Dhampire No More
Chapter 3: Gains and Losses
By Chad 'Graeystone' Harger
xxxxx
(Note: This chapter is rated M for graphic violence.)
D pushed Doris away from him. "You are not Doris," he said.
The look a like smiled. "I'm told that I look like mother," she said. "I'm her daughter, Danielle. Call me Dani."
"I didn't know Doris had a daughter," said D with surprise. After the bitter parting he had no further contact with the Langs.
"I hate to break this up but D needs to rest," said Johan.
"I'll visit tomorrow if that's fine," said Dani. "I'm staying at the hotel two streets over. I've heard so much about you and I can't wait to hear the stories."
"If I was only thirty years younger and single," said Johan after Dani left.
"That would be unwise of you," said D in a low tone of voice. "There are a handful of people that I actually care about. The Lang family is among them. You better keep your manners around her."
"A-alright," stuttered Johan.
D went back to his room and went to sleep. He was tired and exhausted from what happened earlier. He was happy Doris found real love. Perhaps the last time they met it opened her eyes to the kind of man he sometimes is. "I'm not a nice man," muttered D as he fell asleep and started to dream.
D is in Count Lee's castle. The degenerate count is in the middle of the sham of a marriage to Doris. Count Lee turned his head hearing a slight noise. A dagger strikes his eye. Count Lee does not yell in pain as most vampires would. He pulled the dagger out and senses that accursed vampire hunter D.
D attacks with deadly silence. He wants to make sure the last thing Count Lee sees is D's sword cutting him down the center. Count Lee however is not powerless. His ten thousand years of life is evident of it. He raises a barrier and slams D against the ceiling.
Count Lee raises D's sword with a telekinetic grip and touches the tip of the blade against D's neck. "How many vampires have you killed with this sword?" asks Count Lee.
D does not answer and instead taps into his own power and nothing happens. D attempts again. He can feel the blade dig slowly into his neck. He starts to panic as blood starts to spray out. D cannot understand why his power fails him.
"Did you think a human could defeat my father?" asks Ramika mournfully.
A human? D turns his head and with peripheral vision he sees his hand is fleshed colored like a human.
The sword digs deeper in his neck. Blood sprays from wherever the sword cuts. D screams but his mouth produces no sound. The sword destroyed his vocal cords and voice box. The sword completes its deadly objective. D's eyes widen in fear one last time and –
D screamed and woke up. His body and bed sheets are drenched in sweat. He is tangled up in the blanket. He kicked and pushed it away. With a free hand he grabbed his neck. Calming down he stares at the wall. The image of the nightmare stuck in his mind. D does his best to push the nightmare out of his mind. He is thankful he no longer has photographic memory.
D got up and used the bathroom. This time he feels no revulsion after urinating. "Don't tell me I'm getting used to that," he said.
The clock on the wall reads nine AM. D used the call box. A nurse came to his room. "How are you feeling?" asked the nurse as she took D's vitals.
D looked at the name on the nurse's tag. Her name is Julie. "Except for the nightmare I'm feeling better. How is Betty?" said D.
"She is recovering at home. Her brother is with her," said Julie as she checked D's vitals. "Are you hungry?"
"Yes," said D. "I'd like to shower and change first."
Julie did not comment on the sweat-drenched sheets. She had seen worse. She did notice D looked pale. "Is something the matter?" she asked. "You're heart rate and blood pressure are up."
"I had another nightmare," said D. "I don't remember it now except I know it was violent."
Julie smiled to reassure D. "A lot of hunters have nightmares. It's nothing to worry about. Breakfast will be here when you're done taking a shower."
D took his shower. His bed was changed and breakfast waited for him. After eating D went for a walk through the hospital. He stopped at the nurse's desk and asked when Doctor Johan would be available. The nurse said that Johan is in surgery and would not be available until evening.
"I'm going for a walk," said D. "I want to see the sheriff and visit someone."
"I'll have a nurse escort you," said the nurse.
"No thank you," said D without emotion. "I'd rather go alone."
"Very well," said the nurse. It was better she did not object because of what happened yesterday. If D were anyone else they would be trying to get the hospital shut down.
