Boy in the Mist (Vampire BoyxBoy)

Letter

     Isaac woke up the next morning with a cloudy head. He stayed in bed for a while after waking up, trying to remember everything that had happened. He hoped with all his heart that the vampire situation was just a dream, but he couldn't argue with fact. Raymond had no pulse. There's no way to stop a pulse, unless..Isaac shivered.
Isaac heard loud thunder outside. He turned to look out the window, but a small piece of paper was taped on the outside. Isaac quickly opened the window and tore the note off, not wanting it to get wet from the coming rain.
Since he knew it was from Raymond, Isaac didn't expect the note to be written in messy print. He thought that someone from Raymond's time would write in fancy calligraphy (not like he'd even be able to read that). He read over the note.
"Isaac, I am deeply sorry about what happened tonight. I was stupid to not tell you the truth, so I want to do that now. After that, you never have to talk to me again. I'm a very morally grey person, and I know that what I have to say might turn you away. I'm okay with that; I just want one last conversation. You deserve to know the truth, and after that I'll leave you alone if you wish. Come to the mausoleum at any time in the morning.
-Raymond."
Isaac read over the note three or four times before finally understanding it. Through all the fancy words, Raymond just wanted to talk. Then again, this could all be just bait. Isaac could go and then get bitten before he could even say hello.
Despite his concerns, Isaac just wanted to be left alone. If he went and talked one more time, he would be. He rolled out of bed and walked over to his suitcase. He rummaged through his bag of jewelry- many chokers, studded rings and bracelets, and necklaces. He finally found what he was looking for at the bottom- a black, string bracelet with a silver cross on it. He bought it because he thought it would look good through the rest of his jewelry, but he never ended up wearing it. Surely any cross would be good protection, right? He hoped so. He put it on the nightstand and went to get dressed.
     Once he had thrown on a shirt, the same jeans he'd been wearing for days, and eyeliner, Isaac put the bracelet in his pocket and walked outside. It was surprisingly humid, and the clouds were much darker than normal. He sighed and started to run, hoping to escape the rain.
     Raymond was smoking outside the mausoleum. Once he saw Isaac coming, he smiled.
     "I see you got my note?" He asked. His contacts were out, and Isaac was afraid to look into his red eyes. He'd read so many vampire myths as a younger teen, and he didn't want to take one wrong step in case Raymond had malicious intent. He'd already fallen once.
     "Yeah," Isaac said, trying to act defiant. "I did. You wanna tell me the truth this time?"
     Raymond's smirk faded and his eyes softened. "I was hoping you'd hear me out, yes," he said, pressing his lips together.
     "Talk, then."
"All those girls.." Raymond sighed. "They're still alive. They're healthy, and hopefully they're happy. I don't have some horrid bias against women, it's just that they're the ones who come up to me. They're the ones who love vampires."
"You're avoiding my main concern. Do you ask them? How betrayed do you think they'd feel if they still remembered you? If they realized they were just a meal to you?"
"They're not just a meal to me! What kind of monster do you think I am, Isaac?!"
"Do you ask them?" Isaac asked more forcefully, putting emphasis on each word. To him, that was the most important part.
Raymond frowned. "Yes. I do. I show them the notebook and the bottles, and I tell them everything. I don't know how I'd be able to live with myself if I didn't do that."
Isaac furrowed his brow. "Why would anyone in their right mind say yes to that, though?"
"A lot of them want to help me. Some of them think it would be cool. It doesn't hurt them one bit. I never even do anything to make them forget about it, but..they do." Raymond shrugged. "It might be a default thing."
"And the ones who say no?"
"They're usually angry at me. I let them leave, and then they never talk to me again. I have to find someone new pretty quickly after that, though."
"Do some of them still live here?" Raymond's answers were making Isaac mad. Why did he want to hate Raymond so much?
"A lot of them live a few towns over. They like to explore."
"What about me? You said I was next. Or used to be."
"I considered everyone. You, James, and Andy. I always feel horrible picking people out. You weren't the only person I thought of, I promise. I've still got a lot of bottles left, so..maybe another will come around. I don't know." Raymond stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Can't you just do animals?"
"I've tried many times, but I just can't. No matter what animal, it just comes back up and I'm left hungrier than before. It has to be from a human."
"Hm."
"I know this is a lot. You don't have to talk to me again, and you don't have to forgive me or my actions. I understand."
"Yeah. I..I understand, too."
"Hm?"
Isaac wasn't lying. He finally understood. What other choice did Raymond have? He wasn't forceful, he asked permission- hell, he was probably the most well behaved and considerate vampire there was. He deserved something good after the horrible early life he must have lived, right? Isaac was tired of wanting to hate him.
"I understand," he said. "You don't have any other choice, and you picked the most humane way possible. I have to respect that, at least. It doesn't make you the best person in the world, but what else can you do? Starve to death?"
"I've been trying really hard to stop this cycle. Maybe the animal blood is a taste thing. I just have to find a way to stop this."
Isaac fiddled with the bracelet in his pocket. He thought of a lot of things: how Raymond has outlived everyone he's ever loved, the pain he must feel waking up every day, and how wrong those stupid legends were. All Raymond needed was more motivation to stop, and no one else was going to help.
"Do you want me to help you?"
Raymond paused, then grinned. His sharp teeth startled Isaac for a second. "You'd do that?"
Isaac glanced at Raymond's neck and nodded. "Yeah."