This was supposed to be done much quicker but unfortunately I'm still really slow at translating. But well, it's done. Since they aren't many Vampire AU's in the fandom I figured I might as well write one.
Everyone who is already familiar with me knows: I don't use the manga version of the Baal and Satan (with the exception of Lucifer, Mephisto and Amaimon) but my own for several reasons. Just as a heads up.
Also this is not edited yet because I can't get my lazy butt up to do it but I also really want to post so yeah, here we are XD
Anyway, have fun reading! ^^
'Get a part-time job they said. It's fun and you can earn some extra money they said. But no one said you'd have to deliver pizzas into a shitty forest in the middle of the night and possibly get murdered!' Rin snorted angrily to himself and pedaled even harder, hoping to reach his destination soon and at least get a tip for his efforts. Although, considering his situation, it would be enough for him if he didn't get stabbed. His day was bad enough as it was.
First, he had burnt the breakfast this morning, which usually never happened to him. Then he had fallen asleep in the middle of the service, causing his head to bang on the bench in front of him. Immediately everyone had turned their attention towards him and it also earned him a scolding from Shiro. On his way to work, his tire had blown out so he had rushed to the nearby bike repair shop and although they had changed the tire as quickly as possible, he had still been late and his boss, a choleric as they come, had yelled at him for almost fifteen minutes.
At least today's deliveries had gone well and he had been about to head home when this order just before the end of the shift. Why they were delivering there was a mystery to him, after all, the delivery address was in a damn forest! It was supposedly for a party although that was not allowed there. Then there was the fact that people had been disappearing in the area recently. If these people were really camping in the forest and partying, they were practically begging for trouble.
Something about this seemed suspicious, everyone agreed on that. Unfortunately, their boss saw things differently and had insisted that they take the order and that Rin, of all people, deliver it. After all, he had to make up for lost time, or so he said.
Some of his colleagues (all over 20 and therefore much older than him) had protested that it was too dangerous for a teenager to ride a bicycle into the forest in the dark, especially as there wasn't even a proper address. One of them had even offered to give him a lift in his car and deliver the pizzas together. Admittedly, he had been a little touched by this as he had never really had any friends. Fortunately, he got on very well with his work colleagues and it was nice to know that they cared about him.
Their boss, however, had refused. Typical. Under normal circumstances, he would probably have resigned but that would have disappointed his father. He had never lasted this long at a job before and Shiro always supported him. Until he found an apprenticeship, he had to hang on. Of course, he was anything but happy about his situation. Why were they having this party in the forest of all places? Couldn't they party at home or in a club like normal people?
At least he could hear music so he was almost there and it was indeed a party and not a serial killer trying to lure him into the forest. Barely two minutes later, he finally reached the clearing. He immediately recognized five tents, a campfire was crackling in the middle and the ground was littered with empty beer bottles and other alcoholic beverages. What was missing were the people. 'What the...? Well, they're probably nearby.'
"Um, hello? Pizza delivery service! I have ten pizzas!"
No answer. Wonderful. They were probably squatting in the bushes somewhere, throwing up. He got off his bike and grabbed the pizza boxes to place them on the large camping table. "Okay, seriously, come on out. You'll have to pay for these either way, hiding won't help."
Again, no response. He started to consider taking the pizzas and go back but he knew that would cause a lot of trouble. Surely there was no harm in looking around. They shouldn't be far away, otherwise the campfire would have burned down more.
In the end, he didn't search for long. He found footprints, all of which led deeper into the forest. 'Well, great.' Sighing, he set off. He honestly wasn't getting paid enough for this. At least the forest wasn't particularly dense and the moon gave off enough light to see the path clearly. He heard crickets chirping and a few owl calls which was oddly reassuring.
As he turned the corner, he stopped in place in surprise. This couldn't be true. He must be dreaming. In front of him was a huge estate in the middle of the forest, with a fence and a fountain and all the trimmings. "What the hell? Who would build a house here?"
Shaking his head, he slowly started walking again. Maybe the people who had ordered the pizzas lived there or knew the owners and were allowed to party here? That's assuming anyone lived there at all because it was all dark and no one seemed to have looked after the front yard for a long time. In that case, maybe the group was just looking around? 'Okay, I'll just go in, shout and if no one answers, I'll leave.' he decided. 'And if my boss doesn't like it, he can move his butt here himself!'
The rusty iron gate was already ajar but squeaked loudly as he pushed it open further. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he walked along the cobbled path. The front garden was overgrown with all kinds of weeds so he was a little surprised that the path itself was uncovered. The front door was also open, he still knocked and, as expected, received no answer so he entered. 'What am I doing here? I'm going to regret this so much...'
"Hello, anyone home? I'm the pizza delivery guy!" He called out as he hesitantly took a few steps forward. It was pitch black and he could barely see. "Sorry to barge in here, I just want my money..."
Everything remained eerily quiet. 'Screw that. I'm out of here.' At least that's what he planned to do. Without warning, the door suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang. He quickly reached for the handle and pulled but the door wouldn't budge an inch. Rin felt panic rising in him so he quickly convinced himself that everything was all right. The door was old, probably warped and therefore difficult to open. He tried a few more times, even throwing himself against the door but to no avail.
'Okay, come on. It's a huge building, there's bound to be a second exit.' Everything would be fine as long as he kept calm. The biggest problem at the moment was the darkness. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his eyes so he carefully felt his way along the wall, then suddenly stepped on something and almost fell. Cursing, he knelt down and groped for the culprit, touching switch in the progress. A light turned on and he realized that he had tripped over a flashlight. Had one of the party guests left it here? Why hadn't they picked it up again?
He decided it didn't matter and quickly picked it up. At least now he could see where he was going. He shone his light around to get a better overview. The house must have been empty for a while because there were thick layers of dust and cobwebs everywhere. A large, intricately carved staircase led to the upper floor with two doors to the left and right. There were also doors in the other directions so he had a choice between four doors and the staircase. After some hesitation, he chose the door on the far right but it was locked. Fine, left it is.
