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ariaachillesaphrodisia · 1 year

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To Kill The King Upon His Throne - Vampire Nightwing x Reader - DC Vs. Vampires Fanfiction - CHAPTER ONE

Rating: Mature Content Warnings: Violence, character deaths, blood drinking, gore, dismemberment, blood, hunting (of vampires and humans).

SPOILER WARNING:: Spoilers for all of DC vs. Vampires, but especially spoilers for Issue #6 - #10.

As the tall golden doors opened, revealing the manor within, you could not help but marvel at the sight before you. Your breath caught in your throat as you saw the sparkling chandelier hanging what seemed like a thousand feet above you, and you could barely get that breath out as you continued to scan the room. The floors were the cleanest marble you had ever seen in your life. The pillars were a glossy mahogany, adorned with stone on the tops and bottoms of them. The most beautiful woodwork you had ever seen in your life littered the railings on the second floor, and two sets of stairs led up on either side of the room to the second floor itself. These stairs were themselves covered with a floral print carpet that looked as though it had no creases in it whatsoever. Paintings in gold frames were scattered about the walls, and you wondered to yourself whether it was real gold. You thought that it must be, for no false gold could ever shine so beautifully in the light of the candles which were on silver candleholders next to both sets of stairs. But as breathtaking as these marvels were, and though you hated to admit it, they very much were, they were not what demanded your attention the most…

No… what did that was the man standing atop the second floor, hands causally resting upon the wood of the railing. He was dressed in a jet-black suit with a dazzling golden tie that rivaled the beauty of the gold painting frames. He had on above this a navy-blue vest with silver buttons, and both his cufflinks and his masquerade mask matched the shade of blue of his vest. The design of the mask itself made you think of an owl, with its ruffled edges and pointed beak. The man’s eyes reminded you of an owl as well, as they surveyed the crowd below like a bird of prey waiting for its moment to strike. You watched those eyes dart back and forth before finally meeting your gaze, and you watched the corners of his lips form into a smile. And you smiled back at him. Neither smile was unfriendly on the surface, but both held hidden intentions, you knew. For his smile, you knew from the look of his eyes, was the smile of a hawk who just spotted his next meal. But your smile… well… your smile hid a dark secret as well. For you were not a frightened rabbit, unprepared for the oncoming attack. No… you were a viper hidden in the guise of an innocent little rabbit… and just as he was… you too were waiting for just the right moment to strike.

It had only been a few months since the world first learned of the existence of vampires. At least, the widespread existence of them. No one was surprised when a few vampires showed up. After all, your cities were defended by people who could lift trucks with one hand, people who could deflect bullets, people who could run fast enough to break the sound barrier, people who could make objects out of light, and people who dressed up in costumes designed to look like bats. The villains were no stranger to magic either, with some being able to control plants and others being… well… unkillable. So of course, the news of a few vampires here or there wasn’t really too shocking. People were worried, naturally, when the news of vampire-related deaths began hitting screens all across the globe, but most assumed that the heroes would take care of these isolated incidents and the world would be back to “normal” in no time…

But then the killings didn’t stop. Not only that… they got worse.

Villains in different cities began turning up dead. Not just the lower-threat ones that people barely paid attention to either. Some bigger names began showing up on the news as victims of the vampire attacks. The Penguin was reported missing, and not long after his body turned up with bit marks littering it.

It wasn’t only villains either. Rumors were circulating that Zan, a member of the Wonder Twins, had gone missing as well, and though nothing had been confirmed by the league… the rarer and rarer appearances of his sister, Janya, made people suspect there may have been some trust to the rumors. Then… a little while later… the Flash stopped making appearances in Central City… or anywhere else for that matter. Again, no statement was formally made… but the loss of two superheroes, especially such high-profile ones, stirred up a significant amount of panic and fear amongst the citizens of… well… pretty much everywhere. No one knew what was happening, but what people were becoming certain of was that this was not something that was just going to fade out of people’s lives. This wasn’t just a few isolated incidents that would be taken care of in no time. And more and more… it seemed like this was not something the superheroes everyone had come to rely on could handle. So people began losing hope in those heroes. Some tried to stay inside. Others tried to barricade their houses or find hiding places to stay with friends, family, or anyone else they could convince to join them. There were those who thought it might be best to try and move somewhere else, and those who fought to stay. There were some who even thought it might be best to join them. These were the people who believed there was some sort of uprising going on. A war between vampires and humans. It sounded like madness at the time. Sounded even madder when people suggested joining the vampires. Of course… no one could have known how things would progress. You supposed that, perhaps if they did… they would not have been so quick to judge those people as crazy or mad… because in those people’s minds… becoming an undead was far better than becoming an undead’s next meal.

And then there were those such as yourself, who took a very different approach when it came to dealing with the new reality that you had found yourselves in. Instead of trying to run from them, hide from them, or become one of them… you decided to hunt them. There were many stories of how people became hunters. Some had family members or friends who were taken by a vampire. Others became hunters out of fear of what would happen to them, their loved ones, or their cities and homes if they did not. Some had years of experience and training in dealing with combat, and others had no training other than the skills they picked up while trying to hunt a vampire. For some, they decided on their own to become hunters. For others, someone they knew introduced them to the life. For you, it was your best friend, Rose, who had first suggested to you that you and her should team up to try and hunt some vampires. You had no experience in combat, fights, or anything of the sort. The most you knew was the stuff you had learned from watching her. But the knowledge you lacked Rose more than made up for. You weren’t sure where she learned all her weapons and combat skills from. She has always been very secretive about herself and her life. But in all honesty, you were just glad that you happened to know someone who did have that training.

