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Life After Death for Kurt Kraus
Warning this story contains violence.
This story does not start at the beginning of a man's life but at the end of it. It takes place in the mid 1940's, D-Day to be exact, where a German soldier prepares to meet his fate at the last battle. The man's name is Kurt Kraus and he has no regrets. He knows he has a lot to answer for when he dies but he doesn't mind. He has made his peace and is prepared for the end. Or so he thinks. "Herr Major?" Kurt turned to see who was addressing him. "Ja?" He replied looking at the young soldier. He sighed inwardly. The soldier was a lad of about fourteen. It always rubbed him the wrong way to send a child to the battlefield, but then, a lot rubbed him the wrong way as of late. "Speak up lad, I'm listening" Kurt barked. The boy bit his lip "We're going to die to day aren't we?" He asked. For a moment Kurt almost entertained the thought of giving the boy some false hope but then "Ja we've lost the war. There's nothing left for us to do but die like the men we are" He put a hand on the boy's shoulder "We won't be remembered for our actions either,not in a good way at least, we aren't the hero's of this story. When we die today that's the end" The boy face twisted in dismay and Kurt felt suddenly very old. At Thirty-Two he felt ancient perhaps it was a good thing that the end was in sight. "Well that's not quite true Kurt" the comment had been made by Kurt's friend Wilhelm. He gave Kurt an enigmatic grin "Death isn't always the end." Kurt eyed Wilhelm cryptically "What nonsense are you speaking?" He demanded. Now was not the time for Wilhelm to be speaking in riddles or spouting poetic poppycock. "you'll see." Wilhelm replied. Kurt was momentarily unnerved by the eerie gleam in his comrade's eye. Wilhelm had changed quite a bit over the past year. He had become pale and increasingly withdrawn, and there was the strangest aura around him. For the first time in his life Kurt felt that he didn't know his childhood friend. "What the devil are you talking about?!" Kurt growled. "Do you know something I don't?" Wilhelm shrugged "Perhaps...Maybe you'll find out today. Oh don't glare at me like that I'm your friend, just trust me." Wilhelm fixed his strangely luminous violet eyes on Kurt. " We are still friends aren't we?" He asked. Kurt didn't reply. He simply didn't have an answer. One hour left before deployment. Kurt was in the washroom shaving, although he didn't know what point there was to that, after all he was more than likely going to die anyway. Being well groomed wouldn't help him in the slightest but, it gave him comfort to do something normal. He finished then peered into the mirror. He needed a hair cut, his messy white-blond hair was starting to look ragged and strands were hanging in his silvery grey eyes. He was not a very handsome man. He had rough hawkish features and ruddy tanned skin. Dark circles under his eyes and the lines etched around his thin mouth gave testimony to the hardships he had endured. He picked up a pair of shears and prepared to trim his hair when the call to move out was sounded. He sighed and put them down. He looked at his reflection "Well time to die." He said grimly. "Ah Kurt, resigning to your fate so easily?" Wilhelm said a grin splitting his pale cheeks. Kurt turned. "Wilhelm, don't sneak up on me like that"He said. He frowned, he hadn't even heard him come in. "I've never known you to give up before. This is so out of character for you." said Wilhelm as he pushed a strand of light brown hair out of his face. "Wilhelm...I'm tired. I feel dead already this war has taken it's toll on me. I've done terrible thing's for my country. If I don't die they'll hang me for war crimes. Why should I keep going?" Kurt asked. "I'm not going to die, and I don't intend for you to die either" Replied Wilhelm. "Life just wouldn't be fun with out my partner in crime." Before Kurt could respond the call sounded again. Grabbing his jacket he shot Wilhelm a quizzical look. "I don't know how you intend to keep me alive but I suggest you don't bother." After Kurt had gone Wilhelm stood a moment smiling to himself. "Silly Kurt, I don't intend to keep you alive at all." Kurt marched his troops over a hill, any minute now the first shot would ring out and the battle would start. It wasn't fear that gripped him rather a strange sense of....anticipation. The enemy was in sight now, Kurt raised his rifle and prepared to fire, if he was going to die he would die fighting. He fired a few rounds taking down a couple of soldiers. With in moments chaos ensued. Men were running and shouting and screaming. Kurt watched as his men fell, the boy he had spoken to a mere few hours ago lay on the ground in a pool of blood. His rifle ran out of ammo and he threw it aside. An American soldier was running at him,gun raised ready to fire, seeing that Kurt was unarmed he hesitated. Kurt let out an angry laugh, the last thing he wanted was mercy from this man. He threw out his arms in invitation. "Come on then! Are you not a soldier?! If you have the courage then do it!" He cried. The man stared at him, he spoke no German and did not understand Kurt's words. "Coward!" Kurt snarled "Why don't you kill me?! I've killed your comrads by the dozen why won't you-" A bullet ripped through Kurt's body from behind. Another soldier had spied an opportunity and fired. Kurt stumbled he looked down at the widening stain spreading across his chest as though unsure of what to make of it. Another shot caught him in the lower back, severing his spinal cord. He crumpled the soldier in front of him was staring at him, mouth open in horror. Coward, thought Kurt he tried to say the word but a gush of blood spilled from his lips and he choked. The soldier ran. It took Kurt's brain a moment to register the fact that he was dying. Dying on a filthy battle field choking on his own blood. He didn't know what he had expected, a bright light, his life to flash before his eyes, a man in a black cowl with a scythe, God, any one of those would have been less shocking than what he actually saw. His bloodied lips formed a single word before a pair of needle sharp fangs pierced his throat. "Wilhelm" Kurt woke up in his apartment some time later gasping and coughing. He felt sick. He was shivering and there was a strange heavyness in his limbs. He looked down. He was still in his uniform...it was soaked with his blood. He stripped off his shirt and examined his chest, no wound, not even a scar. Was he dead? He checked his pulse only to discover that he didn't have one. Not a single throb in wrist, throat or chest. He touched his neck and felt a sharp twinge as his fingers brushed a sore place. The image of sharp teeth flashed briefly through his foggy mind. What the hell...Wilhelm. What had he done? He remembered Wilhelm leaning over him just as he had been about to die. Had Wilhelm saved him? Why didn't he have a pulse? Was he...dead?! His stomach roiled and he stumbled to the wash room. He felt terrible, he glimpsed himself in the mirror and found his refection staring back at him with glowing reddish tinted eyes. "Oh good your awake!" Kurt turned and saw Wilhelm leaning against the door frame. "I don't have a pulse!"Kurt exclaimed. Wilhelm raised an eyebrow. "Yes I know it takes a little getting used to, but that's what comes of being a vampire." Kurt's jaw took a considerable southward dip. "What?! Wilhelm don't be ridiculous. Vampires, there's no such thing!" Wilhelm smirked at him "Check your teeth." He said. Kurt was about to protest when his legs gave out Wilhelm rushed over and steadied him. "Easy you haven't eaten anything your still weak from dying." He said "Dying?! So I am dead then?" Kurt asked. Wilhelm paused thoughtfully " Well more like undead if you think about it." He guided Kurt to the bed and made him sit "first off, we need to feed you so you don't pass out. You're very delicate at the moment and it's important for newborns to eat soon after turning." He left the room for a moment and returned carrying a young man "Now then, I need you to drain every drop so you can get strong again and you'll have to feed on a weekly basis for a little while." The man stirred in his arms Wilhelm frowned " you might want to hurry before he wakes up. In you're current state you won't be able to catch him if he runs." He laid the man next to Kurt. Kurt stared at him, feed? He couldn't, it was just to...to monsterous. Seeing his hesitation Wilhelm pulled a knife from his coat. Bending down he made a small cut in the man's neck. A droplet of blood welled on the man's skin. Kurt was instantly assaulted by the sharp, tangy smell of the crimson fluid. His lips parted and Wilhelm saw his gleaming teeth bared in anticipation of much needed food. "That's right Kurt, go on and eat." He said encouragingly. Kurt lowered his his head and bit down on the man's throat. He drank greedily, relishing the flavor and texture of the warm liquid on his tongue. Wilhelm frowned Kurt was a very messy eater, he was getting blood all over the sheets. Finally Kurt pulled away. The dry corpse looked ghastly. the loose skin and muscle lay draped over the bone like folds of paper. Kurt stood reveling in the heady feel of power pulsing through him more intensely than blood ever had. He licked his lips. Delicious, and even better than that, he felt no guilt. The act had been as natural as if he had eaten a side of beef. Wilhelm gave a satisfied nod "Good now you have questions you want me to answer?" "Right well my first question. How did you become a vampire?" Kurt asked. Wilhelm grinned"About seven years ago I had an affair with this woman and while we were-" "O.K. O.K. I get it you're girlfriend made you a vampire." Kurt said not wanting to hear the details. "Will the sun hurt me?" He asked. Wilhelm shook his head "No, at least not the way it does in the legends, you won't burn to a crisp but, you are much more sensitive to sight, sound and smell so it will seem unbearably bright." he replied. Kurt nodded. That made sense. "What about silver, crucifixes and garlic?" "All harmless, except the garlic, the stench of that foul vegetable will knock you on your ass." said Wilhelm. "Can we reproduce?" asked Kurt. Wilhelm stared at him for a moment before replying "You mean you and me? Kurt I had no idea you were-" "No!Not us you dumkopff. I mean with women." Kurt growled smacking Wilhelm across the back of his head. For heaven's sake, what had Wilhelm been thinking? Wilhelm rubbed the back of his head "Ow...your a lot stronger than you use to be and I don't know if we can reproduce, I haven't tried, but assuming we are dead I would guess not," He said. Kurt nodded, he had only one question left about his new condition. "Are we...immortal?" Wilhelm grinned broadly, displaying his own fangs for Kurt to see "yes Kurt, we are immortal." Immortal...that was a concept Kurt almost couldn't fathom. As a soldier he had been made constantly aware of his mortality. He had learned not to fear death as ordinary men did. Impending death was something he had lived with every day. Now he didn't even have to think about it. Age and sickness were no longer concerns to him. He was truly an immortal, an immortal with unfathomable power. Ah the power, better even than the blood he drank was the power. When Wilhelm fed he used seduction to lure his prey to him then he finished them quickly and neatly. But that would never have suited Kurt. No, he was much more predatory in nature than his companion. He savored the hunt, the chase and finally the triumphant kill. It was intoxicating. Kurt took to vampirism like he had been born for it. In short, Kurt loved being a monster. It was ironic in a way, he felt more alive now than he ever had. There was only one small hitch, Germany had lost the war and was occupied by the English, the Americans, and Russians and all surviving German officers were to be tried and hung for war crimes. Including Herr Major Kurt Kraus. If he was captured he would undoubtedly survive his execution and it was only a matter of time before some one came to arrest him. He was expecting trouble any day now. "Open up you in there, this is the police! Open up!" Kurt was awakened one morning by loud banging. He sat up in his bed, so they had come for him. Well, let them see what they had gotten into. A moment latter the Military Police had burst through his door and he found himself surrounded by eight heavily armed men. "Alright buddy, stand up nice and slow then put your hands behind your head." Kurt stood, even so he was nude he made no move to cover himself. He smiled bitterly. The police, how ironic before he had been given the position of officer he had been part of the Gestapo, Hitler's police and now it was his turn to be on the receiving end. It must have been divine retribution. He addressed the man holding him at gunpoint "Can I get dressed before you cart me off?" He asked. The man hesitated the nodded "Alright, but don't try anything funny." he said. Kurt moved towards his dresser and opened the top drawer. He grabbed a pair of trousers and put them on. Just as he finished buckling his belt he flew at the man standing on his left. With a swift snap of his jaws he severed the man's jugular. He turned to the rest of the men, mouth open the elongated canines on his upper and lower jaws displayed, blood dripping down his chin and chest. "Jesus Christ!" one of them cried aiming his gun. "It's a monster!" Kurt lunged at him, striking him hard enough to cave his chest in with a single blow. The man's eyes widened in shock as he felt his ribcage shatter, piercing his lungs. The remaining police officers opened fire and Kurt was momentarily stunned as his body was riddled with bullets. The wounds healed almost instantaneously and Kurt proceeded his attack ripping one unfortunate officer in half. When he had killed the last of them he stood and surveyed the room. It was a mess, to put it lightly, splatters of blood and gore decorated the once white wall of his apartment. His red tinged silvery eyes fell on the man whose chest he had crushed. Monster, the man had called him. Perhaps that was true, he had killed men who were simply doing there jobs. He grabbed a cigarette from his night stand, lit it and took a long drag. Now that he thought on it there had been no real reason to cause such carnage. He could easily have escaped, he had known they would come for him after all, there had been plenty of time. He had already fed that morning so he had no intention of eating them, and yet, he had lain in wait and slaughtered them as easily as if they had been sheep. Monster...yes that seemed quite fitting when he thought about it. By the time Wilhelm came to see him Kurt had disposed of the corpses. "Hello Kurt how are you feeling?" Wilhelm grinned cheerily. Kurt smiled back, a cold display of teeth that made Wilhelm cringe inwardly. Kurt had never been warm or kindhearted, but now he was a little frightening. There was a new level of detachment to him, he seemed entirely unperturbed by his new condition and the killing of human beings for food seemed to bother him not in the least. Wilhelm still couldn't look his victims in the eyes, and he couldn't bear to