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Post by manofdusk on Nov 17, 2005 5:38:13 GMT -5
Davin trudged heavily through the rain. His tattered clothes had long since been soaked through and his usual light flannel jacket was weighted to almost three times its normal weight with rain water. The looming buildings overhead seemed to provide no protection from the deluge. Lightning played across the sky and the light reflected the storm within Davin's own soul. Marian, why did you leave me? Why...
That single word bounced around within his mind endlessly with each repitition causing the rage within his soul to burn ever hotter. His eyes seemed to glow from within as his scowl deepened, tears streaming from unblinking eyes and mixing with rain upon his face. His face twisted as he snarled an impotent curse at the Powers-That-Be. They're laughing at me. ALL OF THEM ARE LAUGHING AT ME! DAMMIT!. At that moment, he hit the wall next to him. The rough texture of the bricks tore at his flesh and the pain returned him to his senses, giving him something real to focus upon. However, not even that could hold back the pain within his soul. She was his world, his everything, and she had left him.
Davin tilted his head skyward and closed his eyes. It's been three months and it still feels like yesterday. I guess that's why I'm here..
He lowered his head once more and continued walking through the deluge. By the time he had reached the corner, the rain had slacked just a bit but a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, a bolt that promised that this storm was far from over... a bolt that seemed never to leave Davin's eyes, playing beneath his scowl. His thoughts had already returned to Marian and his pain and not even his chenched, bleeding fist could stop the memories.
As Davin stopped in front of an alleyway, staring blankly into the darkness with clenched fists, a figure stepped out of the shadows, holding a knife. "Give me all your money! Now!" The man shook the knife at Davin to emphasize his words. However, rather than feel fear, Davin actually began laughing. He was scowling and his eyes were streaming tears while reflecting light from within... the lights reflected in the eyes of a madman. Still he laughed as he approached, this attempted act of violence having snapped the last tether that held him to sanity. He lunged for the knife, twisting the man's arm and striking at the elbow as he felt the connective tissue give way as the man screamed in agony. Taking the knife from the man's crippled hand, he smiled. In that moment, his face reflected nothing so much as that of a battle crazed demon. Terrified, the man stumbled back, clutching his newly crippled arm, stumbling in his pain and terror as Davin advanced slowly. "Man! You're CRA..." His sentence ended in a gurgle as Davin slit the man's throat with a snarl.
Davin tossed the knife away as he tilted his head to the right and then to the left. It was at that moment that he felt the pain. As he looked down, he found that his shirt was soaked with blood. He had been stabbed. He clutched his wound and began trying to make his way home. Unfortunately, the rain had once more worsened and his sense of direction had becomed skewed within this concrete jungle. Am I gonna die here? Like this??? NO! I don't wanna die like this! Not here, not now, not before I know WHY!!!
Lost in thought and pain as he was, he didn't see the other man until he had run into him. Davin looked at the man, pain and hatred twisting his features into something less than human. However, this new man's face was friendly enough. "Excuse me..." his voice trailed off as he saw the blood. "Oh my God, you're bleeding! Let's get you to a hospital!" He grabbed at Davin's arm but Davin snatched it away, nearly snarling. Taken aback, the man tried again, his voice tinged with concern. "Then at least let me help you home where we can get that bandaged up."
Reluctantly, Davin agreed. The man took Davin's arm beneath his shoulder and bore some of his weight. Davin couldn't figure out which way was home but this man seemed to know exactly where he was going. Had Davin been a little less pissed and not bleeding to death, he might've been suspicious. As it was, the man took him down the streets, making small talk. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Michael, Michael Torin." Davin grumbled something in reply. His head was beginning to spin and his words were muffled, even to himself. By the time he had reached his apartment, Davin could barely walk under his own strength. Michael took him upstairs and to his room, taking what few muddled directions he could get from Davin. He sat Davin down on the bed and suddenly lunged. Davin was caught off guard and was far too weak to fight back as he felt a sharp pain in his neck. His arms fell limp as the last of the blood drained from his body. His last breath was a single word, spoken as a sob while a single tear ran from an unblinking eye, "Mar...ian..."
"I'm cold, so COLD! Am I dead? NO! I don't want to die! Not yet! You BASTARD! I'll KILL YOU!!!" It was then that he felt something within his mouth. It was warm and he embraced it greedily. When his eyes opened again, he was sucking on Michael's arm. Disgusted, he knocked the arm away. It was then that he discovered that his wound gave him no pain. Of course, at the very moment he realized this, another pain hit him. A horrible, wrenching pain gnawed at his gut as he felt the last of his body heat fade. His lungs fought to expand and contract but soon stilled. His heart fought the longest, beating hard as Davin mustered all the willpower he could to keep himself alive... but to no avail. When his eyes opened this time, he saw with an unusual clarity. His senses were sharper than they had ever been... and he felt something inside of himself. Immediately, Davin lunged toward Muchael, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him to the floor. "YOU! What did you do to me?!?!?"
Michael smiled as he licked the blood from his fangs. "I saved you. You're a vampire now."
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Post by manofdusk on Dec 17, 2005 4:58:27 GMT -5
Davin opened his eyes in the darkness. He had been in this abandoned warehouse all night and this was the third time he'd regained consciousness. His mind wandered back to what happened, trying to make sense of it all...
Not long after Michael turned him, several people had broken into Davin's room and staked them both. Never had he felt anything so horrifying in all his life. The trauma of the alien sensations still haunted him. They were dragged into a meeting room and the stakes were removed. However, they were restrained. That had been the first time he met Alex. The Prince sentenced Michael to death for siring him as Davin watched helplessly. Not that I would have helped him... if they'd have waited a few more minutes, Id've killed the bastard!. It was then that the Prince announced that he intended to let Davin live. It was three days later and Davin still had to wonder if that was a blessing or a punishment...
