Skull And The Fangs

Human blood.

There was a lot of screaming. He couldn't bear it anymore. He has to go there. He has checked it out.

He had been tracing it from like a mile away and now he's here. He turned into a corner and what he saw next made him hate himself.

A man, a vampire, had a woman in his grip with his teeths in her neck as he sucked life out of her. The woman could only shake in the grip of her death as the blood in her system reduced, by the second.

The vampire lifted his face from the woman's neck. His red eyes gazed at the person before him, then a grin broke out of his bloody lips. "Oh, Clawe. Come and have a taste."

"No, no. Don't bother." Clawe replied. He could feel his stomach churn at the blood that sipped out of the punctured neck of the woman but he looked away.

"My pleasure." 

Clawe made to step out of the place but he bumped into a chest. 

"Sorry." He quickly apologized.

"Look who we have here." The English was heavy with Spanish accent.

Clawe lifted his gaze and he saw who it's. His eyes twitched as he muttered. "Pedro." 

"Here I am. Are you feeding?" Pedro asked, his lips curled in a smile that hid hatred.

"No." Clawe shook his head, negatively.

"Of course, he's not here to feed." The vampire that was feeding on the woman replied from behind. He has finished his meal and now, the woman is on the ground, lifeless with no blood in her system.

"Still on the other meal, uh?" Pedro grinned.

"I will be out of here." Clawe's head was lowered as he stepped past Pedro.

"You can't survive war with your feeding preference!" Pedro's words hovered behind him as he quickly exited the place.

.

.

The place was all about fishing.

Folksmen casted their nest and fought hard against the glaring sun and the weariness it brought along as they hunted for more fish.

It could save their day, it could earn then a bread.

"Cast out the nest, the day is coming to an end!!" An old man, probably in his sixties bellowed at his sons as they worked hard.

A young man under a dark cloak slittered past the people roaming the harbor, going about with their business.

The young man barely casted the hustling men a glance as he walked on, avoiding eyes with his face looking straight at the floor.

Soon he was out of the harbor and he swept into the local market that thrummed with traders of seafood.

Silent was a distant fantasy in the market as sellers hollered and showcased both dry and fresh fishes, stringed together with ropes and linings, with heartwarming smiles that could compel a buyer.

The young man under a dark cloak swooped past them all and kept on going. His steps were not too hasty, nor was it too slow. It was moderate but it wouldn't take a second for an observer to notice the anxiety etched in the walking pattern.

All of a sudden, the young man stopped in front of a shop. His eyes, barely noticeable under the dark cloak scanned the surroundings, cautiously.

Then he swooped into the shop.

An old man was inside the shop. His slightly hunched back was turned at the door.

The man coughed vehemently as he carried on the work he was doing in the shop.

"Papa Ruiz, I'm here." The young man pulled down his dark cloak, revealing a flowing silver hair and a pair of silver eyes that gleaned with impatience.

The old man coughed even more as he turned back to look at the young man. His coughs were like thunder as he covered his mouth with both hands while his feeble body shook with every cough he made. "C- Clawe."

The young man had a look of pity as he held out his hand to help the man.

But the man held up his palms. "D- don't worry."

"Papa Ruiz. Don't be too hard on yourself, you are not helping matters at all."

The old man sat down on the old stool behind him, his face was all red and his eyes were watery. His lips twitched as more coughs threatened to come out but it didn't, to the man's delight. He cleared his throat and he placed his wrinkled hand on his lap as he began. "I know you will soon be here so I have to get things ready."

"You shouldn't be like this," The young man, Clawe said.

"Don't give me that. It's not like you are capable of compassion anyway." The old man's eyes blazed as he added. "You are a vampire."

Clawe stood still, his tongue seemed to be tied for a few seconds as he stared at the old man. Then he sighed. He grabbed a cup and bit his wrist. Blood dripped from the wound and dropped into the cup and soon it's gotten halfway.

Clawe handed the cup to Papa Ruiz, who with a wary look collected the cup from him. "I've always told you. The fact that I'm a vampire doesn't mean that I'm like the others." 

