Author Topic: Interview with a Night Walker  (Read 10790 times)

Offline Hosfac

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Interview with a Night Walker
« on: February 02, 2011, 10:48:35 PM »
*This isn't so much a dynasty or legacy as it is a story.  After getting nightlife, I found that I really liked Bridgeport and many of it's inhabitants.  While I've never been a fan of vampires (zombies is more my thing lol), I found the whole concept in the Sims 3 somewhat interesting.  As I was bored one evening, I put my meager writing skills to work creating a story revolving around one of my Bridgeport sims.  The story will continue and evolve as I play.

To anyone with any literary experience/talent:  I am not a professional, but I always welcome constructive criticism on style and form.  If you see any way this might be improved, let me know.

To anyone else:  Feel free to tell me what you think, anyways.  :P

The sim:  Victoria Beltane, vampire.  Traits:  Genius, Charismatic, Star Quality, Bookworm, Great Kisser.

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Hello, day walker.  



No, you need not fear this creature of darkness…for there are many who are darker than I.  Besides, you are not my prey tonight, and I have already eaten, anyways.  Gluttony is the indulgence of a fool.  So ease your fragile heart, as I mean you no harm.

You wish for me to take you with me?  Ha!  You know not what you ask.  The immortality of my kind appeals only to the ignorant.  While I cannot say my life has been miserable, the existence of the night walkers is not an easy one.  I will tell you, if you have the ears to listen.

Good…



There are some who were born to this life, but I was not one of them.  A very long time ago, I was no different from you.  A young, naïve soul, fresh out of medical school, my head full of lofty dreams of helping people and rich fantasies of husband and child.  My entire life was ahead of me, and I something told me that life would be found in Bridgeport.  But things did not go quite as I had imagined.



I moved into a small loft apartment near the downtown area.  It was a quiet building, and the furnishings were modest, but it suited my tastes at the time, I suppose.  It was quiet, which would allow me to continue my studies as I worked.  My small existence saw it as “perfect.”

And then…all that changed.



I decided to apply at the hospital…after all:  I was an aspiring doctor.  To my surprise, the administration did not even require a moment to reflect on my qualifications.  It was as though I got the job for no other reason than because I had walked in the door.  But I quickly sloughed off all concerns, as it seemed that my instincts were correct in bringing me to this city.  After all, my qualifications were impeccable.   Such pathetic arrogance.

I soon came to realize that my “instincts” had brought me nowhere…I was called here.

By her.  But I get ahead of myself…



During my second day at the hospital, I met an odd, young woman named Elvira.  It was a chance meeting in the hallway, and we barely shared a glance with one another, but as the week went on, my contact with her intensified.  She had taken an immediate liking to me, and as she was highly established in her career (far more than one would expect from a woman of her apparent age), I was eager to make myself of use to her.  Although she gave me an uncomfortable feeling whenever she was around, Elvira was likable enough.  And the feeling passed once I got to know her.

There was an incredible rumor going around the hospital about my new friend:  it was said that despite her youthful appearance, she actually was hundreds of years old.  I laughed this off as little more than professional jealousy.  I was a woman of science, after all, and such things were impossible.

But hidden inside every rumor is a kernel of truth.

It all began a couple of weeks later with an innocuous invitation.  After we had finished our rounds, she stared at me for a moment as if she were trying to discern what was going through my mind.  By this point, nothing she did struck me as strange anymore.  Through our working relationship we had become rather close, and I held her among my best friends.  And then she spoke to me:

“I’m having a party tonight,” she informed me.  “You should attend…formal attire, if you would be so kind.”

The hospital kept me busy, and I had virtually no friends outside of work, so I jumped at the opportunity to spend time in a social situation with my close friend and mentor.  And indeed, the gesture seemed benign enough.

But while I was ready for the party, I was ill prepared for the guest list.



There were numerous other people in attendance who gave me the same uncomfortable feeling as Elvira did when I first met her.  She was talking to them when I arrived, and I couldn’t help but feel like they were talking about me.  But once she noticed me, she introduced me to  Vladimir Schlick, Beau Merrick and Wogan and Morgana Hemlock.