Fortunately, the door opened this time and he was standing in a large study. Perhaps there was a key in here somewhere? He hurriedly began to search through everything and wondered why the previous owners had left the books behind. Some of them looked quite old and valuable. On the other hand, there were no cobwebs or dust on some of the shelves, almost as if someone had recently cleaned them. Apparently, the house already had new owners and they were getting it back into shape? Shaking his head, he turned away. He had other things to worry about right now. There was nothing useful to be found anywhere, the door to the next room was locked so he had no choice but to turn back.
He paused briefly when he thought he heard footsteps that were not his own, followed by the sound of a creaking door. He remained silent and quickly looked around with the flashlight. Nothing could be seen or heard so he dismissed it as his imagination. The house was old, of course it would creak everywhere. With this in mind, he continued his search.
All the other doors were locked, leaving only the stairs to the upper floor. So much for finding another exit. He had tried to open several windows as he walked around, unfortunately without success. 'All right if I still can't find a way out up there, I'll call the old man.'
The stairs creaked loudly and he prayed that they would hold his weight and not break. Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened. At the top, he was greeted by a corridor with even more doors. Who needed so many rooms anyway? He jiggled one of the doors and paused when he heard a soft laugh. He turned around and shone his light down the corridor. Again, there was nothing to see. 'Okay, that wasn't my imagination. Is this some kind of bad prank?'
A shiver ran down his spine and he wheeled around as he felt a breeze behind him. He heard someone laughing again. "Whoever you are, just show yourself! This isn't funny anymore!" He hissed as he continued to scan the corridor with his flashlight. No one answered, much to his annoyance and without much choice he continued walking.
His nervousness increased with every door, all of which were locked, and with each one he quickened his pace until he was running. Something was wrong here, he had to get out. His gut feeling was rarely wrong in situations like this. To make matters worse, his flashlight began to flicker. "Damn it, not now!"
This quickly became a minor matter because all at once the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and a shiver ran through him. Everything inside him screamed to run away. Something was here with him and he didn't want to find out what it was. Clutching the flashlight tightly, he ran past several doors, trying one every now and then, all of which were locked.
Only at the end of the corridor did he finally see a door that was already open. Without thinking, he rushed in and slammed it shut behind him. Breathing heavily, he tried to listen. He heard nothing but his own racing heart and breathing but unfortunately that didn't really calm him down. This place was driving him crazy! Meanwhile, his flashlight finally died, but he wasn't completely in the dark because a fire was flickering in a fireplace that he hadn't noticed before. He didn't understand anything anymore, why-?
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A deep voice sounded right by his ear. Startled, he cried out, spun around, and jumped backwards which seemed to amuse the person in front of him. "So jumpy. I thought we got everyone in your little group but it appears that we missed one." He took a few steps forward so Rin could finally see him. The man was surprisingly young, probably in his late twenties or early thirties, though it was possible that the goatee made him look older than he actually was. Bilious green, almost glowing, eyes scrutinized him critically and his brows rose. "You're younger than the rest... much younger, in fact."
The rest? Was he referring to the group he was looking for? "No! This is all a big misunderstanding! I'm not a burglar or anything, honest!"
The man's mouth twisted into a mocking grin. "Oh, really? And what's a stranger like you doing here then?"
"I'm looking for my customers! They still owe me money and my boss will go crazy otherwise and I want to go home quickly, I'm looking for them and-"
He shook his head, realizing that it sounded too confusing, he had to start from the beginning. "I'm a pizza delivery boy. We got an order from this forest for a party. We were going to refuse at first but my boss insisted that I deliver the pizzas. When I arrived, the customers were nowhere to be seen. My boss would give me hell if I came back with the pizzas and no money, so I went looking for them and stumbled across this property. The door was open so I thought they might be inside. I didn't know someone is living here, I swear! When I tried to leave, the front door wouldn't open so I looked for another exit. I'm really sorry for coming in here without permission, I didn't steal anything or anything and I can prove it! Please, please, don't call the police! My father has enough on his plate already!" There, he had explained the situation. Hopefully the man would be understanding.
"Mmm, I understand. Then I suppose there really was a misunderstanding. I would still advise you not to walk into other people's houses in the future. After all, you never know what you'll end up finding." He grinned briefly as if it was a joke that only he understood and walked over to one of the sofas to sit down while Rin breathed a sigh of relief. That didn't sound like he wanted to call the police. However, he did not relax completely. Even though the man seemed friendly so far, his gut told him to be careful.
"What's your name?" The stranger asked, looking at him expectantly. Was he imagining things or did his eyes somehow glow slightly? No, that was ridiculous!
"Rin." He replied automatically. "And you?"
"Why would I tell you that?"
"I told you my name too."
The man seemed to be slightly taken aback by his answer and thought for a moment before laughing. "Well, that's fair enough. You can call me Mephisto. It's nice to meet you, Rin." For some reason, the mention of his name sent a chill down Rin's spine. Something about the way Mephisto said it seemed...wrong. There was also this grin, which seemed almost sinister. What kind of strange name was Mephisto anyway? He winced as he spoke again. "Now that that's settled and we're acquainted, why don't you come and sit on my lap?"
Wait, what?
It was as if a switch had been flipped. Suddenly he was no longer in control of his body and his legs moved of their own accord. Before he knew it, he was sitting on this complete stranger's lap and although he immediately blushed, his body wouldn't obey him. He couldn't even speak and instead stared into space. What was wrong with him?
"Oh, this won't do, Liebling! I want to look at you. Be good and lift your legs." Mephisto whispered. Rin didn't know what to think, his body moved again without his consent, making it easier for the man to turn him around so that they were looking at each other. A hand remained on his hip, making him shudder. This wasn't right, why couldn't he fight back?! He didn't want this stranger to touch him! Mephisto's grin looked like that of a predator whose prey was trapped. "Mm, that was easy. Not that I complain when my food delivers itself, especially when it's this cute."
