Chapter 1

Mukuka.

I woke up feeling unnaturally alert. It was as though my entire existence was ablaze with energy and sensation. I could smell earth, wolfsbane, blood, and oak wood all mixed in a heady cocktail of scents. There was a heartbeat, I heard, thumping away a little above me. It was strong, vibrant and somehow, I could tell that it was the heart of someone that was doing something heavily physical. To my surprise, this unnatural knowledge that was supposed to be unsettling, presented as soothing and relaxing.

Like I knew it was supposed to be a part of me somehow.

“Hello there little one” a voice of silk tugged at my attention. Its existence opened up a new world for me. I could suddenly feel the pressure of a consciousness that I could only describe as heavier. The mind seemed somehow able to move through this place I was in. This — random wooden box.

“Uh…hi?” My voice came out clearly confused, but...different. Deeper. More natural. A small part of me was giddy at the new quality it took.

“What’s all this about?” I spoke to the air.

“Try not to worry yourself about things that you cannot answer, little one.” the heavy silk voice found its way into my brain again,  “right now the most important thing for you is to realise what you are, and how to manage your new life.”

Confused by the words I was hearing, I looked around Myself, and decided it was time to try and get out of this weird wooden box. Upon trying to move, I found my body held down by a weight similar to gravity. It was as though my body was made of pure lead. Heavy, and unresponsive.

“What the….” I froze for a split second, before amping up the effort, and pressing against that force as hard as i possibly could.

“Calm down little one. Im just holding you down for a bit so we can talk.”  That soft voice found its way into my brain again. Along with it, came a shift in that weight I felt on my body. It increased and decreased before returning to its prior pressure. “See? Its me, so you dont have to freak out.”

“How..” I blurted.

“Well, I’m a vampire. An eternal being cursed to feed on the blood of human beings.” she said. There was a mocking smile in her tone.

“What did you do to me?” The fear I felt was morphing into anger.

“Relax  little one. Save the tantrum for the end of my little speech.” she said in a voice that commanded me in a mentally violating way. “You, possess a mind that is surprisingly resilient to suffering and loss. This is a trait that I realize the Consortium is in dire need of. So, I decided that making you one of us, granting you the gift of immortality, would make it easier for us to figure out if you are the answer to a problem we’ve been dealing with for millenia.”

“Huh?”

“Alright. Ill keep it even simpler. I made you what humans call, a vampire. Youre shocked and confused and I know, it’s a lot to take in, so I’ll try to keep it as simple as I possibly can. Number one; you are roughly three times stronger, faster and sharper than the average human being. Number two; every century you survive, you are given a gift, from a set of powers that belong to the vampiric mythos. Things like shapeshifting, mind control, telekinesis, haemokinesis etcetera.” She paused “As your maker, I get to choose your first one in your steed. I already did, and its mind control. Now, these abilities are considered compensation from the universe. They’re like an extra limb. A little unusual at first, but eventually natural and nuanced. The downsides  for having this life are unfortunate, and many. You cannot cross running water. You cannot be anywhere near direct sunlight. Anywhere it touches you is equivalent to immediate combustion. You’re going to be slowly cooked by things like silver, by woolfsbane, and ironically any place that is consecrated to religion, as long as there are people that deeply believe in it.”

“That’s….. madness. Do you realise that you’ve just ended my life?!” I ground out. This woman. She.... I couldn’t believe it.

“Yes yes yes I know, but in a millennia or so, you will forgive me. Especially when you see how beautiful I’ve made you.” she interrupted uncaringly. “Now there is a sort of vampire oversight, that the oldest of us run. They have a few rules. No one can know about us, unless they have been thoroughly vetted by literal psychologists, or become your familiar, and yes, There is still a need for vampires that have jobs, even in the vampire community. Another is, you are allowed to have yourself, one familiar, for every century you survive. Google the basic meaning of a familiar, and you’ll get it. Anyone that has been made a vampire, has what we call a ‘break-in’ period, where you’re given about three centuries to get yourself together. After your break-in, you are to use your own means to find the council and present yourself as well as your ‘maker’ to be properly introduced to the covens and different families of the consortium. You may even make a family or coven of your own at that time, should you so choose.” there was a pause at the end, and I could feel a sort of contemplation coming from my maker.

I was too stunned to speak. The information overload was too much. She, however, thought it incumbent to heap on another serving of insanity onto my already full plate of crazy.

“There is an organisation of humans, that know. They are not to be trifled with, and are in the habit of picking up and mudereing fledglings. Obviously its because you young ones are the most likely to out the Consortium with your foolish behavior. They are genetically enhanced, so they smell and taste sweetened to us. This, however, is a terrible trap, as their blood is incredibly poisonous, and they are also significantly stronger than the peak’s of human athleticism. About twice as strong as the upper limit of human capability.” she paused to let it sink. “That makes them a terrible threat to us.”

