Should Have Walked Away | Aarmau Vampire AU

𝔫 𝔦 𝔫 𝔢 𝔱 𝔢 𝔢 𝔫

Thankfully, it was only Dante. He'd gone outside not too long ago to get an inside perspective of what was happening in the Guard.

Unfortunately, he was in a panic.

Sweat lined his brow and his eyes were wide, wild. Knowing where I was, he froze in the hall and stared at me.

"Somethings happening," he panted. "I think we. . . I think we need Aphmau."

My body didn't appreciate the exertion as I lifted myself up — neither did any of my friends as they pushed me back to the pillows.

Aaron looked down at me from the bedside, where he stood with his hand on my shoulder. The burns throbbed under his touch even though only applied enough pressure to keep me in place.

"You're not going anywhere, Aphmau."

I clenched my jaw, biting my words out to ignore the sting in my side when I breathed. "I am. I don't give a shit if I'm injured — I couldn't care less. You can't stop me," — a lie and everyone knew it — "So don't try. If I die, so be it — but nobody I care about will die with me."

Standing up faster than I should have, I wobbled on my feet until Aaron caught my arm.

It took me a minute to even my breathing while the searing in my wounds cooled down. Once it did, I shook his hands off and tried to stabilize myself.

I could probably have used his help, but I'm stubborn and settled to suffer a limp on the way to the door.

Following Dante, he led us all to the front gate. All the while I ignored any and all attempts of help, advice, and sympathy.

I've been in worse condition.

At the gate, I realized very quickly why my help was needed.

There was a hybrid. Or rather, two. And a small army's worth of vampires.

Guards tried to hold the horde back, but I watched as numbers fell and armored men and women collapsed.

The cobblestone was already painted with blood.

Diverting my attention to the hybrids, I noticed similar characteristics to the hybrid I killed years ago -- the one that killed his girlfriend. He was short and even smaller with a hunch in his spine. Dark claws protruded from his pale fingertips where his nails should be and the color matched his eyes, sclera stained with a black to rival the midnight sky. I could barely see the skin of his chest or arms as they were covered in a gray, dirty, matted fur, but I could tell he was mostly muscle. One difference I noticed was that the fur crawled up his neck and scalp to join with receding hairline. Because of his build, it was obvious to me that he was once human.

Pathetic, trying to change human people into werewolves like the ones born generations back. They're rumored to have died off a hundred years ago and now I'm guessing they want to make some as slaves and warriors. For some odd reason, I doubt they succeeded. He twitched his head a few times and shook it out, snarling with large yellow fangs that barely fit in his mouth.

The other was a girl, taller and tattooed as I am, one arm fully inked in black. With my vision returning after rest, I noticed scratches and puncture wounds all along that arm and up to her shoulder -- from the tests, I presume. Oddly enough, her eyes were almost the same as his but with a darker undertone of difference.