D went outside. He shivered as the cool air passed over him. Before he found the coldness to be comforting as it always kept his body temperature down. Now he found it to be uncomfortable. He adjusted as well as he could. Walking helped keep him warm. D entered the sheriff's building and asked to see the sheriff. A deputy told D to sit down and that the sheriff will be here in a few minutes.
"Hello D," said Sheriff Robert Tanner. "Let's go to my office and talk."
In the sheriff's office, Tanner asked, "What can I do for you?"
"I don't want my name to be mentioned in your report concerning Yonda's death," said D.
Robert did not like leaving anything out of a report. There would be no trial. Betty's story backed D's account and the known patterns concerning Yonda's criminal activities. D's actions were self-defense pure and simple. "Why don't you want to be mentioned in the report?" asked Robert. "If your enemies knew you killed one of the top five assassins in the world they would think twice about coming after you."
"Before she died Yonda said she would be known as the assassin who died by my hands," said D. "I will not give the likes of her that kind of legacy."
"What about other assassins who might be coming for you?" asked Robert.
"In a sense I died the day my vampire side was destroyed," said D. "Yonda said there are humans who want me dead. That alone will throw them off for some time."
"This reeks of a cover up and I don't care for that," said Robert. "I can't expect to uphold the law while participating in a lie."
"Write in your report that the dhampire known as D died during the explosion," said D. "That is not a lie. Leaving out the part of my human side being alive is merely an omission."
"What about the Barbaroi and the Nobility?" asked Robert. Being the best vampire hunter made D an enemy to all vampires. The Barbaroi worked for the Nobility as long as the vampires paid them.
"The Barbaroi could be a concern. The first and last time I went there a fight broke out," said D. "They tried to kill me. One of the Markus Brothers interfered in his own way and a lot of Barbaroi died that day. To save face with the vampires the Barbaroi had to declare me an enemy. Before this happened to me they generally left me alone as long as I did not attempt to enter their valley."
"We've stepped up town security for human assassins," said Robert. "When you leave town you will be on your own."
"Is there any clues as to what happened to me?" asked D.
"There is nothing left of the scene," said Robert. "There is an area thirty feet in diameter and its scorched earth from the explosion. There is a lot of ashes most likely what is left from the vampires you were fighting."
D's heritage was that of being the son of Dracula the Vampire King. D inherited all of his father's power. Like his father in later years when he started to repent of his sins, he rarely used his full power; D was trained the same way. D never tapped his power unless had to.
"The kind of vampires you hired me to kill are known as blood packs," said D.
"I thought their butchery was unusually animalistic," said Robert.
Blood pack vampires are created through the bite. What makes them different is that their minds are drained of intelligence and have no chance of ever regaining it and have the mentality wild animals. Nobles create them to be akin to guard animals. The other way blood pack vampires are created is through sloppiness on the Noble's part. Sometimes a Noble will either drain too much blood or not enough blood when feeding. Either way the victim's brain will be starved of oxygen and blood. This causes brain damage. The victim is left with a small part of a vampire's rapid healing ability and it is not enough to repair the brain damage.
"I've fought blood packs before," said D. "I never had a problem with them."
"There is one possibility. It was a trap," said Robert.
"I don't believe so," said D. "I wouldn't be alive period. Given my wounds and turning human I would not have lasted very long. I wish I could remember."
Robert studied D's expression carefully. "Do you want to remember? You look like you are having doubts."
"Why wouldn't I want to remember?" D asked with anger. "I lost my vampire side for crying out loud! That never happens!"
"What is really bothering you?" asked Robert. "Something else is happening to you and you don't know how to handle it."
D slumped in the chair. His anger faded and was replaced with desperation. "I don't know what do. With a couple of exceptions I've always been sure of what to do in a crisis. Now I'm confused and I hate it."
"Take your time," said Robert. "Soon you'll have to make some important decisions. Don't be afraid to make them."
"I know," said D. "Being caught in a time candle trap then stabbed in the heart with my own sword was easier to deal with."
"You were stabbed in the heart?" asked Robert with surprise. Unless D had help Robert could not think of how the dhampire could survive being stabbed in the heart.
"That's the other reason why I'm here. I want to see my sword," said D.
Robert led D to what passed as the evidence room. Robert unlocked the door. D's sword leaned against the wall wrapped in clear plastic. Robert took a knife and cut the plastic. "Here you go," said Robert. "Vampires are strong but that sword weighs a ton. Is it magic?"
