King of the Damned

Part 3 - The Choice

Song: Hallowed Ground, Bishop Briggs

From dawn till dusk.

That's how much time she gave him. After he had regained his strength the night before, she had somehow gotten clothes for him to wear so he could leave the hotel in something other than bits and pieces of shredded leather. When he asked about her clothes, she simply smiled at him like he was cute for asking, but said not to worry. That people didn't see her if she didn't want them to. 

Which was a whole new mind fuck for him. Vampires could make themselves invisible? He wondered if all vampires could, or if that was just her. 

How would he know if she was nearby? He couldn't really feel anything through this "bond" that she had created. But he hoped that it would somehow alert him if she was nearby. 

He asked how he would find her to give her his answer at the end of the day, and she simply smirked at him and disappeared. After thinking for it a bit, he realized it was a stupid question. She had told him that with the bond she would be able to find him. He just had to be ready with an answer.

Last night was..... fuck. It was indescribable, really. His mind was reeling from all the new information. At his reality being shattered, and yet, somehow making complete sense now. The reason he never quite felt like he fit in anywhere. The way he could feel other energies he couldn't really explain. Of course there was more to the world than what they could see. What they were told was real. People were trying to say that all the time, but were dismissed as 'crazy' or 'weird'. 

What if the reason he never felt like he fit in was because he didn't? At least, not in the human world? What if he was meant to fit in another world? One hidden away from humans. Another big question he had - what other things besides vampires were there? Were all the stories true? Werewolves? Fae? Goblins? The fucking Loch Ness Monster? Where did the stories end and the truth begin? And was he really ready to find out? 

His curiosity was winning over any arguments he had in his brain that were trying to convince him it was a bad idea to involve himself permanently in a world he knew nothing about. But overriding his curiosity about that world was his desire for HER. Estrilda. He was captivated. Even now, not being in her presence, she had woven her way into his mind, his body, his soul. He had never felt such a connection with anyone. At the time, he figured it was her magic making him feel that way. And now, he supposes, she could have done something when she drank from him to keep that feeling going. But when he assesses his feelings, he realizes that very little of what he was drawn to was her vampirism. It was simply...HER. 

But was she worth giving up his humanity for? His friends and family and life as he knew it? He knew the trade-offs she offered were what most people could only wish for. Immortality.. Power...Mind-numbing pleasure... But he had never sought out those first two. Though he could definitely get on board for that third. But the cost was high. He didn't every really consider himself religious, but he did believe in souls. And the possibility of losing his.... forever..... was terrifying. Would he even be himself anymore if he didn't have his soul? What about his family? He never was close to them, even though he was an only child. But they were still his parents. His friends? Well, they all thought he was a bit weird anyways. He didn't have many he was close with. They all started out really liking him, thinking he was attractive and fun to be around. But whenever he would start talking about metaphysics or vocalized his observations or predictions about the future, they would inevitably freak out enough to back away from him. They always went from "Oh, have you met Harry?? He's amazing!" to "Oh, you've met Harry? Yeah, he's a bit weird." It was exhausting to even try to make friends anymore. The constant rejection when he put himself out there was just too much for a someone as sensitive to emotions as he was.