13

Your eyes shift away from your mirror image to her companion, and a sharp pang of anguish wracks your body and mind. Long-forgotten memories of a partner you once cherished float before you, marred by the deep gash on their forehead, a bloody omen of an unforgivable betrayal that will never truly be forgotten, no matter how distant your un-death draws you from your earlier life.

In this moment of pure animal desperation, all you can think of, all you want in the world is to brush your lips against theirs and banish the eternal cold of un-death, even if only for a fraction of a second. To relive some of what has been lost, to heal your mind as well as your body. This unearthly desire proves too great to resist, and you draw forward, embracing your lover and pulling them close. They struggle at first, but eventually yield to your touch, a deep groan of pleasure on their lips. The feeling is euphoric. Hot tears stream down your cheeks and your chest constricts with gut-wrenching emotion as your embrace spans what feels like hours of pure bliss. And then there is pain. You're able to ignore it at first, but it returns with a vengeance as your lover is torn from your arms, a sad smile etched on their lips.

"No!" the word rips its way out from the bottom of your black and shriveled lungs. "Not again!" Your eyes shift to the demon pulling your lover away, and you recognize yourself in its face once again. Not as you once were, but as you are now—soul twisted and shriveled, a gaping maw with protruding fangs. You leap forward, ripping your doppelganger away from her prey before plunging your teeth into her neck. "Not…ever…again!" you grunt against her flesh, crimson bubbles flowering at the edges of your mouth as you scream defiance even while you drain your personal demon dry. When at last she breathes no more, you fall back, triumphant exultation fading as your body finishes knitting itself together again. Reality settles around you again, and you feel a biting sting of dread as you turn to take in the true scene.

The mutilated body of a young mortal lies sprawled on the ground, her neck torn open and hanging at an unnatural angle, expression locked in sheer terror and disbelief. She's tightly grasping the hand of another young mortal—they'd somehow held on even as you drained the life from her body. Unlike their partner, the young person has yet to succumb to oblivion—irregular breathing causes their chest to rise and fall and their eyes drift listlessly until they alight on you, your lips and chin slathered in a mix of blood from both your victims. They try to scream, but find themselves unable to summon the necessary breath, and all that comes from their lips is the pitiful squeak of a prey animal. They're dying. They know it. You know it.

"I don't want to die here," they rasp, their knuckles going white as they clutch their dead partner's hand.

Your head is spinning as you sink to your knees before the them, unable to banish the vision of your lover's face. Their expression of betrayal was not at all dissimilar to the gaze of this young one, soft eyes searching for answers and wondering why—how you could have done such a thing.

"Please," they whimper.