Chapter 004: The Man named Lazaros.

A spurt of adrenaline blasted through my veins as my feet landed on the stony soil. I could feel the fuel in my body as the female blood seemed to stimulate every dying cell in my system. I felt stronger.

I stared at my finger as I wandered a few blocks away from Williamsburg's house, afraid of hearing something I wouldn't want to. I knew the virus was likely taking full custody over my body in three days, yet my mind kept grazing on the thought of what if I governed it.

What if I could make the fangs go away for minutes, maybe hours… or days? What if I don't turn out like the bat-people and rather be conscious of my behaviour?

The what-ifs kept revolving in my head as I wandered in silence.

What if I hadn't slumped my fangs into Grace?

What if I couldn't stop myself and killed her?

What if my mind wasn't being distracted by the lady from afar whose heart wouldn't slow down at the reflection of her crush/lover giving her a peck as he drove off?

What if my thoughts weren't filled with how her blood kept pumping fast from her heart and supplying the veins a fresh warm blood?

And what if the thought of stopping her throbbing heart hadn't crossed my mind?

Shit. I internally groaned. I was losing control, wrapping myself in insanity. I shut my eyes, straining to think of something else. Something else, yet it kept landing on Grace and the ecstasy I felt between her shoulders. I wanted to feel it again, to have that sensation washing over my body.

Fearing my thoughts, I decided to stay far away from people at the moment. Spend a little time getting those thoughts away.

My body swayed as I felt a buzzing sound in my head. It's so loud and it had me squatting with a groan.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked, walking closer to me. A female. A fresh-blooded female.

Yeah, but not certain you are. I wanted to say but moaned painfully instead.

"Should I stop a taxi?"

"Thirsty…" I murmured, getting annoyed as the buzz and throb in my head intensified. My word, however, is inaudible to the intruder.

"Hmm?"

I held up my head and my closed eyes flared. I registered the dread in her eyes as she noticed my face. I could tell my irises were varying from hazel to another as the sight changed slightly but I didn't care.

Her heart rate sped up as I raised my body off the ground, she couldn't run as her fear weighed her down.

I footed closer to her. I understood I was letting the virus take more control with every ounce of blood I swallowed. I also knew getting nearer to the girl would make me insatiable but I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't stop the desire to feel the way I felt minutes ago.

"P-please…" The girl whispered, staying immobile despite the need to back away as my nose touched her neck.

With a husky dry voice, I responded softly. "Shhh… it's just a sip." However, I took more than a sip. My fangs sank and the sensation of feeling alive soaked me. The bliss and warmth of the fresh blood wriggled through my flesh and for a second I wanted all she could offer. But I knew I had to stop, especially when I could feel the slow rhythm of her once-pacing heart. I pulled myself off her and was glad I could still hear her beating heart. I laid her on the side of the road for passers-by to see and maybe take her to the hospital.

I wanted to feel guilty, doing this to people I swore to protect. But I couldn't. I don't feel guilty and that made me feel guilty.

My senses heightened, feeling a pair of eyes watching me, observing my movements, burning holes into my skull. I didn't know who it was, but the thought of someone filming me or a police with a cocked gun- or God, an FBI. So I ran. My legs took me away from here, and in no time I found myself back in the woods. Darker than before as the fog thickened. My eyes scrutinized behind me as a hunch kept informing me someone was behind me.

The cabin was empty, and the fire had gone out. I didn't need warmth, I wasn't cold. Inside the woods was dangerous, yet here I was. The one place I don't fear I'll want to suck dry a person's blood or officers on my trail.

"State pensando troppo," A voice suddenly said behind me, which didn't startle me like I would have expected. I had a feeling someone was following and watching me.

I didn't turn, but I could feel the intruder walking over to my front. I didn't hear his footsteps. Strange.

"Sei stato bravissimo con le signore," The intruder said as he stood in front of me. I stared at him, he had a different form but blue eyes nevertheless. "Finalmente qualcosa di diverso," He commented, seeming pleased with himself.

"What? Why me?" Something I'd been drying to ask. Why turn me? Or was it because I was there at the wrong time?

The intruder kept watching me, eyes piercing into my skin as if searching for something underneath. He didn't reply immediately, and the expression on his face told me he'd expected a better question. But answered nevertheless.

"Ho visto il desiderio, il desiderio di proteggere. Ma è soprattutto perché tu eri lì nel momento sbagliato. Ho-"

"I don't understand what you're saying," I cut him off.

"Oh," He tried to sound surprised, but he wasn't. "Thought as much," He flickered his tongue down his lips.

