Chapter Five: Uninvited Guest

These characters are not mine but the bad writing and poor storytelling are.

A low rumbling roused Oskar from his sleep. He reluctantly opened his eyes and in just seconds they adjusted to the infinite darkness of the cave. The previous nights feeding had allowed him to rest peacefully without the annoying interruptions from hunger pangs so he knew the rumbling did not originate from him. He was sitting beside the trunk and had slumped against it sometime during his slumber. The surface of the cave's inner wall was cool against his shirtless back but the rock hard ground that formed its walkway provided little comfort to his bottom side. He took a quick look around and decided that his ears had decieved him. He pulled the shirt from his pocket and placed it underneath him for a cushion and then rested his head against the trunk. He closed his eyes in an attempt to find the sleep that had rudely left him.

Again, rumbling disrupted Oskar's sleep and a moderate jolt from the trunk caused his eyes to open alertly. This time he sat up swiftly and glared at the trunk. His body became rigid as he tried to keep from making any sound from movement. He was sure this time that none of his senses were misleading him. After a few seconds the trunk was alive again with subtle sounds of movement within. Oskar's heart pounded with anticipation. When the sounds ceased he spoke with uncertainty.

"Eli?"

"Are...Are you awake? Are you ok?"

At the presence of his voice the trunk thumped and stirred. A long, weak groan permeated from the trunk and echoed faintly through the cave, then stillness returned. It had scarcely been a week since her sleep began and she did say that she usually slept for months. Maybe she was just moving around in her sleep, he thought. Still, he couldn't help but hope a little. After a few moments he realized how tense he had become so he made a conscious effort to relax his body. As the stillness continued for a disheartening long while Oskar sighed and let all his hopeful anticipation escape in a single breath. He bowed his head in disappointment.

Emptiness was setting in when Oskar heard a dry, frail voice.

"O...Os...Oskar."

Oskar's head jerked up. A small withered hand was reaching out from under the barely open trunk lid. He bolted to the trunk and took Eli's hand, trying not to let his excitement cause him to squeeze too hard.

"Eli!...Is it time?... Are you ready to come out?" he stammered eagerly.

"Oskar...I'm...weak," Eli's voice was hardly audible.

Without hesitation Oskar ran his other hand inside the trunk.

"Here Eli. I fed last night so it's ok."

"Oh, wait" he brought his hand back outside the trunk, bit into his wrist and then ran it back inside.

He felt Eli's parched lips surround the torn flesh and then the pressure of sucking began slowly. Eli clamped on to Oskar's wrist with one hand and then pulled her other hand free from Oskar's to secure her hold. She began to draw the blood in forcibly and Oskar's teeth gritted as the mild sensation turned to a tolerable discomfort. Eli's fingers dug into Oskar's arm as she tightened her grip and used her tongue to open the wound more. The blood flowed freely and Oskar's body was tense again, with pain. His strength diminshed with every drop of blood that went into Eli. He became lightheaded and dizzy.

Finally, with all the will he could muster, he pulled away from Eli's grasp and fell back away from the trunk. The lid jumped up and slammed shut as his arm came out. Oskar was flat on his back and staring at the cave's rough ceiling in a trance like state. He was straining to focus as his vision wavered. His limbs were limp and feeble. He had let Eli take too much. After a few moments he struggled to gather himself and sat up. Already his body was beginning to succumb to the oppression of hunger.

Oskar got to his knees and crawled over to the trunk and leaned against it for support.

"Eli," he sounded exhausted," How are you?"

In a stronger and more familiar tone she replied,"I'm better, but weak and tired. What about you?"

A cheerful smile crept across Oskar's face.

"I'll be alright Eli."

Oskar climbed the trunk and got to his feet. The dizzyness had not yet departed so he put a hand against the wall to steady himself.

"It rained the other night and you know the cellar leaks so I'm gonna go to the house and put down some dry clothes"

"Ok Oskar. Please hurry."

Oskar staggered out of the cave and when the night air filled his lungs reality filled his heart. Eli was back. Loneliness was gone. The night was theirs again. As he made his way through the forest to the house Oskar's head cleared and the resurgence of joy gave him the strength he lacked.

When he arrived at the house he went through the front door and started his way to the cellar. As he reached for the door knob on the cellar door a sound from one of the large empty rooms startled him. It was a voice.

"Hello child. You're an uninvited guest in my house."

Oskar turned in the direction of the voice and saw a tall figure step out from a corner of the room. He stared in fear as the figure grinned widely and revealed a pair of fangs.