Who would've thought this would be the last time I'd tasted the sweetest blood ever? I wanted to have the sweet sensation of feeling Francis's warm body against mine for as long as I could. Yet today was the day that ended. She'd grown cold, her life already being absorbed by me. Even stranger, this was a sensation of power coursing through my veins now. I could feel something new and hot rising within me. Though the entire time, I could only think. "Haven't I felt this before?"

I'd somehow regained feeling in my arms, my wounds healing so fast it was as if I'd been regenerating magically. A ghostly crimson hand crept up toward Francis's head, and as I went to swat it away, I realized. It was my hand. Somehow I'd sprouted a magical limb. Magical? Was I using magic?

When my strength recovered, I rose to my feet, ensuring Francis's body was safe until I was done. I then reached into my pocket, pulling out my pack of cigarettes. I only had one left. The strangest thing about this one was that it had something written on it.

"Congrats ma chéri..."

It was to be a celebratory cigarette for when I completed this job. So I slipped the box back into my pocket. There was no need to smoke it now. Now it was time to paint the walls with the blood of these killers.

"I dunno what the fuck's going on... But it's easy enough to tell someone signed your death warrants..." I bent down and picked up Bethany and Wanda. Sliding the latter into its holster, I took four shells off my belt. "You freaks got some sick thrill out of killin' my girl... But you forgot to kill me first. So now every one of you is going to die screaming."

"It is you who will die, Paradigm," hissed One. "Your death won't be as quick as your dearly beloved. Get him!"

The two Vamps behind me charged me head-on as One watched. Turning around, I pulled the slide forward, loading the first shell. But I wasn't going to shoot yet. Instead, as soon as the two approached me, I bent down and charged the one on the left with my shoulder, then rammed the shotgun straight into its chest. I lifted it off its feet for a few moments, then pulled the trigger and held it down. It jolted as the shell erupted in its chest. Pulling the slide down and back up, the gun fired again, blasting the Vampyre in half.

As the pieces of its body crashed against the floor, its partner froze momentarily in fear. I tried to step back but wouldn't let it go quickly. My brain told my body to reach out and grab the Vamp, and when my body responded, it caused me a sudden fit of confusion. When I reached out, it would be with the hand I'd been holding my weapon. It was now empty, attempting to grasp the Vamp. When I took hold of my enemy, it would be by the arm, and I hoisted it up in the air without much effort.

Even though the thing looked like a woman, it was still a monster, so I wouldn't feel bad about killing it. When I slammed it back to the ground, I let go to pull my arm back and plunge it straight into the Vamp's chest. Then my hand felt different. It was like I was holding Bethany again. That's when I realized my arm had transformed into a trench gun.

The Vamp looked terrified after it saw this. It desperately tried to pull my arm or weapon out of its chest. But Francis was scared too. She was frightened for herself and me. I finally knew that fear and was glad this thing knew it too. I pulled the slide back and pushed it forward, loading the next shell. Then I pulled the trigger blowing out the Vamp's chest cavity. Its blood spattered all over me, and I'd licked some off my face. It tasted revolting but hearing the Vamp choke on its blood made it less vile.

Taking my hand out, it morphed back into a hand, and now I'd come face to face with number one. He'd been trembling at seeing me and even began heading toward the exit.

"No, you don't," I hissed, then held my left arm toward the door. It stretched out toward the door handle past number one and grabbed the door handle. I then used my entire body weight to slam the door shut before him. That was a cool new feature. I wondered how I was doing it. No time to think about that now. A Vamp needed to suffer.

I stopped for a moment as a ringing began to plague my ears. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to get my attention. It was like information was being spoken into my head.

Using my elongated hand, I began to draw on the door. A crimson symbol appeared on it, and the door glowed red. Pulling my arm back, the Vamp tried to run for the door to open it again. Yet when it pulled the handle, it did not budge. It pulled as hard as its strength allowed him. I could see the muscles tightening as it used every ounce of their strength. But it was futile.

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I slowly walked toward him, picking up the Tommy gun. The gun assimilated into my left arm as Bethany did. I didn't walk at a quickened pace. No, I wanted it to hear every step as it was seconds ticking away at a clock. Its doom approached it as steadily as I allowed it.

