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It’s mid-jump onto the stepping stones when Apo senses something rotten in the air. Her foot slips, and Apo falls into the stream with a splash.
The world around her floods until all she can focus on is that terrible certainty that someone else has been turned into a vampire.
Sinking into the frigid water, she panics, of course, but as liquid enters her mouth and nose, it doesn’t do what it should. The lack of breathing doesn’t feel as consuming as is expected. Trying to kick herself upright, Apo feels hands on her shoulders, then more on her back.
Struggle. Freezing. Water. Someone’s been turned. Air. Apo gasps.
Ren is the one to pull Apo out of the water and up onto a larger stepping stone, and her back is supported by a trembling Drift. Martyn and Sausage are both ahead and already at the opposite shore in the pale woods, shouting out concern. To think Apo was gunning for a flawless crossing, one where she didn’t slip.
“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Drift asks worriedly. Her sleeves are soaked.
“I need to leave,” Apo blurts. It’s calling her. She needs to find whoever it is, she needs to make sure no one hurts them, oh god, oh god-
“Huh? Like, right now?” Drift supports Apo when they rise to their feet. “Are you sure? That looked like a really scary fall, buddy.”
“A nasty tumble indeed. Miss Apo, are you sure you’re alright?” Ren holds Apo’s shoulder to steady them.
Water sticks Apo’s bangs to their face. The signal is moving, they don’t have time for this! “I’m fine. I’m so fine. I need to go right now.”
“Why? What’s going on?” Drift questions while Martyn and Sausage stay on the other shore, trying to observe the commotion. It’d be a hassle to try and cross back over for what should be just a fall, but Martyn looks about ready to.
The image of Martyn’s broken, bloody body on a different shore claws at Apo’s empty stomach. Not again, she can’t let anyone else get hurt, she has to save them-
Apo clutches onto Drift’s hands, looking between her and Ren. “Drift, Ren, I- I promise I’ll tell you later. Just cover for me. I have to go!”
Drift’s eyes are wide, but she nods frantically. “Okay! Okay! I trust you. Just go!”
Ren gives Apo a hearty pat on the back. “This is surely strange, Miss Apo, but we musn’t linger. Quickly, if you must!”
“Thank you. I’ll make it up to you.” Apo gives a squeeze before dropping the grip and jumping a ways back to shore.
Once she’s onto solid ground, Apo sprints for the treeline, ignoring the calls from the rest of the militia. Apo has to trust that Drift and Ren won’t let them follow her.
Besides, they won’t be able to in just a second.
As soon as the line of sight is broken, Apo lets themself transform into a bat, wings bursting open and rocketing Apo above the trees and towards the signal.
“Fuck!” Apo shouts to the open air. “Fuck! They said they wouldn’t turn anyone else!”
The wind around Apo helps dry them off. At least they managed to get away.
Because Drift and Ren… they trust Apo. Apo just has to make sure their faith isn’t wasted. She isn’t even sure she could tell them what’s happening, but… maybe she’ll have to.
Whatever. That’s a problem for later. Right now, Apo has to focus on helping whoever one of the other vampires killed.
The signal curves, and Apo flies faster than she ever has to keep up with the trajectory. Even if it’s a closer distance than it was from the town to the castle, Apo can’t afford to slow down. She has to dive closer to the treeline at some point when she spots a bat flapping somewhat in her direction.
“Is that who did it?” Apo wonders to herself. “Should I..? No, I can’t follow them. I can’t lose the signal.”
The other bat – fuck you if you turned them – passes her and heads towards the castle. Meanwhile, Apo rises and keeps flying at a curve, realizing the new vampire is in the woods near the lake beacon.
Apo sheds her wings and drifts to the ground, landing on two legs.
The signal’s about dead, but Apo hardly needs it. There’s a trail of upset terrain and splatters of blood. With a glance behind them, Apo notes that the tracks extend further. No wonder the signal curved. The new vampire’s been on the move for a bit. Oh god, did the hunger affect the new one that bad? This could get dangerous.
But Apo’s already dead. Scott’s proven that it’ll take more than fear to take her down now.
The scent of viscera guides Apo, and she feels weak in the knees. God, she’s so fucking hungry, she needs, she needs-
There. There’s the new one.
Seeing Doctor Legundo kneeling over a dead cow sinks Apo’s heart enough that she snaps out of the haze of starvation.
