A/N: I really have no idea where this idea came from. It's one of my more disturbing works that's for sure. Ah well, I would appreciate your feedback on my demented state of mind. Think of it as an early Halloween present.
A pall of death hung over the living room. The unmistakable iron tang of blood mixed with less savory smells to produce the unique scent belonging to the end of life. Jeremie stepped forward and gazed into the sightless green eyes of the larger body splayed out on a wooden table. Nothing remained of the once-vital woman who had guarded the bright spots in his life. Already the specifics of his former existence were beginning to fade into darkness. A blackness he belonged to forever.
Jeremie had gazed into the abyss of evil and been enthralled by the whispers and sights within. What choice did he have when the options boiled down to suicide or a chance for vengeance? The two bodies tangled together in death on the table were his sole existence before today. The shadows in his nightmares always made him pull away in fear from the enticing offer. Today Jeremie refused to shirk away from the power within and embraced it. Revenge was worth any cost.
They had caught up with his family. No matter what Jeremie did his past always intruded onto the present. The powers that be had decided that the anomaly and her offspring should be terminated. Only three agents had done this; he could smell their scent mixed in with the copper smell of blood. Jeremie was going to make his objection to that heard. Preferably with a good dose of screaming from his family's executioners.
Jeremie's life ended when Aelita left this world. Who he once was did not exist anymore. The happy and kind man in love burned away into pain-ridden ashes. Jeremie flexed a hand experimentally; this new form still held many surprises. Three white blade-like extensions grew from the back of each hand. Wickedly sharp, they promised to tear into his enemies and release the crimson liquid he longed for. Everyone belonged in the enemy category.
X.A.N.A. had been right. He just went about it the wrong way. Jeremie mused that thought for a second while the twin pools of blood continued to slowly cover the carpet. The old nemesis of the Lyoko Warriors wanted to destroy humanity and raise computers in their place. That's where he went wrong. A society based on machines rather than man would still have the same evils and avarice. The model for intelligent life could not be fixed; it was fundamentally flawed.
Everything stood out in clarity before him. The only solution that the pathetic human race deserved was annihilation. Perhaps nature could start over with a newer, better blueprint. Jeremie swiped the air with his claws and smiled darkly. Human did not apply to him as a label anymore. Therefore he could undergo his mission as he pleased. An ending of the human plague on this planet with no replacements necessary.
I am the perfect instrument. Leaning down to lazily drag a claw through his wife's blood, Jeremie felt the only three emotions that he needed: cool sense of purpose, incandescent rage, and an eternal ocean of pain. Life had been stolen from two of the people who deserved it the most. In return Jeremie promised to revoke the privilege of breathing from every other miserable bag of flesh on this planet.
Diverting his attention from Aelita, Jeremie turned to the other pink-haired form. His daughter deserved better than slaughter by gunfire. Familiar blue eyes stared back up at him and Jeremie saw himself for an instant. Even his eye color wasn't the same anymore. The blood-spattered mirror on the wall reflected a monstrosity with pure-white eyes. Spikes of bone protruded through the tattered remains of his dress shirt while fangs protruded under black lips.
How fitting that his new form mirrored his old in every way. Negatively, that is. The love, happiness, and kindness had been replaced by hatred, ugliness, and thirst. A droplet of crimson running down his left claw mesmerized Jeremie. New powers were available to him but even this body needed sustenance as well. The laws of this planet still had some say in his transformation. Blood called to his soul. Whatever remained of it.
A quick slash of his weapon rewarded him with an arm painted red and conclusive proof that his new appendages were indeed wickedly sharp. Bone and the table underneath gave way like paper and the bodies fell to the floor with a muted thud. Only the first slash in the immense hide that was the human race but Jeremie had plenty of time. Society no longer feared the night. Lights lit up streets and sky so many presumed there was nothing to be afraid of. Before he finished Jeremie would teach them all the meaning of fear. Nightmares could walk the earth.
Right now a more pressing matter concerned him: thirst. Bones cracking unnaturally, Jeremie leaned down to the gashed-open woman lying on the floor. He had the faintest recollection that she meant something to him. No matter, the past belonged behind him. Only the present and future concerned Jeremie. Humanity retreated to a faint whisper on the edge of his mind and vanished into the abyss. Fangs bit into flesh.
The cool liquid burst like the finest wine on his palate. Memories struggled free of their chains and a firestorm of loss and desire ripped through Jeremie. All that he had lost flicked through his mind. His laughing daughter swinging in the park while Aelita's eyes shone with joy. The special look Aelita gave only him when they were alone. The whispered "I love you's" at night that never could encompass what they felt. Threatening to bury him, an ocean of pain poured into him along with the blood.
His first exquisite taste would always remain the best. Anything after would only be a pale imitation that could never slake Jeremie's thirst. Love burned through him one final time as he fed. The supply dwindled into nothingness and the vampiric being stood up. He dammed the ocean of pain within and locked it away for eternity. He had a mission to accomplish. Throwing his head back, Jeremie let rage fill the hollow within.
Burning flesh joined the aroma of death in the room. Jeremie opened his eyes and looked at the flames frolicking along his body. Waves of heat radiated off of him; the couches and ruined bodies began to blacken. Interesting. Letting his rage out affected him physically. Focusing the flames into his claws, Jeremie realized he had a bit more in his arsenal than merely slicing and dicing. A good healthy dose of fire never hurt anyone. Much.
