MANIC MONSTER DISPLACEMENT

Chapter 4 - A FISHY TRUCE

A horrified screech comes from Cain when he’s flipped around by a tall, punk vampire. He thinks for about a second before attempting to book it for the door, but that attempt was quickly destroyed by the mere fact that Bram was a vampire. He grabbed onto Cain’s hood, promptly dragging him back over. “Stop, screaming!” Bram said in a hushed tone, trying to get Cain to calm the fuck down. “No!! You’re gonna eat me! Or, or kill me! Probably both!” Cain said, continuing to scream his lungs out before Bram forcibly shut him up. “Shush,” Cain tried pulling away, of course, but again; Vampire strength. While Cain couldn’t see it just yet, however, Bram did seem to have… Decent intentions.

Somebody knocked on the door, and judging by the subsequent yelling that rang past it soon after; it was clear that it was Shax. “What the fuck is going on in there!?” He shouted, jiggling the door handle. “It’s just me,” Bram replied, seeming a little annoyed. “… Oh, ew,” Shax said, the sound muffled through the door. Still hearable, though. “Still, though, what are you doing!? I am trying to do a ritual, and you are fucking it up!!” Bram rolled his eyes, thinking of some lie. “I’m eating.” He replied. “… A pig,” Cain seemed a little insulted, but he couldn’t necessarily retort to the comment. Shax went quiet for a moment, before continuing. “Can I have some?” He asked, Bram groaning. “No,” Bram said bluntly. “Oh, well then, fuck you!” Shax kicked the door a little, before storming off. His thunderous footsteps got further and further, until Bram thought it was safe enough to take his hand off of Cain’s mouth.

“… you’re such a bitch–” Cain huffed out the second he could. “Seriously?” Bram sighed. “I just saved your ass,” He crossed his arms. “You're gonna kill my ass!” Cain shouted. Bram seemed already exhausted by this encounter, exhaling loudly. “Don’t you think I would’ve DONE SO already? I’m not going to kill you, clearly. In fact, I… want to help,” Bram explained, Cain not entirely believing him. “What do you want?” Bram awkwardly looked off to the side when asked, arms loosening a little. Cain frowned at that. “Knew you wanted something!” He shouted. “Hey, look, I could in serious trouble for even BEING near you! It’s not wrong to… Y’know, want a little something in return,” Bram said, somewhat ashamed. Though, not enough to do away with his request.

“You want my blood, don’t you?” Cain groaned, rubbing his face a little. “Yeah, I feel like that was pretty obvious,” He nodded. No wonder why he was looking at Cain like a juice box, then again, a lot of monsters did that. Namely, the werewolves. Maybe it was because he was a skeleton? Who knows. “So, basically, you're blackmailing me and I practically have no other choice because If I refuse your help, I’ll die?” Cain asked, looking the vampire dead in the eyes. “… Well, don’t put it that way! Makes me feel bad,” He frowned. “Good! That’s messed up!” Cain rolled his eyes, grumbling loudly. He thought for a few seconds, before speaking up. “Whatever, fine, just help me not freaking die!”

Bram nodded, feeling a LITTLE bad. But, again, not enough to go back on the offer. “… We should, probably, get acquainted a little,” Bram said, sitting down on the cold stone floor. Cain hesitantly sat down in front of him, staring down. “First things first, how did you GET here, exactly? Humans haven’t been around for centuries,” Bram said. “Uhm, A portal,” Cain said briefly, not elaborating as that’s all he really knew himself. “A portal?” Bram repeated. “Yeah, a big blue one, I followed some cloaked weirdo through it,” Cain said, getting an unimpressed look from Bram. “… What?” Cain asked, eyebrows furrowing. “Nothing,” Bram said, looking off to the side. “Seems like that decision really worked out for you in the long run…” He muttered under his breath, not quiet enough, though.

“Screw you, I was panicking!” Cain shouted, annoying Bram. “And so you jump into a PORTAL!?” He shouted back, clearly not understanding Cain’s thought process in that situation. “… Anyway, so, you came here through a portal…” Bram muttered, thinking. “What are humans like? Are they actually these psychopathic, monstrous, tasty– I mean, abhorrent, things?” Cain stared angrily for a few seconds, wanting Bram to explain that little slip up, first. “… In the history books, vampires were said to feast on humans back in the day,” He started. “And just a single drink was enough to sustain a vampire's hunger for an entire week.” Bram looked back at Cain, resting his arms in his lap. “Humans are always villainized, to the point where I started to wonder If they really were THAT bad,” He leaned back a little. “And when I discovered there was a human In town, because they wiped a bunch of paint on me when grabbing change…” Bram said, causing Cain to nervously realize how badly that could’ve gone had he done that, to like, literally anybody else. “I found out I could get what I wanted, in both ways,”