Fantasy A Vampire's Thrall

[Deadwood Deer]

Satturge
It was a cool evening in late November. The shops and factories were closing for the day, workers getting into cars and onto buses to go home, or walking if they lived lose enough to work or couldn't afford transportation.
As the sun set on the city, the once busy streets seemed to undergo a total transformation. Children went inside for dinner, there were few to no cars on a street at any given time, most of the driving to be done already accomplished. Pedestrians disappeared into buildings and buses, the streets becoming a ghost town, populated by the occasional night owl or people making late night runs to the corner store.

But as they say, the freaks come out at nine...

 

[Satturge]

The doors of the Heaven11 opened into ghosted concrete. Hands full with bags of treats a woman of youth walked onto the streets, digging her hands into the bag. "If i had a heart i could love youuu, if i had a voice id siiing~" She hummed pulling out a strip of beef jerky. The lights on the streets lit dully, guiding her path home. The chilled wind wisped through her silky raven hair, causing her to grumble and separate hair from the meat in her thin lips. She ripped a piece of succulent morsel as she kicked her boots against a puddle from yesterdays showers. She adjusted her bags, and pulled in her ragged black jean jacket beginning her trek home. Her day had been long and monotonous, delivering truck after truck to the shops on the street. A van for hire. Which now was sitting miles away with a boot on it. Tch i was like a foot away from the fire line, for not even 15 mins...ugh Wasn't soon before it was completely dark out, and she ran through three bags of chips, pretzels and cookies. She was closing in on her neighborhood when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She stopped beneath the glow of a streetlight and could hear scuffling of a sort around her. She swallowed her cookie and listened closer. Animals? People? She shifted one bag to the other hand, and once freed she reached into her jacket pocket, her fingers gripping her knife. Seriously? what now?

 

[Deadwood Deer]

As the scuffling came to a stop, a rat came out of the shadows and ran for the largest crumb of the woman's snacks that had hit the ground. It chittered at her once it had reached its prize and then scampered away. The night turned quiet again, for a little bit.

"Hehh, smells good, good food, good blood," came the whining of a druggy. "Wonder... taste good, warm, soft lady... yes, need... no, shouldn't!" The voice was coming from directly behind her, where a jittery homeless-looking man had appeared out of seemingly nowhere. He bared his teeth at the woman, revealing extended pointed canines before he charged at her.

 

[Satturge]

Scarlet watched the rat make of with her leftovers, hearing a low voice rambling behind her she quickly pulled out her knife only in time to have it before her body. The man lunged into her, throwing her off her feet and and knocking her on her back. The bags of snacks sent flying, and the wind pushed out of lungs. The blade trapped in the attackers arm. She yelped kicking and punching as the mans teeth gashed at her.
"Get the fuck off me! No! Fuck get off!" She screamed.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

The blade in the man's arm didn't seem to phase him in the slightest. He was remarkably strong for his size. Despite his scrawniness, the man was able to push and drag Scarlet along the pavement and up against the side of the nearest building. The phrase 'crackhead strength' comes to mind.

Scarlet's scream didn't seem to attract any attention or aid. The curse of a big city: everyone assumes someone else will take care of it. The vampire overpowering Scarlet pried her arms apart and clamped his jaws down on the crook of where her neck and throat met her shoulder and collarbone. He didn't seem to know what he was doing beyond that, however, as the greater portion of Scarlet's blood ran down her front and spread on the pavement.
---------
A few houses down, a different vampire was walking the streets. She watched with some amusement as what she assumed to be a drug addict attacked a woman. Good on her, she carried a knife! Excellent stab! That amusement turned into mild concern when the drug addict managed to force his victim up against a building despite just being stabbed, and then into realisation as the smell of wasted blood reached her nostrils.

"There goes my relaxing night," Alucard muttered as she dashed up to the scene. She ripped the vampire off of Scarlet, accidentally taking a chunk of her neck with him. "Didn't your maker teach you how to eat?", she demanded of the vampire before tossing him aside as one does a piece of trash.

Alucard turned back to Scarlet, to patch up and hypnotize her if nothing else, or put her out of her misery if that wasn't possible, when the fledgeling vampire tried to stab her with the same knife previously embedded in his arm. The blade sunk through her duster without resistance but shattered once it hit Alucard's shoulderblade.

