dropped Chris. He breathed deeply and apologized, �I�m so sorry.�
Chris had his hand around his neck and was rubbing where Landon had grabbed him. Landon looked at the clock and it said 5:00 AM. He quickly said, �I need to go� and ran out of the house.
I followed after him and Chris followed after me, screaming, �So, you�re dating a maniac now?�
�Fuck off Chris!� I screamed.
Chris ran after Landon, knocking him to the ground, and punched him in the face. �I don�t know who the fuck you are, but this is my girlfriend you�re fucking around with.�
�Get off of me!� Landon shouted, pushing Chris off.
The sun began to rise. I started to cry, �Landon! Run!!�
He dropped on the ground and his skin begin to blister. Chris came at Landon again. I punched Chris so hard that he went unconscious. I sobbed, �Please Landon! You have to try��
He shook his head sadly, �I�m sorry, Abby. I failed.�
The sun pushed into his skin, causing him to bleed. I tried carrying him, but he was too heavy. �Please. Just let me die, Abby.�
�But�I want to be with you. I love you. I�ve loved you all my life. I know we�re meant to be together. Please. We can go to my basement. It is cool and dark.�
Tears streamed down my face and Landon lay his injured face in my lap. He cried bloody tears and said, �I love you, Abby,� he gasped, �we will be together in our hearts forever. You will marry someone and have babies and be happy. I promise.�
�This isn�t supposed to happen,� I cried.
�Yes it is. Kiss me one last time��
I leaned down and pressed my lips to his and he turned into ashes before my eyes. I sat there on my knees, kissing the ashes which was once Landon. I kept crying. I got up, walked into the house and shut the door.
I ran upstairs, to my bedroom, and sobbed. I yelled at myself, �He is gone! And I loved him! And this is not supposed to happen!�
I went down into my basement, because the sunlight seemed too cruel for me. I sat down there in the coolness and let the darkness engulf my tears. A sound in the corner startled me and I gasped. Out the corner walked my love, my Landon.
I ran to him and he took me in his arms. �I don�t understand it, either, Abby. I was out there and I thought it was the end and then all of a sudden I was in here. I beckoned to you and you came! And we�re together.�
I stopped crying and smiled as he pressed his teeth into my neck and drank my blood. I lay there in his arms upon the cold cement ground. He and I were one.
Days later, I started experiencing a change. It started out unpleasant and then it was wonderful. I hid in my basement and one night, like every other night, Landon came to me and he and I went to the cemetery together. He and I are together for eternity.