Chapter Text
V leaned back into the old leather seat, the black thing had seen far better days. The whole truck had, honestly. The red thing was scratched to hell and back, more white then Crimson. But it ran and the heater worked, so it’d make do. Had for the last couple years anyway.
The tapping hadn’t stopped for Thirty minutes, back and forth back and forth. She felt her eye twitch as she guided the old thing down the highway.
“N, Stop. You’ve been Tapping since we got in.” She spoke through gritted teeth, trying to be…. Nice. She’d been trying, she was. It was… difficult. Especially in a time like this.
“Sorry. Just worried.” She didn’t need to be told that, not with the way he shifted. He gazed out the window every five seconds, as if expecting something other than the blizzard that raged around them. They couldn’t go nearly as fast as she wanted too, not in these conditions.
Her eyes fluttered down to her phone, service was long gone. They’d been lucky to even get that idiots text. Uzi. She’d been out on some sort of camping retreat her dad Insisted she went on, to clear her head and meet some shrinks. The thought of it made her blood boil. She didn’t need to be fixed, certainly not by some overblown bible camp. Who even held these things in winter? It was fucking stupid. They should’ve broken her out day one. It’d been… two weeks now? And now this text. Help. Nothing more, nothing less. She’d kill them if they even thou-
“V?” He was clutching one of her hands, squeezing it. His fingers were cold against the fingerless gloves she always wore. They were always cold, no shock there. Came with the whole Vampire thing. Every part of them was frigid. Well, almost every part. N’s eyes were warmer than the sun. Golden orbs that could melt away all the pain in the world if given the chance. She’d gotten lost in them so- not the time.
“Mhm?”
“She’ll be ok.” She didn’t know how he could even say that. For all they knew, she was freezing to death, or this camp was run by lunatics. She glanced over at him, her anger dying before it could even leave her lips.
He was still clutching her hand, the pale thing escaping from the dark void that was his coat. His chrome colored hair was tucked behind that weathered cap. It might have been a pilot’s, she wasn’t sure. But it was his face that hurt. Twisted into one of sheer concern. For Uzi. For her. She could practically smell the way the fear twisted inside him, how carefully he was trying to keep it inside. She turned back to the road. They’d be there soon. They’d have to be.
It took another 20 minutes of silent panic for them to arrive, turning off the highway to a shrouded dusty road. Snow covered tree’s surrounded the trail like a ribcage, boxing them in. The gate was barely 10 minutes down the path, a wooden thing that was closed tight. A metal sign, reading “camp Everwood, where family is forever.” Disgust filled her chest at the sight of it. The script was like every live laugh love sign mixed into one, teeth hidden behind a caring smile.
“End of the road. We’re gonna have to walk.” She was already pulling the knife out from beneath her seat. Not that she really needed it, not with her fangs. Made her feel better at least.
“Not too far, can see some sort of building from here.” N chimed, pointing through the roaring snow. The shadowy silhouette of some sort of shelter lay flat against the whiteout. Couldn’t be more than 200 feet away. Ok. They slipped out of the car, leaving it unlocked, just in case. The cold was blinding, the biting winds pushed at her, from every angle. They’d have to be quick. She nodded at N, before running.
They moved quicker than any human could, crossing the distance with ease. Their footsteps hardly even left marks in the snow, having moved too fast to leave their weight behind.
It was some sort… office? That’s what the plaque said above the door, counseling office. Great. She pushed the door open, nodding towards the cluster of cabins barely 50 feet away.
“I’ve got this, scream if you find anything.”
“I don’t think we should split up-“
“We don’t have time! This place gives me the creeps, we have to find her.” She cut him off, nodding again. He sighed, planting a kiss on her cheek.
“Be safe, ok?”
“Of course….. you too.” She winced, turning towards the door. Her hand drifted to her cheek, holding the spot. She wouldn’t ever be used to it. Affection. Not from him, and not from Uzi. It was… strange. Not wrong, but strange. Like a thirst you never knew you had, suddenly awakened.
She was ripped from those thoughts the moment she opened the door, the scent of blood overwhelmed the office, not that she could see any. It was like a crimson fog, falling over this place. It only took one look for her to hate it. Tan walls with a tan carpet, with various crosses and Photo’s of men and women in sweaters of the same tan. Framed bible excerpts and inspirational quotes in that same flowing script. V fought the urge to puke. The oppression was almost tangible, like a hundred disappointing parents.
Focus. She moved deeper, pushing into the office of a “Dr Andrew Smith”, following the scent. She didn’t even have to open the door, the red smear leading down the hall. One glance inside revealed the gore that covered the inside. Shit. She was running down the hall now, ignoring the gnawing hunger that thrived off the intoxicating scent. Uzi. Find Uzi. Find her and keep her safe. Uzi. Her safety and… blood…
She shook herself, pushing the back door open. The red trail bled into the snow, heading towards a massive central cabin, maybe a dining hall? Ok. Keep moving.
She pushed the doors open, stopping dead. Gore covered the mess hall, bits of people thrown around, pools of blood dripping from discarded kills. At the far end, a figure leaned over a body, ripping into its throat. She was missing her beanie, the girl’s puffy purple hair falling. Over most of her face as she fed, her hoodie stained red. Shit.
“….Uzi?” It was a choked whisper, barely words. She couldn’t focus, not with the sickly sweet scent swarming around her.
The figure snapped its head back, her brown eyes dialated. V barely had a chance to move before the claws dug into her side, unhinged giggles filling the air.Uzi’s head shot back, the leathery wings that had grown from her back flapping in excitement as she ripped into the taller girl’s shoulder. Fuck. V couldn’t help but smile as she ripped the hand from her shoulder, the giggling escaping her own lips. Thoughts weren’t coming to the vampire as her vision blurred, only the sound of the heart beating in front of her. The smell of the blood, the way she could already taste that sickly sweet nectar. She lept forward, attacking her girlfriend.