hear screaming or weeping. So he used seduction to lure them then he killed them before they realized a thing. Kurt was down right cold blooded when he went after food. He had even begun referring to humans as "Prey". "Kurt" said Wilhelm "Have you eaten to day?" A silent nod of confirmation. "Good good, nice to see you're taking care of yourself." Wilhelm said. He paused and sniffed the air. It smelled of blood. Lots of blood. "Oh you smell it do you?" Kurt said taking a nonchalant pull from his cigarette. "The police came for me today, just as I anticipated they would." He fixed Wilhelm with an expectant look. Wilhelm knew what he was waiting to be asked. "Are they dead?" He dreaded the answer. "Of course they are, every last one of them." Kurt exhaled a cloud of grey smoke. "So you killed them..." Wilhelm felt very cold suddenly. Kurt nodded. "Easily." He said. Wilhelm looked at him, sickened "You didn't run? You could have just escaped! If you knew they were coming for you why didn't you run?" He cried. Kurt raised a blond eyebrow "You find this...upsetting?" He mused "A month ago you were encouraging me to hunt. Now you find it...distasteful?" He gave a smoky chuckle. "I encouraged you to hunt for food!" Said Wilhelm "It's alright to hunt for survival but...but this, what you've done is, well it's murder!". Kurt cocked his head in bemusement. "So it's a case of moral vampirism is it? Survival only eh." He let out a barking laugh. "Is there a code book with all the little rules in it? Something you can tuck under your pillow at night that makes you feel good about yourself in the morning? Ha ha ha ha Wilhelm you fool." Kurt's husky growl was suddenly contemptuous. "Do you really think it's acceptable to be a monster as long as you follow certain rules? Idiot! Still using rules to alleviate your guilt. You did the same thing when you were a soldier. I remember, you never hurt a civilian and you did all your killing for your country and your people." He glared at Wilhelm "Did your little code of honor work? No! You still committed heinous crimes and don't tell me doing them for your country made them any less terrible." Wilhelm's lower lip trembled but he made no protest. He knew Kurt was right. "I'm not evil..." He mumbled at length. "I'm not." Kurt sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Wilhelm, what we are and what we do is no longer a question of morality. We are monsters." ---------- Next segment "So your name is Ezekiel Coffin?" The inspector eyed the young Englishman sitting across from him. "and you think you can bring us Kurt Kraus?" He asked. The man was about twenty six or twenty seven. He dressed well in his dark jacket and grey trousers. His hair was black, slightly curly and fell to his shoulders and he had a weeks worth of beard on his face. On whole not very remarkable. "Right, first off it's Mr. Coffin to you and yeah I can get this guy. You say eight armed men went to arrest him and never came back? Well I got a hunch as to why that is." Said the man his dark eyes locking on to the inspector. "Just give me his address and I'll take care of the rest, and of course there's my fee." The inspector sighed "Ten thousand Marks up front I understand and you want this kept off the books." He said. Ezekiel Coffin smiled to himself that was exactly how he wanted it. Ezekiel Coffin left the police station some time later money in hand, waiting outside was his ten year old brother Elijah. "Zeke!" he cried upon seeing his sibling "Did you get the money?" Ezekiel smiled and nodded. He and his brother had been on their own for nearly five years now. Ever since their parents had been killed. "Well Eli, The inspector said that eight armed military police went to arrest a Mr Kurt Kraus and never returned are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ezekiel looked down at his brother expectantly. Elijah nodded. "Vampire." He said. "That's right. A vampire and a pretty strong one at that. Maybe he's the one we've been looking for." Said Ezekiel. Elijah blinked up at him "the one that killed mum and dad?" He asked. Ezekiel nodded "The same." Elijah's dark blue eyes clouded "What if he's not?" he asked. He didn't much care for vampire hunting. Ezekiel balled his hands into fists "Well then he needs to die anyway, he's a vampire!" He cried. Elijah didn't argue. His brother had sworn to kill off every vampire he met and there was no talking him out of it. He sighed inwardly at least Germany was nice... Wilhelm was troubled. In fact one could say he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Thing were not going as expected, not at all. Kurt's reaction to being a vampire had caught him off guard. He sighed. He had thought that when Kurt was turned he would need guidance, support. Wilhelm had intended to be his mentor and confidant. Instead it seemed that Kurt didn't even need him. Wilhelm remembered his own sense of fear and uncertainty when he had been a new vampire the same feelings that still surfaced from time to time. Kurt was utterly confidant in himself and with Kurt's vampirism there seemed to have surfaced new traits to his personality. He had never been overly concerned with matters of right and wrong but now he seemed to be completely amoral. He tested his powers freely with out reservation. Worse still he was totally independent, seeking no advice or guidance from his "sire". Wilhelm was confused, when he had been turned he had developed a deep bond with the vampire that created him, a bond that still pulled him to her every so often. It was like a need deep inside him, like a child to a mother. Kurt showed no such feelings, if anything he seemed to need Wilhelm less now than he had as a human. It was disheartening. Perhaps he should ask the one who made him as he was. Yes, he should pay her a visit anyway, he was missing her lately. Wilhelm reached the mansion in a matter of minutes. He knocked on the large doors and was shown in by a young vampire With dark hair and striking green eyes. "You're hear to see the Madame yes?" He asked. Wilhelm nodded. "You're a new face." Said Wilhelm "What happened to her old butler?". The young man shrugged "Madame got tired of him. He was being rebellious so she disposed of him." Wilhelm nodded. That wasn't surprising in the least. He was shown to the study where a girl in her late teens sat reading. Wilhelm smiled she looked lovely. Her rich auburn hair was tied back in a ponytail with a silky ribbon and she was wearing an elegant evening dress. "Eva?" He addressed her. She looked up from her book fixing him with cat-like golden eyes. Seeing it was him she smiled. "Wilhelm, darling you've come to pay me a visit how sweet." She got up from her seat and walked over to him. Wrapping her arms around him she kissed his cheek "My dear Wilhelm it's been to long. I thought you'd left me for good." She said touching his face. "I've come to ask you some thing." He said. Her smile faded a little and she moved away from him. "Oh I see. It's business as always hmm? Well, I thought you came to see me because you liked me." She crossed her slender arms over her breasts and gave an elegant toss of her hair. "Do you like Luis by the way?" She asked gesturing towards the vampire that had shown him in. "I found him last month, he's much prettier than Edward was, but then, Edward was always to boyish for me, and he was so very depressing, I'd call it ungrateful even. You'd think he hated being a vampire." She gave Wilhelm a side ways glance. "You're not still plagued with guilt are you?" she asked. Wilhelm shook his head. "No, that's not what I came to talk about." He said. Eva returned to her seat and motioned for Wilhelm to sit. "What then?" She asked. Wilhelm hesitated. "I made a fledgling." He said at length. She raised an eyebrow. "Really? A fledgling? You? I never would have imagined. Tell me all about it." she said. Wilhelm told her everything. About the war, about Kurt about the turning and she listened with interest. When he had finished she spoke again. "It sounds like it went well." She said. "He sounds like he'd be a good stout servant so whats the trouble?" Wilhelm sighed. "He isn't a servant. He doesn't even need me to show him how to be a proper vampire. He's completely independent like he's a different type of vampire all together, he even looks different." He said. "Hmm, Interesting, an independent vampire. He's not attached to you at all?" she tapped her chin. "What do you mean he looks different?" she asked. "Well he's got two sets of fangs, one on his upper and one on his lower jaws. His eyes are a grey color most of the time but they get this rosey hue to them when he's stressed or angry" Said Wilhelm. "I see, well it does vary among different people." Said Eva. She looked at Wilhelm. "Bring him to me so I can look at him my self." She said. Wilhelm sighed, Kurt wasn't going to appreciate this... "Wilhelm were are we going?" Kurt asked as his friend led him to a cab and motioned for him to get in. "We're going to go somewhere the police won't come looking for you again. I'm not going to let you have a repeat of last week." said Wilhelm. "I can take care of my self if that's what you're worried about." said Kurt. Wilhelm glared at him "It's not you I'm worried about it's other people, and besides I need you to meet some one." He said. Kurt shot him a suspicious glance but made no comment. Wilhelm frowned "Don't look at me like that and don't argue, this is all for the best! Now get in." Some time later they arrived at a small town were they were met by a small car that took them to large mansion. When they got there Kurt looked around. The mansion was the only building for miles and it was far from the main road, on whole it was a very remote location. "Wilhelm where are we?" asked Kurt. "Are we even in Germany any more?" Wilhelm nodded. "We're in Bavaria, I know it's a long way from your apartment in Hamburg but, the farther the better if you ask me and I need you to meet Eva." He said. Kurt knit his brow. "Eva? Who is Eva?" He asked. "The one who made me a vampire." Wilhelm replied. Before Kurt could respond Wilhelm was knocking on the large double doors. A pale dark haired man answered. "You've returned." He said. Wilhelm nodded. "And I brought Kurt with me." He said. He turned to Kurt "Thats the butler Luis." He said. Luis gave a short bow. "Come along then Herr Kraus, Madame is waiting in the study for you." he said. Kurt regarded him warily for a moment before complying. An odd chill crept up his spine as he entered the mansion. Something was about to happen, he didn't know this Eva, but he just knew she was going to be trouble. Kurt entered the study. A young girl was lounging in a chair by the fire. Upon seeing him she rose and began walking towards him. "Welcome, you must be Wilhelm's fledgling. I am Eva." She said. So this was Eva. Kurt was not impressed, he had been expecting something a bit more grand than this little red-headed slip of a girl."So then Kurt. Wilhelm tells me you had an incident with the police." She said pleasantly. Kurt curled his lip. "I beg your pardon Fraulein, I don't remember giving you permission to be familiar." He said looking down at her. She folded her arms. "There's no need to be hostile, and I may look young but I'm much older than you Herr Kraus, so I would appreciate it if you didn't call me Fraulein." She glared up at him, daring him to comment. He contented himself with icy silence, continuing to look her over. Pale, thin, short, on whole not impressive at all. But there was something about her golden eyes that was a little unnerving. She looked like a teenage girl, but those eyes had a distinctly feline character about them. "It's rude to stare." She said. Her girlish voice was sharp almost piercing. "Well tell me why I'm here so I can be on my way." Kurt growled not wishing to spend longer in this impudent girl's company than he had to. Eva narrowed her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had spoken to her like that, as though she were no more than an impertinent child. She didn't like it. "Herr Kraus" Her tone was almost mocking as she addressed him with the formality he had demanded. "You're here because I ordered Wilhelm to bring you to me." "So Wilhelm takes orders from you does he? I thought I was his commanding officer." Kurt sneered. Eva raised her eyebrows. "Commanding officer? The two of you aren't military men any more and I thought Wilhelm was your sire." She said. Before Kurt could ask what she meant she had Luis fetch Wilhelm. When he arrived she smiled. "Ah Wilhelm my dear, I'd like you to do something for me." She said. "Yes? What do you want?" He asked. "Give Kurt an order." She said "Something unusual that he won't be inclined to do under regular circumstances." Wilhelm looked from Eva to Kurt, he was mildly puzzled by this request but he obeyed none the less. "Kurt. roll over." He said. Kurt glared at him. "Do I look like some dog to you? No!" He said. Wilhelm looked back at Eva. "He doesn't want to." He said. Eva nodded. "Try again this time with force."She said. Wilhelm looked back at Kurt. "Kurt I command you to roll over!" He cried. Kurt folded his arms. "Command me? Command me?! Not on your life you twit!" He snarled. Wilhelm cringed. "Right, sorry." He said. Eva gave a satisfied nod. "So he doesn't listen to you at all then." She said. Wilhelm shook his head. Eva turned to Luis. "Pat your head and hop from foot to foot." She said. Luis complied without so much a change in expression. Kurt snorted derisively, as if he would engage in such nonsense, the very idea. Eva gave Kurt a scrutinizing glance. "I did say turning was different for different people, and this one is rather willful isn't he.?" She seized Kurt's shirt collar and pulled him down so she could better examine his face. "I see what you mean about the eye's though. They have gone a bit red, well not really red more of a pale rose color, it's very pretty." Kurt was only momentarily taken aback by her forwardness. "Let go of me and get out of my face woman!" He snapped, how dare she touch him, the nerve! "Don't speak to me that way you blustering oaf!" She snapped back. woman? woman?! Where did he get the gall to address her as woman?! "umm if you two could stop glaring at each other I'd like to say something?" Interjected Wilhelm. Eva and Kurt glanced over at him. "Shut up Wilhelm!" They cried. Wilhelm sighed this was not going well at all... |
This was not going well at all. Ezekiel couldn't believe it. The apartment was freshly abandoned. Apparently the resident blood sucker up and split. He'd done a good job of covering his tracks too, dammit all. But then he'd heard that Kurt Kraus was a clever man and efficient. What else would one expect from such a decorated soldier? Yes, he knew all about Kurt. Expert marksman and close quarters combat. Promoted to an Officer rank at a remarkably young age. Outstanding military records all around. He would have realized more people would come after him and, of course, he would know how to vanish quickly and neatly. But no vampire had ever escaped from Ezekiel Coffin, and that wasn't going to change. Tonight he would gather materials and tomorrow he would hunt. Kurt Kraus would be dead in a fortnight. He'd make certain of it.
