Chapter 3: Chapter 02 – Terror

A man was taking a dump under a pine tree.

The night was young. A campfire crackled in the distance, breaking the unusual eerie silence of the forest.

 

I'm observing, waiting for my opportunity to come.

The trail I followed turned out that of a group of humans. Bandits, to be more precise.

Three men with two young women, the latter tied up and dragged along.

 

I have been shadowing them for an hour now. They were slowly moving in a certain direction.

One of the three bandits was bulkiest and looked most dangerous. He had two ropes in his hands, tied at their ends to the necks of the two women as he dragged them like cattle.

 

The girls' hands were tied behind their backs and were led by the neck in these woods. I felt... indifferent at such a scene.

Surprisingly, however, I could understand the language. I did not ponder it for long as my intensifying hunger forced me to stare at them. At one girl in particular.

 

I realized my abnormality. Aware of what I am about to commit yet again feeling nothing wrong with it.

 

—Sympathy was but a thought. Apathy is my sole feeling.

 

Anyways, it got dark and they set up camp. It was here when my chance came: After they tied the girls to a tree, a man went to take a dump.

A stupid move, yes. But I picked up they were four. One died when capturing this 'party' of three. Rather two now, the sole male of said party dead as well.

 

I followed the man as he went a dozen meters away, in the wind's direction to mask the smell he was about to make.

—Good.

 

I climbed the tree he was relieving himself on, from the back. I was sitting now on a branch a few meters upwards. Looking down at the man.

 

His heartbeat is steady. His breathing relaxed. His guard is down and I knew this is my chance. My humane side turned silent as hunger compelled me to act.

My mind wasn't clear. I knew that. This hunger was not only telling me to act. It was half controlling my body.

 

I want to think more about this. About my sudden apathy. I regulated my silent breathing as shadow magic masked my presence.

 

"Shit,"

The man cut his finger with a broken branch. I smelled blood and the beast woke up again. I let go, dropping from the branch.

The world turns a shade of grey through dark vision. A single ruby shines in the night, on the man's finger. My mind is blank. My instincts are at work.

 

—Thud.

A body fell to the ground. Headless.

 

A clawed black monster stood on top of the now-corpse. It drank the blood that gushed out —

— I drank the blood. Horrible and disgusting, my 6th sense telling me because it's a male's blood. But I had to calm my hunger. I lick my claws and my nostrils pick that sweet aroma again.

 

The beast crawls and moves, silent but deadly as it climbs a tree and moves from branch to branch.

 

The little blood I tasted was akin to throwing a piece of dry stick into the fire. It did not keep it going but made it burst.

 

A flame lit up in the darkness of my mind. The sole point of my focus: To feed.

 

My 6th sense refraining from whispering what to do next. It made me act.

 

I'm standing on another branch, body fully covered in darkness. I look down at the 4 humans below. The most dangerous of beasts are those that act carefully. Those that think.

 

"Bro's taking a long time. I'll go check him."

"Whatever,"

 

The youngest of the armed lambs spoke. Brother of the one I killed. He started walking away from the fire and I knew what to do.

 

I throw a pebble of shadows into a bush behind both men.

The bulkiest unsheathed his sword and spun around. Carefully observing the bush. His heartbeat, slightly irregular.

 

"Ahh!"

 

The youngest screamed like a spooked cat. He sprang back and also took his sword out. His breathing irregular and heart picking up speed.

My target became as clear as my supernatural vision.

 

"What're ya so afraid of? - damn coward, tch."

 

The one nearest to the bush grumbled, poking it with his sword and squatting down to check it. Another scream ensued, one much horrified.

He looked back and his eyes went wide. Black smoke was covering the other's face.

I dropped a shadow orb, a smoke bomb really, on the man below me and I jumped to the other tree.

 

The tree next to the squatting one rustles and he looks up. His face goes pale as he quickly tries to swing his sword upwards.

I make a stun projectile and shoot it at his hand, the sword drops on the floor due to his nervous system reacting by itself.

 

"Help!" was his last word.

I fell a couple of meters and I plant both feet on his back, forcing him face first to the ground as he screams. But before he can flail or retaliate, I sank my claws into the back of his neck.

 

A head rolls. The women screamed in fear and the youngest dissipated the smoke with his hand — After having swung his sword randomly around.

 

"Eeep!" He screams like a little girl, unlike the bandit that he is.

 

More blood gush into my mouth. It tastes bad and my being hungers. I quickly rush towards the last man standing.

 

"Sta-stay back!"

 

A horizontal slash comes at me. My instincts made it seem as if time slowed down. My body crouches on its own as I shot my right hand at his chest.

 

"Kukhk!...ugh... bro... ther..."

 

A body falls on its back. Dirt going up in the air.

I hold his heart in my hand. Clawed out of his chest.

 

No bandits left alive, I sink my canines which elongated much like my claws on their own into the heart. Blood gushed down my throat on both the inside and outside.

I gulp a few times before throwing it next to the corpse. Men's blood tastes bad but this amount quenched a little of my thirst.

 

The women were coughing as their throats went dry from screaming. I ignored the horrible smell between their legs, the dirt muddy.

 

I focus on the source of the sweet aroma. The rather petite girl, looked younger, in her 20s. She couldn't take her eyes from me. Horrified.

 

"Sta-stay away, Mo, monster!" She screamed as I approached.

