Blood For Blood, Babe
By: Aubrie1234
I gave you blood, blood, gallons of the stuff
I gave you all that you can drink and it has never been enough
I gave you blood, blood, blood
I'm the kind of human wreckage that you love
- Blood, My Chemical Romance
All he had known for most of his life had been hate and fear, hate of him by those that feared him and fear that turning the next corner would be the last thing he would ever do. Yet, over the course of 16 years, he had managed. He had survived, partially because of his own skills and because of the friends he had made. But they didn't know what he was, he knew that if they knew they would also fear and hate him. Sometimes he even hated himself.
But then, after he had turned 17 and gotten a small snack, after saving a man's life, he was given a second chance. He almost hadn't accepted until he saw how the others were so invested in saving the world. And, when he saw what a change he could make, he hoped that it would overpower his secret. And sometimes, he wondered if Gaia herself knew. After all, she was the Spirit of the Earth, she knew everything about everyone. And, if so, why did she have him become a Planeteer? Didn't she know the danger everyone was in while he was around?
He was a monster, even his family knew it, and that was one of the reasons he didn't get along with his father. Besides buying him the alcohol he wanted, his father had always been afraid of him and treated him like trash. He had fought back once, but it hadn't ended well. His mother still loved him, though, and he thought it gave true to the phrase, 'A face only a mother could love.' She was the only other who knew what he really was, and yet she still loved him. He was sometimes afraid that he would hurt her, but he would always go back and see her, because she was the only one that he knew loved him for sure. He didn't even know if Gaia really cared about him sometimes, but he certainly cared about her. She was like his mother all over again, just...without his father in the picture.
Then there was the Captain. Planet certainly gained his puns and his mullet haircut from his personality, but sometimes he didn't feel completely safe. Yes, Planet was there to protect his Planeteers, but then again, his father was supposed to protect him, wasn't he? He'd learned the hard way how much of a lie that could be, so, even though he trusted Planet to an extent, he was still wary. And he swore that Planet felt that sometimes with his Heart Power, even though he didn't want Planet to know. But then there were times that he wished Planet was around to comfort him, like the father he had never had, but he never got that because Planet was the Earth's protector, he wasn't someone you could just call up for anything.
So, he stayed quiet and didn't let anyone know. No one had to know, because he would never let his secret out. No one would hate him or fear him. No one would treat him like trash. But then again, sometimes the unexpected had to happen.
"What's going on this time, Gaia?" Gi asked as the Planeteers gathered together in the Crystal Chamber.
"Nothing good, I'm afraid." Gaia waved a hand over the screen to show a small city, nestled somewhere out in the country, as there was a lot of snowy landscape around with nothing in the way, "This is Volgograd."
"It used to be Stalingrad, once upon a time." Linka added, though sounding a bit submissive, "I know of it well."
"Then you may be of some help to this mission." Gaia said, "There's nothing really polluting happening there, but something strange is going on. I can feel that something's not right, and it's different than what I felt when it was terrorized."
"And you want us to investigate?" asked Kwame.
"Yes, just to make sure that nothing bad is going on." Gaia nodded, "But be careful, Planeteers. I don't want any of you to be caught up in danger, especially if Volgograd gets targeted for bombings again."
"We will be safe, Gaia." Ma-Ti assured her, "Do not worry." The Planeteers then ran off to the Geo-Cruiser.
"It's always a mother's job to worry..." she muttered as she watched them run off, hoping that they would be okay and that this feeling was nothing. But she knew better, that something was going to come out of this adventure, and she wasn't sure if it was going to be good or bad.
Eyes watched from high above, out of the light of the lamp-posts that always lit the streets. It was late at night, even in the winter months, and barely anyone was about. Not a good time for anyone to hunt, but he was desperate. He hadn't had a proper meal in a while and he was starving and thirsty as hell. If he didn't eat soon, he was going to die. That was why he was out to night, to hunt down some prey.
He sniffed the air, hoping to catch a scent, but found nothing. He didn't have to worry about other strong smells, though, since Winter made the air so crisp and clear and there weren't any plants to think of. He jumped from his perch on the lamp-post to the top of the nearest building and began walking, breathing the air and trying to take out the slightest hint of prey to hunt. He didn't catch much on the wind except the hint of an animal, and that was better than nothing. He followed the scent to the backyard of a house and found a dog outside, right in the backyard. Perfect.
