Numen Chronicles | Nosferatu [Volume One]

Chapter Seven | Repercussion

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| Alucard |

The vampire lay in his bed, gripping the black covers as his claws tore the fabric. He frowned in confliction as pain surged through his head like he'd been impaled. His body ached, and his eyes stung in the afternoon sunlight shining through the gaps between the curtains.

The glum room was filled with light, but it didn't brighten the dark furniture, the oak floorboards, or the black, ebony-panelled walls. The only colour came from Alucard's shimmering, blood-red hair, and his pale-as-ice skin.

As the sunlight clawed at his face, Alucard scowled and tried to concentrate, but his vision was blurred and unfocused; everything swirled around as though he was intoxicated. He was the opposite, in fact, and as he felt himself sinking deeper into the strange trance, his hunger grew.

He thought resting would help him recover from last night's events, but it seemed to have only worsened it. He knew what he needed and wanted, and he was going to stop at nothing to get it. So, he sat up, but overwhelming dizziness gripped him so tightly that he felt like he might fall back down. But he couldn't allow himself to become hungrier.

The vampire stumbled to his feet, pulled on the first shirt his hands could find, and then dragged himself out of his room into the dimly lit hallway. But for a moment, he felt utterly confused.... Where was he? He looked around, setting his eyes on the black, ebony-panelled walls; the oak floor beneath him and antique-like furniture spreading down the hall didn't seem familiar, but it didn't really matter where he was, did it?

Alucard held his hand against the wall, keeping himself on his feet as he made his way forward, passing the closed doors. When he reached the stairs, he hastily made his way down into the foyer. But once he got there, the front door opened.

Elvin stepped into the foyer and took his hat off. When he hung it on the coat rack, he sharply turned his head and watched as Alucard struggled to make his way to him.

"Uh...are you all right?" the bard asked, stepping aside as Alucard made his way towards the table by the door. He watched the vampire grab his blazer and search the pockets.

Alucard anxiously pulled his flask from his blazer pocket and desperately pulled off the cap, but once he lifted it to his mouth, dread consumed him. It was empty.

"Aleksei?" Elvin asked worriedly as Alucard placed the empty flask on the table and stumbled into the lounge. The bard followed, and as Alucard slumped down onto the couch, Elvin sat in the armchair.

Alucard's head swirled. All he could think about was blood and how it would relieve the pain and disorientation. But the thought of having to get up made him feel worse.

"Hey?" Elvin asked. "Did something happen? W-was it another one of those strong werewolves?"

The vampire snarled irritably and lowered his hand. "Why are you here?"

"I...always come in the mornings—unless we have somewhere to be. Are you okay? You...you look sick."

It took Alucard a moment to wake from the confusion that latched onto him. The world started falling into place, and when he realized that he was in his lounge, he sighed and looked over at the perplexed bard. "Nothing happened."

"You look...well...if you weren't a vampire, I'd say you look like you got the flu."

The vampire rolled his eyes, but he felt far too exhausted to say anything else. He turned his head and stared into the fireplace, trying to fight his hunger...but all he could hear was the sound of Elvin's blood making its way through his veins. The human's heartbeat enticed him greater and greater as each second passed, every beat echoing through his head. If he didn't send Elvin away now, he wasn't sure what might happen in the next few minutes.