Leyla's Tale (Part One)

This is an expansion of something I wrote for a short creative writing challenge at io9.

Leyla’s Tale (Part One)

It used to be easier for my kind to hide.  We never stayed any one place too long so the humans didn’t notice we weren’t aging like they were.  With photography and electronic records and instant communication it’s harder to maintain the illusion.  And it’s easier for the Hunters to find us.

The Hunters know what we are.  They know we look human but aren’t.  They know that we live for centuries and that we heal quickly.  And they know that if they drink our blood and eat our organs, they will live longer and be cured of disease.  So they hunt us down for their own selfish reasons.  They keep our secret so they don’t have to share. 

My parents died almost eighty years ago but it still feels like yesterday.  We were living on an isolated farm where we didn’t have to deal with the neighbors very much.  We kept to ourselves and the neighbors left us alone.  On the rare occasions we went to the local village, old ladies pinched my cheek and said what a pretty little girl I am.  If they only knew I was actually in my fifties. 

The Hunters came at night, catching us by surprise.  I woke up hearing the noise of a scuffle coming from my parents’ bedroom.  I scampered into the hidey hole under the house and waited.  Father in particular had drilled into me what to do if Hunters came.  He said I wasn’t ready to face Hunters yet.  I had the body of a ten year old girl so I could see his point. 

 I can still hear their screams as they were tortured to death.  The Hunters knew I was hidden somewhere nearby but they couldn’t find me.  They figured either my parents would tell them where I was or I would come out to stop the torture.  But I knew my parents would die before giving me up.  And I would not let them down by revealing myself.  Covering my ears didn’t stop the noise.  I bit my finger, hoping the physical pain would distract me. 

The Hunters stayed all night.  When dawn broke, the screams ceased.  I heard movement then several car doors slamming.  It sounded like two or three cars drove away.  I waited for a while in the hole, patiently listening.  Hearing nothing unusual, I climbed out of the hidey hole.  I circled around the house to the kitchen door and entered.  The kitchen was empty so I headed towards my parents’ bedroom.  A pair of rough hands grabbed me as I entered the hallway. 

I was lifted off the ground in a tight bear hug.  “Stop struggling, little girl.  I have to bring you in alive but that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you.”

I found one of his fingers and bent it back until it snapped.  He howled and dropped me.  I ran back to the kitchen.  The enraged Hunter charged after me.  I found a knife as he closed on me.  My fear and rage took over.  I stabbed and stabbed even after he was on the floor not moving. 

Finally I stood up, bloody knife still in hand.  I went to my parents’ room.  The bed was bloody but there were no bodies.  The Hunters took my mother and father with them.  I knew what would happen to them.  They would be harvested, their blood drained and organs removed.  There would be a feast at whatever Hunter lair they ended up in.

I quickly washed up and changed out of my blood covered nightgown.  I threw some bread, fruit, and cheese into a pack and left the house.  Sooner or later someone would come looking for the dead Hunter or a neighbor would wander by.  I wanted to be long gone by then. 

I needed to find some other Hidden Ones like me.  I wouldn’t look like an adult human woman for a few decades yet.  A girl on her own had too many disadvantages.  But I would never forget what happened this day.  I would find the Hunters who had taken my parents.  And I would make them pay.