A man lived in that house, a middle-aged man, and when he heard barking, he tried to ignore it. He held his pillow over his head and tried to go back to sleep, but the barking wouldn't stop. Throwing the pillow off, he sat up and growled, "Проклятая собака (1)." before going to the window. Just before he reached it, though, the barking stopped. Tempted to go back to bed but curious at what the barking was about, he looked outside. Everything was there...everything except the dog. And he knew that because the rope that tied his dog to its doghouse was snapped and there was no dog to be seen. Frowning, he went out of the house to search for his dog, reasoning that it had gone after an intruder and hadn't gone far. Flicking on a flashlight, he exited the house and looked around. There was no break in the fence, nothing to suggest that his dog had escaped the premises. Then he felt something drip on his shoulder. He touched it and saw a dark liquid shining on his hand. A feeling of fear rising inside him, he looked up and panned the flashlight to follow his sight-line.
And then he screamed.
"We are here." Kwame announced as they landed. The Geo-Cruiser hovered softly to a standstill just outside the limits of the city and the Planeteers clambered out to take a look around.
"I wish we did not have to come here." Linka was nervous, "This is a very infamous place."
"I'm sure it's not that bad, babe." Wheeler told her, only to be smacked on the arm.
"боже мой (2), Wheeler, do you not know what Stalingrad was? Show respect to this place!"
"She's right." Gi nodded, "This was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. The name was changed, but it's still got that feeling."
"I feel it too." Ma-Ti admitted, "I hope we can finish what Gaia needs and leave quickly."
"I just wish we had more to go on." Wheeler said, "She didn't know what we were even supposed to look for."
"Not the first time we have had to look around for clues." Kwame said, "Come." he led the way into the city, though Ma-Ti and Linka were more hesitant to check things out that the others. As they walked into town, a van rushed by, startling them.
"Do you think there could be an emergency?" asked Gi, "It could lead us to whatever Gaia was feeling!"
"It's not like we have any choice. Follow that van!" The Planeteers chased the vehicle as far as they could, where it luckily stopped nearby at a house.
"Контроль животных (3), that stands for 'Animal Control.'" Linka translated the writing on the side of the van.
"Heart." Ma-Ti used his power to investigate if there was a dangerous animal they were dealing with and quickly pulled his hand away, "Oh my, the poor dog..."
"What is it, buddy?" asked Wheeler.
"I did not catch all the details, but it seems they are picking up a dead dog from that house. It was attacked last night." Ma-Ti shook his head, feeling sorry for the dog.
"Did you catch any details about what could have attacked it?" Gi wondered.
"Not really, but there was a mention that the owner saw what happened to the dog. He's at the hospital."
"Maybe he can tell us if we ask him." said Linka, "Allow me to ask around to find where it is."
"And maybe someone around here knows what happened last night." Kwame added, "Can you ask about that as well?"
"Of course." Linka nodded and left the group, going over to some other people who were observing the house.
"I've got a bad feeling about all this." Wheeler crossed his arms, "And it's not from the feel of this place."
"Well, as you said before, we have nothing else to do on." Gi pointed out, "Maybe this mystery is what Gaia was feeling, or it could lead us to something else."
"I have got the address!" Linka announced as she returned quickly, "It is not too far. There is a bus nearby we can take." As the others followed her to the nest destination, Wheeler still felt uneasy. As he had spoken, it wasn't because of the city itself, but he had a feeling. It was foreboding, something he'd never really felt before, and he didn't like it. He only hoped that it didn't lead to something dangerous, but when working with the Planeteers, you never know. He looked to his ring and ran a finger over it, wondering why he felt uneasy, but brushed it off. There was nothing to worry about at the moment, no need to make himself tense.
The Planeteers crossed the city on a bus line and ended up in front of Отделенческая клиническая больница на ст. Волгоград (4), which Linka translated to 'Department of Clinical Hospital at st. Volgograd.' She was sure this was the place and they went in, but it occurred to them that they didn't know who they were looking for.
"Was there a name on the mailbox?" Wheeler questioned, "Ma-Ti, did you catch the guys mentioning the name of the owner?"
"I think I saw it, but I don't know how to pronounce it..." Gi took out a pad of paper and a pen and wrote the letters for Linka to read.
