I had never met John in person.
We had only conversed online for several years. We met in a music forum about classic rock. I learned that John was a music teacher and worked for an art school outside of Berlin. He knew that I worked for an electric company in my city.
We shared much information about ourselves, including our families – friends- jobs- and other interests. I learned that John was into photography, as was I. It seemed the longer we chatted- the years that went by; I began to learn so much it was as if we had always known each other. Each conversation provided me with a new piece of my friend to devour.
John had three children with his wife, and he even shared photos of him and his family on numerous occasions, on vacation or doing fun family activities. We’d spoken on chat and in Zoom on several occasions. He was always helpful when it came to advice on my career. He was always encouraging, whereas sometimes my boyfriend, Richard, was not.
John also gave me relationship advice. He always encouraged me to open the lines of communication with Richard, whereas before, I was too shy to tell Richard about the things that bothered me in our relationship.
By all accounts, John was turning into my best friend – only we had never met in person. He lived in Germany and had not been to the United States, where I lived for over a decade. Nearly as long as we had been friends.
One afternoon, I received an urgent message sent to my work email from a gentleman claiming to know of my friendship with John.
Dear Kelsey,
My name is Derek. We are acquainted with the same person, John Little. I don’t want to alarm you by sending this to your work email, but I didn’t think you would take what I needed to tell you seriously unless I did.
Please call me when you receive this.
Derek Martino
I didn’t know what to say or do regarding a complete stranger’s apparent intrusion into my personal life. It also occurred to me that it may have been a prank set up by John, but I didn’t know why he would do that. John had always been a rather serious gentleman. This was not in his character.
I deleted the email and blocked the sender. This person was beginning to be a thorn in my side.
Later that day, I received a funny meme from John. It was a hotdog looking for a plump bun—nothing too hilarious, just a bit of his off-the-wall humor. I didn’t respond as I usually did. Instead, I ignored it for a few days to see if he mentioned anything about the mysterious character Derek, who had sent me the odd email.
Then, I received a text message from an unknown number.
“Kelsey, please call me. I need to talk to you urgently! -Derek.”
While I was slightly taken aback that this complete stranger now had my telephone number, I did not feel I needed to respond. It felt like I was being stalked. I blocked the person and then went about my business.
I responded to John’s last message with the meme.
“Funny. But I need to ask you something. Do you know Derek Martino?”
It was another two days before he responded. “No, sorry, should I?”
I said nothing except, “No, I wondered if we were mutual friends. How is your semester going?” I asked, changing the subject. I was glad he didn’t know him. It made what happened next that much easier to face.
“Very well, almost all of the students have passed this semester,” he responded.
I wasn’t sure what Derek could want to warn me about but I was beginning to wonder how Derek was gaining access to my work email and my personal cell. I left the conversation with John in good spirits.
Slowly, curiosity began to eat away at me. I unblocked the telephone number and finally responded to Derek’s message.
“I am not calling you. I just want you to leave me alone.” I responded.
Then, I got a set of texts from Derek.
“Mr. Little is not who you think he is. I must tell you what I know of him for your safety.”
“I don’t think I am unsafe with Mr. Little. We have been nothing but good friends for years.”
“That is exactly how this works with him,” Derek responded. “Please, can we meet? Somewhere in public- I know this must seem odd.”
I did think this was odd, but I was curious now. What could this man tell me about my friend of nearly eight years? After some thought, I finally agreed to meet him. I notified my sister, Jane, in case something happened to me. I was curious to find out what Derek knew. We agreed to meet in a coffee shop in town. I sat in my jacket, refusing to look too comfortable, and waited.
A man came through the door and eyed me instantly. He quickly walked over to me and smiled down at me. “Kelsey, I’m Derek. Thank you for seeing me.”
“Okay, I want to let you know that I am only here to tell you in person that this is really upsetting, and I want you to leave me be. I am only here to tell you in person so you can see my eyes and my serious face.”
Derek smiled, looking down as he took off his scarf.
“I thought you might feel that way. I just want to tell you what I know, and hopefully, you will know enough to make an educated decision. Whether you believe me or not, that isn’t the issue. The issue is I found out you were bored with getting too involved with John. This way, I will have said my peace, and you and I never have to speak again.”
I looked at him and then sipped my tea. “Very well. Tell me what it is you so desperately need to tell me.”
“Several years ago. I met John Little at a fundraiser for a pet rescue. He had told me he was visiting a friend in town that had invited him. He had a very thick accent, but I couldn’t pinpoint where he was from. Germany, Britain, or Norway- it is the accent that needs to be corrected and a bit all over the place. Sometimes, he sounded feminine. It reminded me of someone playing a role- acting. Yet, I let it go. He was a kind man. John meant what he said. As I said, the first meeting was brief in passing, but he was enigmatic. He drew you in. I felt seen for the first time in my life. He was, as you say, friendly. He gave me good advice. I bet that is something he does for you as well.”
I only looked at Derek.