“Finally, you‘re here,” Morgana told me.  “Elvira speaks highly of you.”

“I’m flattered,” I stammered, nervously.

Vladimir smiles and says to Elvira:  “We’re satisfied.”

Then the party-goers left the building, each saying goodbye to me as they departed, which left me alone with Elvira.

“I don’t understand,” I told her.  “What about your party?”

“It was a success,” she said bluntly.  “They like you well enough.”

“Well enough for what,” I asked, unsure I wanted to hear the answer.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about me,” she said, as she held a finger to my lips as I began to protest.

“You came here to help people,” she continued, “and while I have little interest in helping anyone, I won’t begrudge you of it.  But my kind dwindles, and we’ve watched you for some time:  we think you would be a worthy addition to our circle of friends.  We know that you would not use the ‘gift‘ we would give you for petty conquest or power-mongering.  Such things shed an uncomfortable light on us.”

Your kind,” I repeated for clarification.



“You wish to help people,” she repeated, ignoring my query. “But your own existence limits you.  Soon, you will wither and the abilities that took you years to acquire will be stolen from you in an instant by the cruel joke that is life.  And once life has taken everything it can from you, you’ll die broken and alone, and all your hopes and dreams will crumble and come to naught.”

I stood there, stunned with my head hanging at my friend‘s cruel words, unsure whether to be offended or crestfallen.  But she tenderly put her hand beneath my chin and lifted my head to look into her red, glowing eyes.



“But we offer you the chances that your very existence would deny you.  Where it would give you weakness, we offer you strength.  Where it would give you atrophy, we offer you a vigour you’ve never dared to dream of.  Where it would give you oblivion, we offer you a wondrous, new life.  We offer you the power to make all of your dreams come true.

“If only you would come with us…”

I didn’t even have to answer her…we were well past the point where mere words are a worthless gesture.  She already knew what my answer was.  She had known long, long before she was in a position to ask the question.  And the very moment that I realized that was the last instant in my very long life that I felt fear.






And I had often wondered:  had I known the true nature of our relationship, would I have gone to her party?  Yes, I probably would have.

To be continued.....
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Offline Pam

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2011, 11:29:36 PM »
That was exceedingly well done, Hosfac.  Well done, indeed.  Your spelling and grammar is nearly perfect, and you also have the ability to enthrall the reader.  My only criticism is that you didn't always maintain the tense throughout the story.  Mostly you wrote in past tense, but then I saw at least one spot where you switched to present tense. 

I hope you'll continue this story.  I enjoyed reading it very much.  :)
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Offline Hosfac

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2011, 11:42:33 PM »
My only criticism is that you didn't always maintain the tense throughout the story.  Mostly you wrote in past tense, but then I saw at least one spot where you switched to present tense. 

A bad literary habit, and this is something I've heard before.  I fixed what I could find.

And I'm glad you liked it.   :)
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Offline Saltypaws

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2011, 12:04:14 AM »
All I can say is wow.  That was really good and I cannot wait to continue to read your story.  Well done. :)
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Offline Pam

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2011, 12:19:51 AM »
A bad literary habit, and this is something I've heard before.  I fixed what I could find.

I do the same thing sometimes.  :)
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Offline Esther1981

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2011, 04:04:20 AM »
Awesome story Hosfac! I love vampires so this is right up my alley!!  ;D

Offline Hosfac

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2011, 06:57:49 PM »
On a slightly related side note:  the Medical career is incredibly annoying.  Veronica can sit at home doing nothing for a week at a time, but the moment I decide to have her go out and do something or have someone over, there's an emergency at the hospital.   >:(
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Offline Hosfac

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2011, 12:17:10 AM »
Part II

The transition to immortality was somewhat difficult for me, but becoming an entirely new creature never is easy.  Evolution is wrought with pain and suffering.  It is the way of things:  it steels the will for the life that comes after.  



