Connor: Ashes to Ashes

One night I had allowed a strange pale woman to enter my house.  It seemed like a bright idea to give this poor woman food and shelter for a single night.  That was when things got crazy.  I woke up the next night, somehow managing to sleep through the day.  I was unchanged then, the only difference was the puncture wounds on my neck.  They didn't hurt, but they looked fresh as though they had appeared during the day.  They couldn't have, I thought I was going mad.  I awoke again the following night and discovered I was now slightly pale, my eyes were bloodshot.  I was frightened then, but it would get much worse later.  Over the span of the next week I kept changing until I was no longer human.  My canines became sharper and more pointed, my eyes became blood red, and I had become paler than an albino.  I stepped out and heard the people speaking, complaining about their daily lives.  I felt nothing but disdain for mortals now, the only reason I walked among the living was for nutrition.  Blood banks run by other vampires gave out blood for a price, the laws dictate that I not feed on humans.  However this was a dark world, a world of darkness, if you would.  Others would go out and drink from humans in public, leading the hunters to come after all of us.  America had it worst of all, vampires masquerading as humans, werewolves running around, mummies, ghouls, mages, hunters.  All the things that go bump in the night are real, take my word for it I'm one of them.

  I didn't trust my own kind, a fellow vampire would sell you out for blood.  I vowed to spend my afterlife hiding and feeding off criminals, if I drained them dry no one cared.  But I couldn't feed in a public place, nor on an innocent.  At that point in my afterlife I hadn't met the hunters, I, like others, thought they were just a myth.  Then I met one, in a back alley holding a stake, a gun, and no doubt hiding holy water on his person.  Guns and stakes hurt, but they don't kill me.  Sunrise and holy water though will.  I took out my own gun a trusty shotgun I taken off a bank robber.  I leveled the shotgun at his torso and fired.  Fortunately I missed the man, but hit the holy water container he concealed in his jacket.  Then I fled, the man undoubtedly ran back to report to his team.  Hunters were cowardly opponents who traveled in groups, the leader was usually the most dangerous.

   After my first run in with a hunter I started selling my services, I kill werewolves and the like in return for a blood pack.  The humans held up their end of the bargain and I was able to live for another week.  Often other groups of hunters would berate the group who was paying me, some would even attempt to slay me.  Other vampires said I knew too much or was too crazy to predict, they weren't quite so far off.  I heard voices in my head, malevolent evil voices telling me to slaughter my kind and the humans.  I was always hearing the voices, sometimes obeying and other times not.  An insane vampire hit man is hard to control, as the hunters soon learned.

  Months had passed since my initial employment by these hunters, I had since quit and gone through shooting 'em all.  I moved on toward other hunters making the same promise never mentioning the killing again.  All groups turned me down, or the voices would say "They know, THEY KNOW!  KILL THEM ALL!"  After two years had passed I had killed enough hunters to alert the city leader.  She tracked me down personally and followed me to my hideout.  In the dim light of my safe house her orange hair appeared brighter than out on the moonlit streets.  She wore a black business suit with a pink bow tie, she carried an emerald studded, golden firearm.  Upon inspection I realized the firearm was a Glock.  She aimed it at me, although she was aware it wouldn't kill me she leveled it at my heart.  She said with a scowl "This is for all those hunters you killed!" and fired.  I didn't make a show of dodging the bullet I simply stood there.  She then added, still scowling, "And this is for the families of the hunters you've slain!" as she fired five more times.  I allowed each shot to hit me, as it wouldn't kill.  She glared at me, an obvious hatred in her eyes, she pulled out the stake and shouted "And THIS, is for my poor brother Marcus, who's body never turned up!"

As she ran I soon remembered who I was fighting, at the mention of my name my blood red eyes lit up.  Poor Henrietta probably thought I was relishing in the thought of a wonderful kill.  Before she ran the stake through my heart I said "I suppose I should tell you who I am.  The reason Marcus's body was never recovered is because....  I am Marcus!"  She tried to stop herself, but the momentum kept the stake moving.  I said quickly "Henrietta, I wish for you to take me outside.  Sunrise is fast approaching, sis, and I would like to see it one last time.  I shouldn't have caused you so much trouble, but the voices, they demanded it."

  She stared at me awhile and said "Of course, brother.  I can't believe you're alive, or rather were alive."  She placed me in the middle of the graveyard and looked at me once again.  You're not yet finished, the voices said, You can still kill her.  YOU CAN STILL HAVE REVENGE!  I thought about it and then replied to the voices, No I WILL NOT! SHUT UP!  As the sun started to rise Henrietta stood over me.  I saw the sunlight, this was my last sunrise.  My body started changing again, this time to dust and it was happening quickly.