His food?!
Rin winced as cold fingers traveled down his neck. "I already smelled you in the hallway. Considering your sweet smell, it's surprising my brothers aren't here yet. Especially since you're quite beautiful to look at."
'What, what, what? Is he hitting on me?!' The teenager tried to push the older man away, to slap his hand aside or at least protest but it was no use. It was as if something else was in control. It made no sense! He felt himself start to tremble and the man (he was beginning to doubt whether he could even be called one) didn't miss it.
"Aww, no need for that, darling. You seem a lot more polite than the other humans who have trespassed here. Some never learn. And what's more, you're much cuter, I think I'll keep you for now. If you're good, you won't go to the basement.~"
The fingers now stroked his cheek. Only now did he notice the claw-like fingernails. The creature (he was sure it couldn't be human) was silent for a few seconds until he finally nodded slowly. "Surely, they won't blame me if I take a sip already. It's more than fair since I caught you first, isn't it?"
Of course, Rin couldn't answer but the man didn't seem to expect an answer and grinned broadly at him, baring his long, pointed fangs. Rin's heart skipped several beats, in fact the shock was enough to snap him out of his stupor but he was so surprised that he didn't even realize it at first. 'He's a vampire? That explained the comment about the food!' Mephisto said nothing and grinned as he slowly forced Rin's head back so that he had easier access to his neck and shoulder.
Immediately his thoughts started racing, he had to get away! 'Hold on, vampires hate silver, don't they? And religious symbols.' At least that's how it was in the movies. He had a silver rosary with him out of habit, Shiro had given it to him a few years ago. This could save his life! Provided silver really hurt them, however, he had no other choice.
The fangs slowly but steadily approached his neck, Mephisto was obviously savoring his fear and had not yet realized that he had regained control of his body. Slowly, so that the vampire didn't notice, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the rosary.
'Okay, it's now or never!' He had to wait for the right moment and do it when the vampire could no longer evade him, otherwise his chance was gone and Mephisto would certainly be anything but happy with him. The seconds seemed to drag on forever, his heart was pounding in his throat, then he saw his chance. Without hesitation, he pressed the rosary against the vampire's face who immediately let out a loud hiss. The smell of burnt flesh hung in the air, obviously silver and rosaries were actually effective!
Rin didn't stay around to see what would happen next and took it as his cue to run. To his horror, the door he had come through didn't budge an inch. He desperately tried to open it but no chance. Why did this always happen to him? The door had just been open! "That was an extremely stupid idea." He heard Mephisto grumble, he ignored him and sprinted to the door on his left. He didn't know where it led but anything was better than here.
He didn't get far, he was grabbed directly from behind. Instinctively, he tried to burn the vampire again with the rosary. This time the vampire was already expecting it and held on to his arm. "Impressive, there aren't many who can snap out of it once I've got them under control." Mephisto commented, sounding almost amused now. "You seem particularly stubborn." He looked at the rosary with a mocking smirk. "Catholic, mmm? I'm afraid your God won't help you here."
He reached for the rosary, grabbed it, and tossed it aside, ignoring the obvious pain it caused him. Rin tried with all his might to free himself but the other's grip was ironclad. "Let go!" He demanded in a trembling voice. He had missed his opportunity, now he would surely pay with his life.
"Why should I? Especially after you attacked me for no reason. That was rather rude but..." Mephisto paused and grinned broadly at him. "I find you quite interesting and it would be a shame for it to end like this. How about a little wager? I'll give you a head start, you try to escape from this estate and if you succeed, we'll let you go. If I catch you, you're mine.~"
Rin stared at him, unsure if he had misheard or not. "What do you mean by we?" He had been talking about brothers earlier, did he mean more vampires? That would at least explain the noises in the hallway.
"Oh, my father and my brothers, of course. I'm sure you've already made the acquaintance of one or two of them. Or you at least heard them."
There really were more of them? Just great. "How do I know you're not lying?"
He flinched when the other man's face came closer. "You don't know that. I'm afraid you'll have to rely on my word alone. Not that you have any other choice." Unfortunately, he was right about that. Rin had nothing to help him, he probably wouldn't find the rosary again so he had no choice. Either he accepted or he died here and now.
"Oh, do you really think I would just kill such a cute human?" The vampire laughed unexpectedly, making Rin shudder. Could he read minds? "As I said, I find you interesting, at least for the time being. If that's no longer the case or you don't behave, I'll have to put you in the basement with the others and believe me, you don't want that. It's much more comfortable in my room."
The others?! You had other people in the basement? His expression must have spoken volumes, because the vampire giggled again with amusement. "They were intruders like you, only much more...rude therefore we kept them here as food. It would be a waste you merely use you as food though and it's been so long since I've had a human pet.~"
It took Rin a few seconds to understand the meaning of the sentence but she didn't get a chance to protest as the vampire already continued. "How about it, will you take the bet?"
Rin wanted to refuse, he didn't see the point in being the entertainment for a vampire but he knew that this was his only chance. Reluctantly, he nodded. "All right. I accept."
Mephisto's grin widened even more. "Wunderbar!" He finally let go of him and Rin rubbed his already reddening wrist. The man really did have a strong grip. "I'll give you a minute's head start, from then on you're fair game. And remember, my siblings are no less hungry than I am."
Rin didn't answer but ran back to the door he had originally come through and was now open again. Not knowing where to go, he sprinted off, trying to put as much distance between himself and the vampire as possible. After a while, he ran into one of the countless rooms and hid behind the sofa to catch his breath. Inwardly, however, he panicked.
He was in an estate full of vampires. Vampires existed and he had almost ended up as dinner for one just minutes ago. That couldn't be happening! Vampires were mythical creatures, nothing more than scary creatures to frighten children with! How could they be here? Was it all an elaborate prank and someone was playing a cruel joke on him? 'The rosary has clearly burnt his flesh...you can't just fake that. It must be true...' Unfortunately, as much as he hated the prospect, there was little doubt.