 

It was her. The trail I followed. The source of this ever-so-sweet scent that is leading me by the nose. I knew as I looked at her neck, that my hunger would only calm after I drink her blood.

 

"I,hic! I don't want to die..." She started crying again.

 

My mind snapped. Body frozen and I took a step back. My nails retracted, canines back into place.

I could fully realize now I had canines. I became half aware through my barely rational mind that I was some sort of vampire.

 

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The awful bandit blood was the straw that broke the camel's back. My hunger calmed down just a tad bit. Just enough for me to retain some rational thought.

 

"I.. I saved you from the bandits." I lied. To myself.

 

As more rationality returned to me, my mind converged closer to breaking down. I felt nothing about killing these people and that was the main reason I was in turmoil. The beast of today versus the man of yesterday.

 

I am no longer human. I started to realize this more and more. My eyes, seeing the girl, were shifting from that of a human seeing someone in need of help, to that of a wolf seeing prey.

I was aware I should feel bad for her, yet... I felt naught. At least her cry to stay alive brought a piece of my sanity back.

 

—I want to stay human.

 

"Don't kill me, please..." She pleaded, her body shaking from fear. Tears and snob fell down her messy face.

 

I started approaching her again. I thought I should free her. Free both of them. My mind was going back towards its humanity but as I moved closer that damn scent was getting more intense. The beast was growling back in hunger.

 

"I will free you," The human in me spoke, "But you'll answer my questions first." The beast added.

 

Her expression lightened a little, some desperate hope in her eyes.

 

The other woman was rubbing her hands against the trunk. I didn't bother with her for now. She smelled sweet but the main course comes first.

 

—No! I'll free them! I screamed at my conflicting thoughts.

 

"Why do you say I'm a monster?"

 

It bothered me. I am not a monster. No! I'm human!

 

"Da-dhampirs, hic! are half vampires. Mo-monsters that kill people for blood." She sobbed.

 

So I'm indeed some vampire, a half one.

I kneel in front of her, the other looked hurried.

 

"How did you recognize that?" I needed to know.

 

Both human and monster agreed that it would be bad if I was easily recognizable as a dhampir. Apparently, we are branded as monsters... I did not want to live in the wild like an animal.

 

"Hic!" she choked, "Cla-claws, lo-long canines and and.." Her breathing was rough.

 

I heard two beats, both alarming fast.

"And?" I held her chin, My rationality slowly fading.

 

"No-normal eyes turning red." She said, her eyes closed.

The other woman freed herself and ran towards the youngest's corpse to her right. A sword was near it.

 

"Hiss!" I hissed again. Crouching, my nails extending. I did it on instinct, like an animal in danger.

 

She picked up the sword and pointed it toward me. Her hands were shaking and I relaxed. I knew she was terrified and wouldn't do anything.

 

"I-I'm sorry, Zhonya-" She dropped the weapon and ran into the dark woods.

 

I let her be. I did not want to kill more people. I knew killing was wrong, yet I did not feel it.

I learned the girl's name though. Zhonya was terrified. She bit her lip—

— Blood leaked out.

 

"N-no- ukhk.. but you, said..."

She could not continue her pleas.

 

My canines sank into her neck as soon as I smelled the blood. The sweet scent became so thick in the air that my mind blanked.

Her flesh was soft and she started shaking as that sweet nectar was sucked out of her and into my throat. This is what I wanted to feed on.

 

It tasted totally different from the men's blood. My entire being focused solely on feeding.

Her body shivered and shook, her head ramming into my shoulder before going stiff then still.

 

The woman died. I killed Zhonya,

 

"..." 

 

Crickets were heard as the forest turned peaceful again. Wolves howled in the distance.

 

I stood and looked around, my hunger satiated at long last.

 

My head started hurting after a minute and I fell to my knees as I reverted to my normal appearance,

I fall on my knees and... puke.

 

"Ughh... ough, cough... ough... haha!...hahaha..."

 

A burst of crazed laughter echoed. My rationality back but my sanity gone.

 

I just killed 4 humans. Murdered them and drank their blood.

I felt disgusted at myself not because of what I have just done. But because I, yet again, felt nothing towards the actions I have committed. My 6th sense whispered it is but normal and I puked some more.

 

I tried standing and fell sideways, rolling before landing on my back. Tears rolled as I cried my heart out.

 

"Why do I feel nothing, nothing at all? Why... WHY?!"

 

I slam both hands on the ground, dirt rise and falls back on my now naked body as the shadows dissipated due to my turbulent state.

 

I killed people. I felt nothing... I feel nothing.

 

I lied to the poor girl and yet the only thing I have towards her is indifference. Like a wolf would feel towards a rabbit. Nothing more than the latter being food.

 

But I'm a human dammit! I'm not a monster.

I realize the price for using my abilities. A deep hunger, Irrationality taking control over my mind and body. And irreversible consequences.

 

I try to shift my mind. Think of positives as I choke from over crying. At least I can blend in with society if I hide my vampire traits. I can live normally.

 

Yes, at least one woman escaped too.

I use this thought as the thin line keeping me sane as I lay on the dirt, screaming at the tranquil night sky—

— Until the beast whispers. Only a dead witness is a good witness.

 

The line snaps. My mind breaks down and I pass out.

The last thought in my head was but a single word.

A single world describing all this...

 

... Terror.

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