There was barely any space for my thoughts, before she continued again.

“The final, and most important thing. You need blood to survive. You don’t drink it, and your body stops listening to you. You become a passenger. A slave to it. I cannot stress this enough. Keep yourself fully fed at all times. I mean it Kuka. All times. A vampire feeds just as frequently as a human. That means blood, three times a night. The fresher, the better. Now you can go about 40 nights without feeding, but as a fledgling, you cant even go a week. Your developing body needs the most blood and rest. As for the blood, keep it as fresh as possible and you’d be giving yourself an existential edge over your peers. That little nugget, if you’re smart, will save your life. Just because you’re biologically immortal, doesn’t mean you can’t die.”

I suddenly heard footsteps—rapid, rhythmic, and light. They were much further from the thumping heartbeat of the person I now identified as my Maker’s familiar. Far as they were, the distance between the two sounds was closing rapidly. These heartbeats though, were unique. They had a livelier quality to them. A different calibre. It scared me how easy it was for my body tp wrestle control out of my consciousness’s grasp. My body, trying to get closer to the newer heartbeats, thrashed against the mental force of my maker. 

I felt it then—The terror of being a passenger in one’s own body. 

It was at this point, that I heard the clinking of metal against metal, followed by a loud bang, and the sound of a blood curdling shriek that broke through whatever barrier I was in, and vibrated my little wooden box.

The screech was deafening. 

Terrifyingly shrill and eerie. 

I could hear hundreds of feet beating against the earth. There were more deafening bangs, followed by sloppy wet bag sounds and soon, the heady scent of blood crept in. Still under the control of my maker, my body could not lift itself to break the coffin, and get the blood it craved. 

The yearning for it burned through my entire being. 

My body melted with insatiable need, and my throat was scalding hot. I couldn’t believe what it was that my body was clearly begging me for, and with no control over my motor functions, it desperately thrashed against my Maker’s mental pressure.

The thrashing went on for what felt like hours to me. Unable to move, and terrified from the sounds I heard, I realised that this must have been the humans my maker spoke of, in her earlier information dump. They were farm more organised and lethal than I had imagined, and their ruthlessness was the stuff of nightmares.

I could hear bodies being dragged, and sounds that somehow told me they were quickly cleaning the crime scene up. The efficiency with which there worked, acted as a wake up call to the severity of my situation.

“Get her back to HQ and burn the rest of them.” he heard a gruff voice speak, then mutter “useless..”

“Where are you?” I whispered, hoping that my maker was somewhere nearby, ready to take me to a safe place to regroup and understand what was going on.

There was no reply.

she must have been killed by the hunters.

It was at this point that I knew I was alone, and had to figure out this ‘break-in’ period by myself. 

The thought terrified me, deeply. 

After just having my body literally usurp the authority my consciousness had always had over it, a whimper nearly escaped me. Alone, stuck in a body that didn’t feel it imperative to obey me, and this lady, saying she was my ‘maker’ that had just chosen death over me.

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A small part of me was glad I had been hiding in the dirt, protected from the savage violence my ears had bore witness to. The fear it had imparted to me—of the brutality the hunters were capable of—was nigh immeasurable.

It was a silent oath I made to myself that regardless of how strong I was, or could get, I would not make a single move, even remotely, that would make the Hunters look for me. I wished with a vivid permanence for every single mind that thought about checking the shallow ditch My maker’s familiar had dug, to simply avoid looking at it, and move on.

Stilling myself to conserve energy, this new vampire waited. 

Footsteps lumbered around, heartbeats pounded, and blood rushed through the veins of the not-so-human hunters. Blood that I was grateful I would simply never taste.

After waiting for what seemed like hours, the footsteps receded, and disappeared. Keeping patient for a little longer,  I checked if that force still bound me. To my elation, it didn’t, and I realised that I was free to leave the wretched war ground that held me captive. With force I didn’t know I had, I  broke free of the coffin, glad that the densely packed earth made it difficult to hear the cracking sound of the metal hinges breaking off of the wood. Crawling my way out of the dirt, I finally stood on my own feet, and took stock of the differences in body sensation.

Woah. The raw power compressed into my relatively small frame felt truly endless. Like I could run for years, and wouldn’t sweat a drop. Like the idea of energy conservation didn’t apply to me. An infinite energy cheat, tagged with supernatural levels of perception and strength.

Quickly snapping out of it, I looked around for the shovel that had previously been used by the mysterious lady’s ‘familiar’, and found the blade of the shovel. Trying not to focus on the crimson content that covered the jagged edge of the remaining wood, I started filling in the hole I’d crept out of, as quickly as possible. It would be foolish to get caught by anyone now. Especially if they were human. I worried that the prior lack of control would take me again, and I would helplessly watch as my body took over to murder a human being.