“He and I began exchanging texts after he left the country. We talked and chatted every day. I thought he was kind to me at first because I’m gay. I thought he might be too. But the more I talked to him, he wasn’t hitting on me. He was just a mentor to me. I know you must think I must be obsessed with him asking you to come here. You might even be thinking I’m jealous of your relationship. I last spoke to John three years ago. I don’t want to speak to him, but if I were, I would ask him what happened on the night of March 23, 2021. That was the last time I saw him and spoke to him.”
“Where are you going with this?” I was getting annoyed.
“Like I said, John and I were friends; he mentored me. I was only twenty-seven when I first met him. Over seven years, we got close. We talked on the phone, we sent funny messages, I told him about my conquests and meeting my current boyfriend’s family. He encouraged it. He told me how wonderful love was. He told me about his wife and his three children. Then he sent me a message saying he would be in town. He would be visiting the States for the first time in several years. So, three years ago, we met at a local bar. I was so excited to finally see him again. It felt like a long-lost brother. Seeing John, I can’t tell you how happy I was. We drank a bit, but I only had a few beers in a few hours. I don’t really drink. I recall getting sleepy sitting at the restaurant table. Then, the next thing I knew- I was waking up in a mostly empty apartment building. My phone had been wiped clean, and all my contacts had been deleted. I felt drained and hungover- but I had only had two beers. I barely finished the second one. Do you recall those stories in the Reddit communities back in the day where people talked about urban legends of getting their organs stolen? Or maybe they woke up and were assaulted?”
“Yeah, are you saying John assaulted you while you were passed out?” I asked. I began to feel uneasy.
“Not exactly. I mean nothing sexual.” Derek said reassuringly.
I sipped more of my tea and took a deep breath.
“He hadn’t taken my wallet; he had not hurt me physically. I will tell you, though, he took a piece of my soul. It is what he does. He is like an energy vampire. Only it is worse. When I tell you there is a part of me that sees him now- from his mind- that is how I found out about you. John and I are connected now.”
I was livid now.
“I am going now. Derek Martino, if that is even your real name, please never see me again.”
I began to walk towards the cafe’s door to leave when John suddenly stood directly in front of me. I needed to get away from him and go home to figure this out. It was so fast that it took me by surprise.
“I am practically a ghost,” he answered as if he had read my mind.
“No,” I said in barely a whisper. Something about Derek was nearly preternatural. It made my senses highly aware. Like this shouldn’t be happening. None of this should be – the meeting or what he told me.
I felt lightheaded in his presence, and he helped me return to the table where we had been sitting. I guessed the stress of what he told me made me agitated.
I looked at Derek, and there was genuine concern in his eyes. “Look, what I have told you so far sounds crazy. But when I woke up that next day, I felt as if some part of me had passed on. I’m half dead. What spirit I have left in my body is depleting by the day. I am not sure how much time I have left. I am only telling you because he is a soul sucker. He feeds on souls.”
“Okay, so say what you are telling me is true. Why wait so long to do that to you?” I needed more answers. I needed Derek to tell me everything he had figured out.
“Because haven’t you ever let a steak marinate in the fridge? When you finally cook it- you do it slowly so you can savor every last drop. By waiting it makes his feed that much better. It is about the time it takes, the method he uses to hunt, and the satisfaction he gets from it. I don’t have a lot of time, but I will be damned if I’ll let the same thing happen to you or anyone else. John has a list and a timeline.”
“How do you know all this if you haven’t seen him in three years?” I was getting annoyed again.
“I told you. He has me, but I also have a part of him inside me. I can see what he sees sometimes. When I go to sleep at night- the part of me that isn’t dead can astral project, and I can see him. I see that he has a black book with hundreds of names. I saw him cross your name off his list. Then he sent you an email. I saw your face and your name and used my skills to find you. I am trying to use what time I have left to help you, Kelsey.”
“It’s okay, Derek. You have given me much information to help me understand my situation. I’ll be in touch.”
I left our meeting feeling oddly calm after what he told me. It helped me learn more about Derek, John, and the state of the human race. I was glad someone out there who had never met me cared enough to try to save my life.
What Derek didn’t know, and had clearly missed in his astral projection dreams, was that it wasn’t John who had taken his soul. It was me—I was taking souls using John as the vessel. It had been so easy to use John. He was always trying to help! John opened himself up to be used by me- to help me feed.
Some of us are really hungry- us soul suckers. We need to feed by any means possible- and a lot! We feed to keep from going insane, and we feed to keep from dying a slow, mundane human death.
When I met John online, I had not intended to use him to help my hunt, but he had these big doe eyes. He had this sweet smile. Me? I am a bit rough around the edges. I look like I just escaped a homeless shelter most days. Feeding on souls is the only way I can at least look human.
Derek said he saw John crossing off my name in a big black book. I just fed Derek that little tidbit of information so he would see what I wanted him to see. I will let Derek think he is doing me a favor for now. He only has a month before I finish him off.
Until then, Kids, be careful who you meet on the internet. There are a lot of us soul-suckers out there. Most of us are just trolls, but the few who try to make that connection are the ones you really need to watch out for.
Until we meet again…
KB HURST & Her Menagerie 