Awakening! Familiar Surroundings!
North America was known as the Incredible Melting Pot; a mixture of cultures and races squeezed on one continent that just about anyone would find themselves dizzy upon first sight. Although, most people blamed the Revolution to the Civil War on starting the blend. Not that I have any complaints on it. But I'm willing to bet the country didn't expect a real half-vampire to wash up on one of New York's beaches to become a part of that blend. Stories of the supernatural always remained… well, supernatural. As in; it doesn't exist! Until I came in, that is.
My name is C. This is my story of how I thought that I had died, only to survive and find myself in the one place, in the world, that I would have little to no chance upon seeing again. Ever. How did it happen, you ask? Simple; I was betrayed. Betrayed by the one person who turned my life around and made me feel special, only so that I could overhear him spitting and lowering my value behind my back. Talk about your odd breakups! After all, the guy I was involved with is a vampire. That's right. A real, blood sucking, homey from hundreds of years ago. Ya, he is also the King of Vampires too. Count Dracula.
If only I was smart enough to listen to that voice of reason in my head, I would have never fallen so low. But I just had to be a stupid hero. Trying to save a friend from a fate worse than death only to have it backfire on me. Then I went on an adventure that seemed to have come out of a cheap Hollywood closet of movies, and then to have the villain tie me up to some blessed cross, with blessed silver wirings holding my wrists and ankles and toss me over a cliff into the freezing waters of the ocean. And now, I am here. Determined by Fate or Coincidence, I knew that if I ever survived this I would hunt down that bastard and take my revenge. And the Count; he's next. But for now, I was still surprised when I woke up again to find that my wish had come true!
The city of New York was common for its thugs, criminals, sexual abusers and car thieves, drug dealers, and so on. Perhaps it was because of the place being crammed pack with sooo many people! But there were five people that were about to meet their just disserts.
They had just robbed a small drug store and were now running down the sands of one of the common beaches close to Long Island. Wearing dark clothes and jackets, they ran as soon as police cars were heard a mile away.
"I told you we should have killed the guy!" One said as the quickly dived behind a hill.
"And risk going for life in jail for murder, Cecil?" Another shouted at him, "This way; if we are caught, we won't get so much time in the Joint!"
"Speaking of joints," A third dropped beside them and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter. "I need one after pulling that one off!"
"Shsssh! You wanna get us all caught now!" Their leader, a young man in his mid-teens gritted his teeth at them.
"Relax, Boss," Their fifth team mate took a joint when offered one, "We're all here! And we got a great spot by the ocean too!" He pointed to the sea and how the morning rays were starting to reflect on its surface.
"Dumb shit," He spat as he sat the bag of cash down. It wasn't a lot of money, but it will help them get by for the next few days. "You know I hate the ocean!"
"Hey, Jerry? What'cha doing over there?" One of them spotted their members hovering over the other side of the sandy hill, looking like he was ready to piss himself.
"Uh, guys!" He shouted and waved them over, "You gotta see this shit!" All four of them exchanged looks before heading over to where the guy stood. What they found made one of their members want to lose his lunch.
A dead girl. Face down and wearing a white gown while tied to a four by four cross. Her black hair covers her pale face as some of the water washed under her bare feet.
"Mother fuck!" Their leader cursed and turned his back at the gruesome sight, for the water had made the corpses skin look sicker than sick. "This city is getting freakier and freakier with their religious bull shit!"
"What? You got an idea of how she got like this?" One of them asked as a second went to examine the body.
"Well what do you think she's tied to? Fucking drift wood?" He growled at him as he tried to shack off the nausea that threaten to break his control. "That's a cross, you moron! Like from a church! See? Even Edd knows what a fucking cross is!" He pointed to the guy who had put his hands together in a silent prayer for the girl.
"Well excuse me for not going to church school!" He spat at him and rubbed a hand through his messy, brown hair, "Maybe if I was, I would even be here!"
"Then why don't you go then, chicken shit!" He fired back, for he was in no mood for this. They just had succeeded in robbing a small store, and finding a dead girl on the beach wasn't apart his agenda for today.
"Hey guys!" One of the guys interrupted their fight. "I think she's been tied with silver wirings!"
"What!? That's fucked up, bro!" The other three joined him, but their leader stayed on the hill.
"Your right, man!" Another agreed as his fingers traced over the silver on the wood, mindful of the girl's hand that hung limp from it. "These babies will feed us for a month, if we sell them to the right dealer! Give me the cutters!"
