Page 39 of Bloody Kingdom

No, that doesn’t make sense.

The confusion only builds the longer I’m in here. There’s only one case left and against my better judgment, my feet carry me there slowly. This one holds more pictures, the longer I stare at them the more my body trembles.

“It’s not possible,” I whisper to myself over and over again.

The paintings turn into photographs as the years go by. Each year the technology progresses, growing and changing with time, but the subject of them never changes. Never grows older. His style changes and his wardrobe adapts, but in each picture, he’s exactly the same.

In the span of centuries, the man—Silas—never changes. It’s as if he’s frozen in time, forever stuck the way he is.

“But it’s not possible,” because if it were, that would mean he’s… “Immortal.”

And there is no such thing as immortality. People have been chasing it since the dawn of time to no avail. If it were out there, wewould knowabout it. In the age of science and technology, if there were immortals, the worldwouldknow.

But how can I argue with physical evidence in front of me?I can’t and that’s the problem.

He acts as if he’s untouchable—indestructible. He doesn’t write like he’s from this time and sometimes, he doesn’t speak like he’s from this time. If what’s before me is true, this would make him centuries old.

“It’s not possible.”

Sixty years I’ve worked for Mr. Laurent…Ira’s earlier comment floats through my mind. I shrugged it off as just being the byproduct of pain medication and senility, but now I’m not so sure.

Shaking my head, I slowly back away from the wall of perfectly preserved history. I feel like I’m going to be sick. The chills I had when I first came down here are long gone. The adrenaline has made me hot and sweat coats my skin.

When my back connects with something, the surprised yelp that escapes me bounces off the walls. I spin around so fast my head spins. The relief I feel when I don’t find anyone standing there is short-lived because sitting before me is a small black mini fridge. It reminds me of the ones that would be in a college dorm, but what is it doing down here?

Don’t open it. You’re not going to like what you see.

It seems to be a theme of the day to ignore my inner voice, so why stop now? With a long sigh, I kneel in front of the door and with shaky fingers, I slowly open it. Part of me expects for something to jump out at me. It would be par for the course at this point, but to my relief, nothing happens.

I’d hoped it was just a refrigerator Silas used to store his booze. That may have been a selfish hope stemming from me feeling like I need to drown my thoughts in vodka right now. Utterly disappointed, the only things I find inside are bags of fresh blood.

Blood.

Just like the empty bags I saw in the waste bin weeks ago.

Finally, my knees give out and I drop to my ass on the stone floor as the most insane thought crosses my mind. I can’t help but laugh at it, but the sound is anything but humorous. It’s almost pained.

Was she fucking right this whole time?

My mom tried to convince me it was all real when I was younger, that the monsters in the night were truly out there and I did have something to be afraid of. As a child I believed her tales, but eventually I wised up, and concluded she was nothing but an alcoholic, spinning fairy tales for money. That has been mytruthfor over a decade, and the possibility that she’s been right this whole time is too much for me to handle.

He doesn’t age. I’ve only seen him during the day. He’s incredibly strong and fast.The blood…

If Mom’s been right, that means I’ve been living in a world full of monsters.

That means I’ve been living under the same roof as one.

It means I kissed a…

“Vampire.”

Ever had a world-shattering, life-changing, revelation that literally knocks you on your ass? I thought my world had been rocked enough in the last month, but it turns out the universe has decided to throw me one last curveball just as a littlefuck you.

Vampires.

This is just the cherry on top of my downward spiral. There was a time I didn’t think I was going to make it out of this house alive, now I’m not sure I’m going to make it out of here with my sanity intact. I’m pretty sure I’ve been booked a non-refundable ticket to the funny farm and at this point, I may go willingly. Straitjacket and padded mittens no longer needed.

By some miracle, I got out of the creepy basementshrineand Silas’s office without being caught. So maybe the universe hasn’t decided to totally fuck me in the ass just yet and someone is still out there looking out for me. I checked in on Ira and when I found him peacefully working on his crossword still, I left him to pull myself together in private.

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