The Darkness Comes (closed)

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

Edward smiled as he watched Rosie dress, admiring her form and happy that she seemed more relaxed. It was the first time he had seen her in such an informal way and though she was herself when they met she seemed much more herself now than she had ever been.

He stood and gathered his clothes dressing himself once again before he smiled, took her arm and went out to enjoy the rest of the night

-----


The killer walked lightly, his breath a cloud that appeared and disappeared in front of him. Beneath his hat and cloak he smiled and looked around before slipping into the shadows. He pulled a curved knife from his jacket, the hilt was made of bone and he slid it out, running it under his nose. He breathed in the smell of the blood of the last woman he had committed to hell, the scream and gurgle as he had driven the life out of her still fresh in his mind, he smiled again, his teeth gleaming in the darkness.

Taking the knife he lifted up his shirt, scars criss crossed his stomach, looking like they had once been great gashes. In amongst these once near-fatal wounds were two straight, horizontal cuts situated at his side which was otherwise unblemished. The scabs had almost gone and the cuts were red and raw. Taking his knife he cut a new line above the first two, a sharp intake of breath the only sound he made as the blade sliced his skin, he sighed with pleasure.

He took a bandage from his pocket and wrapped it around him, then placed his shirt back on and stowed his knife back beneath his coat. He stepped back out into the night heading towards the park to see if there was anywhere he could find something to eat.

 

[heartofcourage]

Rosie felt light and happy as she took Edward's arm. It felt freeing to be out there with him outside of the confines of a paid relationship. He didn't owe her anything for her time and she gave it freely to him. She smiled more, laughed easier, and simply enjoyed herself. It was her first real relationship and she certainly wasn't about to mess things up.

"There's a shop at the other end of the park. He might still be open. He has the best chocolate creations in the city." She murmured as they crossed the street and ducked into the tree lined park entrance. "It's one of my favorite places to stop."

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

He found the park, remembering there was some kind of shop at the other end he walked briskly and silently towards the entrance when he noticed them. A couple, she was mediums sized with red hair but it was the man he recognized immediately, it was him, the cursed creature, spawn of hell. He quietly spat a curse, he had to be careful, the vampire was powerful and could sense him easily if he wasn’t careful. He tested the air, good, it was in his favour.

He hung back as they entered the followed them in, being careful to keep his distance. The woman was a mystery, he had not seen her the last time he encountered the creature, she must be someone under his spell, or worse, another of his kind. He would have to find out, it didn’t matter either way, they would all be freed off their impurities in due time. They would all be cleansed.

They reached a shop that seemed to display chocolates of all things, he had to wait till she was alone, he could not risk being recognized by the vampire.

 

[heartofcourage]

They were in luck that the man who owned the chocolate shop was still there that evening. He was a favorite of the heir to the throne, meaning that he usually kept late hours to cater to the rich and famous that flocked to the city. Especially during the party season. Rosie's smile grew lighter as they entered the shop, the bell tinkling over their heads as she looked around at all the wonderful creations.

"I hope you brought a lot of money, Edward. I think I'm about to buy one of everything in this shop." She exclaimed, teasing him as the man catered to them both, making suggestions as to what to consider.

Rosie took an offered piece of dark chocolate, taking a bite and humming with satisfaction. "It's got raspberries in it." She murmured, looking towards Edward with bright eyes. "I love raspberries."

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

He was surprised the shop was open, he would have to buy some, they would make a lovely morsel to bait his next victim. The woman smiled, she was happy to be in the company of such a creature, unafraid, she must be in collusion with him, a familiar perhaps. He needed some more information but that damned vampire hung around her like flies to the sewer, his mouth turned into a snarl and he muttered under his breath.

“shoo fly”

After they paid for the chocolates she gestured to him and he walked off with a bag in his hands towards a gazebo further into the park. He smiled, straightened his coat, and walked into the shop, his adjusting voice to one that was much more friendly than usual.

“Excuse me miss, forgive my rudeness but I've never been to this shop before, perhaps you could advise me as to which chocolates to buy for a lady I am currently courting the affections of.”

http://imgur.com/dUe8BV3

 

[heartofcourage]

Rosie had a grin on her face as Edward paid for her chocolate and she motioned him to go and find a spot to sit. When he left, she turned to eye some of the truffles that were behind the glass case. She would add a few of those. When she finished her order with the shop keeper, she was startled by the sound of a voice behind her. Turning, she noticed the mustached man asking her what she would suggest he buy.