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Calm down, calm down. N repeated it, over and over again. Even as he moved through the blood stained cabins,finding body after body. None were intact,missing limbs, or having cut open chests, organs dripping from them. Some were clearly done by weapons, but others…. The teeth marks were impossible to mistake. He counted 6 total, mutilated beyond belief. One was younger, but most were old, balding or dressed in coats and torn sweaters.
It was hardly even a cabin, no. The walls were a horrible creme tan, like an old folks home. It was too… orderly. Beds stacked perfectly in the corners, no real decoration beyond framed quotes. The only real color was the blood, the crimson having stained a good portion of the room. Crap. Crap crap crap.
He needed to find V, now. He turned towards the door, only to scream as the fingers clamped around his ankle. The vampire had to stop himself from ripping the arm off as he turned, an older man, his other arm having been completely removed from him, was mumbling something.
“Sir! Crap, crap it’s gonna be ok, just let me um..” the panic seeped into his voice as he struggled to apply pressure to the gaping stump. It wasn’t working, it wasn’t! The man was a deathly pale, as if he was a corpse.
“Please…” it was a barely a whisper, a ragged thing that barely seemed to make it past the man’s lips.”We tried…. To keep it contained… the demon..”
“Demon?” He shook the man gently. No such things as demons.
“The girl… Uzi. She is a monster wearing our flesh. A…creature of the devil. We… tried so hard to keep it contained once we knew… but…”
“That doesn’t make any sense. She’s not-“ the scream ripped through the air. Uzi’s scream. Shit. He didn’t have time to listen to this…. Rambling. That’s what it was. Yeah, rambling.
“Don’t move, I’ll be back! Just… apply pressure.” He turned, scrambling towards the door. V was right. This place felt… wrong. That hadn’t helped. Demon? That was crazy. Even if he and V… existed, demon’s was something else entirely. Something terrible had happened here, but that was crazy
He ran through the ajar doors, stopping dead in his tracts. Uzi was sobbing on the floor, covered in cuts and blood. Wings unfurled from her back…. Wings? V stood over her, blood pouring from the place where her right eye used to be, her claws raised.
“V!” He was running towards her, he had to stop this.
———————————-
Pain. That’s what she felt. Pain and hunger. She could taste the blood on her tongue, and she wanted more. She needed more. This prey had a kick, having taken an eye, but that was nothing. It was less than nothing, not with the prize so close at hand. It was crying… screaming. Like a siren’s song, lovely to behold.
“I’m sorry i’m sorry…” the words were blurred, broken and hidden behind the pumping of the blood between her ears. But… she knew that voice? She did, yes. It was…
“V!” Another voice. She twisted her vision, spotting him. N. Good, he could feed too, oh…..
She froze as she looked down at Uzi, the girl’s blood dripping from her own claws. No. She took a step back, throat closing up. N was next to Uzi, cradling her. Ok. She’d be fine. She had to be. Shit. She was talking. Good. You can’t panic. Stay calm, you need to be calm. She had to be calm. To ignore the creeping panic in her chest.
“V! Someone’s still alive, I left him in the closet cabin, we should get him out!”
“Focus on her, we’ll check in a minu-“ the click of the gun cut her off. A man stood in the doorway, trailing white coat stained red, one sleeve hanging limp as the other clutched a pistol, centered on Uzi.
“Good, you two subdued her… makes this… easier.” He limped forward, hardly able to keep himself upright. No way in hell was she letting this-
Her gaze fluttered back to Uzi, who recoiled at the sight of the man, sinking deeper into N’s arms. That was all she needed as she gripped the old hunting knife.
“What did you do to her?” The venom dripped from her tongue as she took a step towards him, the gun jumping to her.
“We… saw the truth. She…. Is a hell spawn. Made in… the image of Lucifer, can’t you see it? We- tried to keep it contained. But nothing… worked. Not the-carvings…”
“What the fuck do you mean Carvings?” She spit, taking another step.
“The carving of the flesh, placing the words of the lord on it, to weaken it. When that didn’t work- we turned to burning..” crazy. He was crazy. V did not take a step towards him. She lept, enduring the piercing pain that ripped through her chest as she ripped into the man’s throat. The warmth filled her throat as she tore, the ecstasy of the blood fueling her.
He was long dead by the time she returned to her partners. The knife clattered to the floor as she fell to her knee’s, gripping Uzi’s face. She examined every inch of it, every detail. Her left eye was wrapped in bandages, but the burns peaked out. Bloody skin peaked out from beneath her shirt. A T-shirt. They had her in a T-shirt, here? The hate dripped into her heart as she pulled back. Wasn’t her place, she’d hurt her. Didn’t deserve to touch-
The hug came suddenly, Uzi’s shaking body clutching her tight. She was crying, but not V. She couldn’t cry. Not in front of them. Rather, she squeezed back, letting the shorter girl cry. What sort of nightmare was this place? That doctor was clearly psychotic. They all had to of been, to allow something like this.
She wasn’t quite sure how, but they were at the truck now. She was carrying her, climbing into the back. N loaded into the driver’s seat, sighing. They’d need a hotel. Couldn’t go back to Uzi’s tonight. They’d need to call the cops too, that was certain. But not now. No, she squeezed Uzi, trying her best to be quiet. The wings had… fallen off? Been shed. That was a problem, and one they needed to figure out.
Uzi was still trembling, even as she’d drove. Silence, that’s all there was as she held her. Silence and pain.