David knew the moment Michael stepped into the old hotel that he wouldn't be leaving. He also knew exactly why he had come. Of course he wouldn't be able to do it, he was already intrinsically bound to the pack. That meant Michael knew, someone had gone and spilled the beans about the reality of Santa Carla. It was bound to happen sooner or later but he had hoped that it would be later.
The halfling was still asleep, would be for an hour or so longer unless something or someone woke him up. Perhaps it was better this way, that Michael knew the truth, it wasn't like he could escape it and when the hunger hit, man, he couldn't wait to see what would happen, what he would do. The best thing would be if Michael came crawling to him for answers, for blood, the anticipation practically made him giddy.
He stretched, letting go of his perch and landing silently on the ground. He tugged his socks and boots on before strolling into the lobby. Michael was sleeping on the couch, dead to the world. He settled into his chair and watched, waiting for the brunette to wake up. Hopefully the other boys wouldn't come in and make a ruckus, he wanted Michael to wake up on his own and see David sitting there.
Michael's eyes snapped open, darting quickly about the room before they landed on David. Slowly, he sat up. And it was quite clear the amount of fear behind his eyes was enough to make him reconsider why he hadn't finished what he'd started when he came by that afternoon. But he somehow managed to quell it, licking his bottom lip as he shifted and pulled himself into a sitting position, hands pressed to the cushions in preparation to make a break for it if he had to. "David," Michael rasped, lowering his eyebrows. He might as well have screamed his name, for all the good it would do, because what he was about to ask was like something fruitlessly shouted into the eye of a storm, "take it back."
David chuckled softly, "It doesn't work that way, there's no magic wand, I can't snap my fingers and 'take it back'. You're one of us," he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. In some ways this was the reaction he had been hoping for, "and nothing is going to change that."
Michael reached up towards his earring, "you've got me pegged wrong. I'm not one of you. I've got a family, and I don't want to eat people. That's what you do, isn't it? I can't even eat a burger unless it's pretty much black. I don't think I'd work out."
David knew, really knew, what Michael's reality was now, "You've got a killer's instinct." He held out his arm, rolled up his sleeve and slit into his wrist, "It's not all we do, there's so much more to us than just eating people." The moment the scent of his blood rose into the air, Michael's pupils dilated. And David could hear his heart hammering in his chest like a hummingbird's, "Forever. That's what this is, it's forever. You'll never grow old, never die, and we will take you higher than you ever thought possible."
Slowly, Michael closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd only had a taste, and the couple of days they'd decided to give him to seek them out again had done nothing but let it build inside him. Oh, it would be so very easy to draw the killer out right now, kicking and screaming. But...they had all the time in the world because the moment the blood had hit his tongue the first time he was locked in, he'd stopped aging, would be this version of Michael forever and David wanted to enjoy it.
"Thanks Morrison, but I think I'll pass, so you can light someone else's fucking fire," Michael replied coolly, forcing himself to stand up and walk towards the lobby exit. The rest of the boys had made their silent entry, drawing quietly up alongside the wall, and nesting in the dancing shadows while they waited for a word from David.
David shook his head, "Michael…" his voice was low as he narrowed his eyes after him, "Come and take a drink." It was an order even if it was wrapped up the the appearance of a choice. He was still bleeding, the blood falling to the floor in fat drops. Michael paused mid-step, shoulders tensing up while he kept his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. Slowly, he turned his head back to glare at David, eyes gold and defiant, before he flipped him the bird and kept walking, "Dwayne." He kept his eyes locked on the brunette. The other vampire was on Michael in a flash, grabbing the struggling man and hauling him back over to kneel in front of David. He got to his feet, looking down at him, "This is the only warning you get, Michael. You need to learn to behave yourself. Sure, some of it will come in time but this? This time it was all you." He held up his bleeding wrist, "Love the eyes by the way." He forced the wound against his lips, watching intently as he was forced to swallow.
Michael tried to shift under Dwayne's firm grasp, glaring angrily at David, mentally vowing to kill the bastard when he got his next chance. But soon, the blood didn't leave much room for more thought, and his eyelids fluttered closed as he drank. Gentle fingers slid through his hair, calming him, urging him to keep drinking. He gave a soft whimper as his hands reached up to press the wrist closer to his lips.
"See, not so bad, is it?" Those fingers kept combing through his hair, the blood dripping into his mouth but slowing as the wound began to close. When he finally pulled away, Michael was blinking up at him, supporting himself on shaking knees.
