By One Drop of Blood

Part 7

Steps on the stairs echo through out the smooth stone walls. The sharp sound of heeled shoes draws all attention to it. All voices become quiet and no one even dares to move. Every single step is audible to the fullest. All five of us stare at the fancy stairway. Only after a few steps the presence on the stairs becomes visible. Just as the slaves described it. White skin and burning red pupils surrounded by darkness. Fingernails, long as nails scratching the wooden railing supporting the already intimidating scene.

"Welcome to my plantation, me deer gentlemen. Would you like some refreshments?"

The vampire greets us as if we are business partners. People that come over to buy some slaves from him. Thinking back to the empty kitchen the only refreshment present would be the very blood in our veins. While feral to the bone the attire of the vampire still reflect its noble and wealthy background. Clothed in fine velvet and leather the dress of the royal people from the old world is nothing more than a display of the unfathomable wealth this individual has accumulated for itself. Speaking of the vampire any longer as a human would not reflect how much this creature despises any living creature. Though well mannered and elegant in its speech this beast of the night holds nothing more than pure hunger and lust in its dead heart. It became clear to me in the instance in which the nights creature eyes us from the deepest of its instincts. Our eyes meet at a point where all feeling for depth flees from visibility and only a tunnel is left that leads right into the burning red pupils. These pupils open a gate to the hate and bloodlust brimming just up to the eyes. Becoming mesmerized I first do not feel the soldier to my right talking to me. His voice only becomes audible when he begins to shake my shoulder waking me from the trance the vampire has inflicted on me.

"Sir! Do we shoot him right at the spot?"

The soldier asks for permission. I tell him to wait until we got no other chance. I steady my aim and confront the vampire.

"Stop right there!" I command the vampire and lord of this mansion to give up and surrender itself but the beast just takes one step after another down the stairway.

"We will open fire!" I warn for a last time. The beast shows no sign of stopping in its food steps.

"You have been warned!" I take precise aim for its chest and pull the trigger. The four men around me follow. Five bullets hit the dead body. Just for a little moment the impact of the projectiles causes a small slowdown.

Bullets prove to be ineffective. I don't know why I even dared to to shoot at the vampire. Of course I know that normal bullets show no effect on the undead. Vampires are invulnerable to weapons but the wounds stay until they are healed. Rips in the tissue still hider the movement to some extend. Unaffected by the bullets or the holes in its body the vampire proceeds to descend the stairs. Step after step it comes closer to us. Reloading takes its time in which the vampire reaches the end of the stairway coming to a stop just a few feet away from us. The cold of its body radiates within the whole room taking all the warmth from the fire. I raise my right arm to signal the soldiers to ready the fire. We will burn down the mansion! The men behind me get out lamps and dynamite to start the fire in which the vampire will find his destined end. Igniting the fuse sparks burn and fall towards the ground. The fuse is only burning for mere seconds until it is put out by two gloved fingers closing over it. The vampire is standing right between us all. Looking over the vampires shoulder I see the frozen by shock and frightened expression on the soldiers face. The vampire reaches back his arm with his fingers pointed in the form of a spear. He is planning on impaling the soldier! Instinctually I jump forward to throw a last effort punch at the vampire before we can hurt the soldier. Though me being faster than what the normal person is due to spirits, the vampire is even faster in reaction to my counter attack. The arm that was first destined to impale the chest of my brother in arms in now formed as an open palm catching my fist. The impact aided by the spirits proves stronger than the vampire has assumed. His arms posture crumbles for a second before he channels more strength to push me back. The superhuman strength sends me sliding across the marble ground. I only come to an abrupt stop when I hit against the wall. The impact of my body knocks the painting of the wall. The other soldiers witness a similar fate. Ready to take up the fight I push myself from the wall up on my feet. I unsheathe my blade. The undead man draws his own sword. A dirty used sabre which has seen its fair share of battle. Littered with quirks alongside its blade the weapons does not look durable enough to withstand let alone one next strike. It takes a fencing stance pointing the tip of his curved sabre at me. Feeling the spirits stir inside me I immediately go in the offence. Running I strike at the vampire from above my head. He dodges to the right. I follow with a horizontal swing. He takes a step back dodging again. I stab at him but the blade moves not into his dead body but into black mist. Behind where the vampire was just standing is just another wall. I turn around to find the undead man standing right in the middle of the room taunting me. Again I attack with a heavy swing from the right. This time the vampire does not dodge the attack but blocks the attack with his old sword. The attack is not stopped and my swing comes to an end when I stop just as usual. The vampire has not been damaged and he is still standing in the exact posture. I raise my sword again acceding the situation. Just now I feel how my weapon becomes lighter. Looking at it the tip of my weapon is missing. A brown stain moves across the metal surface until in has engulfed the entire weapon. With it consumed it is turned into rusted dust that falls to the ground. My sabre began crumbling away as the vampires blade made contact with it. Just a single touch was enough to render my beloved weapon useless. I only hold on to the handle. A smile appears on the vampires face.

"It looks like you are unarmed. Killing an unarmed man would be a shame to any man of noble descend."

The pale man reaches his hand for my neck grabbing it tight before I even could react to him movement. He begins to choke me.

"The blood of a warrior of your degree will be-."

I could not hear what he was saying from this point. The air is already leaving my lungs and my vision begins to blur...