Path of the Vampire forum

Mathias stumbled into the apartment, not sure what guided him into the strange and somewhat familiar apartment beyond a severely misguided sense of direction and an incredible lack of self-preservation after the insane day he had, shooting decaying zombies and nearly having his leg chomped into by a wolf.

He shut the door behind him, trembling and eyes wide and blood oozing grossly out of his skin until he could hardly notice anything else besides the slowly drip of it. He glanced up, seeing the person on the couch, and froze, gray eyes wide and fingers curling tight into fists. He didn’t know what to say, since he had just broken into someone’s apartment, never mind that the door had been open, unlocked.

“Sorry, I...the...the door was unlocked...and...sorry I thought...I thought this was mine...my apartment.”

Fingers twitched, curled and dragged lightly across his chest.

The twitch of his eyelids attesting to the disturbed rest he was in. Then his eyes opened, bloodshot but for the extreme lack of blood in his body. The orange color dulled down to next to nothing. The first breath he'd taken in something that hadn't stirred his chest in a long time.

"Stay."

The word was hoarse, whispered through a raw throat that hadn't talked in awhile even as his eyes closed again and it seemed to steal every last bit of breath out of him and leave him well...dead.

He still had enough wits about him to put a hold on Mathias, the suggestion, echoing in his thoughts even after the verbal word had faded, the addition shocking as it added onto the spoken word somehow.

You're not intruding, I could use the company, make yourself at home.

Mathias caught his breath at the slow, dead way the person, the body moved, the way he, it, twitched and flinched before looking at him.

Vampire? Like he was?

That tidbit had been...interesting to come to terms to after crawling his way out of the ground from...wherever he had been before. He remembered the dark, remembered voices and shadows and floating spirits that demanded he stay just a little longer, and he had indulged them for a while, until the stay became a bit too much, until he felt something was needed. He was needed elsewhere, he needed out.

He carefully nodded after a moment, not really wanting to stay at all, but not really feeling like he should leave, so he made sure the door was secure, locked this time, and felt it when his body was locked in place with the hold on him. He eyed the other vampire curiously, intently, unable to move under the hold’s influence, but also relatively grateful that he had walked into a relatively welcoming and safe place.

His eyes widened and he sucked in a breath. Hearing the welcoming words had him relaxing maybe the slightest, even if warning bells were shrieking away in his mind. He moved to sit down on one of the chairs and curl up, inspecting the wounds he had to make sure he was alright and wasn't going to die, before glancing up at the other.

"Are you...are you okay...do you need...tea or...something?"

What kind of dumb comment was that?

He scented blood, it was almost familiar, that scent. But it was also unliving which only made the necurat curse he suffered from ache through his bones, through his muscles and his heart in a way that had tears swimming in his eyes.

When his eyes opened again and he glanced over at Mathias he found himself staring. It was like seeing a spectre and for a moment he said nothing, just stared like Mathias was the last thing he was capable of even seeing. Then he moved, forcing himself up into a sitting position despite how haggard and thin he looked.

"I am...as I am..." and it was far better than being dead, that was for sure. "There is nothing you could do as you are...because you seem injured, are you okay?"

He couldn't help the tentative thought that stretched out towards the other man's mind.

Mathias?

He felt himself being watched, glanced up at Jazir and found those orange eyes watching him avidly as he answered him back. He shrugged a shoulder and glanced at his arms.

"...A...a...zombie? It...attacked me. I'm fine though. Like, I've had worse. I think?"

He blinked at the question, glanced at Jazir, then away.

"I'm...I'm, I guess I'm okay...I don't really remember...anything besides waking up this morning under dirt and.....and...stealing enough money to get...here..."

The thought, the word, the name...that pushed into his mind had him blinking in surprise. He wasn't sure he had thought that, he wasn't sure if he was really going insane or not but he was almost positive that he hadn't randomly thought of a guy's name.

He glanced up after a moment and found Jazir watching him avidly and ducked his head again, picking absently at the skin around his nails.

"I'm not even sure where I am. I mean, I know where I am, I saw a sign. Harper Rock. Beta Towers is...this place but there's not much else I remember. I don't think I even have a wallet on me. I didn’t wake up with one.”

Silence answered what Mathias said and then Jazir was pushing himself up to his feet, his ability to move despite being completely dry something he'd learned in the recent months.

Even prostrate on the couch he could still send his mind wandering through the beautiful network of technology, into any business that struck his fancy and any personal account that amused him. The internet was a wonderful place, not wonderful enough to give him camera footage of the one he'd been looking for...who somehow had shown up as a doppleganger when he'd been on the verge of passing out, but fate was a fickle thing.

"Come on...there's a nice shower in the other room and spare clothes in the bedroom. If you go start the shower I can bring you some spare clothes..." The words were halting, raw and rough and they sounded like he'd been smoking for years, but the more he spoke the easier it was. "I was killed by zombies...its a horrible way to go...we'll make sure you're okay. Then you can rest and recover. You'll be safe here. I can help you find your identity?"

Mathias glanced up when Jazir stood, eyes wide at seeing that the other could move let alone stand, but didn't say anything, his eyes wide. Hearing about the shower had him getting to his feet with no hesitation despite the fear that was bubbling in his stomach. He moved to walk into the bedroom and then the bathroom, eyes widening at the decorations and how comfortable it was, and how warm it felt.

He blinked when Jazir mentioned he was killed by zombies, was about to say that he seemed pretty alive to him, relatively speaking, but then thought better of it, and kept quiet, going to turn the shower on.

"Thank you...I'm sorry for coming in here...I don't even know why I thought this apartment was mine...I probably mixed the numbers up in my head..."