He forced himself to breathe calmly. Right now, he had to keep a cool head. The front door was locked and he hadn't found another exit in the accessible areas. Perhaps he could climb out of the window somewhere. Besides, he had to get help somehow but what were his father or the police going to do about vampires? Arrest them? Hardly. Still, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, hoping that his father would magically save the day after all. The battery was almost dead and, as if that wasn't bad enough, he had no reception. Just his luck.
However, he couldn't be wasting time thinking about it for long, he had to keep going and touched the wall to find his way around. Sooner or later he would find an exit. The next three doors were all locked but the next one opened and he quickly slipped inside. He found himself in a library and, to his surprise, several candles were burning everywhere. Was someone already here? He paused and listened. Nothing could be heard so he slowly started to move. Just like in the study on the first floor, the shelves were covered in cobwebs and dust and some of the shelves looked as if they had recently been cleared. Someone was obviously using this library and he prayed that the person in question was not here at the moment.
Once he reached the other side of the room, he tried to open the windows which didn't budge an inch. He continued to search but all the doors he found were locked as well. As he turned around a bookshelf in search of more doors, he discovered something that made his blood run cold. A young woman, probably in her early twenties, was lying on the floor in front of him, her empty eyes staring at the ceiling. There were two clear bite marks on her neck and blood splattered on her face and clothes.
She was dead, no doubt about it. He quickly pressed a hand over his mouth, partly because he wanted to stifle a possible scream but also because he felt like he was going to throw up. This couldn't be true. The body looked fresh, the blood on the clothes not yet completely dry. She had to be one of the people who had been at the party in the forest. What else would she be doing here? Of course, he had already expected something bad to have happened to them but still hoped he was wrong.
"Not a pretty sight, is it?" A voice behind him suddenly asked. It seemed disinterested, as if this corpse was the most normal thing in the world. Rin turned around and saw a man, dressed completely in black, whom he estimated to be in his early 20s. He was pale and his black hair covered part of his face. His eyes were white and made him look ghostly. The worst thing was the blood on his face, mainly around his mouth and on his chin. There was no doubt about what he was.
The teen backed away and bumped his back against one of the bookshelves. The vampire didn't seem to care, he just watched him with raised eyebrows. "You're too young to be part of this group." he said, looking him up and down. "You must be the human Samael was talking about. He said you agreed to a bet with him."
Rin said nothing and stared at him. Samael? Did he mean Mephisto? If so, he had only just met him and made the bet, how could the vampire already know about it?! The vampire seemed to realize what he was thinking and shrugged. "News travels fast around here." He came closer, cornering him like a predator would its prey. "I could take you for myself..."
The younger boy flinched and fear overtook him. Unexpectedly, the vampire sighed. "But I'm already full and taking care of a pet is too bothersome...So I'll let you get away. Be warned, my brothers won't be so nice."
Rin stared at him, not believing his own ears. This...thing had killed a woman, showed no remorse for it and yet let him go? The man rolled his eyes. "Don't get me wrong, this has nothing to do with me being king. I just don't feel like needlessly bothering with people. I've already had my dinner."
The teen didn't really want to believe his luck, after all, he always passed the buck, no matter when or where. Instead, the vampire seemed to be sincere. That or he was playing with his food. "Th-thank you..." Without taking his eyes off the vampire, he quickly scurried past him and ran out of the library. The vampire didn't follow him and seemed rather disinterested all in all. That was fine by Rin. Unfortunately, he was now right back at square one. How was he ever going to find a way out of here? He took a deep breath and forced himself to think. For now, he had to keep moving, he couldn't give up. It didn't take long for him to realize how naive this thought had been.
As he wandered aimlessly through the dark corridors, he kept hearing laughter and giggling. At the same time, the house itself was driving him crazy. By now he had reached the third floor and nothing made sense anymore. Doors seemed to have been placed at random, some had nothing but a wall behind them, others were on the ceiling and some stairs led to nowhere. Once he even tripped over a damn door handle because for whatever reason someone had built a door into the floor. Was he dreaming? The longer he stayed here, the more everything felt like a strange fever dream. What genius had designed this damn house? And who had given the okay to have it built like this?!
The rooms he searched for possible escape routes didn't make it any better. He found two more bodies that looked like they had already been here for a while but he ignored them as best he could and kept walking. How many more bodies would he find?
He started doubting his sanity when the voices began speaking to him. They were all male and obviously belonged to different people. He had no doubt that the speakers were not human. Seemingly out of nowhere, they could be heard from all sides, sometimes they were further away or right next to his ear. They were giving him advice, if you could even call it that.
"That's the wrong way."
"Try the door on the right!"
"Oh, oh, you're in trouble..."
"The exit is right in front of you, don't be shy.~"
"Just kidding, you will never get out of here!"
"You have to turn left!"
"Come on, don't give up, you still have a chance.~"
He knew they were lying, of course they were. The whole thing was a game to them and they obviously loved playing with their food. More than once he was grabbed out of nowhere and he felt a breath on his neck, only to be released with a laugh. If they wanted to, they could end it at any moment, instead they were stringing him along for nothing but their own amusement. Hopefully they would get careless and he could escape that way.
He had reached the stairs again and decided to try his luck on the ground floor again. Perhaps he had overlooked something earlier that could help him. Once in the entrance hall, he felt his way through the corridor again and tried various doors. The voices were gone but that didn't reassure him. They would probably come back at some point. As he had feared, the doors were still locked, or so he thought. Unexpectedly, one of them was open. Rin was sure it had been closed earlier and hesitated. Should he risk it? It could be a trap. On the other hand, they had already proven that they could catch him at any time so he had little to lose. After a moment's hesitation, he opened it fully and entered the room.