Rose spent weeks training you to kill. The first bit of your training was all theory. She showed you the different types of weapons and explained all the weaknesses she knew that could help take down a vampire, or at least weaken them enough to let you get in for the kill. She showed you a special sword which she had laced with holy water and adorned with a cross. You asked her if you could get a sword like that, and at the time she had laughed and asked you if you had ever held a sword. You’d blushed and told her no, and she told you that settled the matter. She did, however, give you a small dagger which was laced with holy water, along with a large container of holy water. She told you that you were only to use that in emergency circumstances, or when you “got really good at offing them”. You had assumed you were only going to use it in the former… but after that day… the latter started looking more and more plausible until one day, it just became your reality.

That day. It will sound cliché, but that day really did start out just like any other day. Well, any other day since you had begun training to hunt vampires, and on occasion, accompanying Rose on hunts. You had met up with Rose at the secret location you two had been holding your training sessions at over the past while. You talked for a bit with her. She asked about your life, how your family was doing, all the usual stuff. You answered and asked her the same. She gave you the regular vague and ominous answers she always did, especially when it came to stuff about her family, which she either gave a single-word answer to or a grunting sound of disapproval at the mention of them. You weren’t sure what was up with this, but didn’t want to pry, so you’d gotten used to just nodding or moving the conversation along. After some small talk, training began. On that particular day, she had been teaching you about agility. Ways to both avoid an oncoming attack and ways to strike back before they even have time to expect it. When Rose had started this part of your training, she had been serious and stern, but over time (and mostly thanks to your more playful demeanor) she had loosened up and had even started cracking a few smiles at your jokes. The sparing or exercises too became more enjoyable, with some friendly competition to see who could beat who in the matches. These were the sorts of exercises that you had been doing that day. You worked hard for a few hours, then decided to take a break. It was early evening, and while you ate you and she talked about what you thought things would be like when the world returned to normal. Rose was in the middle of a scenario that sounded like it came straight from a young adult post-apocalypse novel when all of a sudden, the room started going dark.

You furrowed your brows in confusion, wondering if perhaps the power had gone out. You looked up at the lights and saw they were indeed out and turned to ask Rose whether she knew where the fuse box was. Before the question could even leave your lips, you saw that Rose had gone completely pale, as though she had seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide, and you saw fear written clearly across your face. This alone was enough to send a shiver down your back. In all the time you’d known her, you’d never seen her afraid. Worried, sure. Stressed, seemed like 90% of the time she was. But never afraid. You were about to ask her what was wrong but before the question even left your lips, a shot of dread coursed through you as a sudden realization hit you. The reason the lights weren’t on was not because they had died, or because something had knocked out the power… they hadn’t been on in the first place. You hadn’t needed to turn them on. It… it had been so bright outside. The sun shone so beautifully that you hadn’t needed to turn on any of the lights when you entered the building. So then… why had the room gotten so dark… Your focus was brought back to the present moment when you saw Rose beginning to point at something. You followed her line of sight and noticed she was pointing out the window. You could not hold back the gasp that left your lips at the sight greeting both of you outside that window.

The world was completely dark. It was as though within a matter of minutes, time had gone from early evening to midnight. You could make out the glow of lights within some of the nearby buildings, and you saw a few streetlamps which were still lit up, but other than that, you could not see anything. Most buildings, like the one you were in, were without light, and you suspected they, like you, had seen no reason to turn on the lights. You wondered how many of them were hesitating to turn on the lights for the same reason that you were, and for the same reason you suspected Rose was: not wanting to attract any unwanted vampiric attention to yourselves. Another horrible realization dawned on you at that thought, and you looked at Rose with panic, reading the same expression on her face which made you realize you and her had both had the exact same thought at the exact same time. Before, the threat of running into a vampire during the day was minimal. People learned fairly early on to avoid any areas where there was enough shade to cover a person, or any areas where the sunlight didn’t reach at all. Businesses removed any canopies or umbrellas, and the buildings that could not remove devices or apparatuses meant to shade people put up signs that warned of the dangers of such areas, especially those more out of view of the public eye. People learned how to protect themselves during the day, and during the nights people would hide out in houses, buildings, shelters, etc. Anywhere where they could to try and avoid the vampires who would roam the streets at nights, hunting for their next prey. Some businesses such as bars or clubs took quite the hit due to this lack of nighttime activity, but it was a small price to pay compared to the alternative. People adapted to this new way of living, and it provided people with a small sense of safety. Of security.

But now… that was all gone. The sun was gone… and so too with it any safety that it had provided. There was no way in that moment to know that it was going to stay that way… that there would be no way to reverse it but… but as optimistic as you had tried to be during this entire ordeal up to that point… you couldn’t see a way that this ended well. The sun was gone! They had taken away the sun! You weren’t sure how, and you weren’t sure what their end goal was. You figured they would have to bring back some of the sunlight. They fed off humans, so it would be damning to themselves if they didn’t. Humans needed food, and that either meant animals, who require crops, or the crops themselves, which required sunlight. But you figured that they must have had some sort of contingency plan for that. After all… if they could get rid of the sun… well… you were sure they had some controlled way of bringing it back to the areas where they needed it. But while you might have been certain that they would not let all of humanity starve to death (if only to ensure their own survival), it did not fill you with any sort of comfort.

