Sequel: The True Enemy ›
The True Hunter
The True Hunter
The night was clear and the moon shone a bright light over the dismal graveyard. It gave a peaceful feeling to the people remaining blissfully unaware of what lay inside its iron gates. People walked past, not giving the rotting garden of death a second glance as they hurried through their night.
However, one soul gave the gates more than a second glance. He entered the graveyard with determination and bravery, though some may see it as stupidity, and steadily walked through the overgrown weeds and crumbling tombstones until he reached a row of seven gravestones relatively untouched. He brushed away dead leaves with a mildly tanned hand and paused before running through the darkness at a speed he worked hard every day to master.
The man ran until he spotted movement in the darkness. He stopped and crouched behind a large tombstone, overgrown with moss, and listened... listened for footsteps... an animalistic growl... a heartbeat. He listened until he heard a rustle of leaves and immediately raised his arms to defend his face and most importantly, his neck.
A large creature, the size and structure of a man but without the heart of one, lunged at him and knocked him to the floor. Snarling, the creature tried to bite at the man but was punched in the face, hard. Knocked off balance, the creature stumbled and screamed as the man plunged a large wooden stake through his unbeating, soulless heart. The creature spat out the words, “Damn you vile human!” and writhed on the grass, screaming, as though he were on fire.
The screaming soon died though, as did the creature and the man stood proud and victorious. He wiped away beads of sweat and growing black hair from his green eyes before bending down to the corpse and pulling the weapon out of the creature’s body. He wiped the blood on the dark grass and stood again, ready to find another creature to kill.
The man suddenly spun around as a tall man slowly walked out from behind a mausoleum, clapping his hands as though he were taunting the dark haired man. Green eyes narrowed as he realised this was no man, this was another creature. Far more civilised, with bleach blonde hair, spiked in different directions, high cheek bones and piercing blue eyes, but still a creature. A monster. Not a man.
“Congratulations. You must have been at this a while.”
A smirk appeared on the man’s lips, “Fight only took a minute, maybe two.”
“I mean vampire slaying, not this one fight.”
The man looked at the creature that would soon be dead cautiously, “Fifteen years, give or take...”
The creature grinned, showing white fangs, “You are Billie Joe Armstrong, the hunter who has wiped out most vampires in this state, am I correct?” Before Billie Joe could answer the animal was behind him, much closer than Billie would have liked. “It’s an obsession for you now, isn’t it?”
Billie Joe spun on one foot to face his soon-to-be attacker and cringes as his back hits a tree mid-spin. He mentally curses himself and realises his weapon had been ripped from his hands by the taller man-like animal. “You killed one of my own... it’s only right that I take your sad little human life.”
“As if you could.” Billie Joe spat out at him.
The creature pinned Billie Joe to the large, rotting tree and lightly touched his fangs to the skin on his neck faster than Billie could register what happened. “Oh, I could... but I just ate, so I think I’ll save you for later.”
“What?!” Billie Joe was furious. If he was going to die he wanted it to be there and then. Not as a vampire’s late-night snack.
“Here we go.” The vampire carried Billie to his apartment in roughly four seconds and set him down on his feet again in the middle of his dark living area.
Billie was thrown for a loop. “N-No vampire can m-move that fast...”
“The older we get, the more powerful we get- I’m 724 years old. Plus it wasn’t that far anyway.”
Billie processed the information and recovered from his nausea quickly and tried to escape, figuring he had nothing to lose at this point. He kicked the monster in the stomach and ran for what he hoped was the front door, but the blonde creature remained unfazed and grabbed Billie by the wrist. “I cannot believe someone like you has spent almost fifteen years hunting vampires and lives to tell the tale.”
“Let me go!” Billie struggled against him. This was by far the most powerful enemy he had ever faced and he was never one for giving up even when things looked as hopeless as they did now.
“Why? So you can kill other vampires?”
“So they can’t kill other humans!”
“Two wrongs don’t make a right, and we can’t survive without human blood.” The vampire accidently tightened his grip on Billie’s wrist too much and his thumb nail dug into his arm, leaving a neat crescent-moon shaped cut, bleeding. “Oh, speaking of blood...”
Billie’s eyes widened in fear as he struggled significantly harder, “No!”
“I can’t let you go now, little human.” He took the tie Billie was wearing and used it to tie Billie Joe’s hands together behind his back. “You’re like free-range human, ready for when I’m thirsty.” Billie Joe struggled against his bindings before finally giving up, realising he couldn’t undo a knot like that. “You can take a seat over there in the corner.”
“So I can wait to be your personal food supply?!” Billie still had his bark, but knew he was lacking in bite.
The vampire licked over the neat cut he made in Billie’s arm. “I can hardly wait. Now go sit in the corner like a good little human.”
“I’ve never been known for being good.”
“Maybe that is your problem.”
“Right now I’d say you are my problem!”
“Keep the trap shut before I gag you as well.” Billie Joe glared at his captor, who smirked in approval. “Well done, little human.” He pushed Billie Joe to the corner and closed the black-out blinds on the windows. “The sun is starting to come up, but don’t worry. I’ll be thirsty by the next nightfall.”
~*~*~
Three days after Billie Joe had been kidnapped, tied up and pushed into a corner where he has since been tied to a radiator which is never switched on, his captor once again returned to his apartment covered in an unknown human’s blood. For an old vampire who took pride in himself and his clothes he didn’t take care when killing his victims. Or maybe he wanted to provoke Billie Joe. By showing him that he is the hunter, the predator, and Billie is the prey.
Billie was snapped out of these thoughts by his captors’ voice, “I have something for you.” He held up a bag and took out a bottle of water and some apples.
Billie lunged for them like the animal he was slowly turning into after starving for three days but is pulled back by his bindings. Blue eyes seemed almost amused, as the vampire kneeled next to his victim and held a fresh red apple to Billie’s lips. Billie took as much into his mouth as he could without choking and ate. “Careful, you’ll have my fingers off.” The vampire chuckled as he turned the apple for the smaller man.
“Would you like another or something else more substantial? I have a bread roll if you want that. Then some water?”
Billie nodded and spoke with a rough voice, “Water, then bread...”
“What do you say?” The vampire taunted him.
Billie Joe swallowed his pride, “Please...” The creature opened the water bottle and held it to Billie’s lips and tilted it as he drank. He then held out the bread and Billie Joe ate from the vampire’s hand, feeling so weak he disgusted himself. This wasn’t the Billie Joe feared by vampires. This was the Billie Joe reduced to begging his enemy for food to stay alive that little bit longer. But what was the point? If he was to die by this vampire’s hands or fangs as the case may be, he wanted it to at least be on his terms.
“Why haven’t you killed me yet?” Billie asked, almost angrily.
The vampire stood and looked down at the dark-haired man. “I... I’m saving you for another time.” He put the rest of the apples on the floor in front of him. “You can eat those off the floor like the dog you are.” Billie made no attempt to move towards them despite his hunger. “Are you not going to eat?” The vampire asked, surprised.
“I’ll die anyway... why wait?”
“Because if you die of starvation your blood will start to coagulate.” He grabbed Billie’s hair and pulled his head up to look at him.
“And why should that matter to me when I’ll be dead?!”
“It shouldn’t matter to you, but it does to me. I want to drink your blood when it’s fresh.” The monster explained to his victim who glared in response.
“Then get on with it, vampire.”
Enraged, the vampire turned Billie Joe’s head roughly to the side, exposing his throat, and lowers his fangs to the skin, but pauses. Billie Joe braced himself for the pain of being bitten but instead found himself being shoved away. He looked up at the vampire who was facing away from him.
“What is wrong with me?! Why can’t I bite you?” He turned and pulled Billie Joe up as far as his restraints would allow. “What kind of sorcery is this? What have you done?!”
Billie Joe replied weakly, “I’m too weak to do anything... I was weak when you found me and I’ve only gotten weaker since... It’s your own damn fault you can’t kill me, vampire.”
“Just eat the damn apples.” He dropped Billie to the floor, and his victim still refused to eat. He picked him up by his hair again, “What is wrong with you?”
“I’ll die either way... those things just prolong suffering.”
“If you die of starvation, it’ll take days of pain and suffering. But when I kill you it’ll be quick. So that is your best bet.”
Billie glared at his captor, “Y’know I spend my life killing vampires but I never keep them as pets and make them suffer like this. I try to kill them as quickly and as painlessly as possible... you’re keeping me here as more than a snack, aren’t you?”
The vampire glared furiously straight into Billie’s eyes, “What other possible use could I have for you?” He growled. “But I assure you that I would have killed you by now if I could.”
“Then why can’t you?! It’s easy! Just stab me, drain me, snap me in two, I don’t care just get it over with!”
“Maybe I don’t want to kill you?!” The vampire blurted it out without thinking, and it showed in his eyes. Shocked green eyes looked up at him, and the vampire quickly shoved Billie against the wall. “Eat the damn apples or starve, do what you want.”
Billie fell back down to the floor and mumbled, “I’ll eat if you untie me...” The vampire’s hearing picked up on Billie’s words, and he untied the smaller man. Billie moved his arms slowly, getting used to the pain from being immobilised for three days.
“There’s another bottle of water in the bag.” The vampire said before leaving the room.
Billie mumbled a ‘thank you’ and ate and drank more. ‘I need to save my strength, I’ll get out of here soon.’
