Blood Thirsty

Ch. 21: Watch out!

Violence wasn't uncommon for a vampire. The very source of their livelihood, their food, and magic was obtained through a violent act. This sentiment went double for the children of the Ventura family. Outside of their coven, no one was going to believe a person was dangerous unless they could show it by the blood on their hands. When other kids were taking their normal lessons and playing sports, they trained Anthony to fight. They gave him daily lessons on how to survive. Outliving other covens was their proof of success.

The only light in the world was the dusting of moonlight escaping from the slightest crack in the curtains. Anthony could hardly differentiate between the darkness, the bed, the window seat, and the broken edges of the monster. It moved the way a doll with broken joints crumbled and Anthony's skin prickled as his blood went ice old. Whatever he could perceive, he could hear slurping and heavy, broken breathing from the dying creature. Two dying creatures? The air was too sweet. Anthony's stomach acids bubbled up, crowding the back of his throat.

Without breathing, Anthony jumped out of bed and threw open his nightstand. He was the child of Andre Ventura, the younger brother of Dante. He wouldn't hesitate. Anthony pulled a magnum and shot at the head of the creature, the force shaking Anthony's bones and catching the air on fire with its sulfur. The monster screeched, whether it was out of surprise or from the shot, Anthony didn't care. He shot again, relishing another scream, and praying for silence.

As the curtains thrashed open, Anthony's attention was drawn to Knox, who was on the floor beneath the monster. Knox had been turned away from him and, while Anthony could smell the blood, it was too dark to know where it was coming from. Anthony's stomach dropped to the floor. Knox wasn't moving. An arm, too long and crooked, lashed out at Anthony as the creature landed on the bed, crushing the frame's legs, and it all came crashing to the ground. With a curse, Anthony jumped back and fumbled with his gun.

Anthony tried dodging the next swing towards the magnum, but the creature's long reach entangled Anthony's chest, slamming him far into the wall and ramming the back of his head into a picture frame, shattering it. Sharp pain split through his head and boomed down his back. Anthony's back hit the ground, knocking the air and almost the life out of him. Pain erased thoughts, his adrenaline shaking, his body sober.

The creature screeched in his face, its spittle smelling too sweet, too much like Knox. Fury ripped through Anthony, and he used all his strength to slam his fist into its jaw, hiking his foot and jamming it into its side, knocking him off Anthony long enough for him to reach for the gun. Anthony twisted back, reloading the chamber, and shot it right into the chest, the power of the gun's kickback reverberating past his hands and through his arms.

The monster screeched again, and the world was shaking apart. Anthony took one step towards Knox just as Knox stirred. Knox's breath hitched as he collapsed onto his back. A huge bite had sunken into his shoulder and Anthony shouted for him, "Knox!"

The creature scrambled, lifting off by his wings, leaving a trail of blood across the bed. It collected Knox off the ground, and Anthony took another shot, but the gun clicked. Out of bullets. Anthony threw the empty gun at its head and the creature struck it out of the air and lashed back out at Anthony, screaming again like he was cursing at him. Anthony stumbled out of its reach and froze in surprise as it seemed to go through the wall. Where there should've been the fireplace, the monster just vanished into more darkness, along with Knox.

Panic pumped more through Anthony's veins than blood. Pushing himself back up, Anthony hurried towards the light, and it revealed the room's wreckage of glass and splintered wood, all the blood, and that the fireplace had turned and opened into a tunnel.

"What the fuck..." Anthony ran for his phone, dialing Milan. With no time to waste, Anthony dashed into the passageway without a second thought. The tunnel was all stone, lit deeper inside by scones covered in the cobwebs and dust. The air hung heavy, weighed down by the musk of mildew and copper, or that was the monster's blood.