The sound of shuffling brought you back to reality and you looked over to see Rose hurriedly packing a bag. She threw her sword into its holster and threw the bag over her other shoulder. You asked her where she was going, and she told you she had to check on her family. In all the times she had ever spoken of them, never before had you heard any sort of warmth or love in her voice… but now… now you heard clear concern and fear for them hidden under an attempt to keep her voice cool and causal. The thought of your own family came to mind, and you felt the same mix of fear and concern fill you. You watched Rose rush off before you could protest or tell her it was too dangerous to go alone, even for her. You doubted it would have done any good anyways.

You immediately grabbed your phone and texted your parents, asking them if they were alright. You hadn’t spoken with them much since the “vampire outbreak”, only here or there to check-in. They lived in Metropolis, and you lived in Chicago, and the truth was that you weren’t very close with them. Nothing bad had happened between you all, it was just that you didn’t get much time to visit even before everything, and neither party was particularly good at remembering to call outside of special occasions. Still though, when everything had started, they had been good about messaging you back whenever you texted, asking how you were in return. You’d purposely not told them about the hunting, not wanting to worry them. You just told them you were staying with a friend and keeping safe. You waited for the sound of an incoming message and sure enough, you heard it. Your mother was asking if you had seen what was happening outside and you told her yes, you had. Your father asked if you were safe and you told him you were. They told you that they were staying with a bunch of the neighbors and that they had barricaded the house. You felt relieved at the knowledge that they were safe. You told them to be careful and to not go outside unless it was absolutely necessary, and even then, to bring things that could help against the vampires. They told you to do the same, and you told them you would. You felt bad lying to them, but you knew you couldn’t tell them the truth. You ended the conversation by saying that you loved them, and then you turned your phone off.

At first, you didn’t hunt. You only killed the vampires you came across when you were outside, which was a rare occurrence. You had hunted before, sure, but that was with Rose. Anytime you got overwhelmed or forgot what you were supposed to do, she was there to have your back. But now you were on your own, with no one to look out for you, and you weren’t confident enough in your skills to hunt. So, you only went out when it was absolutely necessary, and you tried to avoid the vampires as much as you could. At least… until one day when you were walking back from raiding an abandoned store and you saw a group of figures rushing after someone. At first, you assumed it was a group of vampires hunting down an unlucky prey, but then you saw that they were all carrying stakes. Your eyes widened as you realized they were hunters. You were too curious to look away, and after assessing that your location was safe, you watched the group. They were closing in on the vampire fast, and it looked like they would have a successful mission.

But then you saw movement atop one of the nearby buildings, and you held back a gasp when you realized it was another vampire. It must have noticed the group and come to aid the other vampire! You saw it leap down from the top of the building onto a balcony close by, and realized in horror that the hunters were not aware of this new vampire’s presence. You watched in terror as the vampire raced toward one of the members of the group. They were the smallest of the lot and were trailing behind a little bit. You could see the hesitation and nervousness just in the way they ran. And you could see the vampire quickly approaching them. Your eyes shot back between the two figures and then, before you knew it, you were off.

You bolted towards the smaller figure without even thinking. You made sure to keep a distance away so the vampire would not notice you, using the shadows to blend in. You swiftly pulled your knife from its holster and made sure to time your steps perfectly. You waited until the vampire had jumped down to the street and was just about to strike the figure, and then you attacked. You stabbed the vampire in the throat, causing it to let out a loud screech. It wildly grasped at the knife but it was too late, the holy water had already entered into its veins. The vampire screamed insults at you and then words turned into gargles as you ripped the knife from its throat. It crawled away, hissing at you before it disappeared from your view.

You turned to see that the group had already taken care of the second vampire. The figure in front of you was looking at you with wide eyes, and you saw that they were shaking violently. They looked about nineteen or twenty. Younger than the other people they were traveling with. The others had turned back to you and the figure on the ground, having heard the prior commotion. One of them, an older gentleman of about fifty, held a stake up at you and demanded you explain your presence. The others made no moves, but you saw they were all clutching their stakes tighter too. You were about to speak when the figure on the ground spoke for you. They explained what happened, and how you had saved them from the oncoming attack. They told everyone how you had protected them, and you saw the group visibly relax. They relaxed further when you showed them your teeth and held a cross provided by one of the people. Most smiled at you, though there were a few who still looked skeptical. You supposed that was fair, given the state of the world. What shocked you though was the offer that came from the figure you had helped earlier.

They asked you to join their group. Said they were impressed by your skills, and that they thought you’d make a good addition to the team. You were stunned. You looked to the others to try to gauge their reactions and saw they were either smiling or nodding. Even the skeptical ones were nodding, though you supposed they were only doing so because it meant they could keep a closer eye on you that way. See if you were a threat or not. The figure you had helped, who said their name was Jamie, was looking at you with hopeful, bright eyes, and you bit your lip nervously. You weren’t sure about joining this group. You weren’t sure how safe it was to join any group, to be honest. Rose had always warned you about trusting others, especially strangers, and these people were strangers. But… but looking at them… you couldn’t help but want to join them. You could tell that many of the group were injured, with most only having minor injuries or scrapes, but some having injuries that you could tell were of a likely more serious nature. These injuries were hastily patched up, with some covering the wounds with only tape and tissue. You knew that they didn’t have the skills that you had gained from Rose’s training. Knew they didn’t have the know-how required to successfully hunt the vampires. But it was more than that. You could see in their eyes their determination. Their strength. Their hope. They might not have been the best at what they were trying to do. They might not even be close. But… but they were trying. They were willing to risk their lives to try to make a change, no matter how small that change might be. And you could not help but admire that. You could not help but want to be a part of that.

