This is a story about vampires.
Oh, I know what you're thinking. Another Twilight fan.
No, actually, I've tried to make this story as original as possible. I have not read the Twilight series and the only things I know about it are three names: Bella, Edward and Jacob. That's all I know of it, so I am pretty sure that it is anything but similar to the series.
Anyway, please do not be put off from reading/reviewing my story just because it is a vampire story.
I just wrote this, like, yesterday. It's the first part of a bigger "short story" that I'm planning to write. This is most likely going to transform into a novel, though, but I still want to see how the first part of the story goes. So, please forgive me for a slight lack of plot in this part.
Blue Flames and Bloodshot Eyes
Chapter 1
Trying to obtain some footing, Zachary the Vampire balanced amongst the tree's branches dangerously. Below him, he could hear the taunts of the Incubi, who had been grounded by a spell he had cast earlier. Their large, leathery dark wings were dragged behind uselessly as they circled the tree, waiting for the Vampire to eventually land.
"Come down, Vampire!" one of them called viciously. "You'll have to come down one day. If you do so now, we'll spare ya!"
Zachary could imagine their pale, sneering faces from somewhere underneath the foliage. He looked around, desperate to find a way to escape. There was an overhanging branch from another tree nearby; it looked flimsy, but if he was careful ...
He reached for the wood, grimacing as it creaked and almost gave away. After a few tries, he finally had the branch gripped with both hands. He tested it for its strength. Satisfied, he fell silent and listened to the Incubi's steps below him. They were still there. Somehow, through sheer luck, the Vampire managed to pull himself completely onto the branch with hardly a sound. The path to freedom was ahead of him. The Incubi would still be waiting for him as he escaped through the treetops.
Taking a deep breath, the Vampire fled into the night.
***
Stumbling awkwardly over roots concealed in the midnight darkness, Zachary ran as fast he could. His fingers were wrapped securely around a small, shiny object, clutched close to his chest. He stopped to catch his breath, using his unparalleled vision of the night to check for the chasers. He peered into the darkness, a hand reaching outwards towards the nearest tree.
He couldn’t see the Incubi on his trails, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t still on it. Wanting to keep his leading advantage on them, Zachary continued his blind escape.
It had been a stupid incident. Stupid on Zachary’s part, he admitted.
They, the Incubi, had chased him out of the wooded enclosure, yelling threats at him, blue fireballs dancing on the palms of their hands. Zachary had an arsenal of his own Vampiric powers, but it would have been outright foolish to engage them in battle.
Unfortunately, Zachary was too prideful to accept the sudden defeat. He disliked being pushed around – coupled with his already stubborn nature, it was a deadly combination.
It had been simply a coincidence when Zachary came upon their hideout again – but this time it was empty except for one lone not-so-vigilant guard. The Incubus on guard had been fast asleep, his dark, leathery wings wrapped around his body in a messy heap near the fire. Zachary had realized that there was nothing much he could do to exact his revenge, but he decided he could make off with the most valuable thing he could find.
It was the gold, metallic rod he now held in his arms. Satisfied with his accomplishment, Zachary had bounded away happily and carefree, not seeing the small hole his right foot was about to fall into. He had fallen unceremoniously with a surprised shout, awaking the sentinel. He had been careful enough to set up a grounding spell to keep the Incubi from flying beforehand, but this was, of course, an unforeseen circumstance.
Zachary was hopelessly lost, but all that was on his mind was to get away from his would-be captors. His small, lithe body sped across the countryside, knowing nothing but escape. He knew the Incubi would not spare him his life should they catch him. The next worst thing than being caught was ending up in a human settlement. Judging from the twinkling lights polluting the complete darkness from their dwellings, Zachary could tell that ahead of him was a fairly large city. He made his way quietly through an empty field, periodically looking behind him should the Incubi were there.
There was a human made fence up ahead. Zachary made his way towards it, finding it hard to summon any remaining strength that he had to climb over it. He had forgotten the last time he had a full meal; what energy he had obtained from the few scraps he could find about half a week ago would have been long gone. He slowed his pace down to a walk, letting the cold, night air calm him down. Putting his hands on his knees, he quickly observed his surroundings, panting.
The bulk of the human city was still far off in the dark sea of earthly stars ahead, so he didn’t worry about coming across residents. Zachary was standing in the middle of a corn field – there was a large cottage at the edge of the field, adjacent to a large, red barn. The lights inside the cottage were turned off and it appeared as if no one had been taking care of the farm for at least a few weeks.
Now that his breath was slightly more even, Zachary took his time to absorb the countryside more thoroughly. The farm seemed to be a good place to stay for the night and there seemed to be no chance that he would encounter a human. He decided to leave early in the morning, as soon as he woke up. Despite contrary belief, Vampires could easily live in daylight – they simply don’t want to be seen by human observers.