Davin punched the floor where he sat in frustration. He had locked himself in here during one of his lucid moments after going berserk in an alleyway. Since then, he had been taking out his frustrations on the walls. At first, he only punched the walls... but feeling no pain, he took to head butting them... an act that had knocked him out several times already. He stood and slammed his fist into the wall again, feeling a crunch as his fingers broke beneath the strain. Snarling, he began to punch the wall with that same hand over and over until his mangled appendage had smeared vitae all over the spot. Damn! What am I gonna do now? I can't face Marian like this! Damndamndamndamn! His mind wandered back to the time they had spent together. She had spent so much time organizing charities and such that he often had trouble figuring out when she ever found the time to sleep. That was how he found himself volunteering in such places. In fact, almost every memory he had of her involved her helping someone... a homeless person, a child... someone. Davin did not quite share her conviction for helping people in need but did it anyway so that he could be near her.
He smiled with his eyes glazed over as he recalled one of the few memories he had of just the two of them. He had set up a picnic on a hill overlooking the town. He had made a tape of all his favorite love songs and played the tape as the two of them watched the sun set together...
He had already drawn back his head to butt the wall again when he heard a noise, ducking behind a crate, he watched two men walk into the warehouse, one of them had a crowbar. Looking to the door, he saw all the signs of forced entry. Looking back, he noted that the two had dumped a large sum of money out on the table and were exulting in the sight of cash.
The sight just caused Davin to laugh. It was a low, humorless laugh. His lip curled up in a sneer as the two grabbed their guns, scanning the room for danger. The first man, a skinny man with a five o clock shadow, called out, "Who's there? Come on out! We know you're there!"
Davin just laughed some more as he made some heavy footsteps in one direction before sneaking quietly in the opposite. His eyes had grown wide and his sneer widened. Memories of Marian had already fueled his rage and this was the perfect way to take out his frustration. As he watched, the two split up to search for the intruder. Davin simply climbed on top of a crate to wait for one of them to walk beneath...
He wasn't disappointed. It took only a few moments for one of them to reach him. His eyes shined with the light of madness as he lept from the crate squarely on the shoulders of his victim. The man fell with a thud and Davin wrapped his hands around the man's throat before he could even scream. It was then ant there that Davin throttled him until his body fell limp.
When the second man arrived, a tall man with several chins, he found his partner being held limply by the throat in the hands of a monster. The man paled visibly and Davin looked at the victim in his hand... blood was running from the bite marks and oozing out from between the fingers of his clenched fist, pooling on the ground at his feet. Davin laughed out loud as he dropped the man, "I guess I got a bit carried away. Oh well..." he was still laughing as he advanced. Davin could smell fear in the air, fear and... urine? Davin laughed even harder, the poor bastard pissed himself!, of course, Davin stopped laughing when he saw the fat man pull the trigger. He twisted but the bullet thudded into his shoulder. He prepared to scream but found that even that didn't hurt. In fact, looking at it, it didn't even look that bad. The other man looked horrified that whateverthehellitwas was still standing. Davin took several steps forward, this time he didn't even dodge, taking the bullet square in the chest. "You're gonna have to do a lot better than that!"
It was at that moment that Davin smelled something else. Much to his delight, he recognized the smell. He had just caused the poor bastard to shit himself too... the man bolted toward the door but Davin was faster than his out-of-shape adversary, cutting him off at the door and slamming him into the wall by the front of his shirt. The fat man looked at Davin in horror, "What the hell are you?!?!?"
Davin only smiled, "I am your nightmares made manifest." He threw the man to the ground and slowly advanced, causing the man to scramble backward on all fours, still facing him. "I am the thing that goes bump in the night." He picked up the crowbar that had been tossed to the side not long after their entry into his abode. "I am a wolf among sheep... and I am VERY pissed off right now!"
As if to punctuate his statement, he swung the crowbar, hearing the crack as the metal hit bone. He drew back and swung repeatedly until the man's skull was nothing more than paste covering the warehouse floor.
It was then that he took the fat man's gun and walked over to his first victim, shooting him in the bite mark at point blank and then placing the gore-covered crowbar in his hands. He walked out into the center of the warehouse and looked at the pile of money, "Damn, I really gotta watch my temper... well, in any case, at least the money'll go back to whoever they stole it from..."
He walked out of the building and several blocks away before he made the phone call, "Officer? We heard some gunshots out by the pier..."
After supplying a few more false bits of information, he hung up and began walking. As he noticed the homeless and the gangsters and the whores on the streets, his mind went back to the cash he had left behind. I hope that money goes back to an honest business instead of lining the pockets of people like this...
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Post by manofdusk on Jan 15, 2006 3:25:36 GMT -5
Davin continued walking the filthy streets, only glancing at the people he passed. The time has passed for indecision. I've got to figure out what I'm gonna do now... He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper. Prince Alex had given him this before he had left but this was the first time he'd actually looked at it. It contained a simple address and nothing more. He laughed at the irony, having to place his trust in someone who'd just killed his sire. But still, it wasn't like the Prince had tried to kill him so he might as well see what was there...
It was then that Davin stopped as though he'd been slapped. He had no idea where the hell this place was! He was from a small town in the southeast part of the US and every place he ever had to get to came with instructions and landmarks that he was familiar with. Dammit! How am I supposed to know where this place is? I've not even been here for two weeks and here I am, lost and dead! Go figure! ...and then he hung his head, placing his hand on his forehead. His shoulders began to shake and suddenly, he threw his head back laughing like a madman at some unseen joke while standing right in the middle of the road. His sudden laughter caught a nearby group of kids in their late teens off guard. They stared blankly at him and instinctively drew back as Davin approached, a grin etched upon his face with his shoulders still twitching every now and then from suppressed laughter.
"Whaddya want?", one of them said, eyes darting about nervously.
