Drink Me

Chapter One - Triduum of All Hallows'

I sat upright in a chair in the front row, gazing at my father giving his all too familiar speech. I had heard this speech for seventeen years now, since the day that I was born. My cousin Cecily stared at him with awe, taking in every word he had to say.

"The 31st of October, Halloween, is a day in which we recognize all the loved ones who are now dead. The veil separating us from the after life is thinned and it is our duty to reach out to the people on the other side. We have lost many in war and we repay them, ending their life once and for all." My father begins, standing with his hands behind his back. He looks over each one of our faces, his eyes serious and sharp.

"It's hard to believe that they were once normal human beings. But, as you all know that changes. Once turned, you can never go back. You lose sight of the good in life, seeking nothing but other companions to join you in death" he continues, eyes blazing with passion. He speaks about death so openly, without fear or hesitation.

There are two types of death. Death of life, where you're gone forever. It's almost called the 'normal' death which humans seem to come together and mourn. You're soul is taken from your body, up to heaven or hell, whatever you believe in. The other death, death of a human is when your humanity is killed. You forget the rights and wrongs of life and blood is the only thing lingering on your mind. You're soul is transferred to another body. More awakened rather than transferred. You become more alert to your senses, faster, stronger and immune to almost everything. It's a curse you live with for the rest of your life, being immortal, that's a very long time.

"They would have wanted it this way. No man can live with themselves once turned into a monster. Tonight, we go out into the night and we hunt them down! Show no mercy!" My father dismisses us all from the liturgy. Blowing out the last of the candles, the room is left dark and I exit through the doors with Cecily by my side.

Hunting down vampires is what we live for. I've trained all my life, preparing myself to kill a monster when put in the situation.

The Triduum of All Hallows' lasts for three days. The first night being tonight, is Halloween. It's the one day where we go out, looking for the beasts. It's the only time we can, because the veil is thinned, allowing us to see them clearly.

They spend the night, feeding on humans for blood. They won't hesitate to kill if they have to. Other vampires seek out mates or children, turning innocent humans into monsters out of their own free will.

Everyone now spends the rest of the day preparing for tonight. I walk by Cecily's side up to my room. My black gear is already laid out on my bed, with my weapons in a black bag on my chair. "Promise me you'll be careful?" Cecily begs, tears touching the edges of her eyes. I give her a nod while slipping on the black dress. It has a skater skirt which ends at mid thigh and flares out at my waist.

I sling a belt around my waist which has straps to keep my weapons attached to. I carefully adjust the silver stake, guns loaded with silver bullets, daggers and swords to my belt. Cecily scrapes my hair back into a tight, high pony tail which ends at my mid back. I've worked hard to grow out my thick, chestnut brown hair. I peer at my determined self in the mirror, noticing the dark blue of my ferocious eyes. I also can't help but notice the thin line cutting straight down my eyelid and ending just under my lower lash line. It's a scar that will never fade but the memory will last forever.

After pulling on my flat combat boots, Cecily and I make our way to the labs where my mother works. Vampire hunting doesn't just consist of fighting and slaying vampires. It's much more complicated than that.

There are nurses like Cecily who tend to the injured after fighting. They are highly important and needed, especially after Halloween where our hunters are bloody and bruised. My mother is a scientist. Vampire hunter scientists are always looking at how silver burns their skin and how we can further elaborate on that. She looks at the elements and compounds found in silver, questioning why it has an effect on them.