Page 4

Questions and answers

The mood shifted at Viktors statement from one of speculation to one of potential danger as the four sat around the small coffee table that sat in the middle of the living room Joseph cleared his throat to avert the attention off the gimness of the subject at hand hoping to keep the mood more cheerful for Asriel and Chara's sake as he noticed their shared uneasiness at the alert that hand popped up on their phones, everyone looked towards him especially Viktor who seemed more than interested in this guy who he swears he'd seen before and now with that name the thought was even more intriguing to him as he resumed his questioning where it had left off before they had been interrupted.

Viktor: So as I was saying Asriel have you met this guy before that night in the bar?

Asriel: Well no I haven't like I said we met at the bar six months ago,if I didn't know any better i'd say you two know more than your telling us.

Viktor: Well it's just I can't shake the feeling that I know him from somewhere and I swear I've heard that name before but I can't put my finger on it.

Chara: You know now that you mention it I've heard that name before as well in an old book I read when I was in school but it can't be the same guy because he disappeared after being captured by Nazis in 1943 and they never found the body or any trace of him for that matter aside from the massive pile of bodies when they unearthed the secret lab at the end of the war…

Joseph: That's because there never was a body…..because I never died

The statement stunned the other three into a momentary silence as they all processed exactly what that would entail as Joseph sat there his cover blown trying to thin of a way to smooth things over before Viktor spoke up.

Viktor: Wait so what your telling me is that you're THE Joseph Walker? The U.S Lieutenant Colonel who was captured in '43 and basically disappeared off the face of the planet for the next seventy six years…...I don't buy it

Joseph: Well Viktor as hard as it must be to comprehend let alone believe you're correct in your assessment of who I am or rather who I was at the time.

Chara: But then how and better yet why do you still look the same as the day you went missing? I mean if that's the case you should be old enough to be my grandfather.

Joseph pulled a worn photo yellowed with age from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table alongside his pair of military dog tags that he wore around his neck with Viktor picking up each and examining them both closely to check for signs of forgery as he turned back towards Joseph who sat there patiently awaiting their responses.

Viktor: ….No way...how's this even remotely possible I mean he looks exactly the same as the from when this picture was taken in the spring of 1943..Joseph um mind explaining how you're even still alive or better yet how you haven't aged in the past half century?

Joseph shifter in his seat uncomfortable with all the attention placed on him as the others looked at him with a mixture of shock and curiosity at the situation that had unfolded before them momentarily putting the issue of the approaching aliens aside as they all leaned forward in anticipation.

Joseph: After my capture at the hands of the Schutzstaffel I was taken to an underground holding facility deep in the heart of Germany to be question and then tortured for information...it was hell to be frank as the things they did..things that no man should endure let alone survive where some of the most sickening things any human mind can devise but I don't think it was ever his goal to outright kill me but rather see how far it took to break the human psyche completely..

Asriel: Who?

Joseph : Frederick Hammel the leader of that division of the Schutzstaffel a cruel and sadistic man known for his down right inhumane torture methods and only second to the angel of death Josef Mengele himself in the insanity of his so called "experiments" one of which made me what I am today, you see in an effort to discover the key to immortality he conducted various experiments throughout the course of war and it seems he succeeded as by the time I was captured he had done the same experiment on himself though fearing the fact that if discovered he'd be forced to hand over his findings to the main command of the Nazi party he kept his immortality a secret though unfortunately U.S intelligence spies had uncovered the document's and sent me in on a lone spy mission to gather intel and secure the files to reengineer the experiment thus leading to my capture and in a cruel twist of irony turning me into the exact thing we were trying to uncover.

Asriel: So Joey...what exactly did it turn you into?

Joseph: …...A vampyre…...though not the same as the one you're probably thinking of as while yes I do drink blood to survive I don't possess the various weaknesses such as sunlight,garlic, or any religious items such as crosses and wooden stakes to the heart in fact as far as I know i'm completely immortal in the conventional sense of the word, though don't hold me to it as I haven't exactly tried to kill myself to test just how far my immortality extends.

