Chapter 2 – Feverish Desires

Death is a shadow that lurks in the dark, he crawls under little children's beds and he is always there. He is always there, following you, and the closer he gets, the sooner he will take you as his own. He is the ghost that people fear, and he is the tormentor of the many corpses claimed by death. You know when your time is nearing its end when you can feel the chill of his icy breath as it tickles the hairs on the back of your neck.

The sooner we all realize how impermanent our life is, the less entangled we will get in superficial things, things that bring pain within our hearts. Allowing the thought of death to enter our minds is something that seems surreal and scary, however it provides us with true feelings and guidance. Death will eventually come, it could be today, it could be tomorrow or it could be in many years. So why do we dwell on the thought of death? Every day there's people dying, every second someone is saying goodbye to their loved ones, it could even be someone's pet. Why do we allow death to scare us?

It never ran through Eren's mind, not even once. He'd never truly stopped to think about it: his death. That was something he'd expected to come much later. Maybe by the hands of a sickness or an accident, not a vampire. Definitely not a vampire.

When he screamed those words: "I choose death", he had sealed his oncoming fate. He'd at least brought on some premature end to his life.

Death? He chooses death!? No...he can't! He can't give up that easily!

Or so he thought.

"Damn! Why would you want to die!? That's pathetic!" Levi yelled as he took his foot away from the wall. "You should cherish your mortality, not throw it away like it's garbage!"

His shoe came crashing down on the same place, over and over again. He punctuated every unforgiving word with a kick to the wall; each time, he moved the boot closer to Eren's face. The boy was trembling with an existential dread of emotion. He kept wondering why the vampire was doing this to him. He could've just killed him and been done with it, but no. He pardoned his life on the act of caring. Wait. No. This man didn't care, he was doing this because he hated humans.

"Well!? Answer me!"

Eren's gaze shot up, staring at Levi with tear-filled eyes. His lips quivered and the skin next to his ear was beginning to bleed. His throat was dry from crying, and every thought he had went to avoiding a mental breakdown.

"I...I don't—"

"You don't what!?"

Another choked sob escaped the brunet's lips.

"Please...s-stop..." He said, lowering his head to touch the floor.

Levi stepped away as he breathlessly stared at the boy with a flaming hatred. His eyes were fluctuating in and out, being a vivid, blood-red one moment, then a beautiful, deep gray the next. Every time he screamed, they would turn red, a small slit made visible through his eyelids. They harbored not a hint of kindness nor a glimmer of light. Anger. That's all there was.

"No! Get up!" His boot was sitting just above Eren's fingers, threatening to crush them under its weight. "If you don't stand right now, I'll break every single one of your fingers!"

"Stop it...please. I beg of you..." Eren spoke through the tears.

"Then get up."

Eren just continued to cry, sniffling every few seconds. If it was any other human, their fingers would've been smashed a long time ago, but Levi felt remorseful for once in his life. His blood boiled with rage, he wanted to snap the kid's neck then and there, but the little voice echoing in his mind was telling him to be patient. It kept screaming at him, shouting words of malice and loathing, surrounding him with a wall of regret.

Why are you doing this?! You can't blame the boy for your life! He didn't do anything to you! You're so regretful of past decisions, this boy has nothing to do with that! Wake up, Levi! Stop doing this to yourself, just move on! Let it go!

"NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

His legs buckled and his body went limp, his breathing sped up as he fell forward. He thought for sure he'd hit the ground, the surface was solid, but definitely not the floor. It wasn't cold like the tile should be, but warm instead.

So warm...like a fire...w-what is this...am I...dying?

His eyes cracked open slightly, scanning the room as his consciousness returned little by little. The warmth was persistent, and Levi wanted to know why. He looked at his hands before his gaze slid to where his arms were being held by a pair of delicate fingers. Fingers? One's that gripped onto his skin at the realization that he was awake.

Behind me.

The man's eyes motioned behind him, and what he saw shocked him. There was a pair of bright green irises shining down on him with a worried look.

"Wh...what happened?" He said as he massaged his temple.

"Y-you collapsed! I-I didn't know what to do..." Eren cried, burying his face into the crook of the man's neck.

The vampire cursed under his breath. "Ack! Hey, let up, will ya?"

"Oh...s-sorry...are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Get off me. I don't really fancy having a Slayer snotting on me."

Eren leaned away, complying to Levi's wishes.

"I don't understand...why did you fall?"

"I don't kn—" Levi began to turn around, but his breath caught in his throat once he laid eyes on the boy's neck.

"Huh?"

"...I...no..."

"Levi?"

"No, get away from me."

Eren backed up a little. "Um..."

I can't control myself...my thirst is killing me...I want to feed, I want to bite...wait, no! What am I thinking!? I...what's happening to me?

"Get out of here!"

"What? Why?"

"Just leave! Now!"

"What's wrong with you!?"

"I...I want to eat! I need blood! I'm hungry...so, so hungry! It h-hurts... Please...run away. I don't want to hurt you!"

Those words caused every one of Eren's muscles to tense, every tendon and ligament, even his veins went still from fear. The hands that were bound to his side started moving towards the vampire's face, reaching up to caress his cheek.

"I hate to say this, but...you can drink from me...if you're hurting that much..."

Levi's eyes shot up, his steely gaze locking with turquoise gems. The dull ache in his chest was coming back, an ache he couldn't get rid of since...since that happened.

-334 years ago-

-England, 1688-

A scream resonated through the damp alleyways of London, England.

"Farlan!"

A man with strawberry blond hair was running through an alley when a pair of fangs lunged directly at him. His agility proved useful, but he was too slow. The blood-sucker grabbed his wrist, dragging him over to a door.

A vampire!?

He wriggled against the fingers that held his arm in place.

