As Dusk Descends

Mildred’s heart raced with nervous anticipation as she stepped out of her flat. The evening air was balmy, and the scent of fresh spring blossoms wafted through the streets. She was set on a path, a purpose clear in her mind, as she made her way towards the park where she was to meet Philip.

For the entire week, she had feigned ignorance, playing the role of the unsuspecting girlfriend. She had chatted and smiled, never betraying the terror that coiled inside her like a spring. But the time came to confront him, the vampire.

Their meeting time was set, as always, for just after sunset. It was the beginning of May, so it was in the evening past 8 pm. Still, the park at the weekend was slightly busy. Families enjoyed the mild weather, couples strolled hand in hand, and children chased each other around the abundant blossoming trees.

“Hey, Mildred,” Philip greeted her, his voice smooth and welcoming. His silhouette was tinged with hues of the receding sun.

“Hi Philip,” Mildred responded with a tight smile. “Shall we take a walk?”

Mildred took the lead, guiding him towards the rose garden. She wasn’t sure if the myth that vampires despise roses was true or not, but she hoped to use it to her advantage.

The rose garden was in full bloom, a cacophony of colours and scents. “The roses are blooming beautifully, don’t you think, Philip?” Mildred asked.

“Indeed,” Philip replied, but his voice somehow held a hint of unease.

They continued walking, and exchanged trivial small talk. It was peaceful, but Mildred knew better. Underneath her calm facade, a storm was brewing.

Eventually, Mildred reached the specific rosebush she had in mind. The ribbon she used as a handle, tied to the items she had concealed within the bush, was peeping out. She stopped walking, glancing around. Fortunately, there were still some people around.

“Philip, you’ve mentioned your PhD in Magic once, remember?” Mildred asked, her voice breezy as if discussing the weather. “I was curious about it, so I looked you up.”

Philip smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah, that,” he began. “The reason you didn’t find my name in recent records is, well, because I never actually graduated. Life got in the way, you know…”

Mildred felt the irony seep into her. She gave a short, bitter laugh. “Oh, Philip, I know you,” she said sardonically. “If you were truly a dropout, you’d have invented some grand story by now. I can imagine you, trying to convince me that the dissertation published under your name decades ago, by an author long since dead, was actually yours. But instead, you admitted it, admitted the ‘lie’. That’s not like you. So, it must mean-”

She quickly grasped the ribbon at the edge of the rosebush in front of her, and drew out a crucifix and garlic bulbs she had hidden earlier. “The very claim you denied is the truth you’re trying to hide, isn’t it, Dr Jenkins?”

Turning pale, Philip staggered back. His eyes widened, but he seemed to not dare meet her gaze or glance at the crucifix she held. His features twisted into a look of despair. He muttered bitterly, “I knew this was inevitable.” But he couldn’t help but protest, “But honestly? Are you really going to tell me that because I didn’t insist on some absolute nonsense, it’s proof? Do you really think I’m such an idiot?”

“Of course not,” Mildred retorted, her voice sharp as a blade. “However, if you, who can’t cast a reflection in the mirror and whose heart doesn’t beat, have been secretly sucking my blood at night, that does become evidence. And yes, you are an idiot, regardless.”

“That makes more sense. I shouldn’t have agreed to go to that amusement park.” Philip sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Mildred, I can explain. But before that, could you put…,” he continued, gesturing to the crucifix and garlic in Mildred’s hands, a look of discomfort on his face, “them down first, please? They’re not conducive to conversation.”

“Why?” Mildred scoffed, her grip on the items tightening. “So you can erase my memory and manipulate me again, like you did at the headband stall?”

Philip visibly winced at her words. “Come on, you can’t call it manipulation to help you focus on more important things than trivial facts.” He raised his hands in a placating gesture. “If I’d truly tried to manipulate you, you wouldn’t have even considered confronting me like this.”

That remark only stoked the flames of Mildred’s anger, of course. She raised her voice, shouting back at Philip, “Yes, you must be really proud! Do you seriously think I would just do as you say after hearing that?”

“Alright, that wasn’t the best defence,” Philip admitted. “What I meant was, I really have no intention of wiping your memory. Look at how far things have gone. So… please, put them down.”