Davin shrugged, managing to subdue his mirth and straiten his face. He opened the slip of paper and showed it to the group. "I need to get here. Do you know where it is?"
They looked at each other and then back to him. "Yeah, but what's in it for us?" Davin thought for a few seconds. He didn't really have any money and beating the daylights out of a bunch of kids just didn't seem like the right thing to do... then he noticed the basketball that one of the boys was holding. "How about a game?" Me against any one of you, if I win, you tell me where this place is."
The boy who had the ball, a Latino kid who seemed about 3 years younger than Davin spoke up. "And if we win?"
Davin chuckled, "I'll let you choose a pocket. If you win, I'll give you what I have in that pocket, with the exception of this slip of paper, deal?"
The boys looked at each other and smiled. One of them spoke, a black guy with no hair and tattoos of teardrops on the corner of his face. "OK, you're on. We choose your right front pocket, you and me. One on One"
Davin nodded. "You're on."
Davin smiled. He didn't really have anything on him, nothing in his back pockets and only a few trinkets in his left of no real value. His key chain hung at his belt so there was no way he'd lose that. His right pocket had a few twenties and a pocket knife in it, along with some change. "Alright, where's the court?"
"This way." They all turned and walked off around the corner. Following them, he discovered a fenced in basketball court. The bald one spoke up, "Street rules, anything goes. Any questions?"
Davin shook his head and smiled. "Nah, let's play."
While the guy had adjusted his clothing, taking off his shirt, Davin had not, remaining in his khakis and loose T-Shirt. The man began to weave back and forth as he dribbled the ball with Davin matching his movements. Suddenly, dashed around Davin. Davin pivoted quickly and chased him, leaping just as the man did but not managing to stop the ball before it went in. On his way down, he felt an elbow to his ribs and he fell flat of his back. Standing, he smiled. This is good. I don't have to breathe anymore so being out of breath is no longer a problem for me. He started laughing. "Nice shot. Very nice. My turn."
He picket up the ball with a smirk on his face, beginning to dribble and weave. Undeath had improved his abilities to a small extent. He was better able to weave and control his body. He tried to dash around the man but quickly felt a shoulder knock him to the ground again. As he fell, he saw the man slam dunk the ball. Turning around, he strode over to Davin, "Did I foul you?"
"Nah. No big deal."
"You sure?"
Davin's southern drawl finally surfaced as he spoke, "I'm aiight. My ball..."
This time, Davin shot the ball through the man's legs, grabbing it and throwing it up for a shot of his own. "Your ball."
The game continued in pretty much the same way for about an hour with Davin getting thrown to the ground about every other round. The game ended 22 to 14 with Davin losing. After picking himself off the ground he chuckled yet again and reached into his pockets, pulling out $60 and some change along with his pocket knife. "Good game..."
He smiled and turned to walk away when one of the boys, the one who had had the ball when Davin first walked up, spoke. "Go up 5 blocks from here, and turn left. Keep going and you'll see the signs."
Davin nodded and stuck his hand in the air as a sign of thanks. "I appreciate it."
The boy smiled and walked up, extending his fist. "Hey, anyone that can take a beating like that and not complain on a bet deserves something."
Davin let his own fist fall lightly on the boy's, trying to mimic his moves but not quite managing it, nodded and walked off at a brisk pace having just now noticed the lightening of the sky. His risk had proved worth it but the night was almost over and he had to find some place to sleep for the day. Luckily, there was a boarded up building not far from the basketball court. He ran hurriedly through the alley beside the building, stopping beside a fire escape. He jumped and caught the lower rung, climbing up to the second floor. He tore some boards off the window and dove inside. He saw the stairs and began to descend as he fought the Beast's command to sleep. His pace slowed to a stagger as he tried to reach the basement. Unfortunately, Sleep claimed him while still on the stairs, causing him to collapse on the stairway not 10 feet from the basement door. He rolled down and fell in a heap in front of the basement door...
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Post by manofdusk on Jun 19, 2007 6:55:48 GMT -5
Davin sat on the stool with a full glass of whiskey in his hand. He twirled it in his hand as he watched the hypnotic twirl of golden liquid. It had been several weeks since that night he played basketball till dawn. He'd gotten the information and found the mentor that the Prince had set him up with, a Brujah.
Davin hadn't paid much attention to the introductions and had already forgotten the man's name.
Now, here he was, in a bar and no particular destination in mind. However, as he finally looked up from his drink, he noticed a young woman in jeans and a loose fitting white T-shirt sitting alone in a corner booth. She was tall and slim with long blonde hair and her azure eyes were cast downward, beauty hidden beneath a sea of doubt. He knew that look. It was the same one that he wore almost always. Looking to the bartender, he ordered a glass of whatever she was drinking and walked over to the table.
"Mind if I join you?"
She looked up from her glass and sighed. "Look, I'm just here to unwind. I don't want any part of whatever it is you have in mind."
Davin's sigh mirrored her own as he set the drink down on the table. "Sorry to bother you then. You just looked sad is all. Thought I'd try and cheer you up. Enjoy your drink."
He gave her a slight smile, though his eyes mirrored her own inner sadness as he turned. He han't taken two steps when he heard her speak. "Wait. I'm sorry, it's... it's just... my boyfriend left me today and I..."
She trailed off but Davin turned around and smiled. "It's alright. No harm done. But, yanno, it's not good for you to be by yourself in a time like this. Feel like talking?"
Her smile was a warming sight and, though she talked mostly about her ex, she was still pleasant company. He discovered that her name was Kyla, that she'd been dating for 3 years, and that she was an aspiring actress. He also discovered in short order that she couldn't hold her liquor and soon she was drunk beyond measure. He found himself with a woman who was switching between manic silliness and somber weeping and eventually, he decided that he needed to take her home before she passed out.
She leaned on him heavily, while slurring out almost random things as they came to mind. Though she almost too drunk to walk, she was, at least, coherent enough to give the taxi driver directions. He let her open the door and he followed her inside... only to catch her as she fell forward.
