Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Thriller

Next few years he was hiding, living in abandoned houses and drinking blood for surviving, not for pleasure. With years Alex was used to act like a predator, winner. Not that he wasn’t hunted before, death was following him, but he enjoyed the feeling of having others in his hands, manipulate them, and play with them. He was spent hundreds of hours in trashy pubs, and also in refined bars, spotting beautiful women and attracting them with his dark charm every time. They just couldn’t resist.
Now he has to run and sleep at the attics of old houses, going outside nly when the night was awakened and drink from the first suitable, not the ones he wanted. He didn’t knew the seventy years of seventeen century would be so hard on Balkans. 
Half a century after that things turned easier, he succeed getting one of the ferryboats and left cold lands, going to America. It was 1905, economy was in its pick, Alex settled in small town at South America and lived for a while under cover of a musician, and he even found himself a girl, her name was Sophia. 
But when she started getting old and his face was still without even a wrinkle, he got his stuff and without a notice turned back on old road: binges, alcohol, different women every night, murders, one after another, which of which more bloody.
“Did you saw him?”
“Your left, left! Come down!”
“Can you hear him?”
“Hushh!”
It was a local party, ball of some big men, present times. Alex’s luck wasn’t failed him for months so he decided to mock of the vainglorious sociality, coming at one of the biggest balls that time in New Jersey. But when he was about to drink from the glass, silver burned his fingers and left bloody trails. That time hunters who came inside noticed him immediately and ran after him.

Alex pressed his back on the wall of cut stone and saved his breath. He was convinced they could hear even the sound of his blinking eyes, those were trained perfect, he never met such before.
“Stay down, Jose, he is here somewhere…”
In that moment Alex stand and the cold steel of hunting gun met his head breaking him on the floor. He growled and turned instantly on his back, but one arrow with silver tip was enough to throw him into unimaginable pain. They put a bag on his head and everything turn in darkness.

“Wake up, freak!”
Strong male hand removed the fabric from his head and Alex blinked.
He was in a basement, probably the same building; he recognized the stone of which walls were built. At right was small window with a grid; in front of the door has a narrow stairs. Ground was dirty, as they used the place for animals before. 
Man before him was strong, short haired and had a scar on her lower lip, beard and raw face. Two more behind him.
“Oh, look who just awake, this is not the best day for our little prince, is it?”
Alex turned his eyes, they were so disgusting to watch.
His arms were locked tight into a metal chains around the wrists. He could break them, but the silver arrow was still stabbed in his chest, he couldn’t beat down all of them, not like that. He had to wait before they get out.
“Tell us, bloodsucker” man with the scar came closer bringing a knife, stubbing it under his chin making him meet his eyes. “Don’t you feel bad coming here without an invitation?”
He stubbed him, the wound bleed and healed almost immediately.
“I was invited” he said. “By your mother.”
With that he won a painful hit in the jaw, but the rage of the mortal caused his smile. Those fools were mistaken if they thought they could stand against him without dying in pain. He was almost three hundred and eighty, he saw enough.
“Now, ugly, I want you to tell me what are you doing here and who you are with.”
“Have you ever looked at the mirror?” said Alex and used his hands to lift himself and stand up. He was training hi patience, but it wasn’t left much before he breaks the chains, turn them around that pig’s neck and break it. 
“This one is a stubborn” said one of the men behind him. His hair was blond and dirty, his body weak, his face asymmetrical, probably because of the many scars on it. “Let’s show him.”
“O, I’ll show him.”
At the next moment everything Alex knew started dying in scorching pain. He felt the silver knife stubbed in his stomach, metal was opening bigger and bigger hole melting his flesh. He fell on the ground but he was unable to escape from the chains. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t think and see, he wanted only the torture to stop. 
“You will kill him.”
“Who cares, I will kill him one way or another.”
“We need to know who is he working with.”
Alex could feel the tension was weakened and the blade moved out of his body. He left hanging on the chains, blood was rushing out of his wound. His eyes were watching at undefined direction. Then the pain repeated, the huge man stabbed him lifting him in the air.