Mostly done covering up the hole, I was preparing to leave as I heard a sound.

“Hello?”

I froze.

Jirrrrr! Too preoccupied with your own thoughts to sense it and now some poor guy’s gonna die. Great job Kuka. Just splendid.

The very thing I feared was happening. That human would find me, and this stupid body would then take control, and tear into the helpless human’s flesh, ripping though it until it found the thing to satiate me.

Until I found the blood.

Suddenly, the human’s heartbeat became apparent. As though it was screaming for my attention. I could feel waves of warmth beating against my skin. They were echoes of the hypnotic heartbeat I now heard.

To my utter shock, the human, even in his partial blindness, kept approaching me. Panic overwhelmed me and, I lept into the trees, dashing off with the spade blade still in my hands, enveloped in fear of what would happen to me if that was some sort of plant for the hunters to make me lower my guard, and attack.

No. I chose to run, and find a place in which I can regroup in safety.

As I traversed the woods towards the back of the cursed cemetery that seemed intent on ending both my lives, I experienced another shocking discovery.

This new body was unbelievably fast and silent. I moved so rapidly, that I could actually feel the air pushing against me, actively stopping me from reaching higher speeds. Every flex of my muscles, I felt exhilarating power surge from my  torso. Breaking through the tree line, I took a simple leap, that brought me up a shocking  twenty metres or so. I felt my fear dissipate a little, replaced by elation.

After some time, I found the basement apartment, and a breath I forgot I was holding, finally released. I wry chuckle left my lips.—did I even need to breathe anymore?

I landed on the roof, and as expected, not a sound was made. One final leap had me on the ground, in front of my side entrance.

“Home sweet home. Finally.” I muttered, before  realising I didn’t have the keys to enter.

As a matter of fact, I didn’t have any of my essentials on me. A proper inspection revealed a beautiful silk shirt, and pants, with leather shoes that were perfectly form fitting. The clothing must have looked otherworldly at some point, because even now, with a few specs of dust on them, they looked undeniably wealthy.

“How the heck am I supposed to get in now.” I said, irritated.

I couldn’t call, because I didn’t have my phone, I couldn’t simply enter because I didn’t have my keys, and I didn’t want to just start banging on the door, to wake everyone up.

Okay!! temper restraining walk!!

it was not time for stress and emotions to get the best of me. They would have their time.

Right now, I just need to get in, and board up the windows.

The two story house was quaint, but sturdy. It was mostly black, with little accents of brown and white tastefully placed. I walked around the house, three or four times, just trying to figure out how I could get Michael to come out, and unlock the door.

What if I try the weird mind control thing?... she said that it’s like a new limb right? I should be able to do something with it. Maybe if I make enough mental noise or something I can force him to wake up and come open up for me? I thought, as the pressure from my internal clock rose. 

The stress was palpable. 

Dawn was well on her way, and I was stuck, outside a house, in a big city, with nowhere to properly dig a hole to hide in. 

This situation was becoming dire. It wasn’t just that the sun was coming up, but the fact that I was also starting to get ravenous. The dull ache of my fangs were starting to press against my gums, and I could taste honey in my mouth.

Finally deciding to try and use this...power I had gotten, I walked over to the side of the house that had my landlord’s window on the second floor. I tried to remember the feeling of that heaviness that my maker’s consciousness had. Tried to remember the feeling of her mental weight. To recreate that, but turn the weight into a pull. Sort of reversing its polarity.

...nothing.

I scrunched my brows in frustration and tried again, sinking my brain into that empty space, and tried expanding my consciousness. Making more of me. 

 After a while, I could see different colours. 

Colours that transmuted into shapes.. abstractions.. Feelings.. thoughts? THOUGHTS!!

And suddenly, Michael’s window was back in my view. It had almost worked. I’d gotten so close!

relax, and try again.

I took a deep breath, and did a quick lap around the house, once again looking at Michael’s large window. Using the last experience as a sort of checkpoint, I tried again. 

Spreading myself further. 

I entered that white space again. There weren’t any colours or shapes. Just feelings and thoughts. 

They were everywhere. 

Above me, behind me, all around me. The weight was overwhelming, and I could barely hold space for my own thoughts. I could feel the pleasure running through Michaels body as he had what I could only describe as a wet dream.

Reeling from it, the I pulled back, feeling my body complain at the strain. There was a lag between his thoughts and actions.

And that horrid scene in Michaels head. Why the tentacles man? I thought as a shudder ran through me. That shudder was not Michaels’s alone. It was mine too. A memory flashed, faster than light.