Elijah watched his brother fill a bag with vampire hunting tools. Garlic, crucifix, wooden stake, silver sword and lastly a book of matches and a jar of kerosene. The only way to really kill a vampire was to separate the head from the heart and then burn the remains. Ezekiel had learned from past experience that holy water did not work, nor were vampires harmed by sunlight. He still wore his crucifix though, it had kept him alive so far, at least he thought so. "Zeke, maybe we should just let this one go I don't think he was the one who killed mum and dad." Said Elijah. Ezekiel glared as him "Eli, it doesn't matter if it was him or not. His kind is evil and they must all die. Mum and dad would want this." He said. Elijah nodded glumly. He supposed his brother was right. Ezekiel finished his packing. "There all set, go get some sleep Eli we're going hunting tomorrow." He said. The next morning Ezekiel had Elijah up bright and early. They wandered around town asking questions about Kurt Kraus. Eventually they got a lead. A shopkeeper had seen him leaving in a cab nearly three days ago. A brief visit to the cab service pointed them in the right direction and they wasted no time following their lead. After a few hours of travel they arrived at a small remote town. "Do you think he's here Zeke?" Asked Elijah. Ezekiel shrugged "Probably this is where the cab dropped them off." He replied. "We'll look around for a few days and then see if anything turns up." He patted Elijah's head "Don't worry kid we'll get him and this time you're gonna help me hunt." Elijah pulled away from his brother. "How?" He asked suspiciously. Ezekiel grinned. "You're gonna be the bait, when I find out where he's hiding you'll lure him out into the open for me." He said. Elijah looked up at him in shock. "You're gonna let me be blood sucker bait?!" He cried. "What if I get killed?" Ezekiel clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up you want some one to over hear us?" He hissed. "Now you listen to me, I'm not gonna let you get hurt I'll kill the vampire before he even touches you so don't worry." He released Elijah, who looked up at him disdainfully but didn't reply. He knew that no amount of arguing would change his brother's mind. "Let's get started" Said Ezekiel. "Start wandering around town and see if anyone knows anything." Elijah nodded glumly this was going to be yet another long day. Kurt wandered the mansion aimlessly, one week in this place and already he felt restless, and he was hungry. Perhaps a stroll was in order. Yes a nice long stroll around town seemed like a good idea about now. He returned to his room long enough to grab his leather coat then headed for the door. To his dismay he ran into Luis. "Where are you going?" Luis asked blocking his path. "Out." replied Kurt giving the butler a less than polite shove. "Madame wishes you to remain here." Said Luis. "Madame should know that people don't always get what they want so clear off." Kurt snarled. The last thing he needed was Eva's pet telling him what to do. "If you want food Madame has several bottles of blood in the pantry." Said Luis. "That stuff isn't fresh." Kurt said as he pushed his way past Luis. Bottled blood just didn't satisfy, he needed the hunt as much as he needed the blood and Kurt was determined to have his fill of both. Ignoring the butler's protests Kurt made his way outside. Kurt stood on the stone steps just outside of the double doors blinking as the harsh sunlight assaulted his eyes. He had forgotten that it was midday and, as Wilhelm had told him in the beginning, the sun was now unbearably bright to his nocturnal eyes. reaching into his long coat he pulled out a pair of small, dark glasses. He put them on and was relived to find that they helped. He walked down the long narrow stretch of dirt road that lead to the town. He hadn't been out in the daytime since his turning and he marveled at how very warm the sun felt as he passed the fields and hills on his way to town. He was amazed by the very greenness of the grass and the crisp air filling his nostrils with new scents. Everything was brighter and his world unfolded before him with a clarity he had never before imagined. Every sight, sound and smell was sharper than ever before. He tossed his head and let out a laugh of sheer pleasure, ah when was the last time he had felt so light hearted, so at peace? He was so caught up in the wonder of it all that he didn't even notice the young woman walking up the road until he nearly tripped over her. "Oh excuse me sir." She said Kurt looked down at her. She was quite pretty. Long, dark, chocolate colored hair, dark eyes with long lashes and a red pouty little mouth that was curved into a sultry and enticing smile. "Excuse me Fraulein, said Kurt looking her over from head to toe. She was scantly clad, probably because of the heat, wearing only a short skirt and a thin blouse that was tied in the front rather than buttoned. "Did you just come from town?" He asked. She giggled and shook her head. "No, my family owns a small farm just past that field. It was such a nice day out I wanted a walk. I see you were enjoying the sunshine." She said batting her eyelashes. Kurt grinned it had been some months since he had spoken with a pretty girl and he found himself hungry for more than blood. "It is a nice day and I haven't had time to relax and enjoy my self in ages." He said. The girl's smile broadened. "What's your name sir?" She asked. "Kurt." He replied. "And yours?" "Karolina." She toyed with a strand of her hair. "I haven't seen you around here before Kurt," She said. "It's nice to see a handsome man for once. All the men here are old farmers and merchants." Kurt heart lept, this girl was actually flirting with him, she had even called him handsome (which he was aware that he was not all that good looking.) "Well that's to bad" He said. "Perhaps you would care to accompany me on my walk?" She blushed and nodded. He offered her his arm, which made her giggle again, and lead her down the road. After walking a short distance Karolina lead Kurt off the road and into a secluded patch of woods. "Oh? What are you up to now?" Kurt asked. "I wanted to find some shade." She replied. "and I wanted some privacy." She reached out a hand to touch his face and found his skin surprisingly cool. "I can't believe you're not sweating in that coat." She said. Kurt grinned wolfishly and removed his coat. "Oh were you going to suggest I remove it?" He asked. "And why do we need privacy?" Karolina tossed her thick hair. "Why do you think?" She asked softly. Kurt cupped her cheek. "You know my dear, inviting a stranger to an intimate setting can be dangerous, for all you know I could be planning to kill you." He said running his thumb along her lower lip. Perhaps that was not the right thing to say, but in all fairness, she deserved a warning. "I can take care of my self." She said. She leaned up and kissed him reaching for the buttons of his shirt. Well she wasn't wasting any time. When she had gotten his shirt off she eyed him appreciatively. He was lean and athletic looking with a pleasingly broad chest. "Not bad." She said "Definitely not bad." Kurt grabbed her and pressed his mouth against hers. He was losing patience for talk. She wriggled against him wrapping her arms around his neck. This brought her throat in close proximity to his jaws and he remembered his need for food. Karolina was unaware of any danger, she had but one thing on her mind and when she felt Kurt's lips on her neck she gave a little sigh and pressed closer to him. Kurt nuzzled her skin as he searched for a good place to bite down. Karolina purred seductively, encouraging him. Then in a flash of gleaming teeth Kurt severed her jugular. Karolina's purr became a gurgle of shock and horror. She struggled and tried to push him away but his arms locked around her in a tight embrace. He fed greedily and her vain attempts at escape weakened. Her heartbeat had reduced to a feeble pulse that he could feel fluttering against his chest like a crushed bird. Then it stopped completely and he let her limp body fall back onto the grass. He licked his lips. That hadn't quite gone as planned, he hadn't intended on feeding until after... He must have been hungrier than he thought. Oh well, there would be other opportunities. He disposed of her body and went back to the road. He still wanted a look at the town. Elijah sat on the steps of a small chapel. So far he had had no luck finding any information on Kurt Kraus and he was getting a bit tired. He wondered where Ezekiel was. His stomach growled and he sighed he hadn't eaten breakfast and he had no money on him to buy a meal with. Stupid Ezekiel, never thought of anyone but himself he could have at least given him a little money to buy some food with. Especially after making him be the vampire bait. Elijah gulped, for all he knew Kurt Kraus could be stalking him right now. It was not a pleasant thought. In fact he wasn't so keen on the idea of participating in the hunt anymore... "Excuse me lad, are you lost?" Elijah jumped, startled by the low voice that had addressed him. He turned and saw a very tall, blond man in tinted glasses and a leather coat. "I asked if you were lost." The man said. Elijah shook his head. "Why are you sitting alone?" The man queried. Elijah was about to reply when his stomach growled again. The man laughed. "Sounds like you're hungry." He said. "Where are your parents?" Elijah bit his lip. "I haven't got any, I live with my big brother but he's working." He said. The man nodded "I see, well a kid like you shouldn't be off on your own. Have you at least eaten today?" Elijah shook his head. "No?" said the man. "Well why don't you come with me and we'll get you some food?" He suggested. Elijah perked up at the mention of food. "Really? You know some where I can eat?" He asked. The man nodded. "I'm sure theres a pub or a tavern some where around here. Come on then let's take care of you." He said. Kurt wondered what kind of brother had left the boy to fend for himself in a strange town. It seemed odd to him. He was a pleasant little fellow if a bit quiet and he seemed very appreciative of a plate of sausage and potatoes. Kurt watched the boy wolf down a loaf of bread and another serving of potatoes. He certainly could eat. He looked up at Kurt. "Don't you want any?" He asked. Kurt shook his head. "I've already eaten." He replied. Lucky for you kid, He thought. Then again he didn't know if he could have eaten such a young child. There was just something about children..."Tell me boy. Where are you from? You speak German fairly well but you have an accent." Said Kurt. "I'm English." The boy replied. "English really? You're a long ways from home." said Kurt. "My brother found some work here." "I see. What kind of work?" "He's kind of like a bounty hunter..." The boy paused. Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who's he hunting?"He asked. "Some man named Kurt Kraus." Kurt cocked his head. Now that was interesting. "What's you're name lad?" He asked. "Elijah." Kurt nodded. "Elijah, nice name. What's you're brothers name?" He asked. "Esch-mmmekll" "Chew your food before you answer." Said Kurt. Elijah swallowed "My brother's name is Ezekiel, but I just call him Zeke." He replied. Kurt nodded again. "If I may ask, why is he hunting this Kraus person?" He asked. Elijah sighed. "It's complicated...My brother hunts...unusual criminals." He said. Kurt resisted the urge to chuckle, so he had piqued the interest of a vampire hunter, well he would have to deal with that little annoyance. Elijah finished his lunch then he and Kurt left. "Well can you look after yourself from here Elijah?" Asked Kurt. Elijah nodded "Yeah, and thanks again for the food mister...Wait, what's your name?" Kurt ruffled Elijah's dark hair. "It's not important, maybe if I see you again I'll tell you." He said. "Take care kid" With that Kurt was on his way again leaving Elijah to wonder about the stranger who had bought him dinner. |
A few days passed and Ezekiel was no closer to catching Kurt than he had been upon his arrival. He was getting frustrated and, of course, Elijah was the one on whom he vented those frustrations.