His final request held an uncanny weight. His grey eyes glimmered with an intensity that bore into Mildred’s soul, his powerful will seeping into her like poison. Despite her fear and reluctance, she felt an overwhelming compulsion. She finally yielded, her fingers loosening their grip around the crucifix and garlic. They dropped to the ground with a dull thud, leaving her defenceless. Terror swept through her, despite having known from the start that she was at a disadvantage.

After neutralising the threat, Philip visibly more relaxed. “I’m so, so sorry for being so forceful,” he apologised. “But I just… I simply can’t tolerate those things.”

He let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders drooping. “Okay, let’s get this straight. Even though we both know the truth, it’s important to be clear before we continue… I am a vampire.”

“So, you are really that Howard Jenkins, the one who died decades ago?” Mildred asked with a quivering voice. “The scholar whose Wikipedia article comes up on the first page of Google search results?”

Philip’s jaw tensed at the mention of the name, his eyes darkening. “Well, it’s a bit more complicated to simply say yes, but if I correct the tense… yes, I was.”

“Dr Howard Jenkins, who had a wife and a daughter,” she said contemptuously.

“I had had,” he corrected the tense again, his voice growing quieter. “Death separated her and me. I’m a completely free man.”

Mildred rolled her eyes. “Of course, you’d say that. But let’s not pretend you’ve been entirely honest with me.”

At her words, a flush crept over Philip’s pale features, and he began to whine, “But you said it doesn’t matter because I look young…”

“I said your age doesn’t matter, not your history,” Mildred retorted in annoyance. “Don’t twist my words.”

The absurdity of the situation hit her then. Here she was, arguing with her vampire boyfriend about his dishonesty. Shaking off her annoyance at Philip’s pitiful response, she returned to the grim reality of their conversation.

“Let’s get to the main point, Philip. Have you been harming and killing people?”

Ridiculously, Philip seemed less uncomfortable with this topic. He straightened his posture and met her gaze directly. “Yes, I usually do. I won’t deny that. But Mildred,” he added quickly, “I never hurt you.”

“How dare you suck my blood in that hotel and say you never hurt me? And what about the steakhouse thing?” Mildred shot back.

Philip flinched at her anger, but he tried to defend himself. “The incident at the steakhouse was out of control, and the pinprick at the hotel — it can’t be harmful. Look, you dragged me into the sun, and I couldn’t sleep or eat all day. I’m sorry, really. But you can’t blame me for licking a few drops of blood. Seriously, what harm have I caused?”

“Of course, I can’t blame you for what I remember,” she replied sarcastically. “Especially since you have a habit of messing with my memory.”

“I didn’t do anything!” desperation crept into his voice. “How can I prove the absence? Look at you, you’re perfectly healthy. I only did the bare minimum to avoid this situation… That’s all.”

“Surely all your victims would have been perfectly healthy,” said Mildred, her voice cracking, “until you killed them. Philip, tell me, do you plan to kill me like Bob?”

“You are different from them!” Philip exclaimed defensively, then a frown knitted his brows. “But… who the hell is Bob?”

“Are you going to come all the way here and pretend you don’t know?” she snapped. “Bob, the barista who worked at the café before me. I heard from Emily. She saw you kissing him, and a week later he was dead. You can’t claim it was a coincidence, can you?”

Philip’s eyes narrowed as he seemed to sift through a mental catalogue. His expression cleared after a moment, but it was cold, dismissive. “Oh, him. I see,” he finally said. “How can I remember the name of my victim from half a year ago?”

Mildred’s breath caught in her throat as she absorbed the chilling indifference in his voice. She suddenly realised the man in front of her was a cold, arrogant predator. She couldn’t help but ask, “How many people have you killed so you don’t remember them all?”

“Three to four per month,” he answered with a flicker of malice in his gaze. “If that’s the statistic you want.”

“So, will that statistic include me soon? There’s no difference between Bob and me, is there? Are you going to kiss me casually, and then bite my neck?” Mildred asked through gritted teeth, her body trembling.

Philip’s face softened. His eyes, which had moments ago seemed so cold, took on a shade of sadness. “Listen, Mildred,” he began, his voice gentle. “As for kissing Bob, it was just… an appetiser before the main course, like always. It’s completely different with you. What’s the point of dating a victim for six months? Giving all sorts of presents, and inventing nonsensical lies?”

