The bright glow of sunshine fell upon the rough canvas tent, creating shadows at odd angles that cast upon the inhabitants. A soldier, still as a statue, lay unnaturally still as his sparkly skin gleamed. Next to him was what any bystander would assume his nurse; She had long, dark curly hair that reached the small of her back and a deep, unmistakable crimson hue in her eyes that with one look would pierce through your full amount of confidence. Her skin was a ghostly white, a mirror image of the two younger women who sat behind her, waiting anxiously for their newest victim to awake.
A few hours passed, yet the only factor in the scene that changed was the angle at which the sun lay in the southern sky. Excitement, hinted with the small, never-dying concern of what would happen, filled the air. All of this would soon end with the opening of eyes. Two new eyes of a deep crimson hue.
Without warning, the solider finally woke, bare except for a cotton sheet. He glanced around, a dazed look in his eyes.
"General Whitlock?" Maria chimed, her eyes sparkling with anticipated eagerness. She reached a pale hand to clench his shoulder, grinning down at him with perfectly white teeth. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, ma'am—" The two ladies behind Maria giggled, yet immediately stopped as Maria's glare stabbed through them—"To be perfectly honest, not too great. I feel like I've been hit by a train or something." He sat up quickly, much too quickly, apparently, than he was used to. He seemed astonished by what he did, the simple gesture, and this only excited Maria more. Her entertainment only grew as Jasper began to realize what he had become: a vampire. His new eyes grew larger than saucers as his skin glimmered in the small streak of sunlight, at how his hearing and eyesight were much more keen than they had once been. He seemed astonished at his body, at his toned muscles and lack of color, more especially a heartbeat. Jasper glanced swiftly up at Maria, a baffled expression playing with his features. "Ma'am… Can you explain to me what has happened? I seem to be lost, I need to be getting back to Houston if you don't—"
"Actually, Jasper, you are in Houston. You may not remember this, but you stopped to help me and my companions—" she pointed at Nettie and Lucy who were now standing close behind her—"as we were struggling to find directions. You were quite the gentlemen to us."
"One of the nicest men in Texas!" Lucy chimed quickly, grinning at Nettie in a fit of giggles.
"This doesn't make sense…" Jasper continued, not quite buying the story that Maria was skillfully telling. "The Confederate would notice if I didn't return. Somebody would have come looking for me. Tell me, please, what is the day?"
"Sunday, sir."
"Sunday? No, no! I was scheduled to be up to Dallas by today! This must be a mistake, ma'am, if I could just borrow a horse and a canteen of water, if you could, I'll just be on my way." Jasper sat up and began to get out of bed, only then realizing his lack of clothing. "Um, where are my clothes?" He seemed quite appalled that he was this bare in front of women, and ducked his head in a sincere apology.
"Your clothes? Oh, Maria always strips her soldiers down before she changes 'em! Needs to measure them for their new uniforms!" Nettie revealed, as though she was telling a forbidden secret.
"Of course, Mr. Whitlock, we'd love for you to stay with us."
"Who exactly is us?" He asked, confusion lacing in with his deep register. Sitting straighter, he pulled the towel securely around his waist.
"Hmmm…" Maria murmured. "Where to start, where to start…"
"If you wouldn't mind me interjecting, Ma'am, I'd love for you start at the beginning. That would be very helpful and possibly vital. I need to be back, so if you could make it quick, that would certainly be helpful."
"Well, General, the beginning is quite easy. And the ending is clear. You will not be going back to the Confederacy. In fact, you'll do nothing of the sort, or you'll be forced with harsh consequences."
"I… I what?" Jasper asked, his eyes squinting in confusion. "Listen, please, you haven't a clue how bad I am needed there. The Confederacy is struggling to remain as it is! I'm a vital cog in their gear. I have to be there."
"Maria, you're doing no good beating around the bush. Can't you tell him now?" Lucy pleaded. A sharp hiss escaped the master's lips, and tension immediately filled the air.
