The Vampire Eirik by Alex Stargazer

Author:Alex Stargazer [Stargazer, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-02-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six: Nord Lysene

When you watched the survival shows on TV, you could never understand how it feels to wake up every morning. It was one thing to see the ice and snow; another to feel its cold whisper in your bones. Nothing could describe the sense of complete exhaustion, of weariness that never leaves your heart. Nor did the survival shows prepare you for the sense of unreality: you want to believe it’s all just a dream, but your brain tells you otherwise.

Survival shows didn’t have vampires, either. It’s impossible for me to describe what I felt towards Eirik: the desperation, that I depended on him as surely as he needed me to survive; the quiet fear in the back of my mind, that he might abandon me or eat me; and more than that. The friendship. The longing I could not admit even to myself. The love I felt for him, and I don’t necessarily mean romantic love.

I tried to crawl out of the shelter, but I had to steady myself to combat a bout of dizziness. It seemed the bite had taken its toll on my body. I felt like I was hungover, only this was the worst hangover ever. My head felt like an air balloon. My vision was slightly blurry, like wearing bad contact lenses.

But despite this, I couldn’t help feeling a little bit proud when I saw Eirik standing next to me, looking healthy and alive. I would feel better soon, but I knew that what I did for him would last far longer.

‘How are you coping?’ he asked me.

‘Well, I’ve got a roaring headache and a case of dizziness. Is this normal?’

‘Probably. I’m not sure,’ he said uncertainly.

‘You’ve really never done this before, have you?’

‘I know the theory, that’s all. But I hope you’re okay, Peter.’

‘I’m fine. Humans kill animals all the time, and all I’ve got is the effects of a hangover.’

‘I’ve never thought of it like that.’ He looked towards the horizon. Calm had descended on the landscape—in reassurance or in preparation of something worse, I did not know. It was cold, but not not intolerably cold. Hopefully, we would be able to make it out of here in a day or two.

‘Let’s move,’ I suggested.

‘You must eat. A vampire bite is not something to be taken lightly, Peter: my parents made that clear a long time ago. If you don’t, I’d have to carry you.’

Sighing, I wondered what I could eat. I spotted some mushrooms at the base of a tree: they were bright red and very pretty.

‘Don’t even think about it,’ Eirik told me. ‘They could kill you in days, and I’m not sure if there’s anything I could do to help you.’

I kept searching for food. I couldn’t see a single berry or root in sight; it was winter, and winter was not the time of plenty. Only a few pathetic trees stood, mangled and old. Last night’s storm had reduced our visibility to practically nil, and we hadn’t picked the best position.

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