The Vampire's Requiem [malexmale]

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight (Xed)

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the midnight air, causing rats to scamper and scurry away in fright.

I tightened my grasp on the throat of the oni that had tricked me into getting into his cab. I pressed him against the brick wall of a building, watching him squirm and writhe to escape. He clawed at my arms that healed rapidly as a response. He choked and gurgled on saliva, his eyes bugging out as he kicked at the wall behind him desperately. I narrowed my eyes at him, threatening to kill him if he didn't tell me which way Newell had gone.

"N-Never." He choked. His loyalty was commendable, but it was also the end of him. I only gave a slight nod to achknowledge his answer before I clenched my fist and crushed his windpipe before the pressure of it all caused blood to gush from his nose, ears, mouth, and eyes. I squeezed tighter and seconds later, his head was rolling to the ground at my feet. I let go of his corpse, letting it fall in a crumple to the ground.

I shook the blood off my hand and turned, scanning the streets with narrowed eyes.

I had absolutely no idea where I was at. None of it was familiar and I couldn't ask anyone. I used the oni's shirt to wipe the blood off my hand and while I normally would've eaten the creature, I didn't have time to.

Newell came first.

I left the alley behind the parking lot that the oni had taken me to and came to the sidewalk that was bustling with activity. People were singing and chattering excited about something called a Christmas tree. I made my way down the street, searching for some sort of map or booklet that could possibly lead me back to Alaric's. Surely he would know where Newell was being kept, because after memorizing the map, I realized they were not taking Newell to their hideout, but somewhere else.

I walked down the sidewalk, looking and searching for some way to get back to Alaric's when I recognized the shop that Newell had taken me to for my new clothes. I took a sharp turn to the left and walked a couple blocks before I spotted Alaric's store with the name of it glowing in bright red. I paused outside as a couple of young humans came out dressed in all black with spikey black hair and chains around their necks and wrists. They both gave me hungry stares that I'd seen the other humans do, but I didn't care for them right now and only nodded to them before walking inside to the thick scent of alcohol, smoke, and blood.

I walked past the shelves of novelty items and bags of mini-headstone candies to the front desk where Alaric was just receiving payment from a customer that held a fake human skull with rat shaped candies inside. The customer passed me an intense stare before dodging past me and heading for the door. Alaric turned to give the change back to his customer, then shrugged when he realized the man was gone, noticing me out the corner of his eye.

"Hey, big guy. Where's your little imp?" Alaric asked casually, leaning on the counter and giving me a long, hard stare. I frowned and shook my head, pointing to my mouth. Alaric stared at me for a moment longer, then snapped his fingers.

"Right! Merman. Can't talk. Well, fuck. How do you expect us to talk? Do you think I just have a pool in this joint?" He asked. I said nothing, just stared at him and he stared back before rolling his eyes. He gestured with his finger for me to follow and I frowned, using the door shaped like a coffin beside his window to go back with him. He used one of the doors and walked into a small, narrow staircase. He led me upstairs into a studio apartment then to a bathroom with a large bathtub. He gestured to the bathtub as he turned the knobs on to let the water rush out.

"Get in so we can talk. I can't understand sign language." He added, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back on the wall. I nodded and pulled the hat off my head, throwing it on the ground along with the pants and shirt and the strange garment Newell called underwear. I ignored Alaric's flushed face and wide eyes, stepping into the tub and sitting down in the water. The tub was big enough so that even I could fit in it.