Mikel Hellborne sat in the cool darkness of a stranger's bedroom and waited. He waited for the most thrilling experience he'd ever known. He waited to kill, to greedily steal another's life.

Well, what represented life in this world anyway.

Sweet, cold death was the great equalizer. In his mind the specter of Death was like a raptor peering from a rocky cliff seeking her next victim with measured patience. When the moment was right, she would glide down with claws extended and latch onto her guileless victim. Then she would lift them off to be devoured.

Sometimes he felt like Death's bastard son because he was such an essential part of her wondrous cycle. He was fortunate among his kind for being a dead man that preyed on other dead people. He was a riddle made flesh; a tiny cell in that terrifying she-monster called Death.

His days were not typical of a master vampire. No, his were filled with the soft agony of hunger and waiting. Then that glorious moment would come when he was told there was another undead ready for collection. They were always the same victims; transgressors and outlaws. When he got the call, he'd hold the message in his brain for days feeling the unique joy only a destroyer could have.

The call would bring a new adventure. Through the darkened streets of the city, he'd find the intended, man or woman, young and old, transgressors all. Like a smitten lover, he'd memorize everything about them: the emotions etched on their faces, the unique luster of their hair, and the gait of their walk. He wouldn't reveal himself because that would ruin the experience. Instead he'd watch and study, memorize and learn. Before he struck he'd know more about them than even their parents had known all those many decades ago. In a strange way this private preparation would evoke a kind of love in him for them. He'd grow fascinated by their uniqueness and habits; he'd become an intimate part of their existence just before he destroyed them.

It was almost time.

Laughter in the hall aroused his murderous instinct. There were two approaching: a woman and a man. The man was the one he wanted, the woman, who was a vampire too, could go free unless she interfered. He almost hoped she would.

Mikel pulled a breath through his nose and smelled the salt of fresh blood under his victim's flesh. The vampire had recently fed which was a bonus. His heart thundered in his chest chasing stolen blood through his famished veins. It was finally time for the end. He couldn't wait.

The door opened and light splashed across the room illuminating Mikel as he sat in the corner. His victim left the door open and gaped at him. The woman stood a little behind his victim gripping the doorframe with white knuckles.

"Who are you?" the man asked. His firm tone was fractured with the fear that lay beneath the surface.

Mikel fixed the man with a malevolent stare. "Come now. You know exactly who I am. You know why I'm here too."

The woman obviously wanted none of this. Without so much as a word to her companion, she bolted from the doorway. Her high heels clattered loudly as she stumbled down the stairs. Only the man was left and he looked like he wanted to run as well. He didn't though. He knew there was no escape. He'd never outrun his fate.

The savage beast in Mikel's gut fought to be free. His fangs ached at their roots. Soon...soon, have patience. This thing can't be rushed.

The man moved his lips but no words came out. He tried again. "It's a mistake, a misunderstanding."

"The Vampire High Council has made its decision. All its resolutions are binding. My hands are tied in this matter. I must carry out the sentence."

"I have money. I can be astonishingly generous. I'd be glad to pay you if you'd let me disappear."

Mikel stood. "I couldn't risk you showing back up here one day."

The victim squared his shoulders. "I'll fight to survive."

"You're welcome to try. I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

Mikel opened his mind up to the subtleties of the space: the frenzied rush of his victim's blood as it thundered through his veins and arteries, the stink of nervous sweat, the tang of horror. It all aroused and excited him. He rose from the chair taking great care in doing so as if any quick movement might make his prey take flight.

"Help me understand this. What have I done?" the man said.

His voice had taken on a whiny quality that Mikel found very distasteful.

Why was death such a terrifying thing to those who lived in its dark shadow every day? One should learn to embrace and surrender to that which was inevitable. How else could perfection be reached?

The man took an almost imperceptible step back from the doorway. "Have mercy. You could say you never found me."

"Now why would I do that? You mean nothing to me."

"Perhaps just give me a few minutes to ready myself."

Mikel stepped forward. His leather boots creaked in the strain of his movement. "There is no more time."

"This must be a mistake! You're making a mistake!"

"No. No error."

The man gasped. "I don't want to die."

Mikel stopped. He cocked his head to the left. "What a fool you are. I have news for you, Jamie. You're already dead."

"Don't toy with me. You understand what I'm saying."

Mikel smiled and nodded. "I do. I surely do."

"For the love of God, have mercy."

"There is no god that would hear your prayers. And as for mercy, I'm afraid I have none to give. But perhaps you are one of the many believers who find comfort from the old ways. If that's the case, I can give you a second to call upon your god and ask for his forgiveness."

Anger flared in Jamie's eyes. "I'll fight and kill you if I have to."

Mikel continued to advance. "I'm beginning to wonder if you have it in you. Maybe all you are is a bunch of talk." Before Jamie could bolt for the door, the vampire seized him. Mikel had moved across the room in a fraction of a second and now had both hands on his victim's shoulders. Predictably, the musk of panic grew stronger and more pronounced. It sickened him.

"I have to admit, Jamie," Mikel said, "it's hard to imagine you as a predator. Can't you own up to the mistakes you've made? Are you blind to your shortcomings? Let this calling overtake you and the pain will be minimal. Why put yourself through so much terror? Surrender to me."

Jamie slammed his hands into the vampire's chest. "I won't surrender! I can't do it. Don't you understand that I want to live? Damn you!"

Mikel bared his fangs in a wicked smile. "I'm sorry, Jamie. I'm afraid that is no longer an option."