A tear rolled softly down the woman’s snow white skin. She twirled the rose that she held gently in her hand. Looking out beyond the snow covered forest, laid a small city. Her life was always the same, she would quietly lure desperate men to her forest, and kill them for survival. And every man she killed, she knew that was another man willing to love her, lost. Love, the only thing she wanted was love. But she was a monster, a vessel of the devil. One in which could not be loved, or that’s what she was told when she was turned into the beautiful killer she was.

‘Ok, ok, we get it dude!’ A dusty blond man said. The group of men all had to be in their early thirties. ‘Yeah we get it alright! You’re afraid!’ A brown headed man barked out. Aaron took a long sip from his drink. The truth was, was that he was afraid. Everyone who grew up in the city of Horn’s Worth was told of horrid stories of the forest. And every now and then, the lowest men of their city went missing. A drunk man here, a gambler there. No one the society actually cared about. Harsh as it is, it was true. If there was an exotic monster; living in a mansion, able to lure even a gay man, so be it. As long as she didn’t take what mattered to society, like the CEO’s or the business owners, or him. He starred at the bar counter thinking over the bet. What was the harm any ways, vampires weren’t real.

‘You’re a pussy footed bitch, Handfold. Stop acting like a child. You really think some beautiful vampire is in that forest? Get real.’ Spat a Man with died blue hair at Aaron. Aaron glared at the man. What could he lose? All he had to do is drive through the forest, using the narrow creepy road his brother and him use to dare each other to walk five steps on. He was moving away from Horn’s Worth anyway, how lame would it be for him to tell others he lived here and never been to the forest? He grabbed the blue haired man’s shot and drank it, throwing his head back. He slammed the glass on the counter and smiled cockily. ‘You’ll be the one who’s sorry Fortrun, when she’s on top of me.’ Fortrun brushed his fingers threw his blue hair and smiled at Aaron, the boy had finally accepted the bet. ‘Waite just a minute Aaron Handfold!’ Fortrun said walking soberly to him. Aaron tossed his head annoyed. He looked at the man, he could feel he was tipsy, but Aaron tried to hold onto reality. ‘One more thing Aaron.’ Stated Fortrun. Aaron raised an eye brow. ‘You have to go at sun down.’ Aaron felt his heart skip a bit faster. ‘It’s ok’ he told himself in his mind ‘There’s no one in the forest, just trees’ Aaron nodded and smiled to the man as he turned and stumbled off to his apartment building.

Thank god for an Apartment that was next to the bar. He stumbled in to his front room, he threw his self on the only piece of furniture that was in the room. The old ragged couch wasn’t going with him to LA. No way. It would serve him one more night, and that’s it. He had a good life in Horn’s Worth, but La was offering him a six figure job. He put his hands behind his head, smiling drunkenly at the celling he mumbled ‘A good life I had, and it’ll all end tomorrow night.’ He took in the scent of the couch. It smelled of sweat, beer, and sex. ‘One more reason it’s not coming with me. I never want to remember any girl here.’ He stated, rolling too far and falling to the floor. At least the floor didn’t stink; it would make a good bed until tomorrow night.

Aaron woke to an annoying bird perched on his balcony. ‘Tweety tweet tweet tweet. Tweety tweet tweet tweet. Tweety twe-‘ Aaron grabbed one of the pillows on the couch and threw it at the glass doors. The bird frightened, flew away quickly. Aaron stood rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes. He smiled remembering today was the day, he’d finally head to LA. He was 27 years old, with no wife, or decent job. Finally it seemed the currents were flowing in his favor. Aaron frowned as he looked in the mirror, why had he drunken so much? That usually wasn’t him at all. Sure he had a woman issue, and never was able to keep one girl, but other than that he was pretty well off. The problem with women was that none of them were enough for him. Not pretty enough, not smart enough, not thin enough, not unique enough. There were too many not’s to let him fall in love. Aaron washed cool water over his face and brushed his teeth. Looking at his watch he sighed. He had a whole 9 hours to wait before sun down. He smiled again rubbing his face ‘back to bed I go, hopefully I can get rid of my hang over’ he threw himself lazily on the couch. His mind let go of reality and gave into his dreams. He dreamed of woman, with snow white skin and raven hair.

