Life at Stake [Knuxouge Vampire AU]

Knuckie the Vampire Slayer

Content warning. Major character injury/death. Mention of suic1de.

Knuckles ran after his target so fast that the gravestones around him appeared to be nothing but grey blurs. That didn't matter, he wasn't focusing on them. His eyes never left the flying shadow he was chasing after. He couldn't hear anything besides his heavy breathing and his heartbeat in his ears. 

The monster he was chasing flew effortlessly above the scene. She didn't seem to have noticed that she was being followed. 

Knuckles gripped the crossbow in his hand. It would be difficult to get a shot straight through the monster's heart while he was running and tired, but he had to try. This was his chance to free the town of the fear that had plagued them for centuries. Generations of his family had tried and failed to defeat it. That losing streak was about to end, he thought. He raised the crossbow, aimed, and shot.

A horrible shriek split the night air. The monster's figure fell from the sky. Knuckles gasped. Had he hit her, finally? He had to make sure. She must have landed somewhere in the cemetery. He had to find her and confirm her death... or finish the job.

Suddenly the night was calm and silent. Knuckles took a moment to gather his wits. Even if he hadn't hit her heart, the monster wouldn't be able to fly any time soon. He could leisurely search for her among the gravestones. He walked as if he were on a normal stroll, glancing casually around. The shadows in the graveyard were long. The sliver moon didn't help. The monster was sensitive to light, so he never carried a candle or lantern. He stopped relying on his eyes. 

He could hear shallow breathing to his right. No other person would be here so late. It must have been her. 

Knuckles approached the sound and was soon able to make out the dark form, shuddering in the shadow of a tall white gravestone. He couldn't see properly to aim. He would have to get her into a lighter area.

"Vampire," he whispered. The figure stopped shuddering. She was paying attention. "Can you move?"

The creature spoke with a strange voice. Slow, and slightly gravely as if she hadn't used it in a while. "I could move better than you, mortal."

"Then move," he challenged her, training his crossbow loaded with a wooden stake on the indistinct form.

"As you wish." In a lighting fast movement, the vampire darted out from her shadow, knocked the crossbow out of his hands, and jumped to the top of the gravestone she had been using for cover. The moon finally shed its meager light on the woman. She was a pure white bat with black wings. She wore a black cloak. Fangs were visible poking out from between her full lips. Her red eyes stared down at Knuckles with disdain.

"You hit my wing, and it may take a few minutes to fly again," she said, "but I can still jump and run better than any mortal." With that, she dashed away— jumping from gravestone to gravestone above his head.

Knuckles grit his teeth, grabbed his crossbow again, and pursued her. He didn't dare step on gravestones as she did, but he was able to keep her in sight by running. She was much slower on foot, though he still had a hard time keeping up. 

The edge of the graveyard was within sight, surrounded by a spiked iron fence. The vampire was able to leap over it with ease. Knuckles climbed up the metal fence as quickly as he could.

He reached the top, but in his haste, his hand slipped.

The cold iron spikes of the graveyard fence pierced through his chest. 

It stunned Knuckles. The pain hadn't kicked in yet, but his warm blood trickled down his body to let him know he was gravely injured. His arms went limp. He was losing blood too quickly, he thought the spikes must have punctured his organs. Even if he could pull himself off, he would bleed to death in minutes. Knuckles could do nothing.

Suddenly the pain began. It seared through his chest, worse than anything he had ever felt before. His life flashed before his eyes. He realized what dying here would mean. He could never see his friends or family again. He had failed his mission without even leaving an heir to carry on his work. The town would be terrorized by the vampire forever, and all because of a stupid mistake he had made in haste. As the light began to fade from his eyes, he cried.

"It can't end like this," he sobbed quietly, "I can't die. I don't want to die!"

His voice was dying. He repeated "I don't want to die..." until he could no longer say it. His consciousness was slipping away. He could only vaguely sense, but not understand, the figure coming toward him.

A sharp pain on his neck.

Suddenly he was aware of his surroundings. His energy returned. He couldn't feel the spikes anymore. 

The bat was biting his neck. Startled, he shoved her away.

"Monster! What did you do? What..."

The vampire glared at him. "You said you didn't want to die," she huffed. "You're welcome."

It dawned on him. Knuckles  ran his tongue over his teeth. There were two new fangs among them. 

"No," he trembled, "that's not what I meant. I don't want to be one of you." 

The bat didn't reply. She climbed onto the fence and pulled him off of the spikes to safety. His wounds didn't hurt, and they had already begun to heal. The bat picked up his crossbow from the ground.

She held it out, offering the weapon and the wooden stake to him.

"You know how to kill a monster, then," she said. "Why not die here like you were meant to?"

Knuckles stared at the weapon. She was right. His life's mission had been to eradicate vampires, and now that included himself. It was logical, but he couldn't bring himself to even consider it.

He took the crossbow and broke it over his knee.

"I still don't want to die," he said.

The vampire woman smiled. 

"Excellent."