Viktor and Chara sat there dumbfounded at the information dropped into their lap as they tried to process the massive amount of information dropped upon them as Asriel studied Joseph for a time as he sat there trying to avoid the constant staring of the two sitting across from him as well as the worried look of his boyfriend all of which made him feel guilty that he hadn't mentioned any of this to Asriel before now but he had his reasoning for trying to keep this under wraps as he would surely be brought in by the U.S government to explain everything he'd just explained here today and no doubt he be experimented on in some form though as he thought this he immediately dismissed the notion as his skin had become extraordinarily durable almost taking on the durability of diamonds and as Viktor had experienced earlier had become colder than ice something Asriel eventually got used to overtime

Asriel: Joey why keep this from me?

Joseph: Well because I didn't want to freak you out when we first started dating by saying "Hey just so you know i'm an immortal vampyre" plus we already had enough trouble with the fact that we were dating in the first place, I just didn't want to add anymore unnecessary stress upon you with everything we were already dealing with I meant to eventually tell you but It never felt like the right time to bring it up but well..now you know.

Asriel: Joey I don't care what you are or how long you've been alive I love you because of who you are on the inside that smart,funny, and sweet guy who's always there for me when I need you most regardless of our current conflicting schedules you always make time for me and I love you because of it.

Chara: Aw that's so sweet, but Joseph I do have to ask what happened to the Hammel guy? From what I read they found him decapitated and burned to a crisp in one of the rooms of that bunker

Joseph: Well that was me…...shortly after I managed to escape I kinda went of a rampage and slaughtered ever nazi in sight before killing Hammel and decapitating him before burning the body according to the local jewish legends concerning "our" kind to be honest i'm surprised it worked but what i'm more surprised is that they actually found the bunker considering how well hidden it was though I doubt they found much as Frederick had destroyed everything shortly before he died as to not have his secrets discovered and replicated thankfully it seems it worked as I never encountered any others in my travels so it seems i'm the only one.

Viktor: So what did you do before meeting Azzy as after being captured you just disappear from the history books entirely? And if you don't mind me asking just how old are you exactly?

Joseph: Well traveling mostly I spent time all over mostly learning all I could regarding the Arcane arts of alchemy and its many forms of understanding eventually mastering it a few years back before discovering the underground and learning the vast amount of knowledge they held on the subject from Toriel Dreemurr most of which i'm still reading about currently but I think I have the basics of determination alchemy down as for how old I am well I never aged past my twenty third birthday in 1943 but if we're speaking literally i'm technically ninety nine.

Chara: Interesting but yeah mom always did try to teach me and Azzy but he seemed to pick up on it better than I did.

Asriel: Remember that time you scorched dad's beard off?

They both laugh at the memory as the mood lightens up with Joseph answering more questions from Viktor about his past travels and experiences before Viktor asked about the symbol on his bracer.

Viktor: Say Joseph what's with the pentagram?

Joseph: Oh that's how I channel the magic energy and manipulate it into basically whatever I need it to be based on both the four elements of nature being Earth, Wind, Fire,and Water plus the three basic principles of magick creation, destruction,and transmutation though there's a bit more to it than that but that's a story for another time,

A news broadcast interrupts them as the two alien spacecrafts finally touch down on earth neither of them noticing the continued passing of time as 7pm chimed on the old grandfather clock as the two aliens emerged from the pods looking more human than they'd initially expected, they looked around rather annoyed at the humans standing around gawking before one stepped closer rather timidly.

Harrold: Hey are you guys Alie-

The man never got to finish his sentence as the taller of the two lifted his hand as a massive explosion leveled the city to dust leaving a massive crater with the two floating slightly above it, Viktor Chara Asriel and Joseph didn't see the initial attack due to the camera's being destroyed but they most definitely felt the ensuing shockwave as it knocked over a few pictures that hung on the walls as the four braced themselves against the impact of the blast, Viktor was the first to recover as he helped Chara off the floor as Joseph did the same for Asriel having used his body as a shield, they all just stared at each other none of them knowing exactly what to say before Viktor spoke.

Viktor: Uh guys…...we're gonna need to get somewhere safe and fast….