"Anything, really. Everything here is delicious." Rosie said in a sincere and friendly voice. "My companion just purchased some of the dark chocolate with raspberries for me. I am just getting a few more truffles to last me a few days."

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe the prince enjoys the dark chocolate as well. I don't see how you can go wrong with any of that."

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

His mind worked as she spoke, her companion? She was one of them, the unclean, the stain on the mark of this once pure soil. As he smiled and replied he was intrigued as to why a vampire would choose a prostitute as a familiar, she was obviously under some sort of hypnotism, he would free her in due time. For now he would be patient; the vampire was the problem, as long as 'he' was anywhere near her he had no chance of killing her.

“Lovely, I’m sure she will love these, I can’t thank you enough my dear”

He kept his voice at a high pitch, happy and jovial as thoughts as his hands clenched behind him, his thoughts turned to the many ways in which his knife would cut face into a thousand pieces.

"I must bid you farewell, it has been a pleasure meeting you miss....?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"It's no trouble at all." Rosie said as she took her bag from the shop keeper and thanked him in a soft tone with a smile.

She turned towards the man as he paused for introductions. "Burton. Rose Burton." She said softy, taking his hand in her own and shaking it. "I hope you have some success with your lady."

She flashed him a wide smile as she stepped past him and into the dark night, ready to walk down the path to where Edward was waiting for her. As she saw him in the gazebo, her smile grew wider.

"I hope you didn't eat all of my chocolates." Rosie murmured as she took a seat beside him, a kiss pressed to his lips.

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

She introduced herself as Rose Burton, the name burned into his mind as he thanked her and she smiled as she headed out the door. He watched her go then bought one or two chocolates from the shopkeeper and headed back out the door, heading out into the night he started to form a plan.

His original goal had now changed, now that ‘he’ was here, he remembered when they had first met, what he had thought was his last. The creature had been within his grasp but he had not counted on another of his kind attacked him, they had torn him to shreds and left him for dead.

No matter, he had all the time he needed to enact his revenge. She would be first, he would savor each cut his blade made then the hunt for 'Edward', as the creature liked to call himself, would begin again. He drew his cloak and disappeared into the night to plan his next masterpiece.

----

Edward looked up as Rosie’s smiling face greeting him playfully asking him if he had eaten her chocolate before she sat down and kissed him soundly. He kissed her deeply then chuckled as he watched her savour the taste of the chocolate.

“Your wit is as sharp as ever Rose” He said in dryly “you took longer than I expected, you seemed gone for some time”

 

[heartofcourage]

"There was a man that came into the chocolate shop as you were leaving. He asked for my help picking out something for a lady friend." Rosie commented as he told her that she had been gone far longer than he had realized. "I suggested what the prince gets and bought myself a few more truffles."

She popped a piece of the raspberry chocolate between her lips and gave him a smile as it melted on her tongue. "Perhaps my blood will be sweet the next time you have a taste. After I have all this chocolate I bought, you might savor it like a fine wine."

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

She told him it had been a man asking for help with a lady, he thought nothing of it as she looked at him, the chocolate melting on her tongue as he teased him. She remarked it might make her blood all the more sweeter the next time he drank from her veins. when it had gone her kissed her, inhaling the scent of the chocolate from her mouth.

“I think that will do it, your blood is sweet enough as it is my rose”

His hand ran across her neck as he spoke, stroking the spot he had last bitten her. The marks had faded now, he licked his lips. When she offered herself like that it was hard to control himself, the fact that she did it willingly knowing the danger it posed made the moments he drank from her the most intimate thing he had encountered since he was turned.

"It is good, I must admit, to be with you like this, without agreements or formality"

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll have to take your word about my blood." Rosie said with a smile as he reached out and stroked her neck where he had bitten her the night before. "It is very nice being with you like this, Edward. I care about you and spending my time with you is the icing on the cake for me."

She gave him a luminous smile as she leaned into his fingers, letting him stroke her throat without fear. She trusted him completely. Edward would never do anything to hurt her in a million years.

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

He listened as she spoke of her joy at spending time with him, he had to agree with her it was a welcome change. He checked his watch as the sat together enjoying the moment.

“It’s getting early my love, I should go before I sun cuts our time short”

He looked at her, his beautiful red rose, her eyes glinting in the soft light of the gas lamps and remembered what he was unable to say previously. He stood and took her hand, lifting her up he embraced her then looked into her eyes.

