The Afterlife Bar and Grille - Something Wicked
Really? Now this is a new one for me. I thought that Shtrigas were all female... Well, I guess not all. I think we'd all like to hear this story. Hey, #6154…
Yes, yes, I've heard all of the comments and all of the jokes. Many, maybe even most, of the Shtriga are female but... hey, what happened to the gender-assigning stuff being PC BS, huh Olly?
Let me clue you in a little here, people. The Shtriga are not a type of witch as so many believe. We are our own culture and community. And, yes, we have both sexes represented.
I happen to be one of the very few males. You see, the male Shtriga is much more rare than the female because it is much harder for males to be near enough to infants and children as they sleep. Traditionally, female Shtriga become midwives and nannies and such, gaining easy access to the life-force needed to survive. Males have a much more difficult time obtaining these roles. And, Shtriga are not known for sharing.
I, however, was able to survive and become a doctor. Both are significant accomplishments for the male Shtriga. There are certainly not many who could claim the same.
My life was pretty routine, really. I would settle into a town for a couple of decades - honestly, it's amazing what humans will dismiss as an unfortunate disease rather than suspecting an upstanding local doctor of stealing the life-force of their children.
Anyway, I had only been living in Utah, a little area called Fort Douglas, for a few years when I had my first major scare since childhood. I had picked out two young boys - a little older than what I usually look for, but they had quite a few qualities that fit my needs. For one, they were only passing through the town, living out of a motel, for Satan's sake! Travelers were always superior to locals as it is tougher for the authorities to find a pattern in time.
Second, the boys were living with their father. I never saw a mother, and given their choice of housing, I would say that she was either dead or a deadbeat. Single-parent households are also much easier on my kind, especially when there are no other parental figures in the picture. It means the children are alone more often.
Third, families with two or three children are the best targets. After the first child 'falls ill', the parents are so consumed with worry that the child's siblings are easy prey. Not only that, but it is not strange for illnesses to be spread throughout a family. Of course, any more than three children and you start to push the odds.
And, fourth, though life-force tends to decrease as humans age, these boys were full of it. Especially the older one - which was quite surprising! That young man seemed to have energy to spare... and I knew the perfect place for it.
So, I observed the residence for patterns and routines. One night, I watched as the father left the shabby dwelling, leaving his two young boys helpless. Then, not long after, I saw the older boy leave. Though I would have preferred to feast upon him first, I had followed him to a crowded shop and realized that I would have to change my plans a bit. I went back to the home and found the younger boy alone, asleep, and vulnerable.
I allowed myself entry to the home through the child's bedroom window. I began to feed, but soon felt I was being watched. I glanced to the doorway and saw that the older boy had come home and was now holding a shotgun pointed at me.
I panicked for only a moment before realizing how silly I was being. Firstly, the boy was young and a bit small. He probably didn't even know use the weapon he held, as was obvious by the way he was frozen on the spot. Secondly, what sort of father leaves his young boys alone and a weapon where they can reach it? I didn't think the authorities would be a problem for me in this case. And third, even if the boy escaped and tried to tell someone about me, who would believe him?
I went back to my task, almost laughing to myself for my worry, when another noise caught my attention. This time it was the father who came back. Lucky for me, the sound of the man coming was enough to make me pause my nourishment, otherwise I would not have been able to flee as he began shooting on sight. What sort of family acts this way?
As I said, I fled. I was quite upset because I was not ready to take my leave of Fort Douglas, but I was not foolish enough to stay.
After that, I traveled east. I hadn't been in the east for some time and decided to start over there. I picked out a nice little town; Fitchburg, Wisconsin. I was able to find a position at the local hospital with no trouble. And I was happy there for quite awhile.
Towards the end of my time in the town, there was a small complication. Apparently, people are not as trusting as they once were and the CDC was called in to look into the influx of the strange childhood disease that landed in our town.
I, myself, spoke to the two young CDC doctors. They seemed content to believe my story of the unfortunate immune deficiency and my lack of understanding - that I was doing all I could. But, they kept coming back to the hospital, asking more and more questions. I tried to tell myself that that was normal procedure... but I couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity I got around the two young men. Especially the taller one.
I had decided that I would take my leave of the town after one last meal. One of the children I had already claimed had a brother that would be a perfect pre-travel feast. As in other cases, the young (single) mother was off looking after her hospitalized child and left the other free for the taking.
I had an odd feeling when I entered the room. At first glance, I thought the boy to be asleep. But as I neared, I found that he was quite awake and watching me. I had imagined the lad to be brave and would have thought he would run, but I am a rather frightening image and he was probably too terrified to move.
I leaned in to start my meal when the door opened behind me, a man yelled out to the child, and then I was shot several times in the back. I sat stunned for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened, when I saw two men - the CDC doctors - looking around the room with guns in their hands.
I am deceptively quick, however, and was able to get the better of them. I threw the shorter one (because he was closer!) into a wall and then knocked the taller one to the ground. I looked back for the boy, but I didn't see him. Still, a meal is a meal so I grabbed the closest human.
That's when I realized why the sense of familiarity. As I grabbed the tall man and began to feed, I was met with an almost-forgotten sensation. This was the same child, the only child, that had gotten away from me years before! As the boy was now a man, he struggled but I was stronger. I was so giddy with the accomplishment that I didn't see the other one get up from where he fell.
I recognized, at the last possible second, that the other man was the older brother who had frozen and been unable to fire his weapon. Yet, this time I was not as lucky and the man fired - perfect shot, too - right between my eyes.
After all I have achieved, I was manipulated and destroyed by a human...