Bury Your Pain In My Coffin

Note: This story is adapted from an audio script I wrote and shared on Reddit with the same title and username.

...

It's just after ten when I park the car outside of the house. It took much longer to drain, process and dump the body than I had initially estimated. I finally walk in, staggering with two heavy milk crates. I can hear her bedroom door slam open. Her bare feet race up the stairs with swift silence.

She's wearing an oversized Garfield tee-shirt with sweatpants and her hair is still braided with the pink ribbons I gave her. Her eyes are sunken and cheeks hallow from starvation. She didn't stop to greet me. I know her hunger is past the point for pleasantries. Her delicate fingers seize one of the jugs from the crates. Throwing off the cap, she guzzles down the crimson liquid. Throat fluttering, she greedily gulps down the life essence of the man I killed and drained only a few short hours ago.

I feel guilt watching her drink so hungrily. Not for the life I took but for making her wait so long to feed. It's been nearly a month since her last meal and I hate watching her try to conceal her hunger pains. I offered her some of mine, but she refused. When I accepted this position, she promised never to feed from me as long as I kept her safe.

...

I saw the ad online for an In-Home Caregiver while job hunting at the public library. I was desperate for money and a place to stay. The landlady for the apartment I subletted told me she couldn't renew my lease at the end of the month. The sublet arrangement was initially done under her nose, so I didn't blame her for wanting me out. The friend of mine who had lived there prior was trying to help me after my divorce. My daughter had died a few months before that and it wasn't long until my already frayed marriage completely fell apart.

Taking care of our daughter consumed so much of us: the endless doctor appointments, infusions, clinical trials. I took time off work to help care for her but was eventually let go. Nobody around us understood what it was like to be a parent to a sick child that would never get better. We were told when she was diagnosed with leukemia that her prognosis would be a little over 50%. But then we discovered that she had contracted HIV from a tainted blood transfusion. By that point, my wife and I were trauma bonded more than romantically attached. When our daughter passed, we were hollowed out. The last thing that kept us together was gone.

After some back and forth emailing, I showed up to the house after dusk. I stood for a moment outside wondering if I had the correct address.

...

No lights were on inside the house. It looked like no one was home. Situated on a quiet street with other old brick craftsman style homes, there wasn't anything unusual about the house from the curb. Except for the overgrown lawn and some shingles missing from the roof. Even still, a dark foreboding came over me staring at the house. If I wasn't desperate for cash and a place to crash, I would have gotten back in my car. But I didn't have that luxury.

The planks of the front porch creaked and sagged under my footsteps. I pried open the screen door that had fallen off one of its hinges. Before I could knock, the front door slowly creaked open. I stepped into a dark, musky-smelling, wood paneled foyer with faded wallpaper.

This house must have been a beautiful and cherished home once. But whoever lives here now is probably in over their head with the burden of home ownership, which would explain the need for a caregiver. I wasn't certain who I would meet when I got there. The email messages didn't give much detail about who my client would be.

"Hello?" I asked but no one responded.

I noticed a soft glow coming down the hallway. I walked in closer to investigate and heard what sounded like music from a television. I thought: Perhaps it's an elderly person with the volume jacked up so high they can't hear me? I moved closer and recognized the voice of Fred Rogers singing: *Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor?*

I poked my head into what appeared to be a living room. It was sparsely furnished, with a loveseat and rocking chair positioned in front of an old television set with antenna. Seated in the loveseat, was a girl, or what appeared at first to be a girl. With her slight frame, frilly pink dress and head full of curls, I thought at first she was a child. Slowly she turned her head from the tv towards me. Her nostrils flared and her pupils dilated.

"Hi. I'm here about the In-Home Caregiver ad?"

"I know." She responded. Her voice sounded older than what I was expecting to come from what appeared to be a girl in her teens. But then again, I'm not great at decerning people's ages. Her face looked doll-like and beautiful in the glow of the tv screen. But her eyes had dark, heavy bags; suggesting poor sleep or insomnia. She must have muted the tv somehow because I could only focus on her voice.

"So... is the position for your parent, or...."

"It is for me." She went on to tell me that she needed me to pick up a package and bring it back to the house.

She pointed to an envelope with an address written on it. She instructed me to pick up the package from the person who answers the door and give them the envelope.