"Now, now. Stop struggling. I won't hurt you." The immortal being leaned in closer to the man's neck, showing off a pair of pearly white canines. "It seems someone is searching for you. Tell me, are you a Slayer?"

Farlan tensed, his blood running cold as teeth sank into his skin, they went deeper and deeper, until he could feel the warmth leaving his body. The vampire's grip became stronger with every second, and its fangs sank even deeper than before.

"Agh! St...stop! Let me go, immediately! I'll kill you!" He screamed, but his voice was raspy from blood loss, not making for a very pretty sound, not to mention the teeth in his throat.

The fanged person released its hold on the boy's neck, then quickly replaced it with a hand. "Well, that's not very nice."

His gaze lowered to the sword connected to the boy's waist, grinning in an almost happy way.

"So! You are a Slayer. Ah, thank goodness. I was beginning to lose hope."

"Kah! ...w...wh..at...?" The voice that was coming out wasn't going to last much longer, he was losing strength, as well as energy.

"Oh dear, don't strain yourself." The vampire leaned closer and licked its lips. "That was a lovely meal. You taste delicious."

It then let go of Farlan's neck, allowing him to drop to the ground before strolling off. Farlan laid there for several minutes, he could feel the life draining from his soul, he knew he didn't have much longer.

Is this...what death feels like...? It's so...peaceful.

His comrade ran up to his lifeless body minutes later, grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking them with a gentle pressure.

"Damn it, Farlan, I told you this was a vampire's territory! Wake up, please!" He kept shaking until he saw the two, equally-spaced puncture wounds on his friend's neck.

They were oozing scarlet, there was so much, so much blood. The other man couldn't bear the thought of his friend being bitten, he couldn't comprehend how this had happened, why it would happen.

"No...Farlan...please... Don't leave me!" He yelled, voice breaking, while hugging the other close to his chest.

He was about to give up and just walk away, but a hand gripped at his jacket, causing him to look down. The sight wasn't what he wanted to see, not by any means what he expected.

"F-Farlan...?"

Sharp nails dug into his arm, drawing blood.

"Farlan!? Stop!"

He's a...a vampire?! No, no way!

Another slash snapped him away from his thoughts.

"Gah! F-Farlan, g-get off me! You've gone crazy, what's gotten into you!?"

The newly-turned vampire shoved his comrade's back into the cobblestone street, snapping and biting at the skin on his neck.

"Please! Fight it!" He screamed, doing his best to repel the attack.

No response.

"PLEASE! YOU CAN DO THIS, FARLAN! THIS ISN'T WHO YOU ARE!" The man lunged his arm forward, offering it to the vampire's thirst.

He gasped at the repulsive feeling of teeth ripping his flesh apart, but he had to do something, he had to live. His vampiric friend was now hitting bone as he continued tearing at the flesh. It hurt, it really hurt, but not worse than the feeling of not being there when Farlan needed him most. A few tears streamed down from his eyes, filling his mouth with a salty taste, along with a metallic flavored liquid.

Blood...? W-what...?

Farlan was shredding his throat apart. The bloody taste was coming from his wound. When it flooded into his mouth, he could feel the coppery fluid sliding down his throat and gushing across his tongue. The man didn't know what to do, he was dying, his unit wasn't anywhere near their location, and there wasn't much time left.

His eyes fell to the distance, eyeing an individual that was speeding towards them, sword in hand, ready to kill. The other Slayer's voice was barely audible as he ran, but the man caught what he was saying.

"I'm so sorry, Levi."

As soon as those words escaped his lips, the sword was brought down upon Farlan's neck, slicing a clean cut all the way through. The vampire's head went flying, rolling over and hitting the wall. Farlan's body went limp, collapsing in Levi's arms. The man held his friend close with what little strength he had left, clasping onto his jacket with his left hand, the one that wasn't ripped to shreds.

"Far...lan..." He spoke in a raspy tone, gurgling from all the blood in his throat. Suddenly, he felt a searing pain and then his vision went red.

The next moments were but a mere blur, they were foggy and scattered. Levi wasn't even sure if they were real. The pain was gone, but he could still feel blood. It coated his hands, his mouth, his clothes, everything was red. He looked down and discovered the Slayer who'd saved him earlier was laying on the ground, dead. His body was mangled beyond recognition, and blood was running across the cobblestone like water, puddling at his boots. His eyes settled on his own hands, gazing at them in confusion, Levi's breath was stuck in his throat.

What are these...?

He thought as he lifted his hands up to the light, noticing the sharp nails that had appeared.

"Huh? Claws? Eh! M-my arm! It's not injured!?"

Levi then motioned towards his neck, lifting his fingers to caress the porcelain skin. It wasn't torn, there was no gaping wound or blood-covered flesh. Just skin, as perfect as ever.

"Hm? I could've sworn...hah! Farlan?!"

Silence.

"Farlan, where are you!?"

Levi walked around for a few minutes, then his body dragged him past a window. He eyed his reflection, inspecting his body, grabbing at his arms to make sure they were together, and examining his face. He stepped closer to the glass, that's when his mind finally jogged his memory. There were fangs, cat-like, scarlet eyes, and a blood-stained soldier. Levi couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was a vampire?

"No! No! I refuse! This is just some sick joke, right?! None of this is real!" He fell to his knees, his mind running rampant, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

-Present day-

-Chicago, Illinois, 2022-

"Ma'am, we're in position and ready to fire. Just give us the signal." A man whispered into a watch on his wrist. A feminine voice came through, her tone sent everyone into alert mode.

"Patience, my children, patience."

"But—"

"No, you must wait. Good things come to those who wait."

The man sighed and lowered his hand. "Yes ma'am."

.

.

.

Okie! I'm back again. And it seems that some people actually enjoy my trash writing...um...anyway! Thank you to all who have read this! :p