A Merry Vampire

Merry hasn't been feeling well, for the last couple of… she wasn’t actually sure how long it had been. Her teeth itch, her eyes burn, and all she can focus on is that horrible feeling of what she thinks is hunger, but not quite- the sensation is definitely coming from her stomach, a weird ache that feels closer to a deep longing, an incomprehensible desire that certainly wasn’t just for any regular food. She’s not sure what she’s been eating and drinking the last couple days, or sure of anything really. Everything seemed fuzzy and indistinct. She knew she was inside some kind of living space as she balanced herself against a wall, feeling old wallpaper with the palm of her hand, fingers gliding over damp wooden structures when she dragged her hand across a section where the patterned -she thinks it is at least, from what little she could make out with her blurred vision- wallpaper had peeled off. Or maybe it had even been ripped off or punched through- a vague memory of slamming her head against the wall when her hand went through a hole was pulled to the front of her dazed mind.

Suddenly, she jolted up from her hunched posture, back straight and turning on her heel to sprint in the opposite direction to the one she had just been going. Where is she even running to? She could have sworn there was a reason she had been heading in the other direction. Wasn’t there something she was just thinking about? Any concerns Merry had vanished as a wondrous scent caught her attention. Sweet and sour and metallic and surely what she’d been craving this whole time, she realised as a growl escaped his throat. She needed it, and she will get it, everything else be damned.

She knows there are other bodies within this place, but those all smell like bitter rot. This new arrival, though- this will be a wonderful meal. This will satiate her appetite.

—

Silver and Dove walked through the mansion, Timothy trailing behind the two of them. The envy bun at the front of the small group was on high alert, eyes darting around the seemingly abandoned mansion. They all knew it was very much occupied, of course- but any who didn’t know better wouldn’t be blamed for thinking it was empty of life, or unlife, as the tattered velvet curtains brushed against stained carpet, large chunks of wallpaper peeling off to reveal the wooden walls beneath and dust fluttering down from chandeliers to land on the floor.

With only the sound of their own breathing and muffled footsteps echoing around them, all three were tense, Silver checking behind each door they came across- all showing rooms in similar states to the hallway. Finely decorated, but all clearly having seen better days, moth-eaten cloth and fractured wood alongside rusted metal and shattered glass.

When a soft cloud of mist spilled out of the door he opened, Silver cocked his head in curiosity, widening the door to reveal what looked to be a private study. Stepping inside, mist curling around his ankles and Dove going to inspect the ancient texts on the desk, the three had no idea of what was already heading towards them.

—

If Dove’s scream hadn’t alerted Silver and Timothy to the danger they had suddenly found themselves in, the fanged assailant that launched themselves at Timothy certainly did the job. While Silver was skilled enough in combat to knock the attacker off of and away from his ally, Timothy was only a regular guy who didn’t spend his days doing physical training, and so he cowered against the wall, staying out of the vampire hunter’s way to allow the silver haired man to do his work without hindrance.

Working through the hoard of vampire spawn, stabbing wooden stakes into their hearts, Silver barely heard Timothy’s cry of warning as he was taking out the feral undead, whirling around just in time to see a tall vampire with a painted face lunging towards him, managing to knock him to the floor. Surprised by the strength they displayed despite their thin figure, Silver and the other bun rolled around on the floor for a while, Silver barely avoiding gnashing teeth as the vampire spawn attempted to wrestle him down and bite into his neck, the hunter having to kick away another attacker who had tried to join the improvised wrestling match.

Managing to manoeuvre himself above the pride horned vampire, Silver knocked his elbow against her chin, Timothy wincing in sympathy as her jaw snapped shut with force, a hiss of discomfort escaping both him and the feral vampire as supernatural strength or not, it was not a nice sensation.

Untangling himself from the vampire’s now prone form on the floor, Silver was quickly occupied by his two other assailants, stabbing a wooden stake into one of them before having to whirl around to deal with the same woman he’d left on the floor, her face paint smeared across her face and neck, ripped gloves adorning the hands reaching towards him.

Already low on stamina due to the drawn out fight, Silver wasn’t able to react in time, the striped vampire managing to grab his shoulders to pull him forward into a headbutt. Barely managing to stay standing as he stumbled back, Silver pulled out another stake, attempting to drive it into the vampire before him only to miss as she seemingly folded herself back at the waist, Silver’s overworked mind not comprehending that his target was no longer in the same space as she was previously until she brought her legs up, digging her hooves directly into the area below his ribcage, making him cry out in pain as she finished her backflip, landing effortlessly on her hooves and instantly charging forward again, hissing in irritation as the other vampire Silver had previously kicked away from them rushed for him at the same time, getting in their fellow undead’s way as it mindlessly attempted to bite into him, allowing Silver to shove his attackers into each other, the two of them screeching wordlessly as they fell to the floor, allowing Silver to take full advantage of the distraction to drive a stake through the woman’s back and into her heart, letting her fall to the floor as he got down on his knees to stab another wooden stake into the chest of the last vampire still trying to dig its fangs into him.

Taking time to catch his breath, Silver at least had the grace to move the two incapacitated figures so that they were lying beside each other rather than one being on top of the other in a rather suggestive position, getting back to his feet and continuing to take deep breaths, shaking with exertion. Behind him, Timothy stands ramrod straight, eyes empty as he advances on Silver.

Grabbing the warm blooded succubun by the shoulder, Timothy shoves the exhausted bun down against the ground, pinning his prey forcefully when it tries to twist away.

Grasping feebly at Timothy’s shirt as his ally bites into him, Silver’s vision blurs, catching the sight of several figures coming towards them as his consciousness slips away.