2808 words (11 minute read)

Chapter 1

I have decided to write down my story. I know this may seem vain of me, but after living for 300 plus years, I think I have a right. Plus I would like my readers to know the true story of the “monsters” they call Vampires. Reader, we aren’t all bad and in fact, I consider myself to be quite nice. However, the tale I am writing down is of one of the worst ones I have known. He was my maker and yet after I learned his true nature, I despised him. His name was Valentine and it all started when he killed my family.

The year was 2052 and a war that had been waging for a good fifteen years was finally coming to an end. I had joined the war several years prior in order to make money for my family: my mother, father, and my fiancé, Celeste. We had always been in the lower middle class and before I had joined, it was discovered that my father had cancer. We had no means to pay for the treatment so me joining the army was our last hope. When I joined, he was able to get the best care with the money I brought in and was able to live more comfortably. Celeste would also get the big wedding she wanted once the war was over, and more than anything I just wanted her to be happy. So I joined… and I stayed, no matter how tough it got. I was lucky that there was a base close to my home so I was able to send and receive letters fairly often. I wrote to Celeste as often as I could and it was her return letters and her updates of my father that kept me going. My time off in between combat duty helped a lot as well. Then finally, in 2052, the end was in sight. The war had started because mortals had discovered the existence of vampires. Vampires had started to terrorize mortals, trying to wipe them from the face of the Earth. They felt that they were better suited to run this world and sought the complete annihilation of the human race. The mortals, however, would not go down without a fight and with good reason. I still remember how horrifying and scary the war was. Thousands of lives were lost, including innocent ones. Whole cities had been bombed, from both sides of the war. Mortals and vampire alike were taking any means necessary to wipe out the other side. The vampires, however, started getting vicious. It was these vampires that gave us all a bad name. They sucked dry any mortal, leaving husks behind for the ones left over to find. They would torture their victims while recording it, then upload the feeds online for everyone to see. They would also make new vampires live online, just to bring the mortal morale down. The mortals had a finite amount of people and the vampires were throwing in their face that all they had to do was make new ones.

Mortals had guns with silver bullets which, when it penetrated the skin, would replace the blood of a vampire with pure lead, this killing them instantly. It was painful to the vampires, but it was the only way the mortals knew how to kill them. They did so without mercy, especially because they knew the vampires could control their minds at any time. I found out later that the reason they didn’t just control the mortal mind and make them turn on each other was because the vampires that were a part of the war loved to torture. They enjoyed hurting the mortals and watching their faces as they were turned and/or killed. It made a lot of sense to me, after I had learned this, why Valentine had been such a huge part of this war. It was a long and soul-sucking fight, but it was getting close to the end.

Finally, in 2052 the end was near. During my time I had risen through the ranks and had eventually become a Commander. I was, therefore, chosen to try and negotiate a peace treaty with the leader of the vampires. The mortals knew that they were losing so they wanted to try and end the war before more lives were lost. The world, though still thriving, was starting to lose its lushness and its beauty. The war had affected everyone and there were more poor than rich or even middle class. It was time and I was chosen to end it. This was when I met Valentine. He wasn’t actually the “leader” of the vampires but I would later learn that the actual leaders never left their house and entrusted all their necessary business transactions to Valentine. In the ranks of vampires, he was one of the top dogs. He was at their beck and call and it was because of this that they let him lead. If Valentine ever kissed up to anyone, it was those oldest vampires above him.

Sorry reader, I digress. Either way, those were the circumstances in which Valentine and I first met. My memory is very fuzzy in regards to that meeting, but what I do remember was that it was brief. I also remember that Valentine seemed to give in pretty easily. Of course, now I know it was because he wanted me for his own, but at the time I thought it was because of my great bargaining skills. I will never forget my first impression of Valentine either. I walked into the tent trying not to show my nervousness and I was greeted by an old man with white hair. When he stood, I was taken aback by how tall he was. I’m 6’4 yet he was taller than me. When he stepped up to me to shake my hand, he seemed to sniff the air around me and I remember taking a step back, away from his wandering nose. I looked into his dark blue eyes and got lost in them for a moment, mesmerized by I don’t know what. I recall that I had to close my eyes and shake my head so that I could find myself again. And then, all of a sudden, Valentine was saying,

“It’s settled then! We will keep peace as long as you mortals do as well. I have enjoyed our time together. I’m sure we will be seeing each other soon.”

That last comment didn’t even register in my mind, I was so out of it. I remember that I had just nodded and said,

“Um… OK. It was great meeting you as well and I am glad we could come to am agreement.” I stammered this last sentence as Valentine was walking out of the tent. I remember one last thing about that meeting. As he was leaving, he turned to look at me one more time and I remember seeing a hungry look in his eyes. It was a look of a man dying of starvation and I was his next meal. Then he smiled and the look was gone.

“I am glad too.” He stated simply, then left. Those were the only things I remember from that meeting, but it was important nonetheless because it was one that would change my life forever.

Because I had done my duty, I was dismissed to spend the rest of the evening at home with my family. I thought that was odd, but didn’t question it. An extra night with my family was never a bad thing. Of course, I now know that it was Valentine that had controlled everyone’s mind to let me go home. It was Valentine that was in control of everything in my life, no matter how far I tried to run. At the time, however, I was just grateful that he had made it easy for me and that I was going to get to see my family. Even Celeste was staying with my parents, so that she could help my mom with my dad and for those few instances I was able to make trips home. Either way, after a four-hour jeep ride, I was finally home again.

Upon opening the door I felt like I was in a dream. My mom was standing right behind the door and she just stared at me blankly. I waved my hand in front of her face and she seemed to snap out of whatever revere she was in.

