The night was dark and tense, with the air thick from the lingering mist that rolled in from the river. Harper Rock was quieter than usual tonight. Though Corbin Belcourt knew there was always something dangerous lurking in the shadows of this city. In fact, he was looking for it. His personal crusade. Where he walked the streets at night and helped anyone in danger. It also gave him time to clear his mind, as he focused on getting zombies off the streets and protecting anyone he could from the evils of this city.
As Corbin walked along in the night, smoking a cigarette, he rounded a corner just as a human went limp against the pavement. A feral looking vampire had been caught with blood on its hands. Having caught the feral by surprise, Corbin did away with the vampire easily. The vampire was clearly beyond saving, incapable of rational thought. It broke Corbin's heart to see those of his kind so far gone and crazed by blood lust.
With the threat dealt with, Corbin knelt over the body of the injured young man. His white wings spread wide as if shielding the barely conscious figure from the encroaching cold. The man's shirt was torn, and stained with blood. Corbin didn't need to inspect the severity of the human’s wounds to know they were fatal. Deadly. There was only one way the human's life could be saved. Corbin quickly made his decision.
“I can't let you die.” He uttered the promise, a whisper under his breath.
What choice did he have, he asked himself this and there was no doubt. The young man had been attacked, viciously mauled by a feral vampire. He would not survive. Not unless Corbin did something and there wasn’t much time left. Corbin’s hand hovered over the young man's forehead, then down to his bloodied chest. The pulse was weak. Soon it would stop.
“I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I'm going to help you.” Corbin had seen this happen enough times to know the signs. This guy didn’t have much longer. This was the only way to fix the wrong that occured here tonight.
“It’ll be okay,” Corbin whispered, his voice soft yet resolute. His hand trembled as he bit into his wrist, drawing his own blood. The crimson liquid trickled down his skin, the smell of his vampiric blood filling the night air around them.
From the corner of his eye he suddenly caught a blur of motion. It was Aviana, a friend he had known since childhood, who was also a vampire that resided in Harper Rock .
“Corbin! Stop!” Aviana yelled, her voice rang out, sharp and desperate. She appeared before him almost as if out of nowhere, a shadow against the moonlight. Her hands reached for his arm where he had bitten his wrist, trying to pull him back. “You can’t do this.” Her words a hiss, a demand. Corbin could see the disappointment in his old friend's eyes.
In that moment Corbin’s expression hardened, as he jerked his arm away. Blood from his wrist stained Aviana's hands that had held him. “He’s dying, Avi. I’m not going to sit here and do nothing.” His tone stern, his words sure that this was the right thing to do. There was no question about it, for him.
“You’re not helping him by turning him into this. Into a vampire. Corbin! You know I'm right! ” Aviana shot back at him, her voice was fierce, but beneath it, there was pain. He had known her long enough to recognize the depth of it. Corbin knew Aviana's memories of her own unwanted transformation still haunted her. “You can’t make that choice for him.” her words a plea for him to stop and consider what he was about to do.
“He’ll die if I don't!” Corbin snapped, his wings flaring out in frustration. “Isn’t it better to give him a chance? I was saved this way. So were you!” He wanted her to understand, to see why this was the right thing to do. That this was how he could right a wrong done tonight.
“Not like this. Not without his consent. I didn't get to give consent, and this life has not been easy for me.” Avi said, her eyes burning with an intensity Corbin wasn’t used to seeing from her. The woman looked on the verge of crying. She wasn’t backing down. “You don’t understand what kind of life you’re condemning him to. This isn’t a gift for everyone. Corbin… For some of us, it’s a curse.” She continued her attempt at using her words to stop him, for now.
Corbin’s jaw clenched hard, his mind racing. He could feel time slipping away. The young man was fading. “I don’t care,” he growled. “I’ll deal with it. He’ll deal with it. But he’ll be alive. He will have a chance at a life that was taken from him too soon.” Like Aviana, Corbin could be just as stubborn and she knew it.
Aviana stepped back, her expression darkening. Tears held at bay now begin to trickle slowly down over her cheeks. She reached into her coat, pulling out a silver revolver. A weapon Corbin knew well, as he had been the one who crafted it and gave it to her. Her aim was steady, held square at Corbin.