"I liked this coat," Alucard sighed before reaching over her shoulder and gripping the vampire by the throat. The pavement cracked as he slammed into the concrete. "You're weak, it's not even worth it to drink your heart," she said before punching into the vampire's chest and ripping out his heart, still beating and bloody.

The fledgling reached up for his organ with a panicked look on his face that only escalated when Alucard crushed the heart in her fist. The vampire went limp, dead, as Alucard pulled a cloth out of her coat and wiped the blood from her hands, dropping the soiled rag on the corpse when she was done.

Turning back to Scarlet, her eyes narrowed at the bleeding girl. Squatting on her heels, she briefly examined the wound. Scarlet had lost too much blood. Even if an ambulance was called, she would be dead of blood loss before paramedics arrived.

"I can save you, but only if you accept my curse," Alucard said, her crimson eyes meeting Scarlet's amber ones. The life was fading, she had to make a choice quickly.

 

[Satturge]

Scarlet watched through blurred eyes filled with tears as the mysterious woman annihilated the cretin. Her breath was halted and her vision red. So much hot blood poured on her body from her neck. Her neck in so much agony. Shed never felt something like it. Like hell took place in the hole of her injury. Scarlet seethed with pain and anger. What the hell had just happened? They weren't...human?

The young womans body was so heavy and the life out of her was slipping into a cold pool. Her vision began to darken at an alarming pace. This was death...Her ember eyes stared the woman down, words crawling up her throat weakly. "Curse?..." Was all she could muster before using the last of her soul to nod violently in agreeance.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Alucard nodded before pulling back her sleeve and biting open a vein in her wrist. She didn't seem bothered by the blood leaking out of the bite mark as she dripped her blood into Scarlet's mouth. It would have been more efficient for Scarlet to drink directly, but weakened as she was, Alucard doubted she could. As long as she swallowed, that was the important part.

Yes, Alucard felt the connection come into existence as her blood ran down Scarlet's throat. As Scarlet closed her eyes, unconsciousness taking her into its embrace, Alucard lifted the girl like a child and started walking. Sharing blood tells a vampire many things, and for now Alucard was satisfied with Scarlet's address. She'd need somewhere safe to complete the change and recover.

Scarlet would wake up the next sundown in her run down apartment with all the shades and curtains drawn over the windows. The injury to her neck was gone without so much as a scar. She wasn't even wearing the same clothes, it was as if it had all been a horrible dream, except that Alucard was sitting on the couch flipping through the morning paper.

 

[Satturge]

Scarlets leg kicked out, she sat up screaming from her slumber. It was dark and warm in the room. Her black cat Eris jumped up on the bed beside her, making her flinch. Scarlet blanched looking up to see Alucard, sitting quietly. Her thoughts were slowly running back to her, as if buffering. Touching her neck, she checked her fingers to see if there was blood. This only confused her more. It happened she was sure of it. She died. She remembered floating in a sea of oil. Just darkness. The girl was comfortable though, the clean clothes and lack of injury made it easy for her to believe she was going crazy. She picked up Eris and petted her for comfort. "I died..."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Alucard smiled when she heard Scarlet's heart rate increase and her breathing jump. "Good, you're awake. I was worried you'd turn into a sleeper, and I'd have to find some unhallowed ground to bury you until you could wake up." Without turning to look at Scarlet she reached into her coat hanging off of the stand by the door, and pulled out a clear bag of red blood. The kind used in hospitals for blood infusions. "You hungry?", she asked, holding up the bag.

 

[Satturge]

Scarlet set Eris aside and slid out of her bed. Standing up it hit her how hungry and lightheaded she was, almost blinded by it. Eyes wide open she grimaced at the woman. "W-whats that for?! No!" She faltered a bit and leaned against the back of her couch. "I could have a steak though if thats what youre hinting! Who are you?" That nights events flicked in her mind abruptly. She cringed at the headache splitting her mind. "Curse....What happened?" The cat meowed and circled around her owners feet.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

The mention of human food earned a chuckle from Alucard. "Don't bother with the steak. Your body will reject everything that's not liquid." And believe me, steak in a blender is almost worse than sewage, came Alucard's voice in Scarlet's head.

