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  Fallen from Eden

  Vampire Romance

  By: Amanda Knight

  Fallen from Eden

  “Great. Just great.” Zoe Marcus stated as she splashed gasoline on her pants leg as she attempted to fill her tank but in her absence of attention, managed to begin pumping before the nozzle was in its proper place. She situated the pump and looked inside her car for a towel or something to help soak up some of the gas on her leg to no avail. “Guess I’ll just have to let it dry on its own.” She went into the small convenience store and purchased a bottle of water along with her fuel and returned to her compact sedan. The usually perky brunette sighed as she fastened her safety belt and turned over the key.

  Silence.

  “Are you kidding me?” She screamed into the night at the empty parking lot and slammed her fists against the steering wheel. Reaching down to pull the hood latch, she muttered obscenities under her breath as she stepped back into the brisk night air. Zoe was raised with three brothers and her grease monkey of a father, so she wasn’t deterred by a bit of engine trouble but the fact that she was late for work gave reason to her exasperation. She reached for the battery cable and gave it a jiggle, proving that it was loose, so she went to the passenger side to search the glove compartment for a screwdriver. She had been meaning to replace the ancient terminal but with work being so hectic right now, she barely had time to stop and take a breath, let alone get her car running properly.

  Nothing had been going right for Zoe lately. She had overslept and therefore missed getting her trash to the curb, which in turn caused neighborhood dogs to tip over her cans and strew debris all over her yard. After cleaning up the mess, she found a water pipe had burst and flooded the basement. She had hoped that she would wake up one day and discover that this wasn’t really her life, she didn’t really belong here in Sweet County, population three thousand and she was really somewhere asleep on a beach somewhere just waiting to wake up from this horrible nightmare she called “Life”.

  She wasn’t supposed to be here, anyway. Zoe had never felt at home here in the country but when her grandfather got sick when she was fifteen, her father had moved the family here to take care of him. He held on for a few years with the help her father manning the fields, her brothers tending the animals and assisting their father when needed and Zoe to tend to the old man. She loved her grandfather, William Marcus, more than anyone else in the world and when he passed a few years ago, she was devastated. Zoe hadn’t planned on staying here in Nowhere, USA but her beloved grandfather bequeathed his property to her and since her options were few and far between, she decided to stay until she could figure out what her next move should be. That was almost seven years ago and the twenty five year old bartender had managed to acquire nearly twelve dollars in her checking account. Zoe’s plans for relocation had been put on hold for a while. She never felt right here, it never felt like home to her. She felt as if she should be living in a brighter place, a bigger land for her to stretch her wings and fly, to see what possibilities lay out there for her taking but the timing was never right. The money was never right. With what she made working at Mickey’s at night and Quik Lube Oil and Inspection during the day, she was barely making enough to make her car note, pay her bills and keep herself fed. She had long ago foregone the responsibilities of the farm and sold most of the land to her brothers, keeping the house and a few acres for herself.

  Slamming the hood closed, she reached into her pocket and retrieved her cell phone to call the bar and tell them she was running late. It was a warm night but there was a certain chill in the air that made her hurry back to the safety of her car, something that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She tried to shake off her trepidation and when the engine turned over, she released a sigh of relief and shifted into drive.

  “It’s about time you got here. Your shift started almost an hour ago.” Mickey peered at her over the bar as he wiped a beer mug with a towel before setting it on the shelf with its partners.

  “I’m sorry, Mick. I really am. I had to stop for gas and my stupid car wouldn’t start. Again.” She tossed her purse under the bar and grabbed a black apron, the only mandatory garment required by the balding, middle aged man. Tying it around her waist, she continued, “I promise, I’ll get it fixed tomorrow.” Mickey reached under the bar and grabbed something and tossed it to Zoe. Reaching up with her right hand, she caught it just before it knocked her in the head. Looking in her hand, she saw a new battery terminal and looked to Mickey with a smile. “Thanks, Mick.”

  “Don’t thank me. Just don’t be late again. I could have missed the first part of the game because of you.” He winked at her and returned to drying his glasses, peeking over his shoulder to the T.V. he had moved to the end of the bar. “Now, go put that thing on and when you come back, I’m sure Greg and Luther will be ready for another round.”

  Greg and Luther sat at a table near the juke box and both raised their beers in accordance with Mickey’s words. Zoe chuckled and went to tend to her car.

  Chapter Two

  He patiently waited in the cover of night, lurking behind the shadows as still as death itself. He waited for the foul mutt to show himself and this was the feeding ground in which the retched creature would hunt most often. So he waited.

