Blood.

So wonderful, warm.

But so terrible.

They are all staring at me, afraid to move. I look at what I have done. Blood all over the place. A body. A human body.

And I'm scared. Scared of what I have become. Scared of what they will do to me.

Running. To where, I don't know. But I know that I must run. That is all I know. Run away, before they kill me. Before they remind me of my sin. Before they cause me to sin again.

It's blazing hot. But it's the middle of winter.

My body aches, but has never felt better. It is as if through the pain it is renewed.

I can feel the warm blood. Becoming part of me. Mixing with mine.

And it feels good.

I stop. A house is in front of me. It looks strangely familiar, even though I've never seen it in my life. Seeking shelter, I walk up to the door, and lightly rap upon the door.

A man opens the door. "I was wondering how long it would take you to arrive here." He smiles, and invites me into his house.

After letting me rest for a moment, he offers me a chair at his table. He looks at me.

"So, I see that you've had your first encounter with them."

"With who?"

"The humans. Filthy scum. Think that they are better than us."

"But... I'm a human. So it's just you I guess."

He smiles again. "Dear child, you're not human. Are you really so naïve? Didn't the fact that you thirst for blood tell you that you're among those you hate so much?"

The words sink in after a moment. "You mean that I'm... a monster like you?"

He nods. "Indeed, my child."

And that's when I recognized him. He was the one who beat me. Who finally managed to get away from me. "Why did you do this to me?"

"Have you ever heard of walking a mile in another man's shoes?"

"Yes."

"That is what you are doing. For all eternity."

"The whole living forever part sounds kinda cool, actually. It's the whole thirst for blood part that makes me sick."

"Don't worry. It's quite the opposite. Once you know how to control it, the thirst is almost non-existent. It's the eternal life that is terrible. I have lost so many people who I was close to. I would give anything to not have to live through eternity like this."

"So why don't you just have someone kill you?"

"Because. There are some things worth living for. Even in the realm of the mortal."

"Like what?"

"You'll see in time, my child."

"Yes, master." The phrase slipped so naturally from my tongue. It was almost as if I had always known him as my master. He smiles.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

And such was my first meeting with my master.