"You guys are not seriously thinking about taking silver from some dead bitch's crucifixion are you?" Their leader shook his head at them. "Greedy fucks! All of ya!" He slid down the hill next to them. He knew they were low on cash and that's why they committed to the robbery, but deep down, he knew this was pushing it. "Gimme that!" He yanked the cutters away from one of his boys. "Will be all damn day here with you doing it!"
"Oh ya?" He smirked at his boss, "Who was the one who used that thing to get us into the store because somebody had a splinter in their thumb?"
"Shut the fuck up, will ya!" He hissed as some of the others chuckled at the display. There were several layers of silver wirings he had to cut through. "Damn it! She must have gotten mixed into the wrong, fucking club house!" He spat as the cutters finished with the last layer. They all groaned in disgust when the girl's hand fell to the sand.
"Must have been one of those Satanist groups," One of the guys shivered at the thought. "Those black robed weirdoes will do anything to live up to the mother fucking Devil."
"Ya well – Let's just hurry up with this thing and get the Hell outta here!" He said as he started on the wire on the girl's ankles.
"You know for a dead whore, she looks good," Another commented as he moved some of the black hair from her face. "I don't think I've ever seen her around here? Have you, Edd?"
"Na, man. Maybe she's from New Jersey or something," He said and rubbed his arms for warmth. "Dude! Did it just get colder out here or what?"
"Here, have a joint and shut up already!" He handed the guy a cigarette as their leader started on the last of the wirings. "He's almost done. See? There's probably a pound of silver in our hands now! Right Jake? Jake?"
"H-her f-f-fingers!" The guy was looking down into the sand, where the girl's hand lay. "T-t-they just moved! I swear it, man! I'm not making this shit up!"
"Goddamn it man!" Their leader took the panicked guy's smokes away and tossed it to the ocean. "Maybe if you stop smoking this shit you wouldn't be seeing things!" He said and looked at the dead girl that lay as limp as the wood she had been tied too. Nothing moved. Not even her toes looked alive as they tossed the cross to the side. Their boss then lifted up the girl's head by the scruff of her hair. "Look at her! Is she moving now? Hey! Chicken shit! I'm talking to you!"
Nobody said anything else as the guy just froze in his shoes. He was staring wide eyed at the dead woman in their leader's hands, but what he saw, made him almost shit himself. The supposed dead woman was now slowing opening her eyes. And they were red. RED! Glowing like the back of a taxi cab as her upper lip lifted to reveal two very sharp looking teeth.
"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Their boss shook the girl's head, as if to prove a point, "SHE'S DEAD! D.E.A.D. DEAD! So stop being a fucking coward and move you're a – AAAH!"
Her hand! Her hand had shot up and grabbed their leader's arm and pulled him down to face her. Their leader; their brave boss that had bailed them out so many times was now staring into the red eyes of the dead girl, who now was holding him like a vice.
He had no words. He just gaped in fear and pain as the woman's eyes seem to have captured his soul. He couldn't move even if he wanted too. Then the girl made the most frightening sound that any of them had ever heard. It was a low yet frightening hiss of a growl and it only strengthened when her jaws opened to reveal her fangs. She had shifted to her knees, so as to hold her posture better and then she reached with her other hand, pulling of his coat some to reveal the naked skin of his throat. When he swallowed in fear, she lunged, and pierced the soft tissues right under his jaw. He only had a short time to yell as it was gurgled by the constriction of his windpipe being crushed by the woman's jaws. He felt his strength diminish and his body growing cold while the last thing he could hear was the sound of the woman drinking. She was drinking from him! Drinking his blood! And after a few minutes of being under this sensation, the last thing he could hear was his group screaming and shouting curses at the woman.
"OH MY GOD! CECIL!" One of the guys shouted as the dead; now alive woman, released their boss and friend. He fell to the ground and laid there, his dark eyes staring up at the sky as they glazed over in death.
"GODDAMN BITCH!" Edd pulled out his pistol and started firing at her, but she was a blur to him. He couldn't pull the trigger fast enough as she grabbed his wrist and twisted it, making his bones break as his hand was now facing the other direction. His screams of agony were soon silenced as the woman pounced on him and bit into his throat.
The other three decided to make a run for it. Whatever this woman was, she was far too strong for any of them. Jake ran as hard as his feet would let him. He heard the cries of fear from his other friends as they were caught by the Damned woman, but he refused to look back. He knew this was a bad idea from the moment he joined this group. He wasn't twenty yet and already he had made the mistake of running from home. Maybe if he actually listened to what his parents said he wouldn't be in this sad predicament now.
I'm sorry, mom! I'm sorry, dad! I'M SORRY! But his thoughts soon turned into fear as a pair of strong hands grabbed him by the shoulders and a sharp pain entered his neck. He felt the woman growl in delight as her weight brought him down to the sand where he tried to fight her off. But, already he felt himself weak. She was like a rock, breaking him with just her strength. And all too soon his thoughts were lost to him as the woman took the last of his blood into her.
