Betrayal's Gift

Chapter Two

Varagon made his way toward the bright lights of the city. So much was unfamiliar, so strange. Walking along the brightly-lit road, he tried to think past the agonizing haze in his mind. Survival was priority. That much he knew. What did he need to do? The answer slid into his mind, emerging from the wreckage. Feed and find shelter.

Preoccupied with remembering even the basics of who he was, he didn't notice the group of rough men swaggering down the road. They did notice him and his ragged appearance. Clothing in rags and dirt smeared skin still bearing newly healed scars from his last battle portrayed him to be an easy target.

One of the men nudged the leader and pointed in his direction. They were in a hunting mood and he was there.

Nodding, they came towards him in pack formation. He looked up slowly as they surrounded him. For some reason, he knew he had no need to fear these men.

What could they do to him that had not already been done by someone far greater than they could ever hope to be?

"How may I help you?" He said calmly "I won't be of much help at the moment, but I'll do my best." The man laughed.

"Yeah sure you can help." He flipped open a switchblade. Varagon didn't even blink at the sudden threat. The man slashed out at him with the knife.

The blade's sharp metal sliced through his bare skin easily. Compared to what his mind and body where going through now, the deep gash was barely felt. He just looked down idly then back up as the blood ran down his arm freely. Before the knife even moved, the gash began to heal. Inside him, the darkness started to rise, eager for an opponent it could fight. He controlled it with a light hand and locked the leader within his inhuman gaze. These men were vultures and not worth leaving alive.

Human hunters. Better off dead. The words slithered into his mind with a venomous hiss. A calm certainty.

"If I lose too much blood then I'll need to replace it. Do you wish to volunteer as a donor?"

"What?" Confusion reigned, as they looked at each other suddenly uneasy. He smiled abruptly, showing them his gleaming white fangs curving over his bottom lip. They glanced at each other then attacked him.

"Monster!" the leader snarled as he kicked him in the stomach. Unprepared for their sudden attack, he fell to his knees briefly. He heard their thoughts swirling around him. They pummeled him with kicks and punches. When he breathed in, all he smelled was their sweaty fear and the adrenaline rushing through their veins. Bombarded by their chaotic and violent emotions.

Without his shields, he had no defense against the violence. All he could feel was violence sinking into him. Taking him over. Anger, hatred, greed and more rapidly filled him and his eyes began to glow with an eerie black light. Black clouds swept in, darkening the sky.

Getting on his knees from where he had fallen, he threw off the man on his back with enough force to send him flying several yards away. He was incinerated by a lethal lightning strike before he hit the ground. Chain lightning hit several others before stopping just short of Varagon. A cyclone swept up the bodies and sucked them into the sky in a roaring rush.

Varagon caught another by the throat and tossed him into a tree four yards away with a flick of his wrist. The branches wrapped around the struggling man securely. Breathing hard and the hunger for more growing, he locked deadly eyes with the leader, who was now backing away uneasily towards their car.

He snarled and the man jumped. He was unable to move as Varagon moved into a crouch. Dimly, he heard a strange roaring sound approach. He never moved his eyes from his prey once he had them locked in. A smile played at his mouth as the man whimpered.