And so, against Rose’s warning, you smiled at the group and offered out your hand. You told them that, if they would have you, you would be honored to be a part of their group. To join them on their mission. You told them that you had some training when it came to how to properly hunt vampires and that you could train those who were interested. You saw quite a few faces light up at this, and one by one, everyone shook your hand. They introduced themselves as they did so, each smiling at you and welcoming you into the group. Even the ones who had been skeptical offered you smiles and introduced themselves. You could still sense some hesitation, and you knew it would take time until they would trust you fully but… but just seeing these smiling faces… being welcomed like that… a small part of your heart was warmed by the scene unfolding in front of you.

You were with the group for about a month. You did as you had promised, and trained them as best as you could, trying to recall as much of Rose’s teachings as possible. When not in training, you spent your time trying to get to know everyone. You spent much of your time with Jamie, as they were the closest you really had there to a familiar face. Eventually, you began getting close with some other people though. There were two others you got particularly close with. Yana and Alexander were their names. You sat between them at meals and got talking with them. It turns out that the three of you had some similar interests, and you bonded over them. You enjoyed talking with them. With Jamie. With everyone. The more time you spent with the group, the more they began to feel like a second family to you. It was a welcomed feeling, with your other family being located so far away and with Rose… well… you had no idea where she was. How she was. So, it was nice to have some people who could take your mind off things. The hunts were not going terribly either. Time after time people would return with fewer cuts and fewer bruises, and you noticed even that the hunts were taking less time. Everyone seemed relieved by this, and it helped lighten the mood. You thought that people were happy to have their little successes where they could, and you could not help but join them in their joy. For a while, everything was great. As great as it could be, given the state of the world, but… you felt at home with them. You felt happy. You… should have known it was too good to last… but you wanted to believe that there could be some light in this darkness you found yourself living in. You wanted to believe there was some hope to be found…

But if there was… it was not there. Not in that moment, and not for you.

It happened near the end of your first month with the group. They’d planned a surprise (well… it had been a surprise until they realized they had to tell you to get you out of the place so they could prepare) party for you. Told you to wait in the furthest wing of the house while they got stuff ready. Said it was to celebrate your first month with them. Said it was a tradition. You didn’t think anything of it. You knew the house was safe. No one could get in or out without first having to get by the people stationed on guard duty, a system you yourself had put in place. It was a system that had worked thus far, and so you saw no reason not to. You’d be safe, and they’d be safe too. So, you went to where they told you to, put on some music, and sat down to read a book. There wasn’t any electricity, but the house had a record player that ran on batteries, and it turned out that the owner of the house, Morris, the older gentleman who had questioned you when you first met the group, had a stash of batteries in the basement. There was plenty there, so he didn’t mind people using some for non-essential items, such as the record player. You were grateful for this, as the music always served to soothe you and help you forget about the madness outside. On that day, you found yourself struggling to stay awake, yawning as you tried and failed to focus on the words in the book in front of you. You had offered the previous night to work guard duty, and now the lack of sleep appeared to be catching up with you. Before you knew it, you were drifting to sleep as the soft sound of piano music carried you off to the land of dreams.

You awoke much later than you had intended to and got up with panic. You hoped that you had not kept the others waiting for too long and rushed out of the room, ready to apologize for your lateness. You wondered briefly why none of them had woken you to call you to the party, but you supposed that perhaps they had wanted to allow you to get some rest. Or perhaps they had tried to wake you. You were a fairly heavy sleeper, especially after pulling a night shift, so you supposed perhaps they may have tried to nudge you awake but upon not having any success, they left you to rest up until you naturally woke you. Whatever the case was, you made a mental note to yourself to thank them for both the party and for letting you rest up a bit. You rushed out of the wing you were in and were about to open the door which connected it to the front foyer when all of a sudden you noticed something sticky on the floor when lifting your shoe. You looked down and saw a red liquid seeping under the door. You stepped back, hands flying to your mouth in horror.

You tried to tell yourself it was just juice. Or syrup. Or whatever gel they used in cakes. Yeah, it was just that. Someone had been making the cake and spilled a bunch of it. And they were coming to clean it up. That’s why no one had come to get you. They were all rushing around trying to clean up the mess. But even though all of you was so desperate to believe this… deep down you knew that it wasn’t gel. Or syrup. Or juice. You knew what it was… and so you told yourself to switch off the part of your brain that wanted to believe it was any of those things and focused on the part of you that knew what it was. That part of you reached for the holy water-covered knife in your belt, and quickly pulled the door open. You tried to mentally prepare yourself for what you would see… but when the door finally opened… no part of you could ever have been ready to see what lay on the other side of that door.

Everyone was dead.

That was the first thing you noticed. Most of the bodies were completely drained of their blood, and even from a distance, you could spot the puncture wounds littering necks, arms, shoulders, legs, and ankles. Though the bodies themselves contained no blood, the area around the bite location did. This wasn’t because the vampire’s fangs had dripped some blood onto them. No… you’d seen that before and that only left a small amount. On these bodies… the bodies of your friends… of your second family… the blood around the wound resembled that of a bad laceration. Not only that… the wounds themselves were a mess and looked as though the vampire had bitten into them over and over, never quite hitting the same spot twice but hitting close enough that it looked more like one giant hole than several smaller ones. The bite locations looked closer to something you would see in cases of wild animal attacks than vampire attacks, and you could only imagine how painful it would have been. You were so focused on looking forward at the onslaught ahead of you that as you stepped forward, you failed to see what had caused the spillage of blood in front of you. That was until your foot knocked into something as you were moving forward and you looked down. You immediately wished you hadn’t.