No, no…the bite itself didn’t hurt.  Not as such.  In fact, it was almost pleasurable to start with, but near the end there was a brief moment of indescribable terror.  I vividly remember it, even now:  it was powerful and overwhelming, as I felt as though I was losing a very important part of myself.  Something that was more precious and dearer to me than I had previously realized.  I do not recall feeling so awake…so alive.  Not before, and definitely not since.  I have long yearned to experience something in my new life that equals the exhilaration that I remember from that particular emotion.

As that terror took hold of me, I tore myself away from her and ran.  I fled like a coward, stumbling out of the elevator and out into the cold night air of the desolate streets.  I rode the subway home, and for once my mind was empty and thoughtless.  I was exhausted from the night’s “festivities.”  If I had any desire at all at that point, it was little more than to make it home to the safety of my bed.





But there was little solace to be found in my slumber, as I was plagued by troubling dreams.  

Elvira had planned it all meticulously:  the party was Friday night, and I didn’t work during the weekends.  This gave me two days to recover from my ordeal, and admittedly I was in no state to work.  Besides, Elvira would undoubtedly be there on Monday, and I would have to be prepared to face her again.  So I spent the weekend out on the town, drinking and dancing, trying hard to drown the memories that haunted me with revelry and self-indulgence.  But despite my preoccupations, there were constant reminders.

The area where I was bitten itched incessantly.  It was easy enough to resist scratching, but it was maddening as it persisted throughout the day and well into Saturday night.  But I awoke Sunday morning to an odd fever of intensive heat.  It was as though my heart had erupted into a volcano, causing the lava to spill unchecked into my veins.  To say it was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

I briefly toyed with the idea of going to the hospital, but I quickly set that notion aside.  After all, what would I tell my colleagues?  That my co-worker, friend and mentor had bitten me and drank my blood?  I would have been a laughing stock.  Instead, I chose to continue with my plans for the evening in hopes that it would simply pass.  And pass it did.






As I returned home in the early hours of Monday morning, I was suddenly struck by a moment of exquisite and delicious pain.  It surpassed the definition of agony and transcended into a sensation that no mortal has ever experienced and survived long enough to create a word for.  It was as though my very soul had been violently and forcibly pierced with a great icicle, and that icicle then exploded into countless shards, flaying what remained of my mangled spirit into unrecognizable tatters.

Nothing new can be created unless something else is first destroyed.  To create a beautiful wooden table, a single tree must meet it’s end.  To create a glorious golden ring, a simple stone must be undone before the metal within is of any value.  In that moment, the creature that I used to be was razed to the ground, and a new, majestic and powerful being was built upon the ashes of an old, insignificant life.



I stood there for some time, as the entire world remade itself before my eyes.  It was as though I had awakened from a deep sleep, and my entire life up until that point had been a stifling dream.  As I drank deeply of my new awareness, I came to realize that the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing were wasted on the likes of the thing I was, just a moment ago.  All at once, the shackles of my mortal limitations were laid to ruin at my feet.

This does not mean that I was without constraints:  the removal of old impediments came at the price of new ones.  But I found my new limitations to be much more manageable.

During the day, I was a creature of extraordinary grace and power…and indeed I still am, even now.  But while sunlight does bring with it a disadvantage, it is not as noxious to us as common lore would lead you to believe.  Television and movies tend to embellish the truth for dramatic effect.  For us, sunlight is akin to what blunt force head trauma is to you:  it’s easily survivable in small quantities, but it’s only a matter of time before continued exposure to begins to take a ruthless toll.  It is best to avoid it, although depending on one’s profession, this is not always practical for either of us.



But as the sun sets, my dynamism truly unfolds.  I possess a strength and sharpness of mind that are unparalleled and equal to none, and I wield abilities that my scientific mind still struggles to comprehend.  I immediately saw how intoxicating my endowment was.  It could be easy to become lost in it…to consider oneself a god.  I then understood the others and their prudence in researching me.  I vowed then and there that I would not allow this decision to become erroneous.  And I have held true to my oath to this very day.

