Part two of the story. There is no part three... yet!
As I write this by the light of a candle, I stare into the flames and remember Amanda. The things she taught me, I will never forget. In my last narrative, I told you of the fateful night I became a vampire, and of the beautiful young woman who helped me come to grips with my new life. Now I must tell you the story of her death.
After all this time, it still pains me to remember her. They say that time heals all wounds. I have lived with this tragedy for almost seventy years and it hasn't gotten any easier. Perhaps in another seventy, I will be able to think of my lost love without tears.
In the ten years I lived with Amanda, I came to love her very deeply. It may seem strange to hear a vampire talking about love, but that's the only way to describe it. As a creature of the night, I still retained emotion and feeling, and I was truly in love with her. And I would like to believe that she was also in love with me.
One night, ten years after I was bitten, she and I were walking through town. We had already fed, and were heading home, when we heard a commotion ahead of us. Amanda, being a very curious person, wanted to see what was going on. As we approached a park, we heard distinct voices. We stepped to the edge of the treeline and saw a group of people walking down the street. As the got closer, we both immediately realized that they were armed.
Beside me, Amanda gasped and, gripping my arm, pulled me deep into the wooded park. Behind us, we heard the men enter the forest. Telling me to run back to the house and hide there, she turned and walked back towards the men.
Rather than leave her alone, I chose to follow her. Silently, I walked down the trail she had taken, listening for any sounds. Ahead of me, I heard a man scream and then gunfire. I broke into a run, charging towards the woman I loved and these unknown men.
As I ran, I saw light flashing through the trees. Nearing the source of the brightness, I slowed and silently advanced. I entered a clearing and saw Amanda standing in the center, holding a man's head in her hand. On the ground around her were three bodies. She was staring down the path.
"What happened?" I asked quietly, knowing she would easily hear me.
Amanda dropped the head and turned to face me. Blood covered her face, dripping from her chin. Her eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.
"Those were hunters," she replied in a low growl. I knew instantly why she had gasped at the sight of them. When she had been teaching me about how to live as a vampire, Amanda had often mentioned the hunters as being the greatest danger we faced. Mortals who devote their lives to hunting and killing vampires.
Though few humans know of our existance, the largest part of those who do are hunters. They seek to rid the world of vampires. Over the centuries, they have perfected their art.
Amanda and I returned home just before sunrise and slept. When we awoke that night, we prepared for our usual walk around town. Little did I know that this would be the last night I would spend with Amanda.
As we walked the streets, I spotted a man breaking into a house. I told Amanda to go ahead and, expecting this to be a routine kill, took a seat to await her return. I was able to watch from my vantage point, but even I didn't see the hunters approach.
As Amanda crept towards her prey, five men burst from their cover around the thief. One fired a shotgun towards Amanda and I saw her back explode as the burst passed through her body. For a moment, I was too stunned to move. Then, lightning quick, I jumped up and ran towards them. Alas, I was too late.
Approaching, I saw a man kneel over Amanda's injured body and drive a stake through her heart. I stopped in my tracks, too shocked to even breath. I couldn't believe that my companions, the woman I loved, was being killed before my very eyes.
Then one of the hunters spotted me. Yelling out, he leveled a gun at me and started firing. Immediately, I broke from my thoughts and fled.
I hid out for an hour, and then returned to the scene. What I found there is forever imprinted in my memory. The hunters had poured gasoline over Amanda's body and burned it. Once ashes were all that remained, they had taken her teeth and departed, leaving her remnants behind.
In a state of shock, I gathered her ashes and buried them near our home. Then I left the town I had lived in all my life. I couldn't stand to continue living in the house we had shared. There were too many memories there, too many demons to face.
For the longest time, I was stricken with guilt. Why hadn't I tried to save her? Could I have done something? Later I realized that, had I done anything differently, I would now be dead as well. The hunters had led us into a trap, and I had been lucky to escape alive.
I moved to New York and soon came to enjoy the night life of the Big Apple. I hunt every night, I go to clubs and shows. I spend time with mortals, meeting people and learning what I can about the city.
I know that one day I may find myself facing the hunters again. When that day comes, perhaps I will avenge the woman I loved, and perhaps I will die. Whatever the outcome, I will know that justice has been done. I have killed and I have lost loved ones. That is the way of life. Those are the rules. Even a vampire has to understand that. Life and death are integral parts of the universe. I kill, and one day I will be killed. As the French say, "C'est la vie."