When the deed was done, the creature stood and looked satisfied at her kill. She was free! Finally free from that damn cross! Also, she had an added bonus of blood from the men that freed her. Such fools! Yet they were useful in the end. But, now what? She was somewhere that she couldn't recognize, yet her other half did! The original host will know what to do now! She had to! She was born here after all! On these lands, they both could find out where they were and what to do next, but most importantly; she had to find a way to return to their beloved Master. Reigning in her blood lust, the creature retreated to the back of the girl's mind and allowed her to wake up. Wake up! Wake up! It is time to wake up!
I blinked my eye's some from the brightness of the world until I found myself standing upright somewhere. Standing. I am standing. But I don't know how I got here. My toes feel something grimy and cold from beneath me. Sand.
I remember waves… and water. Lots and lots of sea water. Burning my lungs and throat till I couldn't breathe any more.
I thought I had died then.
And yet… I am here… standing upright on a rocky shore. I'm surrounded by five dead bodies of guys I've never seen before. Their corpses half mangled and shredded like a wild animal had just attacked them. Their eyes filled with fear as their mouths were left open in a silent scream. Their blood dripped from my fingers and my lips as I couldn't recall anything in the last hour.
Bound. My wrists were bound! I remember! And yet… I am free. Free! But – where –?
A loud booming noise far from a distance makes me fall to my knees and clamp my hands over my ears. I'm in what is left of my white dress and look up to see a plane flying high over me. An airplane. An airplane! Realizing that I was near some form of civilization, I stood up again and slowly stumbled up the rocky beach and onto a littered hill, my legs fighting off the weariness from my rough journey. Yet what I found made me shutter and wondered if I was really still alive.
Buildings. Lots and lots of man-made building filled my eyes as their lights dimmed with the morning's sun. I spotted a bridge so long it looked like it was moving some in the soft breeze. I spotted a sign. A build-board made of bright green colors and black, bold letterings that read:
LONG ISLAND -
- NEW YORK
I'm – I'm back in America. I'm – I'm back.
This feels – weird. No, really! It's really weird! Here I should be dead in the ocean being fish food for some shark, yet here I am. I'm alive! I'm breathing air! AIR! Not sea water and… well, ya okay so I can taste fresh blood. Must be from these guys setting me free from the cross and then… my other half must have woken up first. Uh oh! I have to get out of here!
Looking at my attire though, I wouldn't get far and would no doubt be stopped by a curious stranger. Feeling a bit, ashamed, but quickly shacking it off I walked over to the dead guys and started rummaging through their pockets and checking if any clothes were free of blood. Finding a black, leather jacket, free of blood, I regrettably took it off the body and dusted it free of sand. It was long sleeved and had something heavy inside. A pistol. More guns, eh? Oh well, it might come in handy. To my right I discover a bag on the ground. Filthy with sand and some blood but I got curious and opened it. What I found made me cringe. Money. A fair amount of it stuffed in this thing along with smokes, chips and jerky. Why is it whenever my situation turns shity, a bag of jerky falls on my lap!
Never mind the rhyming I just thought of, but now I realize that I just killed a gang of robbers. Feeling less sorry for these guys I pull the coat over me and start walking away with the bag in hand. I spar a glance at the cross that just lay next to the ocean waves. I shiver. I never EVER wish to remember my time in the ocean again! Although I was cold and my feet were bare, I shrugged off the last thoughts of my despair until I found a place to hide.
I walked for a long time, avoiding curious eyes from people walking around at night. I have to find a better way of transportation than walking! As if on cue, a garbage truck starts passing me by. A garbage truck usually leads to a big city and it's going in the direction of New York. I know New York. Some of it that is. But I know of a few abandoned buildings I can use to lie low in for a while. At super speed, I climbed into the mobile dump and sat in the stench of waste. I could live with it though. After all, I had sea water clogged in my nose for… how long was I in that ocean?
As I crouched in the garbage, so no one would see me, I spotted a newspaper. Probably yesterdays because of the rising sun that now shines overhead, so at least I have some clue as to how long I've been in the ocean. Flipping the pages towards the front I easily spot the date in bold, small font:
Friday, January 18, 2013
The eighteenth, I thought as I tried to remember the date I was in last. I think… it was the fourth when we… when I was traveling with Dracula… Dracula…"
My face morphed into a frown as my eyes burned red with anger. I remember now. I remember what that fucking bat said about me! Incompetent! A fool! Nothing more than a tool for his evil purpose! Well no more! NO MORE! FUCK HIM! DAMN HIM TO HELL A HUNDRED TIMES OVER!