On the floor in front of you was a body lying face down in a large pool of blood. Their legs were bent at odd angles, and you could see bones sticking out of their ankles. There was a hole through their abdomen, and you could see what appeared to be intestines coming out of the hole. It took everything in you not to vomit on the spot. Your eyes moved upwards, and you saw that one of their arms was bent in the same way as the legs were. The other arm was resting by their side, but you noticed something that made you stifle a scream. The hand of the figure was missing. You could see bits of flesh and bones sticking out at the bottom of the arm but the hand was nowhere to be seen. You looked around, trying to see if you could find it, and that was when you spotted something hanging off the door handle of the doorway you had just entered in through. It was the hand, still tightly clinging to the handle. You shook your head, trying to clear your thoughts, and then knelt down. You shifted the body gently to the side, trying to see how the figure was. As soon as you saw the figure’s eyes, you let out a shrill cry of horror.

It was Jamie. You recognized those eyes. Somehow… even in death… they held such innocence. Such hope. Their eyes were wide and panicked too though, and you knew why. You knew why they had such an expression, and why they had been grasping so tightly to the handle so that… when they were attacked… the hand remained there. It wasn’t because they were trying to escape the vampire’s murderous rampage. No… it was because… because they were trying to save you. Trying to warn you what was happening. Trying to tell you to get out before… before the vampire got you too. They could have tried to save themselves. Fled down another corridor or out the main doors. You don’t know whether it would have helped but… but you knew that… you knew they had died trying to save your life, and the stab of pain and guilt you felt was more than you could ever put into words. Softly, you shut their eyelids and crossed their arms over their chest. Then you stood up and made your way out of the manor, shutting the door behind you as you left what was, for the briefest of moments, your home… and your family.

You began hunting down every vampire in the area that you could, trying to find information on the vampire who had killed your found family. You reached dead end after dead end, but you never gave up. Most of the vampires you encountered were not all that talkative, but occasionally you would find one who would offer you information in exchange for sparing their lives. You never did, but after stalking them for weeks and watching them feed off of the terrified souls of the city, you hardly felt bad about not keeping your end of the bargain. Plus… the carnage you had seen in that house had turned you cold and merciless, so to you, it mattered little what you had to do to get your revenge, so long as you got it. Sometimes you wondered whether Rose would be proud of you, or would hate you for what you had become. You wondered what the group would have thought of you… but you pushed these thoughts away as soon as they came. You had a mission. An objective. And you would complete that mission no matter what it cost you.

And soon that mission came to an end. You managed to track down the vampire responsible for the massacre at your old “home”. In the vampire’s belongings, you had found a pendant which had belonged to Yana. You remembered it well, as she always wore it around her neck. The clasp was broken and you suspected the vampire likely ripped it off of her either before or after feeding from her. But it was all the proof you needed. You had had the vampire tied up, ready to interrogate him, but the pendant’s existence confirmed that he was indeed the one you had been searching for. You grabbed your bottle of holy water, walked behind him, and then forcefully bent his head to the side, pouring the holy water into the vampire’s ear canal. You didn’t wait around to see how he died. You just walked out of the building, leaving him on his own, with nothing but the burning pain inside of him and the sound of his screams to keep him company until he eventually met his end. An end signaled to you when the screaming ceased, and the world around you fell silent once more.

With nothing to remain in the city for, you traveled around. You pondered going to Metropolis to visit your family. To see whether they were alright. But in the end, you decided against it. You had been hunting for a couple weeks now and while you never left a vampire alive to come after you later… you were sure that word had gotten around about your killing habits, and though the risk was low… you didn’t want to risk endangering them. Every time you thought about returning to them… the image of Jamie’s body came to mind, and ultimately that was enough to stop you from going. You thought that if there was a chance they would be safer without you there… then best take that chance. You weren’t sure where else to go though. You’d learned a lot about the world from the more talkative vampires you had captured. You learned that “blood farms” were being set up across the continent, and that in most cities and urban areas, people were being rounded up and placed on these blood farms.

However, you had heard that one city’s street was still free to be roamed by humans. Well… free to be roamed was not quite right. There were rumors that these streets were actually hunting grounds for the vampires who resided in the city. Instead of getting their blood from the farms, they got it from hunting and capturing any humans they could find. Gotham City, the vampire had told you, was one of the last cities in the country where humans were not being gathered for the blood farms. You had thanked the vampire for this information and then had staked them through the heart. As you thought back to this piece of information in the current moment, you thought that perhaps you could go to Gotham. It may have been the perfect hunting ground for vampires, but that meant that perhaps it might be a good hunting ground for you as well. And, if indeed there were humans being hunted by the vampires in that city… perhaps you could save some people as well. Perhaps you could help someone…

So, Gotham it was. You grabbed what little belongings you had and made the journey to Gotham. There were some motor vehicles that still worked, and even some which had gas still in them, but you did not wish to risk the attention a loud vehicle driving through mostly empty streets would bring. One or two vampires you could handle, but you knew that the second you fired up the engine of a car… you would be inviting a group of vampires your way, and that was not a fight you were prepared to take on. However, that did not mean you were going to walk the entire way. Motor vehicles might have been out of the question… but that was not the only form of transit, and luckily for you, the vampires didn’t seem to be particularly interested in cleaning up the city streets. This meant that all manner of things were left outside, including bicycles. You found one, found a helmet a few blocks down, and then headed on your way to Gotham City.

