Chapter 19: The Night

Night had fallen over the small town, enveloping everything in its dark cloak. Arnaud moved stealthily through the shadows, his keen senses alert to the slightest sound or movement.

Hidden in the bushes, he spotted the group of armed men leaving a large warehouse and gathering around two pickup trucks. They muttered under their breath and checked their weapons, preparing for the imminent raid. The vampire frowned as he caught snatches of their conversation about "teaching the old lady a lesson" and "gutting that freak."

Once again, human stupidity and violence threatened to destroy innocent lives. Arnaud clenched his fists in renewed fury. First Arturo, now that poor woman! Would humans never change their depraved nature?

A bitter memory from his childhood as a human then came to his mind, as vivid as if it had happened yesterday…

He ran in terror through the cold monastery hallways, fleeing the enraged shouts and torches of his pursuers. The nun, that pious woman who was supposed to protect him, had discovered him drinking a sheep's blood. Instead of trying to understand the little orphan, she had branded him a "demon's spawn."

"Catch him! We must burn that beast before he devours more innocents!" she screeched in a crazed voice as she incited the villagers against him.

The child kept running blindly, terror and confusion agitating his little chest. He did not understand why suddenly everyone looked at him with such hateful, disgusted eyes. He did not kill the sheep, did not steal it, they would have discarded the blood. He had only tried to quench his burning thirst as his instincts dictated…

Finally they cornered him in a dead-end alley, brandishing torches and pitchforks. The poor child shrank into a corner, eyes wide as tears streaked his cheeks.

"Little monster! You were born of sin and for that you shall be punished!" the nun spat with a demonic expression, throwing a stone that opened his forehead. "The purifying fire will cleanse you of the evil that..."

"Enough!"

Arnaud shook his head to dispel that tumultuous memory, fangs bared in rage. No more tears or persecution for being different. This time, he would be the one to judge evil.

Determined to finish off those thugs once and for all, he began to move. He would take them down one by one silently until only the leader remained. Then, when he realized his entire gang had been annihilated, he would take care of him personally.

The men milled about haphazardly, some drinking and urinating off to the sides of the warehouse. The first man fell without a sound, his cervical vertebrae snapped by a quick motion. Arnaud left the corpse aside and advanced towards his next targets: the two guys who had threatened Juana nights before.

He crouched in the shadows, waiting for his chance. As soon as they briefly moved away from the group to one side, the vampire pounced on them like a wild beast. He covered the first one's mouth while breaking his neck, muffling his final scream. The other barely had time to open his eyes in panic before Arnaud knocked him down and sank his fangs into his neck.

He drank his blood avidly, the glorious vitality of the crimson liquid flowing inside and giving him new strength. Then he dropped the lifeless body and melted back into the shadows, advancing towards his next prey.

The weapons they carried fell, useless, for no human could match his inhuman speed.

Without them knowing, one by one, the threads of their lives were being cut by the inexorable scythe of the vampire. Soon only one would remain alive: the leader.

Arnaud frowned deeper as he watched the imposing fat, bearded man with a rough appearance barking orders at the henchmen in a thunderous voice. He seemed to possess a domineering character and would be dangerous. But he did not fear danger, he only grieved at the thought of that being's blood staining his fangs.

The sixth man fell without a sound, his neck grotesquely twisted. Arnaud left the body aside and advanced towards his next prey. It was then that one of the remaining thugs caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye.

"Over there! We're under attack!" he howled, unleashing chaos.

The men startled and began turning in all directions, weapons at the ready. Arnaud frowned, his stealth ruined. But he had no choice - without wasting time, he lunged at them.

Gunfire began booming through the night, bullets whistling dangerously close. Arnaud moved like a blur, too fast for them to hit, knocking down and snapping necks in a matter of seconds.

One man managed to glimpse him for a split second and opened fire. Arnaud let out a roar as bullets pierced his shoulder, making him stagger. Ignoring the searing pain, he flung himself at the shooter and decapitated him in one motion.

More men arrived, drawn by the commotion, surrounding him on all sides. Arnaud spun in a whirlwind of fury as bullets kept whizzing. He managed to bring down several more, but was repeatedly struck by the projectiles. Screaming in rage, fangs bared, he charged at them relentlessly.

One well-aimed shot hit his side, doubling him over in pain. Another shattered part of his face, blowing off half his jaw on one side. The vampire roared in agony, but did not stop. He lunged at one of the men and wrenched the gun from his hands to use him as a shield.

With his supernatural strength, he held the poor man in front of him like a grotesque shield, the bullets embedding one by one in his body. The remaining thugs backpedaled several steps, mute with horror.

"Keep shooting, you useless fools!" the leader bellowed, recovering from the initial shock.

The guns thundered again as Arnaud kept advancing frantically, roaring like an enraged beast. Suddenly, a bullet shattered his knee and he staggered sideways, crashing into a wall.

The thugs rushed the attack, unloading weapon after weapon on the seemingly defeated vampire. Arnaud crouched behind the corpse, shielding his head with his arms as his body was further shredded by the hail of bullets.