Up they come gone translucent
They're coming up no matter what
Fools rush in and the doors slam shut
Uma hopped out of the car, stretching her legs and looking around. They'd finally reached the next city. She was pretty sure it used to be Chicago, but it didn't look like it at all. She sighed slightly, running a hand through her short brown bob of hair. The vampires had been around just ast long as humans, if not longer, in sleeper cells. Living among them for thousands of years...but their kind had risen up. An apocalypse of sorts occurred and now the world was ruled by vampires...yet, now all the cities were run down from riots or frantic humans...so boring nowadays. There was always the vampires that tried retaining human things, like having jobs and paying rent...but none of that was neccessary anymore, and their kind didn't stay in one place for long. Uma didn't dare voice her opinions outloud, though, in fear or being killed for treason.
They had never had a chief vampie before this apocolyptic world, but now a vampire by the name of Marius claimed to be their leader. He ruled loosley but strongly. There was no laws...except one very important one. A human is food and nothing else. Vampires were not to befriend them, help them to live or, worst of all, joing their side and fight against their own brethren.
"Chez Toi is still open...I wonder if Jean-Paul is still running shows." Victor wondered aloud, pulling Uma from her thoughts. She smiled at him, mentally thanking him for doing so before trotting towards him and kissing him on the cheek.
"I hear he pretends to be human." she whispered in his year. "Doesn't store humans in the basment but lets them think his cabaret is a safe haven...clever, huh?"
"One step further and he will be committing treason." Victor stated sternly, lightly pushing Uma aside but taking her hand in his as they walked.
They were on the sidewalks of Chicago, but no one would ever guess so. Buildings were burnt to the ground, corpses of bloodless humans lay on the ground, not yet picked up by the nightly cleaners (usually Os who worked for blood). There were vampires either roaming the streets or starving in the alleys. The sky was smoky and blank, no stars or moon and most street lamps had burnt out. Some flickered on and off, and a few lit the way down the carless road, but other than that the place looked like a barren wasteland.
Some places, like Chez Toi for example, were still opened for business. Uma could see that in one of the still standing buildings was a drug store. Inside there were drugs that, after much expirimenting, were proven to actually have an effect on their vampiric bodies. Mostly illegal substances that were no longer illegal. Marjuana, that managed to calm them down but gave them a bad case of the munchies (and not the human kind), crystal meth, speed, and cigarettes (which didn't affect them, but served as a habbit for those who had smoked in their past lives). There was also the ocassional blood bag to be found. More and more hospitals were being ransacked, and more and more raiders sold the blood to merchants for Coin. Useless Coin, mind you, but it seemed that didn't matter.
Not far in the distance, Uma could see the Cabaret owned by Victor's dear friend Jean-paul. French, if you've yet to figure it out. It was the place Uma and Victor had met for the first time. It was a fond memory, at least how Victor told the story. Uma had been in her Hemsk Liv or "horrible life" when they met. It was her first cycle on earth, which meant she was human. She didn't remember that life too well, and she didn't want to. But as Victor told it, she had been a dancer at Chez Toi and he'd watched her for many weeks before finally coming backstage with flowers and wine. The young vampire smiled at the memory, subconciously rubbing at her wrist where the Mark of Eruca sat on her skin, shimmering gold in the dim street light.
"You're doing it again." Victor murmmered. When Uma stared up, she saw him staring down at her wrist and smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, love. It's been 115 years and I still can't quite get used to it...it's beautiful, and I couldn't see it for 5 years after getting it. My stupid little human eyes." she said with a light chuckle as they neared the door to the cabaret. Victor smiled and kissed her atop the head, opening the door in front of her.
"The stage awaits you, my dear."