“Avi, don’t…” he warned, slowly rising to his feet. He held his hands up to show he didn't want anything bad to happen. There had already been enough violence here tonight. The blood at his wrist was beginning to clot, but blood that had pooled around the wound dripped down his forearm.
“I’m sorry, Corbin. I'm so sorry… But you need to understand what you’re doing. You need to see the extent of the existence you are forcing on innocent people. ” There were more tears now, it was clear how deeply it hurt his friend to do this.
None of it had changed his mind. As he went to kneel down by the human again in a flash, Avi fired. The first bullet struck Corbin square in the chest, piercing through his shirt and embedding itself deep into his flesh. Pain radiated through his body, but Corbin didn’t fall. He held in a moment of shock that she had actually shot him.
“Damn it, Avi! Are you serious right now?!” he snarled, his wings flaring wide as he staggered back. “What the hell are you doing?” Angry, and hurt beyond words, he took a step towards her.
“I have to stop you.” Aviana’s voice was steady, laced with sorrow, but her hands trembled slightly as she fired again. Two more shots. One hit his side, and one went clear through his right shoulder.
“****…. ****!” Corbin cursed as each bullet hit. He stumbled with the impact, nearly losing his footing. Blood seeped from his wounds. He looked down, his breath coming in sharp gasps. His vision blurred. His wings drooped. He could feel his strength draining. His body struggled to stay upright. His heart was broken, his eyes held full of hurt by this betrayal.
The human was beyond help now, the man was dead. But Corbin wasn’t finished yet. A hope that at least he could maybe save himself. With a pained grunt, Corbin shifted into his dove form. A small, white bird with soft bloodstained feathers, the same color as his angelic wings. He fluttered weakly into the air, trying to escape the confrontation.
Another shot rang out in the night.
The final bullet struck him mid-flight. Corbin dropped like a stone. The small bird hitting the pavement below. His dove form melted away, leaving him lying in the street, his body broken and bleeding. And soon he was gone too, a vampire who had been killed and entered the Shadow Realm.
Aviana was gone, vanished from sight, to hide and mourn her actions here tonight.
Corbin’s vision faded into darkness, and soon he would face an unknown. Just where did vampires go in Harper Rock when they perished? Corbin was about to find out.
As Corbin walked along in the night, smoking a cigarette, he rounded a corner just as a human went limp against the pavement. A feral looking vampire had been caught with blood on its hands. Having caught the feral by surprise, Corbin did away with the vampire easily. The vampire was clearly beyond saving, incapable of rational thought. It broke Corbin's heart to see those of his kind so far gone and crazed by blood lust.
With the threat dealt with, Corbin knelt over the body of the injured young man. His white wings spread wide as if shielding the barely conscious figure from the encroaching cold. The man's shirt was torn, and stained with blood. Corbin didn't need to inspect the severity of the human’s wounds to know they were fatal. Deadly. There was only one way the human's life could be saved. Corbin quickly made his decision.
“I can't let you die.” He uttered the promise, a whisper under his breath.
What choice did he have, he asked himself this and there was no doubt. The young man had been attacked, viciously mauled by a feral vampire. He would not survive. Not unless Corbin did something and there wasn’t much time left. Corbin’s hand hovered over the young man's forehead, then down to his bloodied chest. The pulse was weak. Soon it would stop.
“I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I'm going to help you.” Corbin had seen this happen enough times to know the signs. This guy didn’t have much longer. This was the only way to fix the wrong that occured here tonight.
“It’ll be okay,” Corbin whispered, his voice soft yet resolute. His hand trembled as he bit into his wrist, drawing his own blood. The crimson liquid trickled down his skin, the smell of his vampiric blood filling the night air around them.
From the corner of his eye he suddenly caught a blur of motion. It was Aviana, a friend he had known since childhood, who was also a vampire that resided in Harper Rock .
“Corbin! Stop!” Aviana yelled, her voice rang out, sharp and desperate. She appeared before him almost as if out of nowhere, a shadow against the moonlight. Her hands reached for his arm where he had bitten his wrist, trying to pull him back. “You can’t do this.” Her words a hiss, a demand. Corbin could see the disappointment in his old friend's eyes.