"Dammit Eli, didn't you find out anything?" He bellowed. "Nobody knows about Kurt Kraus. Maybe we're in the wrong place..."Said Elijah. "We are not in the wrong place." Said Ezekiel. "Kurt must know we're on to him and he's hiding from us." He lapsed into angry silence. Then he remembered something. "Eli, where does that dirt road at the end of town go?" He asked. Elijah was taken aback by the abruptness of the question. "I dunno some farms and at the end I think someone said there was a mansion." "Well why didn't you investigate that?" Ezekiel demanded. "I didn't know I was supposed to." Said Elijah. "Well now you know so get going." Ezekiel snapped. "B-But it's dark out and what if he's there?" Stammered Elijah. "You're ten not two so buck up! Besides he might not notice a kid, no one ever does now get going." Ezekiel gave him a rough shove. "But Zeke-!" "I said go!" Ezekiel shoved him out the door. Elijah shivered. What had previously been a warm day was now a cold, dark night. The moonlight cast strange shadows that seemed all the more alien to a young boy alone on an unfamiliar road on such an ungodly late hour. He quickened his pace fearing the phantoms that preyed on his mind as he watched those strange shadows. Before long he was running, running in fear of his life from the shadows, the dark night and the foul specter his imagination painted Kurt Kraus to be. A foul specter that seemed to lurk behind every tree along that lonely stretch of road. He ran blindly until he collided with a large figure. He fell backwards and landed with a loud "oof!" on his backside. The figure loomed over him and Elijah cowered. "Elijah? Is that you boy? What are you doing out so late, and all the way out here, too." Elijah's heart flooded with relief. It was the man who had bought him dinner. The man bent and picked him up. "You were in quite a hurry. What were you running from?" He asked as he dusted him off. "Kurt Kraus..."Elijah replied. The man chuckled. "So Kurt Kraus is some kind of boogey man is he?" He laughed outright. "Oh, my he must be terrifying indeed to make you run like that." Elijah crossed his arms. "He's out here somewhere and my brother told me to look out for him..." He felt ashamed suddenly, this man must think him such a fool. Oh no! Worse still, Elijah could feel himself beginning to tear up! The man stopped laughing. "Come now boy, I'm not making fun of you. Don't carry on so." He said gruffly putting an awkward hand on Elijah's head. "You don't have to worry about Kurt Kraus. I promise he isn't going to eat you." The man's hand on his hair made Elijah remember briefly the feel of his father's hand comforting him when he had woken from nightmares or been frightened by things that went bump in the night, and before he could stop himself he was weeping openly. "What's all this now. Surly all this isn't over Kurt Kraus is it?" The man knelt and dabbed at Elijah's cheeks with a handkerchief. Elijah shook his head. "What then? Do you miss your family?" The man asked. His low voice sympathetic. Elijah nodded and sniffled. "I see. It must be hard to lose loved ones." "Did you lose your family?" Elijah asked. "No...I ran from my mother when I was only twelve. I joined the military first chance I got. I never looked back either. I haven't seen that evil woman in twenty years but it's still hasn't been long enough." The man said quietly. "What did she do to make you run away.?" Elijah asked. The man didn't answer. At length he spoke again. "It's late and it's to cold out here. Come I'll walk you home." They walked in silence and as they approached the town. Elijah asked the man a question. "What is your name?" The man paused before he replied "My name is Kurt." After Kurt had taken the boy home he returned to the mansion. Wilhelm was waiting for him. "Kurt, where do you keep sneaking off to?" He asked. Kurt shrugged and walked past him. "Fine! Don't tell me!" Wilhelm snapped. "Don't tell your best friend anything! After all I'm just Wilhelm why should you bother telling me anything. God, Kurt you really are a bastard, you know that?! First the incident with the police now you keep disappearing with out a word and every time I ask you something you brush me off like I'm nothing!" He ended his rant, red faced and panting. His neatly combed light brown hair spilled into his eyes and he was trembling from head to foot with rage. Kurt stared at him. Wilhelm had always been so quiet, so passive, this sudden outburst was surprising. "Dammit! Say something, at least talk to me, you haven't said a word to me in days." Wilhelm cried. Kurt blinked. "Wilhelm, I had no idea you were so upset. I'm sorry, I've been walking around town that's all." He said. Wilhelm's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God. You're lying to me. Don't deny it! I can always tell, your a terrible liar Kurt." His face contorted. "You're actually lying to me. What are you hiding?! What have you done now?!" Kurt sighed. He should have remembered, if there was one person who could always see right through him, it was Wilhelm. "Do you really want to know?" Kurt asked. "Yes. I want to know, You've never kept secrets from me before, not even when we were children." Wilhelm pleaded. Kurt ran a hand through his thick hair and sighed. "I did a bit of hunting and ran into a kid named Elijah..." He told Wilhelm everything omitting only the part about Karolina ,that was very private after all, and when he finished Wilhelm was standing there gaping at him incredulously. "This kid's brother is hunting you and you told him your name? Are you mad?! On second thought don't answer that of course you're mad." He said. "Wilhelm, don't start." Kurt growled. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed good night." He turned and walked away leaving Wilhelm feeling hurt and confused. Kurt slept fitfully. His dreams were filled with images of his childhood. A childhood he had tried time and time again to bury. His mother's voice echoed in his nightmares, cutting through him like knives plunged int his heart and no matter how he steeled himself it always hurt. "I wish I'd never given birth to you! You're an abomination to me, to the world and to God! Don't you dare come near me! Don't you dare try to touch me I hate you! You mock me with you're father's face, his eyes! If you come near me I'LL KILL YOU!" Kurt tossed and turned, in his dreams he pleaded with her, begged her for forgiveness for a crime he had never committed, didn't even know about, his father's crime and in a fit of hysterics his mother struck him hard enough to send him sprawling. He didn't understand...why did she hate him? He was only six what did he do wrong? Why was she hurting him?...he only wanted to hold her hand, was that wrong? He didn't understand. So much pain he thought he would die...he was crying and she was hitting him and screaming and screaming such terrible sound's of rage and anguish. "Kurt! Kurt! KURT! WAKE UP!!" Kurt woke with a frightened cry. He looked around half expecting to see his mother but it was only Wilhelm. Kurt buried his face in his hands hating himself for his weakness. "I heard you screaming. Are you alright? Was it the dream again?" Wilhelm put a hand on his friends shoulder to find that he was trembling and drenched with sweat. "It was the dream wasn't it? Oh Kurt." Wilhelm sat beside him. He had known Kurt since childhood and had witnessed first hand some of the abuse Kurt had suffered. "Leave me for a minute." Kurt said quietly, face still buried in his hands. Wilhelm nodded. Kurt usually wanted to compose himself after one of his dreams. He stood and left. Looking back at Kurt's trembling frame as he sat on his bed he could have sworn that Kurt had begun to cry. After he had composed himself, Kurt stood and walked to his washroom where he prepared to take a bath. Perhaps a hot soak would help him relax and take his mind off things. He filled the tub and fetched a towel and a bar of soap. He hadn't seen or heard from his mother in over twenty years, so how was it that after all this time she could still hurt him with her mere memory? He climbed into the tub and began lathering himself. Bad memories or no he would just have to take his bath then try to get a bit more rest, better to just put it out of his mind as he had always done. "Wilhelm?" Wilhelm jumped then turned around. "Oh Eva it's you." He said. "What's gong on? Why was Kurt screaming?" She asked her cat like golden eyes glinting in the darkness. "He had a bad dream?" Wilhelm offered. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "A big strong man like Kurt Kraus making that kind of fuss over a bad dream?" She folded her arms. "Surly you can do better than that." She said. Wilhelm sighed. "It's a long story and Kurt would kill me if I told you." He said. Eva nodded. "So Herr Kraus has some dark secret that he's ashamed of." She said. "I might have guessed." she fixed Wilhelm with a cryptic stare. "You know about it?" she asked. Wilhelm nodded. He couldn't deceive her, not ever. "I'll tell you." He said. "Let's go to the study." She replied. Once in the study Wilhelm began his story. "Kurt Kraus is the son of Milena and Henry Kraus. His father raped his mother." "Wait. If they're both Krauses aren't they married?" Eva asked. Wilhelm shook his head."No. They're siblings." Seeing the shocked look on Eva's face he paused. "Yes I know it's shocking, and it was especially hard on Kurt. You see his mother never recovered from the incident and to her Kurt was a constant reminder. She hated him from the moment he was born and she made him pay over and over again for his father's crime." Wilhelm ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. The story was a hard on to tell. After a moment he continued. "Kurt's father never acknowledged him. He had a family of his own and a son he loved. Kurt was not necessary so he ignored the fact that Kurt existed. Melina always made sure Kurt knew what had happened to her she would relay to him the details whenever she punished him. She was quite mad you see, and no one in the town ever came to his aid. They were all of the mind set that he was tainted, a walking sin. Melina couldn't bear the sight of him because even at a young age Kurt resembled Henry, so, she locked him away in the cellar and left him alone there for days on end without food, light, or even a blanket to sleep on or keep warm with. Then when he was twelve years old he ran away. I helped him escape. He was my best friend and I couldn't bear to see him suffer any longer. I broke the lock on the cellar and gave him a bag or food. I didn't see him again until I joined the military, Kurt was already in line to become an officer." Wilhelm lapsed into silence. Military life must have seemed like paradise to Kurt compared to what he had lived with at home. Eva bit her lip, not quite knowing what to say she had always thought of Kurt as a stubborn, belligerent, cold hearted man who possessed no real compassion for mankind. He had taken to being a monster so easily, as though he had never been human in the first place. Now she wondered, was it because he'd never been treated like a human by anyone but Wilhelm? Meanwhile Kurt was finishing his bath. He wrapped himself in a towel and drained the tub. As he watched the water swirl down the drain he reflected that perhaps his mother wasn't entirely to blame. She was herself the victim of a terrible crime. On the other hand Kurt knew that what had happened to his mother was not his fault. If anyone was to blame it was his father Henry. Henry Kraus had raped his fifteen year old sister then gone home to his wife as though nothing had happened. Not once had he shown any remorse or even acknowledged that he had done something so repulsive. The idea that a man like Henry was his father sickened Kurt even more than the memories of his mother. As he walked across the wash room he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. Suddenly he understood with terrifying clarity why his mother couldn't bear to look at him. Gripping the edge of the sink he looked at his face, the prominent hawkish nose, deep set eyes over pronounced cheekbones, firm slightly squared jaw and harsh thin lipped mouth were all identical to the features on his father's face. The man in the mirror looking back at him could have been Henry's twin. Rage and disgust blossomed in Kurt's chest until the feelings seemed to burst and with one powerful strike he had smashed the mirror. The sound brought Wilhelm and Eva running. "What happened?" Wilhelm cried when he saw the broken mirror. He looked up Kurt's hand was balled into a fist and claret red blood dripped onto the floor from numerous cuts. "You're bleeding." "I broke the mirror..." Kurt stared at his hand as though he wasn't sure what to make of it. He felt numb, if there was pain his brain hadn't registered it. Sensing something was wrong Eva took Kurt's arm and lead him to his bed. "Sit." She told him "I'll have Luis fetch some bandages and a pair of tweezers, you have glass in your hand." Kurt nodded mutely as he watched droplets of blood fall to the carpet leaving little stains at his feet. Wilhelm looked stricken he had never seen Kurt like this. Rage, anguish, fear anything would have been better than this coldness, this complete apathy. It was as though he had ceased to feel at all. When Luis arrived with the bandages and the tweezers Kurt did little more than twitch his hand as the butler picked slivers of glass from his fingers. When he had been tended to Kurt told every one to leave. "I wish to be left alone." He said. Eva was about to protest but she thought better of it when Wilhelm shook his head. "Alright," She conceded. " but I'll have Luis stay near by in case you need some thing." She turned and left, Wilhelm followed casting concerned looks in Kurt's direction. Kurt sat staring out the window, there was only one thing that would take his mind off of his troubles at this point... ---------- Kurt left the mansion a few hours later.He hadn't bothered dressing, he had simply thrown on a pair of trousers and his long coat. He needed to hunt, not necessarily for food, but for a distraction. He needed something to focus on to clear his head, and he knew just who he was going to vent his frustrations on... "You ran into Kurt Kraus and just let him walk off?!" Ezekiel shouted grabbing Elijah by his shirt collar. "I'm not sure it was the Kurt we were looking for, he bought me dinner and walked me home he didn't even try to hurt me." Said Elijah. "Stupid! He was probably toying with you so you'd let something slip. Kurt Kraus is about as cunning as they come and I'll bet he's on to us." Ezekiel let his brother go with an aggravated growl. "I've got no choice. I have to finish this tonight." He grabbed his silver sword. "Now you said you saw him on that dirt road at the end of town, didn't you? That means he's got himself a hiding place around there." He seized Elijah's arm and hauled him up. "You're coming with me. Since you know him so well you can lure him to me." He said. Elijah made a few feeble protests but Ezekiel ignored him. There was only one thing on his mind now. Kurt bolted down the dirt road. The sun was starting to rise but he hardly noticed. His breath came in short ragged pants and he could feel his blood hammering in his ears. Kill, kill, kill. It seemed to urge him on. He would find this Ezekiel coffin and indulge himself on what he knew would be a satisfying hunt. Ezekiel made his way up the dirt road with his brother in tow and his sword at the ready. He wasn't walking for long when he saw a man running down the road at an incredible speed. Kurt had seen him first though and when he got close enough he took a flying leap at Ezekiel. Ezekiel dodged and Kurt hit the ground near by. Rolling to his feet he faced Ezekiel, fangs bared in a feral grin. "So you're Kurt." Ezekiel said turning to face him with his sword up. With his open coat billowing and his wild blond hair sticking up in all directions Kurt looked absolutely savage. "Yes, I am Kurt, and you are Ezekiel and we are here to do battle. So shut up and come at me!" He growled. He needed to fight, he needed the chase the kill, the feel of his enemy's life leaving his body. Ezekiel swung his sword in an arc over his head. Elijah cowered and ran back several paces. Kurt noticed Elijah for the first time and some where in his frenzied brain a spark of sanity returned, shouldn't the child be at home where it was safe? Elijah saw Kurt staring at him and he ran into the woods near by. Standing behind a tree he peered out. "Why is that boy here?" Kurt asked, casually evading the sword swing. Ezekiel raised the sword to swing again. "He's supposed to help me kill you." He snarled. Kurt frowned and evaded again. "He's only a child."He said. Ezekiel paused. "So? Why do you care?" What was this vampire getting at. "Aren't you the only family he has? Why are you chasing me? If I kill you he'll be all alone." Kurt circled Ezekiel, debating whether or not killing him was the right thing to do. Finally he decided that the decision should rest with Ezekiel. "Tell you what. You take your brother and go home and I won't harm either of you." He offered spreading his hands in a gesture of good faith. Elijah's heart lept. That sounded like a wonderful offer. He didn't want Ezekiel to get hurt and he didn't really want Kurt to die either. Surely his brother would see reason and they would go home together and forget about vampires for good. But Ezekiel didn't have any intention of taking Kurt up on his offer. With an enraged scream he ran at Kurt again. Kurt's hand shot out, catching Ezekiel in the face and with one swift flick of his wrist he wrenched the unfortunate vampire hunter's head off. Time seemed to stop for Elijah as he watched Kurt drop Ezekiel's head onto the ground. It couldn't have happened. Not to Ezekiel. "Zeke..." He whimpered. Kurt was watching him, waiting to see what he would do. Elijah cringed under the vampire's silvery gaze. "What will you do now boy?" Kurt asked. Elijah stumbled out of the wood and picked up his brother's sword. He had to do something didn't he? He had to do it for Ezekiel, right? But Ezekiel was dead...He pointed the sword at Kurt hesitantly. "So you want to join your brother do you lad?" Kurt's face was expressionless and his tone was flat, remorseless. Elijah trembled, he owed it to his brother didn't he? He had to kill Kurt. But he was afraid. "I'm going to walk away now Elijah, if you follow me I will kill you." Kurt turned and began to walk back towards the mansion. Elijah took an uncertain step in his direction then he took another. "Do it for Zeke." He thought. He closed his eyes and ran at Kurt giving a clumsy swing of his sword. The blade cut empty air, Kurt was gone. Kurt shook his head. What a waste. He had expected more of a challenge from Ezekiel, but he had been merely human after all. A foolish, selfish, stupid human. Poor Elijah. Kurt had expected the boy to follow him and try to avenge his brother. He had thought at first to kill him too, but he hadn't had the heart to hurt a child. He had run away to quickly for Elijah to see or follow. He had hoped that a good kill would quell the rage in his heart as it had done before. Gunning enemy's down on the battle field or hunting his human prey had always provided an outlet in the past, but this time had been different. This time an ignorant fool had attacked him for no reason and a child had been left to fend for himself. It left Kurt with a sense of weariness. The same kind of weariness he had felt at that final battle. Killing an armed assailant was perfectly fine, so was hunting down prey. But no matter how he convinced himself that he had no need for morals or compassion he could never bear to see a child suffer. He remembered the concentration camps, all the little faces, thin, frightened, suffering. He had asked for a transfer and been denied, so he has turned to morphine to dull his senses and he remembered little of what had passed during that part of the war. But he could never forget the children. He laughed bitterly, he knew why being a vampire didn't bother him, after all, he had been a monster long before his turning. When Kurt returned to the mansion he went to see Wilhelm. He needed his friend rather badly at the moment. "Hello Wilhelm, fancy a game of chess and a glass of beer?" He asked. Wilhelm was startled. Kurt usually didn't ask for a game of chess unless something was wrong. Wilhelm knew better than to ask questions though. Kurt always seemed to want to work out his problems on his own. The chess game was just an excuse for company and conversation while he mulled things over. Wilhelm smiled and nodded. He fetched the chess board and the pieces while Kurt went to the kitchen for some beer. When they returned to the study and began playing Wilhelm could sense that his friend was feeling melancholy about something. "So, Kurt how do you like town?" He asked in an attempt to distract him. "It's a pitiful speck of a place full of hicks and loose farm girls." Kurt replied. Wilhelm cocked an eyebrow, his friend had never been known for his tactfulness but that comment was a bit mean. "So you don't like the town. How about the mansion?" Kurt shrugged. "Eva's a pain. She's arrogant and stubborn." He said pulling out a cigarette. Wilhelm sighed. "She's really not so bad when you get to know her." Eva and Kurt had been at odds with each other since Kurt's arrival. But what would one expect? They were both willful and stubborn. Wilhelm smiled to himself. Kurt and Eva didn't get along because they were alike. It was almost funny. "I don't intend to stay long enough to get to know her." Said Kurt moving his rook across the board. Wilhelm did a double take. "What?! Kurt you're not going away are you?" He cried. Kurt shrugged. "You don't have to come with me. I intend to leave Germany altogether, living here has become...unbearable." He captured Wilhelm's knight with one of his bishops. "Check." He looked up at Wilhelm. "I would like it if you came with me, you are the only friend I have in this world." He knit his brow. Wilhelm could see that those words had cost him. Kurt never asked anything of anyone and he had never begged. He was a proud man and Wilhelm knew that such a request was not asked lightly. He smiled. "I'll follow you to hell and back Kurt. You don't even need to ask me." He took out Kurt's queen. "Check mate old friend." He said. Kurt grinned. Not his usual sardonic twist of his lips but a genuine smile of gratitude. "Thank you Wilhelm." |
"So where do we go?" Wilhelm asked as he helped Kurt pack a few of his belongings.
