How Sweet The Taste

I couldn’t look away. My eyes were glued to the scene in front of me. It was horrible. Nasty, gross. I should have been able to look away, to cringe away in a corner somewhere. I should have been scared of him. Instead, I was the exact opposite. I was fascinated by his behavior. I wasn’t scared or even grossed out. I was interested.

I sat up, my eyes locked on Niall’s, never blinking. For some reason, I felt that if I blinked, I would miss something important. Niall slowly leaned back, untangling himself from the girl. He tilted his head back towards the ceiling, letting the girls body slump to the floor with a loud thud. He lowered his head back down to look at me, dark red blood still running down his chin onto his shirt. His eyes flickered down to my arms, making my eyes follow.

I instantly spotted what he was looking at. I still had blood on my hands from where I tried to rescue her. Instead of smelling like copper, it smelt.....good. Like chocolate covered strawberries. Like the sweetest, juiciest fruit that I could possibly imagine. My head throbbed harder as I looked back up at Niall. His face was emotionless as he watched me, his eyes giving the only change. They looked curious, as if he knew what I wanted to do but didn’t know if I could make myself.

I numbly raised my hand, not sure why I was doing it but felt like I needed to. I examined the red substance on my hands, turning them this way and then a different way. The scent began to be intoxicating, making my head dizzy and my vision blurry. I barely realized I had slipped one of my fingers between my lips, sucking on the sticky mess still on my hands.

My tastebuds felt like they were going to explode from the flavor that filled my mouth. I pulled my hand back, dully noting that that one finger was spotless. My eyes flickered up to Niall who had broken through his little act. His blue eyes were wide with shock, his face priceless as he watched me suck on another finger. He was suddenly by my side, yanking my hand away from my mouth.

“That’s not as good as this.” He said, tugging me forward.

I followed him, watching as he lifted the girls arms. With a quick movement of his wrist, her arm had a long gash in it, red liquid streaming down the side. I looked back up at the blonde, taking reassurance in the small nod he gave me. My mind was screaming at me. Why am I doing this? Why does this taste so good? The new person that has taken over my body shoved these thoughts aside, focusing on what was in front of me. I eagerly took the girls arm as it was offered to me. Without a second thought, I placed my mouth over the gash.

The taste the blood gave off was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It was exquisite, a delicate taste that can not be duplicated. Like the sweetest of strawberries but with the bitterness of a raspberry on the end. I clutched her arm closer to me, trying to get more of the substance her blood provided for me. Everything felt heightened. I could hear better, realizing that the girls heart was beating.

I gasped, throwing the girls arm back away from me. I scrambled backwards away from her body, feeling hot tears roll down my cheeks. She’s dead. I just drank blood from a dead person. I wiped at my face, trying to get the blood off of me but ended up smearing it even more. Ugh, I feel so gross. The sweet taste has disappeared, leaving behind a nasty, bitter taste in its place.

“Shh, it’s okay, Anna.” Niall cooed, appearing beside me. I attempted to move away from him but his hands gripped tightly at my shoulders.

“No, get away from me.” I sobbed, shoving at his shoulders as he pulled me into his arms.

“It’s okay. It’s natural. I’m here, everything is okay.” Niall continued, his voice soft and gentle as he spoke to me. What the hell is going on? How is this natural? I’m a human chowing down on another human. There’s nothing natural about that.

I stopped fighting him, knowing that it wouldn’t get me anywhere but stuck here longer. Instead, I cried. I cried about not helping her anymore than I did. I cried about what I did, what I had seen. How could that have been entertaining to me? How could I have liked seeing the light fade from her green eyes? Most importantly, how could I have drank from her...and enjoyed it?

Notes