Davin sighed as he carried her to the couch. Despite being fairly tall for a woman, her slight frame was easy to carry.
He sat down with her and looked around the apartment. It was a nice, well kept place, much at odds with her current demeanor... a demeanor that was getting a little too friendly for comfort. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the woman's hands begin to wander. It was enough to make him stand up and step away. "N-no. Not like this."
... and that triggered yet another weepy moment. He managed to catch something about him not thinking she was pretty through the drunken sobs. Davin sighed and put his hand on his forehead. Then he started to chuckle at the irony.
"Wat'sh sho funny?!?"
Davin smiled, and sighed and kneeled, using his right hand to pull a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. "Life's funny. Sometimes it throws curves we don't expect. You're a beautiful young lady... but I can't let you do something you might regret when you sober up."
He silenced her feeble arguements wilh a small kiss on the forehead before picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom. As he sat her down upon the bed, he took the opportunity to look around the room. She was a very neat woman, with everything in its place. He also noticed the picture on her dresser. It was a man with a chiseled face covered by beard and moustache. The two looked like they'd been happy at one time or another.
From there, he looked up and into the mirror. His face had similar qualities but he was clean shaven. Back where he once lived, he'd been complimented about his eyes... but even now as he looked into the mirror, all he could see were regular, brown eyes.
He turned back around only to find that the woman had passed out on the bed. He sighed and then chuckled a bit before taking off her shoes and socks. He pulled back the covers and laid her between them. He figured that waking up in uncomfortable jeans would be preferrable to waking up in something more comfortable that someone else had changed her into... so that was how he left her.
A few days later, he was at the bar when a familiar voice chimed up behind him. "Davin, is that you?"
He turned and smiled pleasantly. It was Kyla. "Ahhh, how have you been?"
She returned his smile. "Good, oh, and about the other day..."
Davin shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Sometimes something's just gotta give..."
He stood and pulled a stray lock of hair back behind her ear, "... don't worry. I've been there."
The next few weeks were a blissful reprieve from the weight that constantly bore down upon his soul. He had even taken to whistling as he walked... something he'd not done since he had been with Marian. Davin's anger melted away under Kyla's touch and his pain vanished with her kiss. He also noticed that Kyla had put away the pictures of her ex, and that she was noticably happier. After nearly feeding on her the first week, he needed to constantly remind himself not to get too comfortable.
After a month of seeing Kyla, the night once more led to her bedroom. This time she wasn't drunk and, though Davin was unsure of how his undead body would react to such a situation, he was willing.
Hours passed as Davin lost himself in the embrace of his new lover. As he gazed into her eyes, something in the pits of his soul stirred, like an ember flaring to life... an ember from a fire that had been extinguished long before his body had died.
As Kyla slept, Davin's eyes traced over her slim figure, covered by the sheet but sillhouetted perfectly by the moonlight. The way the moon shone gently off her skin and melded with the sheets gave him the impression of an angel who's wings had finally healed. He ran his fingers through her hair and whispered softly to himself. "Perhaps I can find what I lost here..."
But his time to contemplate was cut short by the threat of dawn. He crept out of bed, dressed himself, locked the door, and, with a gentle kiss on her temple, he made his way to a nearby abandoned building to crash for the day.
Davin awoke the next night with a spring in his step and a tune on his lips. He hummed the tune of the song "What a Beautiful Mess" as he approached the appartment. However, he felt a sudden sinking in his gut when he saw a man slinking out the front door. The face looked familiar but he couldn't place it. Regardless, something in the air made him want to run up the apartment stairs. It was faint but he thought he smelled Kyla's perfume. He managed to control himself up until he actually stepped inside. He tried to convince himself that he was being paranoid but there was something in the air.
He began to climb the stairs one at a time...
The smell was growing stronger. The scent, it smelled musky and, though it was faint, the familiarity of it nagged at his mind.
He began to ascend 2 steps at a time...
It reminded him of the warehouse. How he'd hunted those men...
His pace quickened to 3 steps at a time...
The smell... he knew it...
He was running up the stairs now...
...... the smell... he smelled........ fear.
He had already begun sprinting up the stairs with supernaturally augmented speed when he finally reached the top floor. The metallic smell of blood also reached his nostrils. His bottom lip had begun to quiver as he reached for the door, only to find the fastening had been smashed, ripping through the panelling but otherwise leaving the door unharmed.
As the door creaked open, he saw shoes... with feet in them. The owner was laying on the floor, obscured by the table.
"Kyla???"
His voice was frantic. This was the origin of the smell. The apartment reeked of fear... and blood. He could smell BLOOD!
He had crossed the entire apartment in two steps, bringing him to stand over Kyla, wearing a yellow sundress... and lying in a pool of her own blood. Her throat was cut... slowly by the look of it... and tear streaks were still visible on her face.
Death... he smelled death.
Davin knelt over her, checking for the pulse he knew wasn't there. As he did, he looked into her now sightless eyes. Only last night, they had been full of the promise of a bright future. Now... now they were dead.
He placed his fingers over Kyla's eyes, shutting them and then wiped away the tear streaks with his thumb... then he knelt.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to rage. He wanted to rampage... but he knelt. The tiny flame that had begun to burn once more in his soul extinguished in an instant. He found no will to move his arms further, nor his legs, nor his eyes.
It was as though he were experiencing his transformation all over again. The death of his body amplified a thousandfold in spirit.
And yet he knelt, unmoving and mute, staring at Kyla's body.
...that man. I've seen him before...
With a monumental effort, he rose to his feet and pulled out his cell phone. His voice was flat when he spoke into the reciever. "It's Davin. I need help. Come to the corner of 5th and main. Please..."
He closed the cell phone without giving much in the way of further information. He was like a robot as he walked into the bedroom.