"No," D simply said.
Just like himself, his sword was considered a legend. Many people including vampires believed the sword to be one of Dracula's personal weapons. While the sword did have the density and tensile strength of a vampire's cloak while in a solid form, the only other special thing about it was made from an experimental metal D discovered early in his career. D found a ruined lab where scientists created the metal before World War Three wiped out the civilization. D forged the sword as a counter to the vampire's cloak.
D never thought of the sword as heavy. The only time he felt the sword's weight were the times he pushed his luck as heat exhaustion drained him of strength. He always figured it was being weak that made the sword feel heavy. Now he was not sure. D walked over to the sword and put a hand around the hilt. He pulled the sword out a fourth of the way before his arm strained. He let go and the sword slid back into the scabbard.
"D?" asked Robert. He never seen a man this devastated before.
D ignored the sheriff and walked outside. Robert followed him to the exit. He watched D walk down the street with his shoulders slumped and his head hung in defeat.
"What's with him?" asked a deputy.
"Walt, we're in trouble," said Robert. "D lost his vampire side and that's going to cause trouble for the rest of us."
"Yeah, so?" asked Walt. "At least there's one less dhampire in the world."
Robert resisted the urge to beat Walt to a pulp. Robert did not care that Walt was the mayor's son. He was an idiot. "Don't you understand? D was hunting vampire before most of our ancestors were born," said Robert. "Human hunters are a joke to vampires and most dhampire hunters don't last long. D on the other hand was a genuine threat to them. We both know what happened to Count Lee and that vampire was ten thousand years old. When word gets out that D is out of the picture all hell is going to break loose."
xxxxx
D walked down the street feeling despair starting to crush him. People looked at him with pity. Pity was something he did not want. He glared back at the people who looked at him.
"D," said Dani who saw D from across the street. D ignored her and continued wandering. "I know you can hear me," she said.
"I don't want to be bothered," said D.
Dani grabbed D's wrist. "What did I say about that? Call me Dani. I know what your problem is. You need a good stiff drink," she said.
"Now's not the time to get drunk," said D.
"There's a difference between having a drink and getting drunk," said Dani. "You look like hell and need something to settle your nerves."
Danielle grabbed D's wrist and dragged him to a bar. The bar was filled with unsavory types. Some of the people D was sure were wanted for crimes. Others were the usual bullies and troublemakers that wander from town to town, causing trouble that landed them in jail or kicked out of town.
Danielle ordered a bottle of whiskey. She poured herself and D a shot. Danielle tilted her head back and downed the whiskey in one shot. D sat nursing his drink.
"Since you don't have your vampire side it won't hurt you. It'll be strong at first but let it calm your nerves," said Danielle.
D started to laugh then drank the whiskey. The room did spin a little but his nerves calmed down. He slammed the glass on the table. "I feel better. Thank you."
"Wait a minute," said Dani with suspicion. "There's no way you could recover that quickly. You were well, part vampire."
"Vampires can drink alcohol," said D. "They have low tolerance to the stuff so they rarely drink. Even I had that weakness. Its how my father's enemies were able to incapacitate him."
D immediately stopped talking. He never talked about his father let alone what happened to his parents and the aftermath. The doctor said D was more talkative than before. D had to start considering his words before he said them. Dani did not inquire any futher.
"What happened between you and mother?" asked Dani. "Mom rarely talked about it but I know it had something to do with Uncle Dan."
"One of the reasons why I never made any kind of attachments is because of the impact I sometimes have on people. I became a surrogate father to Daniel," said D. "I was a vampire hunter and your grandfather was a werewolf hunter."
"And Dan wanted to do one or the other," said Dani. "Now I know why mother did not talk to Dan for so long. She never out right said it but I knew it hurt her more than she let on when you left after your mission was completed."
"I never return to a town until the people I've known there have died. After I read Doris' letter, it was the first time I ever returned to a town where the people I cared for still lived," said D. "I should have ignored it because nothing was changed."
"Mom wanted you to talk Uncle Dan out of it," said Dani.
