Bloodlines: Dark Embrace

Chapter 4 - Rise and Shine

My apologies for any spelling errors and for this chapter yet again being short. I plan to make the next few chapters long ones, with more descriptions of the vampiric disease and with some added gore. I hope that whoever may read this enjoys it! I love you all!

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Horrendous images filled my dreams that night. Nightmares engulfing my slumber. Dreaming of the night of my turning... My evolution from human to vampire. It was as if it was happening all over again, as if my bones were shifting from place to place, as if my teeth were been torn out as they were that night. It replayed over and over in my mind. Until it finally stopped. I remember the sudden stop, it was nothing for a while, just darkness. As if I was awake yet asleep. And then the nightmares came. The nightmares that came into my mind were so vivid that it seemed real.

It began with a man in an alleyway, sleeping on an old tattered carpet that was beside a concrete wall. I stood in the darkness across from him, preying on him from the shadows. I eyed up his neck, eerily smiling. After a few minutes, once I felt ready, I widened my mouth, showing my fangs that gleamed in the midnight moonlight. With a snarl, I darted forward, aiming to get to his neck before he could even awaken. I lunged at his neck, sinking my teeth in and feeling the heavenly bliss that his blood brought to me. His eyes shot open but he didn't make a sound, he couldn't, afterall, he was seconds away from death. I finally pulled away from his neck, blood was spurting from it and I was loving it. I stood up and kicked his lifeless body aside as a small pool of blood surrounded him. I needed more. His blood wasn't enough. I needed more. I NEEDED MORE.

I emerged from the alleyway, wiping the blood from my chin and lips with the back of my hand. Looking around I saw a lot a few people stumbling down streets, some in groups, some alone. I just knew that I was going to drain them all. With that though I began to laugh. Not my usual laugh though, it was a mix between a snarl, a roar and a chuckle, it was definitely something demonic.

And with that laugh I began my violent rampage through the town. Running passed people I would slit their throats with my claws, maybe even jump onto them and partially drain them before moving to my next victim. By this time everyone was screeming, lights were going on in houses and people were trying to rush out of the city. "All the more fun for me, I love a good chase" I thought.

I remember the screams of mothers as they tried to protect their children from the monster that I was, they did not succeed and their children did not survive. After killing everyone, draining the blood from their bodies, I stood alone in the centre of the town. I stared directly up, the starry night had now become a red sky. Again, I laughed that demonic laugh as blood dripped from my face and my clothes.

I woke up in a panic, sweat pouring off of me, my heart beating fast and loud and taking deep breaths. I looked around, wondering what had just happened.

"So you're awake? That must've been a hell of a dream, you've been thrashing around for hours, you even started doing this crazy laugh at one point. I actually thought you might go on another one of your rampages." A man said. I turned and saw it was Marcus, only recognizing him a few seconds later.

"Why. The hell. Didn't you. Wake me?" I puffed.

"Didn't want to disturb your nightmare. Seemed pretty intense." He replied.

"You bastard! I felt like I was dying! It was horrible!"

"Well my apologies, lad, but we don't have much time to talk about your nightmares. We have to get going before the sun rises."

"What? Why before the sun rises?" I asked, curiosity spreading across my face.

"Well... This is hard to explain. There's no excuse for it, but if we spend to long in the sun we start to burn." He replied.

"Doesn't everyone?" I asked.

"Aye, but you don't understand. We can literally burst into flames." I just stared in shock. After a few seconds of staring at Marcus, I stood up. I began panicking, looking around for anything I had dropped, when I remembered that I didn't have anything to start with I said to Marcus,

"Right! Let's go! Not got much time left! Let's go, go, go!"

"Well you're certainly in a rush." With a grunt he stood, turned around and started walking, somehow knowing that I would follow behind him. As I trailed behind him I thought about how I would do this. What if it happened like in my dream? What if I go on a killing spree. I can't do this. I can't do this!

"I CAN'T DO THIS!" I shouted out, not realizing that I had until Marcus turned around.

"Listen, Lad. I know you're scared, you're thinking you'll kill the person you drink from or just go on a complete rampage! But you won't. I'll be there to help you through. You practically won't have to do a thing, okay? So just calm down." I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing I wasn't going through this alone gave me some courage.

We had been walking for about five minutes, I seemed to be walking much faster than I used to yet Marcus still strode ahead with ease. As we approached the town we saw a drunk man stagger out. He staggered from side to side until he was sick on a mound of mud, then he collapsed on-top of that mound of mud and now, sick. "This would be a perfect chance to attack" I thought to myself, just as Marcus turned to me with a menacing grin and said,

"Feeding time!"