“Oh… hello Drake. I guess you are home. Your father is worse.” Was all she said to me, before turning away and going into her room. I was about to stop her to ask her what was going on, when Celeste walked up to me, her normally green eyes a blank grey.

“Celeste? What is going on here?” She stared at me then slowly stood on her toes and gave me a kiss on the cheek. She said,

“Hello dear. How nice of you to come home. Dinner is in the oven” with no inflection whatsoever. Celeste then slowly turned away from me and went into the room we shared. I shook my head. What the hell was going on? I shrugged then followed behind Celeste. If my father was worse, he needed all the sleep he could get. I would see him in the morning. Reader, my biggest regret in life is that I did not go to check on my father that night. By morning they were all dead and I was beginning my new life without them. Valentine didn’t let me remember my family at first, then later used their loss to torture me. Now I am able to recall them whenever I want and I wish I had seen my father that one last time. At least my last memory of him was a good one: he stood up and saluted me as I left for my first day of training. That was the last time I saw him stand. No need to dwell in the pain of our lost loved ones, however. Moving on with the story.

When I entered the room, Celeste was already appeared to be asleep, so I just fell into the bed besides her and immediately fell asleep. Next thing I remember, her screaming had woken me up. When I forgot most everything else about my mortal life, the one thing I always remembered was her scream. I bolted upright in bed and looked around me, disoriented in the darkness. A second scream reverberated throughout the small house.

“Celeste? What the hell is going on?” After my eyes had finally adjusted to the dark, a quick look around the room revealed that Celeste was no longer in the room with me. I scrambled to untangle myself from the blankets and I remember falling off the bed in the process. Finally the blankets had set me free and I ran into the living room. Towering in the center of the room was Valentine. He had Celeste in one hand and my mom in the other hand. They weren’t moving and each had blood running from the corner of their eyes. I yelled their names but to no avail. What happens next is the part that Valentine liked to use best when he wanted to torture me.

Valentine looked at me with a smile.

“Ah Drake. Good of you to join us! Now… enjoy the show!” With those words he brought his hands together. I watched as the two most important women in my life were obliterated, their heads crashing into each other and turning to pulp. Brain matter and blood splatter everywhere, splashing on my face and covering Valentine. He gleefully laughed as their bodies fell from his hands and slumped to the floor, now headless. He then started to lick the gunk off of his hands, all with the same smile on his face.

My scream filled the house, which seemed to make Valentine laugh even more.

“You have no more use for these petty mortals.” He kicked one of the bodies and it flew across the room, splattering against the opposite wall. My eyes followed it and that was when I saw my dad.

His throat had been sliced from ear to ear and he was covered in his own blood. His blood was stark against the white walls and white carpet of the room and I couldn’t look away from the contrasting colors. At this point, anger had filled me and turned my vision red. My vision became blurry as tears ran down my cheeks.

“You son of a bitch. You’re going to pay for what you did to my family.”

Reader, I still did not know what I was dealing with. I didn’t know what else to do or say to this madman who had somehow killed my entire family. How do you fight something like that? I just knew I wanted him to feel pain. Valentine always loved that about me- my lust for revenge. He thought I would count him as my family one-day and protect him as fiercely as I wanted to protect my family. Boy was he wrong about that. Once I found out the truth about him, I never wanted to see him again. Too bad my wish didn’t come true. Back to the past.

After my threat, I remember Valentine just laughing at me. He knew that I could never take him on.

“Oh you do have some spunk! I think I am going to like you!” I remember lunging at him, trying to surprise attack him, but he sidestepped me without a problem, laughing at me the whole time. I then tried to throw a punch, but he caught it with ease and he looked almost bored. Then he laughed again and my rage boiled over. I screamed at him, throwing punches left and right, trying to hit him on any part of his body. I just wanted to cause him harm. He remained calm the whole time with a small smirk playing across his lips. After a while I finally ran out of steam and I slumped to the ground, while tears still ran down my cheeks.

“What do you want? Why don’t you just kill me too?” Valentine looked surprised at that prospect.

“Well… now that you got your anger out we can have a civilized conversation. First off, I am sorry about the mess. But I had to show you the power you could wield one day. Drake… oh Drake… I am here for you. I want you Drake. I want you for my own and I didn’t want your family to stop you.”

“Fuck you old man. What do you want with me? I don’t want anything to do with you or this ‘power’ of yours…” I remember that my mind had gone blank. I know that Valentine hadn’t wanted me to finish that thought. He wanted me to be compliant and he made sure I was. I fought hard against the blankness, however. I could feel a pressure building behind my eyes but I fought it as hard as I could.

“Yes… you will make a fine companion.”

“Why… the… fuck… would… I… want…” The words started to get harder to pronounce and remember. The pressure increased, the pain becoming so intense that it got harder to breath. It was building and building and I knew my eyes were going to pop out of their sockets and I was going to die. And then, suddenly, the pressure was gone. Something new had filled my head, however; a voice.

Come with me Drake. Come live with me and have powers beyond your wildest dreams. You will live forever and you will know love and happiness as you’ve never experienced it. Come… be one with me. Let me make you my own.

I was helpless. How could I say no to that voice in my head. I blinked slowly and smiled up at Valentine.

“Yes… take me with you…” My mind was filled with ecstasy as Valentine exposed my neck and sunk his teeth in. My vision was filled with the most wonderful colors and the most beautiful pictures. It was only greatness that filled my mind as he emptied my blood. The only thing I will ever be grateful to Valentine for is the fact that he made me feel joy at this point. Vampires don’t have to let mortals feel joy- they can let them feel the pain of what they are doing. Valentine, however, allowed me to have a pleasant trip over to the other side. And that was the last I remember until I woke up in his mansion a week later.


Next Chapter: Chapter 2