A few hours later, Billie Joe lay asleep in his corner after using the bathroom when the vampire re-entered the room to check on him. ‘Looks kinda cute asleep...’ he thought before disappearing again and returning with a blanket. He put it over Billie Joe then sat down, leaning against the wall beside him, resting his head in his hands.
“...mom... dad... s-stop...” The vampire looked down at the human with curious eyes. Billie’s was curled into a small ball, as if he were trying to protect himself. Tears were forming in his eyes and it was clear to the creature that he was having a nightmare. “...n-no... get away...”
The vampire put a hand on Billie Joe’s shoulder and shook him gently to wake him. “You seemed to be having a nightmare...”
Billie blinked up at Mike then sighed, “It’s nothing.”
“You were calling for your parents. Did something happen to them?”
Billie seemed to search for right words before answering, “When I was eleven my family was murdered by a gang of vampires... they only let me live because I was too young for some of the tortures they put my parents and siblings through.”
“So that’s why you do it, isn’t it? That’s why you have a vendetta against vampires. That’s why it’s an obsession for you... it’s taken over your life, hasn’t it?”
Billie shakes his head. “That’s not quite right. I don’t remember any of the names or faces of the vampires who did it, so I can never get revenge... I just want to save some other children the traumas of seeing rape and murder by vampires.”
Mike felt sorry for Billie, but at the same time felt he should defend himself, as a vampire. “Not all vampires are the same- yet you blindly assume every one of us is evil.”
“You blindly assume we’re all lined up for you to eat.” Billie Joe retorted.
The vampire smirked, showing his fangs. “Then I guess we’re both in the wrong. We need your blood to survive- it’s the food chain, the way things work. Like lions and zebras or whatever. We are all animals. However, I don’t believe it is right to torture victims and I’m sorry for what has happened to you.”
“Unfortunately, ‘sorry’ doesn’t make the nightmares stop.”
The vampire sighed. “You are a somewhat frustrating person.”
“Oh really? I can’t imagine why.”
“At least when you were almost starved to death you didn’t have the back-chat.”
“You wanted me to eat.”
“A decision I am beginning to regret. I don’t know why you’re different to other humans but if I were you I would not complain. Now if you’ll excuse me, the sun will soon rise, I’m going to sleep. Good day.” The vampire stood and walked to his bedroom.
Billie watched the vampire leave and muttered under his breath, “Goodbye.”
When midday came, and the sun was highest in the sky, Billie Joe climbed out of the window and down the drainpipe to reach the ground and then ran into the city.
~*~*~
A week passed and Billie Joe thought it was time for him to get back to work. He had stayed in his apartment most of the week, resting and healing himself for when he would return to patrolling graveyards.
He left his apartment and began walking to the graveyard, trying to forget his memories of the blonde man. No, not a man, a vampire. Just because he showed that he could have feelings does not mean he is a man. He is a monster... a creature who lives only to kill... vampires cannot care for anything. It is a known fact that--
“Well, well, well... the infamous Billie Joe Armstrong in the flesh. We’ve been looking for you.”
Billie Joe spun around, ignoring his previous thoughts and focusing on his new attacker. The man was tall, with dark curly hair reaching his shoulders. Billie Joe grinned at the opportunity to get rid of his frustrations with a good fight. “Wow, I didn’t know I was getting so popular.”
“You have killed hundreds of vampires, did you really think you could get away with that?”
“You’ve killed hundreds of humans, the same applies to you.”
“We are allowed to do such things because you are only humans. You will pay for your crimes and I, Jason, will make sure that it happens tonight!” Jason leapt forward at Billie, grabbing him, and took him to the graveyard in under six seconds. He threw Billie onto the grass in front of seven graves which Billie Joe recognized instantly. They were the graves he tried to keep clean whenever he could. They were the graves of his parents and his siblings, who were murdered.
“Notice something of yours missing?” Jason waved Billie’s stake in the air, which he stole while running. “Oh, the irony- I’m going to kill you with the stake you used to kill so many vampires. But before I do, I am going to burn you, in that fire. Just like we set fire to the house your family once lived in.” Jason grinned evilly, his face illuminated by the fire being built by other vampires just a few meters to the right of them.
Billie Joe held back tears of fear and of joy. He had finally found the vampire who had killed his family and he had the chance to make him pay. But he had lost his best weapon, he was surrounded by at least six vampires in total which was more than he had ever faced at one time, and he was completely at the mercy of this vampire.
But that didn’t stop the rage building inside him. Rage which fuelled Billie Joe to stand and attack the monster who destroyed his life, and keep attacking, desperate to land a blow. “You can say hello to your mother and sisters for me, they were great screamers.” Jason avoided the attacks with ease, anger was blinding Billie Joe. Years of training were going to waste because he could not control the emotions building inside him. “Too slow, just like your family.”
“Shut the hell up!” Billie roared as he attacked again.
“This is somewhat fun...” Jason mused as he moved again. His eyes noticed a blonde vampire approaching, he recognised him immediately. That was the vampire that had stolen his prey last week and was probably back to claim him again. This was too troublesome. “But sadly all fun must come to an end.” Jason plunged the wooden stake through Billie’s chest.
For a moment, silence filled the graveyard. No birds moved and no innocent humans walked past. Until a blood-curling scream erupted from Billie Joe’s blood-stained lips.
Jason grinned and threw Billie at the fast approaching blonde vampire, sending them both to the ground. The taller was barely fazed and lay Billie Joe on the ground before grabbing Jason by the throat. “Why get so angry over the death of a silly little human?!” Jason yelled. He didn’t need air to speak and only needed a faint pulse for most things. Being held by the throat didn’t bother him.
“I don’t know! Fortunately though, you don’t need a stake to kill a vampire!” The blue-eyed vampire threw Jason onto the fire and growled ferociously at the other vampires who ran, seeing they were no match for the older vampire. He knelt by Billie Joe. The ground around him was stained crimson with his blood and the gravestones near it were splattered with it. The vampire looked sad, though that could have been Billie’s blurring vision.
“Why did you have to run away? This wouldn’t have happened... though it’s probably better in your eyes though, right?” He sighed, realising he wasn’t going to get a response from the bleeding man. “This is gonna hurt, ok?” The vampire pulled the stake out of the dying human and put it down beside him. Billie opened his mouth to scream but only a choked gasp followed. He was dying and they both knew it. “I can save your life Billie Joe... but... it means me turning you into a vampire. So I’m truly sorry if you hate me for doing this.”
The vampire leaned down to Billie Joe’s neck and bit down hard, then lapped up the delicious red liquid that poured out of the two small puncture wounds. He soon pulled away, “You need to drink my blood Billie Joe- then you’ll be a vampire, and you’ll heal.”
The blonde vampire looks down at Billie Joe who was barely hanging onto life and picked up the wooden stake in one hand. “Just hang on...” The vampire sliced open his wrist with the tip and let himself bleed into Billie Joe’s mouth, flexing his wrist to get more blood flowing out.
Billie Joe latched onto his wrist and drank as much as he could, the taste becoming addictive and mixing with his own blood. The vampire could only think of when he made Billie Joe drink the water he gave him and how humans can cling to life so persistently, even if it means giving up their humanity. ‘It’s amazing what a human will do to stay alive. Billie Joe doesn’t want this in his mind, but his subconscious wants to live and the body will do whatever it takes...’
The vampire’s thoughts stopped as Billie Joe’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and his heartbeat stopped.
Billie Joe Armstrong’s human life had ended.
Now the blonde vampire remembered that he had to deal with a vampire-hunter turned into the thing he hated most.
‘Fucking hell.’
~*~*~
The blonde vampire watched as the small dark-haired ex-human lay on his bed. Still dead. ‘Why is this taking so long?! …Then again, I was dead for three weeks so I can’t really complain… but still! It’s been two weeks, and I can’t leave for more than a few minutes in case he wakes up… why couldn’t I just let him die?’
He sighed and tapped his fingers on the sideboard repeatedly, while looking down at Billie Joe. “I really wish you’d hurry up. Despite how long it took for me to change, I’m worried... if you wake up you can have more vampire blood?” He tried coaxing the dead body back into life then sighed again. “Fine, be that way. And you’re going to crave blood like mad when you wake up… just to warn you… not that you can hear me…”
Another hour passed before the vampire heard Billie’s eyes open slowly. “Oh, sleeping beauty awakes.” He stood and left the room, ignoring the newborn’s terrified gaze. He returned with a crying woman, begging for her life. “Drink her blood.”
The fear in Billie Joe’s green eyes was replaced by confusion and anger. “You want me to what?!”
“You have to drink her blood or you’ll go insane. You’re a vampire now.”
“What? No! I won’t hurt her!
“It’s for your own good! Do you want to lose your mind?! You hurt vampires just fine so why not her? She’s just some hooker, she won’t be missed!”
The woman’s cries and begs became louder and her brown eyes were beyond terrified. She saw hope in Billie Joe, who didn’t want to hurt her but knew she needed to get away from the taller vampire holding her in place.
“I can’t…” Billie Joe looked away.
The older vampire sighed angrily. “Very well, then.” He took a penknife out of his pocket and quickly cut the woman’s throat and dropped her to the floor.
All of Billie’s senses flared like wildfire at the blood as the woman convulsed and bled onto the floor, unable to scream. Billie Joe leapt at her faster than the human eye could see and sucked as much blood as he could from the wound. He soon gave up on the slit throat wound and made a new wound where more blood spilled out, which was soon licked up and drank.
