Chapter 2: Embrace 1-2

Everyone left the theater after the man in the suit dismissed them. One by one, the unusually pale people walked out of the door and into the night. I wasn't allowed to leave quite yet. The gorilla stayed, as did the man in the suit, which didn't exactly make me feel safe. Yes, he said that I would live, but what if he changed his mind? What was keeping him from having Frankenstein's Monster over there from slicing me in half? I didn't trust him. I didn't trust anyone. But at least he allowed me to stand up.

I barely registered his words as I saw Justine's bare skeleton lay on the ground. Just what the hell was going on? I may have dropped out of medical school, but I knew dead bodies didn't do that. It felt like I was pulled into another world, a world that was familiar to me yet strange and new at the same time. Worst of all, I still felt that nagging hunger within. It wasn't in the pit of my stomach, no. It wasn't like I wanted to eat. It was something different, something deep within that transcended the physical. It was a raw, constant need in the back of my mind, and it was only getting louder and louder as time went on.

"...am Sebastian LaCroix, and I will be your Prince from here on out." I heard the man in the suit say once I'd managed to quiet the hunger. He followed my gaze and saw that I was looking at Justine's skeleton. It was...sad in a way. It wasn't that I was in love with her or something, but there was still something morbid about seeing a girl you'd been physically intimate with suddenly being beheaded right in front of you.

"What the fuck…" I muttered."

"Your Sire...tragic. My apologies. But you see, there is a strict code of conduct that all of us must...must adhere to if we wish to survive." LaCroix said. He and the larger guy advanced to the back of the theater, walking down to the back of the stage. I'd gotten the sense that I should follow, so I did.

"When someone - anyone - breaks these laws," LaCroix continued, "They undermine the well-worn fabric of our centuries old society. Understand my predicament."

"Predicament?" I asked. "What predicament?"

"Allowing you to live makes me directly responsible for your subsequent behavior." LaCroix answered. "So, what I'm offering is not generosity, but the opportunity to transcend the fate woven by your Sire."

"Ah. Very kind of you." I deadpanned.

LaCroix ignored my sarcasm. "This is your trial. You will be brought to Santa Monica. There, you will meet an agent by the name of Mercurio. He will provide the details of your labor."

I pressed my lips into a thin line. I got a trial, then? Why didn't Justine? And why was my trial being an errand boy as opposed to, you know, an actual trial? All of these questions were on my lips, but I didn't speak them. I had a feeling that LaCroix was less listening to me and more listening to himself speak because he enjoyed hearing his own voice. I wasn't going to get any further answers from him.

"I've shown you great clemency." LaCroix urged. "Prove it was more than a wasted gesture, fledgeling. Don't come back until you do. Good evening."

With that, LaCroix and his massive henchman walked out of the exit door, with his henchman having to duck before he was able to walk through. It was amusing enough until I was alone. And I was truly alone. There wasn't a soul in that building but myself, nobody to explain what had happened to me and what was going on. The questions I had were the same as before, and yet I felt no closer to figuring out the answers than I was. I still felt cold. Dead, almost. Yet I felt more alive than I ever had before. More powerful, stronger, faster. If I focused, I could hear everything, feel and smell everything.

Justine was going to explain, wasn't she? What she had done to me? The last thing I remembered was euphoria, then death. I remembered waking up and seeing her sit on the couch. She was staked in the heart before she could explain anything. What was the deal with the stakes anyway? I know they got me too, but there wasn't a wound anymore, just a hole in my tee shirt, which was now stained with blood. Why had they staked me?

Let's see...stake in the heart...me blacking out…

I widened my eyes.

Oh no.

Oh God no.

Scared and confused, I walked outside, down the short stairway that led into the back alley. As soon as I walked out, I heard jolly laughing from someone who had been standing against the wall. I turned my gaze to see what looked like a member of a biker gang looking at me and laughing as if I'd said the funniest joke in the century. He was shorter than me, but that didn't make him look any less tough or dangerous. He wore washed out and worn denim jeans and just a leather vest with no shirt underneath, which was odd since it was a pretty chilly night. Despite being older than me, he was certainly more muscular, and he had long, black hair, brown eyes, and a full beard that made him look like some kind of biker Jesus. I'd seen his type at rundown bars in Santa Monica. I usually stayed away.

"What a scene, man!" The man jeered. "Hoo-wee. Then they just plop ya out here like a naked baby in the woods. How 'bout that?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Yeah, it's uh...quite something. Seeing your one night stand get beheaded and all."

Finally, the biker guy stopped laughing. His expression sobered. "Ah...look, kiddo, this is probably a lot for you to take in, so uh, why don't you let me show you the ropes. Whaddya say?"

I decided I'd ask the obvious question first. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jack." He replied. "What's important is I'm offering help. You make it back from Santa Monica with your hide and we'll trade life stories, m'kay? 'Till then, I have about…" - he held up his hand, creating a small space between his pointer and thumb finger - "this much time. You in or out?"

This was the nicest anyone had been to me so far. I figured I'd be stupid to turn it down.