“Oh god,” Apo exhales to the breeze. “Not you. Doc, they turned you too?”
Doc’s head snaps, body twisting to look at Apo. Blood runs all along his mouth and down his chin. What Apo can see of Doc’s white robes are splattered with red. One side of his neck has a bite mark that matches Apo’s, and blood spreads around it as if Doc scratched at it. Speaking of, his hands squelch when he curls his fists into the cow’s guts.
Apo covers their mouth with one hand, taking a step back even as their stomach rolls and begs them to go forward. “God. That’s so gross. Oh my god, this is disgusting.”
Legs shivers. His real pupil is a pinprick, glancing around rapidly. There’s unsteady, halted breathing from him, fangs flashing as he heaves. Apo isn’t even sure if he’s really present right now. He might be in shock, or… remembering something bad. It happens.
Cherri would help Apo whenever something like that happened, but Apo isn’t sure what she can really do right now in turn. She can’t tell Doc that there’s no danger here. There is.
“Doc? Doc- Legs, it’s Apo. From Oakhurst?” Apo really is something from Oakhurst now, isn’t she? Ugh. “I- I won’t let anything happen, okay? I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe”
There’s a grating cough from Doc, and he spits up blood. He fully turns his body, almost crouched on his knees. Panting unsteadily, Doc digs his bloody fingers into his knees.
Apo lingers a distance away, not wanting to crowd the guy, still mumbling what they hope are assurances. They glance around, expecting more bats to hone in on their location, but nobody else seems to be showing up. Unless they’re hiding, just waiting to attack two weak, starving vampires that don’t want to join their stupid blood cult-
At least, Apo assumes Doc doesn’t want that. Hopefully he’ll keep his fucking brain even when he’s been turned into a vampire.
“...Apo?” Doc rasps eventually.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s Apo.” Relief runs down Apo’s spine. “Are you- Jesus, what happened?”
Doc’s stilted breathing hitches further. “Apo, stay away. You need to stay away.”
Apo shakes her head. “I’m not leaving you.”
“You- You have to, I’ll-” Doc scoops a handful of blood from the corpse and drinks with a growl deep in his throat.
Oh. He’s worried for her, probably as well as of her. “Doc, I won’t hurt you. And it’s fine, I don’t have any blood in me anyways. So you can’t hurt me.” If that’s how that works. Apo feels empty.
“You…?” At the implication, Legs seems to gather his focus to work through it. He tilts his head and scrutinizes Apo, realization cutting through the hunger.
Apo’s mouth hangs open a little. The blood is still so fresh. God, she’s so hungry. She fumbles for some of the carrots on her person and chokes them down. Maybe she shouldn’t be nauseous for this conversation, but it’s better than rushing for the carcass.
Legs watches Apo eat with undisclosed longing. His hands drift towards his face, and Apo grits her teeth when Legs licks at the blood on his palms. Thankfully, Legs looks just as perturbed as Apo feels at the action.
“So… hungry,” Legs bemoans between putting his fingers in his mouth for just a little more blood.
“I know.” Apo finally kneels down, leaving space between them but putting herself at eye level with Doc. She looks in her pockets, but she doesn’t have a single piece of raw meat. “I… I don’t have anything but carrots. Sorry.”
“Can I… Just…” Doc reaches weakly. Apo passes over a carrot.
The blood on his hands just barely crosses to hers, and Apo puts the knuckle to her lips and darts her tongue out to taste it. God. It’s bad, but it’s what she needs. Apo whimpers.
Doc gets through half the carrot before he spits it up, groaning. “Fuck,” he snaps, chasing away the flavor by licking at the blood on his jaw. “I thought… maybe if…”
“Well, it all tastes shit to me, except maybe the meat. And I can’t let anyone see me drinking blood, so…” Apo shrugs. “Carrots.”
“That’s…” Legs puts his face in his hands for a moment, spreading the red around more. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you found me like this. I can’t-”
“Hey, I went looking for you,” Apo corrects stiffly. “It- I knew you were gonna be scared. And I didn’t… want you to be… how I was after I got turned.” Alone. There were people there, but Apo had still been on her own.
Doc glances miserably at the corpse behind him. “I said… I knew this would… I didn’t think…”
Apo can’t follow his unfinished thoughts. They need something definite, and Doc seems to be a little more ready to talk. “Was it Cleo? Did Cleo turn you?”
At the suggestion, Legs raises his head in surprise. “What? Why Cleo?"