“Most of it is in a puddle on the floor, don’t waste it.” The elder creature commented as he licked the blood from the knife, before Billie licked and sucked at the puddle like a possessed animal. When most of it was gone Billie Joe lifted his head from the floor and the corpse and looked at the vampire, who turned him, with blood around his mouth.
“Are you finished?” The smaller vampire nodded while the taller wrapped the corpse in a tarp sheet. “I’ll take her away later. I need to make sure you’re ok.” Billie nodded again with blood dripping from his chin. “You may want to wash your face…”
Billie Joe wiped the blood off his chin with the back of his hand then licked it off, like a cat grooming itself. “That’s morbidly cute… now listen Kitten, you need sleep. You may have been dead but your body is going to be very tired from healing.”
“Kitten?” Billie Joe glared up at the blonde.
“You act like one, your body language.”
Billie suddenly seemed to recover from the drug-like effect of the woman’s blood. “I… killed a woman… oh God… I killed her…”
“I think you’ll find that I killed her.”
“I drank her blood! I may as well have killed her!”
“You have done worse to vampires for fifteen years. Why is this so different?” The blonde vampire retorted.
“She was human, she did nothing to me.” Billie reasoned.
“The vampires you killed may have done nothing to you had you left them alone. Get over it.”
“I never murdered vampires; I used myself as bait so it was always self-defense…”
The taller man sighed, “This isn’t murder. You need to understand that this is about survival.”
“You could have let Jason ‘survive’.” He used air quotes as if he were taunting the older vampire.
“No, I really couldn’t. He was the worst kind of vampire.”
“One who kills?”
“We all kill, but he kills for fun.”
“What do you call what you did to me then? When you tied me in a corner for days! Survival? That’s bullshit!”
The older vampire sighed. This wasn’t easy for him to admit but he knew he had to. “I was so thirsty and I needed blood, so I intended to bite you and kill you. I lied about not being thirsty! I just didn’t want to hurt you and that worried me! That had never happened to me before so I couldn’t let you saunter away… and I changed you to save your life. It was a split second decision, I couldn’t watch you die!”
Billie Joe looked up at him in disbelief. “You destroyed my life! You’ve stopped me dying but now you can watch me commit suicide! I won’t live to kill innocent people!” He stood and headed for the door at an incredible speed, only to be dragged back by his wrist and at even faster speed.
“How you gonna do it then? Because let me tell you something: the sun won’t kill you- it just hurts but that doesn’t matter because the fire won’t burn you and the stake won’t pierce your skin. Vampires cannot kill themselves- it is part of the curse! Don’t you think I would have tried it at some point?”
Billie couldn’t take any more. His only escape was gone and he was stuck as a vampire forever. Tears fell down his cheeks freely as his legs gave out and he fell to the floor, sobbing like a child. The blonde knelt beside him and held him close, knowing this is a difficult transition for anyone. “This is exactly what I was like at first…”
“C-Can’t we feed w-without killing?” Billie asked, begging for a ray of hope to cling onto.
“You could… but that person would suffer all kinds of psychological trauma, not to mention they’re gonna go to the cops. They often become subject to post-traumatic-stress-disorder, nightmares, depression and more than likely suicide… I’d say it is kinder to kill them quickly.”
“W-What about blood donors?”
“And what about the people in hospitals who need transfusions?”
Billie wiped his tears away, only for them to be replaced with more, “There’s no avoiding it, is there?”
“Sadly no. You have to come to terms with it. It’s never easy, but you won’t do it alone. This is my fault, the least I can do is help you…”
Billie Joe smiled a little, “Thank you… will you tell me your name?”
“It’s Mike Pritchard, oh- no that’s wrong- it’s Mike Dirnt. I have to change it every natural lifetime or the tax office will notice someone hundreds of years old.”
“That could be a problem.” Billie chuckled under his breath.
“Exactly, there is method to the madness.”
“Um… could I go sleep now?” Billie yawned, realising how tired he actually was.
Mike smiled down at him, “I think that’s a good idea.”
~*~*~
Billie woke the next night when a pale hand shook his shoulder. Green eyes met blue eyes and Mike tossed some fabrics at Billie Joe. “I brought you some clothes.”
Billie Joe looked down at himself. He was covered in blood, most of it his own, and his shirt had a hole through it from the stake that killed him. He took the clothes from Mike’s hands and went to the bathroom to change. He returned in a baggy white shirt and dark trousers, both of which had been rolled up several times, making him look like a child playing dress-up in adults clothing.
Mike stifled a laugh. “We should probably get you some clothes that fit better.” He bit his lip to hold back giggles, “At least these aren’t bloodstained...”
Billie grumbled, “Not my fault you’re a giant.”
“I’m average size, you’re just smaller than me.” Before Billie could argue Mike spoke again, “You need to make your first kill tonight.”
All of Billie Joe’s ‘I’m not short’ arguments flew out of his mind. “Yes... I know. But I’ll only feed on criminals.”
“You’re going to trawl the streets at night looking for rapists and murderers on the prowl?”
“It won’t be hard to find in the city. And as for clothes, can I stop by my old apartment and get some of my own clothes?”
Mike thought about this for a moment. “I suppose that would be reasonable. Just don’t try eating any of the food you may have had waiting for dinner. You’ll make yourself sick if you try eating human food.”
Billie put on his shoes and coat, and then followed Mike through the city. Billie Joe was slower than Mike anyway, but he couldn’t help slowing further to look around him. There was so much more noise, more light, more life. He could hear every heartbeat for a mile, listen to every conversation and see in the dark as clearly as he could in the day and then some. He could see everything almost at a cellular level. It was exhilarating and he felt stronger than he had ever thought possible.
Mike led him to an alley where a man, about 40 years old, stood. He was tanned and he had a dark receding hairline with a shaggy beard. He wore a dark trench coat covering most of his body and before anything else Billie Joe noticed the smell of this man: alcohol and most likely weed. “I’m pretty sure that guy is a drug dealer. All you have to do is bite where the artery is, here.” Mike pointed on Billie’s neck and then his own neck. “Cover his mouth first so he doesn’t scream, got it?”
Billie Joe nodded and started to sneak into the alley, combining new vampire powers with his old techniques. Mike watched while silently praying, ‘Don’t fuck it up.’ Billie closed his eyes and concentrated on what he was about to do. ‘Gag then bite... gag then bite... gag then bite...’ Billie opened his eyes and grabbed the man harshly, forgetting his new strength, and leaned down to bite before his ears were filled with the sound of a sickening crack.
Mike slapped his forehand with his hand, “Oh Billie... well at least he won’t struggle now.”
“I didn’t mean to snap his neck!” Billie hissed. He leaned down again and found the artery and bit into the man’s neck. The scent and the taste of blood overwhelmed Billie Joe’s senses and he feasted on the man like an animal. Mike simply watched as the man’s throat was ripped out by the small, almost innocent looking demon.
Billie eventually finished and knew the sarcastic comments were about to start pouring out of Mike’s mouth. “Well, Kitten- that lacked grace to say the least. You nearly ripped his head off and you pulled his throat out, Kitten.”
“Great observations now stop calling me that!” Billie wiped his face with his sleeve.
“Come on, I’ll show you how it’s done.” Mike led Billie Joe into another alley where a woman was getting mugged. “A-ha, bingo.”
“You’re going after a mugger? I thought you didn’t care.”
“I thought I would. Seeing you only go after muggers and dealers made me feel bad.”
“Aww, the big scary vampire is influenced by the newbie.” Billie teased.
“Shut it. Now watch and learn.” Mike grabbed the mugger from behind and put a hand over his mouth. “Hey, missy- you run along now, I’ve got this guy.”
“Th-Thank you.” The woman ran past Billie Joe who was watching Mike intently.
Mike bit the man’s neck neatly and drank his blood without spilling a drop. “Half your guy’s blood is sprayed all over the alley, you can finish this one. You need it more than I since you’re a new vampire.” Mike gave the man to Billie who drank from him, trying to be more careful. “Don’t worry, you’ll get better. You’ll also have no problem with killing once your humanity fades.”
Billie dropped the corpse in rage. “That won’t happen! I won’t lose my humanity!”
“Even I can see it slipping away from you. You just killed someone and drank someone’s blood with little complaint. It doesn’t matter how you try to justify it with ‘he was too dangerous to live’ or ‘he would die anyway’.”
Billie ran. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He wouldn’t become a monster; he had to avoid it somehow.
Mike sighed, “When will you learn?” He was suddenly in front of Billie and pushed to the ground by Billie’s rush. He grabbed the smaller man’s upper arms so he couldn’t get off him. “Listen to me, you have to forget your human life!”
“No! That was all I had!”
“Let it go! You don’t have it anymore! You have to accept it and move past it!”
“No!” Billie struggled to get away from the older vampire, but couldn’t get out of his iron-grip.
“What did you have in your human life? What was there to cling onto?”
“My life! My memories!”
“You can have your memories but you life is something you will never get back, Billie Joe. Your memories will decay over time, just like they would if you were human.”
Billie couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. He cried like a child, clinging to Mike like a lifeline. “I-I’m already losing it...”
Mike let him cry. “It’s just part of the process. It gets easier with time.”
“W-When all my humanity is gone?”