“I will stab you as a chicken on grill and you will stay like that until you start talking!”
Then he threw him on the floor. Minute, even two needed for him to stop shaking and barely lift his head from the ground. His wounds didn’t heal so quickly after the attack of the silver, blood was dropping on the floor from his mouth.
“Now” the man stand in front of him. “Speak.”
“I’m alone.”
Talking, even breathing caused him pain.
“You killed seventy nine people alone? Don’t you lie at me, motherfucker, I know your kind!”
“You should be my eighty.”
It took an effort to stand and look the man in the eye. If he learned something for all those years living in solitary, it was never fell on his knees, no matter who was there. If they was about to kill him, he wouldn’t die crawling in their feet like a helpless child. 
“You lie.”
“I am not.”
“Enough!”
A punch came and he fell back down, writhing in pain.
“I will make you tell me everything, sucker.”
Silver blade shined above his head.
“I didn’t lie…”
He could feel how the knife stabbed his back and turned in it, listening to their laughter above him, they were enjoying the torture. It made him think how he, damned one was giving a chance to his victims, and people, the chosen one, god’s nation carved his flesh like he was a lamb on a sacrifice.
“I’m alone…”
“You lie!”
Man kicked him, removing the knife from his back and step back from him.
“Chains.”
Alex thought they were about to kill him already, and he would not oppose them. He would chose anything before the silver, but instead of that pain returned in its full power when they removed the sleeves of his shirt and chains got stuck into his wrists, which started to fizz like a water on hot oven. Chains were made of silver.
“Please…!”
He turned in despair to them.
“Stay here for a while, and think about if you were alone.”
“No, don’t leave me like that!”
Metal burned his skin and the meat showed under it, which was keep hissing like left in hot oil. One of them only tightened the chains so he could not reach his hands one with the other. Then turned his back to him moving closer to the door.
“Please, this is the truth!”
“Ask your god, if you believe in him” almost spit the big one. “I can’t help you.”
His wrists were already burned to the bone. He thought everything would soon be over, his arms would break, and he was praying that will happen soon. But his flesh has the ability to regenerate, it was growing again and he could not stop the process. 
At the end he probably was lost consciousness. When he wake up he forced himself to stand, the entire floor was in blood. He was trying to shut down his brain for the pain, pulled the chains from the stone and then broke them hitting them the wall. 
He was walking up on the spiral stairs using the wall as a support, holding his hands wrapped in the ripped parts of his black shirt, his blood was staining the white wall. He could barely feel his pulse, his mouth was dry, his vision was turned red, fangs hurting his lower lip, he pushed the wooden door and found himself in the middle of the wide antechamber of the same building. Now it was empty, ball was over, old furniture – cleaned and covered with white cloth. Somewhere in the other part of the hall he could hear human heart beating, his senses came high. 
He went that way without even trying to hide himself. Behind the corner he met old woman in clean white costume, he swung and left deep cuts on her neck, he was too weak to fight her right now. Alex took her body while she was falling and buried his face into the cuts. He hardly forced himself to stop before she dies in his arms, he turned back and left the building.

Alex was running on the lonely road, the blood of that woman wasn’t enough to heal the wounds, cut in him with days. He was stumbling over, he felt dizzy, and at the moment sun appeared behind the trees reaching his skin, it caused the same effect like the silver. At the end he just fell on the asphalt and could not move anymore.
That was it, he told himself, trying to breathe, but there was only dry roaring sound that came from his throat. He thought that after all it was a record, he lived through a few ages, survived not once. He didn’t die on the battle field as he wanted, but he would die from the hand of a hunter. That thought troubled him, but it was better death than killing each other with his fellows, or kill himself. 
But as he realized, hi didn’t want to die, but he was tired, tired from everything. He left there, lying in the ground on the hot road, he couldn’t move anymore. It was too late when he heard the steps coming to him. He was too close to the building, they may were came after him.
 “Hey!”
Someone came and put his hand on his shoulder to turn him.
“Man, are you alright?”
With his last strength he rose on his bleeding arms and cried like an animal against the man in front of him. His eyes were red as blood coming from his wounds. 