It was the kitchen, lit by candles, and the sight turned his stomach. There were several meat hooks hanging from the ceiling and attached to them were animal carcasses that didn't appear to be very old as blood dripped down them and was caught in buckets below. Rin thanked all the gods that there were no human corpses hanging from the hooks. It wouldn't have surprised him anymore. The smell was horrible, but he forced himself to look around anyway. Whoever had been here hadn't bothered to clean up or wipe away the blood on the work surfaces. Hesitantly, he looked at the knives that had been left behind. They were sharp and pointed, perhaps it wouldn't be the worst idea to take one with him for defense. It was doubtful whether it would really help but it was definitely worth a try.
Armed with the knife, he walked towards the door on the other side of the room and opened it. A staircase lay before him, leading down into the basement. Mephisto's words immediately came to his mind. "As I said, I find you interesting, at least for the time being. If that's no longer the case or you don't behave, I'll have to put you in the basement with the others and believe me, you don't want that."
Rin hesitated. If there really were other people trapped in this basement, he didn't want to leave them behind. Maybe they could even help him and knew where the exit was. At the same time, it could be a trap. The vampire in the library let him go but had admitted himself that the rest would not. The one who had opened the kitchen door was probably lurking down there. In the end, he decided to try his luck. He hadn't made any progress so far so he might as well take a closer look at the basement and try to save the other people.
He walked slowly down the basement stairs, trying not to make any noise. To his surprise, there were several lamps hanging from the ceiling so that he could see everything. In front of him was a long, narrow corridor, which he followed until it split into several paths. Apparently, the cellar was bigger than he had originally thought. relying on his gut feeling, he chose the path on the right and shortly afterwards stood in front of a metal door. With some effort, he managed to push it open. It squeaked loudly and he paused anxiously. No one came running. Instead, he heard soft moans and whimpers from the room in front of him, which made him freeze. He hesitated for a moment, then went in and the sight made him feel sick yet again.
There were people in several cells, all of whom appeared very run down. They were dirty and emaciated, some were missing tufts of hair as if they had torn them out. Most of them were quiet and curled up somewhere or sitting on the ground with their legs drawn up and arms wrapped around them and their faces buried in their knees. Others were walking up and down and whispering to themselves, others were giggling to themselves and one man was sitting against the wall scratching at it with his fingernails. They did not react to his presence, the only exception being a young woman who also looked disheveled but much less than the rest and not emaciated. Her eyes widened when she saw Rin and she quickly approached the bars of her cell.
"Oh my God, someone's still alive! Who are you?! What about the others?! Have you seen Ryu?!" She asked immediately, her eyes wide but her expression hopeful.
"I'm Rin, I came here because I was supposed to deliver pizzas to a party. But I haven't met anyone else." He explained hastily as he looked around for a way to open the cells. There had to be a key somewhere!
The woman turned pale as he explained the reason for his presence. "Shit, that were my friends and me. The ones who ordered the pizzas, I mean. God, I'm so sorry! My name is Kaori, we just wanted to take a look around the mansion, we thought it was empty, then these things attacked us-!"
"It's okay, it's okay!" Rin quickly interrupted her. "Do you know how I can open the cells?"
"With a key but it's not here! The guy with the white hair has it!"
"Guy with white hair?"
"Yeah, I think he's the leader, those other things called him father." She shuddered at the thought of this man.
'Great. Probably the head vampire here. Just great,' He realized in frustration before speaking again. "I made a bet with one of them. If I escape, they have to let me go, then I can get help!" While he wasn't yet sure what that help would look like, he was determined to save her somehow.
"I-I think there's a second exit that leads into the garden but it's surrounded by a wall. You'll have to climb over it." Kaori replied nervously. "You'll never make it there! They're everywhere, they can hear, see and smell much better than we can and if they catch you, that's it!"
"I don't have much of a choice. What happened to the other people who came with you? And…them?" He spared a brief glance to the people in the other cells who in turn didn't pay him any mind. They either did not care for him and hadn't noticed him. The longer he looked at them the more tense he felt. Something about them made him think of animals, not people.
"The rest got caught. They are sitting in other cells or… are dead." She quietly replied while grimacing. "And about them…I tried talking to them but…these monsters did something to them, they are out of their mind! They don't even resist when they get bitten or try to tun, they just take it!
Rin looked at the humans again and had to agree. Right now he couldn't help. He'd rather not think about whether they could still be saved in the first place. "Is anything else here that might help me?"
Kaori helplessly shrugged. "I don't know what else is in the basement, they-"
She was interrupted by a growl in the cell next to her. The women in it had started to throw herself against the bars of her cell and rattling them. He wasn't sure why she suddenly acted like this and instinctively he took a step aside to take a closer. He quickly regretted this decision. This gained her the undivided attention of the women and without a warning she suddenly started screaming bloody murder. Rin tried to calm her down but it was like a chain reaction the other prisoners began screaming as well.
"Go!" Kaori hissed in a panic. "They'll be here any second!"
Rin didn't need to be told twice and ran without paying attention to where he was going. Yet again he was about to regret this as he quickly realized that the basement was like a maze. Seemingly endless hallways and rooms made him lose all sense of direction. Had he been here before? From which direction had he come? The hallway seemed familiar…why did everything look the same?! He cursed quietly to himself when the path split. How could a basement have so many nooks and crannies?!
He ended up choosing the right hallway and ended up in a room stuffed with big boxes and junk. There was no indication of another door leading elsewhere. Before he could turn around to look for another way, he heard voices. He immediately hid behind one of the boxes, trying to understand what was said.
"Did you find him?" A male, throaty voice asked.
"No, I looked in the wine cellar and the rooms next to it. Either he's gone already or really good at hiding." Another male but also slightly higher voice answered. "Seriously, what is Samael even thinking…him and his bets! He could have just taken a bite, but no! And then Azazel just lets him go!"
"Oh, don't be like that, Egyn." A third voice chimed in. "It's been a while since a human managed to hide for that long. And what are you expecting from Azazel? The only way he's moving is when he's confronted with a hunter."