Papa Ruiz gulped down the last drop of the vampire blood that Clawe poured for him. A heavy exhalation erupted from his lungs and he dropped the cup.

Calwe continued. "And you shouldn't forget that I'm still the reason the virus in your body hasn't killed you, not like the medicine for it has been created yet."

"But in return you collect the blood of my castle. The only property I got from my wealthy father. I think we are even." Papa Ruiz's deep-set eyes glinted and he got down from the stool. He shoved his hand underneath the little bamboo shelf right beside the stool and pulled out what no one could have thought was there. A box.

"Considering the fact that only fishes are around here, I have no other choice." Clawe shrugged his shoulders.

"You could have stolen the blood. But you didn't. Instead, you bargained with me and helped me with your blood."

Clawe didn't answer this.

Papa Ruiz decided not to press further and he pushed the box to Clawe and the latter's eyes glittered as he bent down to it.

He clicked open the top and what greeted him next was the scent of blood. Animal blood to be precise.

Clawe closed his box and turned to leave the shop. But papa Ruiz's voice stopped him.

"Why?"

"Uh?!" Clawe turned back to the old man with a confused gaze.

"Why are you not like the others? They feed on humans and live on with it, but you… you feed on castle blood. Why?"

Clawe's eyes twitched. His eyes shone with complex emotions as he stared at the empty space. "Trust me, I have my own reasons."

With that, Clawe left the old man's shop.

**********

All alone, in a corner around a wooden house, Clawe sat down with the box before him.

A look of pleasure flashed across his face as he took the skin hide one after the other and drank dry what's inside of it.

Blood.

A deep growl that signified his ultimum pleasure escaped his throat as he dropped the last hide.

His fangs, smeared with blood slowly crept back into its holes as he stood up from the floor and grabbed the empty skin hides and dumped it into the box.

He closed the box and grabbed it with the intention of throwing it away. But then, a voice sounded.

"Feeling satisfied with that stinky animal blood?" The voice had a hint of sneer.

Clawe sighed and his shoulders dropped. "Pedro, not now."

"Of course, no other time is better." The Spanish accent in the English was unmistakable. 

Pedro made his way into the corner, a sneer lingered at the corner of his lips.

Clawe turned and wanted to leave but instead, he bumped into a hard chest. His steps faltered and he staggered back with the box falling fret from his hand, crashing and the cover opened revealing bloody skin hides.

Pedro laughed hard at this. "Bloody sucker." His laughter echoed all over the place and Clawe seethed in rage.

"He feeds on fucking animal blood." Pedro bursted into another round of laughter and the vampire with a hefty chest man joined him.

"Don't let us do this, Pedro." Clawe tilted his head, slightly.

Pedro stopped laughing. His eyes glinted with malicious lights as he said, "like I said earlier. There's no time better than this."

Bang!

The hefty vampire grabbed Clawe and in a swing, flung his body at the nearby wall.

Clawe slammed hard at the wall and plummeted to the ground, face flat.

A groan left his mouth and he coughed up blood. His head banged with migraine and he fumed, still on the ground.

"You see. One hit and here you are spitting blood like a fucking goat. Like what the heck of a vampire are you?!"

A whisper to his ear made him pause. Slowly, Clawe lifted his face to look at the face. His eyes were blazing.

Pedro laughed with pleasure when he saw this.

"You bitch!!" Clawe sprung up and lunged his fist at Pedro. But the latter was faster as he grabbed Clawe's wrist and jammed his claws into his armpit.

Clawe growled out in agony.

Pedro laughed, maniacally. "I'm stronger than you, Clawe. You are weak and pathetic but I can help you with that."

Pedro slammed Clawe's face onto the floor and the latter feel wobbly.

He was weak and exhausted. It was easy to make him so. And it's because he feeds on animal blood.

"You want to know what I think, Clawe?"

Clawe couldn't even mutter a word as he could barely lift a finger.

Pedro grinned. "I think you need an upgrade. You need a new life as a vampire. You need to start having a better meal, human blood and you need a helper."

