The Mansion On the Hill -a multi band fanfic-

6

A week had passed since Awsten had found that bone-chilling note. A week full of intense anxiety and decision-making.

"So are you going to go or not?" Remington asked, looking over at his buddy. Awsten sighed, leaning back on the park bench as he stared ahead at the mansion looming in the distance. Was he? What if the offer was already gone because he'd waited so long? Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Yeah, I think I will," Awsten replied, taking a slightly anxious lick of his ice cream. Remington had decided to take him for an evening walk in the park to help him calm down after a tough week of anxiety and constantly trying to help the wound on his shoulder heal. It had helped a lot, honestly. Awsten was a lot calmer and felt more confident. "It seems really sketchy, but I got away from him once on a sore ankle, I'm sure I can get away again if he tries anything."

Remington nodded. "How many hours 'till you have to head over?" he asked. Awsten checked his watch. "5. We can probably stay for a few more hours then I'll go get ready to head over," he sighed. "If I don't get scared at the last minute." The next few hours were rather calm, but a strange tenseness hovered in the air. Comes with knowing Awsten was about to do something that was probably not the smartest thing to do.

Emerson walked over, having been getting his own ice cream. "So, you made a decision yet?" he asked Awsten, earning a nod in response. "Yeah, I have" Awsten replied. Emerson sat down on his other side. A silence fell over the three of them, a silence of knowing this could be the last moments the three of them spent as three friends. If tonight went wrong, three would become two with a side of death.

And eventually, there Awsten stood, in front of the mansion door, trying to gain confidence. Regret seemed to be a common theme around this man though, as the moment he rung the doorbell that was all he felt for a few moments. He almost walked away until he heard a voice call from inside, "come in"

Not sketchy at all, Awsten tried to convince himself as he opened the door and stepped inside. He could hear noise from the kitchen so that's where he headed first, fidgeting with the sleeves of his hoodie. He was ready for the worst. A knife thrown at his head, a harsh shove, anything. But instead he was greeted to the sight of the man he'd been so afraid of for the past week, just making coffee. "I trust that you followed through on my request that you're alone and unarmed. You did, right?" He turned to Awsten, raising an eyebrow. Awsten frantically nodded, nervously eyeing the steaming mug of coffee that was on the table as if it would jump up and attack him.

"Good. Sorry about how sketchy that seemed, I just... needed to make sure you trust me enough."

Awsten almost laughed, sitting down at the table but trying to resist drinking the coffee. "Well that sure was obvious when you stabbed me" he replied sarcastically, mentally smacking himself for the sarcasm. That's it, he was dead wasn't he? He was going to-

The man laughed. Not an 'oh, you are SO dead' kind of laugh, but a genuine laugh. "I like the way you think, Awsten." This startled Awsten. How did this guy know his name? "How do you know my name, exactly?" He questioned. 

"Your friend mentioned your name when he was trying to explain why you three were here," the man explained, sitting down across from him and drinking some of his own coffee. "By the way, you don't need to be scared to drink the coffee I made for you. I wouldn't poison somebody with coffee, that would be an asshole move."

Somehow, Awsten instantly trusted him. Something about this man was just... unexplainably genuine. Like he wasn't who he had seemed to be a week ago. The man walked over. "Let me see your shoulder." 

Awsten blinked a few times in confusion, before remembering the stab wound and rolling his t-shirt's sleeve up. "Hm... it's healed well. Might want to change the bandages when you go home, though. Wouldn't want it to get infected," this strangely trustworthy stranger rolled Awsten's sleeve back down and went back to sitting down across from him. Then Awsten recalled the main question on his mind. 

"Why did you chase me down? More importantly how did you do it? I was in a car, and you were on foot from the looks of things," Awsten questioned, taking a sip of his coffee. The other seemed to consider the question for a moment. "Well, you see, I wasn't exactly in my right mind that night," he explained. Awsten raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I haven't had a proper drink in weeks."

Now naturally, Awsten assumed this man was an alcoholic. "Oh, so like alcohol withdrawal but more intense?" He asked. The man laughed again. "No, blood withdrawal."

Awsten blinked. "...ᵇ⁻ᵇˡᵒᵒᵈ ʷᶦᵗʰᵈʳᵃʷᵃˡˀ" He'd stopped drinking his coffee now, staring at the man across from him in confusion and anxiety. Was this guy crazy? Or maybe he was joking. He hoped he was joking. The man smiled.

"What human doesn't show up in a mirror?"

Shit, this guy was right. There was only one logical explanation.

"You're a vampire, aren't you?" Awsten questioned, earning a nod. "Yep, I'm a vampire" the man replied. Awsten suddenly felt a whole lot more unsafe, but tried to hide it. Then he realized, he didn't know this guy's name. But as soon as he started to ask, the man got up and slowly walked behind him. "I'm sorry I have to do this, it's for my survival."

Awsten screamed out in pain as he felt two fangs sink into his neck. It hurt so, so much. He could feel the blood draining, and made a useless attempt to shove the vampire away. Black spots appeared slowly in his vision, he was going to pass out if he didn't do something. He grabbed at the table and tried to pull himself away from the man. 

He managed to get him away, and dizzily stumbled away from him, staring at the brunette's fangs and seeing his own blood dripping from them.

And as he ran through the door and began making a clumsy sprint down the hill, he heard the man speak. 

"Tell Emerson that Dallon Weekes sends his regards."