Rin's thoughts were racing while listening. Azazel? He must be the vampire he had encountered in the library.
"Whatever, let's find the human and get it over with." The throaty voice interrupted while their footsteps came closer. "He can't be far off and Beel and Amaimon are blocking the exit, he must be lurking around here somewhere."
"Come on, Asta, why are you in such a hurry? It's not like we've got anything better to do."
"I'm not in the mood to entertain Samael's stupid ass plans!"
"Oh, come on, you want a bite too."
"Shut it, Iblis!"
"Or else?"
Their bickering echoed through the hallways as they came closer until the vampire named Iblis suddenly spoke up. "Hey, kid! Come on out, wherever you hide. You don't have be scared of us, honestly! I promise, it'll be over real quick!~" He called out, sounding both amused and mocking. "And who knows, if you behave and are lucky you might not end like the others!"
Instinctively Rin made himself smaller and smaller. Definitely not! The damn blood sucker sounded like a serial killer from a horror movie! He heard the man named Astaroth groan in exasperation. "Come on out, you brat, we know you're here. It'll be over quicker the sooner you give up. We don't have all night."
Rin kept quiet and held his breath, hoping they wouldn't hear him. The steps came even closer. "He has to be somewhere here, I can smell him." Egyn suddenly said and his heart stopped.
"No, no, no no…" He looked around for an exit in a panic but there was none. He was trapped and it was only a matter of minutes until they would find him. However, some higher power seemed to take pity on him and seconds after a loud crash could be heard coming from another hallway.
"What the-?!" He heard Iblis starting to speak but Egyn interrupted him.
"He must have snuck past us. Let's go!"
Their steps faded quickly and Rin let out a breath of relief. Unfortunately it didn't change the fact that he couldn't leave the basement while these two other vampires were keeping guard. How was he supposed to get out of here?! He cursed himself for going into the basement. On the other hand he couldn't hide forever, he had to keep moving. He ran into the opposite direction, hoping to get as much distance between him and the vampires as possible.
His thoughts were racing, somehow he had to get out of this basement. He run to the next best door and opened it. Immediately he was overwhelmed by a strong metallic and rotting smell. There were several bodies laying in the room, partly in different states of decay, others looked relatively fresh. By now it was more than obvious what had happened to the people who went missing in this area lately. He didn't want to spend more time in this room than necessary so he quickly closed the door and moved on, only to run right into Mephisto. The vampire seemed amused by his sudden state of shock und smiled maliciously. "There you are! You did rather well, we caught the humans earlier much quicker. Are you reasonable enough to give up now or do you want to make it hard on yourself?"
Rin didn't answer, turned around and ran. He heard Mephisto laugh but no steps were following him. Apparently he didn't deem it necessary to follow him and that scared Rin more than being chased. Now his luck had ran out at last and he encountered yet another vampire. The man was tall, roughly around Mephisto's height, had blond hair and green eyes which glinted dangerously in the dark. He would be considered very handsome by most but in Rin's eyes his appearance made him seem even more unnatural.
'Shit…'
"…You are the human Samael took an interest too." The stranger commented with a calm voice as if this situation was perfectly normal. He looked him up and down, his eyes narrowed as if looking for something specific. "I'm not sure what he sees in you but I could use a new pet. That should take Samael down a notch too." His words made Rin step back, the vampire followed. "You don't have to be scared. I'm taking good care of my property as long as you behave and it's better than being with Samael. How about it?"
Of course the younger boy didn't answer and ran. He only made it one hallway further before running into Mephisto yet again. He immediately tried to turn around but the blond vampire cut him off. There was no other way, he was trapped. "Lucifer, you are here too. How nice to see you." Mephisto greeted the vampire although it sounded tense. Rin was too buy panicking to catch that however.
The other vampire, Lucifer, tilted his head. "When Azazel told me about the bet with the human, I wanted to see him myself. He is younger than the usual humans, interesting."
"What exactly are you implying, my dearest brother?~" Mephisto's voice was polite but there was a subtle layer of annoyance and his smile seemed forced.
"…That remains to be seen."
For a moment, Mephisto's face changed into disdain but he quickly hid it. Meanwhile Rin was trying to use their temporary distraction to get away, but Lucifer grabbed him by the arm without even looking at him. "Not so fast, we didn't forget about you." He pulled Rin closer and grabbed into his hair with the other hand to force his head back and make him present his neck. "I wonder if the taste of your blood is as good as your scent."
Before Lucifer could bite him, Mephisto grabbed Rin's arm as well and tried to pull him over to him. The other vampire didn't let go and merely tightened his grip. "Not so fast, Lucifer. The boy is my prey." Mephisto growled but Lucifer was anything but impressed.
"I grabbed him first."
"And he ran into me first!"
"You didn't grab him though; I was the one who caught him."
"Oh, don't pretend to actually be interested in him!"
"Does it matter? I've won fairly and I'm hungry."
While they kept arguing, Rin tried to free himself, to his dismay the grip of both vampires was too tight. He barely listened to them and slowly panicked more and more. There was no way out and these monsters were about to make him their dinner. His heart was racing, cold sweat ran down his forehead and without realizing he started to breathe faster. Lucifer and Mephisto didn't miss it and exchanged looks, the latter grinning. "What's the matter, Liebling? Where is all that determination from earlier, mmm?" He asked in a condescending tone.
Rin couldn't even answer, his mind was racing but had no idea how to get out of this situation. Then he remembered the knife he had put in the pocket of his hoodie earlier. It was an act of desperation but he reached for it and tried to attack Mephisto with it. The vampire effortlessly grabbed his wrist and squeezed. The sudden pain caused Rin to drop the knife immediately.
Mephisto grinned at him. "Really? The first time was certainly entertaining but two attacks? I really thought you had better manners!"