"You shon of a bitch…" He slurred, falling back as Dwayne released him, bringing his hands up to run quivering fingers through his hair and trying to steady himself as the world around him spun. Marko and Paul stood behind David, watching intently before exchanging a smug look between each other. They didn't usually get a show like this. A nice change from the screams and desperate begging, as much as they enjoyed that too.
"Call me whatever you want, eventually you'll change your tune." David stated, moving back to sit in his chair, "I don't think you'll be going anywhere tonight." He chuckled, "Feelin' good?"
Michael rolled onto his side, facing away from David as he drew his knees up to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut, "fuck you."
"Looks like it," Dwayne remarked with a roll of his eyes as he stalked towards the couch and dropped down, slinging a leg up and relaxing.
"So, boys, what do you think? What should we do tonight?" He kept his eyes on Michael as he spoke, "Do let me know if you want anything, need anything."
"How about those chicks from the other night, huh? Mikey won't get to have fun with them, but he'll get to see what he's missing," Paul suggested with a soft laugh as he popped a piece of gum in his mouth and propped his elbows up on the back of David's wheelchair.
"Not a half bad idea for once, Pauly." Marko grinned, "Paul and I will even go out and get them for us."
"Don't worry, Michael, you don't have to kill anyone tonight." David stated softly. He could barely hear him now, as the blood took hold, crimson claws digging into his veins and tearing at them, consuming him from the inside out. A few more tastes here and there, and even if he did figure out a way to 'kill the head vampire', which he wouldn't, it would only end up killing him, too.
For Michael, the night could have passed in a minute or a year, he wasn't really in his right mind to tell. What he did know was that he seemed to have lost his tongue. And when garbled voices asked what was wrong with him, he barely made out some sort of explanation. Too much partying. Then laughter...and eventually screaming. Followed by the smell of blood, so much of it, he yearned to taste it but was denied.
"Get some sleep, Michael, I'll make sure you get home safe and sound. We'll see you again soon." David's voice broke through the haze. When he finally sank into darkness not long after, he found himself in a mental battle of wills with the part of him that actively looked forward to the idea, and the part that was slowly being stripped away piece by piece.
He could physically feel the sun on his face, so hot Michael could almost smell himself sizzling. Someone had just yanked open the window shades in his bedroom...and he could barely lift a finger or talk. But he had to. He had to make himself move…
"Sam…" Michael croaked, already breathless from the effort.
Sam scowled at him, "Hey, you look like shit, what's wrong with you?"
He knew he was going to be out again soon if he didn't say something, didn't tell Sam...drop a hint. "C...omic. Comic real. Grandpa." Hopefully Sam was smart enough to pick up on it before he fell right back asleep.
His brother blinked down at him, "Umm, I'm gonna go get grandpa, okay? I'll be right back." He wasn't gone long, coming back with grandpa not long after, "Something's really wrong with him, I think he's hallucinating."
Grandpa stood over him and shook his head, "Damn fool." Honestly he wasn't sure what to tell Michael to do except maybe run. knowing damn well hallucinations had nothing to do with Michael's problem. Clearly the boy hadn't managed to kill the head vampire last night. Not too surprising. If it were that easy, anyone smart enough to pick up on a condition like his would be cured long before they came close to making their first kills...and Santa Carla wouldn't be a damn haven for the sons of bitches.
It would be a good, long while before the sun went down and Michael was coherent enough to hold a conversation. He looked even paler today than yesterday...yeah, the boy had something to talk to him about, alright. But as long as he was here now, and he hadn't turned to bacon on his bedspread, there was still hope. "Sam," the old man rounded on his youngest grandson.
"Yeah, grandpa?" Sam looked nervous, becoming more worried by the second.
"I want you to get your skinny ass in that kitchen and brew a pot of coffee. Black. When you got that taken care of, you bring it in here, and you go back to brew another. You just keep doing that until I tell you to stop, you hear me?"
Sam scowled, "How's that gonna help? That's a lot of coffee."
Grandpa Emerson gave him a very firm frown, pointing to the door, "do what I said." He paused, "and bring a batch of instant in here with a spoon while you're at it."
Sam grumbled but went and did as he was told, "Still say it's too much coffee for one old man, gonna get a heart attack from all the caffeine."
It took a little longer than it should have, and by the time Sam arrived with the first batch of coffee, the old man was practically staring him down, "you fartin' around in there when I gave you something to do?" He didn't have time to play. They needed to get this dealt with. Probably have to let the kid in on what happened to his brother, too.