“Yes. It’s like running through tar- it’s fucking difficult at first but once it’s over it’s easy. But I am not going to let you go until I think you’re ready to be on your own. If I let you go now, you’ll end up losing your mind. You can’t make it on your own yet, someone has to take responsibility for you.”
“You wouldn’t have to take responsibility for me if you had just let me die!”
“I couldn’t do that, it wasn’t an option! You’ll thank me for all this one day... now can I let you go without you running off again?”
Billie Joe thought about this for a moment, and then answered honestly. “Probably not.”
Mike smiled at his sarcastic honesty and stood up, keeping a firm hold on one of Billie’s arms. “You’re like a child, or a puppy, who won’t behave.”
“Thought you said I was a kitten.” Billie shot back, a little insulted by Mike’s comments.
“Yes, that too. Now do you want to grab some clothes from your apartment?”
Billie nodded and started walking, pulling Mike along by the hand gripping his arm. “It’s this way.”
~*~*~
Billie Joe’s apartment was small, with just a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Mike followed Billie Joe into the main living area and stopped dead in his tracks while Billie went to his bedroom. “Try not to touch anything.” Billie said to Mike from the bedroom.
Mike nodded as he looked around the room carefully. The walls were originally a pale yellow but the paint was peeling in the corners, showing it was never looked after. The walls were covered in newspaper clippings, ranging from brand-new to fifteen years old. The oldest was a report of the attack that killed Billie Joe’s family. Mike read it with interest and briefly looked at the others. Most of them were vampire attacks, the one’s that weren’t had a black line through them. Mike assumed Billie looked into them all and crossed them off when they turned out to be nothing.
It was then, Mike noticed the weapons. Billie could have equipped an army with everything he had- stakes, crossbows, swords, knives, even a few guns. Mike looked at a flamethrower curiously, ‘It looks bigger than Billie Joe...’
Billie returned with a backpack filled with the things he thought he would need, as Mike picked up a picture frame. The picture showed two adults and six children. The corners were burnt and he could smell a bloodstain on the back of it. “Is this a picture of your family?”
“Yeah, my mom, dad and five siblings.”
Mike pointed at the smallest little boy grinning at the camera in a stripy t-shirt and jeans. “Is that one you?”
Billie looked over Mike’s shoulder. “Yes, I was the youngest.”
Mike put the photo down and noticed an old stuffed bear with a missing eye and arm. “Is this a toy from your childhood?”
Billie smiled a little. “Yep, his name was Mr Grizzle... I wasn’t good at names when I was a kid.”
“This is all you have left of them, isn’t it?”
Billie Joe nodded. “Just an old bear and a few photos... if you don’t mind me asking, when did you lose your humanity?”
“Not long after I changed, because I was on my own so I was forced to accept it quicker. The only thing I remember of my family is my mother telling me to get away from her and calling me a monster sent by the devil to destroy them... I had made my way back home after waking up as a vampire a mile away in the forest only to be sent away.”
“No offense but your mother was a horrible woman, no one should do that to family.”
“It was a different time. People did not have a word for vampires in that day and age but my glowing red eyes when I felt hunger branded me simply as a demon. She was most likely just afraid. Back then the whole family lived under one roof and I think she was trying to protect everyone from me. It is a good thing she did because if I had gotten near anyone I would have attacked them out of instinct.”
Billie thought for a moment before asking, “So do you have any living relatives, like a great-great-great-something niece?”
“I have no idea, I haven’t really thought about it. And I was born in Europe so chances are they would be there and besides, I have no interest in finding them.” Mike looked around the room again. “This is so unhealthy... the way you live, I mean. Surrounding yourself with your obsession, look at these walls, no wonder you’re having trouble adjusting. Look at this place, it is a monument to your losses as a child. You have created a testament to your own misery.”
“I lived my life how I wanted, that life is over now...”
“Why would you have ever wanted to cling to such a life?”
Billie paused before answering. “Because it was my life, I never hated it... my family was all I had and I lost it. I didn’t have many friends either so I started learning to fight. I got good at it and after three years I ran into a vampire trying to kill a woman with a little girl. I beat him and realised that little girl still had her mother thanks to what I did... the looks on their faces made it worth it.”
“But why all these newspaper clippings? Wait, no- I’m not sure I want to know the reasons for your obsessive compulsive disorder. Are you done?”
“I suppose I am.”
“Then lets go.”
Billie took one last look at his home before following Mike out the door and locking it. Mike watched him, “I would have thought you would take the photo with you.”
Billie paused before walking away, towards his new home with Mike. “I don’t know where I’d put it.”
Mike ignored the lie.
~*~*~
Months passed as Billie Joe grew to control his vampire powers. He became more at ease with killing human criminals and loved Mike’s words of praise when he did things correctly. He steadily grew closer to Mike and often enjoyed being with him. He began to see Mike’s personality beyond the vampire persona he used to hide emotions and slowly, Mike began to see Billie Joe in a new light as well. It pained him to think about how lonely he was before Billie Joe came along and pained him more when he thought about what it would be like when Billie Joe left. He had grown attached to the ex-hunter and loved to see him smile.
But this had to end before they reached the point where Mike wouldn’t allow Billie Joe to leave because of the fear of loneliness.
Mike approached the younger vampire who was lying across the sofa reading a book, ‘Frankenstein? He has good taste in literature… wait that’s my book isn’t it? Oh well.’ Mike dismissed his thoughts. “Billie Joe, I have some good news for you.”
Billie Joe put the book down with a small smile, “Let me guess? You killed someone, took their wallet and bought me new jeans?”
Mike smiled at Billie’s humour, he was going to miss it. “Actually I think you’re ready, you can make it on your own now... so you’re free to leave whenever you want.”
The dark-haired vampire’s jaw dropped, he had no idea what to say. “I... I don’t want to go. I’ve really grown to like it here... and you.”
“Oh, so you don’t hate me anymore. That’s progress I suppose.”
“I stopped hating you about a week after I changed, and since then you have supported me and shown me how I should not feel guilty about surviving... and my feelings changed.”
Mike smiled almost sadly, he wished he knew about this the whole time. “Well good, I feel so un-despised. Now come on, there is a whole world out there waiting for you, a whole world and forever to experience it. Surely you’d rather be doing that than being stuck here.”
“Y’know, for someone who has been around for seven-hundred and something years, you’re pretty clueless when someone is trying to tell you something. The reason I didn’t take the photograph of my family back at my apartment was because I realised I never had a real life... I died along with my family and never really experienced any emotional bonds after that. So I decided this was my chance to start over and become a new person. You showed me what kind of person to be and I don’t want to be anything else now... I’m not entirely sure what this emotion I’m feeling is, but I know it’s the reason I don’t want to be without you. There’s more you can teach me, more you can show me. You said there’s a whole world out there and forever to experience it and I don’t want to experience it alone, I want you with me. And I can understand if you don’t want me around anymore, I’ve just been a pain in the ass to you. So just say the word and I’ll go... but if you’ll have me... I’d rather stay.”
Mike stood there stunned, he hadn’t expected that. “I’ve been pretty much alone for 724 years... i-if you feel you want to stay, then by all means stay... I would really... it would... I would like it if you stayed too.”
Billie smiled up at him, “thank you.”
“I’d love for you to stay Kitten.” Mike leaned down from his standing position and kissed Billie Joe on the head gently. “I want to show you the world, you can finally truly live.”
“With you?”
“Yes, with me. You can do whatever you want now.”
“C-Can we go out?”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere, go out to eat, enjoy the night... I mean we don’t have to do that if you don’t want to, it isn’t up to me and I’m probably going to start babbling soon so please feel free to interrupt me.”
Mike thought about things for a moment, “Tell ya what, the bay on the other side of the city is really nice all lit up at night. We could go there?”
Billie nodded with an excited smile. “Let’s go!”
After a thirteen second run, Billie Joe found himself in Mike’s arms in the bay surrounded by people. “Are you going to let go of me? I know I’m a slow runner but we’re kind of stationary right now...”
Mike shook his head, “Sorry, you’re staying here. Wanna see a really great view?” Without waiting for a reply, Mike zoomed to the top tower of the Golden Gate Bridge where the city was lit up like fireflies.
“Wow... it’s amazing!”
Mike nodded in agreement. “I’ve seen so many things... I’ve seen London burn, I saw when they first turned on the electric street lights of New York, I saw the ends of wars and so much more... but this beats all of them for some reason.”
Billie looked up at Mike from the safety of his arms and mentally decided he prefers that view. “So you’re not too afraid of heights then?” Mike asked with a grin.
“Well I know I won’t die if I fall... that helps.”
“I’d imagine it would hurt though. I’ve fallen off a cliff before and that hurt.”
“But I would heal, just like you did.” Billie sighed, “I’m sorry I hated you before.”
Mike smiled a little, “It’s ok, I’m over it. Sorry for intending to kill you.”
“That’s ok, I’m used to it.” Billie looked at the view again and sighed, “I’ve never left this city before, please, show me everything.”
“I will show you everything. There is so much beauty out there... I haven’t left this city for seventy years and now it will be a new world to explore.”
“I’d love to see where you lived as a human...”
“I would also like to see what has become of that place. We’ll leave whenever you want.”
Billie Joe smiled, “You’re amazing.”
Mike leaned down and kissed Billie on the lips softly. “I think I’m in love with you Billie Joe...”
