I pulled back my curtains and looked up at the pale moon. I loved this time of night. My nights had been rather dull, as I was forced to stay inside my newly purchased manor. I lit the candlestick I had placed near my bed and glided into the hallway. I moved across the continent to occupy this manor, which my servant had prepared for me. He was a chubby man who helped me set up my cable and internet.
Despite my insistence that my library would be ready for me, it was not. My servant had failed me once again. I summoned him to the torture room.
I sat on a golden chair and looked at him coldly. “Where are my books?”
“They’re in the cloud.”
“What sort of sorcery is that?”
He sighed. “Will, you gotta stop with the gimmick. You’re not a vampire.”
I hissed at him. “And who said I was a vampire? A peasant superstition.”
“Great. We both agree. I’m going to finish setting up your internet.”
“You are…dismissed.” I turned around in the chair with a flourish of my cape, and I heard him walk off.
What a fool. He believed it. I took my goblet of blood wine and raised it to my lips. Delicious. A virgin vintage I had brought in from the old country. It invigorated me, and I realized I had much work to do. Floating towards the bathroom, I did my business and scrolled on my phone.
MISSING GIRL: AGE 23. LAST SEEN AT NIGHT ON OLD BAILEY STREET WEARING A BLACK BLOUSE AND WHITE LEGGINGS.
I gripped the phone so tightly the screen cracked. “Bloody fools!” I screamed, and I heard my servant step towards me.
“You have bloody stool?” He seemed worried.
“No, you damned moronic toad. We’re not alone.”
“Well, the town has a significant population.”
“Yes…” My voice trailed off as I thought about the population statistics. “I must investigate.”
I flushed the toilet and ordered my servant to clean me, but he did not respond. Like some uncouth barbarian, I made sure I was a presentable gentleman. I washed my face, but the mirror was no use to me.
I stormed out of the lavatory, and my cape trailed behind me. My servant was useless, as always, and nowhere to be found. I threw open the front door and made my way towards the iron gate that kept the townies off my property.
“Wait!” I heard a voice behind me. “No, don’t leave yet.” He was out of breath.
“I’m just going for a night walk,” I assured him. “Maybe I find fellow night stalkers, maybe I don’t.”
“You look insane.” He was bent over, breathing heavily.
“Do I? You know I can’t look at myself in the mirror.”
He glanced up at me and shook his head. “You’re wearing a cape.”
“Ah, yes. In case I get into a fight, I shouldn’t have this on.” I unclipped the cape and handed it to my servant gingerly. “Be careful with that. It’s three hundred years old.”
He rolled his eyes. Such insolence! I made my way into the streets, searching for Old Bailey Street. It was rather close by, just several blocks away from my Darkspire Manor. This neighbourhood was rough, with windows boarded up and local dark alchemical merchants peddling their street wares on the corner.
I approached the man. “Good night.” I showed him my cracked device. “Have you seen this fair young maiden?” He looked at it for a moment.
“Nah man, the fuck you wearing anyways? You got a puffy shirt and shit. Guessing you like rock, huh? You want some rock?”
“I have no interest in your paltry stones!” My voice boomed, and the man nearly fell back. “I want to know where she is!”
He waved his hand. “Get the fuck away from me before I slime your ass!”
I moved away from the alchemist, as I had no interest in getting slime on my ass. I liked being clean and orderly. He muttered, “That’s right, fucking bitch.” I knew no dogs were around, so I paid it no mind. Somebody must have seen this fair maiden get captured.
It was then I got my first lead. Ducking into a bush, I watched her from a distance. A tall, pale woman wearing a large-brimmed hat walked down the road, wielding a golden cane. A fellow night stalker!
She approached the dark alchemist, and they began conversing about something. I attempted to use my abilities to understand them, but a spell must have obfuscated it. Curses! I had stopped unethical consumption years ago and was buying it bottled. If I was eating organic, I would surely have the power to eavesdrop from a distance.
Alas, I did not. I would have to make do with stalking her through town. I hadn’t done this in years, and it caused me quite a lot of excitement. I climbed up a metal pipe and began to leap from roof to roof, following her. I watched her carefully, and she went back to her cadre of fellow night stalkers.
They entered the warehouse across the street, with loud music coming from it. A police car rolled by and parked on the curb. I could tell the officer and the bouncer were talking, and the cops drove off. This cadre must have substantial power in this town.
Women and men both enjoyed my physical traits, and I knew that I would be given access to this warehouse. I approached the door, and a large bouncer pushed his meaty hand towards my chest.
“Do you have an invitation?”
“I cannot enter without an invitation,” I stated.
“Right, well, do you have one?”
“Do I?” I handed him a roll of cash.
He sighed and opened the door for me. “Don’t be fucking weird in there, man.”
I paid the local thug no mind. Inside the warehouse, thumping music played. I could feel the bass in my shoes as I walked. This was no ordinary discotheque, as those inside were dressed in black leathers. I figured a torture room must be nearby, as a woman walked by with a whip.
“I have surely entered Gomorrah now,” I said to nobody in particular.
“You’re hot.” A rather ample, intoxicated wench approached me. “Ever get your cock sucked by a single mom?”