I heard him speak English for the first time and wanted to ask how he acquired the language. Born in the States and matured in Rome?

"Now ask your question," The blue eyes said.

"Who are you?"

"Not a question I would've loved to answer, but I will." He shrugged, sitting on the wooden chair holding a playful aura like he hadn't sunk his fangs down my neck days ago and left me to rot. "What do you think I am?" He questioned back, a smirk dancing on his lips as if telling me he was toying with me.

"Definitely not human,"

"I'm definitely not human." He replied to my question with my response, then chuckled, noting the build of my annoyance. "Don't look at me like that Roman, turning you was pure coincidence. Your blood tastes different, which you should be lucky about since it stopped me. Because if it hadn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Shameless. He wasn't hiding the fact he attempted to kill me but rather seemed glad I wasn't dead. "What is your name? You know mine."

"Lazaros; resurrected from the dead. Didn't like the name as a child, but it turned true years later."

I studied his recent image and couldn't help but think about how he switched. He was currently using the body of a teenage boy, as much as the hair colour was different from what I'd seen, I could still see the hard-to-conceal blue colour at the tip.

"What do you want with me?"

Tossing a sheepish look at me, he replied. "I think you know that,"

"What? You want me to kill?"

"No," He laughed, obviously amused.

My living- being seemed very entertaining to the undead man.

Suddenly the mischievous glimmer in his eyes and aura faded. "I want to use you." The way he spoke out didn't settle nicely with me, especially as he used his Italian accent to say the words. "An obedient slave. However, with each disobedience a person dies; you'll get the chance to pick who goes and who stays. The first bid will be your sick brother, I find him a liability."

I suddenly wished for his playful grin at the end for the words, a mischievous grin to show he was joking. He had to be fucking joking right?

With disbelief threading down my face, I spoke while stuttering slightly. "Y-you're Mad!"

This didn't wash off Lazaros's serious expression or make him laugh as I had slightly hoped. "You're mad the second you become an undead, Roman. Whether subconsciously or calculatedly, you'll be mad. There's no escaping. A normal person wouldn't drink blood to quench his thirst or be crammed with thoughts on how stopping a person's heart would make him feel. You are getting mad with each second you walk into the land of the undead, Roman,"

The urge to leave here suddenly became strong. But the fear of hurting a girl again didn't settle well with me. Yet, it's better than hearing the insane words of a madman.

As if reading my mind, Lazaros spoke. "I'll teach you how to control it, how to make it disappear for minutes, maybe hours… or days."

He could read my mind. Realization soaked into me. Lazaros continued speaking.

"You can go back to your normal life, continue your thingy at the FBI academy and I'll wash off your name from the warrant issued by the inspector of police."

Tempting, but no. I thought.

"Then, I'll heal your brother of his inborn disease. I know there's no cure for him, he has roughly two years to live. But the experience today has shortened his life ¼."

Everything went still suddenly. The wind, the foggy whispers and the rustling of dry leaves. The creaking of the broken window also ceased and my heart almost stopped. He was cheating his way into my head.

Between locked teeth, I spoke. "I. Don't. Kill. Innocent. People."

"You wouldn't have to, unless you defy me." He then pushed his body forward still sitting on the wooden chair and tucked his fingers. "Don't think of this as you agreeing to corruption, it's saving lives. You're saving lives by agreeing."

"And if I disagree?"

I regretted asking that question a second later. It seemed to anger Lazaros as with a fast reflex he grabbed me by the neck and ran across the room, slamming me against the wooden wall. The slam was harsh but I didn't feel the pain as I expected.

"Then I'll kill you myself," Lazaros spat with solemnity. "Then I'll go for little Tommy and every agent and trainee at the academy one by one until I find a suitable candidate." He released his fingers from my neck and walked two steps backwards. "Your choice. Disagree and let the others die with you, or agree and save lives." He spoke casually, as if speaking about spicing a barbecue.

I doubted if agreeing would save lives. And what was he trying to use me for?

He read my mind again since he then replied to my unasked question.

"I need your blood… willing."

Is that all?

"And a few requests for you to fulfil."

He said the second sentence very casually, but I didn't miss the flicker in his tone.

"I'm draining out of blood," I tried to say. I'm losing blood as I draw closer to being an undead.

"Ahhh, thought as much. I'd begun noticing how pale you look." He laughed at his own joke, but I didn't find it funny. "You're not. You're different, remember?" Then he recalled that I didn't hear his Italian. "Finalmente qualcosa di diverso? Means; Finally something different. You're different Romeo. Your eyes tell."