"Before we go anywhere I have see someone. I have unresolved business to attend to." Kurt said polishing his revolver before tucking it into his suit case. Wilhelm narrowed his eyes. "Business? I thought you took care of all your little loose ends before the war ended." He said. "What is this business you're talking about?" Kurt fixed him with steely eyes. "I have to see my mother." Wilhelm was shocked. "Your mother? Why? I thought you weren't ever going to go back to her." He said as they took their luggage to the car. Kurt took a drag from his cigarette. "Before I leave the country I have to see her one last time, just so I don't wonder if things between us might have changed if I'd gone back. I need closure." He replied. "After that, I can wipe the slate clean and start again." Wilhelm nodded and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Whatever happens I'm here for you Kurt." He said. Kurt gave him a grateful look then cranked the engine and started to drive. Eva watched them leave from inside of her mansion. In spite of her self she knew she would miss them both. Although she would never have admitted it, she had been grateful for the company. "Madame? Shall I bring you some tea?" Luis asked. She smiled at him. "Thank you Luis." She said. "Tea would be lovely, and perhaps you should have a cup for yourself. You've been working very hard with those two staying here this past month." Luis gave a short bow. "You are to kind madame." he said. "I take it you will miss them?" Eva laughed. "Nothing escapes you does it?" she said. Then she became quite serious. "You know I think we should invite them back someday. Even so that Kurt is an obnoxious brute he does have his endearing moments, I can see why Wilhelm cherishes him so." Luis smiled. "And does Madame also cherish him?" He asked teasingly. Eva wagged a finger at him. "Now don't be flip Luis go and get the tea." She said. Luis bowed gracefully and complied. Eva turned back to the window, the car was already out of sight. "Good bye, friends." She said quietly staring at the empty road that stretched into the distance. Kurt looked around. The little town had altered only slightly in the last twenty years. "Will you look at that, it's just as I remember it." Wilhelm said cheerfully as he took in the sights and sounds of his home town. It was evening and most of the houses were lit as it was the time most families were sitting down to their evening meal. The village was peaceful and quiet as it had always been. "The people here were lucky the shells didn't fall here during the war." Kurt didn't reply. He had half hoped that this place would have been wiped from the face of the earth. This place had always been unkind to him. The people had harbored nothing but malice and resentment for him, as though his father's transgressions were his fault. "Lucky? Is that what you'd call it? I'd say it was God's way of screwing with me." He growled "Of all the stinking backwater villages why did he have to spare this one?" Wilhelm bit his lip. He had forgotten that the town that had been home to him had rejected Kurt from the day of his birth. "Oh Kurt, I'm sorry I forgot." He said apologetically. "Of course you did, after all the people were always good to you,this was your home." Kurt said. "You weren't born from blackest sin like I was." He lit a cigarette and took a long drag before exhaling a stream of smoke. "The way these people carried on you would have thought I was the very spawn of Satan." He fell silent remembering how the people of this pathetic spit of a town had tormented him as a child. Finally he spoke again. "Let's go, I hope mother hasn't moved or died in the past twenty years." He began walking. Wilhelm followed him in silence, not knowing what to say. They finally reached Kurt's old house. There was a light coming from the window. Kurt made as though to knock but paused halfway. He was suddenly uncertain of himself. What would happen when the door opened? He hadn't seen his mother in twenty years. Did she still hate him? He steeled himself then knocked. "Come in." Said a voice from inside. Kurt went cold. Even after twenty years he hadn't forgotten his mother's voice. Wilhelm sensed his friends distress and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Just do it Kurt." He said. Kurt nodded and opened the door. He stepped into the living room and immediately wanted to leave. The house was just as he remembered it. Down to the very dishes in the chins cabinet. Had he still had a pulse it would have been rushing. He took a step backwards. "Steady now Kurt." Wilhelm said softly. A woman in her late teens stepped out of the kitchen. She was tall and she had the same pale blond hair that Kurt had. She saw them and smiled. "Hello. Is there some thing I can do for you?" She asked. "Are you here to see my mother?" She fixed them with silvery grey eyes. Nearly identical to Kurt's save for the fact that they were warm and showed no indication of any kind of hard ship. "Your mother?" Kurt breathed. The girl nodded. "Melina Weiss." She said. "Melina Weiss?" Kurt asked. "Not Melina Kraus?" The girl shook her head "She hasn't been Melina Kraus for nearly twenty years." She said. "By the way I'm Anna." She held out her hand. Kurt was in a state of shock. If what this girl was saying was true then she was his sister. Numbly he shook her hand. "M-my...My name is Kurt Kraus." He said. Anna blinked. "Oh? Are you a relative of mother's?" She asked. "Mother hasn't been herself since father died, did you come to see her?" Kurt shock gave way to anger. So his mother had simply forgotten him had she? Just carried on with her life as though he didn't exist. He felt sickened, but not surprised. "Yes I'm a relative" He said. "I'm her son." Anna frowned. "That can't be Mother never had any other children, I'm the only one." She said. Wilhelm stepped forward. "When she was fifteen she had a son out of wedlock by her elder brother. She was so abusive towards him that he ran away when he was twelve years old. Now he's returned." He put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Anna? Darling what's all that noise do we have visitors?" Kurt turned to face the stair case. There stood Melina. She wore a neat looking blue dress and her greying hair was piled on top of her head. She looked better than Kurt had ever seen her. "Mother there's a man here claiming to be your son." Said Anna. Melina's eyes fell on Kurt and she blanched. "H-Henry..." She began to tremble. "No mother, not Henry, Kurt." Kurt growled and he began to ascend the stairs. "Kurt?!" She cried. "No! No you died in the war they sent me word. After you left I got married and had a child. I was afraid you would try to come back but then you died! They told me you died!" She screamed. "It can't be that you're alive!" She began to cry. "You were dead and I would never have to look at your face again." She buried her face in her hands. Kurt stood silently for a moment letting her words sink in. "You knew where I was all these years? You spent twenty years waiting for word of my death so that you wouldn't have to worry about me coming back.?" he hissed. She sank to the floor weeping. "Get up!" Kurt snarled jerking her by her arms. "Why?! Why do you hate me so much?! I never asked to be born! I wasn't the one who raped you! So why blame me?! Answer me!!" He shook her. Anna made a sound of protest but Wilhelm grabbed her. "Don't interfere." He said shortly. Melina thrashed in Kurt's grip. "Let go of me!" She cried. Kurt flung her away. "Are you afraid of me now? Now that I'm not a helpless child do I scare you? Good! I spent my entire child hood being afraid of you now it's time you knew how I felt!" He advanced on her. His eyes glittered with malicious intent. Wilhelm took Anna from the room. It was best she didn't witness this. Melina cowered. "What are you gong to do?" She asked fearfully. Kurt considered her for a moment then raised his hand as though to strike her. She cringed in fear and braced her self for the blow. It didn't come. Kurt stood fist raised, face twisted in anguish. He couldn't do it. Even after everything she'd done she was still his mother. "Damn you." He whispered. "Damn you mother." He turned and walked down the stairs. He should never have come back here. There was no hope of redemption of any kind in this hell. Wilhelm had taken Anna outside. He didn't want her witnessing whatever was going on between Kurt and his mother. "What's he going to do to her?" Anna asked shakily. Wilhelm sighed. "I don't know." He said. "She's caused him a lot of grief and she deserves to hang. But I don't know if Kurt has it in him to hurt his own mother." Anna wasn't sure. Kurt gave off the impression of some one who was very capable of extreme violence. Wilhelm, on the other hand, looked relatively harmless in comparison. Average hight, thin, pale complexion, aristocratic facial features and gentle violet eyes. He was even handsome and in spite of herself Anna did not feel threatened by him. "Is it true...you know about him being my brother and everything?" She asked. Wilhelm nodded. "Yes it's all true." He said. Although he found it hard to believe Kurt could be related to such a dainty girl. Anna's silvery eyes and white blond hair were the only similarities. She was petite with creamy skin and rosy cheeks. She looked almost doll like. Wilhelm offered her a smile. "He's really not a bad sort. He's just been through a lot." He said. Anna frowned. "I just can't imagine mother being cruel to anyone." She shook her head. "I saw it myself." Wilhelm said gently. "She scarred him for life with her abuse." Anna bit her lip suddenly ashamed of her mother. "I never knew I had a brother. I always wanted siblings, are they really beyond reconciliation?" Wilhelm sighed and ran a hand through his thick light brown hair. "I can't say. When Kurt decided to come here I think he was hoping for some kind of second chance, but now, well it just doesn't seem possible." The conversation was cut short when Kurt stepped into the room. "We're leaving." He said shortly. "I was a fool for ever thinking I could come back here." Wilhelm opened his mouth to speak but Kurt stopped him. "She and I are better off as far away from each other as we can get. So let's put some distance between us and this miserable place." He snapped. "And don't even try to argue I'm in no mood to hear it. There can never be anything between my mother and me except anger, resentment and poison." He turned to leave. "Wait!" Anna cried seizing his arm. Kurt looked down at her. He began to push her gently but firmly away. "I'm sorry I ruined your evening Fraulein Weiss..." He began. "Anna." She replied. "Pardon?" He was confused. "Call me Anna. We're family." Her heart pounded, this man was the single most frightening person she had ever met, but she knew that she had to try to mend what her mother had broken. She couldn't let him leave without giving him the chance their mother had denied him. "It was good to meet you...brother." She said locking eyes with him. Wilhelm couldn't believe what he was hearing. Anna was acknowledging Kurt as her brother. He wanted to cheer. Kurt stared at her. "Wh-what did you say?" He was trembling. Anna smiled. "I said I was glad to meet you, brother." |
Brother...She had called him brother. Kurt's mind reeled. She was smiling up at him, he didn't know what to think, what to say. He was her brother and he was at a loss. Finally he returned her smile with a shaky one of his own. "Thank you." He said quietly. Anna gave a short nod to show that she understood. "You're welcome." Kurt's smile widened. Even though he could never bridge the gap between his mother and himself the knowledge that Anna didn't resent him made everything seem a little less painful and the weight that had pressed down on his heart for as long as he could remember lessened. For the first time there was a gleam of hope. He hugged her close lifting her nearly a foot into the air. A sister! He had a sister! He put her down. "I can't stay here any longer Anna, but I will come back to see you." He said. Anna smiled. "I'd like that. Tell me what you're address is so I can write you sometime." She said. "I always wanted a sibling." She added shyly. Kurt's smile faded. "I'm going to leave Germany in a few days." He said. "I just came back to say good bye to mother for the last time, I had hoped that twenty years would have cooled her hatred for me but that was to much to ask for." He said. Anna's face fell. "So I won't see you again?" she asked. "I'll try to visit you and I will write to you." Kurt said. "It would be a shame not to stay in touch." Anna brightened. "Good!" she cried. "I'll make sure he's good to his word." Said Wilhelm. "He's going to write you every week." He clapped Kurt on the back. Anna beamed. "Great and I'll try to come and visit you where ever you are." She said. Kurt frowned. "I was thinking about going to America." He said. "The only other languages I speak are French and English."
