DARK SHADOWS

 

CHAPTER II: BLOOD SISTER

 

“Evil lies within. If you believe that, it can never harm you.”

 

-Shelby GT500

 

     Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. All had changed so much. The Pokemon Town was once a ghost habit, but enslaved in a war? Innocent people weren’t supposed to hide at night and pray that no harm would befall their home. Street fights and shootouts were also not what Lavender Town was about. Yet, just earlier, a man and some creature had gotten into a said fight.

     Who was the man? What was that creature?

     The creature!

     Misty screamed abruptly and shot herself up. Her eyes were locked fully open and her jaw dropped to the point of cracking. Her tan skin was now pale and slightly cut up from being pushed through the Pokemon Tower’s locked doors. Long wood slivers protruded from her torso, legs, and arms. A small amount of broken glass glittered over her skin and on her face. Blood was not absent. It was nearly everywhere.

     It seemed like hours-weeks-years since Misty saw light. All her mind remembered was seeing a massive beast attack her and push her aggressively. After that it was all a blur. But one thing she remembered was the sensation of falling.  She fell in that brief period...fell forever. The feeling was like that of an omen. What does falling forever, into darkness, have to do with the situation?

     Misty’s answer paced before her. It was massively tall, muscular, and wolf-like. The piercing yellow eyes were familiar, as was the entire physique of the said beast. Beast was a much more acceptable term when describing this thing. And this thing, this creature, this beast, paced around in a perfect circle over and over again. Every foot step echoed like the thud of dropping a bowling ball down a lane, but without the scraping rolling sound. Drool dripped from its black leather-like lips and the sharp tips of his canine teeth.

     “Please don’t hurt me. I’m begging you.” She twitched her head around to find her friends. But to no avail, neither Ash nor Brock could be seen, nor their Pokemon to aid in her rescue.

     Her idea of running was no good either. She couldn’t run because of the obvious lack of light, but also because her ankle had been hurt when she was pushed through the Tower doors. And it wasn’t like she didn’t try to get up and run.

     But the beast had no trouble pacing. It was swift, agile, and graceful. Each step followed the previous’. Soon the beast paced forward toward his prey.

     “Ash, help!”

Then there was the sudden intrusion of more gunshots. Each shot was fast and erratic. Immediately after the shots began, blood splattered onto the floors and walls as the beast was torn apart. Its right leg was torn off and all that was left was a rigid bone dripping with blood.

     The light from the guns temporarily lit the darkened Tower. It wasn’t clear as day, but a massive alteration. Her vision increased greatly, giving her the ability to see her rescuers. There were easily one dozen men and at least four women. Each was equipped with a massive weapon that pumped out bullet after bullet. And they wore dark, tight clothing, such as long jackets, tight pants, shirts, and boots. And there physical appearance wasn’t too difficult to pass over, as they were all extremely pale and there hair was either dark brown or black.

     How do they see?

     It was the only question active in Misty’s mind.

     While the gunfire continued on, she had time to notice the alterations to the Tower itself.

     Where the windows had once been there were now crimson curtains. The doors were made of dark wood, and the floor was that of stone and crimson carpeting here and there. Several seating areas were situated around the Tower’s main hall. No longer did the infamous Pokemon Tower remain unsettled. To her, it was as if a community of people had moved in. And those said people had just shot to death that creature that attacked her and her friends. Who knew if they would kill her too just for trespassing?

      At last the gunfire subsided and the Tower returned to its darkened state. Yet an unfamiliar metallic clicking kept sounding through the Tower and thuds like the dropping of a full pop can carried through. Other thuds like foot steps and hisses soon followed. The foot steps echoed in the darkness especially.

     Again the Tower was silent. No foot steps rippled through the floorings and no hisses caused her body to chill. Then there were three more gun shots that made Misty jump up and scream as loud as she could. Only a reflex however. Otherwise she would have been too scared to react.

     The last shots also lit the Tower substantially. It was then that Misty saw a man with his left foot pressed on the beast’s chest and his pistol aimed at its heart-the light was gone.

     “Who are you?” the darkness engulfed man inquired calmly.

     “She’s a Mortal.” Replied a female voice, also with no person to be seen speaking it.

     “Tristan, lights if you would be so kind?”

     Misty jumped at what she saw. There were well over two dozen people but only a mere seven wore the outfit she had seen with the faint light. The many others wore old-style dresses, suits, and loose formal clothing. Each was pale, had dark hair, extremely blue eyes, and-

     “Fangs?” Misty crawled backward into a wall and clenched her foot after the brutal pain she inflicted upon herself. “What are you?”