"Don't open the package and don't open the envelope." She warned.

Time passed strangely quick. I barely remember getting in my car and driving to an unmarked building in a warehouse district on the other side of town. I knocked on the door and gave the man who answered the envelope. He handed over a cooler that was duct taped shut. I was confused there wasn't a package, but before I could ask a question the man slammed the door shut in my face. I shrugged, returned to my car and drove back to the house.

Before long I was back in the living room and deposited the cooler on the loveseat next to the girl. I think I heard her stomach growl. Without warning she ripped open the cooler and retrieved a full blood bag. I watched in shock as she bit into the bag and started to suck down its contents. Soon the entire bag lay flat and empty, as if she were drinking from a juice box.

The sight of blood incited memories of my daughter's transfusions. I remembered how initially she squirmed and protested before the long needle went into her little arm. Eventually she got used to this unpleasant process and would give over her arm to any nurse that asked. I regretted how desensitized she became to being poked and prodded at a such a young age. And all for what? She ended up dying anyway.

The girl looked up at me quizzically and asked what my daughter's name was.

How did she know I had a daughter? I never mentioned her in our emails. And how did she know she was gone?

"Stephanie." I said.

"I'm Evelyn."

Her eyes were an usually beautiful amber color and curtained with long, doll-like lashes. I noticed the bags under her eyes were now gone and she looked refreshed. As if she just woke up from a nap.

Licking her red stained lips Evelyn told me I had the job and could move my things in tomorrow night.

"Don't worry. You'll be safe here. I can resist my urges, if you can as well."

...

When I woke up that morning, the sun shone brightly through the windows of my home. I was surprised to find my ex-wife in bed with me. We were still married and living together! I heard the robins chirping in our backyard. I could smell the same old laundry softener she liked to use on the sheets.

She was wearing one of her lacey teddies and lying with her back to me. Feeling amorous, I rolled over and pulled her in close to me - pressing her frame against mine. My cock stirred awake as I kissed the back of her neck. My hands wandered across her body, enjoying her familiar curves. When my lips touched her shoulder, I realized her body was stiff and cold. Turning her to face me, I was greeted by a pair of clouded, milky grey eyes and blue lips.

I woke up with a jolt in the same dank sublet apartment I feel asleep in earlier. It was 10 o'clock in the morning and I was alone in my futon bed. A wave of relief washed over me. It was just a nightmare. But I also felt a pang of sadness remembering the simple pleasures I once had. I sighed and roused out of bed to start the day of packing and moving.

...

It didn't take long to pack up all the stuff I had in the apartment. Most of my belongings were still in a storage unit. I turned in my key and told the landlady I was moving out that day. She looked absolutely thrilled.

I returned to the house at dusk with some groceries I picked up for myself along the way. I opened the refrigerator door and was jarred by how empty it was. Not even a carton of milk or a jar of mayo. Then I opened one of the crisper drawers and saw four full blood bags stacked inside. This is really happening, I thought. I am working for an actual vampire.

I turned around and was startled to see a pair of glowing amber eyes staring back at me. Evelyn was watching me from the dark hallway in the same dress she wore last night.

"Do you think you could wear a bell or something to let me know when you're coming?"

She shrugged off my question. "You'll get used to it."

She informed me that I could help myself to the upstairs space, since she only needed the basement for herself. I thanked her and continued unloading my groceries into the fridge. A strange question popped into my brain.

"So, do you only feed on blood bags or do you... ummm... tap from the source?"

"I try to avoid it when I can. The anticoagulants and preservatives they add to the bags taste unpleasant but I don't enjoy hunting. That's why I hired you."

She stepped closer to me and I looked down into her eyes. I began to feel a strange prickling feeling across my skin as my vision blurred.

...

When my vision cleared, daylight was streaming in through the stain glass windows of this very same house. Although this was the house was the same, it felt like a different era. The furnishings were different. Fancy carpets and vintage wooden furniture were everywhere. I saw a middle aged man smoking a pipe in the living room rocking chair. He was reading a newspaper and scowling. In a blur, I saw this same man reappear at the front door wearing some military uniform and kissing what appeared to be his wife and teenage daughter goodbye.

The two women blurred out of focus and reappeared in the living room both wearing all black. The carpets were rolled up and some of the furniture was missing. The girl was sitting in the rocking chair holding what appeared to be some kind of medal on a short ribbon.