Aaron woke to banging on his door. In a panic he rushed to it and swung it open. ‘What is it, who’s in trouble?’ He asked in shock. Fortrun and a few other men stood looking at the mostly naked Aaron in a look that said ‘you’re an idot.’ Aaron brushed his fingers through his hair, ‘Oh, it’s you.’ Fortrun laughed drily and pushed past Aaron, into the apartment. ‘Nice to see you too kid’. Aaron followed and grabbed his pants, putting them on he said; ‘You know your only 38 years old, 11 years older than me.’ Fortrun checked around Aaron’s apartment to ensure no reason for return, the last thing he wanted was for Aaron to chicken out because he claimed he left his hair brush. ‘Yeah I’m still older then you kid, so I can call you what I want. K.I.D’ Fortrun said the last party deliberately slow. Aaron lazily put his shirt on ‘Soo, I suppose it’s time to go now?’ Fortrun smiled at Aaron, walking past him he said softly ‘To your death we march Handfold’ Aaron played with his keys nervously as the group led him to his car. Vampires are not real, right? ‘so um this is goodbye…’ Aaron thought desperately for an excuse, but couldn’t find any. ‘Dam right Handfold, remember to text me when you get out of the forest.’ Fortrun said with his arms crossed and leaning on the window frame of Aaron’s truck. Aaron smiled and started the truck. It slowly roared to life, he pulled out of the parking space with one last wave to the group of men.

‘One thousand years you will wait for love! You are a monster! The devil’s puppet! Even when love comes, you will kill it. You will murder it like the killer you are!’ The old nun, that was the towns ‘good witch’ began to strike the pale little girl with her cane. The little girl coward in the middle of the street, curled into a tiny ball she began to cry. She heard a crack in her ribs and wailed out in pain. The woman continued to beat her. The villagers saw this, relief filled her soul….if she had one any more. She had been bitten by Lord Hutz, 3 months earlier. Slowly she began to change, her eyes now seemed to glow a soft green, and her skin was white. The worst part was that she had a craving for blood. She didn’t mean to, but she had begun to suck the blood from little Timmy’s Neck. He died. She had no control. And now her punishment. A few village men rushed over, they were here to save her! To her horror they picked up large stones, some even picked up boulders and began to throw them at her. One laded on her head, she heard the crack, her vision became blurry. She stumbled to her feet as they all shouted ‘Kill the demon! Kill her!’ She ran to the forest, in the forest laid her maker. The only one who would take her in. She tried to run, but she could not move, one man came at her with a sword. Raising it high, he rushed it forward.

The woman screamed as she launched forward sitting up in her lonely bed. Her neck and forehead were drenched in a cold sweat. She buried her face in her hands, crying softly. The old woman’s words rang in her mind ‘one thousand years you will wait for love!’ Even Lord Hutz did not love her in the way she wanted….she needed. He took her in, being a monster just as herself, but there was a fatherly love, not the intimate love she wanted. He taught her to kill, and he loved the pleasure from it. He killed for fun often. And then when the villagers raided their home, they killed him. In return she personally ripped the hearts out of each man. She became feared in the village, at the same time exiled. They agreed to give her one person a month, if she remained were she was, and so she did. And somewhere down the line, the village grew and formed. They got electricity and eventually stopped believing she existed. By that time she was sick of being feared, she wanted to be loved. So she got her own food. Lured them with her beauty and killed them.

She turned her tear streaked face towards the window. She had lost track of how many years it had been. When would she be able to love, without killing that person?

‘It’s gonna be the best day of my life! Li I I I ife woe woe oh oh ooh!’ Aaron sang along to his radio. He drove down the creepy road, lit by his head lights and the moon. The moon wasn’t much help though, mostly blocked out by the trees. This wasn’t so bad after all. No dead people walking, no ghost screaming, no creepy guys with chain saws. Just a dark road and a truck. Aaron shook his head, why had he been so afraid? Just then his radio switched channels. ‘Once upon a time. We were alive. Before he took us and ended all our lives.’ He starred at the radio in a weird manner. What channel was this? It sounded like an eerie child’s voice singing. ‘Hehe, ring around the rosy! Pocket full of posy! Ashes, ashes, you’ll fall down! Chhhh’ the radio went to static. Aaron tapped his fingers nervously on the steering wheel as he drove. He turned the volume off. It was just the signal. Right? Suddenly the radio played again. A girl softly crying. No, it wasn’t the radio. Aaron rose his eye slowly to the mirror. A pale child with stringy hair sat crying. Her veins looked as if traced over with black on top of her skin. She slowly rose her head, meeting his eyes. Her eyes were large black spheres of nothing. Just black. ‘Fuck!’ He reached for his pocket knife, still trying to control the truck. She appeared in the front passenger seat, looking straight out at the road. He looked in horror at the girl, no not a girl, a demon. Maybe once a girl, but not anymore. Slowly the girl said slowly ‘Don’t….hit….me’ with that she disappeared leaving ash on his seat.

