Chapter #1 Any Witch Way
He had seen empires rise and fall over five centuries. Now, humanity was on the brink of survival and he hardly batted an eye. Darius knew of loss and humankind’s ability to wage constant chaotic destruction. This time was no different or, so he thought.
Up ahead, he saw a ghost town. Crumbled apartment buildings reached for the sky in a gloomy fashion. It was too quiet. Darius saw movement from up ahead, despite night descending. He continued on, despite the likelihood of attack. He entered the outskirts of the town and more movement flashed out of the corner of his eye.
Out of a shadowy low level shop, a man ran at Darius. His intent was violent and probably robbery. He turned to face the man, on his left. Others appeared on his right side, from behind three crashed vehicles. They were armed with bats and golf clubs. They were all coming his way.
Darius had seen these types of ambushes several times through his travels. They were generally led by desperate people, in search of food or water. He was prepared this time. Darius opened his jacket and took out two knives. He put a knife in each hand as he waited for his attackers to close the distance. When they were close enough, he slashed out at the first man on his left. The bandit was too slow and his attacks were feeble. He looked dirty and malnourished. He fell from multiple stab wounds. Darius turned on his knee to face the other attackers.
They were on him quickly and their attacks pummelled him to the ground. Darius laughed maniacally, before chomping on one of the attacker’s thighs. His fangs caused a great deal of damage. Blood flowed through the man's pants and down his leg. Another was triipped up as Darius bared his teeth, again. One man turned to run, only to find a knife stuck in his back. He howled in pain and fell into the dirt. The battle was over in less than a minute. So much death, Darius thought.
“They are on the brink of extinction and still they turn on each other,” Darius talked out loud and smiled, while licking his lips. “Tasty.” Darius dropped down onto his knees and he began to consume his attackers. He bit into their necks and wrists. Blood flew about and Darius looked like a macabre animal, most would say: a monster. Darius could see others from up the street. They emerged to see what the commotion was about, but they quickly retreated into their homes, after seeing the gruesome sights outside. Darius had satisfied his bloodlust. He stood and wiped his mouth. Death came so quickly for some, but not him.
He retrieved his weapons and carried on down the road like a wanderer, a nomad. He passed through the small desert town and no one else bothered him, or even looked his way. His mind wandered. The landscape rarely changed now. The desert seemed to swallow everything up. The heat to an undead vampire mattered not. But, to the few survivors remaining, it was death at every corner. And, survivors had to deal with other risks, as well. This was a low point for humanity.
Darius travelled onwards down an old beat up road. Darius passed a traveler on this dilapidated highway. The short, Chinese fellow smiled, with missing teeth. Others ran by screaming of “raiders!” Humanity’s destruction was nigh and Darius briefly thought of himself in a world without prey. Would he starve to death? Or, could he continue living without the ability to feed? He pondered such a frightful outcome. What was he without them?
The hours passed and so did the miles. More refugees were fleeing from the direction he was heading. A conflict loomed and black smoke trails rose from another small town, in the distance. Men on horseback swept back and forth looking for those they could exploit. Darius picked up his pace. He was curious to see what was happening.
Darius entered the town through the main street and soon, he was spotted by the raiders. They attacked civilians with sledgehammers or swords. One man even had a rifle, but his aim was short. A bullet exploded in the dirt. He did not flinch. They could see that Darius was not running, so they turned their attention on him. A man on horseback charged at him.