Sticking the blood bag back in her duster, Alucard stood up and bowed. "My name is Alucard. You nearly bled out last night, that feral did a number on your neck." Walking around the couch, she shooed the cat away with her foot and offered Scarlet support. "You are a vampire now, you carry the same curse I do in your blood." Alucard offered an attempt at a reassuring smile, revealing her fangs.

 

[Satturge]

"A vampire?..." Alucards voice boomed in her head shaking Scarlet to the core. The ferals hideous and twisted face burned in her memory. Knowing he was dead only lightened her burden slightly. She held on to the strange woman, shaking her a bit. "You cant be serious?" She did feel colder and her hunger was starting to feel like a knife would. Stranger, her gums were beginning to itch. And her room was dark, it was indeed 2pm that read on her clock. The idea fit but was so life changing in made her head spin. "Were you hunting me too?"

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Alucard chuckled a bit. "No, if I was after you for your blood, you would be in the hospital receiving treatment for what you believe is a dog bite, with no other injuries and no memory of actually being attacked."

"I did, however, turn you, which makes you my responsibility. Your fangs are still growing in, so you won't be able to feed normally, not that a fledgling as young as you should." The way she was explaining was oddly relaxed, the kind of unnatural chill that comes from having seen basically everything there is to see.

"When the sun fully sets, I'm going to take you to see my teacher. He's more experienced with fledglings than I," Alucard steered Scarlet around to sit down on the couch so she could process. It was a lot to take in, granted, and demanded such a significant lifestyle change, to be a vampire. Sun, silver, and churches were the big three to worry about, but also other vampires, vampire hunters, and the odd lycan or too, rare as they were.

 

[Satturge]

Scarlet sat holding her throbbing head in hand. She squinted to look up at what she just realized was a hauntingly gorgeous woman. Chills ran down her spine. She could feel the womans ancient and predatory energy. She ran her fingers over her now swollen gums. "Im so hungry..." A bag of dill potato chips and opened it taking a chip in. Horror rummaged her face as she started gagging. The chip dissolved in such a nasty flavor in her mouth. "Oh- oh my gawd what the he-" She gagged heavily almost vomiting. Her heart dropped as it her. No more snacks. No more ice cream, gummy worms, cheese puffs, jerky, cookies or crackers. No more soup.. She loved soup. "Your teacher?"

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"I warned you," Alucard sighed as Scarlet choked on the chip. Putting her hands up in a show of 'some things can't be taught', she sat down on the coffee table. "Yes, my teacher. The vampire that turned me failed to stick around and teach me how to stay alive. His name is Lawrence, he sleeps just outside city limits." She smiled when she realized just how much Alucard would have to adjust to. She'd seen other fledglings come and go, and their blunders as they tried to find a balance were always entertaining.

"I'd prefer my teacher have to do as little as possible to educate you, so if you have any questions you need to ask them before the sun goes down," Alucard said, looking Scarlet in the eye. "And yes, you can get drunk from the blood of a drunkard," she added.

 

[Satturge]

Scarlet blanched staring at Alucard solemnly. "I cant go out in the sunlight... Yesterdays sunset was my last..." Eris crawled in her distressed moms lap. Scarlet sighed petting her sweetly. "Ill be living a different half of day... What do you do Alucard? What do vampires do?"
She thought of the most recent vampire film. "Have masquerades, decadent parties? Drink the blood of virgins? Work in cults?"

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"Virgin blood!", Alucard broke out laughing, "Fat chance! I wouldn't exist if that was how it worked!"

"You don't have to give up the day entirely. Once you get a few hearts in you, you won't won't need to sleep as often. As long as sunlight doesn't directly hit you, it won't burn you." Alucard pointed at her coat, "I wear that for a few different reasons, but solar protection is the main one."

Once she pulled herself back together from her laughing fit, she continued, "I kill monsters. Vampires, werewolves, the occasional folk beast like a kitsune or a yeti. Seen it, killed it, drank it.

"Lawrence takes care of his servants. I don't know how he funds his operation, but his household has remained functional since before I was born. You'll find something to help you pass the time, or someone to help you pass away." Alucard shrugged with that last part, "Personally I'm holding off on finding someone to kill me until I finish my job."