Zachary found a quiet place behind the barn that was suitable for a night’s rest. There was a small heap of old hay that could serve as a comfortable, makeshift bed. With the golden rod safely tucked into his jacket, Zachary laid his head down and slept.
He didn’t notice a dim, luminous orb of blue light flare from the object.
The sun was already fairly high in the sky when Zachary awoke. The fiery globe in the sky was not at its zenith, not yet, but the Vampire hadn’t expected to sleep that long. He scrambled around frantically at the realization, making sure that the rod was still in his arms.
Yes, it was still there.
Zachary breathed out a sigh of relief. He scratched the back of his neck lazily and yawned, stretching the drowziness from his limbs. Another day of travelling awaited him, but he didn’t feel like moving even though he knew he should have left a lot earlier. The thought of the Incubi chasing him didn’t really bother him at that particular moment.
The Vampire sat up but reclined back onto the hay anyway. He had been completely worn out the night before and he wanted to rest as much as he could before going on the move again. He closed his red, bloodshot eyes – it was a bloody color where the whites of the eyes should have been.
Only a few seconds after he had closed his eyes, the Vampire heard the chanting.
“Father in heaven, protect this place from the demonic evil that has possessed this poor soul …”
Zachary’s eyes snapped open. There was someone standing a few meters away from him – a human, no less. He was holding up a wooden, slightly messily built cross and a bible in his other hand. Zachary realized what this human was trying to do – he was about to exorcise him!
Zachary flinched, bracing for the holy pain. He had heard stories whispered by passing tree wisps about humans and the power of their magic: stinging, boiling pain that tore at the very soul. But it never came.
"Are you ... are you really a holy man?" Zachary ventured.
The human briefly paused but soon continued his chant.
“It won’t work if you’re really not religious,” Zachary said.
“Hey, at least I’m trying, okay!”
The Vampire stood up, staring indifferently at the human. He was a lot taller than Zachary, but he didn’t seem to appear too dangerous. He was a young adult probably and he was wearing what Zachary recognized as glasses.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Zachary said. “But let me leave and I, in turn, shall leave you in peace. If you do not comply then I will have to, er, snuff out your life.”
The human lowered his arm and nodded. “Alright, but I know you can’t snuff out my life. I know you Vampires need blood for your powers to work.”
“I see you’ve done your homework,” Zachary remarked.
“Now get out. Please.”
The Vampire noticed that the human wasn’t actually putting his heart into what he was saying. But he didn’t want to mingle with humans any longer, so Zachary turned to leave. He made sure that the golden rod was still tucked inside his jacket.
He passed by the human nonchalantly, watching him from the corner of his eye in case he made any moves. The human was right – Vampires were powerless without a supply of human blood.
Before he could get any farther, Zachary bumped into something soft.
He took a step back, startled. There was another human in front of him now, a girl this time, with brightly colored hair.
“Whoa, this ain’t Halloween,” she said, backing away.
“Oh, it’s just a costume?” the older human said behind Zachary. “Sorry, I really thought you were a real vampire.”
“I am a real Vampire!” Zachary snapped back, turning back towards the older one.
“Whatever,” the girl interrupted him, waving a hand dismissively at him. “What are you doing on our grandmother’s farm?”
Zachary suddenly remembered his manners. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought this place was abandoned. I was just leaving.”
Without saying another word, he made his way passed the barn and into the backyard of the cottage. Eager to lose the humans, he quickened his pace. Only when he heard footsteps behind him did Zachary realize that he was being followed.
“Hey, where are you going?” Zachary noticed that the voice came from the older one.
Not wanting to reply, the Vampire simply continued to walk.
“I’m sorry about that - I must have been freaking you out,” the human said quickly. “I thought you were a real vampire. Wow, I am so stupid – vampires don’t exist, don't they?”
Zachary turned around, his eyes flaring with fury. “They do exist! I’m living proof!”
“Whoa, you’re really into this stuff. Are you role-playing or something? Those are really cool contacts – and your teeth look real.”
“This isn’t a costume,” Zachary shot back quickly.
“Okay, I get it. You’re role-playing – I can play along with that.”
Returning to boiling in silent frustration, Zachary ignored the human and continued to make his way around the side of the cottage to the exit. He reminded himself that there would be no good in trying to communicate with these humans anymore.
“What are you doing here, anyway?”
Zachary passed by the bright blue vehicle that the humans must have used to get here. They were odd things and Zachary never really understood why humans used them. If Vampires were supplied with enough blood, they could easily use their powers to shift through the spirit plane and end up in a different location almost instantaneously.
“Do you need a ride?”
“No, thank you,” Zachary said, despite himself.
“Are you sure?” the human asked, his tone now curious. “Then how’d you get here?”