Wilhelm blinked. "Why not France then?" He asked. "We could go to Paris! I love Paris!" Kurt shook his head. "It's not far enough. I want to start over with my life. We could go to New York." He said. Wilhelm sighed. "Well Anna there you have it, we're going to America." "America! That's ideal." cried Anna. "I always wanted to see America." She said. "When are you leaving?" She asked. Kurt shrugged. "As soon as we can, for now we're staying at the local Inn but, I don't intend to be there for more than a week or so. Just long enough to get my papers in order." He said. He gave Anna another brief hug. "I shouldn't hang around here much longer. Come and see me at the Inn before I go." He kissed her cheek. She nodded. "I will." She looked back at the house. "I'd better go see to mother. Goodbye Kurt." She turned to Wilhelm. "I'll see you soon Wilhelm" She said looking him up and down before running back inside. Wilhelm raised his hand to wave blushing slightly as he did so. Catching a scathing look from from Kurt he lowered his hand. "What was that?" Kurt asked folding his arms. "Ummm...your sister's a nice girl?" He said. "Wilhelm you will not flirt with my sister is that clear?" Kurt said narrowing his eyes. Wilhelm nodded. "Yes, yes it is." "Good, now start the car we're going." By the time Kurt and Wilhelm returned to the in it was well past midnight. "Kurt" Wilhelm said. "Do you think it's wise to have Anna in your life now that you're a...vampire?" Kurt shook his head. "No I don't but, she's my sister and I've only just found her. Let me have a little time with her. I'll be careful and I'll disappear before she suspects a thing." He said. "What about her feelings? You saw how happy she was to have a brother if you let her get even more attached before breaking of contact with her you'll just hurt her." Wilhelm said. He reached out and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "If you plan to keep your secret then you have to cut her off clean. Now that she's met you we can't spare her from disappointment but it will be easier on her and you if you leave sooner than later." Kurt groaned. "I never even accounted for the fact that mother would have a child. God what was I thinking? Coming back here was a bad idea, now I have a sister and I can't let her get to close." he sighed. "What's worse, I like her she's a good girl." Wilhelm nodded. "I think it was good for you to meet her but, I don't think a relationship is wise." He said. "You needed some semblance of family. But as you are now it's not wise to keep going back to her." Kurt nodded. "I understand." He pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write. "I have to tell her how much meeting her meant to me." He said. "I'll send her this letter then be done with it." He said there was a not of sadness in his husky voice. "Still, it would have been so wonderful to have a real family, even if it was just a sister..." Kurt saw his sister one final time before he left for America. He had to say good bye even so he knew he was only making it harder on himself. Anna had been upset but she understood that he had some reason for them to stay apart and she didn't question it. So when Kurt finally boarded the ship to America he had left no loose ends and no reasons to ever return and as he stood on deck watching the waves lap against the hull he felt a faint glimmer of hope. Wilhelm came to join him. "So no regrets?" He asked. Kurt shrugged. "I will always have regrets and bad memories but they seem to get less and less painful as I put distance between myself and Europe. I'm going to America with a clean slate." He smiled. New beginnings sounded so welcoming right about now. He'd come through a hellish childhood a terrifying war and been turned into a vampire on top of everything. These events had battered and chipped away at him like a relentless hammer, he had been shaped by them and molded like clay but never had he been broken. He had endured and survived and now he could begin to live, not as a soldier or a monster, no, for the first time he felt he could live as a man, a living man with a heart and a soul and a life of his own. That was the sweetest thing of all. END PART I |
Part II
In the year 1947 Kurt Kraus left Germany to pursue a new life in America. Now more than forty years later He and Wilhelm are living in an apartment in New York. They have lead relatively peaceful and quiet lives but now at the second half of the story it becomes apparent that it isn't all sunshine and daisies for this less than lovable vampire. Kurt stood looked out of his apartment window at the street below. There were kids down there playing their hopping hip music or whatever they called it. It was this unpleasant cacophony that had drawn him to his window. He had lived through Elvis Presley, Flower power, and Disco but nothing had prepared him for this. He opened the window. "Oi You brats better turn that noise off or I'll come down there and jam that boom box thing up your asses!" His English had improved since his arrival more than four decades ago, but he still had a lingering trace of accent and the teenagers on the street heard it and started making Arnold Schwartzenegger references. "He wants us to turn the music of Ja. Or he'll come down and terminate us or something." Kurt bristled. "That's it I'm coming down there!!" He leapt out the second story window and landed nimbly on his feet in the middle of the street. The kids stood, gaped at him. then scattered. All except for one of them. Kurt stared down at him. He was skinny about fifteen, had a ragged brown mullet and was wearing baggy clothes. In short the average modern day teenager. He stared back at Kurt before uttering a single word. "Duuude." Kurt twitched. Of all the slang words he hated that one was his least favorite. He was Kurt Kraus, the Herr Major of the third Reich and he was not going to be addressed as Dude by some slack jawed little puke with a bad hair cut. "Dude?! Dude?! You snot faced little shit stain!" Kurt growled yanking the youth up by his collar. "I'll teach you to refer to me as dude!" Before he could wallop the kid he was interrupted. "Mister Kraus child abuse is a serious offense." He turned the voice belonged to his neighbor Persephone Anders, or Percy as her friends called her. Kurt gave a growl of annoyance and dropped the kid. "Beat it you little punk." He snarled raising his hand in warning. The boy scrambled off and Kurt turned to Percy. Twenty three years old, straight brown hair, blue eyes, common enough to look at but Kurt had lived next to her for a year now and he knew just how formidable she was. "I was only gonna throttle him a little." He said. Percy pushed her glasses up her nose. "I see..." She said narrowing her eyes. "Have you seen Domino any where? She's been gone all day." Kurt shook his head. "No and I didn't see her yesterday either, I wouldn't worry though she'll be back. She's done this a hundred times and she's always just fine." Domino was not her real name but she liked it so she used it. She had long since stopped using her real name and it had been all but forgotten. She was at this moment window shopping at the mall. She skipped around singing "Raspberry Beret" and not caring who stared at her. She stepped into the costume shop to try on a few things grabbed an ice cream and decided to head home. Percy was probably gonna have a fit when she got back but Domino was not unduly worried. Percy was her best and only friend, so she'd b cool about it after an apology and some Chinese food. She caught a bus ride home and was about to creep up stairs to her apartment when she saw her neighbor Mister Kraus. "Hiya Mr Kraus!" She waved. Kurt turned and groaned. Domino was back. She was wearing a typical Domino type out fit to. Little top that showed off her tiny waist, scandalously tiny shorts with high heeled boots and fishnet stockings and to top it all off her bright red hair was tucked away under a large purple beret. Kurt had mistaken her for a hooker when he had first moved in. "Hello Domino," He replied. "Your friend miss Anders is looking for you." Domino paused. "Miss Anders?.....Oh! you mean Percy! Yeah I kinda took off without telling her, she's probably peeved. Anyways what's up?" "Nothing." Kurt replied shortly, he had no time for twenty something year old upstarts and he didn't often engage in conversation with Domino. "Awww C'mon Mr K, don't be like that." She said. She did love pestering him, he was so cute flustered even if he was a grumpy old recluse. "You gotta smile more." She put both her index fingers on either side of his mouth and pushed the corners up. "Come on grouchy, give us a big- Oh my God You've got big teeth!" She pulled away her hands as though she were afraid of being bitten. "On second thought don't smile it's just creepy." She said. She looked Kurt up and down for a minute. "Are those real? you don't strike me as the type to get fake fangs." She said. Kurt sighed. "Yes their real, now go upstairs Miss Anders will want a word with you." He growled. Domino shrugged but didn't pursue the matter. Kurt was a weirdo and that was that. Her stomach growled. "Oh! Gotta run, hungry, see ya mister K!" She said skipping up the steps. Kurt shook his head, Domino was by far the oddest girl he'd ever met. Oh well the sun was setting, time for a hunt. Kurt walked down the various streets looking at the night life. The city was lit up with neon signs and the loud hustle and bustle of people on a night out. He loved the city. It thrilled him to wander around looking for a quick bite. A woman in a tiny skirt and trashy boots approached him, "Hey mister want a good time I'll do anything you want for a hundred bucks." She said. Kurt eyed her up and down she was a little on the rough side, past her prime and bony. Her bleached blond hair was almost as white as his but brown roots were visible at her scalp and in the part of her hair. He curled his lip in disdain, he generally didn't prey on hookers even so they were easy targets and they were almost never missed, some of them carried diseases. This one looked healthy enough but he bet he could find something more appealing at a bar. "What do you say mister?" She asked her voice becoming soft and sultry. "You're to old for this profession. Go find some one else." He said. The woman glared at him. "Well there goes your chance for some of my good lovin' I wouldn't sleep with you now for nothing." She spat. Kurt snorted, he would test that. "Not even two hundred?" he said. Her eyes lit with the prospect of easy money. "Well I can over look your rudeness this once." She said. Kurt let out a barking laugh. "Are you serious? You haven't even the faintest concept of pride do you? Get out of my way woman." He shoved past her. "You bastard!" She screamed at his retreating back. He pulled a cigarette from his coat pocket and lit it, walking on as though he didn't hear. He found a night club not more than a block down the road. Good enough, he supposed, for a quick meal. He stepped inside and looked around, it almost reminded him of the cabarets he had frequented as a soldier, scantily clad women dancing and singing, a live band, men drinking and flirting with the women. He decided to have a drink and mingle a bit. It wasn't long before a woman approached him and asked for a dance. Kurt declined the only dances he knew were of the ballroom variety and very out of place in this room full of pulsing music and undulating bodies. The woman then asked him if instead, he would come to the back with her for some more...intimate fun. He was only to happy to oblige... Kurt returned home some time shortly after dawn with a full belly and all of his physical needs satisfied. He was in remarkably good spirits for a change. "Wilhelm I'm home!" Kurt yelled walking through the door. "Hello Kurt." Wilhelm grinned. He was sitting on their couch drinking from a green bottle. "Wine?" Kurt asked. Wilhelm shook his head. "Cow." he replied. Kurt grimaced. "Why?" Wilhelm shrugged. "I feel bad feeding off people so I'm looking at substitutes." he said. Kurt snorted contemptuously. "Again, why?" Wilhelm sighed. "I just don't like hurting people." "You've gone soft." Kurt drawled. "That's all it is. Forty years and you've gone soft on me." He was about to continue berating Wilhelm when he heard knocking at the door. "Who the devil is that?" He growled turning and cracking the door wide enough to peer through. It was Domino. "Hiya Mr K!" She said. "I made chocolate chip muffins and I thought maybe you'd like some." Kurt wrinkled his nose. Although he could still enjoy regular food he didn't care much for sweet things. "Muffins?!" cried Wilhelm brightening, he pushed past Kurt. "Why don't you come on in?" He said. It had been ages since he'd indulged in a muffin. Domino entered and looked around. The apartment was spotless...not what she expected from two bachelors, one in his early thirties and the other barley into his mid twenties. Hell it wasn't just spotless, it was pristine. Everything was neatly tuck away or folded carefully. she'd never seen a man's house looking so neat. It was either a German thing, they were military men, or they were gay. Watching Wilhelm coo over the prospect of muffins made her consider the gay thing. "Nice place," She commented. "It's really clean." Kurt nodded. "Wilhelm is adamant about that sort of thing." Domino nodded. "I see." she said. So Wilhelm must be the girl. She thought. "Oooo Kurt these are marvelous!" Said Wilhelm biting into a muffin. He paused and his eyes fell to the couch. There was a dirty sock laying under it. "Kurrrrt." He said narrowing his eyes. "You left a sock on the floor." Domino squinted, she saw no sock...oh there it was just sticking out from under the couch! . Kurt shrugged. "So? Pick it up your self if it bothers you." He said. "What?!" Wilhelm cried. "What am I your hausfrau? It's your sock! I cook and clean all day while you go out and do what ever you want! You pick it up!" He put his hand on his hips. Domino blinked, definitely gay. "You could come with me you know! It's not like I make you stay here and do all the house work." Kurt growled. "I'd like it if you came out with me, you never want to do anything with me anymore." He added. "Because I have to stay here and pick up after you!" Wilhelm retorted. "I'd have plenty of free time if you weren't such a slob! You're always leaving things laying around. This place would be a dump if I didn't stay here making it look nice." Kurt rolled his eyes. "Whatever." "Don't whatever me!" Wilhelm cried. "Pick up your clothes!" Kurt let out an unintelligible Germanic grumble and picked up the sock. "Mien Gott, Stop your fucking nagging and eat your muffins." He spat. "No swearing in front of guests." Wilhelm snapped. "It's my apartment I'll swear however damn much I want to dammit!" Kurt replied pulling out a cigarette. Wilhelm turned to Domino. "Forgive him, he never learned any manners." He said. Noticing that Kurt was smoking he let out a cry of indignation. "Kurt! What did I say about smoking in the house?! Go to the fire escape!" Kurt muttered an obscenity and went to the fire escape. Domino let out a giggle and decided to join him. He was always fun to pester. |
once on the fire escape Kurt began to puff away at his smoke. He was surprised to see a bright red head popping up to join him.