There is but a single thing I miss from my former life.  Your food does not agree with us, and I had quite an affinity for grape cobbler.  Regardless, I have often indulged myself in this mortal delicacy, although I always suffer for it later.  It is a small price to pay for that moment of nostalgia, really.

All in all, Elvira’s gift was indeed as wondrous as she led me to believe.  But this is one gift that comes at a terrible cost…

To be continued...
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Leto85

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2011, 04:29:14 AM »
I haven't read your story yet, just because I didn't find the time. But the reason I commend here is to say that you at least have choosen the right title for this. 'Interview with a daywalker'. Very well done. :D It's catching, even for someone like me who was looking for another topic on this forum at the moment.
I asume I don't have to ask you anymore if you liked both movies Blade and Interview with the Vampire? You're creative. I will read you story probably later on.

Succes!

Offline Esther1981

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2011, 01:46:59 PM »
I love when they turn! It is awesome all that red and the bats! Awesome update!

Offline Hosfac

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2011, 05:31:19 PM »
I asume I don't have to ask you anymore if you liked both movies Blade and Interview with the Vampire? You're creative. I will read you story probably later on.

I'm not a fan at all of vampire literature and movies, to be totally honest.  As I said, I'm more into the "struggle for survival" theme that permeates zombie movies, and the artful way George Romero incorporates current social realities into his films.

But as far as action movies go, Blade was up there with "The Matrix" series:  not the best, but they're definitely worth watching more than once.

Interview with a Vampire was really only an intriguing story to me for no other reason than because of Anne Rice's dark writing style.  The movie was pretty good (as she co-wrote the screenplay), even though it deviated near the end from the book, but I am in full agreement with her that Tom Cruise was an incredibly poor choice to play Lestat.  However, despite his general lack of talent, I think he did well...but somebody else could have done better.  Everyone else in the movie was superb.
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Online Metropolis Man

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2011, 05:38:12 PM »
So, I'm assuming your readers are supposedly doing the interviewing? That kind of threw me a little. In the movie you've got Christian Slater interviewing Brad Pitt. But, with your story title I was kind of like — who's doing the interviewing?

Offline Esther1981

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2011, 06:11:28 PM »
but I am in full agreement with her that Tom Cruise was an incredibly poor choice to play Lestat.  However, despite his general lack of talent, I think he did well...but somebody else could have done better.  Everyone else in the movie was superb.
:o What? I love that movie and I love Tom Cruise and I thought he was an amazing actor! So as not to get off-topic I have to say, I love the story so far and vampires are awesome!

Offline Hosfac

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2011, 08:33:24 PM »
So, I'm assuming your readers are supposedly doing the interviewing? That kind of threw me a little. In the movie you've got Christian Slater interviewing Brad Pitt. But, with your story title I was kind of like — who's doing the interviewing?

Yes, that was what I was attempting to convey.  But I guess Victoria is confiding more than she is being interviewed.

:o What? I love that movie and I love Tom Cruise and I thought he was an amazing actor! So as not to get off-topic I have to say, I love the story so far and vampires are awesome!

River Phoenix was Ms. Rice's pick to play Lestat, but the studio overrode her decision, much to her dismay...so River was cast as Daniel Molloy (the interviewer) instead.  But I suppose it was just as well that they picked Mr. Cruise, as River Phoenix passed away shortly before filming started.

I will say that Interview was some of his best work.  But is it great work?  Not really in my opinion.

Sorry about semi-derailing my own thread :P
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Offline Esther1981

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Re: Interview with a Night Walker
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2011, 09:15:18 PM »
I will say that Interview was some of his best work.  But is it great work?  Not really in my opinion.
Sorry about semi-derailing my own thread :P
Wow. Oh well, everyone has their own opinions! I know what you mean though it's so hard to stay on-topic sometimes! But, dragging myself back to the original topic, this is really an awesome story!

 

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