Writing prompts are great opportunities to exercise creative writing ability. The prompt consists a few sentences that describe a central scenario for a story. The writer then both creates a story based on the scenario and writes an excerpt from that story. Generally, the writer will write at least one scene from said story. However, it’s totally possible that the writer could write the entire story, if so dedicated.
I will add the writing prompt after my response entry. The idea behind the approach is to allow the audience to read the writing without any possible spoilers.
I hope you enjoy my story take on the writing prompt. Leave your questions, comments and feedback below!
“Welcome, everyone!” Vincent announced, sitting in one of the encircled chairs. “Feel free to have a seat, and we can begin.”
Several people were either mingling or loitering around the multi-purpose, conference room. Some were having snacks. Others were sipping beverages. Upon the announcement, all of them made their way to the circled grouping of chairs, in the center of the room.
“Good evening, “ Vincent stated once everyone was seated. “I’m glad to see you all here, today.”
“Thanks for having this at dusk,” spoke a pale woman seated to Vincent’s left. “It really made it easier to get here today.”
“No problem, “ Vincent replied. Addressing the group, he added, “Again, welcome to this newly formed H.A. meeting. We’re going to begin today’s meeting with introductions. We have a few new faces, and I’d like to make sure everyone is familiar before we move forward. I’ll start. I’m Vincent, the coordinator and host of these events. I’m here because the trauma people like us cause led to the death of two children that I cared for. I’m here to find a way to stem the tide of my destructive behavior. Let’s continue introductions moving to my left.
“Hi, “ started the pale woman from earlier. “My name is Sally. I’m here because I lost my husband due to the rash actions my addiction drove me to.”
“Hello, “ came a voice from Sally’s left. “My name is Steve. My addiction led me to O.D. and go into a catatonic state. It’s happened more than once. The last time it happened, someone almost killed me. If not for a good friend being near, then I wouldn’t be here right now. I can’t keep putting my life in danger like that.”
“Hey, “ came the next voice from the leftward progression. “I’m Paul…”
“Hey, Paul,” Vincent offered with a smile.
“I’m…” Paul continued. “I’m uh…”
“It’s okay, Paul,” Vincent comforted. “Just take your time. We’re happy to have you here with us, tonight. It’s all good if you need a minute to find the words.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Paul acknowledged. Still a bit unsettled, he continued, “Look, I was into some pretty heavy shit, not too long ago. It kinda backfired and now… now… I don’t know.”
“Hey, it’s cool,” Vincent offered. “Why don’t you just take it from the beginning? What was the ‘heavy shit’ you were involved in?”
“Look, “ Paul directed, “it’s pretty bad, but we just did what we had to do, you know?”
“Nobody’s judging you, Paul,” Vincent reassured. “We’ve all caused our share of pain due to our behavior. Nobody here can freely cast stones.”
“It’s just…” Paul struggled. “It’s the kids.”
“What kids, Paul?” Vincent queried.
“I’ve been this way for a long time,” Paul added. “I think it’s been so long that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be…”
“To be what, Paul?”
“To be fully human. I think I’ve become something else.”
“I can understand your concern, Paul. Even though we make mistakes, we do not deny our humanity. Don’t you think the humanity that is still within you brought you here, tonight?”
“I guess so…”
“Of course that’s so. We’re just here to talk about our human failures so we don’t repeat them. Go ahead and share. Tell us about the kids.”
“I used to be a pusher.”
A few of the attendees shifted in their seats and made slightly uncomfortable faces.
“I see,” Vincent noted. “Well, there’s no judgment here. Most of us – if not all of us – have been to establishments run by those in your previous profession, Paul. Please, continue.”
“Thanks,” Paul exhaled. “I ran the whole gamut, you know. I’d recon, hunt and kidnap, recruit help, oversee confinement, provide child care – as it were, procure customers… all of it. It was my operation, but I always kept myself sharp in all areas of the business. I even oversaw extermination, when necessary. And, of course, I could use as often as I liked.”