“I feel the same Mike.” He kissed him back and finally felt like he was truly alive for the first time.
However, one soul gave the gates more than a second glance. He entered the graveyard with determination and bravery, though some may see it as stupidity, and steadily walked through the overgrown weeds and crumbling tombstones until he reached a row of seven gravestones relatively untouched. He brushed away dead leaves with a mildly tanned hand and paused before running through the darkness at a speed he worked hard every day to master.
The man ran until he spotted movement in the darkness. He stopped and crouched behind a large tombstone, overgrown with moss, and listened... listened for footsteps... an animalistic growl... a heartbeat. He listened until he heard a rustle of leaves and immediately raised his arms to defend his face and most importantly, his neck.
A large creature, the size and structure of a man but without the heart of one, lunged at him and knocked him to the floor. Snarling, the creature tried to bite at the man but was punched in the face, hard. Knocked off balance, the creature stumbled and screamed as the man plunged a large wooden stake through his unbeating, soulless heart. The creature spat out the words, “Damn you vile human!” and writhed on the grass, screaming, as though he were on fire.
The screaming soon died though, as did the creature and the man stood proud and victorious. He wiped away beads of sweat and growing black hair from his green eyes before bending down to the corpse and pulling the weapon out of the creature’s body. He wiped the blood on the dark grass and stood again, ready to find another creature to kill.
The man suddenly spun around as a tall man slowly walked out from behind a mausoleum, clapping his hands as though he were taunting the dark haired man. Green eyes narrowed as he realised this was no man, this was another creature. Far more civilised, with bleach blonde hair, spiked in different directions, high cheek bones and piercing blue eyes, but still a creature. A monster. Not a man.
“Congratulations. You must have been at this a while.”
A smirk appeared on the man’s lips, “Fight only took a minute, maybe two.”
“I mean vampire slaying, not this one fight.”
The man looked at the creature that would soon be dead cautiously, “Fifteen years, give or take...”
The creature grinned, showing white fangs, “You are Billie Joe Armstrong, the hunter who has wiped out most vampires in this state, am I correct?” Before Billie Joe could answer the animal was behind him, much closer than Billie would have liked. “It’s an obsession for you now, isn’t it?”
Billie Joe spun on one foot to face his soon-to-be attacker and cringes as his back hits a tree mid-spin. He mentally curses himself and realises his weapon had been ripped from his hands by the taller man-like animal. “You killed one of my own... it’s only right that I take your sad little human life.”
“As if you could.” Billie Joe spat out at him.
The creature pinned Billie Joe to the large, rotting tree and lightly touched his fangs to the skin on his neck faster than Billie could register what happened. “Oh, I could... but I just ate, so I think I’ll save you for later.”
“What?!” Billie Joe was furious. If he was going to die he wanted it to be there and then. Not as a vampire’s late-night snack.
“Here we go.” The vampire carried Billie to his apartment in roughly four seconds and set him down on his feet again in the middle of his dark living area.
Billie was thrown for a loop. “N-No vampire can m-move that fast...”
“The older we get, the more powerful we get- I’m 724 years old. Plus it wasn’t that far anyway.”
Billie processed the information and recovered from his nausea quickly and tried to escape, figuring he had nothing to lose at this point. He kicked the monster in the stomach and ran for what he hoped was the front door, but the blonde creature remained unfazed and grabbed Billie by the wrist. “I cannot believe someone like you has spent almost fifteen years hunting vampires and lives to tell the tale.”
“Let me go!” Billie struggled against him. This was by far the most powerful enemy he had ever faced and he was never one for giving up even when things looked as hopeless as they did now.
“Why? So you can kill other vampires?”
“So they can’t kill other humans!”
“Two wrongs don’t make a right, and we can’t survive without human blood.” The vampire accidently tightened his grip on Billie’s wrist too much and his thumb nail dug into his arm, leaving a neat crescent-moon shaped cut, bleeding. “Oh, speaking of blood...”
Billie’s eyes widened in fear as he struggled significantly harder, “No!”
“I can’t let you go now, little human.” He took the tie Billie was wearing and used it to tie Billie Joe’s hands together behind his back. “You’re like free-range human, ready for when I’m thirsty.” Billie Joe struggled against his bindings before finally giving up, realising he couldn’t undo a knot like that. “You can take a seat over there in the corner.”
“So I can wait to be your personal food supply?!” Billie still had his bark, but knew he was lacking in bite.
The vampire licked over the neat cut he made in Billie’s arm. “I can hardly wait. Now go sit in the corner like a good little human.”
“I’ve never been known for being good.”
“Maybe that is your problem.”
“Right now I’d say you are my problem!”
“Keep the trap shut before I gag you as well.” Billie Joe glared at his captor, who smirked in approval. “Well done, little human.” He pushed Billie Joe to the corner and closed the black-out blinds on the windows. “The sun is starting to come up, but don’t worry. I’ll be thirsty by the next nightfall.”
~*~*~
Three days after Billie Joe had been kidnapped, tied up and pushed into a corner where he has since been tied to a radiator which is never switched on, his captor once again returned to his apartment covered in an unknown human’s blood. For an old vampire who took pride in himself and his clothes he didn’t take care when killing his victims. Or maybe he wanted to provoke Billie Joe. By showing him that he is the hunter, the predator, and Billie is the prey.
Billie was snapped out of these thoughts by his captors’ voice, “I have something for you.” He held up a bag and took out a bottle of water and some apples.
Billie lunged for them like the animal he was slowly turning into after starving for three days but is pulled back by his bindings. Blue eyes seemed almost amused, as the vampire kneeled next to his victim and held a fresh red apple to Billie’s lips. Billie took as much into his mouth as he could without choking and ate. “Careful, you’ll have my fingers off.” The vampire chuckled as he turned the apple for the smaller man.
“Would you like another or something else more substantial? I have a bread roll if you want that. Then some water?”
Billie nodded and spoke with a rough voice, “Water, then bread...”
“What do you say?” The vampire taunted him.
Billie Joe swallowed his pride, “Please...” The creature opened the water bottle and held it to Billie’s lips and tilted it as he drank. He then held out the bread and Billie Joe ate from the vampire’s hand, feeling so weak he disgusted himself. This wasn’t the Billie Joe feared by vampires. This was the Billie Joe reduced to begging his enemy for food to stay alive that little bit longer. But what was the point? If he was to die by this vampire’s hands or fangs as the case may be, he wanted it to at least be on his terms.
“Why haven’t you killed me yet?” Billie asked, almost angrily.
The vampire stood and looked down at the dark-haired man. “I... I’m saving you for another time.” He put the rest of the apples on the floor in front of him. “You can eat those off the floor like the dog you are.” Billie made no attempt to move towards them despite his hunger. “Are you not going to eat?” The vampire asked, surprised.
“I’ll die anyway... why wait?”
“Because if you die of starvation your blood will start to coagulate.” He grabbed Billie’s hair and pulled his head up to look at him.
“And why should that matter to me when I’ll be dead?!”
“It shouldn’t matter to you, but it does to me. I want to drink your blood when it’s fresh.” The monster explained to his victim who glared in response.
“Then get on with it, vampire.”
Enraged, the vampire turned Billie Joe’s head roughly to the side, exposing his throat, and lowers his fangs to the skin, but pauses. Billie Joe braced himself for the pain of being bitten but instead found himself being shoved away. He looked up at the vampire who was facing away from him.
“What is wrong with me?! Why can’t I bite you?” He turned and pulled Billie Joe up as far as his restraints would allow. “What kind of sorcery is this? What have you done?!”
Billie Joe replied weakly, “I’m too weak to do anything... I was weak when you found me and I’ve only gotten weaker since... It’s your own damn fault you can’t kill me, vampire.”
“Just eat the damn apples.” He dropped Billie to the floor, and his victim still refused to eat. He picked him up by his hair again, “What is wrong with you?”
“I’ll die either way... those things just prolong suffering.”
“If you die of starvation, it’ll take days of pain and suffering. But when I kill you it’ll be quick. So that is your best bet.”
Billie glared at his captor, “Y’know I spend my life killing vampires but I never keep them as pets and make them suffer like this. I try to kill them as quickly and as painlessly as possible... you’re keeping me here as more than a snack, aren’t you?”
The vampire glared furiously straight into Billie’s eyes, “What other possible use could I have for you?” He growled. “But I assure you that I would have killed you by now if I could.”
“Then why can’t you?! It’s easy! Just stab me, drain me, snap me in two, I don’t care just get it over with!”
“Maybe I don’t want to kill you?!” The vampire blurted it out without thinking, and it showed in his eyes. Shocked green eyes looked up at him, and the vampire quickly shoved Billie against the wall. “Eat the damn apples or starve, do what you want.”
Billie fell back down to the floor and mumbled, “I’ll eat if you untie me...” The vampire’s hearing picked up on Billie’s words, and he untied the smaller man. Billie moved his arms slowly, getting used to the pain from being immobilised for three days.
“There’s another bottle of water in the bag.” The vampire said before leaving the room.
Billie mumbled a ‘thank you’ and ate and drank more. ‘I need to save my strength, I’ll get out of here soon.’
A few hours later, Billie Joe lay asleep in his corner after using the bathroom when the vampire re-entered the room to check on him. ‘Looks kinda cute asleep...’ he thought before disappearing again and returning with a blanket. He put it over Billie Joe then sat down, leaning against the wall beside him, resting his head in his hands.