"It's Roman-"

"Whatever," He cut me off.

"..."

"So… Are we good?" He asked, watching my face.

I know I'll regret agreeing to this later- I'm already regretting it. It's selling my soul to the devil; I'm likely to get burnt.

"I'll take the silence as yes," Lazaros said grinning. He raised his palm and spit into it and urged me to do the same. Then we shook hands, causing an invisible strange energy to penetrate my body. Strong winds blew and leaves rustled; Lazaros had run off. Then I heard something; I was sixty percent sure from inside my head.

"[Accepting host…]"

"[Initiating host's return body…]"

"[Preparing visible writing for host…]"

Scrutinizing around me, I heard the voices. Female wingless-bats. I thought. Then I decided to leave the woods, but something flashed into my face, a sharp light. Being in the dark for long made the light harsh for my vision, propelling me to shut my eyes for seconds. I opened with confusion and the light was still there. But with writing now.

[Host: Roman Quinn]

[Sex: Male]

[Originality: Half Irish/ Half American]

[Age: 20]

[Level:_ ]

[Strength:_ ]

[Speed: 45 mph]

[Command: 5/day]

[Type: Wingless Bat]

The last part almost made me think it was my head creating those writing with weird thoughts. But then I heard it.

"[Welcome host!]" The noise inside my head spoke.

"I'm truly running mad," I said, breathing out. I started walking over to the door. But stopped when I heard it again.

"[You're not mad. You're simply experiencing alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome/chromosome of the virus in your system.]"

"What?"

"[The replication during cell division, exposure to mutagens as a result to the viral infection.]"

I wasn't understanding it and it was frustrating me. "I don't fucking understand," I said, hesitating. I peeped from the hub of my eyes at my side as if trying to see who was speaking. "And who are you? Where are you?"

"[I'm a server, or a system if you prefer. I'm not visible except in writings, but only you can hear me.]" The feminine voice spoke.

"So you're a girl?"

"[I'm genderqueer.]"

"You're neither?" My curiosity flared.

"[Yes. But I can communicate in both voices.]"

"Oh… Ok," I said warily, trying to digest this newfound… knowledge. "I have to go home, so you stay here. Ok?"

"[Your house is nine miles away, and there's a battalion of army waiting in six out of nine. Your house is likely to be set ablaze as soon as it strikes midnight for thoughts you might be hiding somewhere inside. It's a wrong choice going there.]"

I didn't question her knowledge, hell I couldn't. I knew she/he/non-gender was right. But I wasn't talking about my apartment, but Williamsburg's.

"I'm talking about Williamsburg's," I said. "And what time is it?" I asked, trying to test its profundity.

"[11:29 pm.]"

"Darnit, but good." I nodded my head. I reached to open the door to step out when the voice spoke again.

"[You have five commands before midnight.]"

Yeah, I saw that in the light. And where's the light? I noticed the light had disappeared.

"I want my fangs and claws gone."

Two seconds later.

"[Done.]"

They were gone. I had felt them retreating inside. Jesus- wow!

"How long are they gone?" I curiously asked, trying to dye my delight.

"[Till you see blood or become hungry for it.]"

I thought of what I wanted done and my mind drifted to the two girls I'd hurt. "Make their pains go away,"

"[Done]"

"Heal Thomas,"

"[Sorry, I am not programmed for that.]" The feminine voice spoke. "[You have one command left.]

I thought I had three left.

"Make his pains go away," I gritted my teeth knowing it had something to do with Lazaros. The server seemed to have been programmed for certain things.

"[Done.]"

"<[Mission complete! Your level has upgraded]>"

The writings appeared again and I saw the slight, almost neglectable change.

[Host: Roman Quinn]

[Sex: Male]

[Originality: Half Irish/ Half American]

[Age: 20]

[Level: Normal]

[Strength:_ ]

[Speed: 45 mph]

[Command: 5/day]

[Type: Wingless Bat]

Seeing this I felt a throb in my head. I just want to rest my head and let the happenings of today wash down.

I didn't linger for the voice to speak again and walked out of the door. I felt like myself for the first time since my heart squeezed inside the cop car.

Outside the cabin, I heard growling, yielding me to halt. Louder than the previous time and deeper. Loud in the essence I could hear it behind me, breathing roughly against my back, grunting.

The woods indeed had a Bear. A Bear that was ready and hungry to tear me apart.

Command the Bear to go away. I wanted to say but I'm out of command.

I slowly rotated, and then noticed how huge the Bear was. Eyes lost and ready to pounce on me.

The Bear jumped in my direction with strange speed and force.

"Christ!"