Gotham was exactly how it had been described to you. The entire city was dark in a way that Chicago had never been. You could practically smell the fear, pain, and anguish in the air, and you could taste desperation, misery, and hopelessness in it too. Upon arriving in the city, you immediately sought shelter in the first open house you could find. It was a fairly decent dwelling. There were already locks on the doors, but you made sure to add some reinforcements on all the doors and windows just to ensure no one came in uninvited. Once you had finished this, you began making yourself at home. You raided the cupboards and kitchen, sorting out all the food which was still good and rationing it. There was enough to last you comfortably for the next few weeks when combined with the supplies you’d brought with you, and you were grateful for this. You hid the food in the lower cupboards of the kitchen and then went into the bedroom, where you were greeted by a soft twin-sized bed. A sudden wave of tiredness hit you and you immediately flung yourself onto the bed, not even bothering to change. In no time at all, you were fast asleep in the newest place which you would call home.

Your routine over the next while was more or less the same from day to day. You would wake up, eat something quickly, and then immediately set out to hunt. Most days you would kill at least three vampires, but there were some days when you would spend all your time that day just tracking one. In such cases, it was only when you spotted a vampire in your hunting grounds who appeared to be of a higher station. It was fairly easy to spot which vampires were in this category. Vampires who were not were often more feral in their kills, and in their hunts. Their bloodlust was uncontrolled, and their mannerisms reflected this. But vampires who were… their bloodlust scared you far more than that of the more ferocious ones, but their kills were sadistic, cruel, and merciless. The other vampires did not pursue a single target but rather went after anyone in the area. These ones… they hunted more for sport than for the need to feed. They still drained their victims, sure, but instead of draining them quickly, they would draw it out. Sometimes it took an hour or two, but in many of the cases you’d seen, they normally took four or more hours draining a single victim, leaving them suspended for that length of time between life and death. These vampires were more cunning in their hunts and their kills, making them much more dangerous and much more difficult to kill.

Worse yet was the fact that they appeared to be able to utilize abilities beyond just heightened senses, increased running speed, and sharp fangs. Once, when you had been tracking one such vampire, you noticed that they used what appeared to be hypnosis to draw their prey closer to them. The poor soul didn’t even seem to realize what was happening, or if they did, they were perfectly fine with it. They had a smile on their face the entire time the vampire was draining them, and even as they were taking their final breath, you could see no panic or fear present. It was as though their mind was somewhere else completely… or perhaps more accurately, it was as though someone else had control of their mind. You had eventually killed this vampire, but you never were able to figure out exactly what it was the vampire had done to the person you had watched him kill.

On days when you encountered these vampires, you would often abandon your other pursuits in order to effectively kill the vampire you had found. You had to take extra precautions when hunting these vampires, as they were much more aware of their surroundings than others. Additionally, you noticed that sometimes these vampires would hunt in pairs or groups, and if you caught wind of this, you immediately dropped your pursuit and went back to your regular hunting grounds. But there were many times when you would find these vampires hunting alone, and so you would continue your hunt. It was, in fact, one such hunt that led you to where you were now…

You had been following this vampire for several days and had even packed additional food items and supplies in your bag a couple of days prior just to ensure that you did not risk losing your target due to having to return home for food or for a supply. You were determined to catch this one. Not only because you had seen him kill with a sadistic glee that you’d never seen before in your life, but because while watching him, you overheard him talking with another vampire about some sort of event. He asked the other vampire whether they had been invited, and the other vampire had shaken their head. Your target had laughed at this, telling them they must not have been high enough status to have been invited. He patted them on the shoulder and advised them to keep trying. You weren’t sure what he meant by that until he gestured towards the body of his latest victim and then told the other vampire that perhaps if they were more creative, “he” would take notice and the other vampire could get themselves an invitation.

This had immediately caught your attention, and your interest was considerably peaked. An invitation? To what? Why was this vampire so excited and cocky about getting into this event, and why did the other one look so disappointed? You suspected that the vampires likely had gatherings or meetings just as humans did, but this seemed like something… else. A general meeting or something like that wouldn’t be so exciting, you guessed. So what was it? And who was this “he” the vampire had mentioned to his friend? It had to be someone of importance, as whoever he was, he was clearly the one deciding who was “important” enough to get an invitation to the event, and who wasn’t. Was it perhaps one of the vampires who had proclaimed themselves a ruler of Gotham? You’d heard rumors of vampires who were doing that. You tended to avoid any areas where you’d heard rumors of them residing or frequenting. These vampires were ruthless and had killed many of their own kind to “earn” their titles. Part of you was tempted to take them on, but you didn’t want the attention that would bring onto you. Your ability to disappear into the shadows with no one the wiser to your identity helped your hunts immensely, and you hardly wanted to risk that all for some rumors and some vampires who claimed to be more important than they likely actually were.