"С-м-и-р-н-о-в, that is Smirnov." Linka frowned, "But it is a common last name, so who should we look for?"
"Probably someone in the Trauma Unit, if the guy got a look at whatever attacked his dog." Wheeler suggested, "I'd be freaked out if I saw something kill my dog right before my eyes."
"Don't say things like that!" Ma-Ti scolded, "But you are right, that might be a good place to check."
"I have an idea." said Kwame, "Perhaps we rushed off too soon from the crime scene. Some of us must go back there and maybe find some clues, something we might have missed."
"I'll go." Gi volunteered.
"I will stay here." Ma-Ti said, "I do not think I am up for that."
"I will stay here as well, to translate for Smirnov once we find him." Linka added.
"I can go either place." Wheeler said, "What about you, Kwame?"
"I will go with Gi. You may stay here with the others if you wish, Wheeler." Before they left, Linka wrote down some phrases to help Gi and Kwame get around on the bus and the three waved goodbye to their friends, wishing them safe travels.
"Any reason to stay, Yankee?"
"Well, I didn't want my babe or little buddy to get scared." That earned Wheeler a small slap to his arm, where he rubbed it in mock hurt, "Look, I know how nervous you two are with the history of this place, but we've got a job to do."
"He is right." Ma-Ti nodded, "I hope that Kwame and Gi find something so that we can finish this and leave."
"I suppose. Allow me to ask for anyone that has come in recently."
"I wish we did not have to rely on Linka so much." Ma-Ti spoke once their European friend was gone.
"It's not like any of us can speak Russian." Wheeler pointed out, "But it's alright, she'd tell us if it was bothering her, right?"
"I guess..."
"Here it is." Gi recognized the house exterior easily, and the van was not out front anymore, "Do you really think we missed something?"
"We didn't get a look at where the attack happened." reasoned Kwame, "Perhaps we will find something too give us a lead there."
"Maybe." they walked up the path to the front of the house, "Since the owner isn't here, do you think we should scale the fence or see if the door is open?"
"Let us try here first." Kwame turned the doorknob and found it locked, where the two then went around to the tall, white wooden fence. There was no gate and, before they went over, they looked around, able to see just above the top of the fence, and saw the broken leash tied to the doghouse.
"There!" Gi pointed to the house, "Does that door look broken to you?"
"Only one way to find out." Kwame pointed his ring at the ground, "Earth!" A small hill formed underneath them, pushing them up slightly so they wouldn't have too much trouble scaling the fence. Once they were over, they quietly ran across the yard, hoping no one would see them.
"This is definitely severed." she help up the leash, "It's too clean of a cut to be broken. Do you think whatever attacked the dog did this first?"
"Maybe, but why?" Kwame checked the back door as he answered, "Someone was certainly trying to break in, so perhaps this was a simple robbery gone wrong?"
"I can understand needing to deal with the dog if that was the case, but they why not leave it tied up so it couldn't get to you?" Gi frowned, "Unless you take pleasure in hunting down innocent animals just for the fun of it."
"As bad as it sounds, that is a fair reason." Kwame didn't like the option, just like Gi, but he knew it was possible, "But this door, it's solid wood. Locks can be broken, certainly, but what kind of person would be able to make it bend and break like this?" He gestured at the door, which was slightly bent in places, as if someone had tried to chop their way in, but without an axe. The wood was broken and uneven and in places it was possible to see inside the home.
"My question is, why try to break down such a hard door instead of a window?" Gi added, "It's like the guy didn't know how to break into houses."
"Then maybe he wasn't, not at first. Ma-Ti said that the owner saw what happened to the dog. Maybe someone tried to steal the dog but were caught in the act and tried to attack the owner afterwards."
"And leave the dog for dead?" Gi shook her head, "None of this is making sense, but we've dealt with worse. And what's that by your foot?" She pointed to a discoloration in the porch stone, just before it met the grass. It was in the sunlight, just out of reach of the shade, and it seemed to be more of an earthy color than the grayish stone.
"I believe," Kwame said as he knelt to examine the stone, "this may have been where the dog was killed."
"So little blood?"
"This is very strange."
"Hm..." Gi, taking note of where the dried blood was, looked up to the roof and saw a discoloration on the drain pipes, "Maybe it wasn't killed here, on the ground." Kwame followed her gaze.
