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Man down.
Man down-
Can’t stop the bleeding-
We’re losing him-
We need a doctor-
A languid sigh. “Always with the panicking and screaming. So ungrateful. Are yours like this, too?”
It’s so bright. Blinding. Breathe. Breathe, why isn’t he- Why isn’t he breathing?
“I’ve not turned anyone yet.”
Try. Just try. Wrong, it’s wrong, it’s wrong, it’s not breathing, what’s happening?
“Really? Nobody in two hundred years?”
Emptiness. Wet and cold. His neck hurts, but not as much as it should, something is wrong.
Reluctance. “...Admittedly, I was buried for most of that.”
Who’s speaking? What… It’s not, this can’t be real, it has to just be his memories, somehow…
Condescension. “Wow, and I thought two hundred was baby talk, but you haven’t really lived that long, anyway.”
Calm. Down. Breathe, even if it feels wrong, Legundo just needs to breathe-
Sharp pause. “That’s hardly- Oh, I see our new affiliate is coming back to us.”
Legundo digs his hands into the mud, the cool, messy texture helping significantly. Think.
Everything is brighter than it should be. It can’t be morning yet, the blood moon is still out, so why can Legundo see so clearly? His left eye socket pulses.
He’s on the ground, sprawled on the shore opposite the beacon, staring up at Scott and Owen.
Scott, who’s using a handkerchief to dab up blood around his mouth. Owen, who’s wiping blood in the same spot on the inside of his cloak.
Blood. Blood from Legundo. His neck, his wrist, they both hurt. He needs medical attention.
That’s right. They had all gone out together. Scott and Owen had crowded around the beacon and bickered about… something. Their conversation hadn’t made sense, and when pressed, they had…
They had…
Without much preamble, Owen had bitten into Legundo’s wrist, and Scott had chased Legundo into the water and teared into his throat with his fangs-
The word, unbidden, breaks into Legundo’s mind. Vampires.
No. It can’t be. It’s ridiculous to even think it. Madness. Just Avid’s ramblings getting to him.
But Legundo… should be dead. He of all people – as a doctor and a killer – knows intimately that Scott’s attack should have killed him.
Legundo presses a hand to his neck on instinct, but there’s no gushing blood, not like there should be. He knows what Scott did to him, but there’s just a ragged mark, not an open wound. His wrist is much the same.
“So? You paying attention now?” Scott asks, looking down at Legundo as if he didn’t just rip his throat out.
Information. He needs information. Something has to make sense.
Legundo opens his mouth several times. His teeth feel too big. “What… You… You killed me, but I’m still… What did you do to me?”
“Nothing,” Scott replies, insincerely aghast. “You know, you’re awfully lucky, Doctor. I’ve done it before where I would just kill my food, but now you’re alive and well. I was hungry.”
“I… I don’t understand,” Legundo murmurs.
Owen stands to Scott’s right with folded arms. “You’re smarter than that, Doctor. Vampires are real. You are now one, so welcome to the ranks. Avid was a hundred percent correct.”
“Well, not for the right reasons,” Scott argues.
Owen huffs and turns to Scott. “He was right about you. I thought I was getting a full meal, but then you turned out to be a vampire, too.”
“Likewise. So much for my two for one situation,” Scott bemoans. “Who knows how many years asleep after centuries of control over this town and now I don’t even get my fill.”
“That was your part in the rumors, then?” Owen asks conversationally. “On my end, about two hundred years ago, I slaughtered all of Oakhurst, burned it to the ground, and I plan on finishing the job.”
What?
Medal on his chest, the pin digging straight into his flesh. To say such things so casually, so flippantly-
“I dabbled a little in that business, but I prefer to keep in my castle and have them just sacrifice themselves to me, honestly. This pretending game is wearing thin,” Scott admits.
God. This is real, isn’t it? Legundo can’t deny what he’s seeing. What he’s feeling, or not feeling, rather. There’s no heartbeat under the medal.
A close look from Owen at Scott. “Even thinner for you. Your eyes are red. You really gorged yourself on our friend, here.”
Scott’s shoulders drop. “Pity. I think I have something that would work for that.”
“You… You’re going to hurt more? The whole town?” Legundo interjects.
Owen rolls his eyes. “Finally catching up, are we? That’s the game here, Doctor. We can only survive off blood.”