Still though… this was new. Most vampires who tried to pass themselves off as the rulers of Gotham rarely actually made appearances, and this was for good reason. Even if it was just rumors and they held no actual power or status, those rumors served as protection so long as they remained legends. But the moment they made their real presence known, they opened themselves up to attacks from either vampires who thought they could claim that title through bloodshed or vampires who were just tired of another vampire controlling things in the city. So the fact that someone was actually inviting people to an event was something you desperately wanted to know more about. Was one of those vampires getting too confident, or did they have some sort of plan? Just what was it they were inviting people to, and why only certain vampires? What were the criteria to get in? These questions and more rattled around in your brain and began to eat away at you, and you decided that you were going to have to find out once and for all what was happening here.

It hadn’t taken you long to make your move. Only a few days after the vampire had spoken with his “friend” about the event. You found him hunting in a more abandoned area of town, and with your knife ready, you jumped down from one of the balcony ladders in the area and landed square on the vampire’s shoulders. You wasted no time sinking the knife into his left shoulder blade, making sure not to strike anything vital. Yet. The vampire howled in pain and began trying to claw at you, but you were prepared for his attempts and sprinkled his fingers with holy water. His flesh began to sizzle and his howls turned to screams of pure agony. You jumped back off his shoulders and landed on the ground, kicking the vampire on the back of his knees and causing him to fall to the ground. You grabbed a stake and then climbed onto him, positioning the stake over his heart. You demanded to know what “event” was being held, and who the host of this event was. He looked at you with confusion for a moment, and then seemed to realize that you had been following him when he had had his conversation previously in the alleyway. You weren’t sure how you expected him to react, but you hadn’t expected him to start laughing. And yet, this was exactly what he did. He laughed and laughed as though you’d just told him the funniest joke in the world, and it was a horrid sound, that laugh. You pressed the stake right against his chest and repeated your query, in no mood for the vampire’s games. The vampire’s laughter stopped and he cleared his throat before answering your question.

He told you that the event was a ball. A masquerade ball. It was being hosted in one of the most lavish mansions in the area and was an event that was hosted every few months. He said that the event was strictly by invitation only. No one knew how the invitees were picked, but everyone had their own theories. The only thing that people knew for sure was that, around the same time every few months, people would find invitations either on their doorsteps or in their regular hunting areas. The invitations all had the same designs on them. New ones every event. The names of the invitees were never printed on them. They only gave the time and date of the event, as well as the address. At the bottom was a “sincerely and with thanks” note signed only by “The Lord of Vampires”. No name was given other than that.

You asked the vampire what he thought was meant by this, and he gave you a confused expression, asking you if you had ever heard of the Vampire King. You shook your head, and he furrowed his brows. He explained to you that Gotham wasn’t chosen as a hunting ground for no reason. That it was chosen as such because it was where the King of Vampires resided. He said that he did not know much about this King of Vampires and that the only time he’d ever been close to him was at a previous masquerade ball, but even then, he had only seen the man for a split second. But the vampire had told you that there were rumors he obtained his current position by killing the previous Vampire Queen, and so he had tried to stay far away from the current King. Still, he attended the ball every time he was invited, as for one thing, he didn’t want to upset the King by turning down the invitation, and two, it was the most talked about event for vampires and gaining an invitation… attending the event… it helped a vampire quickly rise in terms of their power and status. You asked the vampire whether he had the invitation to the event on him, and he nodded, explaining that he never went anywhere without it in the fear it may be stolen or lost. You asked him where the invitation was, and he told you it was in his jacket pocket. You thanked him, and before he had a chance to move or speak again, you rammed the stake through his heart.

After cleaning up the mess, you rummaged through the vampire’s pocket and found that he had, in fact, been telling the truth. There, in the left pocket of his jacket, was in fact an invitation that noted a date, time, and place, along with the closing statement that the vampire had informed you would be on it. Sure enough, no name was listed on the invitation. You searched on the front and back of it, but other than the aforementioned details as well as a stunning navy blue and black backing, you saw nothing. A smirk came upon your face as you realized what this meant…

The next while was spent preparing everything you’d need for the big night. The vampire was smart to keep the invitation on him, but not quite as smart in bragging about it. You, however, would not make this mistake. You kept the invitation upon you at all times, and whenever you were moving it, you made sure to keep an eye out for anyone who might have seen you pick it up or move it. The last thing you needed was for some other vampire to try and steal it from you. You wondered if that was this Vampire King’s goal in not adding a name to the invitation. Perhaps there was no method to who got invited or if there was, perhaps it didn’t really matter to him. Perhaps he just wanted to see who would be willing to spill blood… well… vampire blood, for a chance to attend the event. Or perhaps he had no idea how famous his event was? You weren’t sure, but it hardly mattered. It was beneficial to you that the invitation contained no name, and that was all that really mattered to you. Finding the location wasn’t all that difficult, which you were grateful for. Technology had ceased working a while back but there were still maps around the city, and you managed to find one that showed the location of the mansion, which was apparently somewhat of a staple of Gotham. So, there was that taken care of.