“...mom... dad... s-stop...” The vampire looked down at the human with curious eyes. Billie’s was curled into a small ball, as if he were trying to protect himself. Tears were forming in his eyes and it was clear to the creature that he was having a nightmare. “...n-no... get away...”
The vampire put a hand on Billie Joe’s shoulder and shook him gently to wake him. “You seemed to be having a nightmare...”
Billie blinked up at Mike then sighed, “It’s nothing.”
“You were calling for your parents. Did something happen to them?”
Billie seemed to search for right words before answering, “When I was eleven my family was murdered by a gang of vampires... they only let me live because I was too young for some of the tortures they put my parents and siblings through.”
“So that’s why you do it, isn’t it? That’s why you have a vendetta against vampires. That’s why it’s an obsession for you... it’s taken over your life, hasn’t it?”
Billie shakes his head. “That’s not quite right. I don’t remember any of the names or faces of the vampires who did it, so I can never get revenge... I just want to save some other children the traumas of seeing rape and murder by vampires.”
Mike felt sorry for Billie, but at the same time felt he should defend himself, as a vampire. “Not all vampires are the same- yet you blindly assume every one of us is evil.”
“You blindly assume we’re all lined up for you to eat.” Billie Joe retorted.
The vampire smirked, showing his fangs. “Then I guess we’re both in the wrong. We need your blood to survive- it’s the food chain, the way things work. Like lions and zebras or whatever. We are all animals. However, I don’t believe it is right to torture victims and I’m sorry for what has happened to you.”
“Unfortunately, ‘sorry’ doesn’t make the nightmares stop.”
The vampire sighed. “You are a somewhat frustrating person.”
“Oh really? I can’t imagine why.”
“At least when you were almost starved to death you didn’t have the back-chat.”
“You wanted me to eat.”
“A decision I am beginning to regret. I don’t know why you’re different to other humans but if I were you I would not complain. Now if you’ll excuse me, the sun will soon rise, I’m going to sleep. Good day.” The vampire stood and walked to his bedroom.
Billie watched the vampire leave and muttered under his breath, “Goodbye.”
When midday came, and the sun was highest in the sky, Billie Joe climbed out of the window and down the drainpipe to reach the ground and then ran into the city.
~*~*~
A week passed and Billie Joe thought it was time for him to get back to work. He had stayed in his apartment most of the week, resting and healing himself for when he would return to patrolling graveyards.
He left his apartment and began walking to the graveyard, trying to forget his memories of the blonde man. No, not a man, a vampire. Just because he showed that he could have feelings does not mean he is a man. He is a monster... a creature who lives only to kill... vampires cannot care for anything. It is a known fact that--
“Well, well, well... the infamous Billie Joe Armstrong in the flesh. We’ve been looking for you.”
Billie Joe spun around, ignoring his previous thoughts and focusing on his new attacker. The man was tall, with dark curly hair reaching his shoulders. Billie Joe grinned at the opportunity to get rid of his frustrations with a good fight. “Wow, I didn’t know I was getting so popular.”
“You have killed hundreds of vampires, did you really think you could get away with that?”
“You’ve killed hundreds of humans, the same applies to you.”
“We are allowed to do such things because you are only humans. You will pay for your crimes and I, Jason, will make sure that it happens tonight!” Jason leapt forward at Billie, grabbing him, and took him to the graveyard in under six seconds. He threw Billie onto the grass in front of seven graves which Billie Joe recognized instantly. They were the graves he tried to keep clean whenever he could. They were the graves of his parents and his siblings, who were murdered.
“Notice something of yours missing?” Jason waved Billie’s stake in the air, which he stole while running. “Oh, the irony- I’m going to kill you with the stake you used to kill so many vampires. But before I do, I am going to burn you, in that fire. Just like we set fire to the house your family once lived in.” Jason grinned evilly, his face illuminated by the fire being built by other vampires just a few meters to the right of them.
Billie Joe held back tears of fear and of joy. He had finally found the vampire who had killed his family and he had the chance to make him pay. But he had lost his best weapon, he was surrounded by at least six vampires in total which was more than he had ever faced at one time, and he was completely at the mercy of this vampire.
But that didn’t stop the rage building inside him. Rage which fuelled Billie Joe to stand and attack the monster who destroyed his life, and keep attacking, desperate to land a blow. “You can say hello to your mother and sisters for me, they were great screamers.” Jason avoided the attacks with ease, anger was blinding Billie Joe. Years of training were going to waste because he could not control the emotions building inside him. “Too slow, just like your family.”
“Shut the hell up!” Billie roared as he attacked again.
“This is somewhat fun...” Jason mused as he moved again. His eyes noticed a blonde vampire approaching, he recognised him immediately. That was the vampire that had stolen his prey last week and was probably back to claim him again. This was too troublesome. “But sadly all fun must come to an end.” Jason plunged the wooden stake through Billie’s chest.
For a moment, silence filled the graveyard. No birds moved and no innocent humans walked past. Until a blood-curling scream erupted from Billie Joe’s blood-stained lips.
Jason grinned and threw Billie at the fast approaching blonde vampire, sending them both to the ground. The taller was barely fazed and lay Billie Joe on the ground before grabbing Jason by the throat. “Why get so angry over the death of a silly little human?!” Jason yelled. He didn’t need air to speak and only needed a faint pulse for most things. Being held by the throat didn’t bother him.
“I don’t know! Fortunately though, you don’t need a stake to kill a vampire!” The blue-eyed vampire threw Jason onto the fire and growled ferociously at the other vampires who ran, seeing they were no match for the older vampire. He knelt by Billie Joe. The ground around him was stained crimson with his blood and the gravestones near it were splattered with it. The vampire looked sad, though that could have been Billie’s blurring vision.
“Why did you have to run away? This wouldn’t have happened... though it’s probably better in your eyes though, right?” He sighed, realising he wasn’t going to get a response from the bleeding man. “This is gonna hurt, ok?” The vampire pulled the stake out of the dying human and put it down beside him. Billie opened his mouth to scream but only a choked gasp followed. He was dying and they both knew it. “I can save your life Billie Joe... but... it means me turning you into a vampire. So I’m truly sorry if you hate me for doing this.”
The vampire leaned down to Billie Joe’s neck and bit down hard, then lapped up the delicious red liquid that poured out of the two small puncture wounds. He soon pulled away, “You need to drink my blood Billie Joe- then you’ll be a vampire, and you’ll heal.”
The blonde vampire looks down at Billie Joe who was barely hanging onto life and picked up the wooden stake in one hand. “Just hang on...” The vampire sliced open his wrist with the tip and let himself bleed into Billie Joe’s mouth, flexing his wrist to get more blood flowing out.
Billie Joe latched onto his wrist and drank as much as he could, the taste becoming addictive and mixing with his own blood. The vampire could only think of when he made Billie Joe drink the water he gave him and how humans can cling to life so persistently, even if it means giving up their humanity. ‘It’s amazing what a human will do to stay alive. Billie Joe doesn’t want this in his mind, but his subconscious wants to live and the body will do whatever it takes...’
The vampire’s thoughts stopped as Billie Joe’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and his heartbeat stopped.
Billie Joe Armstrong’s human life had ended.
Now the blonde vampire remembered that he had to deal with a vampire-hunter turned into the thing he hated most.
‘Fucking hell.’
~*~*~
The blonde vampire watched as the small dark-haired ex-human lay on his bed. Still dead. ‘Why is this taking so long?! …Then again, I was dead for three weeks so I can’t really complain… but still! It’s been two weeks, and I can’t leave for more than a few minutes in case he wakes up… why couldn’t I just let him die?’
He sighed and tapped his fingers on the sideboard repeatedly, while looking down at Billie Joe. “I really wish you’d hurry up. Despite how long it took for me to change, I’m worried... if you wake up you can have more vampire blood?” He tried coaxing the dead body back into life then sighed again. “Fine, be that way. And you’re going to crave blood like mad when you wake up… just to warn you… not that you can hear me…”
Another hour passed before the vampire heard Billie’s eyes open slowly. “Oh, sleeping beauty awakes.” He stood and left the room, ignoring the newborn’s terrified gaze. He returned with a crying woman, begging for her life. “Drink her blood.”
The fear in Billie Joe’s green eyes was replaced by confusion and anger. “You want me to what?!”
“You have to drink her blood or you’ll go insane. You’re a vampire now.”
“What? No! I won’t hurt her!
“It’s for your own good! Do you want to lose your mind?! You hurt vampires just fine so why not her? She’s just some hooker, she won’t be missed!”
The woman’s cries and begs became louder and her brown eyes were beyond terrified. She saw hope in Billie Joe, who didn’t want to hurt her but knew she needed to get away from the taller vampire holding her in place.
“I can’t…” Billie Joe looked away.
The older vampire sighed angrily. “Very well, then.” He took a penknife out of his pocket and quickly cut the woman’s throat and dropped her to the floor.
All of Billie’s senses flared like wildfire at the blood as the woman convulsed and bled onto the floor, unable to scream. Billie Joe leapt at her faster than the human eye could see and sucked as much blood as he could from the wound. He soon gave up on the slit throat wound and made a new wound where more blood spilled out, which was soon licked up and drank.