I know that man...
He rummaged through Kyla's bedroom until he produced a picture. He sat on the bed a long time staring at it. The man was Kyla's ex boyfriend.
As Davin left the building, he was approached by a unremarkable man with a sour look on his face. "What have you gotten yourself into, Davin?"
He turned slowly to the man who had been his mentor. "She's dead. He killed her..."
"Who killed who? What's going on?"
Davin's only response to his mentor's question was to repeat what he'd just said... and it earned him a slap to the face. The impact, though not hard, combined with the shock of Kyla's death, dropped Davin to his knees.
The man who's name Davin had forgotten nonetheless took care of the situation, having Kyla buried discreetly. That night, Davin knelt in front of her grave from dusk till dawn. He found himself unable to cry. He looked to the heavens, wishing that the clouds would open in a torrent... or that a fire hydrant would burst... something, ANYTHING. More than anything, he just wanted something to cry for her... since he couldn't do it himself.
The next night, when Davin rose, he made the monumental effort to rise. His shambling steps took him to a sporting goods store, where he purchased a wooden bat. He continued to wander, somehow managing to escape the notice of his mentor, who was still working on getting the situation covered up, with the bat dragging behind him in his right hand, and the man's picture in his left.
Despite being less than consious of the goings on around him, he did manage to find someone who'd seen him that night. This led to the neighborhood that he lived in now. A little more digging revealed the trailer. 4 men lived with him inside. He waited...
...and waited...
...and finally was rewarded when the man left the trailer.
He stalked the man, and a few blocks away, he pounced, striking the man hard from behind with the bat with enough force to shatter the instrument.
He was surprised to see that his victim was still standing. He was about to throw a punch when he heard more laughs coming from behind. He turned to see the man's four friends coming from behind.
"You picked the wrong group to mess with when you chose the Sabbat, punk! Now, we're gonna rip out your teeth!"
The man he'd previously assaulted clamped a hand around his neck and Davin got a good look at the weapons the 4 men were carrying. The man was strong but Davin was stronger thanks to the blood that now augmented his muscles. He grabbed the man's hand and twitsted a finger until it snapped. The man howled in pain and let go.
Davin took the opportunity to run...
2 kinves, a chain, and a shotgun. NOT good!
Though he ran on blood fuelled feet, one among the pack was faster than even he. He augmented his own speed but even that wasn't enough. The bald man cornered him in a dead-end alleyway. Davin could smell his blood. It smelled like his mentor's... or close. This was Brujah... and he had a chain.
Davin looked to the left and right, searching frantically for a weapon but found nothing. He desperately wished for a weapon... something, ANYTHING. As the Brujah began the swing of his chain, Davin lashed out at a pressure point below the ear, hoping to at least slow the vampire down. However, to his surprise, the swipe took the Brujah's entire lower jaw off.
As the vampire staggered backwards, Davin looked down in astonishment at his hands... or where his hands had once been. Now they were terrible claws, stained with gore. Anger flared as he looked from his claws to the gurgling Brujah.
"Weapons..."
Davin's next strike took off the rest of the vampire's head.
"I have weapons!"
Hearing the others approaching, he leapt upward with supernatural strength and grabbed the fire escape. With all the speed he could muster, he began to climb. He jumped over the side as a blast from a shotgun ricocheted off the top of the wall. He felt some stinging in his leg but not enough to bother him overly.
Instead of running, he waited, crouching near the fire escape, waiting for the first of them to arrive in chase. He wasn't dissappointed. A swift claw to the face sent the next sailing over the fire escape and bouncing off a nearby dumpster and onto the ground below.
He ran, crashing into the door at the top of the building as he lept down the stairs.
He ducked as he exited the building, which saved him from a shotgun blast to the head. Davin retaliated by using his claw almost like a spear to punch strait into the third man's chest, leaving him far too wounded to fire effectively before he ran away.
As he rounded the corner, the 4th man, a knife wielder, caught him from behind and flashed the weapon dangerously in front of his face. Davin snarled and grabbed the man's hips and dug his claws in deep until he could reach bone... then he yanked with all his strength.
The 4th man fell with a shriek of agony as Davin turned around, only to run smack into Kyla's ex... who was now brandishing claws.... just like Davin's.
The man readied a swipe but Davin locked claws with the man and the two wrestled.
"WHY? Why did you kill Kyla? WHY?!?"
"OH! That's what this is about. You want an answer, don't you?"
The answer Davin recieved was a kick to the groin hard enough to make him lose his grip and a slash across the chest that burned like fire. He screamed.
"Because she was a bitch... and I felt like it! I killed her reeeaaalll slow too. How's that for an answer?"
Davin's responce was a high pitched, shrill scream as he lunged, locking claws claws with the vampire once more. he snapped at the man, fangs bared as he vaguely felt something wet on his cheeks.
It was at this time that the other vampire's confidence began to fade. Davin was pumping ever more blood into his muscles, even as the beast within him screamed for freedom. Davin continued to snap with his fangs as he forced the other vampire into a wall, clamping down on his victim's claws with his own, drawing ever closer with his snaps until he finally landed one... and when he did, he clamped down hard.
He began to feed... and feed... and feed until there was nothing left... or was there?
He tried to devour whatever was left as he clamped down on the other vampire's arms to hold him still... he sucked at the dry, dead arteries until he drew whatever was left out.
He screamed toward the heavens but managed to regain his mind as he saw the vampire began to decay...
"NO! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!!!!!"
He grabbed each shoulder as he heaved in opposite directions, tearing the decaying carcass in two before bringing his claws to bear on the head. He was once more lost to the Beast as he clawed impotently, screaming his rage out against the moldering carcass... but he was weeping.
When he finally stopped raging, he finally found that he could weep... and he did so amongst remains of the shredded, decaying carcass.
