Bad Blood

Turning Moment

A week passed by since Adam returned. Marie remained in her room, denying entry and communication with anyone. She ignored Damien’s persistent attempts to coax her out of the room to feed, causing him to spiral into a deeper worry. The entire household was concerned for their lady, but also equally concerned about Damien, who would all about raise hell if he could.

Another day went by, and Damien, once again, knocked at her door. He expected the usual silence, which only sent his nerves on overdrive again. She needed to drink, and she needed to do it soon before it caused adverse effects to her health. Damien waited a few more seconds before sighing and turning away from the door.

“…Come in.”

Damien immediately turned back and tested the doorknob, seeing it unlocked. He swung the door open and entered inside with quick steps. The entire room was as dark as night despite it being almost afternoon. Thick black curtains were drawn over every window, blocking out any tendrils of light from peeking in. The large chandelier hung unlit, causing quite the dreary atmosphere in her bedroom. He approached closer to the large, oak, king-sized bed located at the farthest wall, passing by the small sitting area. Marie lay among burgundy pillows and comforters, still in the same black dress, looking straight ahead of her.

She was there, but clearly, her mind was elsewhere. As he placed the large glass on a matching oak nightstand, he took this chance to examine her. She was paler than normal, her eyes were sunken, and her skin seemed tight around her bones. It was the effect of not having fed for seven whole days. He looked at her with a pained expression, rage bubbling inside of him. He had heard what had happened, and he was immensely angered at the man who ended up hurting her twice. How could anyone leave this beautiful woman for another? With a deep breath, he steadied his anger and sat on the edge of the bed, taking her hand in his. Despite her petite size, her hand fit perfectly in his. At his touch, she turned her head towards him, her expression blank.

