Prologue

It was a cool, breezy and stormy night. Rain came down in sheets, as a dark figure stood before a house. The house was pretty ordinary, white with blue shutters; it didn't have more than two bedrooms. It looked like a cozy little family home with flowers and shrubs lining the front lawn, and then the smell from the pellet stove smoke invaded his nostrils. He took a deep breath and pulled out an old, rusted compass from his black trench coat. It looked like it could have been from the 14th century, the small, brass disc was dented and the Victorian designs were faded. He studied it as it pointed east, towards the small house. He looked the house over carefully, looking for the best entrance, before proceeding towards the side to gaze into the window.

Inside you can see the small kitchen; the brand new, all black appliances off set the linoleum floor. Cabinets filled almost every wall of the small space that made it look more crowded than it should have been. The kitchen opened to a larger room which seemed to be used as a living room and a dining room all at once. The whole house looked crowded, with the furniture in the living room all touching except for a small gap to walk through and the dining room was so close to the sofa, it could have been sitting on it.

He stepped back into the shadows as he watched a young couple enter the kitchen. The wife was tall and slender, had strawberry blond hair formed around her face accenting her jaw-line and her deep blue eyes stopped your heart as you got lost in them. Her fair complexion was silky and complimented her soft face. The rosiness of her cheeks made her look like a living doll.

Her husband was slightly shorter than her, his face was rough and unshaven. His body was tan and covered in military tattoos which insinuated that he had been a soldier. Despite his muscular build, he appeared inferior to the dark man. His brown eyes were dark and added little mystery. As the dark man looked on he noticed the husband’s nose took up a good portion of his face and his ears stuck out from the sides of his head like Alfalfa. His large body shrouded the young woman with affection as the two turned to the cabinets.

The wife started making coffee while laughing at something her husband had said as he opened the small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of scotch. They stayed in the kitchen until the coffee was done and she made a cup for herself. Afterwards, they walked into the living room and began to watch a movie together. The dark figure waited as the rain dripped down his face; he stood like a statue in the shadows as still as he possibly could stand. As the couple made their way to the bedroom, he moved towards the back of the house and investigated the back door, unlocked, he thought to himself as he made his way in.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he opened the door. Then he stepped further into the premises, being careful as he could not to make any noise. His steps were slow and he seemingly floated across the floor toward the kitchen. Upstairs, you could hear the couple kissing and enjoying each other’s company. As they rolled around under the covers, the man smiled and chuckled to himself.

He silently walked through the kitchen not making a single creek in the floor boards until something caught his foot. When he looked down he saw that he'd stepped through the domed trash can lid that was left on the floor. He tried to take it off his foot as quietly as he could before he lost his balance. He crashed through the kitchen making a mess as everything on the countertops dropped to the floor.

He knocked over the large pot of pasta sauce on top of the stove in his struggles and slipped in it making an even bigger crashing sound. The stairway lights came on and he flashed into the other room in an instant to hide; moving so fast he didn't leave a trail behind him. He peaked around the door way to find the husband investigating the scene.

He advanced towards the man faster than he could see, knocking him out cold with a single lash to the head and then flashed back into hiding as the wife proceeded down the stairs. When she came into view, he rushed over without her seeing and grabbed her arm. Pulling her head back by her hair, he revealed her neck.

He could see her veins pulsating; the smell of her blood over powered him. Unable to resist her any longer, he took a bite. The warm blood filled his mouth and he fed in feverishly on her. The dark man wasn’t sure if he killed the woman or if she was still alive so he let her fall to the ground without a second thought and proceeded back on to the man. He took off his glove and exposed his hand.

Lifting up the husband’s shirt, he began to work with haste. Running his finger down his torso, the dark man sliced the husband open with ease and he began to bleed. Satisfied with his work, the dark man got up and walked away. The husband’s blood was pooling onto the kitchen floor. Shortly after the mysterious man left, the husband began to twitch and the wife took a breath of air. In the distance, the vampire could hear a new heart beat coming from the house he’d just left. The corner of his lip slightly turned upward as he continued on his way through the night.