“I walked,” Zachary admitted. It was the truth after all.
Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when a startled yell assailed their senses. The human froze and, looking worried, slowly turned around.
“Shirley? You okay?” he called back towards the cottage.
A loud crash followed, as if something large and solid had been thrown against the cottage wall.
The human broke into a run back to the direction of the barn. Zachary followed, growing suspicious. His eyes grew wide as his suspicions were realized. He had barely enough time to dodge a massive blue fireball aimed at his direction.
“What the – hey!" he heard someone say. A feminine voice. The one called Shirley.
“Shirley, are you alright? What happened?”
“Get off me, Brett! I’m fine! Just let me have at those –”
There was another roar of fire and the cottage wall right beside the Vampire blossomed into a massive, blue explosion. The blue fire could have come from only one thing – or one creature.
An Incubus.
“Get out of there!” Zachary shouted, partly on instinct. The humans would stand no chance against the Incubi and their powers. He held no love for them – he had just met them – but he didn’t want to be responsible for their deaths.
Shirley, the younger human, came bounding out of the hole in the cottage wall, wielding a large spade. Her shoes made a crunching noise as her weight crushed the small wooden splinters that had been a part of the wall.
“Where are they? Let me at ‘em!”
“You should get out of here, it’s not safe,” Zachary warned her, climbing into the hole.
He found himself inside the cottage’s living room. It was dusty and smelled of smoke; the antiquely designed furniture had been scattered around the room. Some of the portraits hung on the walls had fallen off their hooks due to the force of the explosion.
“Get out!” somebody yelled.
It was the other human. He ran passed the Vampire in a blur, leaping out of the hole with great speed. A shadowy figure appeared in the room’s doorway, solidly confirming Zachary’s suspicions. The Incubus halted for a moment. His eyes widened in surprise, two large twin pools of dark blue.
“You!”
He wasted no more time in formalities and promptly conjured a fiery ball of azure fire in the cusps of his hands. Being used to avoiding the Incubi for three years, Zachary noticed their familiar motions. He leapt out of the way just as a great burst of fire incinerated the spot where he had been standing just a moment ago.
The Incubus flexed his wings widely, a clear sign of frustration. The Vampire took this tiny gap in time to flee the melee, but he was immediately stopped by another Incubus waiting for him outside.
Zachary ducked again, the blue flames singeing his forearm as he rolled out of the way. The flames had been aimed foolishly – it hit the Incubus inside the house. Incubus fire could not kill other Incubi – but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt. The Incubus howled in pain and disappeared in a flurry of swirling shadows. The Vampire hissed, trying to ignore the pain in his arm and the tiny victory he had just achieved. The blue, glowing scars on his arm throbbed with great pain. He was about to get up but the second Incubus kicked him back down with a foot.
He felt his breath leave his lungs forcefully as Zachary fell back down onto the wooden floor. He looked up at his adversary, trying to muster up what bravado he had left in the face of his inevitable death. The sickly, pale face stared down at him in a frightening, almost maniacal sneer.
“Where is the rod?” the Incubus spat at him, his wings flapping menacingly.
“What, you think I’m going to simply hand it over?”
In response, the Incubus conjured a fireball in his right hand. As he raised it in the air, Zachary looked away, his eyes shut tight. He braced for the pain.
“See you in the afterlife,” the Incubus.
A loud thud, like something metallic had hit something solid, caused Zachary to look back up at his opponent. The Incubus’ fireball had dissipated from his hand. He was staring straight down at the Vampire, his expression blank. Slightly swaying on the spot, he finally crumpled awkwardly onto the floor, his eyes rolling.
Shirley rested the spade over her shoulders, wearing a smug look on her face. “That’ll show Brett!”
The person in question came bounding into the cottage clumsily. “Shirley, you could’ve gotten killed! Are they gone? W-who were they?”
“Relax,” Shirley said airily. She spied the wound on Zachary’s arm. “You okay?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” the Vampire grumbled, sitting up. It was true – the pain was slowly fading away, along with the blue scars. He looked up at Brett and said, “Now do you believe me?”
Brett opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it.
“Anyway, who were they?” Shirley asked, holding out a hand to help the fallen Vampire.
“They were Incubi,” Zachary told her, refusing the assistance and standing up by himself. “So now that you know what they are capable of, it’s best if you don’t stick with me.”
“Oh, what chivalry,” Shirley remarked, pouting.
Zachary ignored the two humans and climbed back out of the cottage’s new, gaping exit. He had barely walked two paces when he heard the crunch of wooden splinters behind him.
“I told you not to follow me,” Zachary said, turning around.
“Oh, come on,” Shirley whined. “You’re a real vampire! I want to know more about you. Do you, like, have a family or something?”
“No,” Zachary said glumly, turning around to head back to the front yard. “I don’t want to discuss my ... ah, familial relationships.”
