Bloodlines: Dark Embrace

Chapter 3 - Early Slumber

I apologise to those who actually read this for it being slow to get into and for this chapter being short, but I hope that those of you that read this enjoy it!

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I dragged over a thick broken branch from the tree that had been clawed at for us to sit on while Marcus attempted to start a fire. As I placed the branch beside the fire I turned and sat down on it as Marcus walked away from the newly started fire to sit down beside me. Once he sat down, he let out a deep sigh. He turned to me.

"So how're you feeling kid?" He asked.

"Well considering I just took in all the information possible about being a vampire and finding out I have to suck blood for a living, I shouldn't be taking this well. But I'm feeling surprisingly good. Also, stop calling me kid. I'm Seventeen years of age. Far from a kid." I replied.

He chuckled lightly and said "I know son. But compared to the three hundred years that I've been up and running, you're basically just a newborn. And I'm glad that you're not doing so bad. I was in a terrible way when I found out. Crying ma wee eyes out and then filling up with rage. But I got over it."

I stared in shock. "Hold on a second!" I roared. "You're three hundred hundred years old?!" I asked.

"That I am, give or take a few years." He said with a smirk on his face, knowing exactly what I was going to ask next.

"How do you look so young?! I mean three hundred years... And you said that you're friend had lived to six hundred! How are you not a skeleton?!"

"I've wondered that myself many times, lad. I think It's because of the blood we drink. After we turn, it lets us live on our life further than any human can. And I'm sure that the blood extends that, so we can live even longer. The oldest vampire is around one thousand years old, but he's looking rather old and frail now."

"Wow" I thought. That was the only word that would come into my mind. I imagine being able to live on for centuries, see the world advance with new things while I'm still to be considered young. I then thought of something, being able to communicate with someone miles away by using something that looked like a miniature window. I chuckled at the thought and said in my head, "Ridiculous! Like that'll ever happen. Maybe I could invent it? What would I call it though? The Distance Talker! No, sounds terrible. Invisible Speech! I like the sound of that, I'm almost certainly calling it Invisible Speech." I looked down into the fire that had been lit atop of a bundle of sticks, staring into it for a few seconds before I spoke up. "So where are you from?" I asked aloud. "I've been wondering since first hearing your voice, I've never heard anyone speak like you do."

"So you've never heard a Scot before? I tend not to talk when I'm down here in England considering us Scot's aren't very well liked." I sat and wondered what a Scot was. Wasn't it a name given to men? Marcus must've seen the puzzled expression on my face as he spoke up again, "A Scot, it means from up in the highlands, up in Scotland."

"Oh right!" I exclaimed. "I think I once heard of it when I was younger."

Marcus just nodded and then said, "Not the nicest of places, it's quite rough. But it's about time we got some shut-eye anyway lad, we'll be up early tomorrow. You need a bit of blood in you and then we gotta journey up some mountains to reach the Council, you need to meet 'em as soon as." I nodded slowly, a look of fear spreading across my face.

As I lay down by the fire and rested my head upon the tree branch, I thought of the dread that was to come early the next morning. I had to drain a person of their own blood. A fear arose that I may kill them, I couldn't have another one. I couldn't bear another death being caused by me. My stomach churned once again as I shut my eyes, swallowing hard, feeling the thick saliva flow down my throat, I finally started to regret being in the market that day. I let out a quaky sigh and hugged my body tight, keeping warm as I drifted off to sleep.