"No, this is stupid though! Why do you need so much coffee?" He plopped the pot down, "Mike's sick, he doesn't need coffee, he needs a doctor."
"Sam," he sighed, rubbing at his temples as he snatched the pot up, coffee sloshing up to the lid, "doctor can't help this problem. Get a mirror before you put the next one on to boil." He looked down at Michael and reached forward with his free hand to prop his grandson's head up as Sam headed back downstairs, scowling in confusion. "Tough love, kid," he grumbled as he pressed the spout to Michael's lips and slowly began to pour. In an instant, Michael was sputtering and trying to shove him away.
"The fuck, grandpa?!" He exclaimed as he coughed groggily.
"Just drink, Michael. Only way I'm gonna get a lick of sense out of you before nightfall." He sighed, "And who knows what I'll get out of you after the sun sets."
Gagging, Michael reached up to pull the pot out of his grandfather's grasp, " I want a cup," he grumbled irately as he forced himself to begin drinking. It was hot. Probably scalding the kid's tongue, but all the better to wake him the hell up.
"What happened?"
Shifting until he was in a proper sitting position, Michael slowly lowered the coffee pot to his lap, "went there. Tried to kill him...couldn't. Fell asleep, then asked them to take it back when I woke up." He scowled, closing his eyes and taking another couple of large gulps, burping after the effort and bringing a fist to his mouth to keep himself from doing anything worse. "Then…"
Grandpa waited silently for him to continue, taking the pot from him and pouring some of the coffee into a cup when Sam returned with a second batch and something to drink it out of.
"Set it down and go make another one." He handed him the now empty pot, waiting for Michael to continue. Sam's eyes bugged out of his head, but one more look from the old man sent him out of the room grumbling.
"They told me they wouldn't...couldn't...I dunno. Then I told them to fuck off, and…" Michael trailed off, lowering his eyebrows angrily as he cup from his grandfather's hands, pinching the bridge of his nose and forcing himself to drink more. Then he slowly lowered the cup and stared bleakly at the wall ahead, thoughts reluctantly rewinding themselves back to that moment last night when they held him down and made him drink David's blood. Just the thought sent his heart rate into overdrive, waking him up far more than a dozen pots of coffee ever could as he unconsciously drug his tongue along his bottom lip.
"What happened next?" He prompted, swallowing slightly. The look on Michael's face was hungry. Predatory, even. In that moment...he looked nothing like his grandson and he had to rely on his words to bring him back.
"They didn't want to let me leave," Michael rasped, shaking his head, "grabbed me and restrained me. Then...David cut his wrist, and he put it over my mouth," Michael took a shaky breath, "couldn't stop myself…"
"You drank again." He paused, "Noticed any changes? Thought of what you're going to do? You said you couldn't kill him."
Michael drained his cup to the dregs, holding it out to him for more, "want more. Can't get it out of my head. Couldn't even walk after that. They made me lay there while they brought a bunch of girls over...when I heard them screaming…" Michael squeezed his eyes shut, "god, grandpa, I wanted to join in!"
"Run." He poured him another cup, "We could always try animal blood, see if it helps, but the longer you stay around them, the harder it's going to be to resist."
"You...you think we could get away? They wouldn't try to follow?" Michael looked dubious, and as Sam returned to the room with another batch of coffee and a small hand mirror, he just barely caught the end of the conversation.
"We can't know for sure." He took the mirror, scowling at Michael, "You feelin' okay?" He questioned, as he examined him. When Michael spoke of the previous night, about the blood, he swore his eyes turned gold for a moment.
"Grandpa…" Michael mumbled, leaning back against the headboard and taking a labored breath. Unable to even begin to force himself to drink any more coffee. It would just come right back up the way it went.
He laid a hand on his knee, "What?"
"Don't suppose you got any of that animal blood you were talking about just laying around the house, do you? Think I might need to try some..."
Sam stared back and forth between them, "WHAT THE HELL?!"
Grandpa got to his feet, handing the mirror to Michael, "I'll see if I have any." He paused, "You can tell Sam."
Michael glanced over at his little brother blearily, yawning as he settled back down into bed, frowning. "Sammy, I'm...gonna show you something. You gotta promise you won't act like a mega-dork and freak out on me...okay?" His eyelids began to flutter.
"You're kinda already freaking me out here but, okay."
Slowly raising his hand with the mirror in it, he offered it to his little brother, "look at me with this. Think your comic probably says some shit about it…" Michael yawned again. "Don't wanna go through the whole story again…" And then, he was asleep.