They weren’t the hunters; it was weak boy, seventeen or eighteen years old, rectangular glasses reflected on his nose, his tar black hair was fine brushed. 
“Dear mother of God!” boy whispered and took a step back.
“Wait…”
Alex almost fell back, supporting on his bleeding hands reaching at him. They were looking at each other; boy took another step away from him.
“I would never believe… My God!”
“Please, wait” Alex tried to reach him but other man reached hands onfront of himself. 
“Don’t even come near me! I have a cross! And silver!”
“You don’t” said Alex and saw how green as the tree crowns above them eyes opened wide. “This is from silver” he showed the boy his wrists, who shivered.
“Who and why?” he asked.
“Hunters” said Alex and a spasm came along his chest.
“Hunters? Like… vampire hunters? They know about you?”
Alex nodded and tried to stand, which made the boy step aside. Anyway, he succeeds only to move a few centimeters and fell back on the hot road.
“Stay away from me, I don’t want troubles.”
“Boy, you are already in trouble.”
He had no idea how he convinced the boy to hide him for the night, they were traveling with his car to somewhere, and Alex was thanking to all gods he was under the shadow of the roof, far from the hunters and everything containing silver.
“I am crazy. Must be crazy!” boy was driving and repeating that to himself. 
“I’m Alex” he said.
For a moment Alex met furious green eyes at the mirror, before he said: 
“I am Mike.”
“I won’t hurt you.” He said, watching how he was holding wooden cross whlie driving.”
“Now? Or tomorrow?”
They reached big white house, too big for a single person and too expensive for a immature boy to live alone in it.
“My parents’ house” he explained. “They are rich, have a few more like this. Now listen to me!” he stands before him and however afraid he was, he looked at him angry, almost with parental reproach. “You stay till the sunset. Then I don’t want to see you around, in my city or in my country. Understood?”
“Easy, man!” mocked at him Alex.
“I am serious!” boy pointed at him. “And don’t you think I will invite you. I know you need my invitation to enter. 
 “Who told you that?” with a cynical smile asked vampire, laying himself on the car. 

He was standing outside under the shadow of the spruce trees; the whole forest of them was surrounding the house. He could hear how Michael was talking to someone, he could feel the beating of the hearts even from here, he wasn’t alone.
“Are you crazy, you idiot? This is more than anything we ever did! How could you bring him in here!?”
“Would you SHUT UP?He was lying on the road all in blood, I could see his bare muscle throw the wound on his arms. He asked me for help!”
“He is probably under some spell, he don’t know what he is talking.”
“Help?! Of that monster?! You will help him if you offer him your neck!”
“I told him to leave by the night.”
“And he would listen to you? When he have fresh meat for free?! You are an idiot, Mike, and your idiotism will kill us all! He is not just a homeless dog that will leave if you don’t feed him… My god, what am I involved into? I just wanted to have a band and find a girl!”
Alex didn’t want to listen them anymore; he used one of the trees to jump on the balcony and from there on the roof. He could see the entire city at the lowlands, it was fascinating. But that unbearable thirst was burning his throat and he could not attack the boys, not yet. He needed a few hours or they could easy take him down for his injuries.
Night slowly was caressing the top of the century-old trees, Alex raised without a will and reached the ground, then left yard of the mansion and found the road. He felt some peace at this pace, but he could not stay, they were too many.
That night vampire killed three people, and when he felt he reached his power almost on its top he saw the huge trunk of the big one. He rushed behind the corner observing. Three of them were leaving the local bar laughing. 
“We will catch him at the morning.”

It was already late afternoon when the yard door made of metal ornaments painted in black opened. On the alley from white stone was dropping blood, Alex was barely walking, pressing his abdomen with hand, from the other on the ground was dropping his own blood. 
He hardly reached the front door painted in white and knocked. Nobody answered. He leaned on the door case and knocked again with what power left in him. He could hear the voices from within.
“He found us… We have to get out of here…”
“Door could not stop him; I have read about them...”
“Mike, what are you doing, don’t you dare!”
“You won’t open to him!”
“Maybe he needs help.””
“We will need help if you let that monster inside!”