The next issue was how to blend in at the party. You worried that, perhaps, vampires might be able to tell upon scent whether someone was human or not. There were plenty of vampire tales and myths to suggest such a thing, however, you knew that there were hundreds, if not thousands, of myths and tales about vampires, and not all of them were true. The question was whether this particular one was true or not. You spent some time testing this, walking amongst vampires instead of hiding in the shadows. You had your weapons close at hand in case one of them did sense you were human, but after a few trials, you learned that they could not tell you apart from their fellow vampires. None of them came after you, and a few who were in the process of hunting even asked if you wanted to join them. This was all the proof you needed to show you that, in fact, vampires could not differentiate between humans and vampires upon scent alone. This meant that the most crucial thing that you would have to avoid would be getting cut or injured on anything. That, you knew, did attract vampires. It appeared they could not tell whether one was human or a vampire based upon their regular scent, however, you knew that they were attracted to the scent of blood. You didn’t have to test this, as you knew from past experience that this was the case. You’d had one too many unfortunate incidences where you had gotten cut by something while running about Gotham, and had had to abandon your post and try to hide out somewhere due to the sheer amount of vampires who had started on your trail simply from that small amount of blood. And that was in a giant city where you could run away… you couldn’t even imagine what would become of you if you got cut in a mansion with a bunch of thirsty vampires… one of which was the King of the Vampires. So, you made a mental note to yourself to avoid any objects that could lead to you getting injured and to do your best to avoid any situations where you may get injured. It was, though, a masquerade ball, so you doubted this was going to be an issue. Still though, best to stay vigilant. You didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks.

And with those things out of the way, you began to prepare for the big event. You found the fanciest outfit that you could and set it away for the day. You got all the accessories and things that you wanted to in order to add to the look and did the same thing. One night while hunting, you stumbled upon a small shop that had, before everything, sold cosmetics and similar things. You found several bottles of perfume and cologne and grabbed a few of those before heading out of the shop. You figured that that could help you blend in with the vampires. The ones in Gotham had not noticed you were not one of them, true, but you weren’t entirely positive that the others wouldn’t be able to. You thought that it was better safe than sorry, and if the products could help mask the fact that you were human…well… it was worth a shot. Worst case scenario, you get a chance to use some of the supplies you’d snagged during your trips around the city. Best case scenario… it helped you avoid detection. You also picked up some additional weapons and supplies, including more holy water and a few crosses as well. You altered your outfit for the ball so that you could hide the weapons inside of the coat you were wearing to the event, and you hid a smaller knife on the inside of your footwear as well. Once you had finished the alterations and gotten everything else prepared, all there was left to do was wait. And so wait you did…

Until now.

And here you were. Standing a little past the doorway of the vampire masquerade ball. Vampires dancing up ahead of you in the ballroom Some were grabbing drinks or snacks in the parlor room, and others were chatting away in the library. None had noticed that there was an intruder in their midst. None had noticed that you weren’t quite like the others. You weren’t sure whether it was the mix of cologne and perfume you had sprayed on yourself earlier, or whether your theory had been correct about them not being able to smell you unless you were cut, but either way… you were in, and there was no sign of trouble… well…

At least not any unexpected trouble.

The expected trouble, as it happened, was now making his way down from the second floor. The long, jet-black tailcoat he was wearing flowed behind him like a cape as he practically glided over the stairs. His movements were so perfect and so graceful that you swore it was as though he was not taking steps, but rather floating above the stairs as he moved toward you. The smirk you’d seen earlier upon that devilishly handsome face of his had not disappeared, but neither had the dangerous smile upon yours. Your eyes did not leave him for a second as he left the stairwell and began making his way toward you. His shoes made a distinct clacking sound as he walked, and you could tell it was purposeful. He wanted everyone to know where he was. What he was doing. He wanted his presence to be known. His simple movements demanded the attention of everyone in the room, and you watched as though who were close to him began bowing their heads in respect. You tried to hide it on your face, but inside… your smirk grew.

So, here he was. The Vampire King himself.

As he approached closer, you bowed your head to him as well, not wanting to give him any reason to suspect that you were not one of them. You kept your head bowed, but watched as his feet came closer and closer to you until they stopped, leaving him standing right in front of you. You waited, unsure of what he would do. Your heart was pounding in your chest. Your throat was dry, and so was your mouth. You tried to keep your breathing slow, but the rapid raising and falling of your chest was a clear indication that you were not doing a good job at it. For the longest time, the Vampire King stood there in front of you and said nothing. You began to fear that he had seen through your disguise. That he knew who you were. You already knew that the vampires who appeared to have a higher status did seem to be more powerful than some of the vampires you encountered regularly in Gotham, so who knew what powers the King of Vampires had? Could he have somehow sensed that you were not a vampire? Was that why he wasn’t saying or doing anything? But why? If he knew, why not just kill you? Did he want to avoid making a scene? Your fear and agitation grew worse with every passing second. You were desperate to know what he was thinking. What he was planning. Every moment of silence was anguish and felt as though it were an eternity, and with every passing second, you grew more and more sure he was onto you… sure he knew your secret… sure he was planning to end you right there and then, so what exactly was he waiting for? What was he planning? What was it he meant to do…

“May I have the next dance?”

His voice cut through the silence like a knife, and yet the sound itself bore no sharpness. It was sweet, soft, and welcoming. You looked up to see him smiling down at you, and just like before, it was a honey trap smile, and you knew it. You raised your head and offered him a small smile of your own. His hand was extended towards you, you noticed, and you waited a moment before taking it. His smile grew at this, and he began making his way toward the ballroom. You followed, your hand still in his, and the two of you entered the ballroom. As soon as you did, all eyes were on you. Well, more specifically, you and him. The Vampire King looked towards the band and nodded to them, and with that, the band quickly switched songs from whatever they had been playing before to a new tune. One that was slower, with just a hint of darkness and sensuality to it. The Vampire King gestured towards the dancefloor, and you nodded in agreement, and then the two of you made your way to the center of the dancefloor. You put one hand on his shoulder and the other on his waist, and his movements mirrored yours. You locked your eyes with his deep, piercing red ones, both of you smiling those same honey-trap smiles at each other…

And with that, your little dance began.

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