Path of the Vampire forum

Darkness descended on the city and the shadows lengthened while the broken street lamps gave everything odd shapes and disturbing visages. The winter winds howled through the alleys as the snow gently fell from above. Leo leaned against the wall as he pulled his long coat closer around himself, although he wasn’t cold it gave him slight comfort but more importantly was that he felt that it let him hide easier around the city. He was a large man, slightly over six feet tall, his service had left him very athletic, His sandy blonde hair had lengthened after leaving the military and he used it as a reminder to himself that he was out.. Since he recently arrived to Harper Rock and really knew very little he found it smartest to not draw attention to himself if he didn’t have too as his instinct told him.

Although his time in the military had proved he could kill, it didn’t compare to what he had become since that fateful night of becoming a vampire. Remorse, conscience, pity, mercy, or any such words held absolutely no meaning anymore to him. He had turned into a stone cold killer since then and he was only getting stronger as the time passed. His speed and strength continued to grow as did his ability to kill and kill with greater ease all around. This confused and terrified him more than anything he could think of because he did not know if he could control these feelings even if he tried to. But with being honest with himself, he had no intention of even trying to contain himself yet and decided to only spend the effort of keeping it directed away from most people unless they came after him. Although he had been hunted by people in the recent past and in other cities, since arriving in Canada he had been forcing himself to take out his frustrations on the undead that seemed to roam all over the city. This seemed to work for the most part until some unlucky or stupid person crossed his path the wrong way, then all bets were off so he avoided most everyone for now.

For the moment Leo held the wall up as he watched the snow blow down the desolate street. Intelligent people had long been locked into their homes for the night which left him to roam where he wanted to and do as he pleased. He wiped his mouth and threw the empty blood pack on the ground with the rest of the litter as he contemplated what to do next Very little could be heard over the wind, off in the distance it sounded like a fight was happening off in the distance. He suspected it was the militia fighting off some of the dead that were trying to enter the city. They could handle it or maybe not, Leo didn’t really care one way or another as he had been fighting in the Quarantine Zone for several days now. The constant action had really focused his thoughts on the physical well being and new found strengths. His mood was as dark and cold as his surroundings, after all the carnage he had wrought over the past days and the lack of caring about anything remotely human, he probably looked as bad as he felt. It had been days or weeks, he wasn’t really sure anymore, since he had stopped either fighting, running, or some combination of both. At that moment, his anger at life, death, or undeath had left him alone and he just leaned against the wall as he thought about his next move.

He assumed his catching the random flight out of New Orleans Airport had thrown his hunters off track, or he hoped it had anyway and since his arrival here he kept as low of a profile as he could. Living off of contraband blood bags hadn’t turned out so bad except for the cost but fresh was definitely better but it attracted too much attention right now. Leo missed how the sunshine would warm his face but now he felt little. The cold of winter barely bothered him but he also never really felt warm either, ever since he turned it had been this way. The sun burned and quickly, he had found that out the hard way and before he had even really understood what had happened to him but it didn’t matter now. None of it mattered anymore, he knew what he was and had to deal with that fact someday. For now though he simply let the rage and anger out and vent the only way he could, pointing himself at the undead seemed to be working now and he finally felt like things were looking up for a change. He didn’t know how long this feeling might last so he just allowed it come as it would.

His appetit had been curbed for the moment, not on the run from hunters, and a few dollars in his pocket left him with some new thoughts and maybe even a slightly less bleak outlook on his future. Finally he decided to simply look around the area. He left his perch on the wall and quickly moved from shadow to shadow down the street, quiet as a whisper in the howling winter winds he moved down the street as he avoided the police and military in the area. He even avoided the undead who were no match for human speed let alone his inhuman quickness as he wasn’t spoiling for fights, he now looked for somewhere to acquire some clean clothes, a place to freshen up, and maybe rest for even a little while. A motel room would work if he could find one but he would settle whatever he could find regardless of what it was. At that moment, he didn’t care if he broke into places, stole from other or not, but he simple took what he could and needed although he reminded himself not to kill humans, DON’T KILL HUMANS. Someday he might have to learn to be near them but he knew that time wasn’t yet as his bloodlust was still too strong.

