Fortier: Blood and Moon

Few have known the true terror of the night. To most, vampires haven’t been real for thousands of years. It is as if society chose to ignore them as if it would ease their simple minds, forcing everyone to forget them. The Salem Witch trials have been echoed across history, but few know of what we faced then. The wrath of man . . . It was an excuse. We were asked to attend a local gathering, one that was meant to serve as an opportunity so that the supernatural and the natural would perhaps live together, but those damn Bertrams . . . They messed up everything. For you to know them, I have to tell you the origin story of where Vampires came from and to be honest I do not know the answer myself. History books have always been vague when it comes to where it all started, but they all meet at the same end. The Bertrams, and the Zeidans. The two most prominent vampire houses that all knew, respected and feared. My name is Alfred Zeidan, and I am the youngest in my family, thus, I am free from the burdens of ruling over the rest, that responsibility is my father's, as it was his before him. The Bertrams are a family of snakes. Granted, vampires do have their sins, but them? They were more cunning than a fox, and it was them who appeared to the public that they wanted to propose peace with humans, we would live on animal blood. It tastes no different to be honest with you and I couldn’t care less, but they used that as a cover. The night of a super moon . . . a blood moon, is when all vampires lose their powers, the Bertrams suggested that date, that we go and talk to humans, talk to them so that we may share the surface with them. My family, and a lot of vampires went there, and they were captured, beaten and burned at the stake, but humans forgot one thing: a blood moon occurs once every one hundred thousand years only. And now look at them. Measly humans have forgotten that we even exist. But nonetheless, not all of us went to the trial. Not all of us trusted those damned Bertrams, and so my family swore that they would one day return the favor. It is the sole reason why I left these ancient feuds that started long before anyone alive today can remember, and we are immortal. What does that tell you? Greed is such a powerful feeling. You see, when you become a vampire, your feelings are amplified. What were they called? The Seven Deadly Sins? But also your powers grow beyond and beyond every time you kill another vampire. The older, the better. It's been more than a hundred years since I last went back to my family, all they could hear were rumors of a ferocious beast that knows no peace, nor honor. I live to kill. I kill to be powerful, in order to stop a war from ever occurring. Increase and increase, but the chickens will always go back home to roost. That is why in ancient Rome, they started to call me: the Fortier, and the name since then, just stuck. Humans are so self-centered; they always look above never having even the slight curiosity to know what lies beneath their very feet. Vampires dwell the underground and thrive there. We have built a society that is focused on economics, values and more. It is just like the world above, but those who go there often never return. As I walk through the tunnels of New York, I can smell animal blood on those who are standing before people, offering their supplies. Weapons, guns, you name it. Every single one of them knows my name, and would probably s**t where they stand, were it not for the fact that none of them ever saw me. They just whisper my name in shadows and tremble in fear. That is my effect. Why I'm back, you say? Well, I've been hearing a lot of commotion about how the Zeidans are planning a full an assault on the Bertrams nearly a century after the trials, and as it is normal, the Head of the Family, my father, has sent for me. Just what is he planning, I am not sure. But make no mistake, I do not take sides. Not yet, not before I am more powerful than anyone could ever imagine. I'd like to have the power to stop a war, simply by showing up there. “Hey! Yellow eyes, move along, will you?” I heard one of them cry at me, I rolled my eyes very slowly towards him. “Yes you, do you see anyone else with yellow eyes here? What even is this you're wearing? Look at your hair!” he started to grab my hair. “What a pretty lad you are, your mother must be so proud of your gorgeous, brown hair,” he mumbled before he took a step back. “What are you wearing? Is that a dress or a robe? You’re completely covered up! And you top it off with a cowboy hat, how lovely,” He started to laugh. A commotion is happening. People turn their attention towards me, and join the laughter. Stupidity and madness are all I can think of when I disappear in the blink of an eye, and show up right before him. He squeals like a f*****g pig as I grab onto his throat and lift him in the air. He's a vampire, but a low class like him has no right to even be in the same place as me. I smirk at the i***t who is gasping for air, trying with all of his supernatural strength to push me aside, but to no avail. The power gap is simply too great between us. I begin to smell fear pouring in from him and all those idiots who were laughing, well, guess what? They're not laughing now. “Let him go, Alfred.” I heard someone say from the far end of the tunnel, followed by weary footsteps. This thing, be it human or vampire wouldn’t fret even though they knew who I am. But unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about the crowd that was gathered. Upon hearing my name, they all whispered and wimped to each other. “Is he the Alfred?” I heard one of them whisper.