She tossed and turned under the covers, tangling them around herself as she slept fitfully...

Snow fell in gentle formations across a darkly lit cobblestone street. Many people drifted by casually enjoying the night which didn?t appear too cold despite the falling flakes within the sight. No slush, nor the exhaust from any type of modern vehicle. It appeared a simpler time. A time of people and not mechanics is what was shown through the veil.

A shift in the image with an almost static flicker from a television now revealed a man. Tall and lanky but the proportions were not unhealthy for him. Dressed in a simple button up dress shirt, a pair of wool leggings, and spurred boots he laughed and smiled brightly to the men he sat with. Their table covered in a smattering of beer bottles, cards, poker, chips, and ash trays. No madness or crimson eyes; just a pair of sapphire blue pools surrounded by brown waves touching on auburn. Gone were elongated canines, only a pair of slightly yellowed teeth from the smoking and alcohol but he still maintained a decent appearance.

The vision flickered again and gone was the tavern now replaced by a theatre. Lights dimmed just a little as a spotlight illuminated a vast stage cut off by a red curtain. The crowd grew silent as that massive curtain drew apart revealing a piano placed center stage by itself.
?Ladies and Gentlemen, the Cyndar Royal Theatre proudly presents Cain Romulus?
Soft light filled the room from behind the curtain as the young man from before now strode confidently out to center stage. Gone were the dress shirt, and wool leggings. Now he wore a black tuxedo. Bow tie and cummerbund included with the coattails. Long auburn waves pulled back into a simple pony tail leaving a clean shaven boyishly handsome face open for any and all to see. An innocence clearly apparent in the smile offered to the crowd as he took a seat at the piano.

Another shift and the snow fell heavier, anything beyond the snow hard to see at all. A yell broke the howling wind and then a shriek with the change in angle to an alley. The frayed ends of a dress peek out behind a dumpster connected with feminine legs, but the true focus is farther up this alley. The young pianist stands pinned to the wall, his blood flows free, as a gaunt figure holds him in place. Its head pressed tightly to his shoulder.
Gaunt features rear back letting the pianist fall to the ground as the man staggered back. A hand rose to wipe blood from those extremely thin lips before singing softly to itself in a strange discordant tone.
?One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, shut the door. Five, six, pick up sticks. Seven, eight, you tasted great. Nine, ten, now you?ll live again.?
Hauled up to his feet and pressed to the wall yet again, weak hands tried to fight off the vampire in futility. There was no escaping what came next.

A final change in the sights shows a dilapidated room in the prolonged stages of disrepair. Alone and shivering in a corner now huddled the pianist. Auburn waves ripped out to clearly show wild and unfocused crimson eyes. Fear filled the air around him like the stench of ages as it watched the gaunt figure from before feed, feeling the link in his mind to that monster. The connections within his mind a nightmare; Songs and mismatched lyrics. But within it the pianist felt the humanity of the one being fed on.

?Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down.?

Slow laughter bubbled forth just as cold hands closed around his soiled shoulders. The pianist launched from the rooms only window and out into nothingness.

Cassie awoke with a gasp, sitting up straight after a brief struggle with the covers, a hand pressed against her chest, heart thumping as she tried to calm her panicked breathing. "It was just a dream.."