"Yeah." I said. "Okay. I could use the help."

"Alright." Jack said. "First of all, are you good?"

I shrugged. I wasn't good, I wasn't good at all. But I wasn't about to sob on the shoulder of some stranger I'd met in an alleyway. "I like it where I am. At least I'm out of that theater."

"Christ, it's stuffy in there, huh? This is much better." Jack said. "Now, we ain't got much time but I figure somebody should fill you in on the bare bones stuff at least, ya know. Could save your hide."

I nodded. Before I could say anything, the hunger nagged at the back of my mind again. I felt weak, but not like I'm about to collapse, but rather that I was slowly losing control of something. It was like there was a whole part of me that I'd caged, and it was bending the metal bars to get out. I don't know what gave me this impression, but I strongly felt like I should make an effort to keep it in its cage.

"You look wobbly; you even have a drink yet?" Jack asked, his tone a little concerned.

"Drink of what?" I managed. "I'm not thirsty."

Once again, Jack's expression became amused. "Oh, man! We're poppin' a cherry here! Oh, you're gonna love this."

I frowned.

Jack laughed. "Alright, check it out. Blood: it's your new rack o' lamb. Your new champagne - blood's your new fuckin' heroin, kid."

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, which made Jack laugh more. Blood? No, this was just confirming my earlier, irrational fear. Don't tell me I'd turned into… No, there was no way. He had to be fucking with me.

"Get ready though, 'cuz, hey, it's never as sweet as the first time." Jack continued.

"You make it sound like sex." I muttered. "That's...very fucked up and morbid, dude."

Jack shrugged. "It's a lil' bit like that. Better, even. So much better that you're not even gonna want some tail after that. You'll realize no matter what broad you find, her pussy ain't gonna be nearly as sweet as her blood."

I shuddered at that. "Oh my God. You're not fucking with me, are you?"

He chuckled. "Not in the fuckin' slightest, kiddo."

"I-I'm a…"

"Vampire." He said. "A creature of the night. I'll explain more 'a that shit later. Now, we need to get you a drink."

I looked down at my hands, then back up at Jack. "Well, what do I...how do I…?"

"Well, down around the corner there, I saw this human. Poor S.O.B can't find his car." Jack informed me, smirking wickedly.

"I mean how do I…? What do I even do?" I asked.

"Alright," Jack said. "You go down there - casual like - ya creep up on him, then bare those little fangs and feed. Don't worry if you weren't captain of the wrestling team or somethin', cuz it'll come so naturally you'll think you'd done it a thousand times already."

I frowned. "Won't he become a vampire then?"

Jack burst out laughing. "Forget that comic book crap, kid. Don't work that way."

Suddenly, I felt very stupid.

"Now go for it. Be sure though - and this is important so listen up - be sure not to drain him dry, okay? Might be hard to resist, but don't kill him."

Well, at least I wasn't committing homicide. I was only committing a gross violation of nature's laws on God's green earth.

"Alright." I said, accepting my grim deed. "I'll be right back."

I walked down the alleyway and turned a corner to the right, which led to a lot. When a lot of people saw Downtown L.A on TV, they often saw the tall buildings, the pretty blondes walking the streets, and the colorful storefronts. What the movies never showed you are the worn-down, dilapidated buildings, the trash scattered about, and potholes that were omnipresent outside of Main Street. The lot I was in was one of those places that the TV never showed you. A man stood there alone, clearly panicked and scared. He looked like the type that wouldn't even step out of his gated community, much less an abandoned parking lot on Sunnyland Avenue.

Alone. Panicked. That's what he was. It would be easy. So easy to bash his skull open and drink the contents within. I could hang him by a meat hook, bleed him like a little piggy while he was alive, squirming and screaming as his entrails spilled out of his stomach. What could he do to stop me? Nothing. He'd try to fight back, but I was stronger, faster. I could-

Oh god. Where did that come from?

I shuddered as that creeping hunger began to expand, encompassing more of my thoughts, engulfing me in its urges. I advanced forward and approached the man. Once I approached, he looked at me like a deer in headlights, two bright, blue orbs gazing at me. I didn't blame him. On a night like this, alone? I could be the guy that stole his car, for all he knew.

"C-Can I help you?" He stuttered as I approached.

I could smell him. He smelled nice. I could hear his heart beating, the rush of blood in his veins. It would be easy. So easy.

I stepped closer, and he backed away. He muttered, gibbered things under his breath that I couldn't understand. It was fear, and it smelled delicious. Now he was backed against a corner. I was much taller than him, much bigger. He was small, scared, like a wounded rabbit. With nowhere else to go, and backed into a corner, he tried to throw a punch.

I caught it. He was so slow. What was that supposed to be?

I pulled him in, grabbed the side of his head and pushed it to the side. Intuitively, I knew what to do. I opened my mouth, feeling my fangs elongate, turn into sharp needles to pierce flesh. I bit into his neck and, oh god, it was wonderful. It was something beyond anything I'd ever felt before, a climbing euphoria. The taste...my god the taste. It was everything I'd ever wanted in a drink, all of the flavors I love mixed together: sweet, bitter, just enough tart to keep me longing for more. As I sucked his blood, I felt the primal, roaring urges within me engulf every fiber of my being. It was like I was one with that part of me, that beast that always lurked in the back of my mind, giving me invasive thoughts, only given form when I became undead.