In a different vision, I saw the mother and daughter returning home wearing white cloth face masks. They had gathered up vegetables from their backyard. More furniture was missing in the house and the women were wearing simpler clothing than they had before.

My vision blurred again and a different man appeared at the front door waiting for the mother to invite him inside. She let him in and made him a plate of food in the kitchen. When she brought him his meal his face contorted into a demonic snarl. His open mouth revealed a set of gnarled fangs. She screamed while he ripped open her neck.

The girl ran down the stairs and screamed at the sight of her mother on the ground with blood splattered across the walls. The man turned his blood soaked face to the girl, sneering with his ugly fangs. He lunged and chased her up the stairs.

When my vision cleared, Evelyn walked through the front door with a different man. She was turned and I recognized her doll-like face and amber eyes. I could hear the man's lewd thoughts when he walked inside.

He was thinking about all the dirty things he wanted to do to Evelyn. He was under the impression he was going to be paying her for sex. The John looked surprised to see another man seated in the living room rocking chair. Evelyn locked the door behind her. The vampire in the rocking chair smiled and said (good girl) before lunging towards their guest.

...

I came back to my current state, standing in the kitchen holding a frozen pizza while holding the freezer door open. Evelyn was staring at me with a concerned expression.

"Is he still..."

"No. I took care of him a while ago but I had to live with him for many years."

I didn't know what to say after seeing those awful memories. What could I say? I felt like I had to say something...

"You don't need to say anything. I'm not looking for pity... just understanding. I won't hunt, unless I have to. And I wouldn't feed from you because I won't take blood from the unwilling... or undeserving."

...

The next day, I opened up my storage unit. There were some useful housewares and other things I thought would be nice to have at the house. Plus, I could save money by cleaning out the storage unit. While pulling out some boxes, I noticed one that was labeled: Stephanie. It held some of her personal items I meant to donate: old clothes, some random toys, stickers, shimmery nail polish. I remembered how Evelyn seemed to wear the same dress every day and not much else. Maybe she would want these?

I was setting up my old television in the living room when Evelyn came up from the basement. I showed her the box and said she could have whatever she wanted from it. As I showed her the things inside, she smiled and her eyes widened with curiosity. She seemed particularly interested in the tiny bottles of colorful nail polish.

"Have you painted your nails before? I used to help Stephanie with hers. If you'd like, I can..."

Before I finished my sentence, she grabbed all the bottles and sat with them on the love seat. I sat next to her and after she picked a color she liked I carefully started painting her thumb nail. After approving the first coat, I continued painting the rest of her digits. It felt calming painting her nails, just as it did when I did it for Stephanie.

...

Our lives continued like this for the next couple of months. I would pick up the blood bags once a month and take care of Evelyn and the house the rest of the time. We grew quite attached to each other. Often we would end the day cuddling on the couch watching television. I can't remember when she started calling me, "Daddy". I didn't mind her calling me that, so it just stuck.

While drinking blood was a basic necessity, she really thrived from affection. Every morsel of gentle kindness I offered her, she devoured without hesitance. It was easy to forget that she was a vampire - a creature cursed to hunt and feed from the living. She was more preoccupied with reclaiming the innocence that was stolen from her so many years ago. And it was my duty to protect that innocence.

But everything changed when the illicit blood bank abruptly closed up shop. I came back home empty handed and explained the situation to Evelyn. She had baked me chocolate chip cookies but it felt wrong to eat when she was hungry.

I offered potential ideas: buying blood from a slaughterhouse, trapping wild animals... but these were only short term solutions. She would eventually need real human blood. I thought back to when a friendly man waved hello to me when I last mowed the lawn.

Before I could say anything, Evelyn stopped me: "I won't eat the neighbors, Daddy."

...

I went back to the public library to do some more research on potential sources of human blood. I looked through public sex offender records on one of the computer terminals. Perhaps one of these guys could have done something heinous enough for Evelyn to approve of me hunting them? I noticed a guy seated in the computer terminal in front of me. He was watching something questionable on the monitor and touching himself under his pants.

I followed him home to his trailer on the sketchy side of town. It looked like he lived alone judging from the fact there were no other cars around the trailer. It wasn't a large trailer park and seemed like the kind of place where people won't get too noisy if one of the neighbors disappeared. I left to pick up some things at a hardware store and returned to the trailer after dark.

