An Eternity of Longing

A short story for The Milk & Honey June Horror Challenge

Image: Andrej Lišakov via Unsplash+

For week two of The Milk & Honey June Horror Challenge hosted by

Meg

, the prompt asked for a gothic horror story.

This is my entry. Please enjoy…

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The mirror that hung in the east wing carried this family’s secret for generations. It bore witness to their rise and fall. A silent observer, absorbing their reflections and all that came with them. It took their joy. It basked in their sorrow. It knew them better than I ever could.

I stood silently in front of it, and in that shimmering oval portal, I saw nothing but an empty hall. It could never know me, nor my secrets.

For I had no reflection.

I promised myself I would never come back. I had long left this life, this family, this legacy, behind. I shed my past when I became undead. I went into the cold, dark ground and emerged from that chrysalis something new. Something better.

And I met you, and I felt a love that transcended all. A burning passion that rivaled that sun, who had long become a stranger to me since I was turned. You were my everything, so of course they would seek to take you from me.

On that day, my heart of ice shattered.

For a thousand years, I toiled. I journeyed across the Earth, clawing through stone and sand until my fingers bled and my hands quaked.

The ones who I had once called family had separated us, but I would spend an eternity undoing their grave mistake. Each night, as I slept, I heard your voice. Soft, steady, soothing. As gentle as a cool breeze, stirring desire deep within my soul.

I scoured the four corners of the mortal realm, only to come back here. Back to where it all began.

Back home.

A shrill scream echoed through those stone halls. The sound of footsteps followed. Rapid, and full of fear. The sound of prey.

I looked up into the mirror as the pale skin of a woman passed by behind me. She was the last of the home’s current tenants. When I arrived, I hunted them like little rabbits.

I did so love the thrill of the chase.

I turned away from that infernal mirror and gave chase down the hall. I moved silently, my feet only barely touching the ground. I turned one of the labyrinthine corners and saw the woman pressed against the wall at the end of the hall. Nowhere left to run. She was cornered.

I approached slowly, watching as her crystalline blue eyes grew wider with every step. Tears glistened on her cheeks as she begged for mercy. I closed the distance with a final dash, my form merging with shadow and reforming mere inches from her.

I gripped her golden hair and pulled her head back. I saw beautiful indigo veins flowing beneath her porcelain skin. My lips curled back, fangs sliding out from beneath them. I bit down and began to drink.

Her blood was metallic with hints of coriander and plum. Remnants of her last meal, no doubt. A delicious pairing, but nothing could taste as sweet as your essence. My tongue swept the length of my lips, catching every last drop.

The woman’s legs gave out, and she collapsed on the floor, staring up at me with broken eyes. I ran a hand through her hair. It was wet, soaked with sweat.

She shivered, wrapping her arms around her torso as her body trembled. I almost envied her. She would soon be embraced by death. I almost envied her. In that long millennia without you, I had spent countless nights wishing. No…

Begging for the sweet release of death.

The sound of a door opening echoed through the empty halls. Measured footsteps approached. I turned and saw one of the hired swords I had brought along with me walking down the hall.

He stopped when he saw the young woman’s body on the ground beside me. He bowed deeply, holding the position until I acknowledged him.

“Yes, what is it?” I asked.

“My deepest apologies, I did not know you were feeding,” he said.

I dismissed the issue with a wave of my hand. “I just finished. What news do you bring?”

“We may have found something.”

Were my heart still full of life, it would have skipped a beat in that moment.

“Show me, now!”

I followed him out into the cool night. Moonlight lit our path through the trees until we reached the family cemetery. An impressive mausoleum was all that remained of those who had once lived nearby.

“We’ve already searched the crypt,” I said, clenching my fists in frustration.

“One of the men found a false wall leading to an underground chamber. We’ve opened the sarcophagus. We believe it’s her.” he said.

Time seemed to move at an agonizingly slow pace as we descended through the makeshift tunnel. Every step brought me closer to a moment I had dreamed about for centuries.

