Night of the Crimson Blood
By: JadeDragonKnight
Chapter 2
Screams awoke the other residents of the castle. Fumu was the first out of her room and into the living room. Following her were her parents, Bun, and Kirby who was spending the night. They were all still in their pajamas.
"What was that awful screaming?" Fumu's mom asked.
"Maybe we should check it out," Bun said to his sister.
She hesitated at first then nodded.
"If you two are going out there," Parm said, "then take Kirby with you."
Kirby didn't question him and neither did Fumu or Bun. They quickly took a flashlight and went out into the hallway. It was very dark. Bun flipped on the flashlight and they proceeded down the corridor. It was eerily quiet. They saw an open door with a flashing light coming from it. They went to the room and peered inside. Bun shined the flashlight inside the room so they could see the shambles piled up on the floor. Then, they saw Sword and Blade lying on the ground.
"Sword, Blade!" they shouted as they dashed in.
They kneeled down by their sides. Kirby stood near them. He fearfully looked at the holes on their necks and the pools of blood on the floor.
"Come on, say something. What happened?" Bun asked as he nudged Blade.
The knight continued to tremble. He responded with a broken moan. Sword wasn't much better.
"We have to get them back home," Fumu stated.
Bun nodded as he carefully took Blade up. He stood under his arm, supporting the wounded warrior. Fumu did the same. Kirby took up the flashlight and lead them back to their apartment.
Parm and Memu sat on the sofa, waiting for their children to return. Then, the door opened wide.
"Mom, dad, call the doctor," Fumu said as she entered the room, carrying Sword.
They were already over there by the time Bun and Kirby came in. Parm nodded, went to the phone and dialed the village doctor's number. They took the knights to the sofa and laid them out gently.
"What happened?" their mother asked, worried.
"We're not sure," Bun replied, "We found them like this."
"Fumu, go get some cloths and a bucket of warm water," she said.
Fumu nodded and went off to get the items.
Yabui, the village doctor, continued to check the knights' vital signs. The bandages that were placed over their necks were red with blood. Their breathing was labored. Yabui stepped back and shook his head.
"Are they going to be ok?" Fumu asked.
"Yes, but they seem to have lost a lot of blood," he replied. "Tell me, did you happen to see what bit them?"
"No," Bun stated, "they were the only ones in the room."
"Where specifically did you find them?"
"In Sir Meta Knight's room," Fumu replied.
Yabui placed his hand on his chin.
"Was Meta Knight in there with them?"
Bun and Fumu looked at each other.
"No."
"Then my guess is that he went to look for this monster," the doctor concluded. He turned to them and added, "Blade and Sword need to be kept warm since they lack the blood to sustain their normal body temperature. Do you have any extra blankets they could use?"
"Sure," Fumu said as she went to get the sheets.
When she left Bun came over to Yabui.
"You mentioned about something biting them," he questioned, "what do you think it was?"
The doctor paused then replied, "It may have been a vampire."
"A vampire," Fumu asked as she came back with the blankets, "Isn't that a myth?"
"It is," Yabui said, "but that seems to be the only explanation right now, although…"
He looked at the trembling knights.
"They show symptoms of paralysis. From what I remember, vampires don't paralyze their victims, nor drink only a little of their blood."
"Vampires, monsters, I don't know if I can handle this," their mother shivered from across the room.
Parm came over and comforted her. Kirby shuttered as well. Something just wasn't right. He had a feeling that Sword and Blade won't be the only victims.
Somewhere else in the castle, Waddle Dee stood in the hall close to panicking. Captain Doo stood in front of the crowd.
"Everyone calm down," he spoke in a different language, "I'm sure the screaming you all heard was nothing. You should all just go back to sleep and we'll get an explanation in the morning."
The countless Waddle Dee continued to look at each other and shift nervously. The captain called over some of the calmer servants to help him ease the tension of the crowd. They eventually calmed down enough to go back to their rooms for the night. The bulk of the group disappeared into the darkness. A few stragglers walked through the corridor in search of their dorms.
Then, the sound of clanking metal rang through the hall. The Waddle Dee froze and turned to the sound. The noise slowly came closer. Then, the moonlight from a nearby window exposed the source of the sound. The man continued to walk closer, his head hanging down. He swayed slightly from his step. The servants trembled at the sight of his zombie like movements. Suddenly, he stopped walking. They waited for some kind of response. Then, he began to run towards them. As he neared, he threw up his head and screeched, revealing blood red eyes.
