The New Immortal

I had that warm feeling you get whenever something great is about to happen. My stomach was filled with butterflies and I had the biggest damn grin on my face you’ve ever seen. It was just after dusk and I was on my way to the best meal on God’s green earth; Chili’s Baby-Back Ribs. I was feeling so grand even my eyesight seemed to have received a boost since I hadn’t realized my headlights were off until an angry driver flashed his at me while flaring his horn. To top it off, when I got to my destination I would be meeting Sandy, the girl I’d been trying to get a date with for a whole year. The memory our chance encounter from the previous night made my grin grow so large it started to hurt. The kissing, the necking, and… well that’s all that survived the censor.
Progress on the highway had slowed. I looked out the window to get a better look at what was causing the hold-up and saw the three-lane highway merging to two lanes to cross a bridge up ahead. Far below was a river rushing at terrific speed, foaming and thrashing as if trying to reach the cars above. I swore viciously and drove the red car onto the breakdown lane, dialing up Sandy as I slowed to a stop.
“Hey beautiful,” I said, “it’s Jeff.”
The wondrous voice sounded back over the phone, “I hope you’re not calling to cancel.”
“No, no,” I said hastily. “It’s just I can’t get across the river. Is there another Chili’s on this side?”
“Why not?” There was an edge to her voice now, subtle though it was. “Is the bridge closed off?”
The question left me speechless. Why couldn’t I cross? I didn’t know. I had just been driving up to the river and something in me had known I wouldn’t be able to make it across. It had just seemed so obvious that it was impossible, but now it seemed absurd.
“Never mind, I’m being ridiculous.”
“NO!” The sudden aggression in Sandy’s voice startled me. Her voice quickly returned to its normal heavenly chime. “I mean, let’s just go to the Chili’s on this side of the river. That works better for me too.”
She gave me the address and I turned around, pondering the strange conversation. At Chili’s I found Sandy waiting for me at the bar, wearing a bright red dress that flowed like a living creature. As usual I was struck momentarily dumb by her beauty, but I kept my pace and walked over smoothly.
“Sorry to keep a pretty girl waiting,” I said casually.
“Oh it’s alright”. As she spoke a waiter placed two racks of ribs on the bar. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of ordering you the ribs.” She offered me a sort of mischievous smile.
This girl is perfect I thought to myself, while saying “thank goodness you did! I’m starving!” I sat down and we both started enjoying our meals. The conversation flowed like a champion figure skater on freshly cleaned ice.
I quickly noticed that the ribs were not meeting my craving as I had thought they would. I couldn’t put my finger on it but they didn’t taste right. Sandy seemed to notice my distaste, and asked “is the meat alright?”
“Its great,” I quickly thought about how best to answer. “It’s just that I’m craving something a little more fresh.”
At this something momentarily changed in Sandy’s expression. She was waiting for me to say that, I thought to myself.
“Come on,” her smile broadened as she spoke, “I know a great place.” I dropped some cash on the counter and we drove off in the blood red corvette.
With some confusion I soon parked the car outside a field filled with cows. “Fresh enough for you?” she asked playfully, that roguish grin playing back again.
I laughed and followed her into the field, suddenly noticing I was starving. At that moment I lost control. It felt like something inside me was taking over, but I had no desire to stop it. The next thing I knew I had my teeth deep in the neck of a nearby cow, with Sandy clamped to the other side of that same neck. Blood flowed into my mouth and down my throat, bringing the most incredible feeling of warmth I had ever felt. After some minutes I pulled away, looking up.
“You turned me into a vampire”. The statement rang through the night. I hadn’t realized it myself until that instant. “Why?”
She looked my in the eyes, smiling hesitantly. “I was lonely. Living as a vampire alone is… you don’t understand the pain of living for eternity alone. You have to hide your identity from everyone, always running from those who suspect you. I couldn’t deal with it alone.” A sudden look of horror crossed her face. “And now I’ve forced all that on you! No! I should not have done this! I made a hasty deci-“
I cut her off at this point, tossing the now dead cow aside as if it weighed nothing, and put a finger to her lips. “So you’ve granted me super strength, night vision, and eternal life? And I have to spend it with you?” my new fangs were visible as I threw back my head and laughed. “That doesn’t sound like a curse to me! Any other surprises you want to lay on me before our next date?”
Sandy was taken aback. “Well there’s the aversion to sunlight, the speed, and oh yeah,” at this point that sneaky smile found its way back, “you can fly.”
So now here I am. Standing on top of the largest building in town, ready to jump into the teeth of the city that would tear me to shreds if it knew what I was. With a shout of joy, Sandy and I launched into the night.
1000 words