The anticipation was overwhelming. The desire palpable. When we finally reached the burial chamber, I approached your resting place.

The march of time did little to stain your beauty. Your silken auburn hair cascaded across your skin. You looked the same as the day I lost you.

“Give me your knife,” I said, extending my hand. The hired sword obeyed, handing me a polished dagger. I held my hand over your lips, dragging the cold metal across my ashen skin. Blood pooled and poured from the side of my hand, staining your lips a deep crimson.

I whispered words that called to gods no longer of this world. I pleaded with them to take this sacrifice and breathe life back into your undead soul. I knew you still wandered this plane. I heard your voice when I closed my eyes.

I felt your touch when loneliness and longing choked the happiness from my soul. I could taste your kiss in those precious moments between dreams and waking.

“Come back to me, my love,” I whispered.

You stirred. Air rushed past your lips. A gasp, a cough, and then your deep, endless eyes opened for the first time in centuries.

“Bring us an offering, now!” I shouted.

The hired sword scurried from the room. I reached down and took your hands in mine. You looked at me, and I felt life briefly return to my weary bones.

“My love, I’ve finally found you,” I said.

Your eyes wandered down to the wound on my hand. I saw a flash of hunger as you grabbed my palm and pressed it to your lips. Your lips were cracked and dry, your tongue was like stone against my skin as you eagerly drank my blood.

I gave it freely, running a hand through your hair and holding your head against me.

“Gather your strength,” I whispered.

I helped you sit up as you continued to drink. Streaks of deep red glistened as they ran down your chin and dripped onto your legs.

The hired sword returned with another emaciated woman. She was too weak to fight back. I looked over to the wall of the chamber. A pair of chains and cuffs dangled from the wall nearby.

The stone was stained by the blood of my love, who had been drained of all her life force as part of the ritual that left her in a deathless slumber all these years. It was somehow fitting that those same chains would now become the vessel for your reawakening.

I gestured to the chains and watched the hired sword bring the woman over to the wall, clasping the shackles around her wrists. Her legs shook beneath her as I approached. I wrapped my hand around her neck. Her heartbeat was weak, but I felt it push against my fingertips.

I stepped back as you approached. I watched your tongue wet the skin just below the offering’s jawline. Your lips curled back, and I saw your fangs glisten in the light of the lanterns around us.

You bit into her and let loose a deep sigh as the warm, metallic liquid rushed into your mouth. I loved watching you feed. It was a sensual, nearly spiritual experience. A beautiful dance between life and death. I closed the distance between us and traced my finger down your backside.

You stopped feeding for only a moment to look at me. A sly wink, and then you went back to your meal. I waited patiently, letting my hands dance across the canvas of your art form.

The offering’s eyes rolled back in her head as her legs gave out. You stepped back, eagerly lapping up blood with your dexterous tongue.

Your strength had returned; I saw a mischievous spark in your eyes. You threw me upward, and I sailed backward into the sarcophagus, landing on my back as you threw yourself on top of me. You swung your hair around, letting it fall onto your back. My hands crawled up your torso.

“Leave us!” I shouted. The hired sword ran back up the stairs. Finally, we were alone. This was a reunion one thousand years in the making, and our revelries brought happiness and joy back into my tired soul.

Like two stars colliding, our bodies exploded in cosmic fire. Afterward, we laid together in that place that had been your prison. You pressed your face against my chest. I kissed your forehead as I ran my fingers through your hair.

“Now that you’ve returned, we will find those who did this,” I said, kissing you softly.

“Vengeance can wait. I want you to hold me,” you replied.

I smiled. “Of course, my love. As you wish.”

What was once a stone cell meant to cage your immortal soul had been destroyed and reformed. It was now a monument to our love and a bastion of hope.

They sought to end our story, but in doing so, they merely laid the foundation for their own end.

They would soon know the pain of my longing a thousand-fold. It was only a matter of time.

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Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing

Listen to this after reading, like pairing a glass of wine (or blood) with dinner.