It’s there; it stays, and it won’t go away. It clings to you, leeching your strength, taking your will. It’s there; it stays, and it won’t go away.

Horror

Lunch time, yet again, on another ordinary day… or what seemed to be an ordinary day. Anna felt that something was off. She always sat with Daniel’s friends and now hers too, but Daniel seemed different today, almost estranged. Usually, at this time, he would be eating and chatting with his friends. Anna was the only one at the table that skived off eating lunch.

Then Daniel stood. “Anna, come with me.” Obediently, Anna stood and followed Daniel. Instead of going towards the lunch line as she thought, he took her wrist and led her to a deserted hallway.

“Daniel?” She questioned, the warmth of Daniel’s hand spreading through arm. As per usual, she was rather cold, even if she didn’t feel it. Absent-mindedly, Daniel moved his hand to hers, warming it. Anna shivered slightly, feeling drugged, as Daniel’s scent filled her nose.

Finally, Daniel turned towards her, bringing her hand to his lips. His eyes met hers and Anna could not look away. A myriad of emotions flashed through his eyes: Reluctance, self-hatred, affection… lust. Anna pulled away, breaking off the staring contest. She backed up, eyes sliding to stare at the floor.

“Anna,” Daniel’s voice was soft, almost caressing Anna’s name. He came towards her and embraced her, lovingly. Surprised, Anna stood rigid in his arms. “Anna,” he breathed again. She relaxed and returned the hug.

Since Anna was a head shorter than Daniel, hugging him meant he could smell her. Daniel leaned down slightly, warm breath touching Anna’s ear. She shivered again. That’s when it all went wrong. It happened so fast to Anna. One minute she was hugging Daniel, the next, she was pinned to the wall.

The glint in Daniel’s eyes scared her. Daniel held her wrists with both hands, pinning her lower body with his own. She pushed back in impulse, trying to see if Daniel was just teasing her again. His eyes darkened, and he pressed back harder. Anna met his eyes, the off-feeling from before coming back full force.

“Daniel?” She saw him snap with that one word. His lips descended on hers, stealing yet another kiss. He took advantage of the surprise, sliding his tongue into her mouth. Anna realized what was going on when his tongue touched hers, none too gently. She tried push against him again, trying to break the kiss.

Instead, it was Daniel that pulled away first. His eyes still held that glint and a trace of a smirk danced around his lips. She struggled against him, trying to get away, wanting to hide. Her thoughts raged inside of her. She didn’t know whether to be angry with Daniel or thoroughly confused. What about Lyra? She knew Lyra was a lenient girlfriend, as Daniel had claimed so very often, but wouldn’t any girl be mad if their boyfriend was kissing another girl?

Daniel moved her wrists behind her, fully pinning her to the wall with his weight. Her panicked expression amused him. “Tell me, Anna… did you enjoy that?” The panic in her eyes increased and she stopped moving.

“I… Daniel what about Lyra?” The question was desperate, an attempt to get out from answering Daniel’s question. Did she enjoy it? Yes… was she confused? Most definitely. Daniel smiled at her. Daniel didn’t smile very often and the way he was looking at her made her feel small…

Again, his lips descended on hers, only this time, his hands were free to roam. He lifted her shirt, touching her stomach. Anna whimpered against his lips, half from fear, half from pleasure. Tentatively, she kissed back. As Daniel distracted her with the kiss, his hands moved upwards. Warmth surged through her body.

“So I take it that you did enjoy it,” Daniel gloated once they had parted. He reveled in the power he held over her, knowing how much this would plague her later. Anna was still drugged on Daniel’s scent and taste and didn’t answer.

Daniel grinned maliciously, though Anna didn’t see. He had her trapped, helpless. He could do anything he wanted and Anna wouldn’t be able to protest or fight against him. Daniel would win. He always won.

Leaning forward, he bit her neck. Anna went rigid and then completely relaxed, all the fight disappearing from her body. Her neck was her weakest point, which was why she hated it when people touched her neck. Daniel sucked the bite, making blood rise, marking her, making her his possession. Now he knew she was completely under his control. The power rush thrilled him. The possibilities… He shifted, rubbing the body pinned beneath his. Anna jumped slightly, creating friction without realizing it. Daniel’s eyes rolled back as he struggled to contain his self-control. He lusted after Anna, but he wasn’t going to completely betray Lyra.

Still, he couldn’t resist teasing her a bit. His hands slid up her back, making the touch light. Then he scratched her back semi-harshly and she gasped, arching her back instinctively. Daniel kissed her again, roughly. Anna whimpered, eyes tearing slightly. She knew what was going on all too well, but she couldn’t fight him at all.