“Most of it is in a puddle on the floor, don’t waste it.” The elder creature commented as he licked the blood from the knife, before Billie licked and sucked at the puddle like a possessed animal. When most of it was gone Billie Joe lifted his head from the floor and the corpse and looked at the vampire, who turned him, with blood around his mouth.
“Are you finished?” The smaller vampire nodded while the taller wrapped the corpse in a tarp sheet. “I’ll take her away later. I need to make sure you’re ok.” Billie nodded again with blood dripping from his chin. “You may want to wash your face…”
Billie Joe wiped the blood off his chin with the back of his hand then licked it off, like a cat grooming itself. “That’s morbidly cute… now listen Kitten, you need sleep. You may have been dead but your body is going to be very tired from healing.”
“Kitten?” Billie Joe glared up at the blonde.
“You act like one, your body language.”
Billie suddenly seemed to recover from the drug-like effect of the woman’s blood. “I… killed a woman… oh God… I killed her…”
“I think you’ll find that I killed her.”
“I drank her blood! I may as well have killed her!”
“You have done worse to vampires for fifteen years. Why is this so different?” The blonde vampire retorted.
“She was human, she did nothing to me.” Billie reasoned.
“The vampires you killed may have done nothing to you had you left them alone. Get over it.”
“I never murdered vampires; I used myself as bait so it was always self-defense…”
The taller man sighed, “This isn’t murder. You need to understand that this is about survival.”
“You could have let Jason ‘survive’.” He used air quotes as if he were taunting the older vampire.
“No, I really couldn’t. He was the worst kind of vampire.”
“One who kills?”
“We all kill, but he kills for fun.”
“What do you call what you did to me then? When you tied me in a corner for days! Survival? That’s bullshit!”
The older vampire sighed. This wasn’t easy for him to admit but he knew he had to. “I was so thirsty and I needed blood, so I intended to bite you and kill you. I lied about not being thirsty! I just didn’t want to hurt you and that worried me! That had never happened to me before so I couldn’t let you saunter away… and I changed you to save your life. It was a split second decision, I couldn’t watch you die!”
Billie Joe looked up at him in disbelief. “You destroyed my life! You’ve stopped me dying but now you can watch me commit suicide! I won’t live to kill innocent people!” He stood and headed for the door at an incredible speed, only to be dragged back by his wrist and at even faster speed.
“How you gonna do it then? Because let me tell you something: the sun won’t kill you- it just hurts but that doesn’t matter because the fire won’t burn you and the stake won’t pierce your skin. Vampires cannot kill themselves- it is part of the curse! Don’t you think I would have tried it at some point?”
Billie couldn’t take any more. His only escape was gone and he was stuck as a vampire forever. Tears fell down his cheeks freely as his legs gave out and he fell to the floor, sobbing like a child. The blonde knelt beside him and held him close, knowing this is a difficult transition for anyone. “This is exactly what I was like at first…”
“C-Can’t we feed w-without killing?” Billie asked, begging for a ray of hope to cling onto.
“You could… but that person would suffer all kinds of psychological trauma, not to mention they’re gonna go to the cops. They often become subject to post-traumatic-stress-disorder, nightmares, depression and more than likely suicide… I’d say it is kinder to kill them quickly.”
“W-What about blood donors?”
“And what about the people in hospitals who need transfusions?”
Billie wiped his tears away, only for them to be replaced with more, “There’s no avoiding it, is there?”
“Sadly no. You have to come to terms with it. It’s never easy, but you won’t do it alone. This is my fault, the least I can do is help you…”
Billie Joe smiled a little, “Thank you… will you tell me your name?”
“It’s Mike Pritchard, oh- no that’s wrong- it’s Mike Dirnt. I have to change it every natural lifetime or the tax office will notice someone hundreds of years old.”
“That could be a problem.” Billie chuckled under his breath.
“Exactly, there is method to the madness.”
“Um… could I go sleep now?” Billie yawned, realising how tired he actually was.
Mike smiled down at him, “I think that’s a good idea.”
~*~*~
Billie woke the next night when a pale hand shook his shoulder. Green eyes met blue eyes and Mike tossed some fabrics at Billie Joe. “I brought you some clothes.”
Billie Joe looked down at himself. He was covered in blood, most of it his own, and his shirt had a hole through it from the stake that killed him. He took the clothes from Mike’s hands and went to the bathroom to change. He returned in a baggy white shirt and dark trousers, both of which had been rolled up several times, making him look like a child playing dress-up in adults clothing.
Mike stifled a laugh. “We should probably get you some clothes that fit better.” He bit his lip to hold back giggles, “At least these aren’t bloodstained...”
Billie grumbled, “Not my fault you’re a giant.”
“I’m average size, you’re just smaller than me.” Before Billie could argue Mike spoke again, “You need to make your first kill tonight.”
All of Billie Joe’s ‘I’m not short’ arguments flew out of his mind. “Yes... I know. But I’ll only feed on criminals.”
“You’re going to trawl the streets at night looking for rapists and murderers on the prowl?”
“It won’t be hard to find in the city. And as for clothes, can I stop by my old apartment and get some of my own clothes?”
Mike thought about this for a moment. “I suppose that would be reasonable. Just don’t try eating any of the food you may have had waiting for dinner. You’ll make yourself sick if you try eating human food.”
Billie put on his shoes and coat, and then followed Mike through the city. Billie Joe was slower than Mike anyway, but he couldn’t help slowing further to look around him. There was so much more noise, more light, more life. He could hear every heartbeat for a mile, listen to every conversation and see in the dark as clearly as he could in the day and then some. He could see everything almost at a cellular level. It was exhilarating and he felt stronger than he had ever thought possible.
Mike led him to an alley where a man, about 40 years old, stood. He was tanned and he had a dark receding hairline with a shaggy beard. He wore a dark trench coat covering most of his body and before anything else Billie Joe noticed the smell of this man: alcohol and most likely weed. “I’m pretty sure that guy is a drug dealer. All you have to do is bite where the artery is, here.” Mike pointed on Billie’s neck and then his own neck. “Cover his mouth first so he doesn’t scream, got it?”
Billie Joe nodded and started to sneak into the alley, combining new vampire powers with his old techniques. Mike watched while silently praying, ‘Don’t fuck it up.’ Billie closed his eyes and concentrated on what he was about to do. ‘Gag then bite... gag then bite... gag then bite...’ Billie opened his eyes and grabbed the man harshly, forgetting his new strength, and leaned down to bite before his ears were filled with the sound of a sickening crack.
Mike slapped his forehand with his hand, “Oh Billie... well at least he won’t struggle now.”
“I didn’t mean to snap his neck!” Billie hissed. He leaned down again and found the artery and bit into the man’s neck. The scent and the taste of blood overwhelmed Billie Joe’s senses and he feasted on the man like an animal. Mike simply watched as the man’s throat was ripped out by the small, almost innocent looking demon.
Billie eventually finished and knew the sarcastic comments were about to start pouring out of Mike’s mouth. “Well, Kitten- that lacked grace to say the least. You nearly ripped his head off and you pulled his throat out, Kitten.”
“Great observations now stop calling me that!” Billie wiped his face with his sleeve.
“Come on, I’ll show you how it’s done.” Mike led Billie Joe into another alley where a woman was getting mugged. “A-ha, bingo.”
“You’re going after a mugger? I thought you didn’t care.”
“I thought I would. Seeing you only go after muggers and dealers made me feel bad.”
“Aww, the big scary vampire is influenced by the newbie.” Billie teased.
“Shut it. Now watch and learn.” Mike grabbed the mugger from behind and put a hand over his mouth. “Hey, missy- you run along now, I’ve got this guy.”
“Th-Thank you.” The woman ran past Billie Joe who was watching Mike intently.
Mike bit the man’s neck neatly and drank his blood without spilling a drop. “Half your guy’s blood is sprayed all over the alley, you can finish this one. You need it more than I since you’re a new vampire.” Mike gave the man to Billie who drank from him, trying to be more careful. “Don’t worry, you’ll get better. You’ll also have no problem with killing once your humanity fades.”
Billie dropped the corpse in rage. “That won’t happen! I won’t lose my humanity!”
“Even I can see it slipping away from you. You just killed someone and drank someone’s blood with little complaint. It doesn’t matter how you try to justify it with ‘he was too dangerous to live’ or ‘he would die anyway’.”
Billie ran. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He wouldn’t become a monster; he had to avoid it somehow.
Mike sighed, “When will you learn?” He was suddenly in front of Billie and pushed to the ground by Billie’s rush. He grabbed the smaller man’s upper arms so he couldn’t get off him. “Listen to me, you have to forget your human life!”
“No! That was all I had!”
“Let it go! You don’t have it anymore! You have to accept it and move past it!”
“No!” Billie struggled to get away from the older vampire, but couldn’t get out of his iron-grip.
“What did you have in your human life? What was there to cling onto?”
“My life! My memories!”
“You can have your memories but you life is something you will never get back, Billie Joe. Your memories will decay over time, just like they would if you were human.”
Billie couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. He cried like a child, clinging to Mike like a lifeline. “I-I’m already losing it...”
Mike let him cry. “It’s just part of the process. It gets easier with time.”
“W-When all my humanity is gone?”
“Yes. It’s like running through tar- it’s fucking difficult at first but once it’s over it’s easy. But I am not going to let you go until I think you’re ready to be on your own. If I let you go now, you’ll end up losing your mind. You can’t make it on your own yet, someone has to take responsibility for you.”
