"Yami! Yami! Wake up! Wake up!" Joey was saying while shaking Yami to wake him up
"Mmm…" Yami mumbled and moved his arm over his head that was throbbing painfully
"Come on! Rise and shine!" Joey didn't give up
"Mmm… Wake me tomorrow…!" Yami mumbled with his voice hoarse from his alcohol-induced sleep.
"Wake up before I splash you a bucket of water on your head!" Joey continued mercilessly.
"Mmm…" Yami mumbled again as he slowly rolled to the other side.
His head was throbbing painfully and he had the impression that someone was slamming it with a hammer in and out! The bed and the pillow were quite soft and comfortable for his head…he didn't really want to get up.
"It's not my fault for drinking yourself to sleep! Now GET UP!" Joey gave him a strong push.
"Humph! Okay! I'm up! I'm up…" Yami muttered and moaning in pain he sat up on the bed…
The cover fell from his body. He was half-naked, shirtless. Yami preferred to sleep this way even there in Transylvania where the cold was sharp. To tell the truth, the alcohol and the warm blanket were more than enough to keep him warm at night. Joey sighed and rolled his eyes seeing him sitting up as if his head weighted two tones. Yami sat on the bed with his feet on the floor and he was rubbing his temples with his fingers, growling a little deep in his throat in frustration.
"Jeez man! Did you have to mix up two different spirits last night in dinner?"
"Three…" Yami muttered again hoarsely testing his voice.
"What do you mean three? Absinthe and wine didn't you drink?"
"And beer…" Yami said, "I also had a cup of beer after dinner…"
Joey's jaw dropped to the floor!
"Jeez man! When did you anticipate drinking that!"
"You were left behind…" Yami smirked and kept rubbing his temple.
With another groan he stood up and walked to the small table where the innkeeper had left a jug with water and a bowl for them to wash their faces.
"What am I gonna do with ya?" Joey sighed
Yami said nothing and poured some water in the bowl with the jug and then took some water with his hands and splashed it on his face. When he bent down to wash his face, the mark with the ankh cross on his right shoulder blade was clearly visible now. It was black and glistering like a scar that was healed badly and now it had left this purplish black color on the mark. It looked like a scar caused by burning metal or it could be a knife too. No one could really tell even if they examined it at Vatican years ago. Yami splashed water on his face again hoping that the icy-cold water would wake him up a little. He had eaten only bread and salted pork last night and he had drunk quite a lot so the alcohol from the absinthe, the wine and the beer caused him a pretty bad hangover now. Not that he wasn't used to it anyway!
"Come on now man! Pull it together and let's go! We're in trouble!"
Yami whipped his face and head with the white towel left there. He then took a sip from his absinthe flask; cause sometimes a sip of alcohol helped a really bad hangover, and looked at Joey once.
"What do you mean?"
He started to dress as he put his leather shirt on over his head and sat on the bed working on his boots.
"We had a victim last night! A vampire stroke here last night!"
Yami's eyes widen.
"What! How? When?"
"We don't know yet! The body was found on the lieing on the bed, dead!"
Yami put the rest of his clothing on and after putting his coat on, he stood up wearing his belt and started placing the weapons on it.
"Show me where and tell me when!" he said.
It was really strange! If the vampires had indeed attacked to get their revenge, Yami would definitely have noticed them. Even in the worst state of drunkenness, Yami would jolt up from bed when some monster was close or if a lot of noise was caused. It was something like an instinct of his. The fact that no sound woke him up last night it was indeed something he had to check!
After some minutes of walking they reached the house where the murder had happened. The weather was dull for one more time. The cold was sharp and the fog was white and you could hardly see a few meters in front of you. Because of that fog, the cold indeed reached to the bone. The sound of air that was howling softly though among the trees and mountains somewhere away from them, was the only thing that was breaking the silence…also…the macabre and sad sound of the bell in the church that was ringing slowly and steadily…
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!…
Someone had died in the village. The vampire had killed him. Yami and Joey soon reached the house. It was difficult to see though since the entire village population had gathered outside that specific house's door.
"It was the baker's daughter!" the heard them saying.
Some men were whispering curses through clenched teeth wile some women were crying softly. They had to push some people so they could open way and walk to the door. They tried to stop them but…when they saw Yami the reconsidered it and let them pass. Yami walked in the house and walked up the stairs. Up in the small bedroom they both saw the young girl, barely eighteen years of age, was lieing on her bed with her brunette, long hair falling on the pillow. In the room it was the baker that was holding his crying wife and also…Tea and Mai. When Yami and Joey got in the room they both turned around to see him.