"Fine, Lucy. Have it your way. Normally I would not have gave in so easily, but it seems our General is deciding to use his newest power."
"Shouldn't we explain to him how it is he received his power?" Nettie asked seriously, a solemn expression remaining on her pale, porcelain face.
"In case you weren't listening, that is what I'm about to do. Pay attention." Maria growled, turning back to their General with a vicious smile. "Now where did I leave off… Ahh! As I was saying, Nettie, Lucy and I were traveling alongside the road, and you came riding by. You spotted us, and slowed to see if we needed any assistance as you were on your way to Dallas. We did indeed, and you dismounted to see how you could help us. And that's when it happened."
"Very descriptive, Maria." Nettie sneered, a hint of laughter deep in her chest.
"Quiet down, you, or it'll be no supper of a week!" Snarled Maria, turning sharply to the youngest one of the three women. Nettie was immediately silent and even paler than she was before, if that was possible.
Jasper's golden eyebrows were crunched together. "What do you mean, it happened?" He asked somewhat skeptically.
"Why, when Maria transformed you into a vampire." said Lucy quietly, as if she was scared to speak out of turn in fear of what Maria would threaten to take away from her.
"A… A what?" Jasper asked in a silent whisper. He appeared confounded to the point of being speechless.
"That's when I did indeed transform you." Maria continued softly, allowing him to gather his thoughts that seemed to be multiplying like rabbits. "And my, how you tasted! The most divine, complicated taste I've ever indulged on. I told these two, 'He'll be a lovely addition to us. He possesses the most finest of gifts.'".
"It was only the matter of whether she could stop before every single drop of your blood was gone." Nettie muttered sheepishly.
"Maria's pretty good about keeping her victims, though." Lucy sighed. "98% of them make it. It takes a strong enough person to survive a transformation. Even the strongest of the batch will heave and scream out in pain. The venom is horrendously painful." She winced, apparently remembering her change to this Hellish life.
"So that's why I'm feeling like I am…" Jasper whispered, still gazing down at his hand in wonder and confusion. "Because… You changed me. Into a… a vampire."
"Yes, sir."
"What was your motive? Why did you do this to me? To innocent people who have their whole lives ahead of them? Now I'm cut off from the world, practically. I had a good future ahead of me!"
"You call a General a good job?" Nettie muttered in a low, teasing tone. "When you could die any second of any day? And I was thinking you'd be thankful."
"Thank you." He replied automatically, grimacing as he did so.
"There's no need for a thank you, General. I can see why you would be upset. And my motive? Why, I plan to become the conqueror of the Southern colonies. Why, you and I, we're going to capture every single town we can, us and our vampire army. With you and them, we'll be an unstoppable force they'll never see coming!" Her eyes were gleaming with excitement at the mention of the large amount of land at stake. This was what she apparently lived for, Jasper noted.
"And… You need my help for this to be accomplished."
"Yes, Mr. Whitlock, I do. Would you be willing to assist me? I can promise you know that it won't be easy, but the award will be much bigger and better than you wildest dreams could ever imagine. Please, General. I need you in order for my plan to work."
"Well, then, if I am vital to your plan, I guess I really can't say no." He frowned, a wave of realization hitting him. "If I'm condemned to this life, I guess I have no other option. Sure, Ma'am, I will help you."
"Oh, great!" Maria squealed, jumping up and down. She grabbed a sack of clothing, throwing it to Jasper. "Please, get dressed, General. We have much training to do! Come, Lucy, Nettie, leave the poor man to change!"
The three quickly exited the tent, and Jasper could only make out the sun that was setting low behind an assortment of trees. He sighed, pulling on the uniform that seemed to fit him to a tee, examining his new skin in the change of light. Even in the comparable darkness, it seemed to glow.
"Well, at least I'm doing what the Confederacy would have wanted me to do." Jasper sighed to himself, pushing his way out of the tent. "Helping woman and children."