Vampire Within

Vida woke up with a cold sweat, her throat parched, her stomach growling and an excruciating headache. She saw herself back in Rootcore, lying on a couch with Madison and Chip seated in chairs surrounding her.

Their eyes shot wide on seeing her awake.

"Hey there, how are you feeling?" Maddie asked gently.

"Thirsty… Water…" She moaned. "What happened?"

Chip and Maddie shared a look before Maddie got up to take a bottle of water from the table.

"My head…" The pink mystic grumbled, trying to get up to a sitting position only to fall back.

"Here…" Maddie gave her the bottle, which she downed in one gulp. It didn't quench her thirst one bit.

Something stirred inside her… something unnatural yet instinctive. With all her might, she jumped towards the two. She shoved Maddie against the table, which broke on the impact, sending the blue mage crashing on the floor.

"Vida! No!" Chip yelled, as she tackled him to the ground, slammed his head hard on the wooden floor, knocking him unconscious.

What was she doing? Why was she doing this? Her body seemed to have a mind of it's own… some sort of primal instincts as she opened her mouth and felt something push against the gums of her teeth. Her eyes drifted downwards to see fangs protruding out of her upper jaw.

"Vida… Don't." Maddie pleaded, struggling to get up.

She didn't budge though all she wanted to was step back from Chip. What was she doing? What had happened to her?

Her eyes were fixated on Chip's exposed neck and she could even hear the faint pulsation of his carotids.

No, please, no… Vida bared her fangs, hunger suppressing the horror of her conscious thoughts as she bit Chip, fangs piercing his flesh and the blood gushed out of the wound. She drank it all, and most horrifying of all, she liked the taste of it! Oh no… What was she doing!

"VIDA!" The pink mage paid no heed to her sister, nor to Chip, who twitched in pain like a fish out of water, even in his unconsciousness. She tossed him aside after sucking him dry.

She wanted more… She turned towards Maddie, who whimpered like a cornered deer as she crawled back.

"Please sis… No…" She pleaded.

Vida let out a gurgling sound as she rushed to Maddie at an inhumane speed and baring her fangs.

NO! Vida stopped herself, but it was already too late. Maddie was limp in her arms, blood leaking from the puncture wounds on her neck.

"NO! What did I do!" Vida screamed horrified, clutching her sister, pressing her hands against the wound, only to realise her nails had turned into sharpened talons that cut through Maddie's skin.

"No…" She let go of her sister at an instant, laying her down gently on her lap. "Please, someone help!"

She looked at Chip lying lifelessly. She scampered over to him, crying.

What had she done? What had she become?

No… this can't be happening… this couldn't be real!

"Vida, what did you do?" She turned around to see Udonna looking at her in horror. Clare was hiding behind the white witch, her eyes wide with fear.

The doors to Rootcore parted open and the other rangers rushed in before stopping in shock.

"What did you do!" Xander yelled.

"Get away from her!" Nick shouted, running at her, pushing her away from Madison. She staggered back from him.

"You killed him, Vida. You killed Chip!" Neil yelled at her tears streaming from his eyes as he knelt beside the yellow mage.

"You are a monster!" Nick yelled at her, his voice dripping with venom.

"No… No…" Vida closed her eyes, trying to shut it all out.

Monster!

Murderer!

She slammed her hands over her ears as the mystics surrounded her, their wands raised, their eyes cold and rageful.

"No!" She pleaded. "No!"

The world seemed to converge on her, compressing her with shame and guilt.

It all came back to her.

That night at the concert.

Leelee leaving soon after it started.

The DJ playing his music.

The psychedelic sounds and the hypnic lights putting her on a thrall like so many others as the DJ transformed to a vampire with grey skin and red eyes.

Other people who were dancing alongside them shed their human disguises.

They stood no chance.

She stood no chance.

She stood still, unflinching as Lilith appeared from the shadows and dug her fangs into her.

Lilith slit her own hand, compelling her to drink the vampire blood before the vampire queen snapped her neck.

Night turned to day as they were reborn, indoctrinated into Lilith's army of vampires.

The queen compelling her to steal the map to Fireheart while commanding her to forget everything, including the fact that she was no longer human… no longer alive.

She fought like a machine in the woods, the darkness of the night fuelling her newfound vampiric strength.

Then the sun arose and she fell…

She opened her eyes. Rootcore was gone along with Maddie and Chip's bodies, as well as the other mystics. She was no longer crawling on the wooden floor but sinking. Water gushed through her mouth and nose, filling her lungs. She wasn't breathing… She didn't need to. And the water… everything was so red.

She was drowning in an ocean of blood, she realised with horror.

She tried to swim, reach the surface but something caught hold of her leg, pulling down to the depths. It was Lilith.

"Let go!" She tried to scream, which came out as muffled gargles.

"You are mine forever!" Lilith sang like a siren, her talons digging into her skin.

No! NO!

"NO!" She yelled as she woke up.

She looked around to see all the mystics gathered around her, looking at her with concern, including Chip and Maddie, who were unharmed.

Vida sighed with relief. It had been a dream… a nightmare.

But then she looked at their faces, concern and despair and she realized that the nightmare wasn't over yet. It had just begun.

Okay. So sorry for scaring you all. I really hope you guys read through it and reached the end. This chapter was basically a dream sequence from Vida's perspective. Chip and Maddie are still alive. Though, I am curious. Were you guys able to guess that it was a dream sequence or did you think I had actually killed them off?

Writing horror is not what I usually do, but I enjoyed writing this. Hope you enjoyed reading this as well.

RPM Shadow (Thank you! I am glad you liked the twist. Yeah, Vida is not going to be human ever again. It's certainly a darker twist from the show but I want to show Vida dealing with this throughout this story.)

RiveraJ88 (Thank you! :) )

D.J. Scales (I am glad you liked the Coup! The Master is not gone, merely detached from the Underworld. He is still alive. And yes, Imperious will show up and slight spoilers, sooner than he did in canon.)