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He could hear the townspeople cheering around him. A bitter taste stung on his tongue as he imagined their faces, so triumphant in their win. Scott could feel the remnants of rotten food slid down his arms and legs, courtesy of the people that he knew were crowding around him as the wizards wrangled him towards a casket in the middle of the town.
He didn't know what they would do to him after that.
It was deserved, really. Scott wouldn't pretend like he had been a saint. He had killed thousands over the years and ruined more lives than he would ever be able to count, even with his infinite amount of time. But did they have to be so prude about it? He lost. He knew that. They just had to keep rubbing it in his face.
Scott could feel the wooden back of the casket dig into his spine as he was thrown into it. He grunted as he looked up and watched the annoying wizards wave their hands. Oh. I suppose they're just going to do the magic in front of everyone. Scott rolled his eyes. I hope they have enough self consciousness to realize they could be burned at the pyre for this.
It was the last thought he had before his eyes turned heavy and his brain slipped into darkness.
Scott Goldsmith had been defeated. The kingdom had been saved. Everyone cheered as the giant threat who had oppressed them had been finally laid to rest.
.☘︎ ݁˖
Almost seven centuries after the evil vampire was defeated, he woke up.
Scott had woken up just as he had fallen asleep: in complete darkness. He groaned as he shifted around in the casket. Blearily, he tried to recall just how he had ended up here. Then, he groaned again as he realized how weak he was. He still bore the same clothes he wore on the day of his imprisonment, although at this point in time they smelled awful. Scott made a mental note to get a tailor to fashion him a new outfit once he returned to the surface.
It had only taken him a little bit to figure out that he had been buried underground in the casket and he sighed as he started to bang against the top of the casket. If I had my claws, this would be easier. Scott couldn't help but think spitefully to himself. The humans would pay for their insolence. Trying to bury a vampire instead of killing him? Outright stupidity.
Finally, he broke through the wood and started to scrabble his way through the dirt. Pebbles and coarse dirt sifted through his clothes, ears, nose and mouth and he tried not to gag at the uncomfortable feeling.
By the time he finally broke the surface, he wasn't sure if it had been a few minutes or a few hours. Scott heaved himself out of the ground and started to hack the dirt out of his nonfunctional but still existent respiratory system. A few pebbles had snagged themselves into his throat and he hacked those out, too, even though they came with a bit of blood.
When the last piece of dirt exited his mouth, Scott looked around and blinked as he adjusted to his surroundings.
Forest.
He was in a empty, sprawling forest.
The town that had once surrounded his burial site was now nonexistent. He scoffed as he stood up on shaky legs. "Food," He rasped to himself. "I need to find food." He cursed to himself as he walked and realized his shoes had been sucked up by the dirt and left him in only socks. He tried to ignore the dirt and mud sinking into his socks and kept moving forward.
Bunnies, squirrels and small rodents were all gobbled up within an instant. They tasted different, smelled different, but he didn't have the energy to question why. There wasn't even any cows or sheep in the area when he knew there was typically an abundance. It was strange, but unassuming.
As he walked in the woods towards where his castle would be, he abandoned his cape and extravagant vest to only keep the basics. If he was going to get new clothes, there was no need to keep everything else if it was only going to weigh him down.
As he got closer to the site of his castle, he frowned. There were strange noises coming from the area, noises he had never heard in his life. Some of them sounded human-like while others sounded…odd. Unnatural. Did humans take over my castle when I was asleep?
A surge of possessiveness ran through him and he started to walk faster, ignoring the heaviness in his legs. He had to know what had happened to his land.
The trees thinned to reveal a long strip of something gray and hard in the ground. Scott looked down at it puzzlingly and then started to walk across it. One step, two steps, three-
Beep! Honk! Honk!