Scott flicks his gaze to Legundo, scrutinizing him. “Yeah, you’re not going to be a problem, are you? We’d prefer your loyalty.”
Loyalty? Orders from down on high as Legundo rots in the mud again. No, no, this was never supposed to follow him here, he came here to help.
Legundo shuffles backwards. “What? You want me to..? You can’t… You attacked me!”
“You’re one of us whether you like it or not,” Owen argues. “That comes with responsibilities. And urges.”
“I do no harm,” Legundo states, finally forcing the tremor out of his voice.
Scott tips his chin up. “What’s the issue? That’s an oath from when you were human. Now you’re something much better. Evolved, really. You can start fresh.”
“You’ll learn quick,” Owen adds. “There’s no denying what you are now.”
Streets lined with corpses. The stench of rot. An empty vial in his hand.
Legundo shakes his head, trying to clear it. His ears are still ringing. “I can’t. I can’t-”
Scott sighs. “I really don’t see the problem here. I’ve made you stronger. The least you could do is thank me.”
The fear makes room for the rage that splits Legundo open.
“Forget it. We’re wasting time on him,” Owen settles on.
“Yeah, we should be heading back about now anyway,” Scott concurs. “Separately. Wouldn’t want the town getting any ideas.”
It’s astounding how quickly the two have become in sync when they came into this encounter preparing to eat the other.
Owen dips his head. “He’ll come to his senses eventually.”
“As long as he doesn’t steal my portion in the realization.” Scott keeps his hands behind his back. He spares a glance at Legundo. “It’ll be good to have a third member.”
“I don’t take orders from you,” Legundo snaps, then he slaps a dirty hand over his mouth. That was far more emotional than he intended it to be. Christ, he needs to get himself under control right now.
Scott scoffs. “Touchy. You’ll be singing a different tune soon.”
No.
“Who do you think he’ll get first?” Owen asks recreationally.
Legundo needs to get out of here.
He needs-
He…
He needs to eat something.
“Avid, probably. I’ve seen them at each other’s throats already,” is Scott’s answer.
The image spawns out of Scott’s comment. Legundo hasn’t known Avid long, it’s hardly been two days, but the thought of what his corpse would look like arises so easily. Neck torn, those bandages on his neck cast aside for easier access to the blood-
Owen sighs. “Shame. That fool’s our best asset. It’ll take a lot for the town to believe in our existence thanks to him.”
No, no, he can’t, he can’t, this can’t be real, it can’t be-
A low chuckle from Scott. “That’s true. I hardly have to push him, really.”
Can’t stop the bleeding-
Get out. Get out now-
There’s a sudden pulse, a shiver, an itching, and the ground disappears out from Legundo. His body cracks, weightless, reformed into something else.
What- What’s happening-
The world is a lot bigger. Sharper. Nonsensically, arms are keeping him up, but they’re not his arms, they’re… wings.
“See? Not so bad, eh?” Owen tells Legundo casually. “You can become a bat, and so much more.”
A bat? That’s what he is? It’s beyond reason. This is lunacy.
“Yeah, you’re a bat, you’re stronger, you’ll live forever,” Scott concurs with a list.
Something deep inside of him chills. “…Forever?”
“Exactly,” Scott says with a smile. “You’re welcome, truly.”
Legundo has wandered straight into hell, it seems.
Too small. Too much. Legundo needs to leave, and his altered self takes initiative, wings picking up speed and sending off back towards town.
The flight — the flight — back to Oakhurst is a haze. He is not followed.
A strange sense of gratitude rises as Legundo notes that his shelter still lacks a roof. Without an obstacle, Legundo races in, and the transformation abruptly drops.
“Woah!”
When his normal form is restored, Legundo is surprised that he doesn’t fall out of the air but instead drifts down. Legundo drops to his knees, glancing around, but he is not disturbed.
It’s almost daytime. The town will wake up soon. His services will be needed soon.
Carefully, Legundo rises to his feet. There’s less of his usual aches, though he doesn’t feel as if his old wounds have healed, necessarily. More as if he’s been locked in place. On the precipice of returning pain.
Legundo only takes a few steps before he doubles over as a wave of pure hunger crashes into him.
“Fuck,” he hisses, actually hisses as his lips pull back and the too-big teeth in his mouth are pulled to the forefront.
