Chapter 20 Ahem, vampire minions

Mark's reflexes kicked in, and he quickly turned around, his rifle immediately trained on the little girl. At first glance, she seemed like any other innocent child, her twin pigtails tied up with ribbons, creating an innocent look. However, it quickly faded when he noticed the bloodstains marring her clothes, the crimson smears on her mouth, and the sharp, bloody talons that extended from her hands.

What caught his attention even more were the tattoo markings on her upper arms, mirroring the markings he had noticed on the other vampires. His expression of surprise wavered, giving way to a sigh of resignation. "Well, aren't you a little bundle of joy," he remarked, his voice tinged with sarcasm. 'What's with these vampires?' He mused in frustration. 'It's like they always want to scare their prey to death before going in for the kill.'

Seemingly unfazed by his sarcasm, the girl sniffed the air, her eyes widening with interest as a malevolent grin slowly spread across her face, revealing her razor-sharp teeth more prominently. "I like the way you smell, mister. Let's play," she said, her voice dripping with eerie excitement. With a screech, she began rushing towards him, her movements fast and predatory.

"Not tonight, little monster," Mark reacted. He sidestepped her attack, reaching into his storage space and pulling out a large, fluffy blanket. He tossed the blanket over the girl, wrapping her up like a burrito despite her attempts to escape.

The girl screeched and struggled within the confines of the blanket, her frenzied attempts threatening to tear it apart. Thinking quickly, he reached into his storage space again and pulled out a sturdy chain along with a set of heavy-duty padlocks.

Using the chains, he reinforced the blanket, securing it tightly around the vampire's limbs. Adding padlocks ensured the chains held securely, making it nearly impossible for her to break free. Her screeches grew muffled as the fortified blanket, now bolstered with chains and padlocks, held firm, securing her in place. Stepping back, he patted his hands and sighed in relief. The makeshift restraints had successfully contained the little vampire, at least for the time being.

Looking down at the little monster, he coughed and thought, 'Better this than getting beheaded just like the original plot.' Carefully picking her up, bundled in the blanket, Mark placed the little vampire securely on his shoulder. With a final pat on her head he jumped down from the rooftop. Summoning a reinforced bus from his storage, he placed her inside. With a whistle, he continued to where the earlier vampires he incapacitated were located.

As Mark walked along the snowy road, the flickering firelight from the burn barrel illuminated the scene with an eerie glow. The snow beneath his shoes was stained crimson, marked by the bloodstains of both town residents and vampires alike. The lifeless bodies of the townsfolk lay strewn across the ground, their gazes fixed on the night sky, their eyes wide with fear, capturing the last moments of their lives.

Mark cast a somber glance at the terrified expressions frozen on the faces of the fallen townsfolk, his lips parting in a quiet mutter, "Sorry I'm late."

In the scene, Mark's gaze fell upon a male vampire he had shot earlier, now incapacitated and bleeding, yet still remarkably moving. Its eyes glinted with a feral intensity, displaying a surprising tenacity despite its injuries. Mark noticed that the gunshot wound, which had initially been gaping, appeared to be slowly healing, a proof of the vampire's supernatural regenerative abilities.

Nearby, the female vampires, their legs injured and movements impaired, crawled towards Mark. Despite their pain, when they caught his scent, their hungry snarls shot through the night as they inched closer. Although weakened, a faint glimmer of vitality started to flicker in their eyes, indicating the beginning of their healing process. Their primal instincts drove them to him, their hunger still burning despite their injured state, a reminder of the insatiable appetite of these supernatural hunters.

Easily subduing each of the crawling female vampires, Mark immobilized them with reinforced blankets and chains just like he did with the little girl. Once they were securely restrained, he moved them into the reinforced bus alongside the little vampire, ensuring they were all contained.

'Vampire minions, get! Well, as long as I can control them... ' Mark mused as he glanced at them in amusement. No point in wasting future killing machines.

Turning his attention to the male vampires, he doused them with gasoline before setting them ablaze. The flames consumed their feral forms, leaving behind charred corpses that posed no further threat to the town.

