My arm snapped out and grabbed the little monster’s neck. With all of my system enhanced strength, I squeezed.

Something snapped.

The goblin vampire screeched — then turned into a puff of smoke, flying up toward the ceiling. It kept screeching.

Russo fired a shot into the cloud of smoke, which didn’t seem to affect it, but did wake up the other remaining vampires in the room.

They stumbled out of their own coffins, almost a half dozen different species. Russo spun and fired again, taking one of the human vampires in the chest and crumpling it.

I activated [Wicked Implement,] swinging from left to right in an arc across the room that cut three of the vampires in half. Then I stumbled forward, lightheaded.

[Alert: Remaining blood: 14%]

The single strike of the attack had taken 10% of my total blood pool.

“Shit.” I said.

“You good?” Russo asked, slapping a hand on my shoulder and stabilizing me.

The vampire that had turned into a puff of smoke circled the room, still screeching.

“Russo? You’re alive?” Steve asked, stumbling out of the door way behind us.

“Steve — ” I almost told him to get back in time.

The cloud of smoke descended on him in a streak, materializing back into a goblin that dove for his neck.

I activated [Crimson Veil,] slamming into the monster in midair.

[Alert: Remaining Blood: 4%]

Without any other choice, I lifted the goblin and slammed my teeth into its neck. Vampire blood tasted terrible — but it sated me all the same.

The monster thrashed and kicked and bit at me, trying to escape my grasp, but it didn’t turn back into smoke. As I drained the last of its blood, its eyes turned from red to milky white.

I dropped its corpse to the ground.

[Internal threats: Hostile monsters within city walls. Eliminate all hostiles to enable city interface. Monsters remaining: 40]

“Eli…?” Steve asked, quiet and staring at me. He was leaning against the wall, clutching his stomach. I didn’t meet his eyes.

“We need to go extract Amber and the rest and bring them here before dawn.” I said. My eyes traced the floor. Piles of ash and rain soaked clothing remained from where the daylight had invaded this vampire nest, turning incinerating the lesser vampires. I didn’t want to find out what would happen to me come dawn.

Steve nodded. Russo stared intently at me, standing behind Steve.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

“Let’s go.” I said.

We headed down to the next level of the stairs. The corpse of the Blood-Spawn was cold now, sitting practically as we left it.

I stepped over it without much thought. Behind me, I heard the noise of Russo’s teeth sinking into it. I closed my eyes for a moment, the impact of what I had done hitting me.

When we reached the next level of the stairs, I stopped at the closed door, turning back. Russo’s eyes were watery. He hadn’t said anything — just descended onto a corpse and drank from it.

He nodded at me, face still hard despite his obvious turmoil.

Then we walked the rest of the way out of the castle and into the night. Rain assaulted us. It felt good on my skin, colder than the night air. The rain choked the horizon, blinding me to the distance. I could almost pretend that the city wasn’t so changed walking down the street.

There were more vampire remains outside — piles of ash, collars and leashed for blood-spawn and blood-thralls. We navigated the street, sticking close to buildings that shielded us from most of the rain. Russo and I were fine, but Steve was shivering. The air was taking a chill to it.

But the city was too quiet, interspersed only with distant car alarms. How many vampires had been here? How many had the sun light killed?

[Internal threats: Hostile monsters within city walls. Eliminate all hostiles to enable city interface. Monsters remaining: 39]

“Shit.” I said.

“What is it?” Steve asked, huddling low to the wall next to him.

“Another vampire just died.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Steve asked.

“It probably means the hardware store is under attack.” Russo said, reloading his shotgun with the shells he carried. He must have forgotten earlier. Being brought back from the dead would shake almost anyone.

[Internal threats: Hostile monsters within city walls. Eliminate all hostiles to enable city interface. Monsters remaining: 38]

“Let’s run.” I said.

“Steve won’t be able to keep up.” Russo replied.

“You stay with him! I’m going.” I replied. Then I shot forward.

The benefits granted by a lesser vampire were, when compared to the progenitors bonuses, lesser. Still, with my agility near twenty from skills alone, I moved faster than I ever had.

A tinge of exhilaration dripped past my dread. My muscles didn’t even burn, the full force of my body enough to rival any Olympic athlete. And my muscles didn’t tire. Wind stung my face as I shot through the open roads, leaping over cars instead of going around them.

Burning flares highlighted the road outside the hardware store.

In an instant, I counted a dozen blood-thralls at or around the store. Pot shots loosed from inside rung out, at the monsters in the dark, hiding just beyond the flare’s light. More of them tried to tear into the ceiling. The store was more than ten feet tall — they must have climbed the side.

I ran directly into the light of the flares, then jumped to the roof. People inside screamed as I approached.

I didn’t make it to the top.

But my fingers gripped the neon letters on the front. I pulled myself higher, sending the neon signing crashing to the ground as I scuttled to the ceiling. I probably could have just activated [Crimson Veil,] but I was filled with the rush of new-found power.

[Wicked Implement] cleaved out, instantly killing six of the blood-thralls on the roof. One ducked beneath the curving crimson blade, screeching at me as it charged. I spun to kick it, putting my foot on its neck and smashing it into the roof of the building.

The roof cracked. I laughed, enthralled by my own strength, then whipped [Wicked Implement] twice more, the ranged attack crossing more than ten meters before dissipating and cutting down two more of the blood-thralls below.

The rest screeched and ran out of my range, running.

I easily overpowered the blood-thrall beneath my foot, despite the fact that it was almost double my size, and tore into its neck, replenishing the blood I spent.

[Internal threats: Hostile monsters within city walls. Eliminate all hostiles to enable city interface. Monsters remaining: 32]

I leaned my head back in ecstasy. Unlike the vampires, the blood of the blood-thralls tasted good. It was a rich, savory flavor. Rain dripped down my chin, washing the blood away.

I leaned one foot over the edge of the store and dropped down into the light of the flares, grunting as I hit the ground. It sent a shock up my ankles.

“Is that Eli?” Someone screamed.

Then a bullet shot through my chest.