Theatre of Emotions (3)

The whistling of wind meandered through the thin snow-covered trees, distant landscapes topped with white powdered snows farther reaching the summit of far mountains. Her outfit was not equipped to deal with something like this, the icy winds dug their fangs into her legs, seeping into the rest of the body slowly.

She reached for the door handle, struggling to open the frozen door. 'Gah!' She tumbled back onto the cold snow, a jolt ran through her legs launching her into the cabin where a large fire was lit. It was devoid of anyone but a large pot sat on the cast iron top just above the fire. A stew bubbled inside with large chunks of venison and various vegetables, though it was not her first choice of ingredients, anything warm was welcome at this point.

Although hesitant, she took the blanket from the bed, wrapping herself tightly while sitting on a wooden chair at the only table in the cabin. No pictures were hung from the walls, just a large head of a deer with antlers twice the size of it mounted on the chimney. The crackling of embers was the only sound that broke the steady rhythm of howling winds outside, it was all so...hypnotizing. Priscilla could feel herself being lulled into slumber but knew the dangers that could come from being greeted by a not-so-friendly visitor.

Though slumber crept in, she decided to allow it to settle, her eye drawing closer to her cheeks with each passing blink. Before long she was snoring, her body poised against the table and drool pooling on a little table mat decorated with colourful flowers. The door creaked open, and a tall man carrying firewood quickly entered inside catching a little fright after spotting Priscilla sleeping at his table. 

He began arranging the wood into small piles making it easier to throw inside later. A silent thud hit against a second wooden chair and he hastily got to carving a small piece of wood. 

Priscilla's eyes opened after about an hour of sleeping, hitting a wide stretch before taking a chance to look around. Across the room, she could see multiple wood piles that hadn't been there before. And to her left was a tall and scruffy man who had been digging his knife into a block of wood. Panic quickly surged through her veins, and want to flee circulated through her legs but she decided to speak to him first.

'I-I'm sorry about the intrusion. It's just, that it was very cold outside and this was the only shelter I could find near here.' He shook his head with a gentle smile.

'No need to worry, stay for as long as you need and try to feel comfortable. There isn't much space but it's better than being out there in the dark.' Night had fallen onto the pearly white wonderland and so too came the lower temperatures that bit you if even an inch of skin was exposed outside. 

'Hungry?' He asked, reading the stew to be served into two bowls. Priscilla nodded her head, waiting patiently for her portion to be served. They were both sat down, with spoons in hand, dining on the crudely prepared meal. Though he had no access to fancy modern seasonings, the taste was not lacking in any department. It had the right balance in every aspect, flavours flowing through her mouth like a tsunami engulfing an entire city. 

'Where did you learn to cook like this?' Priscilla asked curiously.

'This is my grandmother's recipe, she is to cook it for me a lot in my younger days. In these parts we used to call it the poor man's stew as all the ingredients are easy to gather.' He reminisced on his younger days though not wanting to bore the young girl with his life story.

'What do you mean used to?' She cocked her head to the side while shoving another spoonful into her mouth.

'A deadly disease broke out three years ago, it extinguished most of the human lives around these parts, I was lucky to make it out alive.' He kept his head low, his voice slowly dimming out. 

'What type of disease was it? Pneumonia?' 

He shook his head. 'Diurnal Slumber. It turns the host into a blood thirsty vampire. If any hunting should be done then its done during the day. At night its best to keep inside, I mean, its warm and cozy here.'

'But how do you know I am not a vampire?' 

His eyes scanned her for a second. 'Vampires can't come inside of a home unless invited in. Aside from that...'

'...if you were, you would already be dead.' A wooden stake slipped out of his pocket, twirling in the air before plopping back into his hand. A swift motion stuck it in the wall opposite of them. 

The atmosphere grew heavy, but Priscilla didn't waste the delicious food, making sure it was delivered to a safe place in her stomach. She jumped from the chair and wandered further around the room, several antique watches were sat against their respective boxes on the wall, an old silver one had caught her eye. 'Mind if I try it on?'

'Go for it kiddo.' 

The cold silver brushed against her small wrist, fitting nicely under her hoodie. A closer look confirmed that it was a woman's watch, several sparkly stones embedded into the rim of the glass. She wandered back over toward the ragged man. 'What do you think? Does it suit me?' 

'Like it was crafted with you in mind.' Priscilla couldn't help but blush slightly at his comment, no other guy in her old school had even spoken a word without sounding like a fuck-boy. She allowed herself to stumble back a little stating her name to the man. 'My name is Priscilla.'

'Mine is Vulcan.' 

In an instant the doors and windows started clattering from something much stronger than cold blasts of air. Hissing penetrated the walls and cold air swished from the chimney, bathing the room in darkness. 'COME TO ME PRISCILLA!'