"On the roof?"
"I don't think that's rust I see up there, and maybe we'll get some answers." Going to the back door, Gi blasted it open from the inside, as she had taken note of which side the hinges were on. The water spray for a nearby sink easily forced the door open and they went inside, climbing the stairs to reach the attic. From there, they exited through a window to reach the top of the house, careful where they stepped as they looked around.
"Here it is." Gi examined the drain pipe she had seen before. From below, there had been dried blood on it, from the side to the underside, but from above, there was nothing in the pipe itself.
"It seems the blood may have either been applied to the pipe by hand, or dripped down from something just above the side of the pipe." Kwame pointed out. Gi nodded in agreement.
"But except for this, I didn't see anything else. Did you?"
"No, not at all. Perhaps the others have learned something."
"Let's go see them, this place is starting to give me the creeps." The Planeteers made their way down and out of the house, hoping to catch the next bus back to the hospital.
They had managed to find the Smirnov from the night before and he looked terrified. He was pale and there was a slight stutter to his voice whenever he answered a question. Whatever had spooked the man had certainly spooked him good.
"Ты говоришь по-английски?" (Do you speak English?) Linka asked, hoping he would know some so that her friends would be able to understand. It was tiring being a translator sometimes. Much to her relief, he gave a small nod.
"Little." he said.
"What happened last night?" The man closed his eyes.
"Dark, dog bark...I check, dog stop, no dog. Go out, no dog." the man suddenly gave a shiver, "Blood on shoulder, look up, вампир." All of the Planeteers blinked, as that word didn't need a translation when you heard the pronunciation.
"A вампир? A vampire?" asked Linka. The man nodded quickly, "Is that all?"
"No." The man, who had a trauma blanket over his shoulders, pulled it away to show his arm, where a bandage had been applied, "вампир attack."
"And you escape?"
"Yes."
"Thank you for your time." Linka gave a nod and she left to join her friends, where they all went out to the hall.
"A vampire?" Ma-Ti said, "That is crazy, they do not exist."
"I would not say that so quickly." Linka cautioned, "We have faced aliens more than once. Though we fought a fake spirit, that doesn't mean vampires cannot be real." she looked to Wheeler, "Though I am not quite sure what to think. Yankee, what are your thoughts?"
"I think we should leave." Wheeler said. They were astonished at this turn of events, as they both had thought that he would be the least willing to believe in vampires.
"Are you scared?"
"No, but if a guy's talking crazy, it might be best to get out of town."
"We have dealt with worse-" Linka tried to point out.
"I know but..." Wheeler gave a sigh, "I don't like this." They could see the nervousness in his movements as he shifted from foot to foot, which was strange for the bravest Planeteer.
"Maybe Gi and Kwame found something and will clear this up." Ma-Ti suggested.
"Maybe, maybe not." Wheeler said, "And if we're dealing with a vampire, then we'll need to wait for night for it to come out and make a move. You know how they hate sunlight."
"True..." Wheeler tuned out the rest of the conversation as he began to think about what was happening, what they knew so far, and he didn't like it. As much as the others thought they could deal with it, he knew they couldn't. Only he could, and he had to make a quick stop at the Geo-Cruiser before he put his plan into action.
Another night, another hunt. Last night's haul hadn't filled him up as much as he liked and he was still hungry. It got worse as he waited for night to come again, his stomach giving a strong growl for emphasis. Food was nice, but it wasn't what he needed, because he wasn't human.
Suddenly, he could smell it, the scent of blood, and it was driving him wild. Without another thought, he began following the scent across the city, and briefly he wondered if he was being led somewhere, but put it off when he found the source: Inside of an abandoned apartment were several thermoses and one of the lids was off, smelling of blood. Whether it was fresh or stale, he didn't care as long as he got the drink. He barged into the room without another thought and guzzled down the blood, giving a small moan of satisfaction, then quickly went onto the next one. He had gone through three before he finally noticed the other presence in the room. Quickly he stilled and gripped one of the empty thermoses, hoping to bash it over whoever was in his territory. He had no chance, however, as he was held from behind, a hand on his head while another held his arms back.
"I could snap your neck and tear off your head and your immortality wouldn't help you." growled a voice from behind, "I don't wanna do that, but you might not give me a choice." A strange smell was also in the air, the smell of blood, but not quite, more of a musk, and suddenly he knew what he was up against.