He stopped his car and brushed his fingers through his hair. He was tired, hallucinating. He just needed to get out of the forest. He began to drive again. After ten minutes, he eased down. His phone buzzed scaring him, he peed his pants slightly. He sighed deeply. Checking it, it said ‘message sent to Fortrun’. He fumbled through the phone, he didn’t send a message. Reading the text that his phone sent, said ‘Hey it’s Aaron! I made it! Off to LA!.’ He mumbled confused ‘But I…didn’t send a-HOLY SHIT!’ He turned the wheel as hard as he could as the girl stood in the middle of the rode. Looking at him with her dark eyes. As his truck flew off the road and into the forest, time seemed to slow. Flash images of the little girl flickered in and out, until she was beside him. She looked to him, her face countered in a face of anger and evil. Her eyes began to ooze out a black substance. She screamed, her voice no longer that of a child’s, but a monster lungs ‘DON’T HIT ME!’ she launched forward beginning to choke him. With that everything went black.

Aaron woke up in his now smashed up truck. The glass had shattered and piece gouged themselves into his flesh. He moved slowly in pain. Opening the door he slid out. Suddenly remembering what happened he pulled out his pocket knife, spinning in a circle. “What do you want!” He screamed, shivering from fear.

“Your soul.” Said the demonic voice, and ice cold chill down his neck, he full on peed himself. ‘Real manly’, he thought. He sprinted forward, running for his dear life….or for his dear soul. He didn’t know where he was going, it took random turns and passages. The whole time he could hear the twigs breaking beneath the demon feet, right behind him.

He neared a mansion, a classic hunted house looking mansion. He rammed through the gates, Falling in the process. Looking back though, the demon stood, it’s soulless black orbs starring at him. For whatever reason it didn’t come through the gate….or couldn’t. Still trembling, Aaron ran to the haunted mansion and ran in, slamming the door behind him.

The pale woman actually jumped in fear from the sudden sound. She then smelt blood lots of it. Her pupils grew like a cat’s, now a full ring of black with the thinnest ring of green around them. She rushed to the head of the stair from her room. Their stood a human, a male, just shaking in fear. She held back the urge to drink him dry. Why was he here?

Looking up Aaron saw her, the girl from his dreams. Under normal circumstances he would have been glad such a perfect woman was real; but instead he whispered “Fuck”. The stories, the tales, the horror of the forest, it lived, she lived.

“who are you?” The pale woman asked, her fangs already ready to paralyze him and suck his life away. He stood up straight trembling, “I-I I’m A-aaron miss. And I would really, seriously appreciate it if you didn’t kill me, because if you attack I have to run out side, and outside there’s a demon waiting for me at the gates.” She tilted her head slightly, he just kept rambling on. She swiftly launched at him from the top steps, a dramatic scene. As if she could fly, her body flew down the steps. Her arms out, nails pointed ready to gouge themselves into the man.

He quickly side stepped and grabbed the nearest vase, cracking and shattering it against her skull. She wailed loudly and turned to him, her eyes all black, even the whites except for the thin green ring around them. “O-oh, you have demon eyes too, just awesome.” With that he ran down the hall, pulling down tables and whatever else was there in order to trip the vampire.

Just as he was about to make it to the door, wherever that lead too, She grabbed him, sinking her fangs in deep. His body froze, along with his heart and soul. The world around him began to fade, replaced by darkness, lonely darkness. His body went limp, his weight resting all in her arms.

She sucked the sweet blood from his neck. It was to late to stop, she had drunk too much. If she stopped he would die anyway. ‘no more death.’ She thought. She did the only thing she knew to do in order to save him, she released her venom into his neck. His tan color of skin slowly turned white. She had turned her first human.