Urges

In the beginning of the afterlife, every spirit is the same, none are bad and none are good. They are stuck in the in between state of limbo. But every spirit also has urges and desires. Now it is the desires that are good or bad, and it is by denying or acting on them that a spirit becomes either good or evil. This is the story of a spirit that conformed to his hunger…1

Trent Kelly, or rather the ghost of Trent Kelly sat amongst the church gargoyles that guarded the city from evil. His long, sinewy legs dangled over the stone ledge that he perched on. Poison green eyes watched the living move through the city below, like busy ants. Trent licked his pale lips. He hungered for them, and had been for some time. He wanted to kill and eat them all, right down to the last mother and child.2

A strong wind whistled through the tall towers and statues of the cathedral. The spirit’s shaggy, orange hair blew over his eyes, disrupting his view of the people below. The front of his long, black coat blew open, giving the specter the appearance of a demonic bat. Irritably, he pushed his hair from his eyes and held it back. Trent stared at the people once again. From that distance they looked like little more than differently colored insects.3

Suddenly, a dark purple ‘insect’ caught hold of Trent’s attention, and didn’t let go. A strong urge drove him to move closer to the purple speck. He did. Dropping down to the next ledge, he continued to do so until he could see each person clearly. They were now distinguishable by variations in their hair, faces, and clothing, rather than just by their color. Mixed in with the others was a blonde-haired beauty clad in the richest of violets. The shadows and lighting of the city fell over her tanned skin to the best advantages. Her high cheekbones and full, rosy lips made the ghost that watched her wish to rake his long-nailed fingers over that lovely face.4

But not only did he want to touch that perfect body, he wanted to suck the life out of it. He wanted to devour her soul and flesh to nourish the desires of his being. Trent bent forward and extended a translucent arm to her. The woman however moved away and out of Trent’s field of vision.5

The spirit moved to follow her. Sliding off of his ledge, he weaved through the street after her, invisible to everyone around him. The woman in the purple dress and shawl wound in and out of market stalls, golden curls bouncing as she went. Trent stayed close behind her, waiting obsessively from the shadows. 6

He tailed the woman all through the day, growing hungrier and more impatient with each hour. Hungrily, he waited for her to leave the public and go home. And finally, she did. As the sky darkened and his patience was near gone, she entered a house. It was a quaint house made of brick with a small but inviting garden of pansies and petunias beneath the windows, and in the back a tall tree grew.7

And it was from below the glass portals that Trent observed the purple lady dine with her family. A large roasted bird was set in the middle of the table. The scent of it drifted out through a small crack in the window. His mouth watered, but not for the bird.8

He waited until she went to her bedroom to climb the tree. He watched hungrily as she undressed and lay on the bed. When she fell into a deep slumber, Trent silently slid into the woman’s room. For a moment, he only watched her sleep.9

Then, he fell forward on to the bed. Wrapping his cold arms around her, he loosened their clothes whilst kissing her neck. He moved so that he was on top of her. She shivered from his touch, but he did not stop. Lips migrating to hers, he forced her mouth open. Intense joy filled him as he felt her soul flow out through her mouth and warm his body. 10

As her warmth diminished and her breathing ceased, Trent bit down on her shoulder. A chunk of flesh tore away easily and he quickly swallowed it. He bent down and bit another piece cleanly away. Almost no blood moistened the white sheets, as the heart that pumped it was now motionless. Trent slowed his feeding after the first few bites, savoring the taste of the tan and crimson tissue. 11

With each bit that he consumed, his ghostly body became more lifelike; more visible and more solid. When there was nothing left but a skeleton, Trent stood and wiped the scarlet stain from his mouth and licked it away from his fingers. Tightening his belt, he smiled. It had felt and tasted so good.12

Jumping from the window, he left the house and rejoined the people in the street. His desires had been sated for a while, but now they were back. And with his new, more solid body, he planned to catch a lot more prey.