The perfume of Death. Like so many others, it clings to my skin, clutching on as if it is groping blindly in darkness for life. Perhaps it is. Does Death want to live? Do I? In pure rapture now, I feel it setting my veins aflame in all its sweet, crimson splendor. And the visions...her blissful visions, her memories...gone now, swallowed by this merciless Death and his army of a thousand beating hearts. And these hearts, in the moment of passion, they can see Death is winning! And oh, how they laugh. These bloody hearts, how amused they are that Death not only has the victim in his clutches, but has this killer enslaved as well! Satisfied once more, the hearts withdraw and their rhythmic beating ceases as Death has had his fill. At least for tonight...

I let her drop. In my anguish I turned away from her sleeping form lest my blood tears fall onto her sweet face and taint her with my wickedness. Looking back at her I realized that I couldn't possibly defile her with the blackness in my soul anymore than I already had. I gathered her up in my arms and let the tears flow. Blood and blood and blood these tears, now hers mixed with mine. And I held her, taking some small comfort in embracing her frame in my arms. Ah, what a monster I am to have taken her innocence so that I may exist for one more dammable night, and now I hold her!

Loathing myself, I knew I had to get away from her. From her sweet feminine sent and the smile that played on her lips, even in death. So pure she looked. So peaceful. Closing her eye lids, I kissed them and lay her down in a freshly dug grave. Goodbye forever, cherie. Tasting her blood on my lips once more, I left.

Now why do I tell you this tale? When I have already told you so many, and have killed countless due to my greedy thirst? Simply this. I am wary. I am tired. And I, The Vampire Lestat, do not want to go on. Every evening I rise, knowing death watches me, waiting for the moment when I kill once more. Waiting for the moment where he and I become one. I become Death. Hell, I am Death. And Death does not like being Death, let me tell you. Oh, certainly it's enjoyable. Of course I am blessed (cursed?) with powers and abilities of the supernatural.

But the suffering? The anguish? I cannot endure it any longer. Ah, yes, that's just typical of you, Lestat. Be the cause of the pain, the emptiness, the death. But never want to suffer it yourself, oh no, not you! Hell's Bells. They ring for me every night now, and in my dreams as well. I hear them in my very soul. I'm going mad. Damn Magnus to hell for taking my life away from me! Then again, why bother? The bastard's bound to be in hell anyway. Let him rot. Just like that corpse.

And so despite my bitterness and my aching soul, I go on. As must we all, mortal and immortal alike. Did you realize that I knew I'd continue on the Devil's road and wouldn't give in to this sorrow the minute I started revealing all this to you? Humorous, that. So what exactly was the point of it all, you ask? I honestly couldn't tell you. Perhaps I wanted to share my sorrow with you once again, and what’s more, I wanted to be heard! Oh, how I love drinking up your attention as if it were blood! That alone is enough for me to thrive, to endure. Or is it? Always the gluttonous one, Lestat...

Now before I leave you, let me just say that I refuse to give up to the dammable one, Death. Nothing in this universe will snare me in his claw-like finger tips as I have snared thousands before. Many have said I am impossible. An absolute brat. Well, nothing's going to bring me down. Not even that dammed corpse. I am The Vampire Lestat. And whether or not you believe in me, whether the Chronicles of my kind have spun their dark magic in your souls, I am for all time. I am forever.