"Yami!" Mai said and then smirked a little, "How are you feeling? I heard that you got dead drunk last night!"
Yami growled deep in his throat but didn't react at all except that.
"I'm fine" he said, "Better than this one at least!" he said meaning the dead girl.
Tea barely frowned before turning back to the girl. Yami approached the bed and did the sign of cross.
"May God rest your soul…" he whispered.
The then kneeled next to the bed and pushed some hair aside her neck to see the two marks the vampire had left. He looked at the wound in deep thought. He then checked the temperature of her body with his hand and lips.
"She must be dead around five hours. Maybe less. It's hard to tell since the weather is cold here. But this girl wasn't killed by the other vampires that attacked yesterday"
"How can you tell that?" Tea asked crossing her arms over her chest
"Well her body has no other mark than this one on her neck. The vampires from yesterday were playing with their pray, and were quite loud. Whatever happened here, it happened fast and soundlessly. I doubt any of those vampires would do it this way. I guess that it was your vampire, Seto Kaiba the one who did this. After all…I see no struggle from the victim's part!"
That comment made the parents stiff and look at him with a death glare.
"What do you mean? That our daughter waited for him to kill her!?" her father yelled.
Yami barely shrugged.
"I never said that. I said that she didn't struggle. This can mean many things. One, she was asleep and the vampire finished her off in her sleep, two, she was shocked to see him so she didn't fight back, three…well more or less what you said!"
The man would have attacked him if Tea hadn't put a hand on his chest to stop him.
"Not in here…please…" she told him.
The baker growled and glared at Yami.
"I want this monster away from my daughter! Now!" he said.
Yami simply sighed a little and turned to Joey.
"We're done in here. We're leaving!"
He started walking to the exit and only stopped in front of the couple to say
"I'm sorry for your loss…"
…Before walking out of the room with Joey following him. They walked out of the door passing among all those people who where mumbling and murmuring one the other while watching them pass. Yami paid no mind and kept walking.
"Joey, we need to know more! You must do a research! On books! On documents! Anything you'll find it will be helpful! We need to know more for our opponents!"
"Roger! I'll search the library that I am sure Mai has in her house! Or in the local one if I can…"
"Will she let you in?"
"Well I can try. She said we are alone if the vampires come for us –not that I like the sound of it- but she never said that we are not allowed to protect ourselves by learning things for the vampire right?"
Yami smiled a small smile to Joey and then turned serious again.
"What about you, Yami?"
"I must check everything around. Every single clue will be useful. I can start by checking the area for a start. Knowing the ground I'll be moving on is enough for now"
"Alright, man! You're right! I am leaving right away"
Joey turned around and started walking away, putting his hood on again to protect himself from the cold. Yami remained there for a second.
"See ya at the inn a few hours later then!" Joey yelled to him.
Yami simply nodded, even though he wasn't sure if Joey had seen it, and started walking away from the other direction…
After walking around the village, Yami saw and memorized what he needed to see. It wasn't much actually. It was quite easy to remember the ways and the corners of a small village. Even if the way the narrow streets were getting complicated and winding he had no real problem finding his way after one or two attempts. After that he found the road that was supposed to be for the carriages and horses that came from outside or from other villages and probably countries. The road was fresh soil slightly powdered with hoarfrost and snow. The wheels of the carriages had left their traces on the slightly wet soil. Yami took the road on foot, walking slowly, practically enjoying the calmness of that day. It was one of the rare moments he could actually "have a walk in nature" but nevertheless he didn't let his guard down. He had learnt that a single miscalculation could mean his death. He was used to never actually relax completely. Always some of his senses were on guard so he could face any danger around him. The path was narrow but it would fit the carriage perfectly. The way he was walking the slightly downhill path, was letting him have the cliff from his left side and he could see the gorge underneath him. The fog was indeed thick down there and the treetops were coming out of it as if coming out from diluted yogurt. He walked down the path till he got in the forest. Large trees that reached hundreds of feet to the sky now circled him. The fog was giving the forest a haunted beauty. The air smelled wet soil and damp leaves. The boles were entangled with each other and the fog was hiding what lied beyond a complex of boles. Yami checked at the moss on the boles and realized that he was heading northwest in the forest. He walked a bit more feeling the fallen leaves and the snow creaking under his boots. His breath was coming out in small white clouds from the cold and the humidity but he didn't mind the cold at all. The cold climate had worked wonders for his hangover actually. He drew out of his chest pocket his alcohol flask and took a soft swing of it. The burning drink ran down his throat and did a perfect antithesis with the coldness around him. He looked around and walked deeper in the forest. He could still hear the sad bell from the church of the village. He walked a bit further and now the bell's sound was more fade. Now he could hear something new. It was the sound of water that was running peacefully. There must have been a river close by, he presumed. He guessed right. Some meters through the fogged forest and he found a tiny river, a brook that was passing through the boles peacefully and playfully…Yami sat on a rock close to the brook and sighed a little taking another sip from his flask.