“You don’t drink it, and your body stops listening to you. You become a passenger—a slave to it. I cannot stress this enough. Keep yourself fully fed at all times. I mean it Kuka. All times.”

Blood. 

I needed blood and I was getting hungry. My body was starting to rebel against me, and there was an uncomfortable ache that made itself known. Instinctively, I looked toward the horizon, to find the midnight blue of the sky rapidly brightenting.

It was early morning. I had to get inside, if I even wanted the authority to think about living any longer than dawn. An exasperated chuckle left my cold lips.

“Seriously. This... This is crazy.” I said, hoping the noise would help me combat the rising feeling of dread.

Giving up on abilities, I decided to just jump back onto the back lawn, and throw little rocks at Michael’s window.

His heartbeat raised in tempo. He was awake, and angry.

Rapidly, the large window slid open, with a very angry Michael scanning his back yard. The irritation on his face turned to shock.

“Hey Mike. I know it’s beyond early, but I really need to get inside... I got mugged, lost both keys and phone, so I didn’t know how else to get in.” I started.

“K?” Michael hesitated. “Man it’s too damn early for any of this, head to the front  door. I’ll be there in a second.”

I heard Michael grumble something about raising rent, and then heard retreating footfalls as he stomped off to the front door. He quickly unlocked it, and turned off to go to bed.

I tried walking in, only to find a force stopping me from entering. I couldn’t hold back the groan that escaped my lips. I’d have to find a way to have him invite me in.

“Uhm Mike?” I tentatively reached out.

“I swear to god if you don’t get in, and go to your little dungeon, I’ll have you for breakfast.” the landlord bit out, irritated that his sleep was cut short,

“Understood.” I replied curtly, before dashing into my basement.

that was uncomfortably easy. The thought popped into my mind. That needs to change if I’m gonna stay here.

Within minutes, my entire room was pitch black. That dull ache that Dawn had promised finally subsided, replaced by a cold deadness, the source of which was the pit of my stomach.

The hunger again. I wanted to cry. So much had happened in such a short period of time, I hadn’t even had the chance to recover. I was exhausted, and the problems kept piling up. The scary Hunter organisation and their attack, the disappearance of the person that was supposed to be able to help me get through all this chaos, all the weirdness that was my existence now, the fact that I couldn’t even see myself in the mirror, and worst of all, the fact that I no longer had my comfort foods..

Food.

Feed.

Drink!

Blood.

Life!!

No.

I didn’t want my first day as a vampire to be tainted with the worst that my new species had to offer. That would be the feather that broke the camel’s back.

After a few deep breaths and a series of rationalisations, I had a strange feeling. A pull I didn’t notice before, in the direction of the cemetery. Though it confused me, I needed some shut-eye, and a solid plan for blood, before I ate my housemates.

I might just have to move out. I thought. But who would do the viewing and the paperwork? I needed someone that could move around during the day for me. The need for a familiar finally hit me. Ah… That’s why we have them.

I rummaged around my desk, found a pen and paper, and left a note for Michael.

Feeling a little under the weather.

Just leave the bill for the new keys 

under the welcome mat for me.

I’ll pick them up when I’m better.

—K.

After writing down the note, I decided to get some rest. No blood means sleep on an empt— I paused for a second. Dina had butchered a cow, and loved to save the blood for her Irish sausages and a weird broth she always tried coercing everyone to drink.

Elated, I zipped off in search of the blood. Dawn hadn’t completely come yet, so a quick dash seemed a reasonable risk to me. Especially if it meant I could keep myself fed.

The frozen blood did not release much of a scent, and something told me that I needed my fangs to process the blood.  Thinking of forcing them out did in fact make them cut through my gums. It hurt, like biting ice cream, but as soon as the blood graced my tongue with its presence,the pain subsided.

It felt... Good. like a morning breeze. Like the first scents of freshly cut grass in a field of green. I smiled a messy giddy, bloody smile, and felt a wave of warm exhaustion cover me.

the pull he felt to the cemetery became firmer.

Every time I thought about sleeping, my brain would whir up and begin thinking about the night, then replay it over and over again. 

Each time, I caught glimpses of wood. 

It was a dark grey— almost black, and it had gothic filigree covering it, sometimes shaped like a head, other times shaped like a limb. It went on and on, each time giving me a different view, until I saw the face of… 

a coffin?

I chuckled at the absurdity. 

Unfortunately, I already knew the answer. It was exactly as bizarre as I had thought. This elicited another deep breath, and sigh. 

I’d worry about that another time. For now, I had the rest of this Cow Blood to finish, and  had intended to do exactly that.

I savoured the feeling the blood gave me, falling back into a beautiful blissful state of satiation and electricity. I groaned at how great it made me feel, and drifted off into a magical hibernation for the day.