Scott whipped his head up towards the noise only to see a giant blue thing on wheels heading towards him. He yelped and threw himself across the strip, landing hard on the smaller white strip on the other side. Pain screamed in his feet and knees as he scraped against the hardness and roughness of the surface and he nearly bit his tongue at the unfamiliar but fleeting pain. "Idiot! Homeless! Watch where you're going! Don't you know not to walk across the road without a crosswalk?" The human in the thing yelled at him as the wheels of the thing splashed into a water puddle, soaking Scott from head to toe. The human let out a laugh before disappearing into the distance, leaving him soaking wet.
Scott tried to ignore the embarrassment-very infrequently was he so humiliated, especially being called homeless-flaring in his stomach and instead focused on what was around him.
Buildings. Huge, tall buildings, some of them looking taller than his castle. Scott slowly got up from the ground and couldn't help but keep looking up. Humans passed by him, most not paying attention to him unless he got too close. Some sent bewildered looks his way, like he was the craziest concept to exist. There was no fear, only judgment.
Strange, tall lanterns were everywhere and there was more of the things on wheels passing by him, all in different colors and sizes. They were similar to the wagons he used to use when he was human, but were far more powerful. He continued to walk on the white strip, which he found out from a sign was called a sidewalk. The lanterns were called street lamps. The buildings were called skyscrapers or a hospital or a parking garage or just a building.
Scott kept walking until he approached a shop with a large window. A bunch of tiny glowing boxes were inside of it and he found himself peering inside to look at them.
Breaking news-President has ordered new law to….
Breaking news: Queen has passed away, new King takes charge…
Breaking news: Prince…
Mayor…
Vice President…
General…
There were different kinds of power now. Different kinds of laws. It wasn't so easy to just take control of a town, there were far too many people and titles and ranks for that. People had access to things called bombs and guns and could wipe anyone out in a second.
Humans had that kind of power. Not all of them were weak. And if they caught wind of a threat, of something that was different and took their blood? With how weak he was, they could destroy him with a word.
Silently, he slunk away from the TVs and sought out any shelter he could find. Without his castle and plans for revenge, he would have to hunker down and rebuild slowly.
He would need time to survive.
.☘︎ ݁˖
It had taken him six months of learning and adapting to the human realm before he finally managed to land a job. In that time, he had managed to get used to sleeping on the top of buildings or on trees in the forest, given the fact he had basically none of his previous wealth from before to spend on apartments or houses. He had learned much about the modern world by constantly visiting the local library, allowing himself to blend in easier (not that he liked blending in, but it was for the best-for now) and learn where to best get resources. He had gotten himself a nice array of clothes from stealing or bargaining what little he had.
But Scott needed more, hence the job. It had been incredibly easy to get hired, especially when his manager generously donated him an "old flip phone" (which Scott found hilariously ironic considering the thing hadn't even been around in his time) to keep track of his schedule and to keep in contact with the manager. Of course, as Scott worked more and more frequently, his manager became strangely absent from the back room until he never appeared at work at all.
Scott was mostly left to his own devices. And that was perfect for him.
Whenever he got the chance, he would make sure to swipe a few extra dollars from the cash register or overcharge a person or two to get more profit. Little by little, as the months turned into a full year, he managed to scrabble together enough to buy a new phone, earrings and beautiful shoes. His world was only the rooftops he slept on and the corner store he worked at, but he found himself not minding. For him, a year was practically a blip in his life.
Scott tried not to think about the fact that maybe he was too scared to venture beyond what he already knew. He kept telling himself he would eventually seize power and become feared again, but he found himself unsure. Still, if not that, what else was there in this world for him?
It wasn't like humans were that interesting. It wasn't like he could ever truly be apart of them.
.☘︎ ݁˖
Something changed when a curly, orange haired person walked into the shop. It was on the mark of Scott being awake for two years when they walked in with a determined look on her face. While other customers typically wandered around the store and acted like Scott wasn't there, (he recalled one customer calling him "unnerving") they walked straight up to him with their arms crossed.
"Cyan boy."
