145Autumn sat in her apartment bedroom on the floor. The apartment had been raided. They fortunately left her golden box. She carefully opened the box and one by one took out the contents and laid them on the floor. Autumn picked up the cameo and rubbed her thumb over it. She laid on the floor on her side just rubbing the cameo with her thumb. She curled up into the fetal position and went numb.
"Why is it that when I am numb, everything is exaggerated?" Autumn whispered to no one.
Autumn closed her eyes. Years went by. Autumn was always hurt. Everything and everyone she ever loved was destroyed. She hated living for so long. It was a cycle of happiness taken away and changed into pain. Life was a beach to her, building on the sand and then the tide coming and washing everything away, leaving her to re-build again. Autumn was sick of it. Autumn played her most memorable moments in her head. She smiled, laughed, cried and screamed.
Autumn was seven years old and sitting in a tree with her father. They looked out at a forest of brilliant green trees leading to a mountain. The mountain had a tip of white. Just above the tip of white was the sun shining golden heat on Autumn's face. A breezed picked up and all the leaves rustled. Autumn's hair did not move. She wasn't affected by nature. Nature rejected her.
Autumn was over one hundred years old and she had her teeth sunk into a tender neck. On the other side of the neck was Egan. Autumn and Egan stared at each other as they drank the young girl's life away. Autumn pulled away first. Egan kept drinking to the last drop. He lifted his head and threw the limp body to the ground. Autumn smiled as she walked over to him. She kissed him harshly, forcing her tongue into the back of his mouth. She licked his mouth clean of blood. Egan fell backwards to the floor with Autumn riding him. They laid amongst a dead family of fifteen.
Autumn and Egan's first daughter walked her first steps. They sat on the floor of an Egyptian palace. Autumn filled with joy like a cup of water over filling. Her daughter lost her balance and fell back on her butt. Egan leaned over and grabbed the child. He brought the baby into his arms and cradled her till she stopped crying. She smiled up at her father. Autumn rested her head on Egan's shoulder and looked down at one of the loves of her life.
Autumn was forced to watch Egan and her daughter sink to the bottom of the ocean. Pirates held her body over the edge of the ship. Her tears fell into the ocean and were lost. The three men holding Autumn brought her back on the ship and threw her on the deck. They began deciding amongst themselves who would be first to have Autumn. Autumn ignored their laughter and stared at the wooden deck. She remembered this pain from years ago when she lost her mother and father. There was no one now to comfort her and wipe away the tears.
Autumn walked on a path that weaved through thick woods. Autumn sensed she was being followed but saw no one. She kept her senses on alert incase something jumped out at her. Autumn instinctively glanced up at a tree and saw a shadow. She stopped walking and stared at the shadow.
"I know you are there. Show yourself coward." Autumn called.
The shadow jumped to the ground. Autumn looked at the man standing in front of her. He was beautiful. His hair shone like spun gold and his eyes blazed fiery green. The man smiled and bowed gracefully.
"I am sorry for spying. My name is Sean. And what is the name of the beautiful woman standing before me?"
"Autumn."
"What a lovely name."
Autumn stood on her balcony watching the first ray of light peek out of the horizon. She felt warm hands on her bare shoulders. She turned around to Sean's green eyes. He was smiling. Autumn couldn't help but smile back. She wrapped her arms around Sean's waist and nested her head on his chest. Sean, in return, put his arms around Autumn's body. Autumn pulled away from Sean and walked into the master bedroom. Autumn saw three little bodies under the covers of her bed. Autumn looked back at Sean who shrugged his shoulders. Autumn walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers. Autumn's three children all slept peacefully on the bed. She carefully moved her youngest, Michael, over an inch so she could slip in with them. She wrapped her arm around Michael's small body and closed her eyes. Autumn felt Sean get in the bed from the other side. Sean took the liberty of pulling up the sheets to keep them warm.
Autumn found herself on a boat to America. For food she picked off people from the lower classes. No one really noticed or cared. The entire time on the boat though she sensed another keeper. She could never find the keeper though. One day while walking in the lower classes' cabin she finally found the other keeper. Autumn walked upon a man feeding on a young girl in a corner. The man threw the girl to the floor and turned around. Autumn fell to her knees in shock. Egan instantly recognized her as well. They both smiled with tears trailing down their faces and embraced each other.
For the second time, Autumn watch Egan slip from her life. A vampire hunter stood before Autumn with a sword through Egan's heart. The vampire hunter twisted the sword. He pulled it out of Egan's body and before the body fell, cut off Egan's head. Autumn was in shock. It seemed to go by too fast. It was as if only moments of the scene processed in her head. The vampire hunter turned to her. Autumn just stared at Egan's body. Autumn suddenly felt the sword pierce her chest. She looked down at the blood stained sword and then straight into the eyes of him.
"One chance. You missed it." Autumn growled.
The vampire hunter's eyes filled with fear. Autumn wrapped her hands around his neck and snapped it. It all happened before the human could pull his hand away from the sword. The body dropped and the sword was left in Autumn's body. Autumn pulled the sword out of her body. She picked up the hunter's body and drove her teeth into his neck. The blood would do until she could find fresh energy.
Autumn woke up from her memories covered in her own tears and sweat. Autumn stood up from the floor and just looked around her. She was lost. She had no clear thoughts. There was nothing but static. Autumn walked out of her apartment like a zombie.
Autumn was thinking clearly when she realized she was soaked in gasoline. From where the gasoline came, Autumn had no recollection. Autumn looked around her. It was nothing but a road and shrubs. Autumn's shaking hand held a lighter. Autumn stared at the lighter. Autumn closed her eyes and squeezed the lighter in her hand. Her thumb slowly dragged across the top. Her thumb dragged across the top faster. A third time produced a spark and Autumn was engulfed in flames. Autumn just stood in the middle of the road as the flames ate away her flesh. Her tears never had a chance to leave her eyes. They evaporated the instant they touched her eye lid. Autumn let out one last scream before her vocal cords were destroyed.
Autumn's body burnt to ashes. The wind slowly picked up and began scattering her ashes. Her ashes were picked up by the wind and carried a far distance. Her ashes still lived. There was no destruction of a keeper. It was impossible. Every single molecule lived on. Autumn was accepted by nature finally. Nature allowed her to rest peacefully. Nature appreciates all its creations.