"You're hurting my feelings... trying to leave before we play." As I finally reached it, it had its back against the door. Its body was on the verge of thrashing about in terror as it looked into my eyes.

"What the hell are you," it said, "what kind the fuck kind of monster are you!?" Hearing this Vamp trash call me a monster made me uncomfortable. "You're enjoying this, aren't you? The killing of men..."

It had the balls to call itself a man? Men don't kill wildly and eat their prey. Men don't torture their victims with games. Men didn't kill the innocent for kicks. Though now that I think about it, I was playing a sick game too. An enemy was before me, cowering in fear, close to begging for its life, and I was torturing it. But I wasn't going to feel bad for it. No, it was now that I realized I'd also become a monster. A death-bringing monster that slays those who play at being monsters.

"Tell ya what... if you tell me who sent you. I'll make your death quick..." It was a lie. Something we both knew deep down in our hearts. So with this knowledge, the Vamp closed its eyes for a moment, then opened them again. It spat on the floor at my feet.

"Damn... here I thought I'd scared you enough." A smile tugged at my lips as hard as it could then I reached into my jacket, drawing Wanda. I punched the Vamp in the abdomen with my free fist, then caught him before he fell over. The crimson haze my hand was made of began to morph Wanda's form. The barrel became larger, much like a revolver with a larger casing. I stuck the barrel into the Vamps shoulder and then fired, blasting the remains of its shoulder off.

Somehow, the pistol was stronger, which is a perfect thing. I aimed for its other shoulder blasting its other arm off. I then aimed for its legs, blasting them off too. He'd scream and shout every time I fired, which made it all the more satisfying.

Then I pushed the barrel into the Vamp's forehead. Gripping its hair with my free hand, I lifted its head so it could look me in the eyes.

"You know... I never killed anyone personally. It's all been business... or my duty as a soldier... whether you're just a random group of Vamps or someone sent you. I'll make anyone that had a hand in this pays with their lives. Starting with you..." Now its eyes were full of fear. Blood-red tears began to stream down its face, but before it could even make a sound, I squeezed the trigger for a final time.

Letting go of the Vamp, I stood over it, taking in what I'd done. Then I turned back to Francis's corpse and made my way over to her. Picking her up, I carried her over to a nearby wall. Slumping against it, I began to feel my fatigue setting in. I cradled her, though she was as cold as ice. I made sure to close her eyes, then took out my cigarette. But as I did, I realized something.

"Shit... I forgot she doesn't like it when I smoke near her." So I put the cigarette back in my pocket and let my body rest.

The haze that formed my arms began to expand until the form of a woman nearly identical to Francis appeared before me.

"Finally... we can now speak face to face," she said. She sounded like Francis, but I could tell it wasn't her. "It's a pleasure to meet you finally, child... I'd been waiting for so long."

"Who... are you?" I asked, yet in the back of my mind. I felt like I knew.

"I am the Sorceress Pandora," she said triumphantly, and my spirit has wandered this earth for hundreds of years to find a worthy vessel."

"What makes me so worthy of vessel? I couldn't even protect the woman I loved." Pandora came closer to me. Her ethereal hands brushed against mine and Francis's cheeks.

"Francis was my direct descendant. She was supposed to find my new vessel, and she did. You were perfect. A bastard whose only purpose was to be used as a weapon. A man with so little that even one significant loss could tear your world asunder. One who was fated to die like a dog today."

I wanted to object, to tell her she was wrong and that I was much more than she thought. But then I thought about my meeting with my father, with the Queen. I'd become a Capo because I'd proven myself a useful tool. Even at this job, my priority was to be a shield. "Why choose me?

Pandora tilted her head, and an evil smile tugged at her lips. "It's simply because you're interesting."

I'm... interesting?" I repeated, baffled by the answer.

"Yes... you have repeatedly abandoned your hopes in favor of the ones people place on you. You became the vessel of the last object within my Pithos. As such, you have become the greatest act of rebellion against this world. Thus making you the most perfect to be the Sin Factor of Despair... my ultimate vessel."

I didn't understand the gravity of what Pandora was telling me, and as my mind attempted to process it, my eyelids grew heavy.

"It's quite alright, child... rest now... you have an eternity to regain all you have lost...