Caylin's Monsters
Chapter 18: Worst Fears
“It’s time to get up, Love,” I heard a woman saying. “We don’t want to be late for breakfast do we?”
I opened my eyes, still groggy with sleep. “Who is that? Where’s Farkas?”
“Farkas asked me to watch over you until he gets back,” the woman explained. “He had some pressing matters to attend to.”
I was confused. “Farkas said he wouldn’t leave me. He said he wouldn’t let me do something I’d regret.”
“Of course,” the woman said reassuringly. “There’s nothing worse than living with regrets. Don’t worry, Dear. I’ll take good care of you.”
I sat up in bed, feeling a bit light-headed. “Oh my,” The woman exclaimed. “You look so exhausted. Why don’t we get something to eat? That’ll get our energy back up. Breakfast has already been prepared for us just down the hall.”
“Breakfast?” I asked. “I am pretty thirsty, I guess.”
“Oh, there will be plenty to drink down the hall,” the woman told me as I made my way out the door.
“There’s actually a pretty good selection to choose from. I’m sure we can find something to satisfy our palate.”
I still felt half-asleep. “What’s wrong with me? Everything feels kind of hazy.”
“Don’t worry,” the woman assured me. “You’ll feel much better once you’ve had something to drink.”
“Is this where they prepared the breakfast?” I asked.
“Yes,” the woman answered. “There’s a number of options available. We can feel free to sample all of them if we like.”
“Options?” I asked, looking around the room. “I don’t understand. These are the Companions.”
I tried to focus on the woman lying on the bed before me. “This is Ria.”
“Yes it is,” the woman said. “She’s so pretty, don’t you think? She looks absolutely delectable lying there.”
I knelt down beside her. “She is rather beautiful.”
My eyes were immediately drawn to her smooth, pale neck, where I could see the gentle throbbing of blood through her veins. If I listened closely, I could even hear the soft beating of her heart.
“She really does look delicious.”
“Yes… she does,” the woman agreed. “We should definitely take a taste.”
“Yes… take a taste,” I repeated, hypnotized by the light thumping in Ria’s neck. “I’m so thirsty, but… something doesn’t seem right. Are you sure I’m allowed to…?”
“Of course we are, silly girl,” the woman chimed in. “This meal was prepared especially for us. Only, be gentle. We don’t want to wake her.”
“Right,” I said, still in a daze. Then, trying to be as gentle as possible, I slowly placed one hand on Ria’s hip and the other on her head as I leaned toward her.
“Her fragrance… it’s intoxicating,” I said. “And her neck… so soft and luscious… it looks incredible.”
“Oh yes, it does,” the woman agreed. “Now don’t drink too quickly. We want to savor every drop.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Savor…” my lips inched closer to her neck. “…every…” all sound, save the beating of Ria’s heart, disappeared. “…drop…” the whole of creation, except for Ria, vanished.
As my teeth slid into her flesh, my heart began to race wildly.
I felt her blood pouring into me, filling me up. I was on fire as our heartbeats mingled into one, pounding rhythm.
It was the most beautiful music I’d ever heard, building to a crescendo of passionate fury and then slowing to only the faintest tremor. It was…
“Amazing.”
I stood up from Ria, out of breath and trembling with pleasure. Even though I still had this nagging feeling that something was off; that I wasn’t supposed to be drinking from her, I didn’t care.
I could still taste the lingering sweetness of her blood on my lips… and I wanted more.
“Mmmmm…” the woman sighed with delight. “That was wonderful. We should try another. How about a different vintage, maybe one that’s had more time to mature?”
I approached Tilma, who was asleep in the opposite corner, and I was again caught by that hypnotic pulsing in her neck.
I wasted no time. I quickly leaned in, placed my lips to her throat, and began to drink. I was past the point of savoring… I was thirsty.
“Oh that’s superb!” the woman exclaimed. “Give us more.”
“Yes…” I agreed, “…more.”
I silently embraced Njada in the neighboring bed, and a surge of blood flooded me as my teeth gently pierced her flesh.
She was even sweeter than Ria or Tilma. I was intoxicated with her, with all of them, and every fiber of my being wanted more.
“Ha ha. Fantastic! This is why we exist, Caylin. Do you see it now?” the woman asked, grinning.
But I barely noticed her voice. I had worked myself into a frenzy and all rational thought had ceased. “I just want more…”
“Yes! That’s it. Ha ha ha!” the woman said, unable to control her laughter. “More! More!”
I was operating on pure instinct now, like a wild animal looking for its next prey. I approached Athis…
…and I took Athis. I drained him like a glass of wine. His Dunmer blood had a different quality to it than the others, but it was equally satisfying.
Without pause, I stepped over to Torvar, ready to sink my teeth in.
“Ha ha ha! Yes! Yes! Don’t stop!” the woman demanded. “We want more! Ha ha ha!”
I drank him until his body went cold and limp.
“Aha ha ha ha! Amazing! Amazing!”
I stood over Torvar, basking in the moment. The exhilaration and rush I had experienced in this room was unlike any other of my life. The woman was right. It made sense. “This is why I exist,” I whispered.
Like a wild predator, satisfied after the hunt, after its kill, I was content.
“Aha ha ha ha ha! Fabulous!” the woman cackled. “Absolutely fabulous!”
At that moment, something snapped free in my mind, as if a veil had been lifted, and the haze that had clouded my thoughts dissipated. As I stood there, covered in the blood of my friends, my newfound brothers and sisters, the utterly horrific nature of what I had just done became clear. “No! This can’t be," I thought. "Why didn’t you stop me, Farkas!?”
“Sensational! Just sensational! Aha ha ha ha ha!”
That voice… that hideous mutation of my own voice was praising me. The voice I had been struggling so hard against, personified in my mind’s eye as this cackling woman, was actually praising me for this slaughter. “This can’t be real,” I thought. “Oh gods, this can’t be real!”
“Aha ha ha ha ha ha!”
I could feel myself smiling as the blood ran down my chin, but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t understand. Why was I smiling? “Stop smiling!” I screamed at myself. “Stop smiling you monster! You disgusting murderer!” But it was no use. I had completely lost control.
“Aha ha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha!”
My worst fears had been realized… Farkas was wrong about me. There was no humanity left. The voice of that evil woman, the voice of my own blood-lust, had become me… and I had become the voice… a voice that she would never listen to. “This can’t be happening!” I was terrified and panicking. “Farkas, where are you? Why did you leave me!? Why didn’t you just kill me!!?”
“Aha ha ha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha ha!” Why was she laughing!?
“Stop it! Stop laughing! JUST STOP IT!” But it was to no avail. Her terrible cackling continued. “Oh gods! Oh gods, please!! This can’t be! Nooo! Noooooo! NOOOOOO…”
“…OOOOOOO!!” I shot up in bed screaming, my heart racing, with my face covered in tears.
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