Mildred couldn’t contain her disgust at Philip’s casual mention, treating Bob like he was a literal meal. “Then what’s your point? Am I a longer ‘full course’ to you?” her voice dripped with distrust.

“The point? You’re asking me what my point is?” A pained look crossed his face. “Same point as yours!” he cried out. “Do you remember? It was you! You were the one who first talked to me, approached me, and asked me out. What did you want, huh? Why do people date others?”

His voice cracked. His shoulders were shaking as he buried his face in his hand. Mildred could hardly believe this absurdity. “Crying? Seriously, are you crying?”

“I just wanted a normal relationship. Chats, hugs, and kisses…” he mumbled through his hand. “Not that kind of ‘kiss’. Just… just a normal kiss.”

Philip looked up, his eyes red and puffy. “This isn’t some ‘only you are special’ crap. But, damn, everyone needs someone special. Even if they’re monsters… Maybe especially if they’re monsters,” he sniffled.

“It’s not very romantic to tell a woman ‘I just wanted someone even if they’re not you’,” Mildred coldly pointed out.

“You won’t believe it even if I said you’re special or something anyway,” he retorted, still sniffling. “And I didn’t say that. That’s not what I think. What I’m trying to say is that I need you, particularly you, not just anyone.”

Mildred felt her blood boil with frustration. As the pair of them — a couple, for crying out loud — stood there, yelling and sniping at each other, Philip was beginning to draw attention with his whimpering. Families had stopped walking, children gawking, and a couple whispering behind their hands. It was ridiculous. She stood in a public park, locked in an argument with a weeping, murderous monster terrified of being dumped. Should she be grateful for the presence of witnesses? But all she really wanted was to make him stop crying. It was just too embarrassing.

“If you can’t bear the emptiness of life, maybe you should stop murdering first, Philip,” she suggested.

“You don’t understand! If I had a choice, I’d have ended this cursed existence the first chance I got!” Philip whined. “I just… I wanted something normal with you. We’ve had good times, haven’t we?”

“Stop being a drama queen,” Mildred snapped. “We’re not having some deep philosophical debate about the nature of evil. The point is, you are pitiful. Seriously, ‘I need you’? After you’ve been treating me like an emergency glucose candy when your blood sugar’s low?”

“But hear me out,” Philip replied desperately. “In the end, everyone dies. Isn’t it better to enjoy life while we can?”

The incredibly foolish statement from his attempt to defend himself echoed through the rose garden. Silence fell for a moment.

“Is that what you’re telling me? That you might kill me if we keep this up?” her voice was frosty.

“No, no, no,” he stammered, realising the gravity of his mistake. “That’s not what I meant!”

But the damage was done. It was the final straw for Mildred. Finally, she declared, “We’re over, Philip. Please get out of my life.”

For a moment, Philip seemed like a statue, unmoving. She half-expected him to lash out, to use his supernatural powers to compel her to stay. Instead, he just deflated like a popped balloon. “Alright,” his voice was barely above a whisper.

His weeping had ceased, and he let out a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a sob. “I knew it. I knew it would end one day… Damn it, I got dumped!” he grumbled.

After a moment of awkward silence, Philip seemed to collect himself, albeit rather pathetically. He looked up at Mildred with a hopeful expression, his voice timid and unusually earnest. “Hey, this might sound super desperate, but could we, like, stay friends? Or acquaintances or something? Someone who says ‘hello’ in the street?”

The very first thought that came to her mind was to tell him to take a hike. She knew she could, and he would probably just shuffle off.

But another thought crossed her mind. The man in front of her was a vampire who admitted to killing 3 to 4 humans a month. That was Philip’s doing alone. How many more were out there? It struck her that having him as an ally, even a reluctant one, might not be the worst idea.

“Fine,” Mildred finally spoke. “But you need to promise not to harm me, my family, or any of my friends.”

Philip seemed to weigh his options before reluctantly nodding. “I promise,” he muttered, a sombre expression on his pale face.

Under a dusky sky, in the middle of a rose garden, a human and a vampire who were once a couple shook hands in promise. Though their romance was over, a new, uneasy alliance had been forged.