"I'm older than you," Scott remarked dryly on reflex. The person raised an eyebrow.
"Is this really the hill you want to die on? Being older than me?"
"I'm not a boy. I can drink." Not that he could drink, really, but he was old enough to. Too old, certainly.
"Fine. Cyan man. I need three candy recommendations." The person leaned on the counter of the cashier area, a smirk on their face. Scott looked around quickly, feeling lost. Is this…a challenge of some sort? A way to show superiority? Quickly, he tried to remember names of candy.
"Starburst, Hersheys, and gummy bears."
"What type of gummy bears?"
"I don't know. Gummy kind?"
The person nodded and slowly leaned back, then let out a barking laugh. "Oh my god! With how you looked, you would've thought I was putting a gun to your head! Calm down, cyan man, I just wanted to see what you'd think. You run this place, after all." They walked off to disappear into the candy aisle, leaving Scott disoriented in a way that he found himself liking. Not many humans ever made him feel challenged.
…Even if it was as stupid as something like picking out cheap candy.
When the person walked back up to the register, Scott couldn't help but shake his head. They had gotten the exact candy he had recommended. "What are you going to do with these?" They shot him a wry smile.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
The next few days, he learned more about the person. Their name was Cleo and he found himself enjoying their company-a weird feeling that was certainly a first for him. Eventually, Cleo stopped coming in on the regular just to buy candy (and it turned out the candy was for their girlfriend, which was a nice surprise) so she handed him her phone number. Texts were exchanged, hangouts were planned, jokes were made, and it took a full two months before Scott realized he had made a friend and he didn't even know how.
He had been endeared to a human. And he found himself not entirely minding. Just one human. He promised himself. I can like just one human.
His promise was instantly broken when Cleo invited him to a restaurant and he was met with Pearl's puppy dog eyes and excited energy. She was just as witty as Cleo with a fiery spirit he couldn't help but be amused with. He wasn't sure he could call her a friend, but he didn't mind her being around.
The other two still didn't know of his true nature, and he didn't plan to tell them anytime soon. He didn't like to hide himself, but humans of the modern age could be so finicky. He had learned it firsthand from the customers at the corner store that even the slightest oddness could freak them out. It was better to sit and observe their reactions and attitude towards the world first.
Two humans. I can like two humans. That's a reasonable number. The rest are still annoying. Scott promised himself one more time.
He had truly planned to keep it to just two.
But then he met the doctor.
.☘︎ ݁˖
It had been a rainy Monday afternoon when Scott had first seen him. He had been locking up the store with an umbrella in his other hand when Legundo had made his way down the opposite side of the street. When Scott turned around and saw him carefully navigating the wet sidewalk with a black umbrella above him, something in him felt drawn to the man.
He was average-looking and clearly on the older side in the human timeline. His glasses were slightly crooked as he nearly stepped his scuffed army boots into a huge puddle. Scott couldn't find himself to move. He swore he had seen the man before in the corner of his eye before, but this was truly his first time seeing him. The rain pitter-pattered around him and its wetness soaked into his shoes as he continued to stare at the man until he disappeared around the corner.
It took him camping out all night and well into the morning near the corner store to catch another glimpse of the man. As soon as he saw his familiar face, Scott swooped down in his bat form and followed him. Whenever the man would look around, he'd quickly hide behind a lamp or sign to remain undetected.
There was just a certain air to the man that he couldn't place. Perhaps he was a fellow vampire? Another cryptid? Scott was deeply intrigued as he continued to follow the man all the way to the hospital.
…He was really lucky the blond boy that he still didn't know the name of was taking his shift for today. He wasn't sure if he could focus on anything else. Every time his thoughts tried to wander, they centered back on the man in front of him.
He couldn't be just an average man. There had to be something more to him. Scott watched from above as the man entered the hospital. "Morning, Doc!" A voice came from inside just before the automatic doors closed. A doctor. The man was a doctor.