  Barry Norris scanned the area with his keen vision and sensed only mortal-kind. Laughing as they sat around the campfire, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, beginning the mating ritual of intoxication and flirtation. Mortals amused him. They had no idea of the world around them and chose to dilute their senses with mind altering substances and fornication always seemed to follow such events. No self-control. No direction in their meaningless lives. Even the ones who thought they had it all figured out had no idea of the harsh and often cruel realities in the world. Many of them never knew what was in their own back yards, forget about them being able to comprehend something such as himself. Mutts, on the other hand, he was sure they would believe. Of course they would be able to fathom the mutts, the defiled bloodline of the great Kain.

  Unlike the mutts, Barry was pure. Once an angel in the service of the kingdom, Barry had known perfection. Barry knew what it was to be powerful and revered in the most highest of kingdoms. It was his own malice and will-intent that sent him falling to the earth all those years ago. His sins against the crown were far too great to be overlooked because unlike the mortals, his kind were given no salvation. They had no chance for forgiveness. They had walked the streets of heaven as knights and warriors, right hands to the king and had no free will. His kind had no choice but to believe in the Father because they had Him in their sights. He was once the commander of a great army, an army built to defend the throne but in a moment of weakness, Barry, then known as Baristal, had disobeyed the direct order to cease attacks on the enemy clan, not knowing of their truce with his own. Hundreds were slaughtered under Baristal’s own hand and his arrogance and need for power had resulted in his own exile.

  Cast aside, thrown away, discarded and banished were all words that rang i
n his head as he still tried to acclimate himself to the world around him. The laws of physics were different here. This form couldn’t transubstantiate as he willed so he was forced to remain his human form or the form of what the mortals called “Vampire”. Unlike the ethereal realm, the physical realm had many laws and rules that could not be broken, such as the law of gravity which made sure he couldn’t achieve flight without first uncasing his wings. Since the time he fell to earth, he has acclimated to his new surroundings and become accustomed to the ways of man, including the need to feed his earthly body. Though the mutts were formed from the bloodline of Kain, the first of his kind to fall, they were not pure and must be destroyed and he had his form in top physical condition to slay the wretched creatures. Having been bitten and infected with the blood of Kain was an abomination that must be wiped from the earth and he felt deep in his heart that he could be redeemed by doing so, possibly resulting in a ticket home. It was worth a shot, so he had dedicated his time here to wiping out the impure clan of vampire that rose from what was meant to be a feeding. For centuries, the foul line walked the earth, growing in numbers and dominating the land and it was up to him to cleanse the world of these foul beasts.

  He had sensed the mutt here before and smelled him even now as he saw the young couple walking hand in hand up the cobblestone pathway. They smelled of innocence, so sweet and inviting and Barry was confident that he would find what he was looking for and in a few moments he was proven right. The young couple was approached by a man who appeared out of nowhere to their mortal eyes, but Barry had seen him coming from his position in the tree line. As the pale man spoke to the woman, entrancing her with his icy stare, the man stood to the side protesting for him to leave them alone and that’s when his hand reached for the human’s throat and held him at arm’s length with his feet searching for ground. Barry removed himself from shadow’s cover and was at the mutt’s side in the blink of an eye, broke his hold on the man’s throat and placed him in a throat clutch of his own. Before the man’s feet could hit the ground, Barry had a wooden stake driven into the vermin’s chest and had disappeared back into the night before the humans could figure out what had happened.

  One down, countless more left for him out there somewhere. He had nothing but time on his hands and many millennia to come, leaving him numerous occasions to make his mission and presence known, should he see fit. He wandered the night without destination and found himself on the far side of the state, unexplored by him as of yet. The night air was fresh and the smell of honeysuckle hung in the air, which to the human sense of smell was found appealing but seemed rancid and rottenly sweet to his heightened senses. He walked along the bank of the river that slowly crept through the dense forest and took in the sights and sounds of the new territory and other than wildlife, he also saw signs, heard clues and smelled remnants of the mutts everywhere.

  Scratches on trees.

  Blood on the leaves.

  Screams lingering in the night.

  He decided that his new hunting ground would be this area. An area known as Sweet County.

  Chapter Three

  Taking out the trash was always the highlight of Zoe’s night. The dimly lit back lot of the bar didn’t provide her with the right sense of security that she would have hoped when doing her duties for her job. A place of employment. A place where she shouldn’t be terrified on a nightly basis when taking out the stupid trash. Yet, here she was, walking to the large dumpster located on the other end of the parking lot, leaving the only light provided by a small porch light by the back door. The security light was placed near the front of the property and provided adequate lighting for the customers of Mickey’s Bar and that was good enough for Mickey. With the black plastic bag full of bottles hoisted over her shoulder, she trudged the remaining few steps and lowered the bag to get a good swing so she could toss it over the side of the large container. As she got momentum on her back swing, she saw movement in the tree line behind the dumpster.

  “Who’s there? Hello?” She called as she lowered the bag of trash to the ground and peered into the darkness.