Ravenous. Aching. He needs to eat something. He… He has potatoes downstairs. Bread. Something.
Legundo refuses to listen to the particular cravings that whisper in the depths of his mind. He’s going to work through this problem, and that means trial and error.
It doesn’t matter that he knows what he has to drink. He will not give in.
Once the hunger pang lessens up, Legundo meanders to the first floor and roots through his supplies until a baked potato is in his unfortunately trembling hands. He barely had time to wipe the mud off his hands.
Think. He just needs to get a hold of himself. Identify the limits of the issue and overcome the obstacle.
Legundo bites into the potato and grimaces as the pure taste of ash fills his mouth.
God, god he knows that taste. Haunting the air, filling his chest, choking him. On instinct, he spits out the vegetable.
Upon examination, nothing’s wrong with the potato. It’s entirely in Legundo’s head.
He wants to circumvent this limitation, but his head jerks away when he raises the food back to his mouth. Too familiar. Too overwhelming.
Another hunger pang hits him, and he manages to keep himself upright. Okay. Alright. This is fine. Legundo is fine.
Next, the raw meat. He’d been keeping it to give to some of his townmates, but if his usual preferences are no longer an option, he has to keep experimenting.
The sight of the meat is… uncomfortable. Disregard it. It’s this or nothing.
Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, his newfound appetite makes the raw meat go down fairly easily.
The blood hits Legundo’s throat, and he involuntarily lets out an embarrassing sound. The clawing in his stomach falters.
Oh. Oh.
More. More, he wants more, he wants it fresher, he needs more now-
Legundo snaps to awareness as he finishes the last of the raw meat in his supplies. His fingers are slimy, his mouth stained.
Swallowing, Legundo curses himself. He can’t let this happen. He can’t lose control, become a danger to the town, he swore he would do no harm. He can never be that man again.
God, he’s hungry. He needs more, he needs it wriggling under his fangs-
Calm. The fuck. Down.
Legundo needs to focus.
Oh, god. How is he meant to deal with patients like this? If raw meat is enough to do… whatever that was to him, then an open wound is surely exponentially worse.
He came here to help. If he can’t help- no, worse, if he’s a danger to the townsfolk, then what good is he?
Legundo needs to fix this. Somehow.
After cleaning himself up, finding that the red doesn’t seem to leave his hands, Legundo returns to his supplies and reaches for his tape recorder.
There’s a click, and a stretch of nothing as the tape whirrs.
What could he possibly say to make sense of all this?
It seems pointless.
“…Vam-“ Legundo has to clear his throat as the dryness hits. “Vampires are real. End of log.”
-
---
-
It is nothing short of divine punishment, or perhaps a sick sense of humor, that designated Legundo and Avid as next door neighbors.
Legundo cannot ignore the chatter from Avid and Drift as morning arrives, and as much as he loathes to show his face given what’s become of him, he finds it more worrisome to remain locked in his home. After all, the person whom Legundo had deemed a lunatic may now be his only source of information.
Tentatively, Legundo sits through the small talk with his new neighbors. Pearl, Avid, and Drift are unchanged overnight, unlike Legundo. Owen is the fifth member of the gathering, and though he tries to herd Legundo off with a significant look, Legundo instead takes the invitation into Avid and Drift’s home to scope out their bathtub with Pearl.
Apparently, the rule about being invited in is real, as Legundo feels something click in his mind when Avid tells the group at large to come in. Any gained understanding is good.
It’s not until a bit later, when Avid waltzes into Legundo’s developing home, that Legundo sees a chance to investigate the self-proclaimed vampire hunter further. As much as a lingering part of him regrets enduring Avid’s company, Legundo cannot deny that he owes Avid a chance to prove themself knowledgeable.
“Hey, by the way, did you notice how I just, like, walked right in?” Avid is saying.
The piece of Legundo that died last night has a remark about how that’s what people normally do when doors are open, but everything is different now.
Instead, Legundo prepares himself for humiliation.
“Yes, the door was open.” Legundo clears his parched throat. “Avid, do you mind if I speak with you for a moment?”
Avid perks up. “Uh, oh! Sure, sure, yeah, I mean, there was stuff I had to do, but I can chat quick!”
As Avid rambles, he shuts the front door, trapping himself with the thing he’s so afraid of.
