Categories > Original > Fantasy > Blood Is Thicker
I left her there, her remains and stench fluttering away on the wind. I needed to feed, the use of my power always left me drained and I hadn’t fed in two days. Careless of me. But I hadn’t been able to shake Bob long enough because we where scoring the library for clues. Very careless of me. I stuffed my glove back on, it didn’t do to go touching people who might have suffered trauma, I didn’t want to see it and it raised suspicion if I suddenly started twitching after touching a guy on the street. I took one last look at the girl and pulled a plastic cross from my coat, I couldn’t let go of the little humanity that I had left. I placed the cross above where I thought her heart would be. “God Bless.” I mumbled, and then hissed as the words burnt my mouth. I really needed to feed.
I felt as bad as her murderers, leaving her there, decaying, forgotten. But if I didn’t feed now, in my own time, I may go too far the next time I did.
---
Hatred. Pure hatred, it tickled at my nose as I prowled the streets for food. I generally fed off criminals. Once you had a human’s blood you could control them, the more you had, the longer you could control them for. I only took a little and put honest thoughts into their heads, made them want to change their ways. Id only smelt this scent a few times before. Hatred turned inwards, tainted with fear and acceptance.
Human emotion was too easy to smell, they didn’t know how to hide it, not from us. Even new born vampires where pretty easy to read. The older you got, the better you got at it. I had never even caught a whiff of an elder’s emotion and my master had once told me that it was the same for them and I. I stopped, my boots once again scuffing on the pavement, they were already wearing down on one side, pity, they cost an arm and a leg.
The smell was stronger when I turned my head to the left but still I could see nothing, I was standing in an alleyway, in between two large shops. It was so strong, I doubted it was coming from inside, but where? I began to panic slightly, although my face showed nothing of it, I knew what that smell meant, I needed to hurry. This was more than just another food source.
I could have kicked myself when I saw the ladder leading to the roof. It was shameful that I could be so slow after so many years. I looked up, I could see the shadow of a person, there black outline distinctly different from the dark sky behind them. I didn’t bother climbing the ladder like a human; I flew up them only grabbing hold of about five runs in the process.
I pushed off from the top run and launched myself onto the roof, I landed in the typical cat like position my master had taught me centuries ago before I sprinted towards the figure looking mournfully down at the street below. The crunching of my boots on the gravelled roof drew his attention towards me, but Id grabbed his shoulders and pulled him onto the floor before he had time to register what he had seen.
I was sat on top of him, pinning his hands down. “Vampire!” He spat. “Indeed” I replied, my voice had taken on a disjointed drawl as the word crawled around my fangs that had extended. His scream drowned in his throat as I plunged my fangs into his neck, he would thank me later.
He struggled for a fraction of a second before the elation of my venom sank in. So many people got addicted to being bitten, they had clubs for vampires and humans to mix. Vampire bite was the new drug.
I drank until my thirst subsided, it took a little longer than usual, I had left it for too long. His breath was ragged, his pupils dilated and his cheeks where flushed. I pulled back, stared into his eyes and just had time to command. “Be happy, give life a second chance, live. I ...” I didn’t have time to set him free, he just lay there, breathing heavily, looking at me stupidly and I could do nothing because of the sudden pressure against my collar.
“Stand Vampire.”A harsh London accent commanded me, I didn’t have time to marvel at the intoxicating drawl before anger welled up inside of me. I couldn’t believe it, the thirst and hope to save him had overwhelmed me, I hadn’t heard anyone approach. My mask was still in place, a half skull, stopping at the top of my nose and jaw line. I could feel my victim’s blood dripping down my chin, my tongue darted out instinctively but I knew a lot was still there.
“Stand.” The voice spat once more. I obeyed, calculating the best form of attack but I couldn’t think of much until I saw the weapon and who was attacking. The pressure remained on my collar, whoever was holding it, was making sure not to touch my skin.
The scent of the man’s blood had drowned my sense of smell but I tried to tune it out. I could smell death, centuries of it, much like an old vampire but without the smell of an animated corpse. Whoever it was had been around death, caused it even but wasn’t a vampire. Or any other supposedly mythical creature I knew of.
“Turn around.” I turned, slowly, the weapon withdrew slightly so it was pointed at my throat but not touching my skin. He was presumably handsome, slightly pointed chin, shoulder length wavy blonde hair, a leather goblin mask covering most of his face and pointing a solid silver thin sword at my throat. He must have been strong to hold it, in his other hand was a hollow cane, presumably what he carried the sword in.
He pulled off the masked vigilante look, much like I hoped I did. He set my nerves on edge, he was old, much older than his appearance suggested, he wasn’t human, the problem was I had no idea what the hell he was. My Master had always taught me to have the upper hand it battle, to know my opponent. I didn’t know how strong, fast or capable he was with that sword. I was screwed.
