The Beginning

           She kept running... I am still not sure why... Surely she knew that I could easily outrun a cheetah, let alone a poor frightened teenager... She must have known how little of a chance she stood against me. Perhaps that is why she decided to run. I walked behind her as she ran, "Hopeless..." I thought to myself. Why my kind insisted on leaving these ignorant creatures alive, I am not sure. I loved this part of my kill, the chase, the inevitability of crushing all hope that is stored within their useless souls... Humans... they believe to be the greatest predator to ever walk this earth... I know ants that have more killer qualities than these lumbering beasts. I laugh, a hearty and almost maniacal laugh, the girl ahead of me screams at the disturbing sound. I believe she knows how long she has to live. But her resilience is intriguing, most of my victims learn to accept the terrible fate I have waiting for them... Others though, such as this poor mortal, feel it necessary to run away from the truth. Death is the only truth for humanity in my mind... I have yet to find a truly perplexing human, and until then I shall proceed this lovely fantasy of "Cat and Mouse" when in fact... There is no game at all... if the Council were to allow it, this race would be obliterated in the matter of minutes, so many "demons" have longed for the death of this unnatural and idiotic race. The girl screams again, but this time it is out of frustration, leave it to a human to run into a dead end. "Oh dear... It seems this game has come to a close... I'm sorry my sweet. I will have to kill you now, though if you beg, I will make it painless." I chuckle, this thought even as I spoke it amuses me. No matter how much this defenseless creature begs, her death will be like the ones before her, painful, long, and maddening. She turns around, I notice her white blouse is soaked and caked with mud, her arms are bleeding and her legs are bare, a typical rape victim (as the local police will determine it). "Please, please, ma'am, what have I done to you... I-I... Oh god, please don't kill me... I haven't-I didn't do anything to m-make you... Please ma'am.... I d-don't want t-to... to die." The poor girl says, her voice is shaky and it's obvious she is scared beyond comprehension. "Oh love, don't you see?" I come closer to her, my steps echoing through the dark, damp alley. "You are a pathetic human, with no understanding of what stands before you, you all believe that you are alone in this life, when... Oh dear, I shan't be boring my meal to death shall I? A lecture of your incompetence wouldn't be a fitting death... No, but your porcelain skin, so pretty. It almost glows in the moonlight. Shame you are so fragile. I believe I will make a lovely coat out of your skin my dear... if I don't ruin it with the blood... blood is a very difficult stain to get out you see." I smile at her, she screams, but I quickly silence her, my hand strikes against her cheek, ripping her lower jaw clean off of her skull without much of a mess. "No, no my dear, we can't be alerting more Beings to your funeral. I want you all to my self... You're very pretty..." I caress her face, my nails cut into her temple and down to her broken jaw. "See my dear.. beauty... lies underneath the skin..." I start to peel the skin off of her face, while she struggles to scream, she's sobbing, blood trickles down her long neck. "Shh, my dear, you'll soon see how much potential beauty you have." I chuckle, my throat tightens at the smell of her blood, its been a long time since I've fed on such sweet young flesh. "Tell me my dear... or nod, since you cannot talk," I laugh once again, my nails cutting a trail down her neck and between her small but perky breasts. "Did many a man lay their hands on you? Or were you touched by a woman? Or both perhaps?" I can't help but laugh at the flirtatious questions, I usually save such inquiries for my lovers, though I have few. She doesn't respond, so I snap her legs and let her drop to the cement. "Okay my sweet, I am bored with you, so I will make finish you, soon enough.." I give her a sly smile, and continue to cut away her skin. She starts to choke on blood, and I can hear her heart fading away. So sad... But there is something else... A cold breeze runs through the alley... "Ohhh, Nijala... It was foolish of you to come here.... This is my kill, and mine alone..." I say into the wind, a low hiss and a loud scraping sound emerges in response. A raspy, hellish voice speaks in the language of the Council. It says, "I come to warn you Kintani... This is a dangerous game you insist on playing against the Council... Killing so many of these delicate creatures... it is crime..." A dark wispy shape appears from the shadows, it is large and awkward in shape. Where its head would be is a shifting glimmer of moonlight, always something indescribably terrifying. Its back is curved and bent in what would be unnatural to humans, its arms are long compared to the rest of its body with long claws sharper than any blade and strong enough to hold the Being's weight. Its legs are small, virtually useless, but this Being uses them to carry its victims. He is called a Nijala, or Shadow-Walker. "My friend, I am hungry, you can't expect me to spare a potential meal?" I try my best to look calm, but these Beings are naturally vicious and they do not care what kind of royalty I may be in the eyes of the Ancients, but they are the Law-keepers, and to them the Law of the Council must be upheld... At any and all cost. Again Nijala speaks, "Do not try to hide your crime Kintani, you cannot lie to the Truth. You of all the Ancients know better than to disrespect the Nijala. You may have bought the rest of the Beings, but we are the Final Law. Of that, you already know." An eye appears in the middle of the Beings forehead, it looks me over as well as my victim, it lingers upon her corpse, her heart is at its faintest. "You are also hungry my friend... Please, feast upon her corpse, breath still lingers in her blood, she is not yet spoiled... But will be soon, let us not waste."  The eye looks back at me, He speaks again, "Kintani, beware, you may feast now, but remember the Nijala, we will soon meet again. I will not feast upon your sacrilege." The Being moves slowly back into the shadows, the cold is lifted, and the presence of the Nijala has departed. I turn back to my meal, "At long last, my sweet." I kneel down and begin to feast....