Change of Heart

[WP] As a vampire, you've always needed to ask for permission to enter a house. Ever since being ejected into space, you've been looking for a way back to civilization the only way you know how: knocking on the doors of passing spaceships, asking them to let you in.

*****

Maybe I deserved this. I was only one blood-starved rampage away from tearing apart the crew. I didn’t leave them with much of a choice. Still, I wish they had just thrown me into the sun over this. There was something so cruel about being left to float through the void of space, having nothing but my thoughts and the pains from feeling my body react to the pressures and lack of oxygen. Not to mention I was starving. Without a source of blood, I only had a few months before I rotted away.

When I first saw a passing ship, I lunged at it, practically willing my body towards it. My superhuman abilities, not being so superhuman in space. In a way, space was the first time I had felt human in thousands of years. The void of space rather belittled my amazing feats of speed and strength. Space didn’t care about how amazing I had been on Earth. Instead, it forced me to conform to its laws.

“Please, let me in.” I slammed my fist against the door, desperately trying to grab the attention of the crew. After a few seconds, I made my banging louder and louder until I was making small dents in the metal. They had to be hearing this. With each dent, I felt my freedom getting that bit closer, until I was digging my nails into the metal, trying to keep myself stuck to the ship’s side.

My nails struggling to do anything more than drill little holes into the door. Without my strength, I was nothing. Finally, my grip was broken as a heavy object collided with my nails, snapping them off, leaving me to float away from the ship. I glimpsed a space helmet peeking through the hole in the door, their gaze watching me before the hole was patched and the ship sped up, leaving me to float through space once again.

I threw every curse I had at the crew and their mothers back on Earth, cursing them out until the act became too exhausting. In those lucid moments of exhaustion, I was forced to reflect once more on my life. Those grand wars I fought, the countries and businesses I ruled over, the people I hurt to feed my hunger. What sort of legacy was I leaving? Sure, one of power, but the world wouldn’t see it that way. My power would be called cruelty and I’m sure those that looked upon my grand deeds would do so with disdain.

Another month passed before I saw another ship, this one with the words EU on the side. Perhaps some joint European expedition? My frail body did its best to motion towards itself, trying to let the crew know I was one of them. They passed me, staring out at my body with curious looks. I’m sure some of them were considering inviting me in, but I assume the captain thought better of it. After all, wasn’t inviting a stranger floating in space, what got people killed in those alien movies?

I couldn’t do more than the motions, not even having the energy to curse them out as they passed. Instead, I let my eyes shut, hoping that the grim reaper could find me all the way in space. The time was hazy after that, moments of insanity caught between moments of clarity. Sometimes I thought I was back home, lounging in my mansions Wegner chair, swirling a 1960s wine without a care in the universe. Other times I was frantically flailing my arms, trying to scare off the reaper with my strange dance.

When another ship finally came, I thought I had encountered an ufo. The strange grey walls of the ship moving before me, with text on its side that I couldn’t even distinguish any longer. I didn’t try to get to their ship, instead I waited for it to pass, not holding out any hope for a rescue. I shut my eyes and waited, only to feel a hand grabbing my wrist.

When my eyes opened, I saw the strange figure holding my arm, trying to pull me into the ship. Each tug slowly drawing me closer to freedom and as they pulled me to the door, I could only look at my savior and think. I can’t wait to dig my teeth into you. This person was dooming their crew to a horrific death, and they didn’t even know it. My teeth were already chittering, and I could feel the bloodlust growing. I couldn’t help myself; I was starved and desperate to live. If I made it into the ship, it would be a mess.

So, I pressed my heel into the ship’s side, stopping my rescuers attempts before delivering a weak backhand to their helmet, one that was enough to loosen their grip and send me rolling back into the confines of space. Even with a helmet on, I could tell they were confused, their hand clutching the edge of the door as they watched me. I flashed them a smile, showing off those sharp teeth that had been so close to puncturing their neck. They seemed to get the message after that, the door shutting and the ship eventually passing like the others.

Had that even been real? I wondered that as I awaited death. It felt real, but so had the chair and wine. Maybe I just wanted to think I had done one good thing in my miserable life? I allowed myself to slip into the delusions once more, picturing myself in that chair, the glass of wine filled to the brim as I dozed off to the comfort of the fireplace.

*****

THE END