Rin didn't know what to say to that. Mephisto looked amused, Lucifer, on the other hand, sighed before nodding to the other vampire. "How about a compromise: Both of us bite him. Then we take him to father and he decides who gets him."
Mephisto thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I suppose that's fair." Rin couldn't even comprehend what that meant before he felt a searing pain on his right and left shoulder. Seconds after, the burning was replaced by a tingling sensation and a strange numbness. In fact, it even felt good and his head was so foggy that he barely noticed the two vampires drinking from him. When they finally let go of him, he almost collapsed, too dazed from the blood loss. "Mmm, both of us at once was probably too much for him." He heard Mephisto laugh before slapping him lightly on the cheek. "Keep your eyes open, you can rest later."
Rin wanted to protest but was pulled along. He wasn't sure if he had lost consciousness on the way, because he couldn't remember leaving the basement. From one moment to the next, he found himself in a room he had never seen before. A few tears ran down his cheek but could he really be blamed for that?
He was exhausted and everything he had experienced had taken more out of him than he wanted to admit. It was dark in the room, the only source of light was a fireplace, which allowed him to make out some of the furniture, including bookshelves, sofas, and armchairs. He also recognized several figures loitering just outside the light. Their eyes, glowing in the darkness, stared at him and he heard laughter.
"So you caught him after all. He was pretty good at avoiding us." Iblis' voice mocked.
"What have you done to him? He looks worse than Astaroth did when we picked him up in that alley." Azazel's said, followed by an indignant "Hey!" from Astaroth.
"He's the person big brother is so interested in? Can I play with him?" Asked an unfamiliar voice, causing Mephisto to sigh.
"No, Amaimon, you always end up breaking your toys right away."
"You're one to talk." Egyn sighed.
Rin only marginally registered their conversation, he was completely in panic mode and still tried to look around for an escape route but could barely keep his eyes open, let alone stand on his own. He still hoped that his father would come to rescue him. No matter how childish it sounded.
"Awww, he's hoping for his father to save him? How cute, I guess he really is still a child." He suddenly heard Mephisto comment.
The other vampires laughed but were interrupted by a new, deep voice that made Rin shudder. "Enough. Lucifer and Samael, why did you bring him here?"
"The boy is mine. Lucifer sees things differently." Mephisto explained curtly.
"I got him first." Lucifer countered, whereupon the other vampires laughed again. Rin, on the other hand, felt even more miserable.
"He's kind of cute, almost more than Egyn. I'd want to keep him too." Iblis laughed and received an annoyed sigh from Egyn.
"Will you stop it already?"
"Make me!"
The older vampire, their father it seemed, ignored their bickering and stared at Rin instead. His eyes were an intense blue with the iris and slitted pupil being surrounded by red. His gaze seemed to bore into him, staring straight into his soul. Despite his dazed state, Rin did not miss the seriousness of the situation. His pulse raced as the vampire said nothing, stood up and came closer. In the glow of the fire, he could finally make him out. The vampire was tall, at least two meters, and had long, white hair.
Even Rin recognized that he was attractive but there was something...otherworldly about him. Almost as if he was a creature who was trying to pass as human but had put too much effort into mimicking their appearance. This was obviously the vampire Kaori had mentioned. He trembled and tried to take a step back but of course to no avail as Mephisto still held him tightly. Was it just his imagination or had the other vampires also come closer?
Within seconds, the white-haired vampire was standing right in front of him and grabbed his chin. His hand was ice-cold and made him shiver. He could no longer hold back his tears and the vampire smiled cruelly. "How old are you, child?"
"...15." Rin replied, although he actually wanted to remain silent. Something about the man's voice made him feel like he had to answer. The other vampires were whispering among themselves in a different language, which didn't help his nervousness.
"And your name?"
"Rin. And who the hell are you?" He replied, now sounding a little defiant.
The vampire continued to stare at him, this time with a frown. "Despite your situation, you won't back down. You...remind me of someone I once knew. You..." Rin wasn't sure if that statement would have a positive or negative effect. The vampire interrupted himself, merely shook his head and grinned again. "You can call me Satan. Mmm, now that I think about it...I think it would be a waste for one of us to keep you as a mere pet."
"Father...?" He heard Lucifer ask in surprise and the rest of the vampires fell silent as well, curious as to where this would lead. Rin, meanwhile, questioned the vampire's name. Satan? Surely that was a bad joke!
Satan continued to stare at him for a few moments and nodded. "Yes, I think you're perfect..."
"Perfect for what? I just want to go home!" It probably wasn't the best idea to snap at the vampire like that but he seemed more amused than anything else. There was something about the way he had said the previous sentence that he didn't like at all. He doubted that this was good news and his heart beat even faster.
"Oh? Is someone waiting for you?"
"My father and brother!"
"I see...I take it you're the older one?"
Rin nodded slowly, unsure what this would lead to. Perhaps it was a mistake to answer but if they really could read his mind, it probably didn't matter much whether he answered willingly or not. "Why? And you didn't answer my question!"
He received another laugh in response. "You're scared and trying to hide it. Pretty stubborn...we'll have our fun with you. I've been wanting a new fledgling for a while now."
His alarm bells immediately started ringing. Something told him that they weren't going to put him in the basement with the other humans but that something much worse was going to happen. Before he could ask what this meant, Mephisto intervened. "Father, I got him first! You can't-"
"I can't do what?" Satan interrupted him sharply. "Do you really want to question my decision?" For no apparent reason, the room felt much colder despite the fire and there was a strange tension in the air. Rin felt Mephisto tense and nodded.
"Of course not, father." It was clear from his voice that he was smiling but it was forced. Apparently they didn't dare go against their "father", at least not directly.
"Nice! Then I'm finally not the youngest anymore!" Laughed a previously unknown voice that probably belonged to Beelzebub. Gradually it dawned on Rin what the older man was up to and all the blood drained from his face.
"No." Was all he managed to get out. His voice sounded weak and almost broke, Satan raised a brow.