“That’s pretty intense, Paul,” Vincent considered. “What was that life like?”
“It was a wild time. I had the most notable establishment in the region I operated in. I had a gift for finding… rare product.”
“AB?” Vincent’s eyes widened slightly as the question sailed.
“Not just, but negative, too,” Paul replied. “And plenty of it for our more fiscally gifted customers.”
Even the members who were previously checked out turned their full attention to Paul, at this point. A couple of them whispered, “Did he say AB negative?” to their neighbors in slight disbelief.
“Yeah, “ Paul noticed. “I said AB negative. For people like us, it’s like hitting the purest cocaine. It’s a high like you wouldn’t believe.”
“People like us?” Steve questioned, bearing a set of fangs. “You can just say it. For vampires like us. Sorry about the fangs. I had a reflex from hearing about your product. I only ever had AB negative once in my life, but it was mind-altering.”
“No lie, “ Sally followed. “After the first feeding, only AB negative can bring that kind of high back.”
“Let’s focus on what chasing that high has wrought in our lives,” Vincent reminded.
“Yeah,” Paul agreed. “That’s right. That’s exactly right. All those years feeding and getting high. I’ve been a vampire for several centuries now. I think I started to disconnect from my human compassion as I continued to feed. It’s so shameful. We don’t even need the blood once we feed after being turned.”
“Look, we’ve all been there, “ Vincent assured. “When I was human, I used recreational drugs a time or two. That stuff has nothing on what a vampire feels when drinking human blood. This is a lot to struggle with. That’s why we’re all here: to help each other. But something obviously pulled you back from what you were doing, Paul. Can you tell us about that journey?”
“Sure,” Paul said. “I was almost killed by a group of vampire hunters.”
“There’s a society of them now, right?” Steve asked.
“That’s what I’ve heard, “ Vincent replied. “But let’s let Paul finish, ok?”
“Yeah, my bad,” Steve nodded.
“So, like I was saying,” Paul continued. “These hunters set a trap for me. They baited me while I was out on recon. I thought I’d gotten a lead on some rare blood types. When I went back out to hunt, I was led into a trap. If it hadn’t been for some of my partners tailing me that night, then I’d be dead. One of my partners was killed. She was a good friend of over a century. She sacrificed herself to save me.”
“I’m sorry, Paul,” Vincent offered. “That can’t have been easy.”
“No. Her name was Paulina. I’d found her on the streets of London. She’d been recently turned and abandoned. I took her in, helped her with her first, life-sustaining feeding and showed her the ropes of her newfound abilities. She stuck with me and helped me with any of my goals. After a time, we became… a bit more for one another. And then she was just gone…”
“Hey,” Steve said, putting his hand on Paul’s shoulder and looking him in the eye. “I’m sorry, brother. It’s okay, you can share with us. We’ve all caused a lot of pain with what we’ve been doing. But we can try to change, together.”
“Thank you, Steve,” Vincent supported. “Paul, you’re with compatriots in this. We all want to get better. And we start that by facing what we’ve done.”
“Well,” Paul continued. “The hunters are strong. Most of them are from pusher encampments. They’re the kids that have been fed on for years. Typically, a human only gets an adrenaline boost for a few days after being fed on. But these kids have it permanently from repeated feedings. They’re nearly as strong and as fast as us. And they’re coordinated. I guess I’m here because it took their group killing someone close to me and nearly killing me for me to wake up. It took that violence to open my eyes to what I’d been doing.”
“Thank you for sharing that,” Vincent said. “Before we continue with introductions, I’d just like to restate that we all have sinned in unbelievable ways while chasing the blood high. It’s not going to be an easy road, but I think we can see it through, together. Again, welcome to Hemoglobin Anonymous. Now, let’s continue.”
Writing Prompt Description
Vampires only need to feed once, after that they’re simply chasing the high. As a former addict turned vampire, you take it upon yourself to form a support group.