The experience was undeniably erotic. Which was a little weird, because I was feeding off of some rich guy in an empty lot. But I didn't care. I couldn't care, it's like I had taken him on a dance, and he was helpless to stop me. His entire body relaxed, and I heard the blood rush out of the wound. But I knew...I don't know how, but somehow I knew that if I continued like this, I'd drain him dry. I'd kill him. But I couldn't pull back. I didn't want to pull back. I had to. I couldn't kill him. Jack told me not to kill him.

It was legitimately the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It was harder than the gymnastics competition I'd done back in High School. Harder than the national spelling bee back in middle school. It was harder than lying to my parents, or talking to a woman that seems unapproachable. But regardless of how hard it was, I forced myself back, pushing the man away and making him collapse against the wall. His eyes were glazed over, and he looked extremely relaxed, as if he'd had an orgasm or he was doped up on heroin. I got on a knee to check his pulse. His heart was beating slowly as if he was on some opiate...but it was beating nonetheless.

I wiped my chin. It was stained with blood, as was my shirt. Fuck. I licked my fingers, shuddering at the ghost of a taste. It tasted so good, in fact, that I licked my fingers clean.

Jack was right. That was better than sex. Better than anything I'd ever felt in my entire life. And that scared me. It scared me that, as the man sat against that corner, dazed and confused, I felt no remorse. It scared me that I wanted to do it again and again for all eternity. Was this my life now? Was I doomed to walk the earth, feeding from people? Is that what Justine had done to me? How did she make me a vampire, then, if this wasn't how? I still had so many questions. Hopefully Jack would provide.

After I was done with my post-orgasm (post-feeding?) clarity, I walked back to Jack.

"Yeah…" Jack said as I approached, peering straight into my eyes. "Ah yeah. Hell yeah, you're feelin' it. I can see it in your eyes - you're a born-again predator. Feelin' that blood bubblin' inside you, liftin' you up. That's it, kid, that's what it's all about right there."

"I…" My voice was raw. I cleared my throat. "I don't know how I feel about it, but it does feel good."

"Alright now, you got the blood, you're feelin' all kickass, feelin' better than your best day livin' - but wait! It gets better!" He said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really now? Vampirism is just the gift that keeps on giving, isn't it?"

Jack chuckled. "Hell yeah, kiddo. But all kindred...er, Kindred, that's uh, our word for vampire...all Kindred have a few things in common. Things that set them right square above humans on the food chain."

"Oh? Like?"

"Like sharper senses, a body that can take a beating, and, if you play your cards right, eternal life. That's no sure bet, but still, a chance at immortality is not a bad deal."

I didn't know how I felt about that one. Immortality. I thought about what I did to the man in the lot, the way my thoughts directed me to hurt him, the way my urges direct me to help others. An eternity of that? It was unthinkable. Hopefully that 'immortality' thing is optional.

"Harder, better, faster, stronger." I said. "Got it. Anything else?"

"Well, that's just for starters." Jack said. "Fringe benefits for joinin' the club."

"Not bad, far as welcoming packages go." I said. "So...I'm going to live forever…?"

"Well, you can still be destroyed." Jack replied. "But forget the books and the movies. Garlic? It's worthless. A cross? Pfft, shove it right up their ass."

"Shots fired at Bram Stoker." I replied. "What about stakes? Those guys barged into my apartment and got me, then everything went black."

"Only a problem if it catches you in the heart, and then it just paralyzes you."

"Alright...uh, what about running water?"

"Not a problem. I bathe...eh, occasionally."

I cringed. "Alright, dude. What can hurt me?"

"Well, shotguns are a problem for us, 'specially to the head."

"Glad to see that hasn't changed."

"Fire is also real trouble. Can't stress that one enough, kiddo. Not only will it hurt ya, it'll fuck with your mind."

I nodded. "No fire. How about…?" I gestured up at the sky.

"Sunlight? Well, you catch a sunrise and it's all over, kiddo - got it?"

"Got it." I said. "I didn't really do much going outside anyway."

"Okay, now…"

Before Jack could say anything else, a loud explosion shook the entire world. I wasn't expecting to become a vampire tonight, but I was expecting even less to be at the forefront of some international incident. I frowned and looked in the direction of the explosion, as did Jack.

"What the fuck is this?" He growled.

I heard howling and gunshots - automatic fire. L.A. was no stranger to gang violence, but this was a little much. Usually all I heard at night were a few gunshots from pistols or peashooters. This sounded like full on warfare.

"Look, you get inside here and head upstairs." Jack said, pointing at the metal door behind him. "We'll meet up in a bit. I'm just gonna go see what the ruckus is."

I frowned. "What the fuck could that be? Sounds like a war."

"If it is what I think it is, kiddo…" Jack mused. "It just might fuckin' be a war."