Oh fuck. Apo didn't mean to reveal that Cleo is a vampire. "I mean- What? Nothing! I- I didn't mean-" Apo buries her face in her hands.
"It's fine, Apo. I know about Cleo," Doc assures.
"What?" Apo balks. "You- How?"
"She told me," Legs answers nonsensically. "I'm here to help people. But regardless, why would she turn me?"
“I don’t know, she was talking about turning you the other day!” Apo lifts their palms flippantly, still reeling from Cleo's apparent confession. “It freaked me out. But at least it wasn’t her.”
Legs’s head drifts from side to side. “No, it… it… I thought he wouldn’t… I was supposed to trust him…”
“You can’t trust him. He doesn’t deserve it.” Apo doesn’t know which he Doc means, but none of the three options in the vampires are good picks. “So…?”
“Owen,” Legs whispers, as if the name is cursed. “I… Owen…”
“Oh god.” Apo dips her head down for a second. “That’s… I’m sorry. Doc, I’m really sorry.”
“Why? He made his choice.” There’s a grimace from Legs, like he’s in pain.
“Are you okay?” Apo asks.
“Just… Just hungry,” Doc says quietly.
Pausing, Apo cocks her head at the dead cow. “You can… You should keep eating, then. If you’re hurting.”
“I… I shouldn’t…” It’s like Legs’s gaze is pulled to the source of blood, mouth falling open. Saliva trails down his already soaked chin. After a lengthy moment of anticipation, Legs goes rigid and turns to Apo. “You should… You have to eat too. Please.”
“I…” So hungry. Apo can hardly think with blood so close. “Fine. Okay.”
While Legs crawls back to where he was kneeling, Apo stands and moves to the uninjured side of the cow. Legs seems to restrain himself until he gets another palm full of blood into his mouth. Then, pupil enlarging, he drops his head into the open wound and makes some truly terrible slurping sounds. Apo tries to avoid thinking about this by stripping slabs of raw meat off the cow with her axe. It takes longer, but Apo cries out in relief when she finally gets the bloody meat into her. She bites down and finally fucking eats. It’s edible. It doesn’t make her sick. It’s almost normal.
And so the worst, most viscerally upsetting joint meal of Apo’s life ensues.
The sounds are the worst part. All wet. Scraping fangs, squishing guts, desperate utterances. Both from Apo and their dining companion. Apo really tries to keep themself under control, but they’ve been deprived of this much blood for days on end, and they just want to feel present again. The disgust is so raw and real that it makes Apo choke out a laugh between bites. Lingering dampness from the river, the awful smell of a fresh corpse, the taste of a recent storm on the air…
At some point, Apo drops the axe and tears into the flesh with her too-sharp teeth, and Apo feeds alongside Legs.
It’s horrible. It’s the most alive Apo’s felt in days.
Still, Apo lifts her head soon enough, because the blood is still repulsive enough that she can only take so much straight from the source. Apo scoots back once there’s enough in her and turns away, putting her hands over her ears so she doesn’t have to listen to Legs keep feeding.
Obviously, it’s not his fault. Apo doesn’t think Legs is disgusting. That wouldn’t be fair. They think what was done to him is disgusting. It’s awful that he’s this hungry, that he was murdered and now feels like he has to hurt others to satisfy himself. Just because fucking Owen chose this for him.
It must’ve been Owen that Apo saw flying off. Of course it was him. He was the one to offer Apo up like a meal. He had the nerve to threaten Apo’s future with Cherri out loud.
If only Apo had been able to take them all out. Then Legs would still be human, and he wouldn’t be forced into this unlife. Apo hates this.
But what’s done is done. Apo just needs to keep Legs safe now. Make sure neither of them hurt the town, and that no one else hurts them.
Yeah. Okay. Just keep going. She has a job to do.
At some point, there’s a tap on Apo’s shoulder, and she flinches. Apo removes her hands from her ears and looks up to find Legs, and she flinches again at the sight of him.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Apo reacts on impulse. She gets to her feet and balks.
They were expecting the increase in gore covering Doc’s person, and yeah, it’s really bad. Suffice to say, his robes and probably the clothes under them are completely ruined. Bits of flesh and intestines are stuck in his arm hair, and same with his facial hair, but that’s not what gets a curse out of Apo. No, that honor goes to the slightly greyer tint to his skin, and the red iris in his right eye.
Legs looks away, face flushing in shame. “I- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…” There’s guts between his teeth.