Scott flew over and landed on top of the hospital, shuddering slightly at the smell of blood that permeated from the building. He had never thought of the hospital as a potential source for food before.
…But the doctor wouldn't take kindly to him stealing from his patients. With a sigh, Scott flew off again and went to go find a building to snuggle against.
He would figure out what was up with the doctor. He would, even if it took up all of his time.
.☘︎ ݁˖
Turns out, his manager didn't take very kindly to him using all of his time for other activities. It had only been about a week or two since he started watching the doctor closely, but his manager had already called him four times about being absent at work. The fifth time he had simply shouted, "You're fired, pretty boy!" before hanging up.
Scott stared at his phone in silence before shrugging it off. He'd find a new job eventually. His priority was watching the doctor. Every morning, Scott would touch down at the corner store and watch as the doctor made his way down the street without fail. Sometimes he would already have his doctor coat on while other times he'd simply wear a jacket instead. Spring went on as Scott continued to watch. He still didn't even know the man's name, and while he had determined there was nothing supernatural about him like he had originally suspected, he couldn't help but come back every single day. Sometimes, he would even fly overhead when the doctor walked home from a night shift, stopping himself every so often to drain a little from an unsuspecting citizen or stupid thug. They barely caught a glimpse of him before he'd be gone again. It was a pleasant routine he had carved out for himself and he found himself happy to not have to spend his time working anymore.
It all changed the night he slipped up. Instead of watching the doctor first, he chose to stop by the corner store. He could smell the hint of blood behind the store and it had driven him mad while he waited for the doctor to start walking home. Turns out, a scraggly human had fallen asleep behind the store, making them the perfect target.
Unfortunately, the human woke up mid-drink and jumped up, damaging his neck further. The man shouted in fear and Scott instantly pulled him closer, snaking his hands around his limbs to prevent him from running away. Annoying. Guess I'll have to fully drain him. Scott mentally clicked his tongue-wasn't like he could do it physically considering where his mouth was-and started to drink faster. The man hoarsely gasped and withering in his grasp and Scott couldn't help but let out a chuckle. It had been a long time since he had been able to just take something for himself. As he drank, he could tell he was already over the threshold for level two, but he found himself not minding.
It had been long enough that he could allow himself to indulge once, right?
A loud scream came from in front of him. Scott paused in his drinking just in time to feel the sensation of a knife in his hip. He watched as the man fell out of his grasp and onto the ground. Scott immediately thought of him as nothing but grub. There were more important things in front of him. "Run! Now!" The doctor yelled from where he had jumped the chainlink fence. The other man didn't move and Scott had to fight to keep a chuckle from slipping out of him. He was drunk on the blood and he loved it. "Are you deaf? Run, now, or else you're going to die!" Scott paid no mind to the worm of a human that was running away and instead focused on the knife that was in his side. It barely hurt-the knife wasn't even made of silver-and he found himself intrigued by the fact that the doctor had a knife on him in the first place.
"Shouldn't you be more concerned for your own life?" Scott questioned as he felt a smile slid onto his face. The doctor's quiet fear was fun to see. His stance was straight and battle-ready, but he could see the small trembles in his legs and hands. It was made sweeter by the doctor's attempt to swipe the knife back from him. It took no effort to simply step back from his hand.
"I have more of a chance to win against you instead of that poor soul."
"I never pegged you to be the fighting type. Thought you were just a doctor, hm?" Scott remarked, tipping his hand. He saw the moment the doctor clicked together the pieces. The doctor recognized him. Fear fully took over his expression as he shined a light at Scott, trying to get a better look at him. "What are you?" Scott ignored the slight annoyance of the light in order to revel in the fact that finally, finally, someone got to know who he truly was.
Even better, it was the doctor who would know.
Scott let a crooked grin travel across his face. Okay, three humans. I can stop at three humans. He paused to drink in the other man's face one more time. This is going to be fun.