Sam slowly tilted the mirror, looking at his brother before letting out a choked scream, "Y-You're a shit sucker! A goddamn vampire!" The drama was wasted on him. He wasn't waking up any time soon.
"Keep your voice down, boy." Grandpa had a plastic container filled with thick red. He pulled the top off, the smell of old pennies filling the room, "Michael," he slowly touched his shoulder, "brought you Bambi."
Michael, the idiot that he was, was planning on taking off. David drummed his fingers on his thigh. That just couldn't be allowed. The kid was so fucking stubborn and although it made the chase that much more rewarding it also made him a pain in the ass. The biggest pain in the ass he'd ever, had to deal with and he'd dealt with Paul and Marko. David was offering him the world, and he just wanted to throw it back in his face! He felt like the fucking goblin king right now. Michael would have no choice but to give in, he'd just have to make sure the teen understood that.
David got to his feet, heading for the exit, "Gonna go wait for Michael to try and leave town, I want to see his face when he realizes he's stuck here until I deem otherwise." He glanced back at the boys, "Can come with me if you're going to be good boys."
Marko stretched, "beats doing clean-up duty tonight." He glanced over at the pile of bodies they'd yet to get rid of in the corner of the lobby. Probably just toss them in a pit or something.
"It'll have to be taken care of sooner or later." Dwayne said as he headed outside.
"Hey, why don't we hide them in a couple of trunks?" Paul suggested with a grin, "heard some big shot singers are coming to a concert tonight. Be funny to see the headlines tomorrow…"
"Too much attention." Dwayne responded, "We don't need that."
The bleach blonde rolled his eyes, "He's right, I know you see the headlines but this is already the murder capital, don't need to add celebrities to that list."
"Could put them in a couple of beds tonight, though," Marko suggested. "No headlines...but the screams'd be worth it."
David looked thoughtful, "That's doable." He mounted his bike, "You do that, I'll take care of Michael."
"Uh...mom?" Michael poked his head out the front door, where Lucy was relaxing on the patio with a cup of tea. She'd finally found a small job working at the local supermarket, so she wasn't home today. Was lucky enough to avoid the brunt of the drama. He wasn't too sure he wanted to tell her anything anyway, if he could help it.
"What is it, honey?" She put her tea down.
"Grandpa and I are going on a camping trip. Tonight."
She scowled, "It's such short notice, is everything alright?" It was wonderful that they were spending time together but this was sudden.
'Nope, mom. Just turning into a vampire. Probably going to end up slaughtering a bunch of innocent people and playing bat in a cave for awhile. You know. Typical teenage shit.' "Nope, mom. Just...uh...there was this girl back in Phoenix. I'm having some trouble getting over her is all…" Smooth.
She nodded, "You can always talk to me, you know that, right?"
He looked thoughtful, shaking his head, "don't think you can help me with this." He jerked his head up, when he could swear he saw a light flickering out of the corner of his eye on the front lawn. A cigarette? No...he was just imagining it.
"If you're sure…" She got up, hugging him, "Alright, honey." As she wrapped her arms around him, Michael slowly raised his own, but...then he caught a whiff of something. Not her perfume...something beneath it. Sweet. Mesmerizing…She pulled back, "You should go get your stuff ready if you're going."
He quickly nodded, rushing back inside with wide eyes, clutching at his chest as he spun about and dashed through the house. They should've left earlier. Should've already gone by now...but grandpa and Sam just weren't strong enough to carry him...and after that little talk, he was just too spent to leave his bed. And now it felt like a thousand hammer blows were assaulting his ears. He knew what it was too, as he pressed his fists to the side of his head and leaned up against a wall. Heartbeats. Mom's, Sam's, grandpa's...fuck...even Nanook's.
He was so close to the stairs...could go up and lock himself in his room before he did anything, but that was when the stomach cramps started. Fuck, it was like someone had tug their hand into his core and started twisting from the inside out. Michael whimpered, closing his eyes tightly and trying to block out the world around him. All the animal blood had done was leave a bad taste in his mouth, and maybe clear the fog from his mind a little...but it just wasn't…
Michael.
He opened his eyes, looking about frantically, "David?!" He hissed, absolutely terrified of himself.
Michael.
That voice, it echoed through his head, felt so right, so soothing. God, he wanted to fight it. Tried to. But it was a balm on his anger and fear. He couldn't help but listen.
Where do you think you're headed?
