Chapter Text
The screams echoed...
Closer.
His footsteps were the most noisy... Yet he could only focus on the ones at his sides... And the faint ones some alleys away...
Lance huffed, struggling to keep a fast pace... And not let go at the same time.
He looked over his shoulder with fearful eyes.
Fear... Something he never felt...
And yet he felt it now. As he saw blue, magenta and... Amber eyes.
The three kids gasped for breath... Vivi's and Arthur's hands holding Lance's ones tightly, as they struggled to run along his sides. Lewis had a tight hold on her scarf as he followed close behind.
The little but taller boy was afraid... But was firmly keeping a reluctant eye behind them.
Knowing what roamed.
Lance growled... Knowing better than them.
Knowing it was far more horrible than death... And it was nearing.
There were faint pained screams... Dying out in the distance, muffled by the cracks of fire and rubble falling.
Growls and laughter...
His nephew cried as he led them through a darker alley... Running away.
And the man's heart could only feel the most raging ire... Outraged by the fear in the kid's eyes, by hearing them dread let any breath out, by the trust their were leaving on him...
Lance grumbled, his eyes spotting a door.
Unlocked.
The three kids flinched as Lance easily kicked the door open, fast to nudge them in with hurry.
Vivi glared to a window once inside, seeing a shadow...
The house was dark, no light, no candles or oil lamps. All seeming to have been left in a hurry.
Lewis could only worry more as Arthur's uncle commanded them again.
Pointing a finger at a trap door in a corridor.
“...Hide.”
It was not a question, his voice was firm under his messy beard.
Amber eyes widened...
For his uncle finally let go of his hand... To reach instead for a hammer laying on the ground. The building a forge, tools all around...
Stepping away from him... To face the door, giving them a tired stare as he saw them just stand there.
“I said hide...!”
Arthur shook his head in disbelief, understanding.
“N-no! Y-you can't-!”
“I must, kiddo...!” He growled, seeing his dear nephew cry more, not obeying as he should. “Lewis, Vivi, you heard me!”
The two kids exchanged glances as the blond snarled, rushing forward to try to stop his uncle.
“I'm not h-hiding! It will-!”
Arthur gasped.
Feeling hands on his shoulders...
He could only sob as Lewis and Vivi pulled him away... Knowing.
Lance gave them a silent grateful nod... Bowing his head as she opened the trap door on the far corner... And Lewis pulled Arthur in with him, not easily as the blond struggled angrily.
The man sighed as blue eyes gave a last worried glance...
Her small hands letting the small door lay shut.
Lance slowly approached it... Thinking fast. He could hear footsteps outside...
There was a table near him...
His hand clenched harder around the handle of the hammer...
Arthur growled and kicked as Lewis held him, the small basement completely black in darkness.
“L-lewis, let me go! I can't-!”
Arthur blinked as he heard something crumble right onto the trapdoor...
Vivi could only sit against a dark corner as Arthur cursed, hearing Lance step away...
“I-if you don't let me go, I will never forgive you! I can't let him face it! It will-!”
“It will kill him, and anything in sight...!” Arthur halted, Lewis tightening his grip on him, keeping him of climbing up the ladder to the trapdoor. “That's why i will not let you go...”
Arthur clenched his teeth... And closed his eyes... Surrendering.
Lewis crying as he did...
The girl not crying, for them... But her hands shook...
The three heard the rustling outside, nearer...
And it finally made them fall silent in the shadows...
To Lance's relief.
He had broken the table onto the trap door... Hid its presence...
Hoping it would be enough to fool this thing...
He could hear it... Stepping into the alley... Finally.
The man grinned angrily... Twirling slightly his hammer...
As red eyes now glinted outside... Between the darkness of the night.
Looking right at him...
“...Hmph...” He leaned slightly... Growling as he readied the hammer. “Bloody monster...”
Sharp fangs glinted in a sickening smile...
Blood on them.
It made him sick...
But not fear.
Arthur winced...
Hearing his uncle roar...
Strong footsteps dashing forward...
The sound of fast clawed feet moving along the ground...
The sound of a hammer moving along the air...
It lasted for around two minutes...
Until the three let out a silent sob... As a loud gasp echoed out... Followed by a faint thud...
Then silence...
Arthur did not struggle anymore... Lewis could feel the trembling... Between his arms.
Vivi could see the pure sorrow and agony as the silence dragged itself through a painful minute...
Hope and fear...