"Hard to believe that this place hides monsters that kill people. That hides evil" he monologized.
After walking a little more he realized that he had lost the path and he had moved deeper in the forest. Using the moss on the trees as a guide, he found the path easily and started following it upwards, back to the village. He also hadn't realized how fast the time had passed. It should have been late at noon or something, if not early the afternoon. He felt his stomach growling softly. He realized that he didn't remember when was the last time he ate properly. Not even the night before had eaten properly and even before he was barely eating while he was traveling. He didn't even have the chance to eat breakfast due to his hangover. He drank one more sip.
"I guess that is not too late to have something to eat then…"
He walked slightly faster taking the path towards the village again, heading back to the inn…
Some hours later Joey got in the inn and saw, among others, Yami sitting on the table drinking from a large pewter mug of beer. In front of him on the table there was a small plate that had some beans with tomato souse inside it, the fork was still resting on it, some bread and another plate with some meat in. It must have been boar. Yami raised his head and saw him. He signed him to see him too. Joey walked to him sitting on the chair before Yami.
"Ow, man! My back hurts! I'm starving! Why couldn't you wait for me?"
Yami took another sip from his black beer.
"Well, you were eating well during the trip" he commented half-jokingly, "Anyway I'll order some for you too."
He waved to the innkeeper to bring the same for Joey too. Anna saw him and nodded.
"Well, what did you find?" he asked him
"Not much. It appears that the books say the same things we saw in Vatican. I also found a strange book written in Latin scripture. I'll need some time to translate it!"
"Do you have it?"
"I do. There is a sketch inside it that I need to check too. Some kind of demon!"
He showed Yami the picture of the book.
"It must mean the Devil that made the contact with him to live forever" Yami made a guess.
"I dunno man! It is really strange. Anyway! Just on time! Food time!"
Joey clasped and rubbed his hands together as Anna placed the plates on the table and Yami paid with some coins. Joey took a sip from his beer. The two of them kept eating in silence and neither of them spoke of the matter again for that night.
Night fell over Transylvania for one more time. The silence replaced the sounds of the morning works in the village. The owls and the crickets were now talking in the night while some wolf was howling towards the moon that was playing hide and seek with the heavy, black clouds that replaced the morning fog. The calmness of the night was similar with the night before…when the poor girl had lost its life and its youth in one night by the fangs of the vampire, Seto Kaiba. The wind was whispering constantly among the leaves and the big trees and the coldness was boding a new snowfall that night or one of the following days. Some little bats were flying among the trees in the forest searching for some insect to eat while an old owl with wide, yellow eyes sat on a branch and was looking around for some stray rat with its big, smart eyes. Every single light or candle in the village was long switched off and the village was sleeping in the serene of night… Then it was indeed really strange and demonic…when something broke that silence violently. Something terrifying! Something scary!
"NO! NOOOOOOOOO!"
A loud scream torn the sky and the air… It cut the silence like a sharp knife at once. The scream was so loud that it was, perhaps, heard till the big forest! It was a scream of agony and pain… It was a scream of angst. It was a human scream…
"NOOOOOOO! AAARRRRRGGHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHH!"
Here is another chappie! It appears I am becoming addicted to this!
Apparently Yami has a walk outside in the Transylvanian forest. Yes, Seto Kaiba stroke again!
And last but not least...the scream! Yes I stop in a clifhanging!
I hope you liked it!
Forest inspired by a video here: watch?v=YWNJpyK-Fr0 (on YouTube)
Please review! Enjoy!