Cursed For All Eternity
By The Raven
Chapter I
My name is Jonathan Masters, and this is the tale of my torment. To any average human being, I would look like any normal fifteen year old boy. But in actuality, I am much older than most could imagine. I was born on the eighth of October, in the year sixteen-hundred and eighty five.
You are probably wondering how that could possibly be true. It happened on the night after my fifteenth birthday. At the time, my family and I lived on the western coast of Maine. I was walking home from a late birthday party that my friends had thrown. It was well after dark, and the street was peaceful and quiet.
Suddenly, an odd sensation swept over my body. It felt as if I were being watched, but the feeling was much stronger than that. Before my brain could comprehend what was happening, I felt two extremely strong hands on my shoulders. Then I felt a searing pain in my neck.
I awoke many hours later, in a place that was unfamiliar to me. My head felt as though a bomb had gone off inside. When I could finally see clearly, I saw a shadowy figure standing in the corner.
"Who's there?" I asked. My voice was no louder than a whisper.
"Do not be afraid, young one," the figure boomed, making my head hurt more. "My apologies. My name is Alexander the Dark." He seemed to have read my mind, apologizing for hurting my head.
"What did you do to me?" I asked.
"I have witnessed many years, young Jonathan. I have lived many lives," he said. I had no idea how he knew my name. "But, tonight, on the eave of my fifth century, I pass on my legacy to you."
I was very confused. I felt as though I was going to vomit.
"I am not human, young Jonathan. Nor am I alive, in the normal sense of the word. I am what many would call a vampyre, or the undead."
I was shocked. His story was unbelievable, and yet, I knew it to be true. Something about him made me believe it.
He stepped into the candle light, and I gasped. His face was as pale as ivory, and I could see the veins in his face. His eyes were a pale greyish blue, and he had beautiful long blonde hair.
"By the time the sun rises, my time on this earth shall be over," he said. "I've cheated death long enough. I can feel it closing in."
He pointed to a crude wooden bowl next to me. Only then did I notice the smell. It was intoxicating.
"Drink. If you fail to feed, you will weaken to the point of paralysis. It is not a pretty sight," he said to me. I raised the bowl to my lips. I began to drink.
"What is this?" I asked after I had sipped it.
"Blood. From this night forward, others shall die, so that you may live," he said.
"Dawn is approaching. My time is through. I leave you in peace," he turned and walked toward an arched doorway.
"Wait!" I said. I knew I wasn't ready to face this alone. "Why me? Out of all people, why did you choose to curse me?"
"Young Jonathan, although you may not see it yet, this was a blessing, not a curse. Think of it, you have been granted more life than most beings can ever imagine."
"I don't want this life! I want to be normal! Damn it, Alexander, WHY ME?"
He closed the distance between him and I in one swift movement. We were now face to face.
"HA! What would you know about DAMNATION? You know nothing! But you will soon find out," he had a sickeningly mad grin on his face.
"If you must know, I did not choose you, you were revealed to me. You were chosen by a force you cannot possibly begin to comprehend. Our destinies were preordained a millennium ago."
"Some advise," he started. "Stay out of the sun. While it is not fatal, as the legends always say, our immortal skin does burn very easily. Hunt by night, kill all those you feed on. And never pass on the Dark Gift until your blood tells you it is time. With that, I take my leave."
With an amazing speed, he raced to the door and was gone in a flash. Suddenly I felt very tired. I leaned back on the bed and soon drifted off to sleep.
I awoke when the sun was just below the horizon. I could feel that the transformation was complete. I felt strong. I felt powerful. But most of all, I felt saddened. I knew I could never again be loved by the mortals that had once loved me. I knew I had to say goodbye to William.
Now, let me explain something to you. For as long as I could remember, I had felt different than other boys. As most boys are attracted to members of the opposite sex, I have always been attracted to other boys. Although there was no word for it back then, I was gay.
William had been my lover. He felt the same as I. As I approached his dwelling, I felt a knot of sadness in my stomach, so powerful that tears formed at the corners of my eyes. I wiped them away, and I saw that they were slightly red.
I moved to under his balcony, and in one swift movement, I landed soundlessly on top of the balcony.
As if by instinct, William opened the door to his balcony.
"Who.....who's there?" he said. It pained me knowing that this was the last time we would speak.
"Will," my own voice surprised me. What surprised me most was the inhuman sound of it.
"Jonathan?" he was slightly surprised. He rushed over to me as soon as he realized it was me. He threw his arms around my neck. Since I was taller than he was, he had to rise on his toes to kiss me. But I turned away.
His face looked hurt. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"I have to go," I responded. "I needed to say goodbye."
Tears streamed down his face. "But why?" His voice was barely audible.
"Something has happened to me. Something I cant explain," I said. Again, my voice sounded different.
"Come inside, we need to talk this out," before I could say anything, he retrieved his candle. When the light shone on me, his face turned as pale as my own. He nearly dropped the candle.
"My God......what in God's name happened?" I could sense the fear in him.
I didn't answer. Words were not needed. I simply visualized what had happened, every second of it, and he knew what I was. He saw everything.
I hadn't realized I had closed my eyes. When I opened them, I saw fear and disgust. I could hear his thoughts. He thought I was a demon now. Maybe I was.
"I will never bother you again," I said. I turned and leapt off the balcony. I turned toward the place where Alexander turned me from the light.
When I arrived, I laid down on the bed, and tried to sleep. I felt like dying. Like killing myself, but, somehow I knew that I would survive it.
"Long is the way, and hard, that out of Hell, leads up to light." Paradise Lost
hey everyone. im in the middle of writing the Vindicator, and i've got writers block!!! grrr....anyway, im takin a little time off from that to write a really short story. so, Vindicator ch. 9 should be out soon after this. btw, come visit our little group!!! gayfreezone.homestead.com as always, send me any questions, comments, or concerns. please?????