I knocked on his door and told some story about car trouble and needing to use a phone to call tow truck. It looked like he was a few beers in and didn't put up much of a fight when I smacked him over the head with the tire iron I held against my back.

...

A few more months passed and my hunting skills improved but success became more elusive. Evelyn had to wait longer and longer in between meals. Even though she said she was getting by fine, I felt like I was failing her.

I wanted to keep her happy but I also wanted to keep her alive.

"Why don't you change me?" I finally offered one night. "I would be a lot better at this if I had your abilities."

Evelyn shook her head. "You would turn into him."

"No! I wouldn't because I have you. You would keep me from killing like that. I... love you."

Evelyn nodded. She knew. She could read my mind but she already knew by my actions how much I cared for her. She climbed into my lap and gave me the softest kiss on the lips.

"I just want you to stay as you are. You're a nice man."

I stroked her curly hair and smiled. "As long as you're around, I'll always be your Daddy."

She kissed me again. Soft and sweet that eventually melted into more passionate, probing, tasting. Feeling a familiar stirring growing in my pants, I began to question my actions but Evelyn silenced my concern.

"I want you to touch me, Daddy."

I let her hands guide mine to her chest as she continued to kiss me. I caressed her small breasts as she started grinding against my stiff cock. Her nipples began to harden from my touch. I could hear my own heart beating loudly in my ears. I started to ache with the need to be inside of her. To be as close to her as I could be. She moved my hands down her body and under her skirt. I could feel a damp spot in the soft fabric of her panties.

"Touch me."

I slipped my fingers against her soft mound and gave it a gentle rub. She let out a gentle purr of a moan. I kissed her forehead and I continued to caress her. In this moment, I want her to feel loved from the pleasure I gave her. I held her close to my chest with my other arm while I continued rubbing her little wet pussy.

Her legs starting to twitch against my thighs and I whispered sweet praises in her ear. When she hit her climax, I held her as she fell. Her body uncoiled in my arms into a blissful puddle. After a few gasps, she recovered her breath. I continued to praise her and rub her back. I saw the embers of lust still burning in her heavy-lidded, amber eyes.

"If you're ready, you can join me downstairs."

I nodded and helped her up off my lap. Holding my hand she guided me downstairs to her bedroom.

She turned on the over head light and revealed a open casket lined with satin. She instructed me to remove my clothes and get in first. I complied and watched as she removed her dress and panties. After I laid myself down, she curled up on top of me and gave me more of her sweet kisses.

Her cool, bare skin felt so soft. My hands traveled across her body, enjoying every touch. I jumped a little when her cold fingers grasped my aching cock. She held my gaze as she slid me into her slowly. I groaned as I felt her envelop me deep inside her in the most intimate embrace.

I placed my hands on her hips and pleaded that she go slowly. As ready as I was, I also wanted to savor these last few moments of my human existence with her. She continued to kiss me as she rode me with a measured pace. But it wasn't long until that pace became more frantic, more urgent, more hungry for another climax. I couldn't hold back either, I could feel myself getting ready to cum in my sweet little girl's pussy. I gasped as I began to throb deep inside of her.

As my head began to swim with the rush of pleasure, I felt her teeth sink deep into my neck.

The pain of her bite and the pleasure of my orgasm overwhelmed me. I gasped for air as she drained me of blood and semen. My body completely surrendered to her appetite. I gave everything over to my little girl. All my life essence was hers to take as she needed. Eventually I felt no pain, only bliss as she continued to consume from me. When I began to feel dizzy and weak, she removed her lips from my neck and bit open her slender wrist.

"Drink up, Daddy."

I opened my lips and let the taste of copper flood my mouth. I forced myself to swallow as she squeezed more blood out of her arm. My stomach lurched in protest of the unnatural sustenance. I forced myself to continue to drink and swallow all she gave me.

I could already feel changes happening inside me. My body felt colder. I knew I was dying and began to feel fear creeping into my brain. Eventually she stopped feeding me and gave me a reassuring kiss.

She closed the casket door and we were both shrouded together in total darkness. Holding me close, she hummed softly as I felt my heart slowing down.

I felt calm then. Ready for my life to end and a new one to begin.