I toss the paper to the far end and leaned up against the cold wall of the garbage truck as I tried to calm myself. The driver was still oblivious to my presence and I wanted to keep it that way, and throwing a tantrum would only make matters worse. When the truck gave a quick turn I peeked over the edge and spotted a sign that it passed. It read; Marine Parkway Bridge, Watch Out for Ice!
I mentally groaned as I sat with my knees against my head and my arms holding them in place. A bridge only meant one thing to me right now. I was near the ocean's waters again. My body trembled in fear of the events that it had gone through. Just the smell of salt water gives me a bad vibe! Could you really blame me though? Being tied to a fucking cross and found that I was trapped in that Hell for over a week would make anybody queasy to see water again!
Clenching my teeth, I tried to count to twenty and start over. Little help did that provide! As soon as the driver was on the bridge I shook and whimpered like a puppy. Closing my eyes didn't help either, for the swirling colors only reminded me of being under the ocean's surface. Tears threaten to spill, but I bit my lip and tried to think of something else. What else can I think of! I've been used, abused, mistaken for a tool and then tossed into the sea like some condemned witch! All in all; today just sucks!
It felt like ages had passed when the wheels of the truck hit normal and ground supported pavement again. I drew in a breath (despite the garbage aroma) to find normal air again, but I ended up coughing a whole lot in the end. I was in a populated city again along with all of its pollution, and I fought to control my lungs and adjust to that familiar pressure. Looking over the rim again I spotted the street sight saying; Flatbush Ave.
Flatbush… Flatbush Avenue… Oh, now I know! I smiled to myself as my memory of places never failed. It was a common road that ran right through Brooklyn, New York. If this guy stays on that road I'll be heading for New York, New York next! It's been ages, for my grandfather used to take me there every summer; just to get some ideas on a better school education that is. But the place was huge in every sense of the word; despite the cluster and buster of people and cars, it was a pretty cool city.
Yet my smile disappeared when I realized where I intended on going. A place full of people! Humans! Being in Afghanistan at night surrounded by sleeping humans would be nothing compared to the City that Never Sleeps!
Shaking my head I tried to keep it together. No, no! I can't think like that now! I'll be good! I'll be cool! I can probably make do with the homeless or even the criminals. Ya! Like that group of robbers that my other half killed before I woke up! Okay! Okay! So now I have a plan for survival! I even got money to start out with! Okay, so it's stolen money, but it's better than nothing! I can even sell these weapons I got from the young gang members too.
Although, I felt a little distraught about the vampiric half of me coming out and killing those poor kids, I didn't feel sorry for them. One of them looked like he was still in Junior High School! Then again, it was their poor choices that lead them to run out like modern bandits and then find me on that beach and cutting me out of the silver wires. Silver! That's right. Silver can go for a lot these days and they could have made easy money after freeing me. But they didn't realize they had just freed a blood thirsty monster. That's another thing I'll have to be careful of now that I'm home, my feeding habits will have to be hidden so that suspicion doesn't rise.
Another rough turn caused me to look up but I sighed when he was still on Flatbush Ave. He was probably making his rounds and now heading to the nearest dump or recycling center; which there was quite a few near New York. I just hope the Brooklyn Bridge doesn't affect me as much as the last one did!
The sun rose higher and I was grateful of the heat that came from its rays. After all, it was winter here too, but not as bad as Europe. I rested my head against the dirty walls but refused to go to sleep. I didn't want anything to remind me of the ocean, not even in my dreams. Car horns from in front and behind me kept me awake and I couldn't help but chuckle at myself. About less than a year ago, I would be one of those people. On the road to a daytime job, drinking coffee and planning the next day. But no. I have to live with this cursed life that I've chosen. Swallowing my emotions though I tried to remain focused as signs to the Brooklyn Bridge came into view.
Another hour went by and the suspension cables of the bridge filled my view from overhead. Trembling and fighting off the nausea, I tried to ignore the sound of waves as they splashed against the bridge's foundations.
Almost there! Almost there! I kept reminding myself even though I knew traffic had settled in and everyone else joined in on the orchestra of car horns. Oh, my head! My ears! The sounds all gave me a headache as I tried to focus on a shredded pillow in the corner within the dump truck. It's no mystery why vampires and such don't live in big cities. Just the ruckus of every-day shit would drive even a Werewolf away! Although, today's movies seem to try and change everybody's minds.