“You wouldn’t have to take responsibility for me if you had just let me die!”
“I couldn’t do that, it wasn’t an option! You’ll thank me for all this one day... now can I let you go without you running off again?”
Billie Joe thought about this for a moment, and then answered honestly. “Probably not.”
Mike smiled at his sarcastic honesty and stood up, keeping a firm hold on one of Billie’s arms. “You’re like a child, or a puppy, who won’t behave.”
“Thought you said I was a kitten.” Billie shot back, a little insulted by Mike’s comments.
“Yes, that too. Now do you want to grab some clothes from your apartment?”
Billie nodded and started walking, pulling Mike along by the hand gripping his arm. “It’s this way.”
~*~*~
Billie Joe’s apartment was small, with just a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Mike followed Billie Joe into the main living area and stopped dead in his tracks while Billie went to his bedroom. “Try not to touch anything.” Billie said to Mike from the bedroom.
Mike nodded as he looked around the room carefully. The walls were originally a pale yellow but the paint was peeling in the corners, showing it was never looked after. The walls were covered in newspaper clippings, ranging from brand-new to fifteen years old. The oldest was a report of the attack that killed Billie Joe’s family. Mike read it with interest and briefly looked at the others. Most of them were vampire attacks, the one’s that weren’t had a black line through them. Mike assumed Billie looked into them all and crossed them off when they turned out to be nothing.
It was then, Mike noticed the weapons. Billie could have equipped an army with everything he had- stakes, crossbows, swords, knives, even a few guns. Mike looked at a flamethrower curiously, ‘It looks bigger than Billie Joe...’
Billie returned with a backpack filled with the things he thought he would need, as Mike picked up a picture frame. The picture showed two adults and six children. The corners were burnt and he could smell a bloodstain on the back of it. “Is this a picture of your family?”
“Yeah, my mom, dad and five siblings.”
Mike pointed at the smallest little boy grinning at the camera in a stripy t-shirt and jeans. “Is that one you?”
Billie looked over Mike’s shoulder. “Yes, I was the youngest.”
Mike put the photo down and noticed an old stuffed bear with a missing eye and arm. “Is this a toy from your childhood?”
Billie smiled a little. “Yep, his name was Mr Grizzle... I wasn’t good at names when I was a kid.”
“This is all you have left of them, isn’t it?”
Billie Joe nodded. “Just an old bear and a few photos... if you don’t mind me asking, when did you lose your humanity?”
“Not long after I changed, because I was on my own so I was forced to accept it quicker. The only thing I remember of my family is my mother telling me to get away from her and calling me a monster sent by the devil to destroy them... I had made my way back home after waking up as a vampire a mile away in the forest only to be sent away.”
“No offense but your mother was a horrible woman, no one should do that to family.”
“It was a different time. People did not have a word for vampires in that day and age but my glowing red eyes when I felt hunger branded me simply as a demon. She was most likely just afraid. Back then the whole family lived under one roof and I think she was trying to protect everyone from me. It is a good thing she did because if I had gotten near anyone I would have attacked them out of instinct.”
Billie thought for a moment before asking, “So do you have any living relatives, like a great-great-great-something niece?”
“I have no idea, I haven’t really thought about it. And I was born in Europe so chances are they would be there and besides, I have no interest in finding them.” Mike looked around the room again. “This is so unhealthy... the way you live, I mean. Surrounding yourself with your obsession, look at these walls, no wonder you’re having trouble adjusting. Look at this place, it is a monument to your losses as a child. You have created a testament to your own misery.”
“I lived my life how I wanted, that life is over now...”
“Why would you have ever wanted to cling to such a life?”
Billie paused before answering. “Because it was my life, I never hated it... my family was all I had and I lost it. I didn’t have many friends either so I started learning to fight. I got good at it and after three years I ran into a vampire trying to kill a woman with a little girl. I beat him and realised that little girl still had her mother thanks to what I did... the looks on their faces made it worth it.”
“But why all these newspaper clippings? Wait, no- I’m not sure I want to know the reasons for your obsessive compulsive disorder. Are you done?”
“I suppose I am.”
“Then lets go.”
Billie took one last look at his home before following Mike out the door and locking it. Mike watched him, “I would have thought you would take the photo with you.”
Billie paused before walking away, towards his new home with Mike. “I don’t know where I’d put it.”
Mike ignored the lie.
~*~*~
Months passed as Billie Joe grew to control his vampire powers. He became more at ease with killing human criminals and loved Mike’s words of praise when he did things correctly. He steadily grew closer to Mike and often enjoyed being with him. He began to see Mike’s personality beyond the vampire persona he used to hide emotions and slowly, Mike began to see Billie Joe in a new light as well. It pained him to think about how lonely he was before Billie Joe came along and pained him more when he thought about what it would be like when Billie Joe left. He had grown attached to the ex-hunter and loved to see him smile.
But this had to end before they reached the point where Mike wouldn’t allow Billie Joe to leave because of the fear of loneliness.
Mike approached the younger vampire who was lying across the sofa reading a book, ‘Frankenstein? He has good taste in literature… wait that’s my book isn’t it? Oh well.’ Mike dismissed his thoughts. “Billie Joe, I have some good news for you.”
Billie Joe put the book down with a small smile, “Let me guess? You killed someone, took their wallet and bought me new jeans?”
Mike smiled at Billie’s humour, he was going to miss it. “Actually I think you’re ready, you can make it on your own now... so you’re free to leave whenever you want.”
The dark-haired vampire’s jaw dropped, he had no idea what to say. “I... I don’t want to go. I’ve really grown to like it here... and you.”
“Oh, so you don’t hate me anymore. That’s progress I suppose.”
“I stopped hating you about a week after I changed, and since then you have supported me and shown me how I should not feel guilty about surviving... and my feelings changed.”
Mike smiled almost sadly, he wished he knew about this the whole time. “Well good, I feel so un-despised. Now come on, there is a whole world out there waiting for you, a whole world and forever to experience it. Surely you’d rather be doing that than being stuck here.”
“Y’know, for someone who has been around for seven-hundred and something years, you’re pretty clueless when someone is trying to tell you something. The reason I didn’t take the photograph of my family back at my apartment was because I realised I never had a real life... I died along with my family and never really experienced any emotional bonds after that. So I decided this was my chance to start over and become a new person. You showed me what kind of person to be and I don’t want to be anything else now... I’m not entirely sure what this emotion I’m feeling is, but I know it’s the reason I don’t want to be without you. There’s more you can teach me, more you can show me. You said there’s a whole world out there and forever to experience it and I don’t want to experience it alone, I want you with me. And I can understand if you don’t want me around anymore, I’ve just been a pain in the ass to you. So just say the word and I’ll go... but if you’ll have me... I’d rather stay.”
Mike stood there stunned, he hadn’t expected that. “I’ve been pretty much alone for 724 years... i-if you feel you want to stay, then by all means stay... I would really... it would... I would like it if you stayed too.”
Billie smiled up at him, “thank you.”
“I’d love for you to stay Kitten.” Mike leaned down from his standing position and kissed Billie Joe on the head gently. “I want to show you the world, you can finally truly live.”
“With you?”
“Yes, with me. You can do whatever you want now.”
“C-Can we go out?”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere, go out to eat, enjoy the night... I mean we don’t have to do that if you don’t want to, it isn’t up to me and I’m probably going to start babbling soon so please feel free to interrupt me.”
Mike thought about things for a moment, “Tell ya what, the bay on the other side of the city is really nice all lit up at night. We could go there?”
Billie nodded with an excited smile. “Let’s go!”
After a thirteen second run, Billie Joe found himself in Mike’s arms in the bay surrounded by people. “Are you going to let go of me? I know I’m a slow runner but we’re kind of stationary right now...”
Mike shook his head, “Sorry, you’re staying here. Wanna see a really great view?” Without waiting for a reply, Mike zoomed to the top tower of the Golden Gate Bridge where the city was lit up like fireflies.
“Wow... it’s amazing!”
Mike nodded in agreement. “I’ve seen so many things... I’ve seen London burn, I saw when they first turned on the electric street lights of New York, I saw the ends of wars and so much more... but this beats all of them for some reason.”
Billie looked up at Mike from the safety of his arms and mentally decided he prefers that view. “So you’re not too afraid of heights then?” Mike asked with a grin.
“Well I know I won’t die if I fall... that helps.”
“I’d imagine it would hurt though. I’ve fallen off a cliff before and that hurt.”
“But I would heal, just like you did.” Billie sighed, “I’m sorry I hated you before.”
Mike smiled a little, “It’s ok, I’m over it. Sorry for intending to kill you.”
“That’s ok, I’m used to it.” Billie looked at the view again and sighed, “I’ve never left this city before, please, show me everything.”
“I will show you everything. There is so much beauty out there... I haven’t left this city for seventy years and now it will be a new world to explore.”
“I’d love to see where you lived as a human...”
“I would also like to see what has become of that place. We’ll leave whenever you want.”
Billie Joe smiled, “You’re amazing.”
Mike leaned down and kissed Billie on the lips softly. “I think I’m in love with you Billie Joe...”
“I feel the same Mike.” He kissed him back and finally felt like he was truly alive for the first time.
♠ ♠ ♠
I'll upload the sequel, The True Enemy, once I've finished it! Shouldn't be too long.