The Puppeteer

Plink. Plink.

I wish that infernal sound would stop.

Plink. Plink.

Can’t it stop? When can its sweet, tempting song cease to exist?

I stare at my hands, the fingers stained dark red. The dimly-lit surroundings illuminate her pale face and her mouth, frozen in a haunting scream forever.

She called me angel. The Angel of the Night

And now she is dead.

All because of me.

 Plink. Plink.

'Her blood! It’s going to waste! Just like that!'

 " I- I can't! I loved her! How can I do that to-" 

'You loved her? You actually LOVED her? Do you know what you are? Do you know what you need?'

My tears flow thickly as I stare at her mangled body. And then I look down at my bloody hands, still curved in vicious claws of a predator. The ultimate predator of the night. 

'Accept it. Accept who you are.'

" Never. "

I feel the brute force of his utter ruthlessness. Soon, the black hole will pull me in, into the terrible darkness of insanity, just like always.

I claw wildly at the ground, struggling against his power.

" No! Please, please, no! " 

'You are pathetic. You are weak. You think you can stand up to me? I control you. I am the puppeteer. I am you.' 

My feeble protests are nothing to him. He waves them aside like he is swatting at mere flies.

' Give into me! NOW!! '

My legs spring up, pushing me so that I am standing. Before I can register that simple motion, I am already kneeling next to her.

He allows me one last freedom. I slowly caress her soft face, touching her one final time.

Then I bend forward, and, placing my lips against her warm breast, begin to drink her blood.

' See? That wasn’t so hard now, was it? '

" I... I don't know what to say... " 

' I know what you should say: Sorry. You allowed it to cool too long. It would have been sweeter- after all, you did say you loved her.' 

Standing on the tallest building in this town, I feel the sweet rain collapse on my body of stone. The rain washes me. Each droplet of rain purifies me of the malicious crime I had just committed. Her blood runs down my body and collects in a red pool beneath my feet. 

I have been living this half-life for a year now, after that... that incident. Ever since then, I was strong enough to avoid my girlfriend's blood. But tonight... it sang to me.

How could I not drink?

How could he not drink?

" I hate you. I hate you forever." 

' Do you hate yourself? Is that it?'

"You are not me."

'Ahh, but the truth is, you and I are the same string on Fate's Loom.'