"I'm leaving. I don't want to be one of you. Already told you that," he rasped, then grunted and pulled his knees up to his chest as a new wave of pain assaulted his stomach.
He could hear his laugh in his head. Sure you will. Hungry?
"What do you think, asshole?" He gritted his teeth, taking a deep breath when it seemed as if the pain was going away, only to come back seconds later even worse than before. He couldn't take this much longer. Even scarier, a tiny part of him didn't seem to mind the idea of knocking off someone in the house just to make it go away.
That kid looks tasty, bad taste in clothes, but that doesn't affect the flavor any. He could picture exactly what David was doing, leaning against a tree, smoking, as he looked at the house.
Then, Michael stood up, opened his eyes, and began to climb the stairs.
He's up there, on his bed, looking at some stupid comic.
And he couldn't even begin to think, as David's voice took root in his head, carrying him further towards the second story.
Some trash about vampires or maybe it's some asshole in tights.
He was standing right outside Sam's bedroom door now, reaching for the handle. Turning it.
Think of how good it would feel to pin him down.
The door was open. And Sam looked up at him fearfully, while Nanook perched beside him on the bed growling.
To drive your fangs into his throat, feel that hot, thick, red treat spill past your lips, slide down your throat.
"Mike?" Sam said his name. "Mike, are you okay?" He repeated, drawing back and digging his hands into Nanook's pelt in fear. Michael took a few steps forward as the husky began to snarl and snap his jaws in warning.
Break the dog's neck, drink your fill, taste the fear, the pain, as you taste the best thing in the world, the thing that gives life to all.
In that instant, when Michael drew his upper lip up into his own snarl, the dog leapt from the bed and dove for him, knocking him back against the wall and driving fangs into his shoulder. "MIKE!" Sam shouted. Then the brunette managed to shove the dog away, cradling his arm in his hand, as David's control over him in that instant seemed to snap. Or...he let it.
"Mike?" Sam crept out of his room, looking down at Nanook, who'd calmed down enough to lumber back into the room, now that the threat seemed to have faded. "What'd you do to my dog, you asshole?!" He demanded, when he saw his brother cradling a bleeding hand.
"Sam…" Michael grumbled, closing his eyes and slamming his head back against the wall. "Are you fucking kidding me, right now?"
He could practically hear David laughing and in that moment he knew David had let him go. Sam glared at him, checking Nanook for injuries, "What the hell, asshole? You okay buddy." He rubbed through his fur, "Won't let that mean shit sucker eat you."
"Sam," Michael ground out, trying to maintain his temper. "If you weren't my little brother, I'd beat the shit out of you right now."
"You're the one that tried to eat my dog, asshole." He grumbled into his fur.
"This is my blood, you little weasel!" Michael held up his dripping hand. He was just glad the smell didn't work him up. Apparently his own blood wouldn't do it for him...which was nice, if he was going to deal with an insane husky snapping at him like that. "He…" Michael took a breath, "he was trying to protect you…"
"You were gonna eat me?!"
"Don't you think I'd have done it by now if I was?!" Michael stood up, licking at his hand to clean it. He didn't even realize how animalistic or odd that was. It just seemed natural.
"Eww, gross. Mike, you're like a dog."
Michael slowly lowered his hand, half-clean by now, frowning down at it and then looking back up at Sam, "I think running away might not be such a good idea…I'm...going to go talk to him again tomorrow." He'd already given his brother a short breakdown of the events, leaving out the extra blood-drinking fiasco. Because talking him off of the roof twice in a row would have just been ridiculous.
"Why aren't you gonna run? He can't get to you if you're not here."
Shaking his head, Michael just looked at his brother sadly, "he'll find me. I'm pretty sure he'll make me do something if he catches up…"
"That's a bullshit excuse, what if he never catches you? You'd be safe!" He paused, "And I can go kill him for you."
"It's hard to explain, Sammy. He'll...I just have a feeling he'll know where I am, okay? I'm not letting you get your ass killed just because you want to save the day, either. I'll handle this on my own...I just need more time."
"Bullshit, I'm gonna get some help...Just, don't be stupid."
Michael leveled him with a dark look, "I'm going to go talk to grandpa and tell him I can't leave. I think I should tell you the same thing. Don't be stupid, Sam. I'll figure this out."
Sam shook his head, his brother was an idiot if he thought he could take care of it himself. Those Frog brothers seemed to have a pretty good idea about how to handle this kind of thing. Maybe they'd know more than grandpa.