“My red rose, I don’t know what our future holds, I am unlike most of my kind who hunger for blood and power, instead I hunger only for the love of a human woman and the chance to make right the sins of my past”

He kissed her long and deep then drew back

“What I’m trying to say, very poorly I might add, is that I love you”

 

[heartofcourage]

When he confessed that he loved her, Rosie smiled slowly. It was a luminous look as she stared into his glowing eyes. He was telling her what she wanted to hear all along and she soon looped her arms around his neck and kissed him long and slow. It was a burning passion and she was falling in love with a handsome and kind man.

"I love you too." She murmured as the kiss broke, truly meaning those words. "And you have made me the happiest woman in the world with those words, Edward. I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

Edward had never felt so happy, strong, so full of life as someone bereft of it could have ever felt, he embraced her, holding her close and tight for fear she would disappear in his arms. All the pain from his centuries of life washed away and he felt reborn.

As he broke the Embrace he took her by the arm, and they walked through the moonlit park.

“let’s make this night special, I do not want to forget it, as long as I may live” he kissed her as they walked into the park

------

The killer awoke, his eye snapping open he rose from his bed and went to prepare himself. Donning his pants, shirt, waistcoat, hat and finally his cloak he took out his blade and checked it; It was sharp and ready. He smiled and thought about his next victim, another of the those that must be purified, through pain they would be cleansed and atone for their sins. He took from a chest in his room a metal spike; he’d had the blacksmith make them to his specific requirements and had asked for twenty of them, now there were sixteen.

They measured 3 and a half feet in length and were cylindrical in shape, the circumference similar to his closed fist. He hid it behind his back underneath his cloak and stepped out into the night. He’d tracked his prey the previous day, he’d made sure she travelled alone tonight, and through the appropriate streets. He made his way through the paths and alleyways before finally small stretch of road he’d been looking for, he settled down next to one of the lit gaslights and waited.

 

[heartofcourage]

Rosie felt like she was walking on air the next evening when she left her building. Edward had stayed with her as long as he could the night before, making love to her until he was dashing out of her room to make it home before the sun found him. There had been promises to meet that evening, a dance that she had been wanting to go to for a very long time.

She had dressed in a gown of blue, her thick cloak over her shoulders as she hurried across the street, passing the gaslights as she went on her way to meet her lover. It was strange to be meeting him. Usually she would see three men each night, but she had decided to clear her schedule to give him a chance to see where this all went.

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

He saw her further down the street, it was definitely her, he had watched her leave the previous night, tracking her movements. She set a fast pace, he would have to move quickly. He waited, staring at the gas lit lamps, any time now. She reached the first pair lamps situated a few hundred feet from him, he smiled, it was time.

He removed the spike from his back and reached down opening a cover, the smell of gas was strong. He turned a valve and the street was plunged into darkness. He heard the woman stop, this was his chance, he ran towards her as she started into a run and grabbed her.

She screamed, but it was cut short as he positioned the spike at her throat and rammed it down at an angle till it appeared out of her stomach. The blood flowed and he sighed as the scream turned to a gurgle as the life seeped from her body. he laid her down beginning his work in earnest to purify her.

 

[heartofcourage]

Rosie paused in her journey to the dance as the street lamps suddenly dimmed around her. She glanced around the empty street, hearing noises of a scuffle nearby. A sharp gurgle reached her ears, her heart pounding so loudly in her ears that she nearly couldn't hear anything at all. She glanced around for police but noticed that she was hopelessly alone.

"Hello?" She called out, her shoes making sharp noises against the sidewalk as she found herself drawn towards the noises. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

He had just finished cutting the ring finger off when he heard her, he recognized the voice, the vampires whore. His mouth turned into a snarl as he heard her voice asking if anyone was there, he smiled, perhaps this was his chance.

He started to move towards her then froze. He had just killed a woman, another would arouse suspicion and that damned creature might find him before his plan came to fruition, his presence in the equation already complicated things.

He silently moved into the alleyway to turn the valve, the gas flowed and the lights came on once again, he needed to make a run for it, gathering his cloak he tensed his muscles then sprinted out across the road and into another alleyway that exited on to the other side of the cluster of buildings.

 

[heartofcourage]

Rosie's step was cautious, her heart pounding in her ears as she struggled to hear anything. The street had gone eerily quiet and then suddenly the lights were back to their normal brightness. She took a step back, glancing around the street now that she could see but all she was met with were dark shadows. What had happened?