In that moment Corbin’s expression hardened, as he jerked his arm away. Blood from his wrist stained Aviana's hands that had held him. “He’s dying, Avi. I’m not going to sit here and do nothing.” His tone stern, his words sure that this was the right thing to do. There was no question about it, for him.
“You’re not helping him by turning him into this. Into a vampire. Corbin! You know I'm right! ” Aviana shot back at him, her voice was fierce, but beneath it, there was pain. He had known her long enough to recognize the depth of it. Corbin knew Aviana's memories of her own unwanted transformation still haunted her. “You can’t make that choice for him.” her words a plea for him to stop and consider what he was about to do.
“He’ll die if I don't!” Corbin snapped, his wings flaring out in frustration. “Isn’t it better to give him a chance? I was saved this way. So were you!” He wanted her to understand, to see why this was the right thing to do. That this was how he could right a wrong done tonight.
“Not like this. Not without his consent. I didn't get to give consent, and this life has not been easy for me.” Avi said, her eyes burning with an intensity Corbin wasn’t used to seeing from her. The woman looked on the verge of crying. She wasn’t backing down. “You don’t understand what kind of life you’re condemning him to. This isn’t a gift for everyone. Corbin… For some of us, it’s a curse.” She continued her attempt at using her words to stop him, for now.
Corbin’s jaw clenched hard, his mind racing. He could feel time slipping away. The young man was fading. “I don’t care,” he growled. “I’ll deal with it. He’ll deal with it. But he’ll be alive. He will have a chance at a life that was taken from him too soon.” Like Aviana, Corbin could be just as stubborn and she knew it.
Aviana stepped back, her expression darkening. Tears held at bay now begin to trickle slowly down over her cheeks. She reached into her coat, pulling out a silver revolver. A weapon Corbin knew well, as he had been the one who crafted it and gave it to her. Her aim was steady, held square at Corbin.
“Avi, don’t…” he warned, slowly rising to his feet. He held his hands up to show he didn't want anything bad to happen. There had already been enough violence here tonight. The blood at his wrist was beginning to clot, but blood that had pooled around the wound dripped down his forearm.
“I’m sorry, Corbin. I'm so sorry… But you need to understand what you’re doing. You need to see the extent of the existence you are forcing on innocent people. ” There were more tears now, it was clear how deeply it hurt his friend to do this.
None of it had changed his mind. As he went to kneel down by the human again in a flash, Avi fired. The first bullet struck Corbin square in the chest, piercing through his shirt and embedding itself deep into his flesh. Pain radiated through his body, but Corbin didn’t fall. He held in a moment of shock that she had actually shot him.
“Damn it, Avi! Are you serious right now?!” he snarled, his wings flaring wide as he staggered back. “What the hell are you doing?” Angry, and hurt beyond words, he took a step towards her.
“I have to stop you.” Aviana’s voice was steady, laced with sorrow, but her hands trembled slightly as she fired again. Two more shots. One hit his side, and one went clear through his right shoulder.
“****…. ****!” Corbin cursed as each bullet hit. He stumbled with the impact, nearly losing his footing. Blood seeped from his wounds. He looked down, his breath coming in sharp gasps. His vision blurred. His wings drooped. He could feel his strength draining. His body struggled to stay upright. His heart was broken, his eyes held full of hurt by this betrayal.
The human was beyond help now, the man was dead. But Corbin wasn’t finished yet. A hope that at least he could maybe save himself. With a pained grunt, Corbin shifted into his dove form. A small, white bird with soft bloodstained feathers, the same color as his angelic wings. He fluttered weakly into the air, trying to escape the confrontation.
Another shot rang out in the night.
The final bullet struck him mid-flight. Corbin dropped like a stone. The small bird hitting the pavement below. His dove form melted away, leaving him lying in the street, his body broken and bleeding. And soon he was gone too, a vampire who had been killed and entered the Shadow Realm.
Aviana was gone, vanished from sight, to hide and mourn her actions here tonight.
Corbin’s vision faded into darkness, and soon he would face an unknown. Just where did vampires go in Harper Rock when they perished? Corbin was about to find out.