A/N: Back when I took an Intro to Horror class, we discussed how vampirism is essentially an act of cannibalism. That's always sat in the back of my mind, and I've been wanting to try this AU out for a long time now, but I'm always leery about writing vampire AUs. I know they have such a poor stigma, but I really wanted to try this because, if handled in a "non-teenybopper" sort of way, I think it can be really cool. And as a side note, hematosis is a blood disorder. It is believed to be genetic, which is why I thought it'd be symbolic of vampirism since there's like a "bloodline" of those who've been turned. I don't know, it made sense to me at the time, haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
CH 1: Unforeseen Consequences
"Garrett Jacob Hobbs! This is your last warning!"
The man in question peered through his curtained window toward the yard below, trembling and wetting his lips as his lawn continued to gleam with the bright, dancing flames from lit torches. He could practically feel the heat on his skin.
"Hobbs!"
Sheriff Jack Crawford emerged from the angry mob, his dark brows knit, and his features contorted in a quelled rage. He had recently lost his beloved wife, Bella, to the continuous vampire attacks. Up until that moment, the creature had been feeding on the same type of woman: slight in stature, fair-skinned, with long, dark hair and blue eyes – so the death had come as both a shock and an incentive for the community to fall into an uproar. What had happened? What had changed? Was Bella's death an act of vengeance, or a mere accident? Regardless of the true reason, an anonymous tip had led the townspeople to Hobbs' front door, and they were now intent on spilling blood.
"Papa?" Fearful and ashen, Abigail emerged from her bedroom and met her father in the foyer.
"Go out the back door," he instructed. "No matter what you might hear, I want you to go and keep going. Do you understand me?"
Abigail's brow knit and her bottom lip trembled. "B-but...but what about you and Mother?"
"HOBBS!"
The two jumped, Garrett being the first to recover as he quickly maneuvered his daughter toward the back of the house. He needed to get her to safety. If they were to stake him, they would possess her, and he could not let that happen.
When there still failed to be a surrender, Jack nodded to his right hand man, Brian Zeller, who signaled the attack. He hefted up the front of a battering ram and three other strong, beefy men – steelworkers, as it were – went to his aid.
As the first shock of wood against wood rattled the house, Hobbs ensured that Abigail was on the path to safety before returning to the foyer.
"Garrett!"
He met his wife, Louise, at the front of the staircase, her wide eyes reflecting in his own as she fearfully reached for his hands.
"What are we going to do? They'll get inside before long…the door won't hold!"
"Did you see Abigail?"
"No – she was doing her needlepoint while I tended to dinner, but when I came into the sitting room, she was gone."
Hobbs nodded with relief. If Louise had failed to take notice of Abigail's departure, then perhaps the rest of the town had as well.
Crash!
The door splintered, and Louise screamed as Zeller led the brigade into the foyer. A small table overturned, and the vase sitting on top hurtled to the floor in a loud, echoing shatter.
"There he is!" someone shouted. "Get him!"
Louise tried to intervene, but was immediately shoved aside. Hobbs found himself pinned to the wall before being wrested to the floor, his wife's screams reverberating in his skull as Reverend Chilton appeared with his Bible.
Holding the leather-bound book above his head, the charlatan began chanting a series of prayers as Jack, Price, and Zeller held Hobbs down.
"Do you, Garrett Jacob Hobbs, take it upon thyself to relinquish the sins Satan hath seated upon thy brow?"
Hobbs let out a dark laugh, only to flinch when Jack struck him across the jaw. A bead of black blood appeared on his bottom lip and, briefly, his tongue darted out to taste the ever-craved liquid. His eyes glittered within the candlelight.
Lifting the Bible up higher above his head, Chilton exclaimed, "In the year of our Lord, 1857, I declare unto thee a sentence of death! May the Lord have mercy upon thy soul!"
Jack unearthed a wooden stake and hammer from beneath his coat, and Louise began sobbing as two men held her in place. The mob circled forward, eager to see the carnage.
"Bring me the woman!" Chilton commanded.
As Jack awaited the order to strike, Louise was dragged kicking and screaming over to the smug reverend, her eyes wide and panic-stricken as he lifted a cross and placed it against her forehead. The metal seared into her skin and she gave a high-pitched, warbling screech.
"She has been turned!" he hissed. "Prepare a second execution!" Now nodding to Jack, the sheriff nodded back and brought the hammer down on Garrett's stake with a triumphant, deafening thwack.
Will Graham had elected to stay home that evening. Each day, he would tutor a few local pupils after school, then retire to his room and read various selections of poetry, perfectly content to rely on his own company. As a young boy, his father had recommended that he become a blacksmith, but Will had been adamant about having as little to do with the townsfolk as possible. He had no desire to mingle. It was why he had become a schoolmaster, seeing how extensive social activity was frowned upon.
On this particular evening, however, Will had remained home out of guilt more so than actual desire. Something had caused him to speak up. During one of his nightly reads, he had spotted a young woman – no, a mere girl – being attacked by Hobbs in the field across the way. He knew he had to do something about it. His friend, Jack Crawford, had lost his wife Bella, and God only knew how many others would have to suffer. He prayed a similar fate would not befall Alana Bloom, a woman that had long since held his fancy.
That was when Will heard a noise. Startled, he lurched up from his chair and swept up his coat. With jittery limbs, he moved over to the door and ripped it open, only to blanch when he peered down and spotted something moving through the slats of his porch.
"Show yourself!" he commanded. "Go on, before I'm forced to defend my house and home!" Groping toward the inside of his doorway, he reached for the rifle he used to shoot game and occasional pesky vermin. A soft sob reached his ears and he halted, shaken. "H...hello?"
"Please..." Sniffling, a young woman crawled out from underneath the porch and trembled, her once wide eyes now screwed into half-moons. "My papa...and my mother... Please, sir, you have to hide me!"
Will fumbled with his rifle, nearly dropping it as he propped the weapon against the side of his house. It was Abigail Hobbs. He hadn't had the pleasure of teaching her, seeing how her father had always been so monstrously protective. She had been homeschooled from infancy to adulthood. "What's happened?" he demanded. "Your legs..." He trailed off, now appraising the bloodied hash-marks on her skin. "You're bleeding."
Abigail followed his gaze and sobbed piteously, breathless and weak as she lifted her dress to inspect the wounds. After a moment, she finally managed, "There were brambles... I must have snagged them on my shins and calves." She looked up at Will then, helpless and miserable. "Please, sir, I don't know where else to go... My father very rarely let me go into town on my own, and I do not have any friends. Not truly, anyway."
Guilt-stricken, Will lowered his eyes. "Come inside," he entreated. "We can get you cleaned up and taken care of, but please - if someone stops by, you must be quiet. No one can know you are here."
Bewildered, Abigail scrunched her brow before nodding. Now taking his offered hand, she followed him inside and closed the door behind her.
A/N: I'm pretty excited about trying this out, so I hope you enjoyed the first installment! I'll be adding in Hannibal and Alana very soon, as well as various other characters. I felt that Chilton HAD to be the reverend type character, because Hannibal referred to him as a charlatan in the books. I also still had Will orphan Abigail (indirectly), so I'm trying to somewhat parallel the events of the show (but not strictly). Anyway, encouragement/feedback is always appreciated. I'm fairly busy these days, so an added incentive always helps for speedier updates! :)