Clawe lifted his face a little at this. Like he knew where Pedro was going, he shook his head. "No."

Pedro grinned even more. "I don't know why you drink animal blood but it makes me want to puke and I don't give a shit about your reasons."

Pedro signaled to the hefty vampire and he walked out.

Clawe's eyes watered as he begged. *Please, don't."

"No. You need it." Pedro grinned even more.

Soon, the hefty vampire was back. But he wasn't alone. A young lady, calm and clearly compelled was with him.

The hefty vampire threw the lady to the floor, just beside Clawe.

"No, please don't." Clawe begged even more.

Pedro grinned and lifted his index finger, shaking sideways as he said, "no. You really need this."

Pedro grabbed the ladies hand and bit it.

The lady winced but, having been compelled not to scream, she bit her lips and endured the pain.

Pedro dropped the lady's bleeding hand right before Clawe's face and said, "drink this."

Clawe shut his eyes closed as it flashed crimson with strong desire to tear the lady's hand apart. "No. Please stop this. Please take it away."

"Of course you are taking this."

Pedro slashed the lady's arm and more blood spilled on the ground.

Veins gathered around Clawe's eyes and his body trembled as the scent of blood hit his nostrils. However, he nestled up and shook his head despite the sharp feeling that churned in his stomach. "No. Please take it away. I don't want to do this."

Pedro's eyes blazed with anger as he saw this. His lips trembled with rage as he growled. "Drink!!"

Clawe endured and tried to suppress the thirst and the impulse to feed on the lady. He had it under control even though every organ in his body was tearing apart, fighting hard to make him drink the warm and healthy blood of the human lady.

He knew that if he did it, it might not end well. Past experiences could testify to it. It was the reason he doesn't feed in human blood.

But Pedro didn't want to hear.

Pedro fumed in rage. His eyes were getting red and the longer Clawe restrained from feeding on the lady just as he wanted, the more his anger rose.

"Drink the damn thing!!!" Pedro growled and with a sharp swing of his claws, slashed opened the ladies throat.

The lady gasped and struggled to breath as blood spurted out of her mouth and neck. Then she fell on the floor with a pool of blood quickly accumulating below her.

"Driiiiiiink!!" Pedro roared.

Clawe couldn't take it anymore. The feeling is just too strong and he forced it all out with a growl.

Graaaaaaaa!

Pedro's eyes gleamed with pleasure when he saw Clawe succumb to the thirst for the spilled blood. His lips curled and the hefty man behind him grinned.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Clawe suddenly screamed, clutching his head hard.

It felt like it would tear apart. It was like a hammer is being smashed on his head and like several needles poking his skull from the inside.

His veins burned hot and his body heated up making him scream more in pain. 

The pain was unbearable as he felt something crawl in his flesh and went around like virus. The scream began to turn horrific.

Even Pedro and the hefty vampire stopped laughing as they gazed at him with confusion.

But then, the screaming stopped.

Pedro grinned. "You will thank me later, Clawe."

However, when Clawe lifted his head to look at Pedro, every smile and pleasure vanished from the latter's face.

Terror replaced it as he took several steps back. Even the hefty vampire couldn't help but gaze with shock.

Clawe was not the same Clawe anymore. His eyes were now demonic black and dark veins ran all over his body.

Clawe was something else. 

They should be afraid. Because what they saw as they gazed at Clawe was not a vampire ready to feed.

What they saw was a monster, ready to destroy.

Pedro's disbelieving eyes couldn't even process it all when Clawe lunged at him at a speed he couldn't follow and the next second, the world rolled in his eyes and the dirt floor was the last thing he saw before the gleam of life in his eyes dimmed, completely.

The hefty man's screams echoed around and the sound of something splashing erupted as red liquid splattered across the wall.

The mutilated body of the hefty man was all that's left as Clawe straightened his back. His bloody dark claws flexed beside him and his void black eyes were emotionless as he walked out of the place.

The two will definitely not be his stop for today. More deaths are still coming.

Just like it has always been in the past.

*****