"Hiya!" said Domino. "Can I join you?" She asked. Kurt shrugged. "If you want. But I'm not going to offer you one of my cigarettes." He said "That's ok I don't smoke." She said cheerily. "So what's up?" She asked. Kurt fixed her with a look that all but said. Are you serious? "Not much for chatting huh?" She said rocking back and forth on her toes. "I like smoking in peace." He said shortly. "Oh don't be a grump, if you want I'll do all the talking and you can just listen." She replied. "I have a feeling it's more a matter of, whether I want to or not, than a case of if I want." Kurt grumbled. Domino took his arm. "Awww cheer up I'm only being friendly." She said brightly. "Ugh...it's to early in the day for so much sunshine." He pulled his arm away. "You know you should really learn to get more from life." She said. "Why?" Kurt asked. "It's not like it's an extraordinary existence." He took a drag from his cigarette. "How can you say that? You're alive, you have your health and your freedom. You make something of your self, do anything, be anything you want. There are so many great things to see and do every day." Domino cried gesturing emphatically. Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Are we even talking about me any more?" Domino blushed. "Er well you know, I like to live each day to the fullest." She said. Kurt nodded. "So I see. Domino where were you before you moved in with Miss Anders?" He asked. Domino bit her lip. "On the street." She said. "I had...issues...at home." she trailed of, her smile had vanished and a haunted look had gone into her eyes. "My mom died and Grandpa was...hard to live with." Kurt was surprised, he would never have guessed that Domino was a runaway. She seemed so care free. "Was he abusive?" Kurt asked. "Not physically, but he seemed to think I was trash cause my mom never got married. He mostly just neglected me...I ran away because I knew he didn't want me." She replied putting her hat on and pulling it over her face. Kurt saw that her eye make up had begun to run. "Oh dammit." He growled fishing for his handkerchief. "I'm sorry I'm so insensitive I never know when to stop asking questions, please don't cry." He finally managed to locate the handkerchief and he handed it to her. She wiped her face and then examined the handkerchief. "Uh oh...I got mascara all over it. I didn't know people still carried hankies." She said. She peered closer. "Hey there's an M on it and it's got flowers around the border. This is a girl's hankie." She gave Kurt a scrutinizing look. "Is it your girlfriends?" She asked. Kurt shook his head. "No" Domino gave him a wicked grin. "She must have been special for you to hang on to her handkerchief, c'mon what was her name?" Kurt was silent for a moment. "Melina..." He said at length. Domino blinked. Ordinarily she wouldn't have though that name to be particularly interesting but the way Kurt's voice seemed to caress the syllables as he spoke and his hint of accent made her want to here it again. "That is the single most beautiful thing I've heard all day." She said. Kurt took a wary step back from her. "Eh?" "She must have been really important to you." Domino said. Kurt stared at her. "In a manner of speaking....She was my mother." "Your mother?" Domino cocked her head. She'd never heard Kurt mention his mother. "Did she die?" she asked. Kurt took a drag from his cigarette. "She probably has by now." "You mean you don't know?" Domino asked. Kurt shook his head. "I haven't seen her for years. She hates me." He said bluntly. Domino blinked. "Why?" "It's a long story, and one I don't feel like telling." He replied. "She hated me from the moment I was born." His voice remained calm but he had clenched his hands into fists. Domino sniffled. "Why are you crying again?" Kurt cried taking an awkward step back. "Because that's so sad." She said scrubbing her eyes with the handkerchief, further smudging it and her face. "Oh Dammit." Kurt hissed. "Come here you're making a mess." He took her inside. He lead her to the small kitchen and ran the faucet. He ran the handkerchief under the tap and then wrung it out. "Hold still." He said wiping her cheeks. When he had gotten most of the black off of her face he put the handkerchief down. "There, that's better. Why do you were so much of that stuff anyway? You're pretty enough without it." He said. "I like that stuff." She replied smiling. Kurt sighed. One minute sad the next happy. The girl had more feelings than anyone he'd ever met. "Well try not to cry when you wear it." He said turning to rinse out his handkerchief. She moved beside him. "I can't believe your mom didn't love you, you're so nice." She said . Kurt resisted the impulse to laugh. Nice? She wouldn't have said that if she knew one tenth of the things he'd done in his life. "Hmph I suppose." He said gruffly putting the handkerchief aside. "Hey I've got an idea! Why don't we go out some time?" Domino asked. Kurt started. "Eh? Was?! You are asking me for a date?!" Domino grimaced. "No, no I am not. I just thought we could do lunch." "Oh...oh that's alright then." Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you saying you wouldn't date me?" Domino narrowed her eyes. "Yes" Kurt replied. "Not that you aren't a nice girl or anything like that." He added catching her expression. "I'm just not interested in you that way. But you're very lovely." "And?..." "And you're nice." "And?..." "Um you're also pretty?" "And?..." "And now you are pressing you're luck." Kurt growled. Domino stuck her tongue out at him then giggled. he rolled his eyes. "Look if you want to do lunch I'm free tomorrow evening." He said. "Yay!" She hugged him, which made him recoil. "Ugh stoppit! I'm not your squeeze box get off." |
Kurt groaned inwardly. What in Hell had possessed him to agree to this? Keeping up with Domino was almost impossible! She darted to and fro looking at whatever caught her fancy. "Oooooh Kurt look a pet store! And there are kittens in the window!! Eeeeek they're so cute!! Oh! Oh! Look over there! A costume shop!"
And there she went again like some distractable butterfly moving from flower to flower. Domino went in to the costume shop and Kurt followed cursing under his breath in German. "Hey look at this hat." Domino said pointing at a large Victorian monstrosity with a plume. "That hat is not for sale...it's an original not a costume." Kurt turned and saw for the first time the shopkeeper. He was a pale man in a Victorian get up with fluffy purple hair. Kurt twitched, another fruit cake. They seemed to have multiplied in the last decade. Judging by the man's accent he was English probably one of those punk rocker types that the youth idolized. The man strode over to Domino and gave her a look of distaste before nudging her away with the tip of a riding crop. "Step away from that hat. It's worth more money than you'll ever see in your life." He said. "Actually I think every thing in my shop is out of your price range." He scrutinized her. "So I think perhaps you should go. I don't sell to your type." Kurt cleared his throat. "What do you mean her type?" He said. The man turned to Kurt "Are you her patron? Good then you can both get out. I sell to respectable people." Realizing that the man had mistaken Domino for a prostitute Kurt began correcting him. "No it's not like that she's my neighbor and I know she looks cheap but she's not a hooker and I'm not her customer." He said. The shopkeeper looked him over. "You're a little old to be her lover, aren't you?" Kurt raised an eyebrow. This man had no idea..."I'm not her lover. I'm just her neighbor, and she's in her twenties." The shopkeeper grimaced. "You look about twice her age." More like three times her age. Kurt thought. "I'm thirty two." he said. Physically anyway... The man squinted at him before shrugging. "Whatever." He huffed. "Are you going to buy something or are you going to keep wasting my time?" "We're leaving." Kurt growled. "Come along Domino." He said grabbing her arm and leading her out. They decided to go home shortly after that, Kurt had had enough fun for one day... |
When Kurt and Domino finally returned to the apartment complex Kurt attempted to drop Domino off at her door and head for his own flat. "Wait don't go yet." Domino said. Kurt turned to face her.
"What?" He asked. "I want to thank you for taking me out." She said. "You're welcome." Kurt replied shortly. "Goodnight." He turned to leave again but she caught hold of his arm. "Kurt...You're a real sweet guy, nobody besides Percy has ever been so nice to me. It means a lot. I was wondering if I could do anything for you." She said looking up at him with her big green eyes. Kurt covered her hand and gently removed it from his arm. "Thank you is enough." He said. Domino smiled and kissed his cheek, leaving a little red mark from her lipstick. "Goodnight Kurt." She said. "Goodnight." He replied walking into his apartment. Domino watched him go. She felt light headed. He was so different from the boys she was used to. He was a real gentleman, a very sweet gentleman. When Domino walked back into her apartment Percy was waiting for her. "Where were you now?" She demanded. "I went out with Kurt." Replied Domino. Percy peered over her glasses. "Kurt? Who's....Wait! You don't mean that sourpuss Mr Kraus do you?" Domino smiled dreamily and nodded. "He was so sweet. The whole time we were out he didn't hit on me or act like an idiot. He was classy and considerate. Like one of those strong gentlemanly types from a romance novel." She said. "He made me feel like a real lady." Percy's eyes grew round as coins. "...Classy?...Considerate? Are you really talking about Mr Kraus? And since when are you calling him by his first name?" She asked. Domino giggled. "He's not the grouch everyone thinks he is. He's really kind of soft underneath his rough exterior." Percy huffed and took a sip of juice from a glass she had poured. "Sounds like you have a crush." She said. Domino nodded. "I think I do. You know, he is really handsome. He's tall and manly, and he has such gorgeous hair to...and pretty silvery eyes!" Percy choked on her juice. "Huh?! You've got it bad don't you...ugh Mr Kraus is so old though! I mean he's like forty." She said. "He's thirty two that's only twelve years." Domino retorted. Percy took a deep breath. "Are you actually thinking about going out with him?" She asked. Domino nodded. "And possibly sleeping with him." She said. Percy gasped. "Domino! You're sick!" She said hurling a couch cushion at her. Domino shrieked and threw it back. "Watch it!" She cried. "I don't mean right away." She added. "I mean eventually, he is quite a stud." Percy flinched. "Ewww you have the worst taste in men." She finished her juice and went back to her room. She had decided that her friend was a definite basket case. Mr Kraus a stud, that was just plain gross. When Kurt got back he made straight for the fridge. He picked up one the wine bottles and grimaced at it. He wasn't fond of cow as a substitute for human but he was absolutely starving. He popped the cork tilted his head back and poured the contents down his throat. He emptied the bottle then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Better, but not as satisfying as human. "Kurt your back...and you've got blood on you." Wilhelm said entering the kitchen. "You didn't eat Domino did you?" He asked. Kurt shook his head. "Cow." He said. Wilhelm peered closer. "Now that..." He said pointing at Kurt's cheek. "Is not blood...it's lipstick." Kurt wiped at it, smearing the cuff of his sleeve. "Bah. I think that girl has a thing for me..." He growled. Wilhelm cocked his head. "She likes you?" He said scrutinizing Kurt. He had blood smeared across his face and sleeve, he looked grouchy and his hair was even more disheveled than usual. Wilhelm didn't see the appeal. "Right....strange girl." "Are you suggesting I'm undesirable?" Kurt asked narrowing his eyes. Wilhelm was tempted to say yes. Glowering down at him with his bloodied face Kurt looked very undesirable. "Now, now Kurt you know I don't mean it. Everyone knows what a Don Juan you are." He said. "Bah!" Kurt exclaimed. "I'm going out for some real food! That cow just doesn't cut it." He said walking out. Kurt wandered the street for a while. He was watching people rush about from their jobs or their homes. His hungry gaze settled on and rejected person after person. This one was to short, that one to fat, another to young. All of them weak, to easy to take any pleasure from hunting them down. The cow was enough to quell the rumble in his stomach, but the restlessness in his spirit needed to rend flesh and cleave bone to be quieted. He needed the chase and the kill to be satisfied. He continued walking growing ever more restless as he wandered outside of the city limits. He found himself at a wooded area where men came to camp and hunt the deer that lived there. His lips curled in a grin. Hunters...yes that was perfect, armed and resourceful...that was the best kind of prey he could hope for. Kurt moved through the wood as silently and easily as the creatures that lived there. He disturbed nothing and left no traces of his presence. He didn't want to startle any prey that he came across. He moved deeper into the forest until his sharp ears heard the sounds of men's voices. He sniffed the air. He smelled smoke, there was a campfire just ahead. His heart thrummed in anticipation. He could see the fire's glow through the trees now, could smell the meat they were roasting. He crept closer. Two men sat around a blazing fire in front of two tents. There was a chubby one taking a beer out of a cooler and a tall one who looked like he could grapple a bear. Kurt decided to save the tall one for last. He'd probably present the biggest challenge. "Hey Evan do you think we'll bag another deer tomorrow?" Said the tall one. "I don't know Ed. I think I should get home to Cassy." Said Evan, the fat one. "Yeah. Does Cassy know you've been cheating on her with her sister?" asked Ed. "No" replied Evan scratching himself, the two continued their small talk unaware that they were being watched. Kurt decided that he had waited long enough. He stepped into their campsite. "Evening." He said giving them a toothy grin. "Christ! Who the hell are you!" Evan yelped. Kurt's hand shot out, closing around Evan's face. He tightened his grip until with a wet, sickening crack he had caved Evan's skull in. He locked eyes with Ed. The man was staring slack jawed at Evan's corpse. "Hello Ed." Said Kurt. "Today's your lucky day. You see unlike Evan here I'm going to give you a chance to get away." "Holy Fuck!" Ed stumbled back. Kurt tilted his head to the side and regarded him thoughtfully. "I will give you five minutes head start before I come after you and since I'm feeling up for a challenge, I'll even let you take your gun. If you can get out of the woods before I catch you. You get to live." Kurt knew that it wasn't a smart idea to give Ed a chance to escape after what he'd just witnessed but Kurt felt so very confidant that decided to indulge himself with this game. "Who are you?! What do you want?" Ed cried. Kurt's silvery eyes reddened as his excitement increased. "I'm a monster, and I want to eat you." |
Kurt counted down the minutes as soon as Ed started running. Then the second five minutes had passed he bolted following the scent trail. Ed had covered a good bit of ground and it took a long time for Kurt to pick up the scent of his intended prey, but he could soon here the sound of his footsteps crunching through the leaves and the snapping of twigs as he stumbled through the underbrush. Kurt increased his speed, and suddenly the ground beneath his feet gave way! Kurt fell a good ways before he hit the bottom. He was in a deep but narrow pit. A moment later Ed peered over the side. So he had dug a pitfall trap, in less than an hour to...impressive.