"I told them how I felt about it," said D. "I told Doris that Daniel was a man and had the right to choose his own path. Your uncle wanted me to train him and I refused. I also reminded Doris what she told me about her father. I told Daniel that many vampire hunters are fortunate to die or give up and retire. More times than not they end up turned into the very thing they hunt. He knew what the warning behind that was and I would not hesitate in doing the deed if he was ever turned."
"They were unhappy at what you said," said Dani.
"Hunting vampires, especially the nobles, is not a thing for humans," explained D. "At the same time I was hesitant in interfering with the free will humans possess and did not want to force a choice upon Daniel. When I discovered Charlotte did love Link I should have backed off because her feelings were out of her own free will and not forced. The only good thing that came out of that mission was that I was able to stop Carmilla's resurrection with the inadvertent help that came from Link. I'm sure you know what happened to the Marcus Brothers."
D poured another drink but did not drink it.
"Dhapmires want to be left alone and I was only one dhampire," said D. "I have no pity for humans who throw their lives away like that. All of the training and preparation in the world cannot help them when it comes to the likes of Count Lee or Camellia. Most of the average vampires are nearly extinct. The Nobility on the other hand is still out there and you can be sure they will not go quietly into the long night."
"Uncle Dan was good at hunting. He stopped hunting when he got married ten years ago," said Dani. "He and a group of other people built a village in an area that is free of Barbaroi and Nobility."
D did not realized how tense he was. He would never admit that the Langs were the closest thing he has to a family. What he said to Johan was a slip of the tongue.
"You are a woman now," said D. "What are your plans?"
"There's a guy in the village that I've been seeing," said Dani. "We grew up together. Between the both of us farming is going to be a breeze."
"Your mother did not come with you. Is she alright?" asked D fearing the worst.
"She died last year," said Dani softly. "Weak hearts run in the family especially with the women. Count Lee did not help matters. The doctor said the stress she experienced during that time shortened her lifespan. I think that son of a bitch did a number on mother's heart when he bit her and drained her of some her blood."
D felt like an uncaring fool. He should have kept a quiet watch on Doris. He had all the time in the world to make peace with her and he blew it. He thought of Leila and the promise he made with her. It was possible he could never fulfill his part of the promise now that he was no longer immortal.
"Mom wanted me to do something that concerns you if we ever met. She wanted to me to tell you that you were right," said Dani. "She knew Dan could take care of himself and would never put himself into any serious danger. She was scared of being left alone."
"Her father's death," said D.
"Did you know grandfather?" asked Dani. "I always found it odd you did the Lee job for nothing. I thought it was because you knew him."
"I went after Count Lee regardless of your mother's condition," said D. "I am going to tell you something but you must never repeat it to anyone. The older a Noble was, the more personal it was for me."
"You're looking for an excuse to retire," said Dani.
D was taken aback but the sudden claim. "What makes you say that?"
"You keep on referring to the job in the past tense," answered Dani. "You also said hunting isn't a thing for humans which you now are."
D drank his whiskey. "I guess I am," he said with realization. "I quit!" he laughed.
A drunk walked up to them. He leered at Dani. "Hey baby, since loser boy quit why don't I show you a good time?" he asked.
D started to rise out of his seat.
"I got it," said Dani.
D sat back down. "If you say so."
"Be back in a minute," said Dani. She stood up and took the drunk by the arm. "Let's go outside. There's an alley next door."
D watched them leave knowing history was about to repeat itself. Like mother, like daughter D thought.
"What kind of man would let her go off like that alone?" asked an angry waitress.
"She can take care of herself," said D. "Her grandfather and uncle were hunters."
"He's screwed isn't he?" asked the waitress. There are two mistakes a human can make against a hunter. The first is directly angering a hunter the second is messing around with a hunter's family because chances are a hunter will train their children how to fight.
A minute later the answer to her question walked through the front door. Dani shook her right hand while muttering.
"Did you hurt your hand?" asked D.
"His jaw wasn't glass. The ol' knee to the groin always works," said Dani. "On the way back I got an idea. You can always come to the farm for a bit and I can help you adjust to living like a human."
"I don't want to intrude in your life," said D. "I already caused enough interference." D tapped his shot glass. "I know a hunter who retired recently. I have to see her anyway. Her life might be in danger and I want to check up on her."
"D has a crush," teased Dani.