Avid steps a little closer, as if to speak in confidence, and Legundo recoils as the faintest scent of blood hits him. It’s faint, especially under the garlic, and it’s altered, but enough to be recognizable. After all, Legundo is no stranger to the smell of disease on the air.
Horribly, Legundo salivates. He carefully places a hand over his mouth.
Scott’s comment about eating Avid worms into Legundo’s mind.
Prove Scott wrong. Prove Owen wrong. Do no harm, do no harm, do no harm-
“Avid, are you bleeding?” Legundo blurts.
Avid goes rigid, slapping a hand on his neck. Bingo.
Legundo had assumed the bandages were a misguided attempt to keep the vampires away. Now he prays they serve that assumed purpose.
But to know that the bandages are performing their intended medical function, Legundo feels a beyond familiar pang of guilt. There was a patient under his nose who hadn’t reached out for help. Christ, even if Legundo had teased Avid, that was no excuse for Avid to not seek him out…
Well, Legundo had made it clear he wasn’t ready for patients after only a couple of days.
Legundo tries to save face. “The- Your bandages, I mean. Are they for an injury?”
Avid purses their lips, bouncing on their heels. “Uh, it’s fine. I’m fine. That’s none of your business, okay?”
Frustration. “Of course it’s my business. I’m a doctor.”
“Allegedly,” Avid snarks.
The frustration gives way to outright annoyance. “Do not insult my practice, Avid.”
Avid raises his hands. “Okay, okay, sheesh. Look, maybe if we have time, you can give me a check-up or something. Is that even really what you wanted to talk about?”
The blood distracted him. Legundo has to stay focused.
“No.” Legundo grits his teeth. “I… wanted to ask what you could tell me about vampires.”
Legundo is almost blinded by the sheer wonder that shines on Avid’s face at the question. “You- You’re asking me?” Avid’s jaw drops. “Seriously?”
Headache. “Yes. I want to know what your… experience is with them.”
Avid giggles and puts his hands on his face in excitement. “Oh boy, oh boy, yes! Yeah, I’ll tell you anything!”
Blood. Now that he’s noticed it, it clouds his senses. If Avid were just a little closer-
Thank Christ, Avid scrunches his face and takes a step back. “Wait, you’re not pulling my leg or something, right? Trying to make fun of me?”
“No, nothing like that,” Legundo placates. “I… I just… I figured if there was anything concrete about your expertise, I should attempt to understand you. You’re now my neighbor, after all.”
The grin returns with a vengeance. “Really? Uh, yeah! I- Well, my partner was the one to really handle the monsters, so she’s seen ‘em up close! B-But I was attacked by what I believe was one!”
Ugh, so unreliable. Legundo pushes down the automatic dismissal welling up inside him.
“So you don’t know if it was a vampire?”
Avid bristles. “Hey, we were looking for vampires, okay? We tested everything! She- It… I staked it and it died! It tried to bite me!”
Legundo tries to sort through the half-story. “Okay. Alright. Then… how does being turned into a vampire affect you?”
“Oh, well you’re a bloodthirsty monster, like, almost right away. I watched it happen! It changes you!” Avid explains with wide eyes. “They’re not themselves anymore, Legs!”
Avid gets into Legundo’s space again to poke him for emphasis at that last comment.
The dual scents of garlic and blood war in Legundo’s senses, and he’s caught between being repulsed and drawn forward.
Hunger hails its victory. Legundo’s stomach burns. It hurts.
Belatedly, Legundo realizes he’s dropped his palm. Is there drool running down his face? Avid is alone, and it would hardly take anything at all to-
God, oh god…
The excitement on Avid’s face morphs into confusion at Legundo’s continued silence. Legundo watches in fascination as a fearful epiphany breaks out.
“You…” Avid blinks. “Um, Legs? Why did you ask me about vampires?”
Opening his mouth to reply, Legundo wonders how visible his fangs must be from this close.
The answer comes when Avid prepares to scream.
Legundo clutches their arm in an instant, his speed catching him off guard.
Thankfully, the action has its intended effect of turning Avid’s scream into a yelp. He struggles, but Legundo is especially stronger than him now.
“Let go of me!” Avid squeaks. “Vamp-“
Legundo twists Avid around in order to press a hand to his mouth.