Ed let out a shaky laugh. "Gotcha, you son of a bitch." He said. He raised his rifle. "This one's for Evan." He took a shot. Kurt stumbled. Ed fired another shot, and another, and another until Kurt fell back. "Ha ha...Let's see you get up now!" He cried. Kurt blinked. Then he stood with blood streaming from his torso and abdomen and began to climb out of the pit. "Shit!" Ed cried as he saw Kurt's hand clawing the dirt at the pit's rim. When Kurt had fully emerged Ed was gone. His empty gun lay on the ground and his foot prints showed that he had run away at top speed. Kurt followed them, his blood singing in his veins as he reveled in the power he felt chasing down his prey. Ed was a good hunt, quick, strong, resourceful. Kurt relished every second of his chase. He was soon hot on Ed's heels, so close he could smell the man's fear, and it gave him a predatory thrill to know that soon he would indulge in a pleasurable slaughter. He intended to rip Ed to ribbons, peeling away strip by strip of his warm flesh before feasting. He took a flying leap and knocked Ed off of his feet. In a flash he yanked one of Ed's arm's out of it's socket and off of his body. His teeth bared in a feral grin he knelt beside the sobbing and cowering man. "Your bones will crunch under my teeth and your blood will fill my belly." He hissed. "Jesus!!" Ed screamed. Kurt threw back his head and laughed. "You want Jesus?!" He cried. "I'll send you to him !" Ed let out a final scream of horror before Kurt broke his neck with a brutal swipe of his hand. ... Domino sat at the top of the staircase leading to the second floor apartments. She knew it was late and should probably have gone in and gone to bed hours ago, but she didn't care she wanted a little bit of time alone. It was peaceful out here. She reflected. Quiet for once and it was a warm night. Her attention was suddenly caught by the sight of Kurt coming up the stairs. She grinned and was about to call out a greeting when the words stuck in her throat. He was dirty and there was blood down the front of his chest...and around his mouth! Kurt didn't notice her at first, but when he caught sight of Domino staring at him in open mouthed horror he let out a curse and bolted up the flight of stairs grabbing the terrified girl by her upper arms. "You won't say a word about this!" He hissed. "Not one word or I'll kill you and your roommate!" He gave her a shake and to his shock she went limp. She had fainted...go figure. Well that simplified things a bit. He could lay her down somewhere and clean off, then he could be there when she came to and convince her it had been a dream. If that didn't work he could just eat her. He tucked her under his arm and hauled her inside his apartment. Wilhelm was out. Kurt was relieved, the last thing he needed was nagging. He laid Domino on the couch and went to the shower. As he bathed, watching the red blood swirl down the drain, he pondered. What if Domino couldn't be convinced that it was a dream? She was to close to his home to just vanish without arousing suspicion. He supposed he could turn her and force her to share his lifestyle, thus making it impossible to turn him in without exposing herself. But what about Persephone? Surly she'd notice if something was off with her friend. This was quite the puzzlement. He turned off the water and toweled himself dry. He'd have to hope his first plan worked... When he got to the living room he saw that Domino was still out cold. That gave him a little bit to time to think, then it struck him. He had an idea. Quickly he dashed to his bedroom and rummaged through his old duffel from his soldier days. He was soon rewarded with a syringe and a small bottle of morphine. He hadn't touched the stuff since the war. It had gotten him through some of his less tasteful assignments. He had first needed it for a painkiller after his first injury. Then he had discovered that it did more than dull his pain, it dulled his senses. He could do terrible things and not even remember them the next day. Yes one shot of this and Domino wouldn't know today from tomorrow. He went to work sterilizing the syringe. How much should he give her? Hmmm if he was six feet five inches and weighed two hundred and thirty pounds and six milliliters made him a bit numb...and she was five foot four at about one hundred and ten or so, then perhaps three milliliters? Maybe four? He measured out the dosage. He crept up to Domino and stuck the needle in her arm after swabbing her skin, he didn't want her to get an infection. Then he went to the kitchen and filled an empty coffee can with rice. He swirled it around, it sounded almost like rain. When she woke up he'd see how she was doing and maybe help the hallucinations along a bit...just to be safe. |
Domino woke up sometime later. She didn't feel so good. Her head was swimming and she'd had these awful dreams. First a bloody Kurt, then it was raining, then everything had turned upside down and voices whispered nasty things in her ears. Now she seemed to be on a couch...not hers. It took her fuzzy brain a full minute to figure out that she was in Kurt's apartment.
"Ah you're awake." She looked over to see who had just addressed her. Kurt was looking down at her concern written all over his face. "I found you collapsed at the top of the stairs." He said. "You did?" She licked her lips. The inside of her mouth felt dry. "What...happened to me? I feel awful..." "You don't look well at all. Perhaps your ill." Kurt said putting his large hand on her fore head. "You don't feel, feverish." He said. Domino smiled, how could anyone not like Kurt? He was so kind. "What you need is some tea." He said. "I'll go put some on." "Thanks." Domino replied. She wondered what could have happened to her. She thought back. What was the last thing she saw before passing out? The image of Kurt covered in blood came to mind. No, no that couldn't be right...Kurt was here making her tea after taking care of her. He couldn't have been covered in blood. That must have been a hallucination....Right? Wilhelm returned home to find Domino on the couch looking pale and shaky sipping at cup of tea. Sitting beside of her was Kurt, and he had the most uncharacteristic look of well meaning concern on his face. "How do you feel now?" He asked Domino putting a fatherly arm around her and giving her a smile that oozed sympathy. Wilhelm narrowed his eyes at the sight. What was that sneaky old bastard up to now? "Ahem. Kurt, what is Domino doing here?" He asked. Kurt looked up at him. "I found her collapsed at the top of the stairs." He said. "I couldn't very well leave her out there." He said rubbing Domino's shoulder. "I was concerned." Wilhelm gave him a suspicious look. Sure, Kurt could be a good Samaritan if he had to be. But right now he was being far to caring, something was up. "She seems alright." He said slowly. Kurt nodded. "I think she'll be fine. She just needs some rest." He said. "I'll walk her home when she finishes her tea." Wilhelm chewed his lip. "That's awfully considerate of you..." He scrutinized Kurt. Kurt responded with a smile that was far to benevolent to be genuine, at least for Kurt anyway. He was being to...nice. "Right" Said Wilhelm. "Sadly I can't stay, I just forgot my key." He walked over to the coffee table and picked up his key ring. "I'm going to the store and when I get back there's something I need to speak to you about Kurt." He said catching Kurt's eye. "It was nice seeing you Domino." He turned and left. He hoped that whatever Kurt was up to wouldn't cause any damage. Domino finished her tea. Wilhelm had been acting pretty suspicious, was something going on? She cringed. Her head hurt...She decided not to think about it. She put the cup down. "Feeling any better?" Kurt asked. She sighed. "Not really, my head is killing me and I feel a little nauseous." she tried to stand but stumbled. Kurt frowned and put an arm around her waist to steady her. "Careful. You shouldn't try to walk yet." He said. Domino leaned into him, putting her head on his chest. "Thanks." She mumbled. Kurt tensed, she was getting a little to close for comfort but he decided to go along with it. If she thought he was a sweet man she was less likely to think he was a killer. Domino was feeling suddenly much better, leaning on Kurt was better than tea! Kurt rubbed her back. "Why don't you stay here until you feel better?" He suggested. Domino nodded and sat back on the couch, immediately missing the feeling of Kurt's arm around her waist. Kurt was mildly confused. On one hand, he didn't really like the idea of Domino falling for him. On the other, it was very convenient for him to let her continue to have such feelings as they would insure that she wouldn't think about him all covered in blood and threatening her. Hmmm...maybe he should encourage her? He looked over at her. She had her hand on her fore head, rubbing her temples. He sat next to her. "Is it particularly bad?" He asked. She shook her head. "I've felt worse. This is just annoying." She said. "Why don't you lie down and try to sleep a little more." Kurt suggested patting her shoulder. She complied. "Are you sure it's Ok?" She asked. He nodded. "Of course it is." He left the room and returned with a blanket and a pillow. "Lets make you comfortable." He said bending over to tuck her in. She gave him a small smile and snuggled under the blanket. She was soon asleep again. Kurt watched her for a moment. In another hour or so the effects of the morphine should be gone. Then he would walk her home and check on her again tomorrow just to appear concerned. Hopefully his problem would be resolved by then. Domino woke up after nearly three hours of sleep. She felt much better actually, sleep had done the trick. She tossed back the blanket wondering if it was Kurt's or Wilhelm's. she sniffed it. It smelled like detergent so at least it was clean. She looked around, wondering where Kurt had gone. "Kurt?" She called. He stepped into the room. "Yes? How do to feel now?" He asked. "Better." She replied. "I feel a lot better." Kurt smiled. "Good." He said. Domino ran a hand through her bright red curls. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't found me. Percy's gone for the rest of the week, I would have been laying out there for hours." She said. "Thank you." Kurt's lips curled in a smile. "Not at all. You're my neighbor, I couldn't leave you out there." He said waving his hand dismissively. Domino stood and walked towards him. "If only there was some way I could pay you back for all your kindness." Kurt shrugged. "I'm not all that kind." He said. "Yes you are." Domino took his hand in both of hers. Kurt felt his cheeks burn, this was getting far to intimate. He thought about pulling away and simply sending her home, but he felt unsure of himself for some reason. No young girl had ever shown him this kind of gratitude for anything, and he'd never met a young girl who seemed so innocent. Domino was to trusting, that was a good thing for him at present but it was unsettling how child-like her large eyes seemed. Staring up at him as though he were some kind of hero. Finally he took his hand from hers. "You're very sweet, but your mistaken." He said bluntly. She shook her head. "I'm not, you don't give yourself enough credit." She hugged him and pulled him down to kiss his cheek. Kurt backed away, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. "I'll take you home now." He said sharply, moving to fetch his coat. Once he had seen her to her door he went home and sat. He felt so very conflicted. On one hand he had saved himself a lot of trouble, on another Domino thought he was a caring and heroic individual. His lips twisted in a bitter smile. How odd, he was almost feeling guilty! |
Domino was a little disappointed. Kurt had been so kind then he had simply sent her on her way. Had she gotten to close? He had seemed almost wary of her when he had pulled his hand away. like he wasn't use to affection. She sighed. She really liked him and she hoped he wasn't offended. She wondered what he was doing at this very moment...
Wilhelm had just gotten back, and he had found the morphine. "Kurt!" He shouted. "You told me you wouldn't use again! You promised you were done with drugs!" "Relax, I didn't shoot up myself." Said Kurt. "what?" Wilhelm blinked. "Well who the devil-! You didn't give this to Domino did you?! Kurt don't tell me she's and addict and you're her enabler! I don't think I can stomach that." He said. "Was? No, no! It's not like that." Kurt protested. "It happened like this...." Wilhelm's face grew pale as he listened to the details. "You were seen?" He gasped. Kurt shrugged. "I took care of it that girl is so enamored with me she doesn't suspect a thing." Wilhelm shook his head. "Doesn't it bother you to take advantage of her like this?" He asked. "No." Kurt replied. "I could have just killed her. She's lucky I drugged her up instead." "Why didn't you just kill her? That's what you'd do with anyone else." Said Wilhelm. Kurt cocked his head. "Come now Wilhelm, you know as well as I do that one should never kill where one lives. It arouses suspicion." "That's your only reason for not killing her is it?" Wilhelm gave Kurt a skeptical look. "Of course it is." Said Kurt. "She's the one mooning over me not the other way around." "I see." Wilhelm said narrowing his eyes. He didn't pursue the matter any farther. He just hoped that Domino didn't come to any grief. Kurt could be very callous and he had little regard for the feelings of others, a young girl like Domino could easily get her heart broken. |
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