Page 18 of Loved to Death

He found it difficult to concentrate on anything other than satisfying his hunger. They’d been actively searching for potential victims for the past three days with no luck. It had been two weeks and five days since they’d last fed on human blood. It was the longest he’d gone without feeding since becoming undead. As usual, the constant ache in his gut had spread to his entire body by the end of the first week. Then the ache manifested itself into constant pinpricks with every move he made by the end of the second week. And this morning, those pinpricks became stab wounds digging into his flesh with every step the horse took.

After an hour of riding, Polly urged the horse into a trot.

Thomas paid more attention to his surroundings. In the distance, there was a thin line of smoke rising from behind some trees. There in a clearing they found a shack. Polly slid off the horse, handed the reins to Thomas, and said, “Stay.”

He watched her carefully approach the dwelling and look through a crack in the shutters. He closed his eyes and hoped with all his being that there were two people inside.

She came back across the clearing and held her hand out for the reins. “One old man.”

Thomas clenched his jaw, tossed the reins to her, and slid off the saddle with a wince. One human meant they’d have to share. They’d attack at the same time and drink from both sides of his neck. It would dull the hunger, but it wouldn’t be enough to satiate either of them. “Montana is too sparsely populated,” Thomas complained. “We need to go south.”

“Patience, my boy. We’ll find another human before the night is done,” she said confidently while tying the reins to a nearby tree branch.

Disgust curled in his belly. This scenario had played out many times in the two years they’d been together and he hated it. The lust would come, even if there wasn’t enough blood to fill them, and they’d inevitably end up acting on that desire after this victim and then again after the next.

Crossing his arms tightly across his chest, Thomas was unable to keep his anger in check as the stabbing jolts of pain traveled across his arms. “I don’t want to fuck you twice!”

Realizing what he’d said the instant the words were out of his mouth, he shook his head and tried to take them back, but Polly was already advancing on him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

She made a fist. He tried to duck in time but failed. A white-hot explosion of pain engulfed his head and neck when the blow connected with his jaw. He cried out as he fell to the ground and then whimpered as the sensation of being stabbed repeatedly ran over his skin every place his body connected with the dirt.

She leaned down and grabbed a fistful of his hair to lift his head, making him yelp.

“You forget your place, Thomas. You wouldn’t be my first choice, either. Entitled rich boy who’s never put in a full day of work in your life. Ungrateful for the wealth you grew up with while those around you suffered. So full of yourself when all you’ve ever done to gain respect is throw around the money you didn’t earn.”

Her words imbedded themselves under his skin and wormed their way into his heart.

“We don’t lie together as man and wife because I’m enamored with you, stupid boy. We ‘fuck,’ as you so crassly put it, because I’m trying to make our existence bearable.”

She let go of his hair with a little push and his head hit the ground. She stood and looked down at him with her hands on her hips. “Since you find our relations so unpleasant, I’ll feed first while you wait outside. You can go hungry until tomorrow.”

“No, please. I’m sorry. I can’t wait another night. Please.” He pushed himself up to his knees while begging.

“You can and you will,” she declared before stalking off toward the cabin. Moments later, her victim’s scream pierced the air.

The sound of that scream was like a bucket of water being poured onto Thomas’ head. Within a split second, he realized three things. He was alone with the horse, Polly was currently occupied, and it was early enough in the night that he could ride for hours.

Springing into action, he pushed himself up and untied the horse. He climbed into the saddle and urged her into a gallop. Fear prickled at the base of his skull as the magnitude of his impulsive actions sank in. He hadn’t tried running from her since that first month. Panic helped him push past the spikes of pain jolting through him. He leaned forward and dug his heels into the side of the horse, urging her to move as fast as possible. Hope started to fill his chest as the distance grew. Maybe his suffering at Polly’s hands was over.

Ten minutes into his escape, the horse galloped past a small cabin. The possibility of feeding almost made him stop, but he forced his eyes away from the structure and kept going. He knew the town of Dillion was ahead on the dirt road, and that’s where he’d feed.

By the time Dillion came into view, the excitement from his escape was wearing off and it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the excruciating condition his body was in. Sitting up, he slowed the horse to a trot as he passed the first building.

The small town made it easy for Thomas to spot the saloon. He stopped in front of the building, slid off the horse, and tied the reins to the post out front. He was desperate enough to go inside, flash some money at the patrons, and concoct a plausible story of employment to get one of them to follow him outside. But as luck would have it, a young man came stumbling out before Thomas could set foot inside.

“Pardon me,” the man mumbled as he pushed past Thomas and started weaving down the street.

Thomas’ eyes darted up and down the street checking for witnesses. Seeing nobody, he rushed up behind the man, slipped a hand over his mouth, and dragged his victim off the street toward the back of the saloon. The man was too drunk to put up much of a struggle, and the instant Thomas was far enough away from the buildings to avoid prying eyes, he sank his teeth into his victim’s throat.

The ever-constant pain instantly subsided with the first couple of swallows. He squeezed the victim tighter against himself as each successive gulp spread warmth and pleasure through his body. He’d fed many times over the years and every single time, his entire being was lost to the moment. All five of his senses, all of his brain power, and all of his emotions were focused on the blood until it was gone. Everything else in the world around him ceased to exist in that moment.

When the blood stopped flowing, Thomas reached a hand out into the air and let the dead body fall to the ground. He blinked a couple of times at his empty hand as his brain slowly came back from the bloodlust. Scowling, he realized he was involuntarily reaching out for Polly. The urge to continue his pleasure and bring his fervor to a satisfying peak was overpowering, and no matter how much he despised her, in this moment, he desperately wanted her. His hand closed into a fist and he punched his own thigh in frustration.

He was about to put his hand down his pants to satiate his lust when he remembered why Polly wasn’t there. The fear that had disappeared while he fed came rushing back and he was just barely able to push his desire to the side. It would be physically uncomfortable to gallop with his cock the way it was, but that discomfort was nothing compared to the pain Polly would inflict if she caught him.

Rushing back to the horse, he untied her and got in the saddle. He urged her forward, but as soon as they were past the town, he pulled on her reins to pause. Should he continue north or turn back the way they’d come to head south? He shook his head, dismissing both of those options, and looked to his right. Going east meant going toward the eventual sunrise and an unknown landscape. He looked to the left. Polly would expect him to go west where he was more familiar with the terrain. She’d told him that she could sense him no matter where he went, but he doubted that would work if he put enough distance between them. Deciding quickly, he nudged the horse forward with a tap of his heels against her sides and pulled the reins to head west.

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