The Curse of the Half-Breed

Julie's painful screams echoed painfully in the pitch black room.

"Aaaaaah! I want to drink! Noooo!"

John pushed through the door, his heart thumping in his chest. He found Julie lying sprawled on the floor, utterly losing her mind. He rushed to her side, panicking. "Julie, what happened?!"

She looked up, screaming as two sharp fangs extended beyond her lips, her blonde hair all over the place. "I need blood! Blood… BLOOOOOOD!"

John held her tight, trying to calm her down. "Calm down! If you continue screaming like this it will ruin your health! Think about the baby!"

Julie looked at him with a wild mad look and a twisted smirk. "I don't care! I want blood!" She grabbed desperately at her own hair. "I want to drink or I will die!"

"Honey, there aren't anyone around here for you to feed on!" John begged.

"Oh really?"

Julie shot forward at supernatural speed, digging her fangs into John's neck, biting harshly and drinking his blood.

John stood frozen in complete and utter shock. "Are you an idiot?! You drank a vampire's blood!"

But Julie was not listening to his pleas. She continued drinking until she finally pulled back, her face stained with blood. "Oh… now I feel better." She raised her heavy head and her vision swam. "Why am I feeling so dizzy, honey? Julie… why…"

Before she could finish, her eyes rolled back and she suddenly collapsed right onto his lap.

"JULIE!" John yelled into the room.

---

He lifted her up and ran through the night, bringing her directly to the local wizard.

After what seemed like forever, the wizard came out of the room, his head hung. "Oh… I'm so sorry, sir. We were not able to save her."

John turned to him in rage, gripping the wizard tightly by the collar. "What did you just say?! You know if you joke around with me I will kill you with my poisoned fangs!"

"Sir, she is dead!" the wizard gasped, choking for air. "But… but the baby survived!"

John did not loosen his grip. "KILL THE BABY! GIVE ME MY JULIE BACK!"

"Sir, your wife drank a pure vampire's blood while she was human," the wizard said frantically. "The blood clashed, destroying her body, but thankfully the child's life was saved."

John dropped the wizard and entered the room. He saw Julie's cold, lifeless body lying on the bed. Right next to the left side of her lay a newborn infant.

John got closer to the child, inspecting the baby, noting the lack of fangs, but when his eyes fluttered open they were a fierce crimson blood color.

"Wizard!" John roared.

The wizard entered the room. "Yes, sir?"

"What is this thing?! He is not a vampire!"

"Sir… he is a half-human and a half-vampire," the wizard whispered in awe.

John went silent, the room became unnaturally silent.

"A half-breed…" John muttered, disgusted. "This filth has no place in my house. This monster ate Julie from the inside out! I'll kill him!"

John raised his hand, dark powers flowing to end the child's miserable life.

"Sir, don't do this!" the doctor cried, stopping John. "He is your next heir! He is the son you always wanted!"

John's hand shook. Suddenly, a memory of Julie's voice months ago played in his mind. "John, if it's a boy, I want to name him Ethan."

Tears flowed down the broken vampire's cheeks. He lowered his hand and turned his back to the crib, pointing firmly to a servant standing in the corner.

"Take this child," John stated coldly. "His name is Ethan. Take him away from here, he has no place in my life."

John walked out of the room, leaving his son behind. The servant looked down at the tiny baby and whispered, "Poor kid…"

---

Five Years Later

A five year old Ethan peered through the small crack of John's office door. Looking inside, he could see his father sitting on the floor, silently crying.

From behind him, a kind voice spoke. "Young Master, what are you doing?"

It was Sam, the servant who had taken care of Ethan since his birth.

Ethan turned around. "Nothing…"

Sam knelt down, concern in his voice. "Young Master, please go back to your room. How many times have I told you not to come to this part of the estate?"

Ethan looked down at his small shoes. He felt a heavy pain in his chest. "Mister Sam… I only come here daily because I want to see Dad. I ask everyone where my mom is but nobody ever tells me anything."

Sam was unable to give the boy the harsh rejection.

Suddenly, the office door creaked open. John's cold eyes stared at them through the gap. "Sam. Sam."

Sam tensed up, looking at him. "Yes, sir?"

"Bring him in here."

Sam's face went pale.

Ethan, completely unaware of the danger, gave out a happy laugh. "Ah, Mister Sam! Daddy wants to talk to me! I am so happy!" He skipped towards the door but noticed that Sam was completely frozen.

"SAM!" John roared from inside the room, it sounded like a thunder. "I gave you an order! Are you deaf?!"

