Lucius - Thousand Year Old Vampire - Part 3

1.2 A week had gone by since that horrible incident with Fabia. I spent the evenings and nights with Aulus, losing myself in the music. It felt like life was returning to normal. Twice a day I switched the vinegared pegs in my nose, while it felt awkward it also seemed to work. With the pegs I could keep the hunger at bay, still I felt it growing.

Whenever the scent of vinegar faded I’d pretend to do a nature call and switch the pegs for fresh one from the vial. Wine also helped to dull my sense of smell. But my taste for wine had soured, so I had to force it down. Aulus assured me that the wine was good. He blamed the pegs, even though he urged me to keep them in.

While I played along with that assumption, I knew it to be a lie. Something was changing in me. I’d tried eating fruit yesterday and it tasted like grind timber. The change worried me. I thought that I’d miss the food, but my stomach turned when thinking of eating what I loved just weeks ago.

No, the fact was that the pegs helped me drink the wine. I’m not convinced that I’d be able to swallow it without those pegs. I’d even gotten used to having them in. My nose had clogged up, but it didn’t bother me.

Sahylina hated the things, said went against our nature to have something made of wood pressed into your body. My theory is that she didn’t like the fact that she’d lived for hundreds of years, or so she claimed. I’d already started to figure out things she had yet to learn.

The first days I thought I was having trouble sleeping, but this was also part of the change within me. I didn’t need the rest the way I did before. I’d stay up at night, more than once I watched Aulus as he slept. It would be so easy to dash over and sink my teeth into his neck.

Of course I’d never do that. Even so, he just lay there helpless. He looked like an invitation. While promising myself that I’d never touch him, I had to come up with reasons for why I wouldn’t. Who’d be able to blame me? It’s taxing to fight this urge all day and night.

As a bleak alternative I again smelled the blood from the wound in my side, my mark, but it’s doing less and less for me each day. Sahylina said it’s due to my blood dying.

Time had come to visit my brother. It’s not unusual that weeks pass without us talking, but I couldn’t escape the feeling that I was hiding from him. Without reason I was sure it’s obvious that I kept my distance.

Quintus house looked different now. Entering the house I thought I felt her scent, it felt like an impossibility. I should have known the smell came from her children. My brother asked me if I’d heard. My problem is that I don’t lie. Not that it’s beneath me in any way. No it’s that I’m so bad at doing it.

He said that Fabia was missing, then asked me if I knew where she was. Even though I didn’t say anything, he seemed to sense something was wrong. I was about to leave when he struck me. His fist didn’t hurt me but knocked out one of the pegs.

I shoved Quintus hard into the wall. It wasn’t the hunger that drove me, only the fear that I’d loose control. The boy leaned down and picked up the peg from the floor. I roared at him to hand it over. Instead the foolish boy asked what the peg was for and held it away from me.

My only excuse is panic, it overcame me and I struck out. I have never been strong and this was just a boy, but still I had underestimated how I’d changed. Quintus and Fabia’s son flew across the room as I snatched up the peg from the air when he dropped it. I heard from the cracking sound that he was dead before he hit the ground.

With trembling fingers I pushed in the peg again before I even realised that had happened. The girl understood the situation, she ran for the door. I inhaled, she smelled like the memory of Fabia.

Quintus had broken something, still he came at me. I was going to leave when he struck me again. Then I’d had enough and I bit into him. I knew it immediately, I’d craved blood the last few days. It gave me no satisfaction though. Something was wrong. The blood tasted of vinegar. I needed to drink but couldn’t.

I bit him in other places to find a better spot but it’s all the same. The pegs made the taste sour. Then my blood lust ended and I stepped away. This was my brother I was hurting. What was wrong with me?

I tried to help him up but he wouldn’t have my help. Barely able to speak, I think I’d punctured one of his lungs, I picked up “monster,” and “was you.” He saw his son but wasn’t able to crawl there.

Everything was still so new, while it’s no excuse I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Had it not been for the pegs I’m sure I would have drained him of blood and feed on him until I couldn’t take more. I left him to die from my bites and ended up turning him into an immortal like me.

While I’ve always loved my brother I am not sure if he ever held any real love for me. From then I knew that he would hate me now and forever, even if he lives to be a thousand years.