     “My name is McLaren.” He was a well-built, tall man not being aged more than early thirties. His long black hair hung down to the peek of his shoulders. But what was off from McLaren than the others was that his eyes glowed, while theirs’ were simply blue. “Who, my dear, may I ask are you?”

     “Misty. Misty Waterflower.” She replied through a series of pants and gasps. “Why are you people in the Pokemon Tower?”

     McLaren looks around at his fellow inhabitants. Each moves in on Misty’s stationary position.

     “People? No no my dear. That was centuries ago. If you assume us as mere Mortals, as humans, you are greatly mistaken.”

     “You’re vampires.” Misty replied softly. Her jaw dropped and her eyes grew large. “You’re going to bite my neck and suck my blood!”

     “My dear,” McLaren cut in softly, “we do not randomly attack helpless Mortals. We are far more sophisticated than that. Rarely does one of our kind kill and suck blood for sustenance.”

     “Then what are you going to do to me?”

     “How old are you, my dear Misty?”

     She looked around at her many viewers who stared at her as if she were a rare mummified princess.

     “Fifteen. I’m fifteen.”

     “Perfect. You are the perfect age.”

     “For what?”

     “My dear, have you not wondered what has happened to this town? Never in the history of Kanto has such a plague ravaged all.” McLaren removes his pistol from his shoulder holster and aims the weapon at the fallen beast. Then, he hisses. “That beast, do you know what it is?”

     “No.”

     “It is an Immortal. A Lycan, or better known as a werewolf to Mortals. They have the power to...transform into those beasts. Normally they look just like you or I. They will fit in the world and live like you. My guess is that you’ve already passed by one.”

     “So that thing is a man.”

     “Yes that in particular one was a male. But only recently have they been able to change at will. For the past centuries Lycans could only change when in contact with a full moon. But now the moon no longer holds her sway. Then again, only the older and more powerful Lycans can change at will.”

     “What would he have done to me?”

     “Turned you.” Mercedes replied. “By tomorrow, being yet another full moon, you would have been changed into a werewolf. Pity. Women don’t make good werewolves. Too much hair.”

     Tristan’s pale hand slid out from the midnight blue leather jacket that hung loosely over his body. It was outstretched toward Misty. He showed a look of pity upon Misty, for he knew of her near future. Never did he adore the idea of Forced Turning, the act being banned many centuries back by the Vampyre Council to avoid any mixed alliances prodded by vengeance.

     But Misty returned the sympathetic expression and grabbed Tristan’s hand. What could happen? Obviously if they’re telling her all of this information and after they saved her life she must be important to them.

     McLaren and Mercedes followed behind Tristan and Misty as they walked up the staircase trailing the curved wall where the same home décor matched the lower area.

     Crimson tones and black ravaged the Tower. The theme was gothic. Few lights lit the pathway down the corridors. Curtains hung over all the windows. And all seating areas were arranged with Victorian furniture. The doors were tall, the ceilings were high. She couldn’t believe this was the Pokemon Tower she had been in only a few years prior.

     “How long have you been here?” Misty asked examining the mansion-like Tower.

     “Two years.” McLaren replied buttoning up his jacket.

     Tristan marched to the end of the corridor with Misty at his side. They entered a massive room via two twelve foot high double doors. Just beyond the corridor was a room accented with hundreds of shimmering items all hanging on the walls or in displays in the center of the room.

     As she and the three Vampires entered more of the room, she saw that these items were weapons. Spears, swords, staffs, axes, guns, Pokeballs, crosses, bottles filled with fluids, stakes, silver, garlic, and projectile weapons were among these weapons.

     “As you can see our war has raged on for centuries. Some of these weapons are six hundred years old.”

     “And how long has the war gone on for?”

     “Six hundred and fifty eight years. I have been alive through the entire war.”

     Misty was shocked. “What?”

     “Vampires never die. That is unless they are killed.”

     “That must be lonely. All your loved ones died years ago.”

     Tristan shrugged, “Centuries. All of them were killed by the War.”

     Mercedes approached the wall and pulled down a cross and bottle of fluid.

     “Do know what these are for?”

     “No.” Misty replied.

     Mercedes grinned and hung the items back up on the wall. “Killing demons. This war is Vampires versus Lycans versus Demons. Each one of us has our own reason to be involved in this war. Vampires and Werewolves are in this to settle a score, but the Demons want to expand Hell. The only trouble is we aren’t allowed to attack Lycans unless they attack us. And Demons are far too powerful for any other Immortal to harm.”

     “That’s why we need you. No Mortal can save your friends. Think of it as an upside.”

     With that, Tristan sunk his fangs deep into Misty’s neck.

     She screamed.

     It echoed through the halls.

     Everything faded to darkness.

     Lightning dances across the sky and lights the Pokemon Tower.