“Good heavens!” I moved away from her, and she whipped a glass at my head.
“Fucking jerk!” she screamed.
The hallways were full of smoke, and I made my way through the maze of twisting corridors. I found myself in the centre of the warehouse. A large dance floor was in the centre, with booths flanking it on all sides. At one of the tables, the tall, pale woman sat with her large hat.
I made my way over to her, and I was stopped by a seven-foot-tall Mongolian warrior.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.
“I want to speak to her.” I pointed at the lady, and she looked over at me. She raised her brow and stared at me with admiring eyes.
“It’s alright,” she called. “Bring him over.”
I sat across from her and leaned forward. “Let’s get to business. Have you broken our sacred covenant and kidnapped that young virgin girl?”
“What?”
I slid my phone across the table to her, and she looked down at it.
“The missing girl,” she stated. “No, she’s not kidnapped. She’s dead.”
“Who slew her?”
“I did.” She leaned forward towards me. “I broke the covenant. I drank her blood.” She laughed. “What is Count Dracula going to do about it? You come into my club wearing the attire of a sixteenth-century nobleman. You’re out of your mind.”
“I don’t believe you.” I looked deeply into her eyes. “I command you to speak the truth.”
“Fine,” she relented. “Fine. She’s not dead. We’re keeping her locked up at our house in New Market. She’s our blood mule.”
“If I go there and she is dead, I will kill your cadre.”
“With what?”
I pulled out two Python revolvers. “With these.”
She was silent for the first time, and her wicked grin was wiped off her face. “Get the hell out of here.”
Day would be coming soon, so I made my escape through the warehouse. I leapt through one of the windows, crashing below into the parking lot. I sprinted off into the night, and I could hear sirens behind me. I made it back to Darkspire Manor and locked the door.
“Bar the doors!” I shouted. “And cover the windows. The sun is coming out.”
My servant sighed loudly, and I could hear him closing the blinds. There was a loud thud when he put the wooden beam across the door, locking it in place. Even if they brought a battering ram, they would not bring down my gate.
“Will, are you really going to try to find that girl? She could be anywhere. It’s madness to search for her. Plus, we only just arrived. I do not want us to get chased out of a town again. You know how hard it is to find a proper manor you like?”
I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Time for us to sleep.” He walked off towards his bedroom. I went towards my chambers.
I crawled into bed and covered myself. I set an alarm on my iPhone to wake me up at 8:00 p.m., which is around the time the sun would be setting. I needed a good day’s rest before I headed out to save the maiden.
In the old country, I tried to save people. Life was something precious, I thought. It’s why I went organic. I wondered if there was a point to any of this. Trying to save a girl I barely knew. Perhaps my servant was right. It was madness. Madness to find a girl who was forgotten about already.
Yesterday, she was the talk of the town. Today, little more than an afterthought. Her parents might care, a boyfriend, maybe even a friend. Though the lost seldom had any family.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
I woke up and tore the cover off my bed. Every hour delayed was unacceptable. I moved so fast I was like a blur and was flying towards New Market with a speed I had not known possible. When I arrived, I looked for anyone who appeared to be like the tall, pale lady.
I saw a pale man with gaunt features walking down the street. No, not walking. He was patrolling. I jumped down on top of him and pulled out my stake.
“Speak, devil. Where are you keeping the maiden?”
“Don’t kill me, please!” He wept and closed his eyes. A foul odour filled the air.
“Your tongue is well accustomed to lies,” I snarled at him. “But I can smell a lie.” I inhaled deeply, and the man let out a sob. “Where is she?”
He winced and pointed towards a bakery. “Are you going to let me go now?”
I smiled.
The man’s hands were shaking as he opened the door to the bakery. I gripped his neck tightly, with one of my Python revolvers pressed against his temple. His pants were soiled, which was typical of cowardly men.
Inside the room was the girl, bound to a chair. Blood trickled down her arms and legs. They were leeching her. The man cried out in panic.
“He’s here! For the love of Christ, somebody stop him!”
A pale figure rushed across the room, attempting to escape into the shadows. I pointed my Python and fired. The creature slumped over as a baseball-sized hole was blown through his head.
The creature in my grip wailed, and I scattered his brains against the wall. I heard several more things wailing in the distance.
I ran towards the woman and inspected her. Fat leeches clung to her body. Hundreds of them on her arms, legs, and neck.
“We’re getting out of here before they come. I can’t fight them all,” I told her, but she only muttered in a half-daze.
I put her in the back of my black sedan and hit the pedal. I flew towards Darkspire Manor and called my servant.
“Ian, I found the missing girl. Prepare a bed for her.”
“Very well, master,” my servant said. I hung up the phone.
Darkspire Manor was a little bit brighter with the girl there, and we took her on as a housekeeping maid. When the police were informed of what had happened, they found the bakery was totally empty. No bodies, no blood.
“Thank you for saving me,” she said.
“You are most welcome, madame.” I looked at the library full of books. “Do you enjoy reading?”
“Of course. There are so many great complex stories out there. They teach us a lot about the world.”
I smiled. “If you insist. I always preferred action.”
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