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Post by manofdusk on Jun 20, 2007 4:12:04 GMT -5
Davin wandered aimlessly amidst the streets. It was raining now. The rain that he had so desperately wished for had been delivered. People hurried by him but granted him a wide berth. His movement was less of a walk and more of a shamble. He carried no paper or umbrella to shield him from the downpour, instead choosing to let what he percieved as heaven's tears soak him to the bone.
People gave him odd stares as they drew near. Many stared openly, others pretended not to stare... but everyone stared. Everyone remained out of arm's reach as well... as though he were some sort of monster.
Maybe I am...
As he made his way closer to the warehouses, the crowds thinned and eventually dwindled to nothing. He shambled to one of them, noting for a moment a piece of yellow police tape still clinging to a window. He opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him.
He stumbled to a crate and emptied the contents of his pockets onto the top. He looked at what he had assembled: a bottle of glue, a pair of scissors, a picture of Kyla... and a small dimestore locket.
Davin tilted his head to the side as he stared vacantly, finally noting that the locket was too small. His hand then went to the picture. It was a picture the two of them had decided to take at the carnival on the dock. He'd gotten sick that night from eating cotton candy... having actually forgotten that he couldn't eat real food that night.
A blood tear slid down his face as he placed the picture back. He wiped away the tear with his thumb as he grabbed the scissors and cut himself out of the picture. He then worked slowly for what seemed like hours until he finally had her face glued into the locket.
He stared at the locket. In his agony, he wanted to lash out... but found he still didn't have the will. Instead he found himself laying on the floor of the warehouse, creating a small puddle of water as he did so, and staring blankly at the wall with the cold cement pressed against his cheek. Even after all this time, he could still smell blood and death in this place. He smelled his own blood as well as that of the others.
He rolled to his back and then looked at the locket, the glue still drying, and then to the ceiling.
Karma?
What was it Marian had told him? "Everything you do will come back on you one day..."
He found himself repeating those words as he stared blankly at the ceiling. Then he looked back at the locket. "Was it my fault? Did I do this to you?"
He looked downward toward the door and then back to the ceiling. "Why?"
He stood up and meandered across the warehouse. First to where he'd raged against his fate, then to where he'd killed the first man... then to where he'd killed the second. The chalk lines were still visible if one looked closely enough... then he looked back at the locket. "Why you?"
He shook his head and stepped to the window to watch the rain fall. However, what he saw surprised him. Looking at his reflection in the glass panes revealed that his eyes were now bright emerald green. He tried looking closer but the dim light made it impossible. He ran to the bathroom but the power to this place had long been shut down. Ultimately, it was only when the rain stopped and he could go outside that he saw.
He put the locket in his pocket and stepped outside, looking at his reflection in a puddle under the streetlights he found that his eyes were now emerald green. Further, they could retract to slits.
Cat eyes... the eyes of a predator...
He put his finges to just below his eyes, checking below them. He then curled his fingers over his mouth and chin and stood.
...fitting that I should have them...
Davin found himself back at the bar, twirling the whiskey in his glass. He had purchased reflective sunglasses in short order after discovering his eyes and now he looked at the glass through the shades. He recieved a few odd looks still but not as many now... and people still edged away from him.
What was it Kyla's Ex had mentioned? The Sabbat?
He mouthed the word to himself as the memory of the event came flooding back. He had just stepped into the door of Kyla's apartment when a sudden CRACK and a sharp pain in his hand brought him back to the present. His glass had shattered in his hand from his grip. He recieved several odd looks but Davin just put a 20 on the table and left without much of a word.
Once more he wandered the streets. He looked into an alleyway only to see two men roughing up a third. He turned and stepped forward, the fight between himself and the 5 vampires in his forethoughts.
"That's enough."
The two men looked at him and sneered. "Why don't you butt out before you get hurt!"
Davin stepped forward a bit more, hands still in his pockets. Since he'd done whatever it was he'd done, people tended to back away when he approached... and it was no different here. It was as though some primal instinct was at work. He looked at the man on the ground... and the man began to fidget under the intensity of his gaze.
He then looked back at the two men, who were also becoming uncomfortable. "Leave. Now."
The two men looked at each other, one backed up a step... and then both took off in the opposite direction. Davin looked down at the man at his feet and offered him a hand up. The man took it nervously. "Thanks man..."
Davin noted the way that even the man's gratitude trailed off nervously when he looked him in the face. Davin nodded, turned, and walked away.
Kyla... was it my fault you died?
Davin found himself atop one of the older buildings in Los Angeles. He'd climbed up here almost absently as he thought. Now he sat on the side, arm around a gargoyle, watching the people pass by below him. "Everything happens for a reason... everything you do comes back on you..."
He looked at the gargoyle. "Do you believe in fate or karma? If it's fate then am I being punished? If it's Karma then am I at fault for Kyla's death? What do you think?"
He really didn't expect an answer and he sighed deeply. Then he looked at the sky. The stars here were obscured partly by the lights of the city. He remembered back when he was alive, he and Marian would find a place out in the middle of nowhere and just stare at the stars.
"Marian... what would you say if you saw me now? It's been so long... would you even remember me?"
Davin's wanderings next took him to a decrepit church. The windows were shattered, the floor was strewn with trash, and the interior had been vandalised with knives and spray paint. However, the cross still stood above the doorway into the back.
He looked at the cross and then back to the interior and he sighed. He set himself to the task of picking up the garbage as he let his mind wander. He'd never asked Kyla about her religious convictions but he and Marian had been Christian. They and several of his high school friends, including his highschool sweetheart, had gone to services regularly. Of course, eveyone began going their seperate ways until it was only Himself, Marian, and Briana. Briana too eventually left for medical school... and Marian left to do social work here in LA.
He finished picking up the garbage and dumping it outside. The dirt that still clung to everything, grafitti on the walls and slash marks on the seats weren't things he had the tools to deal with though so he sighed and shook his head.