Curiously, Mark examined the abilities available for purchase in this world on his phone. As he delved into the free vampire physiology, he discovered a comprehensive package that included immortality – vampires were immortal and did not age, their bodies frozen in the state they were in upon transformation. Enhanced strength, speed, senses, and reaction time were part of the deal, along with the abilities of blood healing – a vampire's regenerative power accelerated in proportion to the amount of blood they consumed. However, during times of hunger, their healing ability diminished.

Additionally, there was the perplexing skill of Blood Rising. The details of this ability left him baffled as he read it. 'What the hell? They can still resurrect even after being burned to a crisp?' he thought, his brow furrowing in disbelief.

In the dim light of the fire drums, Mark contemplated turning himself into a vampire. He asked his phone if he could use his points to remove the negatives of vampire physiology. His phone confirmed that he could do anything as long as he had enough points to spend.

Mark noted the negatives listed on his phone screen:

- Savage Bloodthirst – 1 point

- Sunlight – 1 point

- Ugliness – 1 point

- Undead being – 1 point

- Blood dependency – 1 point

- Contagious bodily fluids – 1 point

'Hey, how about giving me the mission rewards in advance?' Mark asked his phone, his tone expectant. It remained silent and unmoved.

"What a bummer. I only have 2 points," he muttered, shaking his head. "This must be the crappiest version of being a vampire I've ever seen."

Mark efficiently double-tapped the burned vampire corpses with an axe to the neck, a hint of disgust crossing his face at the necessary act. He scanned the surroundings, leaving the deceased residents behind, their lifeless forms twitching with the promise of undeath. He quickly climbed aboard the bus, flooring it towards the outskirts of town. Glancing back through the side mirror, he sighed in relief.

Wondering if the newly turned vampire would attack Marlow's group, Mark couldn't help but cast a wicked grin at the thought of the chaos it could create.

"Hey, how much does the upgrade for the teleportation tattoo cost?" he asked his phone while driving.

**

Marlow's group looked down at the burned corpse in front of the sheriff's station. Zurial, examining the rings on the deceased's fingers, said surely. 'It's old man Eldric,' Zurial stated in vampire language, his voice tinged with uncertainty. 'Should we try to bring him back?' he asked as he turned to Marlow.

Glancing at the charred remains, Marlow remained indifferent, his expression unchanged by the sight before him. 'Leave him be. He's of no use now,' he said in a guttural language dismissively, his tone lacking any sympathy.

Marlow sniffed the air and walked inside the station. There, he found the stranger cuffed inside the cell. With a flick of his wrist, he effortlessly wrenched open the cell door. The stranger looked at him expectantly, waiting to honor his promise to make him a vampire like them. Iris, standing nearby, grinned maniacally, her eyes glinting with anticipation. Marlow regarded him with an icy stare. Sensing something amiss, the stranger whimpered, "I did what you asked."

Kneeling down, Marlow's touch was deceptively gentle as he caressed the side of the man's face. 'The things they believe,' he remarked in vampire language, his eyes flickering toward Iris. Without a trace of emotion, he snapped the man's neck, extinguishing his life in an instant. Iris observed the scene with a twisted fascination.

They both left as Marlow's other followers filed in, savagely tearing into the stranger's flesh, draining his blood with brutal fervor.

**

Looking back a little bit farther from town, Mark closed the reinforced bus door securely. Then he started walking back while smoking and humming "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." The snowfall began to get heavy, adding to the cold, eerie atmosphere of the night.

Mark refrained from using his scooter stored in his space, wary of the noise that might attract the vampires to his location. Instead, he continued his journey on foot, navigating the dark and silent streets.

Mark's voice crackled through the walkie-talkie, "Hey, Stella are you there?"

Stella responded, her tone laced with relief, "Mark, where are you? Thank God you're okay. We're here in the diner with the other refugees. Jake and Helen mentioned you went towards the gunshots earlier." She paused.

"I tried reaching out to you, but there was no response. Is everything okay?" Stella said in blame.

'Oops, I forgot there's no signal in my storage space.' Mark thought.

"I had the walkie-talkie in my pocket, but it seems the signal was weak," Mark explained. "I'm on my way back to the diner now. Sorry for making you worry."

"Alright, Mark. Take care of yourself out there. Eben and I are heading back to the station. We plan to get bear traps and use flares to slow down those people. See you later," Stella informed him.

Sighing, Mark hurried towards the town.