"You...You're just like me!" he said in shock, "You're a blood-drinking monster like me."
"That's not true." The person let him go and stepped into his vision, "I knew what you were going through and I just stopped you from going on another rampage."
"But what's the point?" asked the first man, pessimistic at his fate, "I'm just going to get hungry again and tear things apart."
"Not if you keep up your intake." The second man handed him one of the remaining full thermoses, "I always keep these near to curb my hunger so that I don't hurt anyone."
"Thank you." the first man drank some blood before continuing, "What's your name? I'm Dmitri." The second man grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. The showing of teeth was not something that settled Dmitri, as it brought up instincts that told him the other man was dangerous.
"Just call me James." James took a swing from a thermos, "Now, why didn't you try getting some blood from the blood bank in town?"
"You don't think I haven't tried?"
"Have you tried stealing it?"
"Of course."
"Hm..." James tapped his chin with one of his sharp, claw-like nails, "I can arrange for you to get a certain take of blood every week and that should fix things."
"How?"
"I have...influence. And if you want to get around faster and not make too much noise," James pointed at Dmitri's shoes, "take those off. Socks too. The claws help you get a better grip on things and vampires are silent anyways."
"So that's why your feet are bare." The pale skin of James' feet seemed to glow in the soft moonlight, "How do you know all of this? How long have you been a vampire?"
"Over 20 years, since I was born. Not as long as other people, but I've learned how to adjust things. You can never fully control yourself, no matter how hard you try, but you can adjust to make things easier."
"Well, thank you, but we're still monsters."
"No we aren't." James shook his head, "At first I thought the same, but then I realized that's not true. Vampires, we're not monsters if we adjust, like I was telling you. We can do things other people can't do and we can use that to help others, even if we can't let them know."
"How are you so sure?" Dmitri crossed his arms.
"I know because I've done it before. I have friends, but I don't let them know and I help in my own way."
"And what happens when they do find out?" James paused.
"...Then I can only hope that they understand." Dmitri frowned but didn't try to poke any more holes into James' reasoning.
"If you say I can be a hero, then I'll try." Dmitri nodded, "But I feel horrible for what I've done to all the people I've attacked."
"Don't forget the dog you killed last night-" James earned a glare for that, "-but anyway, yeah, you can be a hero if you try and don't let your hunger get to you."
"Thank you for doing this, James."
"No problem. I just need your address so I can have the blood bank send you the blood. Oh, and before I forget," James gave him a stern look, "beware of hunters. They can be anyone and they will try to kill you. In fact, I could have been a hunter and you wouldn't have known it until it was too late. They would have set up a trap like this." He gestured to the empty thermoses as he began to pick them up.
"Thank you for warning me. I'll keep that in mind."
"Then I guess I'll be seeing you." When Dmitri tried to give him back one of the thermoses, James waved him off, "You keep that one, just in case you need to take some blood with you somewhere."
"What about you?"
"I have more where these came from, giving one away won't affect a thing." Dmitri watched as James climbed out the window and was gone, wondering how he was so lucky to meet a vampire like James.
"Where have you been?" Linka asked when Wheeler returned to the Geo-Cruiser, "The others are already out and searching!"
"Had something to do, took longer than I thought." Wheeler gave her a smile, "Were you worried, babe?"
"нет (5), I was only wondering where you were so we could get going!" The redhead shrugged.
"Like I said, I had something to do." he gently took her arm, "C'mon, we've got stuff to do."
Notes:
Russian:
1. Проклятая собака (pronounced 'Proklyataya sobaka') = Damn/Cursed dog
2. боже мой (Bozhe moy) = Oh my god
3. Контроль животных (Kontrol' zhivotnykh) = Animal Control/Control of animals
4. Отделенческая клиническая больница на ст. Волгоград (Otdelencheskaya klinicheskaya bol'nitsa na st. Volgograd) = Department of Clinical Hospital at st. Volgograd
5. нет (nyet/net) = no
All of these were made using Google Translate, but I will fix something if I get it wrong and you guys tell me.
I should be working on other things, but this idea wouldn't leave me alone. I'm also not going to cover up the cursing in this one, unlike some of my other stories. I hope you guys like it, please read & review.
EDIT: An update for spelling mistakes and such, as well as adding in the verse at the top.