Finally, after a half hour had passed, the driver turned his truck off the bridge and started down some random road south of it. Once he had turned into an area with no one in it, I hopped off my ride and landed on the sidewalk like a gymnastics pro. Quickly, I ran into an empty alleyway and hid till the truck was gone. Thanks for the lift!
Breathing in a sigh of relief I examined where I was. New York was my next guess but where in this noisy place can I stay? Before I could decide on other things, sounds of human heartbeats appeared behind me.
"Hey, cutie!" A male voice taunted me as I turned to meet four strangers in black shirts and blue jeans. "Looken' for some company?"
All four of their white faces looked at me with amusement. As if my situation is funny to them! I don't even have any shoes and these guys think to mug me? Oh ya, the bag I have has some stuff, but I'm not going to hand it over. Besides, the sound of their blood pumping in their bodies was starting to sound enticing.
"What's in the bag, doll? Your clothes?" He asked as another smirked. "Probably is. You must be some slutty bitch that gets paid for a bit of fun, am I right? Is that why you're dressed like that cause I doubt that coat is yours."
"Wrong," I growled and showed my fangs to them, making them stop in their tracks. "Leave me alone, or you'll regret it!"
"Whoa, girl! Nice pearls you got in there!" One of them commented and pointed a finger at my mouth. "So you go for the dark and kinky routine? I'm game!"
I hissed but that only made them laugh. "Kitty's got bite! But – will she purr?" One guy grinned as he was the first to close the distance between us and reach out to touch my face. I grabbed his wrist and squeezed, making him cringe. "OW! Let go! Damn, you sure got a grip! OW! OOOW! BOYS! Get this bitch off me!" He yelled and fell to his knees as I squeezed harder.
They pulled out their knives and surrounded me. But I let loose an unnatural sound from my mouth; mixed with a yell and a hiss, as my hands turned into claws. The first to fall pray was a guy in short blond hair. I whipped my claws at his throat before he could plunge his pocket knife into me. Gurgling and choking on his own blood, the smell brought my own needs to the surface.
"What the Hell!?" One of the guys sputtered, and then he tried to pounce on me. Yet I caught the guy's arm and brought his neck to my aching fangs. His blood wasn't that good. If anything, it tasted kinda dirty. Tainted blood! Gross! But it satisfied my belly as I drained him dry. He fell like the empty sack that he was as the third just stared at me, petrified as to what to do next.
"What the fuck are you!?" The guy I was still holding looked up at me in horror as he realized I had just killed two of his buddies. I looked down and a gasp escaped him. My eyes were red again. I can feel it. The veins under the skin of his arm pumped in more blood as his heart rate increased.
"Your death!" I hissed and within a blink of an eye I grabbed his head and snapped it till it was turned the other way. He fell to my feet as his heart stopped and the last of the four was still standing there in fear. He had yet to think about moving as his face drained of color. I approached him slowly and still he didn't move. I knew what I had to do, though I didn't like it. He was a witness to my crimes; even if these guys were druggies or another small gang; I couldn't let him live.
"You made the mistake," I chide as I stopped a foot away from him, "You should have taken my advice and left me alone." I spat and circled him as he began to tremble on his feet; his light blue eyes were forming tears as I gently pulled the knife from his fingers. He was in shock. I'll end that soon enough. "And now," I whispered into his ear as his trembling turned into full out shaking, "It's your turn!"
I grabbed his head and plunged my fangs into his throat. He gasped but that was all I would let him do as he fell to his knees. My grip on his shoulders made his bones crack as I held him in place. His blood tasted a bit better, but still I can detect some similarities from the last guy. Once I was done, and his heartbeat gone, I dropped him and moved on further down the alleyway. I can't stay here anymore so I have to keep on moving. But how? Wandering through the streets like this is going to get me noticed.
When I looked up at the sky, a thought came to me. The rooftops! I can climb any wall and jump to any nearby roofs for an advantage! Better than crossing the city streets! With my mind made up, I jumped. Positioning my feet to the wall, they stuck as I readjusted my new angle on the world. Walking up the wall I peered over the edge, in case of any more people. Nobody. I was alone above this world. Good. I've already killed too many today and I have to find a place now.
Surviving this city was going to be serious for me. Like a jungle, but made of more buildings and people that has ever existed, I have to adapt or else I'll be the pray! I'll never let that happen again! Never will I be called weak, used, or even made into a slave! I am free! Free! Once I find somewhere to lie low, I'll be even better than free. I'll be fine. For the first time in my life, I hoped that I will be fine.
Alright! New story! Hope you guys like it because there is more to come! I'll update as soon as I can and look back to correct any mistakes I've made. Till then REVIEW and REVIEW to let me know how it's coming! Will C survive the big city life or will the law catch up to her? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Sincerely; BR2