 

[Satturge]

Scarlet made a mental note to find her own form of sunscreen. She loved the idea of a London trench coat. "Why do you kill them? Like, are you killing them to make justice for the ones theyve killed? What if they dont kill? Is it for...fun?" Fantasy was becoming reality. The more the woman spoke with a serial levelhead only made it that much more concrete.

"There are vampires that seek death?" She stood and began to pace the room slowly.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Alucard smiled, it was a natural question. Why did she kill monsters? She needed their strength, not that she'd tell Scarlet that. "Maybe I'll tell you later, depending on what Lawrence says," she replied, "Some of us seek a permanent death, yes. Not everyone who becomes one of us did so consensually."

"Others get tired of living," she sighed, hinting she leaned towards the latter camp.

 

[Satturge]

"Says what? Whats he going to do with me?" She pondered on how shed feel in the future about her newfound immortality. At the corner of her eyes a sliver of light moved, she looked the clock passing 7. The sun was setting. Her stomach shocked her with a cramp making her wince. Shed never felt hunger in such a way. She stood and walked to her small open kitchen. "You said i could drink liquids?"

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"The curse will let you drink liquids, but it won't do anything for you if it doesn't have the properties of blood. It's like drinking water to feel full, it doesn't help you but it shuts up your insides." Alucard opted to ignore the first question. More likely than not, Lawrence would be furious. Alucard had turned Scarlet on impulse, and that was generally agreed to be stupid, especially by herself.

Alucard picked up her duster off the stand and put it on, pulling out a pair of sunglasses. "You'll want to cover your eyes when we leave," she said, pointing at the red irises Scarlet now had, "It's easier to blend in if people don't see them."

 

[Satturge]

Scarlet opened her fridge, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. She quickly chugges it. It tasted different, but it had taste at least. A tear rolled down her cheek when she sighed deeply.

She looked up at Alucard. "My eyes?" She looked into the reflection of a pot and gasped. Her once ember eyes were now well, scarlet red. "Whoah." She blinked to make sure she was seeing things before she began getting ready. She grabbed her jacket off the hook and searched for her shades. Eris was swatting them around the floor as if on cue. The young woman picked them up and put them on nodding to Alucard. "I think I'm ready..."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

With a nod, Alucard opened the door and beckoned for Scarlet to follow. Down the hall, down the stairs and down onto the street. The neighborhood wasn't the best in the world, but the road didn't have pot holes, so the taxi service still came through.

"North exit," Alucard said to the driver. The man on the other side of the glass nodded and punched a few buttons on his console before driving the two through the main part of town and out to the edge of the city. Alucard didn't say much during the ride, other than short answers to the driver's questions.

When they pulled up to the point where the taxi dropped them off, Alucard paid the driver and they walked the few streets to Lawrence's home as night truly fell. As they approached the house, which seemed upper middle class from the yard and condition of the two story building, Alucard seemed to relax some more. She'd been fairly chill so far, but as the house came into view, she walked with a little more bounce in her step.

"The Milsons are having a reunion," Alucard noted as music reached Scarlet's ears. "They protect Lawrence when he sleeps and feed him, and in return he protects and houses them. Lawrence and the Milson family have been like this since the fifteenth century." A bit of a history lesson before Alucard knocked on the door.

After some shuffling and the sound of unlocking, the door was opened by an elderly woman accompanied by the smell of food. "Alucard! Where have you been, young lady?", the old woman chided jokingly.

"I'm older than you by centuries, Mary!", Alucard replied with a smile before hugging the woman. "It's good to see you, I was worried I'd missed you by a few years."

"Who's your friend, sweetie?", Mary asked, nodding towards Scarlet.

"That's why I'm here. Mary, this is Scarlet." Alucard leaned in towards Mary, even though Scarlet was well within earshot, and whispered, "Is Lawrence awake?"

"He's been hibernating these last few months," Mary replied, "You'll have to wake him up, I'm getting too old." Alucard squeezed through the door past Mary, the sound of the Milsons calling out and offering drinks sounded before Mary turned to Scarlet.

"Come inside, dearie, if Alucard trusts you, we do," Mary said, ushering Scarlet into the dinner party atmosphere of the house. "That girl's more paranoid than a miser in a flee market. Come, meet the family!"