BK Bites~! (chp.19)

BK Bites~! - Reminiscence: Blood, a Price for a Spell. 

He remembered exactly how Hamburg looks like years ago. The city was damped, packed and a smell of stench filling up the air, shop houses were ghastly and the streets were always dirty while rats scattered around. On nights, fogs surrounded the old buildings, there was no wonder that the city would always be empty and quiet due to the citizen's fear of getting out at night. Moreover, to have known there were actually dark creatures lingering around for a victim. It was way unlikely to the new era of which the city came alive especially after dusk with blazing lights and happening nightclubs. It was hard for vampires to be living amongst these new society, it seemed that they enjoyed the night time as much as how vampires love the dark as they would go out to hunt for food. For him and his brother, they could just expose themselves as being one but they were too afraid of the consequences they had to face. Those nightmare of stakes, crosses, garlic and holy water meant to scare them away by the local neighbourhood still haunts them every time. It was just too scary of having a traumatic history being repeated. 

The cold air swept his shoulder as he was strolling around the night market held in the centre city of Hamburg. The management has made this city as their longest pit stop since they had the feeling that the twins would want to spend some quality time in their hometown. It was indeed a great idea but not for Bill. Ever since their show ended yesterday, he immediately disappeared from everyone's sight, leaving Tom to cover his secret agenda of disappearance. The band and management were worried but with Tom's compelling power, they were put to a calm state, ignoring the fact that their rock star lost without a trace and an act of searching for him would only put to waste. At the same time, Tom assured them that his brother would find his way back again. Bill knew Tom would keep him covered and Tom knew exactly where Bill is. The moon was in a full glow, so as said by Bill himself, "This is my hunting season." 

For a vampire rock star like him, free days meant absolute freedom of killing more than one victim. His hunting season would probably take up about more than a dozen blood-drained murder cases in one week. He was clever indeed to hide every evidence that would lead to him as his doing. But Tom just had enough of saving Bill's close-to-death exposure. Another round of massacre, he doubted that the investigators would just sit back and relax ever since the woods incident that Bill carelessly hid his victims' bodies, came out on the front page of the newspaper.

The night market was packed with locals and tourists, admiring over the items that each booth has got to offer, from exotic food to handicrafts. It looked more like a carnival than a typical night market, all thanks the fall festival. He kept on walking, ignoring the chills raining on him, until he reached at the end corner of the street. A particular shop caught his eyes, the sign board was read as "Madame Nicola's Old Vintage Shop" He knew the shop so well and what it has inside, back then it was merely a botanical herb shop but the owner was certainly someone who you wouldn't consider to mess around with. Only a few vampires would be daring enough to enter and seek for help. There wasn't any fear that got him to shiver as he took a step on entering the wicked shop because for one reason, the witch from the past who was residing the shop was a friend of his. 

The beaded curtains rattled as he walked past the entry door and so as the bell rang to indicated the shop owner that there was a customer to serve. All the vintage stuff sold there were pretty much familiar to him, he recognized them well as they were all from the previous years he had been living in. An old lady whose face covered with wrinkles and donned all black came from the opening behind the cashier counter. "Can I help you?" She greeted Tom with her charming but with a little twist of wickedness smile. "Ah, a lost vampire, I see." It wasn't a surprise that a witch like her could actually sense a vampire's presence before they even walk into her shop. 

"Aren't you all look just the same?" Tom made his way to the counter to have an eye to eye chat with the witch. 

"Pardon me?"

"Madame Nicola, descendant of Odelia Wandergeld?" Tom smirked slyly to have known about the history behind the Wandergeld witches. 

The witch plastered a terrified look on her face, as she was shocked to hear the name Tom just mentioned. "How do you know about my ancestors?" 

"Chillax. I used to be a friend of hers. And now I came back to seek a help from her kin." He grinned big and purposely flashed his fangs. 

"Wait a minute, I know you. I heard about you." 

"Yeah, obviously. I am a famous rock star, let me enlighten you in case you don't watch the tv or read the tabloids." 

"Oh no. I heard about your old tales. You damned creature of the night, you and your twin brother! What do you want from me?" 

"Like I said, I need your help." 

"Isn't my ancestor helped you two enough? She sacrificed herself to perform that deadly spell in order to protect you two fools. Now tell me, why would I want to help you if it requires death in the process?" 

"You do know she owed us, back then? So don't blame us if she was the one who decided to give her life in return! Besides, I could offer you a great deal if you help me." 

"What's the deal?" 

Her eyes widened as he pulled out a vial containing a thick reddish liquid from his pocket and playfully he spun the vial between his fingers. "I know how you witches long for this thing since forever!" 