Leo scrounged thru the city and found enough of what he was looking for to satisfy his meager needs. He had found a change of clothes that would fit well enough, that had been easy enough to find. He swiped a clean coat from one of the racks at a club he passed, thankful they had no doorman at this hour although the dark haired lady just inside the club made no effort to stop his theft. With the level of dirt and splattering from fighting he was intrigued that she hadn’t been more afraid of his appearance or maybe it had been pure surprise on her part. It mattered little, he was content with the no blood being spilled so far tonight and the hard part was finished so he started heading back. On his way back his luck continued as he quickly found a room for the night. Although he no longer needed to eat or drink to survive, he looked forward to being able to shower again.

Although he was no longer paranoid he was being followed, he still paid for the night in cash before he headed to his room where he peeled off his clothes as he appalled by the number of injuries he had taken recently. Holes, rips, and tears covered the clothes as he dropped them straight into the trash. Disgusted with himself at how he had let himself become such a abhorrent figure he let the bathroom fill with steam from the shower out of old habit before he showered. He ended up washing twice before the drain ran clear from all the blood, including his own he was sure. Stepping up to the mirror he quickly wiped it with his hand so he could see himself as he started to feel a little more human.

“Feel human? Not quite I think” he told the face in the mirror that was staring back at him blankly. “But feeling anything right now would be a good improvement!” The face in the mirror was his own but it also was a very pale version of his old self but he was starting to get used to it as he bared his fangs and quickly decided that he would lose the stubble that had grown as the stubble made him look more diabolical than he wanted to look.

The razor in the fleabag hotel was cheap and he cut himself as he shaved but the cut healed before his very eyes. After wiping his face with the towel he started checking the other injuries he had taken over the past days, all the wounds all over his body had already healed completely and he couldn’t even find a scar anywhere. Even the scars he had before he turned seemed a bit smaller than before but he couldn’t tell for sure but the tattoos on either side of his chest were as vibrant as the day they were inked on him.

Content with being clean again, he could feel that dawn had come already as he could no longer fight his sleep. He laid out across the top of the bed as he quickly entered the sleep of the dead. Freshly clean, comfortable, and with a relatively safe feeling in the locked hotel room he slept deeply for a change and with none of the unwanted visages haunting his dreams to turn them into nightmares.

It wasn’t until the long shadows of evening came that caused Leo to stir out of his torpor, where he finally stood up and stretched out his muscles. It had been what felt like forever since he had a restful night of sleep. “No, not night but day of sleep now.” he thought to himself, everything seemed upside down now that he had turned. Although he had never considered himself all that modest he did realize never dressed after his shower last ni… no last morning so he lazily dressed himself before as he waited until he could exit his room.

The rage was still inside of him and he knew it was there but something else had entered his mind as well and he wasn’t exact;u sure what it was but maybe a sliver of hope or a bit of acceptance had crept into his being. Regardless his head was clearer and that seemed to let him start thinking again, the day of sleep had definitely helped his attitude but his first order of business would be a blood pack so he wouldn’t feed on a human right now. As he thought about feeding his reflexes called the shadows about himself as he hoped no one could track his movements tonight. It was something he had learned out of necessity and he now used as often as he could.

Before long he pulled himself out of his chair and exited the room to make his way out of the hotel and into the streets. He could smell the stench of the old, balding, fat man behind the desk long before he could see the little fool, his senses were in overdrive for certain. With barely a look at the man and a quick grunt, he tossed his room key onto the desk as he quickly walked past him and onto the sidewalk, if he stopped he knew the little man was in real danger. The street was mostly quiet and the wind of the previous night had calmed considerably. The sun had just went below the horizon and the sky was a brilliant red before it dulled and slowly started to darken the city. Looking around for what seemed like the first time he noticed many businesses appeared to be shuttered and locked up while it also seemed to be a very small nightlife around the area as well while even many of the apartments looked dark and desolate. He saw as many cops and soldiers as he did normal people which seemed strange. He discreetly purchased a blood pack from a vendor which he took into the darkest area he could find and away from prying eyes to consume before he continued on his way. The Militia paid well for ears and he planned on riding that money train for as long as he could stand it or at least until he had more control over his new vampiric abilities.