Fangs and Haloes

The vampire charged, throwing a punch. Nadia dodged and tried to counter with a right hook, but the vampire leaned out of the way of the strike.

To Ian, it seemed as if they were dancing back and forth, each moving out of the way of the other’s blows. The speed of their movement was almost a blur against the flashing strobe light of the club.

Distracted, he didn’t notice until it was too late. Two arms wrapped around him tightly. The person pinned his arms to his side, driving their jacket zipper into his back. Ian struggled to break the hold, but the grip only tightened.

His lungs felt like they were being squished as the grip tightened. He kicked her shin and let out a hiss of pain. The person’s leg felt like steel.

“Next time, watch your back, Mr. Officer.” A feminine voice hissed. Her tongue licked all around his neck.

What is with these people and licking! This is the second supernatural being to do this. Ian shivered at the feeling of the cold saliva hitting his neck. He struggled with all his might, the one on the right side of his face visible from the exertion.

“Get the fuck off me!” he growled.

The lady tilted her head back, letting out a hearty chuckle. “Most guys would kill to be held by me like this.”

“Like most guys would want to be held by a creepy—”

The lady bit down on his neck. Ian’s words turned into a scream. He felt nothing but pain, which abruptly ended, replaced by a feeling of pleasure. The sensation turned into an exhilarating warmth that flooded his chest and dulled his vision.

“Enjoy the euphoria, as I drain your body dry,” the woman’s voice whispered alluringly in his mind.

Ian’s eyes glazed over; his body shut down and stopped fighting. His head fell back against her shoulder, his arms dropping limply to his sides. Nadia’s voice faded into the background and the world turned black.

“My foolish son,” a voice echoed in his mind.

Ian quickly opened his eyes and saw the same pitch-black world from when he was in the hospital. Standing up from the ground, he couldn’t see anything in the dark room. His feet were wet from the leftover rain.

The sloshing of his feet was loud as he walked. The sound echoed repeatedly through the void; cold water soaked through his shoes.

" Ian, you’re going to have to want to be strong, to be better,” the voice pleaded. “To survive, you must change and grow!”

Ian ignored the voice and continued walking in a random direction. The lack of warmth and darkness was getting to him. There was nothing he couldn’t see in front of him, yet he wondered. Seconds stretched into minutes.

Suddenly, police sirens blared in the distance. In front of him, a street lamp appeared, slowly beginning to blink on and off. Underneath the light was a man with short dark hair lying on the ground, clutching his stomach.

As he got closer, he saw a man of similar age with a face like his own. The man was dressed in a leather jacket, a white shirt, blue jeans, and plain white sneakers. The clothes themselves were in tatters, blood staining them and the ground.

Ian approached the man, an almost familiar feeling radiating from him, and knelt beside him. The man raised a bloody hand to his face.

“S-Save them, please,” the man whispered, his eyes closing as he gasped one last time. “Paul.”

The man’s hand fell to the ground, his eyes now closed.

Ian felt a sharp pain in his chest, his eyes watering. The feeling of a deep loss echoed through his heart. A long tear ran down, but he didn’t understand. Did he have a connection to this man?

There had to be something there because he said Paul’s name.

A small hand landed on his shoulder, breaking his train of thought. Ian jumped and spun around. The woman from the TV appeared in front of him. A teary smile was on her face.

She pointed towards the man on the ground. Ian turned and saw the man’s body become a white light, brightening the dark area before becoming a small butterfly. The butterfly flew right into his body, and strong pressure shot forth.

It felt like something unlocked as his body grew uncomfortably warm.

“Embrace these new feelings, and use them to empower yourself,” the woman’s voice echoed around.

Ian opened his mouth to speak, but she turned into white particles. “You could’ve at least told me who you were,” he sighed. Annoyed that his chance at getting answers was slipping away again.

The energy in his body surged. It felt like he had drunk a bunch of energy drinks. As the sensation grew stronger, he closed his eyes, shielding them from the bright light appearing. Everything around him began to vibrate and hum until eventually it stopped.

When Ian opened his eyes, he found himself back in the club with its music loud as ever. Around his body, the grip was still tightly squeezing him. A yellow aura began to form around his body.

“Who the hell is this guy?” the woman vampire asked, but it was too late.

Without warning, an explosive flare of yellow energy detonated from him. Ian turned around to see the female vampire hurled backward across the floor. The impact slammed her hard against one of the DJ’s giant speakers, sending sparks into the air.

Her face was full of terror as she stared at Ian. “No human could summon power! Are you an adept?” She asked, but continued, not waiting for a reply. “That bastard lied to us!”

Nadia let out a loud gasp. Both the vampire and she stopped fighting to look at the sudden destruction. “Since when could you do that?” she asked in wonder.

The male vampire cocked his head to the side, a puzzled look showing on his face. His eyes narrowed as he studied Ian. “Interesting, someone unlocking their powers so late in life.”

Ian didn’t reply to anything — feeling a heavy pulse radiating around his body. “Concentrate on that energy to summon it forth!” the woman’s voice encouraged.