Uriel" "Never again..."

 

I'm Uriel. But you probably already know that. We met a year ago at Blade's. Remember? If not, I don't blame you. When I was one of you, I forgot a lot of things too. Blade... Yeah... He's quite a troublemaker, he wrecked his entire pub (including the customers) with me.

Oh well, it's over and done with. Will I finally stop dwelling on the past? Maybe I should focus on the present? Something strange has been happening to me for about a month... (that past again).

I was walking calmly down the street, admiring Satan's work—how he corrupts, lazes, and wins souls with alcohol, drugs, and all sorts of stimulants these days.

But this (let's call it a "phenomenon") I saw in the local music store couldn't have been a demon, quite the opposite—an angel, and not just any angel! I stood in the shadows for about five minutes, watching Her. I didn't dare move, afraid I'd scare her (to twist the proverb – "A Cainite is also a human being"). I carefully followed her every move, even the slightest. At one point, she turned and looked me straight in the eye. At that moment, I felt something like a blow, and it wasn't psychic at all. I was hit in the back of the head with a gas tube.

"Ouch!" (That kind of blow wouldn't knock out a vampire, what are you

thinking?)

The guy looked surprised as he stared at

the crooked gas tube.

"Uh...

" "Excuse me?

" "Give me your money!

" "What are you asking?

" "Could you give me your fucking money back? What the fuck is this all about? To have to talk like that to a guy in gay clothes!

" "No such clothes! Those clothes cost a fortune! And they're not

gay! Look at you! That sweatshirt looks like it was pulled out of a cow's stomach, and your legs are probably at your ankles. How long can you shit without going to the bathroom? A week?" At that moment, the skater (I think that's the name of this subculture of idiots who've never even seen a skateboard) pulled out a "switcher."

"Fuck off, you weirdo! Or I'll cut you with a knife! Give me

your wallet back, or I'll punch you in the face so hard your own mother won't recognize you!"

"Hprh...

I couldn't resist... He was so hilarious!

" "Buahahaha!!! That's a knife? That's a knife? No!"

I pulled my beautiful klaive from the sheath at my belt

(by the way, it was a gift from a certain werewolf; I know, I know, a vampire being friends with vampire slayers, werewolves, and faeries [more on that another time] is a little, or even more than a little, weird, but what can I do? I'm the kind of person who attracts both humans and nonhumans to me).

"That's a knife!"

Before the skater could realize what had happened, his "knife" lay 10 meters away, the klaive lodged in his still-beating heart, and I waited, staring at his

surprised expression. After 2-3 seconds, I "bit" it,

cleaned the klaive, and hid it. The carcass ended up in a trash can (I knew it from somewhere).

But she was gone... I frantically began searching for the girl I felt like I knew from somewhere... After several hours of wandering around the city, I returned to my lair—dawn was approaching. I'll think about it during the day.

Dreams. Dreams can be a prophecy. Thanks to them, I learned where I knew this girl from. When I was still alive, I was in love. A young man's love was all I had, but she was indecisive. Sometimes she gave me moments of happiness and love, and sometimes loneliness and despair. Unfortunately, the latter prevailed, but I remained steadfast in my feelings. I must find her! Finding out one thing: why she left me?

A week-long search yielded no results. If only I could remember her name! I spent a fortune trying to find out where she lived and if she was truly the person I loved.

I was completely resigned to my failures, and to unwind, I went out into the city. That record store again... I went in to see if they had any music worth listening to.

A techno stand—I hadn't paid attention, hip-hop (hee hee), and finally metal—not AM—like a powerful sound coming from the speakers! I flipped through a few CDs, and I even liked two of them (I'd heard some of the songs from these albums before). I started walking toward the cash register when I heard someone enter. As usual, I kept walking, looked up, and couldn't believe my eyes—it was her (you know the saying—it's always darkest under the lamp?). That feeling again (not gas—tube). Kainita in love? I couldn't even bear the thought. The records fell from my hands, everyone looked at me as if I had profaned something sacred. Everyone but her. Instead, she approached me, touched my hand, and with her innate gentleness said,

"Are you all right? You're very pale.

" "I..."

I couldn't say anything, I stared into her beautiful

eyes and sensed it...

"I'm sick... terminally.

God!" She looked at me as if she recognized me!

"I'll help you. Let's go outside. The fresh air

will definitely help you."

She grabbed my arm as if I were about to collapse, and

we went outside. We walked a short distance, and she still didn't say a word... Now I know for sure. This is the same person I knew a long time ago... and she carried the Curse within her! That's how she survived for so long.

"Better?"

she asked.

"Will you walk home, or should I walk you?"

"I feel much better. But wait a minute, I have

one question: why did you run away then???

In an instant, her face paled, her

legs gave way beneath her. I revealed to her all my thoughts and

my entire being. She remembered! All those long years.

She remembered!

"Uriel??? Is that you? No. It's impossible. You should have been

dead for over 150 years! Get away from me! Whoever

you are! Don't bring up such painful memories! Get away!"

She turned and was about to run, but I grabbed her

hand and pulled her to me. I brushed her hair away from her face

and looked into her tear-soaked eyes.

"No, Maharet. Neither of us is dreaming."

We stood close together for about five more minutes—as if still unable to believe what had happened to us. Then we went to a nearby park, where we sat on a bench and talked. This lasted almost until dawn. An hour before sunrise, we promised each other that we would meet again in the same place the following evening. We sat down on the same bench and started talking. She told me about her transformation and why she'd left me—about her fears. She was afraid I wouldn't be able to accept her for the person she'd become.

About two hours later, we decided to head into town for something to eat. We came across a couple in love standing on the threshold of a park, but we left them to their own devices. I decided to introduce her to Blade and have a drink with him.

And I'm back in front of Blade's pub. That great music again, that same atmosphere. We go in.

"Uriel! Has it been a year already? How time flies! I

hope you've been training, because this time I won't give you a

chance!

" "Of course, my friend. But now let me introduce you to someone

: this is Maharet... my... beloved.

" "I'm so pleased! You 've finally found someone

, Uriel! Would you like something to drink? Hmm?

A Bloody Mary?"

"How well you know what a tired...

person needs."

The three of us sat at a table in the corner of the room and talked about the "good old days." After about an hour, Blade started talking about the overdue duel, and I finally gave in. Before we left the table, I turned to Maharet:

"Maharet, it's going to be a little dangerous here for the next two hours, but there's a spot where you can safely watch us. See that steel door? It leads to the back. There's a room with two-way mirrors, through which you can see the entire pub. So go there, I don't want

any harm to come to you...

" "I love you. I'll be watching..."

I'll just add that when the guests heard the words "duel" and "swords," they ran screaming into the street, away from us.

During this year's fight, instead of blood and bodies, wood chips and tables flew through the air. It was even longer and more "fierce" because we both trained hard during the past year.

Two hours later, exhausted, with minor cuts and bumps on our bodies, we decided again that neither Blade nor I had an advantage over the other.

"So how about Uriel? Are we going to meet up for next year?

" "Not this time, Blade. I'm sorry, but Maharet and I had already

decided to go to my house in

the Mountains. So, maybe in two years?

" "Fine. Rebuilding the pub and its reputation takes

time too. See you later."

I went with Maharet to my apartment. On the way, I thought about our trip together. When we reached my shelter and laid me down for the day, She suddenly grabbed my hand tightly, as if afraid I would run away, and said:

"I was afraid I would spend my destined eternity

alone; I was always alone...

" "No, Maharet. You are no longer alone, you never

will be..."