Red Dice

Prologue

(please note that everybody makes mistakes, and i have a printed copy i read through for grammatical errors and typos, etc.)

Gambling is one thing. Gambling with a life is another, but gambling with death…out of the question.

I know because I speak from experience, for I am what many humans would call a vampire--the walking dead--a monster. Now, I watch from the shadows as policemen swarm the scene before me.

A man, clean-shaven and in his late 20’s lies on the ground, for the light has come for him shorter than he expected. A puddle of blood has pooled around his head due to a puncture wound on his neck. The wound resembles fang marks…like he’s been attacked by an animal. However, upon closer examination, the assailant obviously hit home on one of the man’s major arteries. A few years ago, there was a crazed fan of vampire lore that was using a nail gun to instill similar markings into the necks of his victims. They caught him because of his constant choice in victims and easy access to the blood banks at a hospital where the blood was beginning to grow contaminated with foreign antibodies that were less than specific to that blood type. Sloppy, I remember thinking to myself upon hearing about it. It could be a copy cat, but I am doubtful. An animal could not have made that small of a mark with such skilled precision, and the bite is almost elegant in its own sort of way… beautiful even in death; the only kind of creature who takes to that form of killing is mine.

Up until now, I had been convinced I was the last being to possess such superhuman blood. My sister, Allegra, has disappeared off the face of the earth, and even I am not talented enough to maintain such a low profile. I can only assume the worst for her, and that is the way I wish it to be. We do not get along. The last time we met, her lover was murdered. I’m not proud of it, but it had to be done. Our father has passed…hunted down by the few humans who have suspected our whereabouts and devoted their lives to vampire slaying. Every other vampire has struggled to make it alive, though I don’t see how seeing as there is almost nothing stronger than our kind on the face of the earth. I guess I am just the only one with a functional brain! The whole concept of there being another vampire is becoming a bit hard for me to grasp. It is all very worrying because I thoroughly enjoy my self-proclaimed title of the most powerful form of life on the planet. It’s cocky I know, but trust me, it is well deserved.

A second possibility begs the question: could this have been a set-up? Has our crazy government finally found out about me, and if so, how? If all the authorities can do is feed the media a bunch of bull, then it’s no wonder why they can’t figure out how to run the country, let alone find someone like me. However, if the numskulls have managed to get a lead on what I am or my whereabouts, then they are in for a little surprise if they think they are going to take me down. They have nothing to use against me in terms of capture. Even the heaviest artillery only stops me for a brief few minutes. Hell, they couldn’t even blow me up as a last resort because I can move at speeds comparable to that of a moving car.

I’m sure you’ve already figured out that I have a very high self-esteem, and that is the way things are going to stay. As I wait for a good chance to slip away, I ponder the facts I already have, desperately trying to put two and two together. Not knowing is killing me, and the desire to know is almost as bad.

If the murderer was from my time nearly 3000 years ago, he would have known to cover his tracks which leaves the possibility of a newborn. However, for a newborn to exist there would have had to be someone older to change him. I mean, they don’t exactly sell vampire blood at the mini-mart. How many more vampires could there be? How many more vampires could there be? How many enemies do I not know about? I like to think I have a superior knowledge of the world, and in some ways I do. I have lived through some of earth’s greatest disasters and witnessed the murders of many critical figures that would change the views of people among the thousands. I’ve taken on the identities of many prominent people as well, but we’ll talk abut that later.