Flames ate away at the features of the ones he once loved until they turned into blackened husks of bone. Jeremie watched the process and felt his memories burn away with them in the surprise cremation. Aelita's charred hand pointed at him like a malediction. The entire room was succumbing to flames but he didn't feel the heat. Only coldness resided within. Distant sirens made him turn his head. Looks like someone finally noticed a problem with his secluded home.
Splattered with blood and covered in flames, Jeremie walked out of the room like a specter from the deepest levels of hell. For all he knew that could be what he was. Announcing his entrance with little fanfare, smoke poured into the inky sky. The sirens grew louder and two cop cars skidded into view along the driveway. With a dark grin Jeremie gathered shadows around him and disappeared. The task of this existence was about to start.
Two young men exited the vehicles and immediately stopped dead in their tracks. Smoke poured from the burning house and they felt an intense fear rip through them. Instincts screamed within to run as fast as possible in the other direction. Ignoring the sudden onslaught, the two shared glances and marched forward with their weapons held out in front of them. Quick as thought, Jeremie re-entered existence behind them and hung suspended in mid-air.
The cop remaining by the vehicles dropped the phone in his hand and stared at the sight before him. A monstrosity appeared in the air and calmly swiped forward with flaming claws. Falling to the hard ground in pieces, the cops never knew what hit them. Struggling for the gun out of his holster, the remaining officer felt his pants go wet. He hadn't signed up for this job to fight fiction come to life. Taking aim, the man fired.
Jeremie smiled in satisfaction. Too easy. A loud pop and an irritating sensation in his shoulder made him whirl around. One more human stood there with a toy gun in his hands like a talisman. Deciding to be a bit melodramatic, Jeremie slowly walked toward his latest victim while still covered in fire. Praying to a God he had long ago forsaken, the officer retreated towards the cars. Jeremie stopped twenty feet away and concentrated his rage in a primal scream. The resulting fireball cannoned from his mouth into the police vehicles, creating a huge explosion that echoed through the night.
Now to find those who started this. Jeremie pulled the shadows around him once more and vanished into darkness.
"I hate those missions." Ron said morosely while running a hand through his reddish hair. His partner, an older agent, sighed and continued driving.
"Better get used to it, bucko. Our job doesn't involve the moral aspects of things. We just follow orders." Patrick replied while taking the exit off the interstate that led to their safe house. "Those two were a threat to national security; we had to take them out." Silence filled the suburban vehicle as each agent rationalized the deed to themselves. By the time the black car pulled into a gravel driveway with a muted roar each person felt fine. It was just a job.
"Grab the bag and bring it in. We'll crash here and find out our next orders in the morning." Patrick commanded. The other two men nodded to each other and hefted the black duffel bags into the house. Once inside, the three sat down at the kitchen table and rummaged for a quick dinner of sandwiches. Ron got up to find a glass of milk when a sudden rush of fear raced along his nerves. Shaking it off as a delayed reaction, the burly agent collapsed into the chair just as another burst of trepidation hit him. His partners shifted uncomfortably in response to the same emotion.
"Something's not right here. My instincts are tingling." Patrick muttered and un-holstered his revolver. "I'm going to check outside." Ron and Larry shared a look as their superior walked out.
Jeremie watched the gray-haired man look out the window. Those eyes had seen Aelita's life flee her emerald orbs. The agent didn't deserve to see anything again. Rage suffused Jeremie. He teleported to the window and neatly thrust his claws forward into the glass. Patrick had only time to widen his eyes in shock before the razor-sharp appendages sliced neatly into his eye-sockets and blinded him.
Reeling back with a scream, Patrick clutched his face and flailed away from the window. A mist of blood hung in the air. Jeremie felt his thirst flare and ripped through the wall in a spray of glass and debris. He willed the shards to fly into Patrick and the glass responded to Jeremie's wish. The agent felt his body alight on fire with pain as hundreds of projectiles embedded themselves in his flesh. One furious slash ended his life mid-scream and Jeremie made sure all that blood didn't go to waste.
Ron and Larry heard the scream and rushed for the door. Before they could reach the doorknob Patrick's drained body flew through the wood and sent them sprawling into the cabinets. Horror spread across their faces as a flaming demon walked through the door and looked upon them. They struggled to reach for their weapons but Jeremie gave them no time. He wanted them finished. A frenzy of slashes turned two intelligent beings into a mush of flesh and blood. Their screams satisfied Jeremie quite well.
Jeremie stood with crimson liquid dripping from his mouth. The initial revenge was complete. Humanity still remained on the to-exterminate list. A casual flick of his hand set the entire room ablaze. I am no longer human. I need a new name. Jeremie was a figment of imagination, a memory that needed to die. Hmm…
The Blood Lord stood on the roof, surveying the lights of the city before him. Smoke poured out around his feet and the being smiled with a hideous glee. The sirens echoing along the street meant a new meal was on the way. How nice of law enforcement to do delivery as a courtesy. A vision of the world in burning ruins passed through the Blood Lord's mind. He would make it come true. Shadows gathered around the humanoid form and it disappeared into the abyss with an evil chuckle.