“He is lost his mind. He is crazy!”
“Get out of my way or your band will stay without its producerand recording studio!”
“Forget about the band, here we are talking about our life!”
“I can’t play if I am dead!”
“Out of my way!”
Door opened and Michael appeared on the threshold, behind him were standing tree more kids, weak like him and terrified.
He wanted to shake them; they weren’t see what he saw yesterday. He went to the door but when he opened his eyes open wide from what he saw. It was him, the vampire; he barely could stand on his feet, holding for the case, his eyes raised to find him.
They weren’t red anymore, they were pale grey framed by dark shadows, his eyes went deep in his skull, his skin was grey.
“Help me” he said, but voice didn’t came out from his mouth, only sound of a breathing. Creepy, dying sound.
“Oh my god!”one of the boys, tall and blond haired draw a cross in front of himself taking a step back. “I couldn’t believe…!”
Alex would not ask the mortal for help, but the fact he was crawled to his door was enough. He felt pain where they were stabbed him, his hand slipped and left red prints on the white door case. 
He couldn’t recognize the face of the boy anymore, he fell on the ground hoping he would not kill him. Hi didn’t kill him yesterday. Or at least if he was about to kill him, he would ask to do it fast.
“Mike, don’t!”
“This is a trick, he will kill us all! Don’t let him in!”
“He is hurt.” Told them black haired.
“Let’s get out of here, since we still can.”
“Shut up!” Michael shouted to make them silence. “You will assist me or god help me!”
Alex awakened in a basement alike the one he was escaped from, but he wasn’t chained. He stand, the wound in his abdomen was still open, he reached the heavy oak door and listened.
“…I’m not in this anymore…”
“You are out of your mind, Mike, just so you know!”
“I haven’t asked for your opinion.”
“Kid!”
The noise faded.
“Kid, I know you hear me, open the door!”
Subtle steps moved closer on the other side of the door. Alex pressed his hand to his abdomen and started again.
“I told you I’m not going to hurt you. Open the damn door.”
Door slowly opened before him, he saw Michael and his friends, the tall one was holding a gun against him.
“Are you insane?”
“Where did you take this from?” Michael turned to him. “This is not a toy!”
“Dracula isn’t too. Tell him to leave!”
“Let’s all calm down.” said the stronger among them. 
Alex felt uncontrollable hunger, he needed blood to recover and it was pulsing so tempting in the veins of ever one of them.
“I told you what I think, I will not… Mike, watch out!”
Vampire went forward and without a warning got his teeth on boy’s neck, cached his shoulder in unbreakable lock digging with his nails.
“Stay back, vermin!”
A shot came and Alex took a step back, Michael stagger and fell on the floor, other boys immediately pulled him out helping him stand up.
They were staying face to face with Alex at the dark corridor, blood was dropping from his mouth, he was smiling. 
“Lead? Seriously, boy?”
He took a step toward them, the heavy door of dark wood slammed in front of his face, he broke it without an effort entering large room, all the windows hidden by dark curtains, furniture – expensive and new.
Alex was walking towards them when Mike stands on his way.
“You promised me” he said, pressing his hand to the bleeding holes on his neck. “You promised me that if I let you in, you would not hurt us!”
“Is that what you are counting on?” asked one of the boys. “Chaz, shoot him, what are you waiting for!”
“You promised me!”he shouted and stagger again, lean on the back of the dark blue leather sofa. For a moment their eyes met, and Alex felt how against his will his fangs are coming back into his palate. He stopped looking at him. 
“If you attack me or some of my friends again, I will kill you!”
Michael sit on the sofa again, blood started come out between his fingers.
“I will bring you blood, now get out of here.”
“Mike…” one of the boys tried to argue.
“I said out!”
Alex spent the next hours at the basement, turning what happened again and again in his head. He could kill four of them; it wasn’t a problem, no matter the kid saved him. It never was a problem before. But this boy… There was something in him, some strength, Alex was noticed it first time too. Strength to stand against him, wounded and weak, and still strong enough to oppose him. Alex wasn’t watching as a prey on him anymore, but as an equal.