Mutants Misplaced

Chapter 22

Thirst

The team stayed in the old ruined house, waiting for the sun to set. As time passed for the seven mutants and the vampire-werewolf hybrid, Sephie's condition became visibly clear to them. Her scales grew pale, almost grayish and her eyes turned red, even the fangs could be seen protruding from the upper lip.

While Sephie seemed to have recovered some of her strength from being indoors, she still spent the time sitting on the floor, nervously rubbing her arms as she changed. She wasn't in any pain, but it was a whole lot to take in, and she was scared to death about it. Tyroth never left her side, sitting next to her with his arm around her, trying to comfort her as best he could, but he was just as scared as she was, and feeling how she got colder each passing minute and how her pulse slowed, he had terrifying flashbacks to when she died in his arms during the battle against the demon lord Xazahl.

He wasn't the only one to keep close to Sephie, though. Mona also stayed close by, with the two girls being like sisters it was only natural that she supported Sephie in any way she could.

The turtles were in the other end of the room, talking with Devina, though everyone could hear what they said. So far they had learned that while vampires are vulnerable to fire and high temperatures, they were also resistant to cold. And aside from having access to magic like powers, such as draining blood, all vampires had good dark vision, were naturally stealthy and practically immune to both diseases and poisons. To top things of, certain kinds of spells were also more powerful if cast by a vampire, further hinting that vampirism was more of a curse than an actual disease.

"There's one thing I want to know." said Mikey. "Can you turn into a bat?"

"Uh... no, and neither can any other vampire, or well that is to say... Let me start over. Most vampires can't become bats, but there is a more powerful kind called vampire lord, they often refer to themselves as pure vampires. A lord can take on a monstrous semi bat form and can become a small swarm of bats to escape or dodge attacks, as well as becoming mist at will. While they have many powers in their 'bat' form, in their human form they only have that of a normal vampire, aside from changing back and forth between the two forms. And I happen to be one of these lords."

"How did you become that? Or a hybrid for that matter?" asked Donnie.

"As far as I know, in order to become a lord, you must be bitten by one with the intent of changing you. Or receive the 'gift' from Molag Bal himself."

"Who's that? A demon?" said Raph.

"You could say that, or more accurate one of several demonic gods, though they don't really like that term. Regardless, I wasn't bitten or 'blessed', I was just very unlucky. It was many years ago, I was on my way somewhere, can't really remember where. I had made camp for the night, but was woken up by what sounds like two animals fighting, but it wasn't animals at all, it was a vampire lord, in his half-bat form, fighting a werewolf.

They soon wrecked my camp and all I could do was to try and avoid getting killed by accident, so I hid behind a rock. After a while, everything went silent, and when I dared take a peek, they both laid motionless on the ground, almost torn to pieces from the fight. Then I did the stupid mistake of checking if they really were dead, the vampire wasn't. When I got close, he suddenly got back up and leaped at me, pinning me to the ground. I thought I was as good as dead when it started coughing blood and collapsed and died.

Once I got out from underneath him, I noticed that the blood he coughed up had splattered on my face, and I had swallowed some of it. That blood was both the vampire's and the blood from the werewolf that he managed to drink. That's how I became this way."

"That definitively counts as unlucky. The odds must be nearly astronomical." said Donnie. "What else can you tell us about it?"

"Well, just like another lord or werewolf, I can transform at will, whenever I want to, though it is best to do at night or in dark caves, but I become a mix between bat monster and werewolf. I'm also more vulnerable to silver, since both my halves are normally. On the bright side however, I don't have to feed on blood as often to retain my human appearance, and I am immortal due to being undead."

"Just how old are you anyway?" asked Mikey, only to receive a whack on the back of his head by Leo.

"Be respectful, Mikey. You never ask about a woman's age."

"You got manners, not very common anywhere I'm afraid. But I don't mind telling you, though to tell you the truth, I've lost count. I know that I'm older than five hundred years at the very least."

"You sure doesn't look it." said Raph, making Devina blush a little, though it was very faint.

"It hasn't been easy being like this, but I have been able to learn a lot over the centuries, such as a few spells that aren't connected to my vampire powers. Something I learned the hard way, however, is to stay away from the Vigilants of Stendarr." she said.

"Who are they?" asked Leo.

"Warrior priests, serving the Divine Stendarr, protecting mortals from deadra, werewolves, vampires and other threats. I really appreciate what they do, but being what they seek to destroy, I try to steer clear of them. I first ran into them about two, three hundred years ago, when their order was still young, and they were very... enthusiastic. Took months before I managed to loose them."

"Then we'd better follow your advice, the less people we unintentionally anger, the better." Leo then turned to Tyroth. "Could I have a word with you outside for a moment?" he asked. Tyroth nodded and got up.

"I won't be long, love, I promise." he said, giving Sephie a kiss on her forehead.

Once the two mutants were outside and out of earshot of the others, Leo looked at Tyroth with a serious face.

"What's up, Leo?"

"It's about Sephie, and her current situation."

"What about it?"

"We're not from this world, Tyroth, we don't even know if she'll be affected the same way as those how live here. As ominous as it sounds, we have to assume the worst to be able to protect us, if it would come to that."

"Are you saying that she'll turn into a monster?! That's crazy."

"Is it? Donnie went through a similar thing a few years back, if we hadn't stopped him, he would have killed us. We were lucky that we were able to place him in suspended animation until we could cure him, but we don't have that option now. I pray that something like that will never happen to Sephie, I really do, but if it does, there's no guarantee that she can be saved. So I must know, will you put her out of her misery if that would come to pass?"