"No?" He immediately began to grin even wider, it looked extremely unnatural. "So you're already understand where this is going?"
Rin shuddered and shook his head. Mephisto's grip tightened but he barely noticed. He tried to free himself, but in vain. "You're not turning me into one of those things!"
"Things?! Excuse me?! Rude!" Snorted Beelzebub without receiving a response.
"Let me go or suck me dry! I'm not going to be a damn vampire!" To his displeasure, his voice sounded much higher than usual, but the vampires laughed, obviously not taking him seriously. Only Mephisto seemed offended, as he had actually wanted to keep him.
"They always say that." Satan commented. "Too bad you don't have a choice. I'm interested in you, that's why I'm keeping you."
As if on cue, Rin began to struggle even harder against Mephisto's grip but he was much more stronger. Normally, he was not easily frightened but in the face of the situation, all rational thinking had gone out the window. In the distance, he heard Satan say something in another language, whereupon he was pushed closer to the sofa. Before he knew it, they had forced him to sit down and seconds later the vampire was standing over him and he felt the already familiar burning pain on his shoulder.
Satan drank from him for longer than Lucifer and Mephisto had. It took him a moment to realize that he was being sucked dry and his life was literally seeping out of him. To his despair, he could neither move nor speak. Why him of all people? How could anyone be so unlucky! He tried one last time to push the vampire away, but could barely lift his arms.
At that moment, only one thought flashed through his mind: 'Yukio...dad...I'm sorry...' They were probably already worried and wondering where he was. Would they find out where he had ended up? He almost hoped not, otherwise there would only be more people running into the arms of these bloodsucker but at the same time he was still praying that his father would show up and save him somehow. It was a childish and silly hope, no one would come.
The last thing he heard was Satan's voice, which almost sounded teasing. "Don't worry, we're going to take very good care of you." He heard laughing, then everything went dark.
…..
When Rin didn't come home from work on time, Shiro wasn't worried at first. The boy tended to forget the time and it wouldn't be the first time he ended up caught up chatting with his colleagues. Since he had taken the job, he seemed much happier than usual. His classmates had always avoided him but he felt welcome at work even if his boss wasn't exactly a pleasant fellow. The rest of the monks shared his suspicions and Yukio was busy packing for his move to True Cross Academy so he hadn't seen him for a few hours.
Around 8:00 pm, he finally started to get restless. Then came the call from Rin's workplace, telling him what no parent ever wanted to hear. Rin had gone out for a delivery and was still not back. He wasn't answering his cell phone and there was no other sign of life. As expected, his boss was furious but his colleagues were worried and when they told him that Rin had been on her way into a forest, Shiro's alarm bells rang all the more. Something had happened, there was no doubt about it.
Time was of the essence and he didn't hesitate to drive to the police station. At first he got the typical "Oh, teenagers his age like to run away from home. He's probably with a friend, he'll probably be back by tomorrow!" speech but he persisted. In the end, they gave in, although they obviously didn't take it very seriously. Their amusement didn't last long. They drove to the forest where Rin was supposed to deliver the pizzas and for a few hours Shiro heard nothing from them.
Around 11:30 p.m., two police officers showed up at the door. He recognized them from the station and, unlike a few hours earlier, they looked serious. Rin was not with them. He immediately expected the worst and what the officers told him confirmed his fear. They had found several abandoned tents; the pizzas Rin had delivered were untouched on a table. They also found a bicycle that belonged to Rin so he had still been there.
They had gotten a bad feeling and called in reinforcements with whom they had combed through the nearby estate. What they found in the rooms and cellars was something they had never seen in all their years of service. They found animal carcasses everywhere but above all bodies upon bodies, some of the people had been missing for weeks or even months. The creepiest thing about the find? Several of the bodies were relatively fresh and probably only a few hours old. More details would only be known after the autopsy. Thankfully, Rin had not been among the bodies, only his cell phone was found.
As no further information was available, he was officially listed as missing and a suspected kidnapping victim. Shiro felt numb and breaking the news to Yukio was not easy. He had a really bad feeling and it got worse over the next few days. Slowly, a terrible suspicion arose in him and with every new piece of information, it intensified until there was no longer any doubt.
Vampires.
And considering the amount of corpses, probably even a whole nest of them. As much as he didn't want it to be true, the bloodless bodies left no doubt. Never in his life had he expected them to venture anywhere near Tokyo but that had been a mistake. All these years he had done his best to protect the twins from this side of his life, to let them live in ignorance. He now regretted never having told them about the existence of these bloodsuckers. It was questionable whether it would have changed anything. Perhaps Rin would have fallen into their trap either way.
He shuddered at the thought of what those bastards would do to his son. There were usually two options if they let you live. Either you ended up as their human pet or you became one of them. He wouldn't wish either on even his worst enemy. Somehow he would save Rin. He had to save him. He refused to abandon his son to those beasts. Even if he was no longer human, he would break every rule to bring him home if necessary. He would find some way. But first he had to make some preparations.
A knock on the door snapped him out of his dreary thoughts and Yukio entered his room. "Izumi said you wanted to talk to me?" Since Rin's disappearance, Yukio had become more and more withdrawn but at the same time he tried to pretend that everything was fine. Of course, Shiro and the other monks saw through him. He nodded with a sigh.
"Yes. Please sit down. We...have some things to talk about. There's something I have been kept secret from you and Rin for years..."
Translations:
Liebling - Darling
Wunderbar! - Wonderful
Yes, the cliffhanger is cruel but at this point it's sort of my thing XD
Maybe one day there will be a sequel for this, but right now I'm working on another Vampire OS which is inspired by a scene in the movie "Van Helsing" so if you're interested, keep an eye out for it ^^
I'm also working on yet another Vampire AU with a friend which is not related to this one or the other one I'm working on. So hopefully lots of vampire content in the future!
Either way, thank you very much for reading, comments and any sorts of criticism are always appreciated too :3
Have a nice week and Happy New Year!