Any hope was gone from amber eyes as they heard the unmistakable sound of clawed feet moving along the wooden floor...
Stepping into the room over them.
They held their breaths... Knowing.
The steps were slow...
The beast surely looking around the forge...
Searching for any possible prey...
They could only wait... The footsteps dangerously close to the trap door...
Too near... At reach...
It could find them... If it only laid eyes below the broken table.
This, only a desperate try from Lance to shield them...
Vivi glared up at the only light seen... A small crack from above... The floor wooden.
She did not breathe... Or make a single sound... Until she heard the thing move away.
Leaving out the door again...
Yet...
They did not dare to move...
Only wait...
They did not dare to make a sound for a while.
Vivi... Nor Lewis could blame Arthur as he finally sobbed...
They still had to wait.
Wait...
But for what?...
Would the dawn arrive... And make those things banish?...
Did it matter?
Did it matter after all the blood shed?...
They could only wait...
Still hearing scared and pained voices outside...
Blue eyes had always loved the sight of the moon.
She hated it now.
The night was long.
He could only bow his head...
Averting his gaze from the corpses.
His men scouted the village... The sun glinting above...
Yet it did not bring any hope. Debris all around, blood spilling at the door of broken homes... Dead laying on the streets, the ones that had tried to fight or run away.
They had been too late. No, he had been late...
A small group had managed to avoid being slaughtered in the middle of the night, another raid by these beasts... They had not reached their camp in time to warn them... Not in time to save anyone else.
He had the power to fight these monsters...
Yet he never was able to predict their next feral move... He never could tell how many lives could he protect with his small group...
Always putting up a fight against vampires...
Yet never winning.
Always losing.
Too many things.
He opened his eyes once more... Taking a deep breath.
He had to search every corner of this village... Every house broken in, every room painted in red, every field now silent around the village...
One of the beasts could still roam. Light harmful, but not deadly.
There could be survivors.
Even if he doubted it.
His red eyes laid on every single shadow cast by the rubble, every broken door and window...
Remaining silent for every human killed.
For simple blood lust... And mockery.
Vampires were so proud... So arrogant.
So hateful of them.
Always ready to rip apart any human that dared to live away from their supremacy...
Wanting them dead... Or at their claws.
He was one of the ones they wanted dead.
He would die before compelling to their disgusting acts and orders... He won't be a slave, never again. He won't let anyone be... If he can fight it.
He stepped into a small alley...
His eyes narrowing as he saw yet another shadow.
He approached slowly...
Indeed...
He did not avert his gaze...
As he stared down at the body of a man... His hand still clenched tight around a hammer...
Laying on the cold ground... Dead.
The room a mess. Nothing surprising after a vampire raid...
He again shook his head...
A small word of respect in his mind. A fight obvious.
He slowly turned around...
No reason to stay...
Until he heard it.
He froze...
His eyes slowly looking over his shoulder. Confused.
There was...
Muffled crying?
His eyes narrowed... Paying closer attention.
There was the unmistakable noise of sobs... Yet they sounded like they were trying to not be heard.
Painfully held...
And faint... High toned...
There was someone here.
Lewis cursed... Hearing footsteps nearing above...
Arthur grimaced... Really trying to stay quiet, Vivi in front of him, smiling at him... A silent plea, reassuring even if she dreaded as well.
Yet he could not hold it in, cries escaping him. Cursing himself. Cursing everything...
He could only close his eyes and wince... As they heard the broken wood onto the trapdoor be moved away.
Lewis' hold tightened...
Please, no...
They had no idea how much time they were here...
But a lot for sure... And it still did not feel to be enough.
The fear of a vampire returning for them was still fresh.
Arthur apologized silently, his own hand slamming onto his mouth to silence himself.
For the trap door opened.
Lewis had to shield his magenta eyes, light blinding...
Vivi was the first to adjust to it, glaring up...
Her blue eyes filled with pure hate as she saw red eyes... Like the ones she saw... As screams echoed.
But she blinked, her growl dying out.
Seeing a man kneeling with a baffled expression above...
No... No fangs.
Mr. E. could only stare as three kids looked at him with confused fear...
Hugging each other as they cowered...
He smiled slowly... Joyful surprise evident in his face.
A hand raising, calling softly...
“...Its morning...” He closed his eyes, feeling relief... And guilt. “Nothing will hunt you...”
Vivi finally allowed herself to cry...
As the man's words echoed...
“...It's alright now...”
Kind...
Remorseful...
He should have been here sooner.
As always...