Apo grabs Legs’s arm. “No, no, I thought of the blood. Doc, your good eye is red.”
“It…?” Doc’s eyebrows lift, and he glances around. “I… Come on, we have to find my bag.”
“Good, I don’t wanna stay here.” Apo trails her hand down from Doc’s arm to take his wrist. She hardly glances at the shriveled carcass they leave behind as they cross through the woods, following Doc’s trail backwards.
Doc makes a relieved noise when they find the big medical bag he’s always hauling around. He leads Apo away from the trail and to the beach of the lake beacon, reaching the water.
The first thing Legs gets from his bag is a rag, which he soaks in the lake and starts the arduous task of cleaning the worst of the viscera off. Apo sits on the sand next to him and wipes as much as they can off with just their hands. They’re a lot better off than Legs, so it’s not terribly hard to get their hands and face if not clean then cleaner.
Even if they’re a bit exposed out here, the stop is a good call, since both of them have far too much blood on them to be anything other than attention-grabbing.
The open space of the beach helps unravel the knot in Apo’s chest a little. There’s a lot of room to run. And Apo thinks it’s been enough time that she can fly again. That’s good.
Okay. Okay, it’s okay. Apo’s more fed than she’s been in a while, and Doc seems a little more in control now that he’s eaten. Though, his hunger seems really bad. Worse than Apo’s. They’ll have to make sure he stays in his head.
Eventually, Legs has done the best he can at scrubbing the blood and guts from his skin, mostly his arms, hands, and face. His neck is untouched, leaving the open wound raw. Apo watches him reach into his bag and pull out a pocket mirror.
Oh. Apo remembers this feeling. When you look for your reflection and find nothing for the first time. Even though she wants to turn away, she can’t look away from the confusion, then the betrayal, and then finally the despair. But Legs shuts his eyes, puts the mirror away, and seems to steel himself.
Legs blinks a good few times and soon turns to Apo. “You… Apo, your hair is wet.”
Apo brushes a strand of hair away from her face. The wind helped with the worst of the wetness, but she was still kind of damp. “Yeah, I fell in a stream earlier. I’m fine.”
“Let me- I can…” Legs inches closer, displacing the sand. “Let me check on you.”
“Doc, I’m dead. There’s nothing to check,” Apo mumbles.
There’s pleading in Legs’s expression. “Just… Please, just let me…?”
Oh. Right, of course he’d want to be a doctor right now. Apo nods slowly. “Yeah. Do what you need to do.”
They sit closer, and Apo lets Legs examine them. Probably checking for signs of a concussion or anything like that. Can vampires get concussions? Legs pauses when he checks Apo’s temple.
“You have a cut here,” he notes.
“Oh. Probably scraped my head on a rock.” Apo frowns, because Legs’s hand should be warm. It’s not. It’s the same lifeless cold as Apo’s body. “Is it bad?”
“No, it… I think it’s healing.” Legs sighs. “It’s good you ate something.”
“I guess. You too,” Apo mumbles.
That shocks an amused huff out of Legs. “You don’t have to lie, Apo. I know that was repulsive.”
Apo’s gaze narrows. “Yeah, but it’s not your fault. You… I mean, it doesn’t seem like you asked for this.”
The invitation is clear, and after a moment, Legs accepts it. “I ran into Owen in the woods. He… We were talking. I made it clear I wanted to find a cure for the hunger, and he went into why he wants to remain a vampire. He said that as a sign of trust, to show that we could work together, he needed more than animal blood. And so…”
“You let him drink from you?” Apo has to restrain their disbelief, and maybe fails based on the way Legs grimaces, but really? Can the humans stop offering themselves up on a silver platter, please? For the love of god? “Sorry, that’s- I just don’t get why. He’s done nothing to earn your trust.”
“It was supposed to build trust,” Legs argues, probably a little irritated that his judgement is in question. But like. Come on. “And I thought… I thought he was going to stop, but when I paid attention to how much he was drinking, and he wasn’t stopping, I- I must’ve said something and he… I don’t know if he bit harder on accident, or… I don’t know. But then I was just…”
“...Hungry,” Apo finishes. “I wouldn’t trust that Owen didn’t do it on purpose, Doc. Even if he denies it later. Because he was the one to offer me to the vampires like a snack, and then the other day he acted like he had no part in how I got turned.”