Sam swallowed his fear, took Ethan by the hand and entered the room.

"Now get lost," John snapped at Sam.

"What? Sir… please let me stay," Sam begged, refusing to let the child be alone with the madman.

John glared at him. "Have I asked for your opinion?"

Knowing he had no choice, Sam leaned down and whispered into Ethan's ear, "Young Master, please watch out." He tapped the boy's shoulder gently.

Ethan smiled happily, trying to give him his assurance. "Oh, haha! Don't worry, Mister Sam, he is my dad!"

Sam reluctantly backed out of the room and closed the door.

Ethan stepped closer to the desk. "Dad—"

SLAP!

A firm force hit Ethan's cheek, sending him down to the floor.

"How dare you use that word with me?!" John growled, standing over him like a demon. "You are nothing to me!"

Tears flowed down Ethan's cheeks as he clutched his burning cheek. "Have… have I done something wrong, Dad?"

John raises his hand to slap him again. "I told you not to let that word leave your dirty mouth, you disgusting half-breed!"

Ethan dodged his father's slap, crawling away on the floor. His heart broke into a million pieces. Why did his father hate him so much?

John used his powers, advancing to finish what he had started five years ago. Ethan tried to hide behind a chair, sobbing hysterically. "Why are you doing this?!"

Suddenly, the office door swung open. Sam rushed in, ignoring all protocol. "Young Master, please run! Throw yourself out the window! Run if you want to live!"

John's eyes turned blood red. He turned his head to the interruption. "You son of a…"

Before Sam could react, John jumped at him, his fangs sank into his neck, blood splattering all over.

Ethan watched, horrified. He cried loudly, "Mister Sam! Please don't die! You monster, leave him alone!"

Through the pain, Sam looked at Ethan one last time. He forced a weak, loving smile. "I am alright… please… save yourself…"

With his last words, Sam's eyes went blank, his body went limp.

John continued to brutally rip the body apart. Terrified and sobbing, Ethan did not waste anytime. He climbed onto the windowsill, looked back at the horrific scene one last time and jumped.

He ran into the night. His small feet moving faster than a human child's. The wind blew against his face as he sobbed, the weight of trauma crashed down on him. In the middle of the empty road, he collapsed to his knees and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

"AAAAAAAARRRGH! NOOOOO!"

"Oh? Kid, are you alright?"

A voice spoke out from the darkness of the road. Ethan looked up through his blurry, tear-filled vision to see a strange stranger standing above him.

Clutching the stranger's coat, Ethan sobbed, "Please help… mister, please save him…"

The stranger frowned, looking around the empty path. "Are you a lost kid?"

Without saying anything else, the man picked up Ethan and carried him away. Finally, he dropped him off at a nearby orphanage.

All throughout the long trip and arriving at the orphanage, Ethan did not speak. He did not react to anything around him. He was numb.

The orphanage staff gathered around the strange little boy. "Kid, what's your name?"

"…Ethan," he whispered lifelessly.

"Where are your parents?"

The word parents sent a violent flash of memories into his head. His father's brutal slap, hunting, Sam's bleeding body.

"Hey, Ethan," the orphanage matron snapped, pulling him out of his trance. "I asked you, where are your parents?"

Ethan looked down. "I… I don't have any."

The matron sighed and dragged him down a long, cold hallway. She opened a door to a dark, filthy room. Inside there lay dozens of starving and hollow-eyed kids lying directly on the floor.

She shoved him inside. "This is where you will be living from now on."

SLAM!

The heavy wooden door slammed and the lock clicked.

Ethan sat in the corner of the dark room, pulling his knees tightly against his chest. He shook all over, staring into the shadows. What is happening to me?

---

Five Months Later

Every single day for the past five months was spent in agonizing hunger, confinement and lifelessness. Ethan had adapted to the dark, becoming one of the hollow shells of the orphanage.

One afternoon the heavy door swung open.

A tall man entered the filthy room. He was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, radiated the aura of pure danger, absolute authority and villainy.

The man walked past the other children and sat down right in front of Ethan. He inspected the boy.

"What's your name?" the man asked.

Ethan looked up, eyes devoid of life. "E… Ethan."

A slow grin spread across the man's face. He leaned back, whispering under his breath, "This kid… will be of great benefit to me."

He reached forward, gloved hand stretching towards Ethan in the dim lighting of the room.

"Will you be my son, Ethan?"

---

[Chapter 1 Ended

To Be Continued]