  “I mean you no harm, miss. Just passing through.” Barry walked from the pitch black and made himself visible to the petite brunette. She was beautiful, pixie-like with her cute, upturned nose and small frame.

  “What the hell are you doing out there, mister?” She asked as she kept her eyes on him, taking a few steps back to assure he kept away at a proper distance.

  “Just taking a stroll.” He took a few steps towards her. She smelled so sweet, like nothing he had smelled on a human before. She wasn’t virginal, they had a completely different and invigorating scent. He couldn’t place it but he was definitely intrigued by this cute little human and didn’t wish to give any cause for alarm. He quickly checked his clothing and was confident that he showed no blood stains or any undesirable remains from his encounter with the mutt earlier.

  “A stroll? Mister, it’s past one in the morning. There’s nothing out there for miles, trust me. I know every inch of these woods.” She eyed him with caution and went to hoist the bag once again but was interrupted when the stranger slid up beside her and took it from her, his hand lingering on hers for a moment as he effortlessly tossed the heavy bag into the metal dumpster. She looked up to him, trying to find his eyes in the dark and smiled. “Thanks, mister.”

  “Don’t mention it. I’m Barry.” He said as he extended his hand to her. She took it in hers and immediately noticed how cold he was in comparison to her own hand.

  “Hi Barry, I’m Zoe. Why don’t you come in and I can get you a cup of coffee to warm you up while I finish closing up shop for the night?” Barry scanned the area and found no sign of mutts or anything else that should be a concern so he followed her as she headed to the back door and the only light in the back lot. He had no need for coffee and knew that she assumed he was chilly due to the night air but it was his lack of blood flow that actually caused his icy touch.

  Once inside, she turned and locked the back door then turned off the porch light.

  “Go on and sit at the bar, I still have a pot on that I haven’t tossed. I’ll grab you some.” She pointed the way for him to go around to the bar while she ducked into the back and came in at her station behind it. Smiling, she watched him as he made his way to the stool nearest her. She couldn’t help but notice his tall, firm build. He looked as if he worked out but didn’t look like your average jock. He had shoulder length hair that was dark and unkempt with stray strands that fell in his face, framing his dark eyes.

  He took a seat, shifting his weight on the barstool, and she poured him an hours old cup of coffee, sat it in front of him and turned to wipe down the bar, exaggeratedly protruding her back side under her revealing midriff shirt. He took the cup and held it in his hands, looked to her and nodded as he held it up in a gesture of good will. As she cleaned, Zoe did her best to make polite conversation but the once rebellious teen turned social outcast was not the best at polite, though she tried.

  “You’re not from around here. I’d remember seeing you before.” She picked up an ashtray and wiped the bar where it had been sitting then returned it to its place. She looked to him and thought that he was quite handsome and thought about asking him back to her place for a nightcap, but decided that would be too abrupt.

  “No, I’m from up north.” He replied with a smug grin on his face, referring to further north than she probably imagined. He’d given thought to making a meal of the woman but something about her absorbed him into conversation. It was rare that he had the opportunity to sit idly and talk with someone else and his hunger wasn’t uncontrollable at the moment, so he took the moment to do something other than kill.

  “Yeah. You don’t sound southern at all. I can spot a hick from a mile away. What brings you around here? Not much in these parts except for DWI and Friday night football.” She gave him a charming grin and he once again allowed the thought of devouring her to cross his mind. He sensed a
hint of pheromones being released by her and knew that if he had been mortal, he would have probably stayed and provided her with the carnal pleasure she so desired, but for now, he thought that leaving would be the best course of action. He didn’t want to eat her on the first date.

  Chapter Four

  Zoe had the stranger from the bar on her mind for the next few days, thinking about him randomly throughout the day but more so at night. He seemed to haunt her dreams and the moments before and after falling asleep. She remembered his steely eyes and the outline of his rugged physique and how she had thought of his arms around her. It had been almost a year since she broke up with Jake Lawson and hadn’t really thought about going out with any of the regular losers who walked into Mickey’s on any given night. She almost regretted not saying something when he left so abruptly after not even touching his coffee. She thought maybe she had said something to offend him, for his demeanor changed and he seemed to be more uptight when he left the bar. Zoe thought she felt eyes on her as she walked to her car that night but searched the empty lot and saw nothing. The lingering thoughts of the captivating stranger left her confused in her mind, wondering why he had such an effect on her since they had barely had a full conversation.

  Zoe leaned back in the bathtub after another long day and allowed the warm water to gently ease her tight, sore muscles and she exhaled a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and placed her arms on the sides of the tub, relieving the strain between her shoulders and allowing herself to let go of the tension she had been harboring in her mind. She went through the day-to-day activities that were required of her to sustain her lifestyle such as going to work and paying bills like a good citizen but she felt as if she was still waiting for her life to start. She was still waiting for the day the precursor ended and the main event began.