Tyroth didn't know what to say, he just stared at Leo, his eyes widened by the shock.

"Do you realize what you're asking?!" the dragon snapped. "You want me to kill my mate, the girl who I've gone to hell and back to avenge when she died at the hands of Xazahl!"

"I know, I was there too. What I meant was, if we have to kill her out of mercy, you should be the one to do so, she is your mate after all. But, if you can't, then I will, for her sake and our. But I pray to every spirit I know of that we can save her."

Taking a moment to think about what Leo said, Tyroth understood fully what the turtle meant, and while he couldn't bear the thought, he knew that it might have to be done.

"If there truly is now way to help her, then... then I'll do it." he said with a heavy heart. "But I won't abandon her at first sign of trouble!"

"I never expected you to, and I'm relieved that you saw reason. Let's just hope that this is all we have do on the matter."

Meanwhile, back in the house, Sephie waited nervously for her lover to return. Mona sat next to her, keeping her company until Tyroth came back.

"How are you feeling?" Mona asked, placing a hand on Sephie's hand.

"Scared. And cold, but I'm not freezing, I'm just... cold."

"Don't worry, we'll fix this. Even if that wizard can't help you, you can bet your tail on that Tyroth will find a way somehow. He'll do anything for you."

"I know, and that's what I admire with him. Always wanting to help people. I'm very lucky to have him."

"You're sure are, and he is definitely one of a kind."

Sephie nodded and stared at the open door, light shining in.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Mona asked, wanting to help anyway she could.

"Is it to much to ask for a hug, 'cause I really want someone to hug right now."

Mona hesitated for a brief moment, she wanted to hug Sephie, to comfort her, if only a little, but she was a vampire, or soon to be at least. But she was also a very close friend that always helped Mona whenever she needed it, and she was a skilled fighter, so Mona was confident that Sephie wouldn't hurt her.

Smiling, she positioned herself slightly in front of Sephie and pulled her into a deep hug, wrapping her arms around her. Sephie carefully placed her arms on Mona's back and rested her head against Mona's shoulder. The warmth of Mona's body felt very good and she felt at ease, but it didn't last.

Something was calling out to her, something that she needed. Mona's blood. Sephie could almost sense it in Mona's neck, so close, all it would take was one tiny bite and she would taste the sweet nectar of life that she wanted so badly, that she needed so badly. Slowly opening her mouth just enough to be able to bite, she pulled back her head a little, ready to strike.

Noticing that Sephie shifted a little, Mona believed that she wanted to break the hug and backed off a bit. That's when she noticed what Sephie was doing.

"Sephie! Don't do it!" she called out scared, and pushed herself away from Sephie. But Sephie clawed after her with her hands and Mona had to get away. Rising to her feet quickly, she slipped on the blanket they were sitting on, and tripped and hit her head on the floor, fainting from the impact.

Mona lay motionless on the floor, an easy target for Sephie, easy prey. But she never got the chance, for a wooden staff got in her way, pressing her backwards.

The turtles had heard Mona's cry and saw what was about to happen, so they tried to stop Sephie without hurting her, or potentially get infected themselves. Devina hurried over to restrain Sephie, grabbing her arms from behind, while Raph helped Mona and Mikey fetched Tyroth and Leo.

Upon hearing the commotion indoors, and Mikey's cry for help, Leo and Tyroth hurried inside the old house. As soon as he saw what was going on, Tyroth didn't hesitate to get close to Sephie. He placed his hands on her cheeks and held her face still with a firm but gentle grip so he wouldn't hurt her and so she couldn't hurt anyone else.

"Sephie! Calm down! You got to snap out of this!" he said, but his words didn't seem to reach her, she tried again and again to bite him.

"Remember who you are! The girl I love would never want to hurt her friends! You're stronger than this! Sephie!"

At last, it seemed like she responded to her lover's voice, and she calmed down and started to cry when she realized what she had tried to do. Pulling Sephie in his embrace, Tyroth let her cry against his chest while he gently stroked her hair. Seeing that she had regained control, Devina let go of her, but remained on guard just in case.

"It's alright, love. I'm here for you."

"I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Sephie sobbed. "I couldn't help it, the urge was too strong..."

"It's not your fault. I should have been by your side during this. But I didn't think that your craving would be so strong, much stronger than any other vampire I've met. Maybe it's because you're a Saurian." said Devina, feeling responsible. "At least now you know what to expect. And no-one was hurt."

"I'll never give in to that thirst, never again! It felt so horrible I can't find the words for it." said Sephie, still sobbing. "Is Mona okay? I hope I didn't hurt her."

"Other than her tripping, I think she's fine, but- Hey! Where is she?" said Donnie, seeing that Mona was nowhere in sight.

"Raph's gone too. You don't think?" said Mikey.

"Oh I definitely do." said Leo. "He's run off with Mona!"

Hurrying outside, Leo looked in every direction but there were no signs of neither Raph nor Mona.

"Raph! Raphael!" Leo called out, but there was no response. "Damn that hothead!"

Sorry for taking so long, but it's been Christmas and all so, yeah.

Anyway, the group has been broken up by Raph running away with an unconscious Mona. The guy really picked a bad time to be overly protective. Will they be able to reunite before anything worse happens? Not likely.

Note: Credit to Bloodrayne666 for her idea, continuing next chapter. Thanks a lot. ;)

Happy New year to everyone! :D