He sat on one of the benches for a long time, staring at the cross. Kyla was dead... but Marian was still out there somewhere.
Maybe she has the answers... she was always bringing strangers to church and explaining sermons to me... maybe she'll know why...
A sudden commotion caught his attention. Outside was a gang. It was loud and violent... he smelled blood, death, gasoline, alcohol, and all sorts of other substances in the air. These were vampires... LOTS of vampires.
...Sabbat...
That was what Kyla's ex said he was a part of...
He hurried back inside before he could be spotted. He looked out toward the front door, then up to the cross. "I'm sorry..."
And then he rushed into the back, climbing out of a broken window in the communion hall and then making his way into more respectible territory.
...the Sabbat killed Kyla... I don't have all the answers but I do know this... I can't let this happen to anyone else... Kyla, Marian... please, forgive me for what have to do...
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Post by manofdusk on Jul 21, 2007 5:10:24 GMT -5
Davin crouched atop the roof of an abandoned building with his claws resting lightly on the crumbling cement. Not long after his first encounter with the Sabbat, Davin had gone looking for answers. He found them in the form of the Sheriff.
He'd learned what he could about the Sabbat and had even volunteered to help the Sheriff. That was how he'd found himself in the position he was in now.
He looked down in the alleyway. Three vampires had ganged up on a mortal and were now in the process of terrorizing him. They had been hunting this man for some time now but Davin waited patiently. Now was not the right time.
His teeth clenched together hard and it took almost all of his willpower not to start ripping chunks out of the decaying building and throwing them. No, these vampires were too important to let slip away.
His muscles tensed and spasmed as he scowled at the vampire gang from his perch. The Beast within him tugged at his soul. Kyla was in his thoughts and the taste of blood was in his mouth.
Blood?
He calmed down for a moment as he realized he'd bitten his own lip in order to keep himself from attacking outright. If he did, he doubted he'd have time to save the man before they killed him.
...and then the man bolted. Davin's grin grew wide and feral. He was running right under Davin's perch. His blood seethed. All of his senses were on pins and needles, blood surging through his muscles, as he waited for the Sabbat to give chase.
He wasn't disappointed. They howled for blood and gave chase, only to be met by a different sort of howl... the one Davin let loose as he lept from the roof. He screeched as he descended like some demonic bird of prey landing on the leader of the pack, claws first. He tore through the flesh, reaching for the spine, even as he felt one of his legs crack from the fall.
Davin was too absorbed in his own hatred to care about pain as he grabbed and heaved on the pack leader's spine with all his might. As his vampiric speed kicked in he dashed away toward the fleeing man snatching him up, screaming, from beneath the arms and ran off. He ran with the terrified man until he ducked into an alleyway...
Unfortunately, Davin was not alone. A bedraggled man in rags pointed a gun at him. "GAAAAH! Monster!"
The man screamed as he saw the gore spattered claws. Davin smelled blood on this man... It was almost as if his nose could pick out the guilt of murder stained upon the man's very soul. Davin wasted no time in dropping the first guy into a nearby pile of garbage as he let his leg heal. His hand flashed out and he bit into the man's neck. It took all Davin had, but he didn't kill the man. Instead, he stopped after just a few pints before throwing the weakened man into a pile of garbage a few feet away.
"You... You're a.."
He looked at the terrified man at his feet, his reflective sunglasses slipping down on his nose. "I'm here to help. Now shut up and play dead and you might live to see tomorrow."
Davin's words dripped with venom. He couldn't keep it out of his voice. The man, horrified, tried to play dead as best as he could though Davin could still see the rise and fall of his chest.
Davin didn't have enough time to inspect the man further as the the remaining two Sabbat reached the alleyway at about this time, brandishing knives as they searched for him. However, he didn't give them time. He lashed out with both claws, gouging out their eyes.
They howled in pain and lunged at him. He was wounded each time but it didn't stop him from tearing into his foes, smashing their heads together with all of his strength.
He looked at the terrified man as he set about the task of executing the two unconscious Sabbat. He felt a dark spark of pleasure as he tore the life from them with his claws, reveling in the taste of vengeance served in cold blood.
"Come with me."
The man opened his eyes and his jaw dropped in shock... even more so as he witnessed the rapid decomposing of the bodies. "Y-You... killed them!"
Davin's voice still dripped venom. "They would've killed you if I hadn't."
"But..."
"Stop talking and follow me. There's still one more."
The man looked at him, terrified. "Are you going to kill me? I DON'T WANNA DIE!"
Davin clamped his gore spattered hands around the man's mouth to silence him. "If I wanted you dead, I'd have let them kill you... but if you don't shut up and come on, I might reconsider!"
Hesitantly, the man followed, only to find the kindred still on the ground, regenerating. He watched as Davin clamped a claw on the back of the man's neck and picked him up, biting down on his neck and feeding before decapitating him in one brutal stroke.
He quickly took off the trench coat he'd been wearing and handed it to the man. He then pointed to an abandoned burning trashcan across the street. "Throw this in there."
He withdrew his claws and followed the man to make sure he didn't escape. He pulled the man with him to make him follow and, for the first time, Davin got a good look at him. He was balding, seemed to be in his mid-to late thirties, and was a bit overweight.
"Look, sorry about earlier..."
The man looked at him nervously. "What are you going to do to me?"
Davin sighed. "Dunno. I gotta make sure you don't tell anyone about what you saw."
The man looked at him, "Please don't eat me. I won't tell anyone! I promise!"
He looked at the man and almost chuckled, "Eat you?!?"
The man looked at Davin nervously. "Yeah, you bit that man. You were like some kind of vampire or something... and those crazy claws... and those guys. They just... rotted."