"More like professional courtesy," said D in that tone of voice that betrayed no emotion.
Dani yawned and said, "It must be getting late. I have to start back home in the early morning."
"I better get back to the hospital before Doctor Johan reports me as missing," said D.
"D, could I ask you for a favor?" asked Dani.
"Of course," said D.
"Could you visit mother's grave? I think she would like that," said Dani.
xxxxx
D returned to the hospital. Johan waited for him at D's room. "Where were you?" asked the doctor.
"Visiting a friend," said D.
"I don't know how they did it in the ancient days but patients are not permitted to just wonder off," said Johan.
"When can I be discharged?" asked D.
"In a couple of days maybe less," said Johan. "Have you made plans?"
"I have," said D. "Doctor, I would like to ask a favor of you. I want you to have my sword. It's too heavy to carry and I don't want it laying in the sheriff's evidence room."
"I can do that," said Johan. "Can I keep the jewel also?" he added jokingly.
"Not the jewel. It is part of a . . .promise," said D.
Johan did not enquire further.
Two days later D was discharged from the hospital. Since D did complete the mission he was paid. A third of it went to the hospital for their services. D gave quite a bit to Betty as an apology for what happened to her. D bought a month's worth of supplies and some traveling clothes. For a weapon he bought a much lighter long sword.
D went to the stables to get his horse. The cyber-horse was repaired and fully rested up. D used the rest of his money to pay for the charges of taking care of the horse.
The cyber-horse was not sure about the human D. D gently rubbed the horse and let her sniff him. His body was different but his smell was basically the same. D said a few soothing words to the horse and she finally accepted him.
Leading the horse outside D was greeted by a large group of people. They looked at him with guilt. Many turned their gaze away with shame. They blamed themselves for what happened to him.
"I don't blame anyone for what happened to me," said D. Someone tried to speak. D held up a hand for silence. "I was a hunter. Like all hunters I knew the risks. I willingly took the job without being coerced or forced. What happened to me was unexpected and I still don't know what caused it. Since I awoke I admit I was confused and uncertain what to do next. Now I am no longer concerned." D saw Johan in the crowd and nodded at him. "I am hanging up my sword. I am finished as a vampire hunter."
D waited for the gasps and yells to die down.
"In a sense this is also a blessing," continued D. "I once told a fellow hunter that we don't get to have lives. That was especially true in my case because of my dhampire nature. Many of you are wondering what to do next. Its been said that I was the greatest vampire hunter of all. Some of you are perhaps fearful that with my retirement the vampires will see this as a sign that they can strike back. Someone once told me a long time ago that there is something stronger than any steel or vampire." D pointed at a church and said, "And that is faith. As long as humanity has faith the vampires will never conquer you."
D smiled and said, "Lastly, I want to say thank you. Your town is one of the few that welcomed me without the usual prejudices and hatred shown toward dhampires."
D snapped the reigns of his horse. The horse trotted through the town and out into the wilderness where D's new life awaited him.
xxxxx
D visited Doris' grave. He was surprised he cried. He spent a few days with Dani. She was disappointed that Left Hand was gone. D did not comment on that. Sometime he missed the parasites. Other times he recalled the parasite's smart-ass mouth causing more trouble than needed. D's feelings changed to being glad the parasite was gone. D knew he had mixed feeling about Left Hand and was sure if he would ever resolve how he truly felt about Left Hand.
Three weeks into his journey D became fearful. He traveled during the night and slept through the day. During the third week he stopped having a good day's sleep. Not once did he run into any trouble. Not from the Barbaroi, wild mutant animals, or vampires. In the past during the rare times he could take his time while traveling some kind of monster or mutant would attack him. This time however D's only problem was the eternal annoyances called mosquitoes. He found it very disturbing that everything he saw was purely natural and nothing was the result from the radioactive fallout from the bombs or from some other dark forces.
D was close to becoming a nervous wreck when he reached his destination. A small frontier village that was far away from the struggle against the vampires and other night creatures was built as a haven for people who wanted to escape the terror.
D stopped at a house that was outside the town but still within eyesight. D walked to the door and did some breathing to calm his nerves. Why he was nervous he did not know.
D knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer. When the door opened D smiled and said, "Hello Leila, its me, D."
To be continued . . .