“You know you can’t tell anyone about this.” Daniel seemed to tower above her, fully in control. Anna shook her head, trying to rid herself of the tears brimming in her eyes. Daniel still had her pinned.

“I won’t.” She sounded small, weak… broken. Anna hated herself right now. She hated herself for not being able to fight Daniel, to fight the fact that she was enjoying the torture inflicted by his hands, lips, and words. She hated that she couldn’t bring herself to call for help or do anything to get out of the situation. She hated knowing that she was letting Daniel manipulate her body, her heart, and her emotions.

Daniel chuckled cruelly, taking his hands out from under her shirt. Once more, he marked her neck. His right hand reached into the pocket of his white khakis and pulled out a knife, sharp and deadly. He held it up in front of her and immediately, she knew what he was going to do.

“This blade has never tasted blood before,” he mused, eyes taunting her. He felt for her pulse in her neck. It was beating wildly. Excellent. She knew what was coming. Besides, the faster her heart beat, the faster she would die.

She looked at him, saying nothing, as nothing could be said. He laid the cold blade against her throat, on top of the pulse point. Anna went rigid, eyes meeting his. Her eyes bore into his, sad. Her eyes begged him to stop. She wasn’t afraid of death, no, but she knew she still wouldn’t be able to hate Daniel even if he killed her.

He was suddenly angry at the girl beneath him, so easily breakable should he choose to rape her. He was angry that he was even considering raping her. Daniel did care for Anna, though his care for her was shadowed by his rage. He would stop this choice right now. If she were dead, he wouldn’t have to choose between his lust for Anna and his love for Lyra. He wouldn’t have to choose between raping Anna and killing her. He didn’t want to violate the innocence in front of him, no matter how much he yearned to. So he would end this choice right now.

Grinning savagely, he dragged the blade across her throat. A choked cry of pain escaped her lips. Anna was already fading, blood gushing from the wound. She tried to keep staring into Daniel’s eyes, still loving him even if he was killing her. Daniel broke the eye contact and kissed her again, lovingly this time, gently, a goodbye kiss. Anna, severely weakened now, made no response.

Daniel touched the wound, still bleeding, and brought his hand to her lips. He smeared her still-warm blood on her lips, and then kissed her again, just as gently as the previous kiss. She closed her eyes, ever so tired, and the last breath passed her bloodied lips into Daniel’s mouth. Daniel pulled away just as her heart stopped beating. She met his eyes one last time, still loving him, and the light finally left her eyes.

She died with Daniel’s scent fogging her mind, his taste and her blood on her tongue, in his warm embrace. She died loving her murderer.

Anna threw herself out of bed, hands immediately going to her neck, still feeling her warm blood gushing over the wound, the cold metal of the knife. She found her neck whole, undamaged. Anna was no stranger to unpleasant dreams like this. It hadn’t been the first time a friend had “killed” her in a dream. Still, none of the previous dreams had been so realistic, so vivid. It frightened her.

Shaking badly, Anna got out of her bed and entered the connecting bathroom. Turning on the light, she blinked a couple of times to adjust her eyes, and then she inspected herself. Her eyes were bloodshot, fear still apparent. Her mind kept replaying those horrible kisses and her blood spilling.

With a cry, she realized she could still smell Daniel, still taste the blood. She could barely taste Daniel, as he never kissed so intimately before, but she knew his scent by heart, and the taste of her blood. As always, his scent fogged her mind, confusing her more.

Stripping off her pajama, soaked in cold sweat, Anna jumped into the shower and turned the knob to Cold. She shook as she realized the truth in the dream. She would still love Daniel even if he killed her. A choked sob escaped her lips. She loved him far, needed him, craved him far too much. In the end… she knew it would kill her.

The true horror of her dream sank into her, and she shivered but not from the cold. Nonetheless, she shut off the shower and climbed out, wrapping a towel around herself. As she searched for another pajama, she tried not to linger on the kisses he had given her, the touches she had felt.

Shivering, she stopped thinking, trying to imagine a darkness enveloping her, a warm darkness. Her efforts were rewarded as a few minutes later, her breathing evened out and she fell back asleep, protected by the darkness. Outside of her circle of protection, a figure lurked, holding a bloodied knife. But even with his connection to Anna, the darkness kept him at bay.

No other horrors plagued her that night, only the distant memory of a murder at the hand of a loved one.

End