The Kiss of Death

The Kiss of Death

“You don’t have a right to live, Stella,” bellowed Johan.

“Neither do you, dog!”

“Alright, let the gun settle everything. Let’s have a duel. No real gun, mind you. Three shots and the first to fall gets butchered. Bullets are so damn easy. You deserve something much tastier! I wanna see you bleed, and bleed bitter.”

“So be it! When do we meet?”

“Tomorrow evening, this place, under this oak. The moon shall be gone, and no one will be anywhere near the cemetery. This, my dear, is the best place.”

“You sure you want this? You could just as well move on. Let me be.”

“Let you be? Let you fuck with that vamp in the black suit while I pine for ya? No angel, I shall give you death…and another chance to Death!”

“You do not want this Johan. You deserve to live.”

“Ah! Relieve your illusions, chick. I ain’t getting killed. You are!”

“Really! You’ll die like filth, and I’ll make sure you do.”

It couldn’t have been darker in the cemetery. The old oaks hissed in the wind, fiendish, like the ghosts of an ancient era. Johan tripped twice on the undulations. If it were not for the extreme hatred in his heart for the lass he would never have come to this place of carcasses.

She was the strange type. She was delicately beautiful, the type that attracted men of all ages. He had seen her plump breasts form from the plain chest of a kid. He was seen her menstruating when she was twelve. She was a loner, despite her beauty. She talked strange. Her eyes did not look, they stared a penetrating gaze. She was always lost somewhere, far in the land of skies and menacing grey clouds. She ran to the woods during gale; she stood by the edge of cliffs.

It took time to unravel the secrets of her heart. He made love to her; he kissed her full lips. Initially, she talked of voices, she talked of things possessing her, far stronger than his manhood could. It hurt his ego. He took that as a cue to go harder in her, but she was unresponsive.

Over time, she would look into his eyes when they lay beside each other, move her fingers on his face, drawing patterns. He loved the tip of her touch. She talked of love now; she talked of never leaving him. She held on to him stronger than ever, fear raging in her eyes whenever he left her alone. His heart knew nothing sweeter than the feeling of her desires.

One day, when he was totally sure of her love, he found her going into the woods, clutching the hands of the man in the black cloak.

Betrayal wreaked havoc in his veins. He had screamed her name and ran after them, but somehow they had vanished before he could reach them. He retraced his steps from the woods.

It was time for revenge. He had reached the cemetery. And there she stood. Darkness hid the emotions on her face, but he was certain she was laughing at him, silently. He pulled his gun.

“Go back, Johan. You do not want to die.”

Her voice was sharp as ice. Yet, it seemed like she spoke from miles and miles away.

“Shut up, bitch. I’m gonna kill you.”

Gun was too easy. He wanted to stab her; he wanted to hit her face and smash it on ground until she bled.

Suddenly, he realized the trees had stopped moving. Not a wind rustled the leaves. Not a bird chirped. An eerie silence pervaded, and suddenly, he could see her form no more.

He turned back. And there they stood, hand in hand. His girl and the man.

Stella looked at Johan. Being with Vlad had given her certain powers. She could see in dark now. She would see better, when Johan was dead. She had bartered Johan’s soul for immortality.

The lines of Johan’s face were weary. He was angry, but more than that, helplessness painted his fair face black. He had not expected to see Vlad here. He had never expected him in her life. Johan, although only mortal, had a good soul. He loved her. He kept her visions away. In his chest she felt secure. Sure, it compared nothing to the bliss of immortality … but at this moment, she did not want it at the behest of a man who knew nothing but love for her. And that is why, Vlad had said, they needed his soul. They needed a soul that was pure, that was full of love, that she would not have the human heart to butcher. That was her test.

“Release me Vlad. I’ll do it myself.”

Vlad looked at her, smiling crookedly. “Are you sure, dear?”

“Yes, I was never more sure.”

She released her hands from his cold grip and jumped on Johan’s inviting chest. No, she could not kill him. And only one thing could save both of them now. A true kiss, a kiss pouring all the love she had in her heart. Her lips met his and the sweet honey of love flowed.

Vlad growled, “What in the name of the Devil are you doing, Stella?”

“Get lost from our lives, you evil bastard. I do not want you. I don’t want your immortality.”

“Oh, dear! You do not betray the Devil. Kill her Johan! The master of your soul commands thee. Kill the girl.”

In between the kiss Johan’s teeth dug deep in Stella’s mouth, her warm blood oozing onto his tongue.

Her eyes dilated in pain; shock sank deep in her soul, deeper than Johan’s teeth could ever sink.

Johan smudged the blood off his mouth as he threw her lifeless body down.

“Sorry, Love. You never had a right to live. Not after I bartered your soul when you turned twelve.”