“Marie,” Damien began in a soft voice, laced with affection. “You must drink, I beg of you. You told me yourself, all those years ago, that I must drink to survive. I ask you to do the same for me.”

~~~40 years ago~~~

The day was somber, gray, and wet. The sun had just set a few minutes ago, and the dim daylight quickly became darkness. Damien had just exited the warehouse, finishing his job for the day. His light coat did little to shield him from the cold wind that sliced through his bones. He had better get to his apartment quickly, especially before it started pouring. He began walking down the narrow alleyways, taking the shortcut through the small town. As he rounded a corner, he noticed a woman leaning against the stonewall. He’d never seen her before, but he minded his own business as he passed her quickly.

“Hey there, handsome,” the woman called out, her voice sweet, like candy laced with poison. Damien shivered from the tone and kept walking, wanting nothing more than to return home. But before he could even blink, the woman appeared in front of him in a flash, startling him to a halt.

“It’s rude to ignore a lady, don’t you know?” The woman stated in the same sickly-sweet voice. Before him stood a beautiful woman, blonde haired and dressed in a thin short dress, made from cotton perhaps. He was unsure what possessed the woman to wear something like that on a cold winter’s day, but she seemed not to be bothered by the biting wind. The woman was alluring certainly, but something seemed a bit wild about her.

“I do love a blue-eyed boy. Why don’t you keep me company tonight? Keep me warm in my bed?” The woman approached closer, clutching his arm. “My, my, you’re a strong one too. I bet you’re quite yummy!” She exclaimed, licking her lips.

Damien quickly removed her hand away from him and stepped around her. “No thank you, I’m not interested,” he said in passing as he continued forward. He took a few steps before he felt something hit his back like a thousand bricks. He fell to the floor and felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, screaming out as he writhed. Whatever punctured him felt like fire, and he desperately tried to break away. In his struggle, he managed to pry off what was attacking him, looking back briefly to see the woman, teeth barred as her lips were covered in blood. He stumbled onto his feet and ran, clutching his shoulder.

But he was too slow. He only managed a few steps before she attacked him again, digging her teeth into his shoulder again. He screamed out in pain as she had created another puncture wound, increasing the feeling of pain and burning. It was as if her mouth was pure poison, and it was spilling into his bloodstream. In his struggle with the woman, he managed to grab a piece of wood and stabbed towards his shoulder. He felt the wood sink into something, and the woman let him go with an ear-shattering shriek as she clutched her punctured eye.

Without looking back, Damien used the adrenaline that coursed through his veins and ran. He ran as fast as he could, turning in every which way, not thinking of where he was going. Rain started pouring heavily now, which blurred his vision. He crossed a street and ducked into an alleyway that ended up being a dead end. With nowhere to run and the adrenaline quickly subsiding, he slid down against a stone wall behind a dumpster. The pain increased exponentially; his breathing quickened. It felt like his shoulder was starting to rot away from his body. He didn’t know what attacked him, but he was sure that this would be the end.

In a spiral towards his realization of his eventual and quick end, he failed to hear footsteps approach him until he looked up to find someone standing in front of him. In his panic, when he noticed that it was a woman, he tried to get up but failed miserably as his strength was sapped. The woman stepped closer, and Damien was ready to submit to his painful fate but realized this was a completely different woman than the one who attacked him. He watched as she crouched down, and his heart skipped a beat. In the darkness, he could make out that the woman was extremely beautiful, emitting an ethereal aura. Perhaps this was the angel of mercy, taking pity on him and ending his misery sooner rather than later.

“Are…you the angel that will take my soul?” He asked dryly, his tone laced in pain. He could see a smile play on her lush lips.

“No, I am no angel,” she replied, her voice so soft and soothing to his ears.

“Ah, the devil then. I knew heaven was too good for me.” Damien shifted against the wall, grunting from pain. He heard her chuckle. It was perhaps the most beautiful sound that he had ever heard in his life.

“No, I’m neither the devil, but some may think I am. Do you know what attacked you?”

“It was a woman.”

“Not just any woman. You were attacked by a vampire. A rogue. One who hunts humans to feed on. I’m not sure how you got away, but she will be back to finish you off. That is if you don’t die from her bite first.”

“Vampire? How…” he began but was cut off as a searing pang of pain coursed through his body. It was the most painful thing he had ever experienced in his life.

“It’s quite a bit to go through, and I’d rather not sit about in the rain. There is no cure for a vampire bite, so the least I can do is give you a warm place to die”

“There’s no cure?” he asked.

She remained silent, taking the man and lifting him effortlessly up. He was quite surprised by her strength but offered no resistance as she led him out of the alley and back across the road. He noticed that they were headed towards a large building that he recognized as the town’s inn. They walked in, and she led him to the elevator, pressing the button for the top level. They spent the time in silence as the elevator creaked and cranked its way to the top, and it gave him some time to think in between spurts of pain. Vampires are real? Was this woman a vampire? That would explain why she knew what attacked him. But if she’s a vampire and that other woman was a vampire, how come he felt so different about her?

Thoughts raced through his head as the elevator eventually reached the top floor, opening slowly to reveal a room with a single door. On the door was a golden plaque that was etched with the words 'Royal Suite'. They walked towards it, and the woman swung the door open, revealing a large room, easily ten times bigger than his dingy apartment. It was decorated with numerous paintings and vases filled with flowers. It had a large living room and a doorway that led to a bedroom and another that led to the bathroom.

She gently placed him down on one of the couches, and he flopped down with a pained groan. She walked away, and he lifted his head, spying a mirror that faced him. He was soaked to the bone, his clothes clinging uncomfortably against him. He was bleeding profusely from his shoulder. His skin was quite pale, lips turning blue, and his dirty blond, wet hair clung to his face. He looked as if death was already knocking at his door.

He looked away from his visage as the woman reentered the room. His heart beat faster as he could finally see what she looked like. She was small in stature and quite petite, but she carried herself like a queen. She had the most mesmerizing green eyes, and her hair was like a deep black river that flowed down her back. He never took his eyes off her as she sat across from him.

“Are you a vampire?” he asked. She simply nodded.

“And my only option is to die?” She remained silent again, looking into his eyes. He stayed silent and waited, shuddering occasionally from the pain.

“No,” she finally spoke. “You can live, but only if you’re changed.”

“Changed into a vampire, you mean?” He received another nod from her.

“Your life will be drastically different, and you will be forced to live an exceptionally long life and crave blood. You will become the very monster you humans fear and tell horror stories about.”

“Will I become like that woman? A rogue?” he asked. His shoulder burned even more, the next pang of pain leaving him breathless. She waited for him to calm down before continuing.

“No, I wouldn’t let you become a rogue. There are rules in our world. If I turn you, you will be subject to those rules and regulations. One of which is that you will be required to live the rest of your life to service me as a servant, slave, butler, and whatnot. Is that what you want?”

He continued to look at her, staying silent. Anything was better than what he was going through now. His life so far had been nothing special. He was born into a poor farming family, destined to inherit the meager farm and lifestyle that his father and his father’s father had. He always had big dreams of breaking away from the curse of poverty and had left the farm behind to pursue it. He moved to this little town and picked up a few odd jobs at the factory and local mill. Yet he barely made enough money to pay the landlady for the dingy apartment he was renting. The chance to have a different life, a life intertwined with this beautiful woman, would perhaps be far better than he could ever imagine.

“Turn me, and I will devote the rest of my eternal life to you. I will serve you until my very last breath. I will not die tonight.” He stated, his breath haggard, his consciousness had begun to fade in and out until finally he blacked out. He remembered nothing that had transpired from then until he woke up, reborn again.

He remembered his first taste of blood and her words.

“This is your life now. This is what fuels you. You must drink. Otherwise, you will wither away.”