“Shirley, leave him alone.”
Shirley ignored Brett. “Do you have some of your own powers?”
Zachary nodded. “Yeah ... but I need human blood.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“Yes.”
“Hey you two, I'm a little confused here. Mind slowing down?” Brett said. He paused then added, more urgently, "Actually, scratch that. Look behind us."
Zachary stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around quickly. Brett was watching two figures approach from behind. Winged figures.
Great. More of them, Zachary thought. He had had enough running for the week.
“Damn, I left my spade in the cottage!” Shirley hissed.
“We have to run!”
It took a nearby patch of grass to explode in blue fire for them to fully realize the new danger. The unusual trio scrambled away into the front yard, the new Incubi hard on their heels. One of them had taken to the skies, his dark, leathery wings propelling him into the air. The other was nowhere to be seen, but Zachary knew better than to hope for one less enemy to deal with.
“Could we outrun them with the car?” Brett called out as they reached the main, dusty road.
Zachary eyed the blue human vehicle, appraising the object with great suspicion. He disliked the things but he had no powers – he decided against arguing. “I suppose it will do.”
Another explosion of blue and brown had them quickly running for their lives again. Brett and Shirley quickly leapt into the driver’s and passenger’s seat respectively. Zachary stood beside the back seat’s door, scrutinizing it with great concentration.
“Just pull the handle!” Brett called out from inside the car.
Zachary pulled the handle and climbed inside the car a little awkwardly. He had never been inside a car before.
The engines flared alive, Brett working furiously at the wheel. He stepped on the pedal and the car began to move. It inched forward slowly, agonizingly so, but it quickly accelerated. Another barrage of flames rocked the ground and the car swayed uncomfortably. As soon as the wheels gained proper purchase on the ground, Brett switched gears and they sped off down the hill.
Trying to adjust with the sensation of being in a moving vehicle, Zachary craned his neck to watch the Incubi. They were gently floating in the air, watching their escaping figures, not wanting to enter human territory.
“How interesting,” Zachary commented finally. “They still don’t want to enter the city.”
A shaken Brett did not reply but Shirley was almost hyperventilating. “That was – that was just,” she began and then collapsed in her seat. “Wow, I’m such an adrenaline junkie!”
Zachary shifted in his seat, looking out the window. Then he felt for the rod in its hidden pocket inside his jacket. “Ah, good, it’s still there.”
“What’s still there?” Shirley asked.
“I wonder what they wanted this rod for,” the Vampire said, mostly to himself. “It seems to be really ... coveted."
“Wait, you’re a thief?” Brett asked, incredulous. "A vampiric thief."
“No – this rod didn’t belong to them either,” Zachary said. “I don’t see anything wrong with stealing from stealers.”
“The ends don’t always justify the means,” Brett mumbled.
“Oh, shut up, Brett,” Shirley interrupted, giggling. “We have a vampire – in our car! Please don’t tell me that I’m dreaming. No, Brett – don’t pinch me!”
Zachary couldn't help chuckling as the car almost went off-road. The humans’ misbehavior had them almost killed if not for Brett’s quick hand to swerve the car back onto the road. The Vampire could get used to riding in these cars, but he knew he should leave as soon as possible. A human community would never accept him, as history had proven.
“Could you stop the vehicle?” Zachary asked Brett quietly. “My presence could endanger your lives.”
"Flamethrowers," Brett muttered, loud enough for the Vampire to hear. "They must have been using flamethrowers. And advanced military jetpacks or something –"
"Brett, I don't think they were flamethrowers," Shirley said.
"Or they could be high-tech androids with advanced components," Brett continued. "Advanced cellular capabilities, maybe."
"That's even more unbelievable, Brett."
"I really need to get out of here," Zachary said, fidgeting slightly. Having lived almost his entire life avoiding the humans, it would only be contradictory to his nature to mingle with them – now, of all times.
“What? You’re not coming with us?” Shirley groaned. “Come on, I could show you off to my friends. They'd never believe that Vampires really do exist, right Reddie?”
“My name isn't Reddie,” Zachary said, narrowing his eyes at the human girl. “My name is Zachary.”
To be continued ...
Author's Note
Nitpick, tear it apart, have it undergo torture -- do what you wish in your reviews! I will take any and all advice into consideration. All I want to do is to make this story great!
Changelog
1. Fixed one tense confusion.
2. Removed the swearing and the Twilight references. Also edited the word repetition.
3. Added an extra bit to the beginning Author's Note. This story is a not a Twilight-wannabe.
4. Moved to the Fantasy Novels section. This is now Chapter 1.
5. Edited the first half of this chapter.
6. Edited dialogue and other various bits and pieces. Removed the info-dumpy paragraph at the beginning. It should be better now. I hope.
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