The black towers of the cathedral rose in silhouette against the lightening horizon. They were a familiar warning that time was short. I knew that I had to quicken my pace unless I wanted to feel the parting kiss of the morning sun and I wasn’t ready for that just yet.

I'd left for Clermont when I finally realized that this time he didn't intend to return. I boarded the train late one evening with nothing but the clothes on my back and not a single thought of him passed through my mind as the City of Lights disappeared into the darkness behind me. To hell with him. To hell with all of it now.

I can’t say what always draws me to this place. I find a strange comfort in being surrounded by these ancient volcanoes in this city that I have known since I was a young boy.

In the hour just before dawn, the Place de Jaude was blissfully silent as I made my way through it. The windows of the closed shops were dimly lit and I could see my own reflection against the backdrop of the public square. The statue of Vercingétorix on his mount stood in the distance and the nearby fountain was lit up in brilliant shades of orange and red, glowing like liquid fire. The cold mist burned like ice against my skin. My hair was disheveled and my face was deathly pale. I couldn’t remember when I had last fed and at that moment, I didn’t care if I ever tasted mortal blood again.

The sky was golden by the time I reached the Cimetière des Carmes. I broke the lock and the heavy iron gates groaned in protest as I pulled them open just wide enough to gain entry to that vast city of the dead. I hurried down the paved pathways, amidst the rows of above-ground tombs and mausoleums until I reached the stone wall nearest the river. My eyes were burning and my movements were becoming increasingly sluggish. I knew I had mere minutes left before reason would be lost and instinct would take over, but then my life has always been propelled on by a curious imbalance of both.

I leapt over a small fence, kicking aside a dried up bouquet of dead flowers in my haste. It took every ounce of strength I had left to push the marble lid of the tomb out of my way and tear open the coffin lid. The sight that greeted me was not a pleasant one, but this was no time to be choosy about sleeping arrangements. The body was little more than bones and dust, but it still held the faint scent of decomposing flesh. I glanced up at the inscription carved into the volcanic stone before settling in beside my new bed partner and sliding the massive lid closed above me.

“Et ils s'en iront au châtiment éternel. Tandis que les justes entreront dans la vie éternelle”

The sound of my own muffled laughter was the last thing I heard before I fell into oblivion.