“Set him free.” He commanded. I didn’t care how outnumbered I was, no one told me what to do. “I was about to, before you decided to come gallivanting in.” “Set him free.” He repeated. “Move your sword then.” I stated moodily, he stood back slightly but never lowered the sword. “Compensating?” I questioned. He didn’t answer, some people had no sense of humour.
“Stand.” I said to my victim, he did as I said and stood in front of me, between the sword and I. “Don’t try to take your life again, seek help. Go now, live your life, forget this ever happened, I set you free.” He walked past us both, and began to climb back down the ladder, presumably the way he had come.
“I didn’t kill him, nor did I intend too.” I stated, it was becoming more common for people to hunt vampires. Many used masks to protect their identity, it was the inspiration for my own disguise, this however was not a normal amateur hunter. “You would have done, had I not intervened.” “I was setting him free when you intervened, I am a keeper of the secret, I only spill the blood of Vampire and human slave.” He hesitated, he was old, old enough to have lived when vampires where not common knowledge, he knew of the keepers who serve the elders.
“I saw you with the body.” “Then you know I did not kill her, nor was she human.” The sword lowered but I could sense the suspicion, only just. For whatever he was, he was good at shielding himself. I edged back slowly, I could not prove what I had been, there was no secret to keep now. Well relating to vampires, instead we kept the peace, eradicated the overzealous, still I had no proof. I couldn’t control him with ought the taste of his blood and that sword could easily decapitate me, his doubt would lead to my escape. “I am investigating the matter, if you follow through with your thought to kill me, you will become a target for the elders.” “I serve no Vampires.” He spat, so he knew of the elders and there power. “You don’t need to follow them to be slaughtered by them.” “You are investigating the deaths?”He questioned, the drawl stopped it from sounding weak. “Not that you have any right to know but yes.” I had edged back once more, the heel of my boot hit the ridge of the building, he hadn’t noticed, he was too busy musing over the new information, how he knew there had been more deaths I did not know, the simple fact of not knowing what he was, was enough to make me uncomfortable. After a few hundred years, there weren’t many creatures I had not encountered during my hunter days.
“What are you?” I asked, knowing I would not get an answer but I had to put it out there. “I am death, to vampires.” “Funny, they call me the same thing.” He must have sensed something in my voice, or finally noticed the distance I had put between us, for he lunged. He was fast but I was faster. I threw myself backwards, my trench coat billowing around me as I fell. I landed once more, in the position taught to me by my master before taking off into the night, he was faster than a human, I needed to put as much distance between us as possible. He had followed me once before without me realising, it would not happen again.
I felt as bad as her murderers, leaving her there, decaying, forgotten. But if I didn’t feed now, in my own time, I may go too far the next time I did.
---
Hatred. Pure hatred, it tickled at my nose as I prowled the streets for food. I generally fed off criminals. Once you had a human’s blood you could control them, the more you had, the longer you could control them for. I only took a little and put honest thoughts into their heads, made them want to change their ways. Id only smelt this scent a few times before. Hatred turned inwards, tainted with fear and acceptance.
Human emotion was too easy to smell, they didn’t know how to hide it, not from us. Even new born vampires where pretty easy to read. The older you got, the better you got at it. I had never even caught a whiff of an elder’s emotion and my master had once told me that it was the same for them and I. I stopped, my boots once again scuffing on the pavement, they were already wearing down on one side, pity, they cost an arm and a leg.
The smell was stronger when I turned my head to the left but still I could see nothing, I was standing in an alleyway, in between two large shops. It was so strong, I doubted it was coming from inside, but where? I began to panic slightly, although my face showed nothing of it, I knew what that smell meant, I needed to hurry. This was more than just another food source.
I could have kicked myself when I saw the ladder leading to the roof. It was shameful that I could be so slow after so many years. I looked up, I could see the shadow of a person, there black outline distinctly different from the dark sky behind them. I didn’t bother climbing the ladder like a human; I flew up them only grabbing hold of about five runs in the process.
I pushed off from the top run and launched myself onto the roof, I landed in the typical cat like position my master had taught me centuries ago before I sprinted towards the figure looking mournfully down at the street below. The crunching of my boots on the gravelled roof drew his attention towards me, but Id grabbed his shoulders and pulled him onto the floor before he had time to register what he had seen.
I was sat on top of him, pinning his hands down. “Vampire!” He spat. “Indeed” I replied, my voice had taken on a disjointed drawl as the word crawled around my fangs that had extended. His scream drowned in his throat as I plunged my fangs into his neck, he would thank me later.
