September 1, 1631 - Jamestown

     Disease and famine riddle this town, covering the traces of my existence. The humans here prepare of another crippling winter. Their bellies will cry with hunger while mine laps in the luxury of an ample supply of disposal morsels. Blonde hair draped over my leg reminds me of the plethora of opportunities I have to satisfy my inner demon.
     I run my fingers through her locks, breaking up the dried masses of crimson. She was someone’s mother, someone’s wife, someone’s mistress, but she didn’t fight it when she became my meal. None of them did. The air is growing colder each passing day as winter rolls toward us. But even the stillness that the shorter days of winter brings does not compare to the peace of being surrounded by silent bodies.  

August 6, 1861 - Mobile

     The hot air sticks to my skin uncomfortably. While I am concerned with trying to blend in despite my lack of sweat, the heat keeps the humans miserable. The beating sun tugs at their inner darkness. Irrational, unscrupulous behaviors scratch the surface of every man I meet. Broken by the heat, they look for any easy pleasure to replace the happiness seeping from their pores. 
I am awakened by one such man. I hear his heavy steps shuffling across the floor above me. The silver clangs as he shoves it into a rough burlap bag. A thief who chose the wrong home. A solitary mistake that he will not make again. He doesn’t see me until my hand is on his throat and his back is slammed into the wall. He begs, pleading that his family is hungry. I let my eyes go black and my voice grows cold as I tell him that mine is too.

October 8, 1591 – Ajaccio

     Their screams pierce the night and for once I am not the cause of them. Women running in fear, hiding their children while tears stream down their dirt covered faces. Fires scar the buildings and rip through homes, driving people into the open. Blood pulls in the dips of the street as a man drops, sliding a dagger from his stomach. Another unsuccessful attempt to stop this raid. But the Barbary pirates aren’t here for death, they want slaves. After all, there is gold to be had in such a lucrative business.
     I have made it a point not to become involved in the troubles of humans and as I watch the mayhem unfolding before me, I do not intend for this time to be different. That is until a fragile family is chased past me. The pirates slam the father to ground as the mother cradles her baby, protecting him even as she is shoved to her knees and her tight grip on her young daughter’s hand is broken. Before I could think of my actions, I leap between the woman and the pirates. Not hearing the pleas and death around me, I kill the pirates in mere seconds. The woman voices her praise, thanking me for my actions but she misunderstands me. I do intend to be repaid for my kindness and she quickly realizes that when I sink my fangs into her husband’s throat. 

June 19, 1828 – Boracay

     The waves lap onto the beach and retreat back into the bay. The clear water lures the humans here even in the darkness of night. The sand warms their toes as their laughter fills the air. I see them just over a hundred yards away. It’s an easy distance to clear. There would be blood staining the white sand before a scream could even escape their lips but tonight I am sitting on the beach, trying to feel human in my cold skin.

     Blocked by the clouds, the moon strains to cast its light on me and warn the humans of the nearby danger that is me but like most humans, they are distracted, missing the most obvious things to see. I try to focus on the waves pushing onto the beach but the young woman’s playfully scream grabs my attention in an instant. I watch the man she is with spin her around, baiting me and my mouth waters at just the thought. Tonight, I wanted to feel human but in this moment, I just want to feel a human between my fangs. 

March 24, 1615 – Madrid

     The warm wood hugs my chin as the rich tones pull my eyes closed. Lost in the pleasantly spacious sweet highs, I find the man I once was. No more thirst for blood, no burning deep inside my throat. No greed, no hunger. I slide the bow over the strings feeling only peace with the reverberation at low frequencies. The tones caress my ears, whispering sweet nothings in the night. 
     But a divine scent brings me back to my reality. I open my eyes once more to see the bodies scattered across the room. A mother protecting her child with her blood soaked carcass lies, curled into a ball in the corner. A father leans over the table, his face smothered in a pool of crimson. The haunting pallor of their bodies should bring me guilt but the fluttering pace of a tiny heart wrapped in cold arms gives me a glimpse of the humanity I still possess.