“Be quiet, I’m trying to tell you something!” Legundo hisses. It’s animalistic. “Do you want the others to hear us?”
Avid licks Legundo’s hand. It’s not nearly enough for Legundo to release them.
“I was not a vampire when I arrived here! I’m going to tell you as much as I can, and then you can handle me! Avid, you were right!”
At the painful admission, Avid’s squirming dies down a bit.
Legundo grimaces as he realizes how close he is to Avid’s neck. His tongue traces over a fang. “Do you understand? Will you listen?”
Avid nods quickly. Legundo lets go and Avid backs away, but thankfully, he doesn’t leave. Taking the stake from his sling, Avid levels it at Legundo.
“I’m sorry for grabbing you, I just didn’t want the others to know,” Legundo appeases. “You need to know the danger here.”
“I know the danger here. I told you the danger here!” Avid cackles in resentment. “I told you! And you didn’t believe me! And now you’re one of them!”
“I’m not with them,” Legundo insists. “I’ll be useful to you, and then you can do what needs to be done, alright?”
Avid’s face is tight in fear, anguish, and anger. “Fine. Then start talking, pal.”
Gratefully, Legundo drops his chin to his chest. “Last night, I went with Scott and Owen into the woods.”
Legundo explains as much as he can about the encounter. Anything he learned about Scott and Owen, from powers to estimated ages to deeds. When he finishes, he watches Avid tremble.
“That’s everything,” Legundo says with a sigh. “How much time do I have left?”
Avid’s throat bobs, and Legundo watches their neck move. It would be so easy.
“I… I don’t know. My partner came home, a-and it wasn’t long before she just… attacked me!” Avid spits, the details of his story suddenly relevant.
So he watched a loved one change into something unrecognizable, and now he was watching a stranger do the same.
Avid continues, “It- Do you feel like you’re gonna..?”
Legundo swallows. “I feel the hunger. I’m afraid that if we linger much longer, I’ll go for your throat.”
Avid backs away. “Oh, no, no no no I can’t- I was supposed to… Legs, I don’t-”
“Avid,” Legundo says sharply. “What does your expertise tell you to do right now?”
Breathing heavily, Avid glances at his stake. Slowly, Avid creeps forward and rests the tip over Legundo’s chest.
Legundo wraps his hands around the stake and makes sure Avid is correctly aimed at the heart.
Tears brim in Avid’s eyes. “Legs, Legs, I don’t want… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”
Stay rational. Measured, as if he’s the one near a wild animal and not the other way around. “It’s okay. Just calm down. I told you as much as I know, and that’s what matters. I made an oath to do no harm, and I will ensure I never break it. And you can help me.”
Avid sobs. “Elle, Elle, I’m sorry, I can’t do this again, I can’t, I can’t-“
“It will only take a moment,” Legundo soothes. “It’s okay.”
With a gasp, Avid takes a step back, and Legundo nearly growls in frustration.
“Wait, wait, wait, Doc!” Avid shouts. “I can’t kill you!”
“You can.”
“No, I mean I can’t! Everyone thinks I’m crazy, they’d just assume I killed a human for no reason! You gotta back me up!” Avid squawks.
Legundo does growl then, because for what is not the first time in the last twenty-four hours, Avid is unexpectedly right. Fuck.
Running a hand down his face, Legundo sighs. “You’re right, Avid. What do you suggest we do?”
Avid considerably brightens at the request for input.
“We expose Scott and Owen! Tell everyone! No more hiding! With you and your vampire powers, they’d actually believe me!” Avid grins then, a wild thing. “Oh man, they’d believe me! We can save them! We can save everyone! We can, right?”
“And you’ll kill me?” Legundo asks. “If I change, will you kill me?”
Avid nods. “I’ll do it. I won’t let you turn into a monster, Doc. I promise!”
A mixture of relief, disappointment, and hope distills in Legundo. He’s increasingly irked by the apparent heightened emotions that come with vampirism. Ideally, the tightness he feels in his eyes is only his imagination. He should not cry in front of Avid.
Avid’s eyes flicker wildly between Legundo and anywhere else. “Okay, okay, so… so we use you to take out the other vampires. Deal?”
A palm outstretched. An olive branch. A chance to be useful before the inevitable.
Legundo takes the offered hand.
“Deal.”