He struggled for a fraction of a second before the elation of my venom sank in. So many people got addicted to being bitten, they had clubs for vampires and humans to mix. Vampire bite was the new drug.
I drank until my thirst subsided, it took a little longer than usual, I had left it for too long. His breath was ragged, his pupils dilated and his cheeks where flushed. I pulled back, stared into his eyes and just had time to command. “Be happy, give life a second chance, live. I ...” I didn’t have time to set him free, he just lay there, breathing heavily, looking at me stupidly and I could do nothing because of the sudden pressure against my collar.
“Stand Vampire.”A harsh London accent commanded me, I didn’t have time to marvel at the intoxicating drawl before anger welled up inside of me. I couldn’t believe it, the thirst and hope to save him had overwhelmed me, I hadn’t heard anyone approach. My mask was still in place, a half skull, stopping at the top of my nose and jaw line. I could feel my victim’s blood dripping down my chin, my tongue darted out instinctively but I knew a lot was still there.
“Stand.” The voice spat once more. I obeyed, calculating the best form of attack but I couldn’t think of much until I saw the weapon and who was attacking. The pressure remained on my collar, whoever was holding it, was making sure not to touch my skin.
The scent of the man’s blood had drowned my sense of smell but I tried to tune it out. I could smell death, centuries of it, much like an old vampire but without the smell of an animated corpse. Whoever it was had been around death, caused it even but wasn’t a vampire. Or any other supposedly mythical creature I knew of.
“Turn around.” I turned, slowly, the weapon withdrew slightly so it was pointed at my throat but not touching my skin. He was presumably handsome, slightly pointed chin, shoulder length wavy blonde hair, a leather goblin mask covering most of his face and pointing a solid silver thin sword at my throat. He must have been strong to hold it, in his other hand was a hollow cane, presumably what he carried the sword in.
He pulled off the masked vigilante look, much like I hoped I did. He set my nerves on edge, he was old, much older than his appearance suggested, he wasn’t human, the problem was I had no idea what the hell he was. My Master had always taught me to have the upper hand it battle, to know my opponent. I didn’t know how strong, fast or capable he was with that sword. I was screwed.
“Set him free.” He commanded. I didn’t care how outnumbered I was, no one told me what to do. “I was about to, before you decided to come gallivanting in.” “Set him free.” He repeated. “Move your sword then.” I stated moodily, he stood back slightly but never lowered the sword. “Compensating?” I questioned. He didn’t answer, some people had no sense of humour.
“Stand.” I said to my victim, he did as I said and stood in front of me, between the sword and I. “Don’t try to take your life again, seek help. Go now, live your life, forget this ever happened, I set you free.” He walked past us both, and began to climb back down the ladder, presumably the way he had come.
“I didn’t kill him, nor did I intend too.” I stated, it was becoming more common for people to hunt vampires. Many used masks to protect their identity, it was the inspiration for my own disguise, this however was not a normal amateur hunter. “You would have done, had I not intervened.” “I was setting him free when you intervened, I am a keeper of the secret, I only spill the blood of Vampire and human slave.” He hesitated, he was old, old enough to have lived when vampires where not common knowledge, he knew of the keepers who serve the elders.
“I saw you with the body.” “Then you know I did not kill her, nor was she human.” The sword lowered but I could sense the suspicion, only just. For whatever he was, he was good at shielding himself. I edged back slowly, I could not prove what I had been, there was no secret to keep now. Well relating to vampires, instead we kept the peace, eradicated the overzealous, still I had no proof. I couldn’t control him with ought the taste of his blood and that sword could easily decapitate me, his doubt would lead to my escape. “I am investigating the matter, if you follow through with your thought to kill me, you will become a target for the elders.” “I serve no Vampires.” He spat, so he knew of the elders and there power. “You don’t need to follow them to be slaughtered by them.” “You are investigating the deaths?”He questioned, the drawl stopped it from sounding weak. “Not that you have any right to know but yes.” I had edged back once more, the heel of my boot hit the ridge of the building, he hadn’t noticed, he was too busy musing over the new information, how he knew there had been more deaths I did not know, the simple fact of not knowing what he was, was enough to make me uncomfortable. After a few hundred years, there weren’t many creatures I had not encountered during my hunter days.
“What are you?” I asked, knowing I would not get an answer but I had to put it out there. “I am death, to vampires.” “Funny, they call me the same thing.” He must have sensed something in my voice, or finally noticed the distance I had put between us, for he lunged. He was fast but I was faster. I threw myself backwards, my trench coat billowing around me as I fell. I landed once more, in the position taught to me by my master before taking off into the night, he was faster than a human, I needed to put as much distance between us as possible. He had followed me once before without me realising, it would not happen again.
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