Just like Scott, saying that he hadn’t hurt any of the townsfolk, which is demonstrable bullshit.
Doc stares ahead at the beacon, conflict evident on his face. Geez, at least Apo knows that Scott turned her on purpose. That makes it easier to hate him. But honestly, it’s really fucking easy to hate Scott already.
Apo shifts in place. “I’m sorry, Doc. I… No one else was supposed to get turned. That’s the only reason why I’m a vampire at all.”
At Doc’s expectant look, Apo feels the memory of how she got turned drudged out of her throat. The bargain, the meeting in the tomb, the castle, Scott…
And Doc listens, at least Apo hopes he does. There’s a lot he could be thinking about right now, so Apo won’t hold it against him if he misses some stuff. But once it’s all out in the open, Doc heaves a sigh.
“I’m sorry about what happened, Apo. Deals that aren’t upheld are… disheartening, especially when you give up so much to make them,” he offers.
Apo brings her knees to her chest. “Yeah, well, Cleo got turned not long after I did, so… at least you’re not my first fuck-up.”
Doc’s voice is firm, even if it’s still gravelly. “I’m not your fuck-up. Owen… What happened happened, and you were not the one to turn me.”
“I’m still sorry.” Apo tips their head back and grumbles. “We can’t let them do this to anyone else. We have to stop this.”
“I’m working on it,” Legs assures. “There’s a chance at a cure. I won’t give up just because I’m my own patient now.”
Apo huffs. “Yeah, it’s definitely that easy to just cure vampirism,” she says dryly.
“We have more of a chance than you might think. I know it won’t be easy, but I won’t stop trying,” Doc promises with conviction. It surprises Apo.
“I… I mean, I don’t know if there’s really a cure, but I’ll still help you. And I’ll make sure you don’t… you know.” Apo gestures vaguely at the red stains on Doc’s clothes.
Doc grimaces, his hand ghosting the skin around his red right eye. “This is… You’re sure it’s red?”
“Yep.”
“Christ…” Doc puts a hand on the bridge of his nose. “Okay. Okay. We can fix this.”
Then, Doc flinches.
Apo takes a wild guess. “Hungry?”
The hand moves to cover his mouth. “It… seems that way.”
“We can sneak into town. I think most people are out anyway. I’ve been breeding cows, so you can take as many as you want. And… we’ll figure it out, okay? Nobody needs to get hurt,” Apo proposes.
There’s a wry smile on Doc’s face when he drops his hand. “Taking charge, soldier?”
Not really, but… “Someone has to try. I’m not really a good soldier, though,” Apo admits. They’re not sure how he’ll take that, as a former soldier himself.
Surprisingly, Doc’s smile gets a bit more genuine at that. “Good. That’s good.”
Tension eases. Apo gets to her feet and helps Doc up. “You become a bat yet?”
Doc slings his bag across his shoulder. “No…”
“It’s easy. And we can fly near town then walk in. It’s quicker, so you shouldn’t get too hungry on the way back,” Apo explains.
“Alright. Alright, I’ll follow your lead,” Doc acquiesces.
Yeah. The town’s counting on Apo.
Apo stands across from Legs and shifts from foot to foot.
“Okay, just… I don’t really know how to teach this to you, but you just kinda do it,” Apo says, probably unhelpfully.
Legs, the dick, stares in amusement. “Right. Thank you.”
Apo rolls their eyes. “Come on, I’ve hardly been a vampire longer than you have. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Then I suppose we’ll have to put our heads together,” Doc replies, surprisingly sincere.
The sentiment boosts Apo, so she disappears into a swarm of bats. Thankfully, it does just seem to click for Legs, as there’s quickly more bats filling Apo’s vision. The spares clear away, and Apo flaps in place, keeping her attention on Doc.
With the scar and the graying brown fur, Doc’s easy to identify. He falters a little bit keeping himself upright.
“Don’t think about it too much,” Apo instructs. “Flying is something you just kinda let happen.”
“Easier said than done,” Legs quips, but he focuses on Apo. “I’m fine. We should go back.”
Apo dips her snout. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
With that, Apo takes off, making sure Legs follows her.
The town doctor is a vampire. Legs is a vampire. One who has a really terrible time with the hunger. But he seems to have no interest in joining the coven, or doing whatever Cleo’s doing. He says he’ll keep doing what he has been.
Good. That’s good. Maybe with his help, Apo can manage to keep this town alive. That would be really fucking appreciated.