She continued walking towards the sounds of the noises, stopping when she saw a woman lying on the street. Rosie found herself unable to take another step forward. The blood was bright under the bright lights from the gas lamps. The woman's eyes were open, glassy as she stared towards the sky without seeing anything.

Her feet were suddenly pulling her forward, forcing her to confront the scene that was before her. A spike was shoved into the woman's throat, exiting out her belly. The cobblestones were soaked in blood, the red liquid running in rivulets down the stones. Rosie's eyes were wide as she took in the horror before her, her voice gone. She should have been calling for help, but she couldn't find the words to scream.

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

As he burst from the alleyway his cloak across his face so he wouldn’t be seen. His eyes, small dots peering out from the cloak, caught a glimpse of her, her face pale as she took in the sight. Their eyes met for a split second before he was gone into the other alleyway. It was risky move but he had no other choice, the alley he had appeared from had no exit and she would surely call for help shortly.

As he came out into the opposite road he slowed to a jog, turning once or twice more he stopped beside a closed butchers to catch his breath. He was sure she had seen him for a moment but had she recognized him? he had no time to worry about that as he moved through the streets past a crowded theatre. Checking his knife was hidden he disappeared from into the crowd.

 

[heartofcourage]

Rosie took a step away from the body as someone burst from the alley beside her. Her blue eyes were wide as she took in the man covered by the cloak that stared at her for a moment before he ran into the other alley. He was oddly familiar, but she couldn't place where she had seen the man before. Everything in her brain was suddenly wrong, as if she could not process what was there in front of her.

When the man was out of sight, she dared to scream for help. Her voice was shrill and full of fear that the man might come back and take her out for interrupting what he had been doing. She distantly heard the sounds of people running in the distance, coming towards her, but she couldn't stop the screams that came from the deepest part of her soul.

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

Edward stood outside the theatre, he and Rosie had agreed to meet at this spot before going to the ball. She was running late, it was unlike her to be this late, she prided herself on her timekeeping. As he checked his watch for the third time that evening he noticed a commotion near the edge of the crowd that had gathered for the evening play.

A man in a top hat and cloak went pacing through the crowd and Edward looked up to see him appear from the other side of the crowd and out into the street. He thought he recognized something about the way he walked but this thought was driven from his mind when he heard the scream.

To anyone else it would’ve been faint, the other patrons turned their heads left and right but Edward’s inhuman ears picked it up and recognized it immediately, it was Rose. He reacted faster than the human eye could pick up, the blood pounding in his ears, his nails extending to sharp points as he sprinted towards the cry.

He needed to go in a straight line and, heading down a nearby alleyway, scaled the side of the building in a few seconds. He jumped and soared between roofs till he saw her crouched over a body in the middle of the road. He jumped to the wall of the opposite building before launching himself to the ground. He landed with a massive thud as she turned in time to see Edward grabbing her and holding her tight.

 

[heartofcourage]

Rosie's screams only stopped when she saw Edward and was in his arms. She was shaking like a leaf as he held her tightly, blocking her view of the body as he pressed her face against his chest. Her eyes were wide with fear and terror, her breath coming in sharp gasps as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly to block everything out. All she could see, however, was the sight of the poor woman lying there as her blood drained out of her.

"The lights went dim. Then I heard a struggle. Oh, Edward...there was a man here. A man in a cloak. I think I interrupted him." She was babbling, telling him everything that had happened as he continued to hold her tightly. "I don't know who she is. She lives around here though. Oh my God...what am I going to do now?"

 

[The_reluctant_wordsmith]

He held her tight, his mind racing as he saw the body behind her, she was in shock. He could feel her breathing as it came short and sharp and she began to talk, the words falling out of her mouth one after the other. Something about the lights going dim and a man in a cloak, his eyes widened as he realised it was the man he had seen moving through the crowd moments ago. Rosie was beside herself as she questioned what she would do now.

As he tried to calm her down his eyes fell on the body; it was arranged more or less in the same way as the one from the previous night with the exception of the circle on the stomach. He saw a small cut where it seemed the killer had been interrupted, the ring finger looked like it had been cut recently, blood still seeped from where it had once been attached. He spoke, trying to soothe her as his eyes darted left and right.

“Shhhh my love, It’s ok, I’m here now” He kissed her forehead “We need to go, people will be coming soon and we cannot have unwanted attention right now.”

He had to think quickly, his house was further away but a lot safer. Lifting her into his arms he broke into a run.