"A vampire's blood?" 

"Yes, my blood. You have to help my brother and I'll give you this as a thank you gift ." 

"It's a great bargain. Not one vampires would actually offer his or her blood to our kind." 

"What can I say? I'm just keeping a good term with an old friend's kin." He smiled and tempted the old lady by shoving the vial right in front of her eyes. "So, do we have a deal?" 

"What's the problem, first?" 

He went through the crowd of the street market, getting more high with the scent of human's blood surrounded him. His eyes hidden behind his aviator were still in a crimson red shade, only brought to a meaning that he just had his dinner but it wasn't enough. His only victim for that night was thrown into the lake, for the first time he thought he was making a good use out of Tom's idea. He needed more blood and more ideas to hide the bodies, hence finding Tom would be the perfect move in order to satisfy his desires. How he hated the technology but somehow without it, he wouldn't have the chance to actually detect Tom's exact location. 

"This spell would only make him forgot that he is a vampire. And it will take him back to his first phase of returning. A blood of a virgin should be the trigger for his real-self awakening. I could only help you with this spell, I can't do much." 

"You can't take his ripper act away for good?" 

"Any spells in the world won't do that! It all lies on his heart. It was his choice to be a merciless ripper and by that, Bill can only save himself that is if he is able to gain a bit of humanity within him." 

Listening attentively to the witch, Tom knew the chances to save his brother were quite thin judging by Bill's heartless devil-like soul but he planted a little hope, assuring himself that the spell could actually work. It was the only way he could think of to get back his innocent little brother. He unwillingly carved a happy smile to Madame Nicola and handed her the vial containing his blood as promised. 

"Just make him hate the vampire he is, remind him of how monsterous he used to be, I think that would help a little." The witch sincerely smiled back as she could tell that Tom was sighing under his breath. "Give this to him, I've already put an attraction spell on it to ensure he would wear it. And remember the spell would only be broken if the pendant is no longer in one piece." 

As she was about to give Tom the spelled chain with a pendant of a crescent moon twirled with vines of a rose, she sensed a familiar presence coming towards her shop. "Someone's coming. A vampire." She muttered but Tom could hear her clearly. 

For one thing about twins, they would usually have this sort of connection. What more if having a vampiric power? Unlike Bill, Tom is older and wiser, he definitely took his time to explore and practice his supernatural ability. Without a second thought, Tom just knew the one who was coming is none other than his one and only twin brother. 

The blood inside his vein was running fast and it was throbbing him with a lust he had to fulfil. To be surrounded with human, coming from all directions, front, back, left, right, while he was in his crazy hunger state, he was getting nervous and his body was all wet by the sweat he produced. He was thirsty for a bite but he knew he had to control himself not to make a bloody scene in a crowded place. He ran as fast as he could to reach the location of where his GPS Finder has sensored Tom. It hit him with a curiosity, "Why in the hell would Tom be at an old vintage shop?" 

The bell rang as Bill entered the weird but wicked looking shop. Somehow his high interest of all things vintage was overshadowing his purpose of looking for Tom. He was stunned and amazed by all the things sold in Madame Nicola's shop, making him completely forgot all about Tom and his blood lust. The aviator was taken off as he saw a particular chain necklace that has a beautiful glowing pendant. He felt as though the pendant was hypnotizing him as his feet slowly took a step after step for a closer look. The witch was already standing next to him with a smile on her face, knowing that her attraction spell worked well. She then, took the chain off the rack and put it around his neck. There was no surprise as the crescent moon part of the pendant casted a white light when it was hanging on Bill's neck, a sign that the next spell has lifted. 

“This is a new beginning for you. Keep it, the chain is all to you now.” 

 Bill wanted to say thank you but upon of seeing an old lady with a crooked smile and a pair of black-linered eyes giving him a deadly stare, he simply threw away his manner and left the shop in a such rush. 

"Now, where did he go? You scared him away!" Tom finally came out from the back of the shop through the same opening of where the witch made her entrance to greet him at the first place. 

"I didn't do anything, not my problem he was secretly a scaredy cat vampire ripper." She chuckled. 

"Yeah, whatever. Good night and thanks again." Tom waved goodbye and making his way for an exit.

"You better run now, once the spell is fully lifted, he'll blackout." 

"Oh shiesse!" 

Using his instinct, Tom ran as fast as he could to catch up with his brother, passing by shops after shops until he reached a dark alley and was relieved to have found Bill lying on the ground, looking unconscious and untouched. "Oh Bill. Why do you have to bring some much trouble?" He mumbled to himself as he scooped Bill up and ended his journey for the night by hailing a cab to get back to their hotel. Yes, like a normal people would do.


to be continued...