Davin sighed. In his zeal to protect this man, he'd broken the Masquerade. "Alright, look. First, no, I'm not gonna eat you. Second, you can NOT tell anyone what you saw here tonight. There are others... others that would kill you if you blabbed... and probably me too. So, you stay quiet and no one has any problems, OK?"
The man nodded. "OK. My name's Carl, by the way."
Davin nodded in acknowledgment, but didn't offer his name in return. Instead, Carl began to ask him other questions. "So, when you drink someone's blood, do they become vampires too?"
"No."
"Can a stake through the heart really kill you?"
"No."
"What about garlic and crosses?"
"It's all baloney."
"Sunlight? Can I see your fangs? What's it like?"
Davin sighed. "Look, Carl? Was it? You already know more than you need to. Don't go looking any deeper into it. Besides, this is a curse. It's nothing like the movies. I want you to understand something about immortality."
Carl's eyes went wide in what Davin could only figure was awe. He had a hard time believing that Carl could so easily forget about the violence he'd just witnessed. However, he continued nonetheless. "There comes a night when one realizes that, even though you might live forever, everything you hold dear will one day die."
It looked like he'd just deflated Carl's balloon. However, Davin took some small satisfaction in the thought that there was one less person in the world that would fantasize about this kind of existence now.
But Carl wasn't done yet. He still had another question. "Can you drink blood if it's not strait from the body?"
He was about to reprimand Carl but that caught his interest. "Why do you ask?"
Carl looked from side to side. "I run the blood bank in the clinic just off 5th and main. If you can, I thought I might be able to thank you for saving me earlier."
Davin raised an eyebrow. This could prove interesting.
"Could you take me there now?"
Carl looked at him and fidgeted. "Yeah, I guess I could. My shift is over and I was headed home but... sure."
Davin nodded and, with a slight smile on his face, followed Carl to the clinic.
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Post by manofdusk on Jul 21, 2007 6:02:41 GMT -5
Davin silently followed Carl to the clinic, waiting patiently as he unlocked the back door and descended the stairs. When he walked in, Davin noticed a second man in the back.
He put a hand on Carl's shoulder and up nodded in that general direction. Carl got the gist and smiled sheepishly. "He won't say anything. We do this kind of stuff pretty often. Blood has a short shelf life and our salary isn't that much... so we sell what's about to expire. We just never thought we were selling to... you know..."
Davin gaped at the man in disbelief. "Did you never ask?"
Carl shrugged nonchalantly. "Bad for business. So, how much do you want?"
Davin shook his head. "I don't drink human blood much."
Carl raised an eyebrow. "So, what? You drink animal blood or something? We have a vet nearby so we carry some of that too."
Davin shook his head but didn't offer an answer.
As Carl thought, a horrible realization dawned on him. "You mean...?"
Davin nodded in affirmation, looking somewhat guilty as he did so. "I don't feed on the living if I can avoid it. The risk is too great."
An irritated look crossed Carl's face. "Then what did you bring me down here for?"
Davin half smiled. It was a bit chilling. "I want records. I want to know where the blood in this city goes."
Carl raised an eyebrow. "Why would you..."
However, he trailed off as realization dawned upon his face once more. "Let me go print it out."
The man then went into the back, a disturbed look plastered across his features.
As he looked inside the door, he noticed several books, the spines of which were facing him. They were vampire novels, occult books, and various other pieces of dark literature...
This would explain a lot...
Davin then turned to a medical poster stuck on the wall. He sighed as he looked at it. He traced the blood vessels, nerves, muscle and organ groups. He knew them all by name.
He laughed a bit to himself as he remembered his days at the community college. It seemed a lifetime ago. He and Briana had been going to get a doctorate.
He looked down at his hands.
They were once destined for healing. Now look at them...
Of course, while Briana stuck to the tried and true methods of healing, Davin preferred other venues, such as acupuncture, pressure points, and herbalism. He'd still learned mainstream medicine but that just wasn't his calling. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the look on Marian's face when he told her he'd taken massage therapy classes especially for her.
Marian had been interested in social work even then and had been taking some basic first aid classes. She'd always been serious and studious while he'd been a party animal. He even remembered having to explain to Marian why his face had been dyed blue after passing out at a frat party...
However, Davin's thoughts were interrupted by something. It was blood... Something was wrong.
He followed the scent upstairs, snuck into the clinic, following his nose to one of the back rooms. He peeked inside to find a woman hacking up blood.
He looked around warily before picking up her profile.
Diana
Internal Bleeding
Blunt Force Trauma
Lacerations
Terminal
DNR
After reading the sheet, he peeked back inside. Judging from the wounds and the report, it seemed like she'd been hit by a car. There was the token Intravenous morphein drip, but little more. It became clear to Davin that they'd brought this woman here to die.
Davin shook his head as he crept inside. He called on the memory of what little he'd picked up from his mentor. He opened his veins and fed the woman some of his vitae. She immediately grabbed for his arm. He let her take what he deemed would be enough to heal her wounds before pulling away.
She almost immediately became conscious. Davin smiled at her. Despite being covered in her own blood, she was pretty. She was a strawberry blonde with green eyes and a fair physique.
"Feeling better?"
The woman stared at him, a bit confused. "What... what did you do?"
Davin offered her a half smile. "It's a new medicine. It should stem the bleeding and let you to heal."
"N-No. I- I kissed... your wrist. What did you do to me?"
Davin laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Rest now, Diana. You need to let the medicine work."
He then gently pushed her back to a laying position and smoothed over her brow. Soon she was sleeping peacefully and Davin headed back down to look at the medical poster and wait on Carl.
It was several minutes before Carl came back around and Davin was lost in his own musings, remembering College, Briana, and Marian. Those had been perhaps the best years of his life...
Carl handed him the papers. "Here you go."
Davin smiled as he took them. "Thanks. Look, you have a nice night. I'll see you later... and remember, not a word about tonight, ok?"
Carl nodded and Davin took his leave. He had some studying to do before dawn...
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