I haven’t slept soundly ever since we got here.
It’s not just the nightmares, although I’d be lying if I said that they were not a part of it… Most nights, I dream of the battle against Murnau’s army, at the Castle by the Sea. I dream about our approach to the Dark Lords ritual chamber and the blinding light that swallowed us before we ended up in this world.
But nightmares I can handle. God knows I’ve seen enough battle in my time to be familiar with the ghosts that haunt you after the bloodshed is over. What I can’t handle is the restlessness! I was trained as a warrior of the Golden Crusaders! I have devoted my life to battle! And right now… There’s no battle.
Elsa says that I just need to relax. Honestly, I don’t see how she can relax right now! We’re in another world with no idea on how to get home, or even if we can ever go home! I’m not sure if she’s trying to make the best of the situation or if she’s truly given up hope. Probably the former, knowing Elsa… But I can’t rest. I can’t relax and I can’t sleep.
I am Jordan O’Neil and I am a Warrior! I need a battle to fight. So to that end, I walk the streets alone at night, in search of my next enemy.
It hasn’t been going very well.
The Dark Lord Murnau had assembled his armies out of the most wretched beasts that lived in our world. Vampires, sorcerors, werewolves, and all manner of scum. I’m not entirely sure what it was they’d been planning. One of Murnau’s soldiers we had captured mentioned something about ‘A Great Rapture’ that would cleanse our world.
Given our situation, I’m unsure if this was what Murnau had intended. I was there when Paladin Samuel disrupted the ritual, but even now I don’t know if our current situation is a horrible accident that was caused by our interference, or if going to this world had indeed been Murnau’s plan all along. I suppose I can see both sides of it. A world like this is would probably be ripe for the taking in the eyes of Murnau’s followers… And I already know that there are some of them in this world. I’ve seen them. We aren’t alone here.
The city Elsa and I have found ourselves in, Toronto, seems to believe that it has little to fear from the dark. People wander about at night. They work, they revel, they drink. They don’t fear the monsters we once feared in my world. My grandparents used to tell me of a time before the Crusaders had come, when vampires ran free and unchecked. When the night fell, people were often fed on and sometimes even killed. In more extreme cases, vampires ruled over entire towns as self proclaimed royalty, taking the blood from their subjects to sustain themselves.
In some parts of my world, that’s still the reality for many…
But here? If you mention vampires to anyone, they’ll think it’s all fiction! There are books, films and even here about romancing them! I’d say that from my perspective, this is all like making entertainment about trying to romance wolves, sharks or bears. But I’m unfortunately aware that there are already communities out there who vie to do that exact thing… This world makes no sense to me whatsoever… And they are fully unprepared for whatever Murnau likely has in store for them…
So, in this world without warriors, I’m falling back onto my training. I may be a stranger in a strange land, but the mission hasn’t changed.
I am still a warrior.
In the six months since Elsa and I have arrived here, I’ve only successfully managed to defeat one of of Murnau’s disciples. A vampire, who I imagine was among her army. We had seen a few others when we first arrived, seeking aid among some local homeless shelters. But once they’d seen us, they slipped away quietly. We never managed to catch up to them.
I encountered the vampire on one of my recent restless nights when I’d gone out on one of my excursions. Elsa had taken to calling them ‘Moonlit walks’. But these were not just simple leisurely strolls! These were hunting expeditions.
Vampires usually hunt for prey in group settings. Places where they could quietly talk to a stranger and lure them away someplace private, where they can feed. Therefore, to hunt them, I needed to go where they’d go. This often led me to various bars around Toronto where I’d sit and I’d watch. I’d nurse a beer or talk to some of the locals to blend in better, but the whole while I’d be watching for anything suspicious.
It turns out, there are a lot of suspicious things going on at bars that are open past midnight.
Two weeks prior, I’d followed a suspected vampire out to an alley, only to watch his victim make some sort of purchase off of him. I’m actually quite sure that what I witnessed was a drug deal, and I’m quite sure that’s illegal here. But I didn’t really want to get involved. Another time, I followed a suspected vampire and his prey into the bathroom and burst in when I’d heard the victim screaming.
Turns out that the suspected vampire in this instance was not in fact feeding on the ‘victims’ blood. He was… Doing something else with his mouth…
Moving on.
Truth be told, I’d been starting to get a little disheartened with my excursions. Six months and all I’d achieved was spying on people in uncomfortable situations. That wasn’t exactly making me feel good about my life choices. I’d even begun skipping more and more nights, as I’d heard nothing about attacks in the area and was starting to wonder what the point even was?
But I couldn’t quite bring myself to give up, and it would seem that my diligence was rewarded.
I’d been at a bar I’d patronized before, nursing my drink and watching the local patons drink and dance. I’d noticed the man when he’d come in. He was tall and looked to be either in his forties or fifties. He was balding and had an unusual physique. Scrawny limbs with a pot belly. He was by no means an attractive man, and had a loud, annoying laugh. It was like nails on a chalkboard to listen to, and the face he made while he was laughing was unusual. It looked like he was trying too hard to laugh, and his jaw just sort of hung open, reminding me a little bit of some kind of amphibian, like a frog or a turtle.
He wasn’t the sort of man I’d have pegged for a vampire, but I kept an eye on him anyways when I noticed how he’d try and engage every woman he saw in conversation. Most of them politely declined him and quietly slipped away. But a few of the drunker, lonelier girls seemed to entertain him. Frankly, I was certain that this was just a dirty old man looking for a woman to spend his evening with… Which I’d argue was reason enough to watch him. I’ve learned all too quickly that some of the men in these establishments can be quite seedy. I’ve stepped in a few times after I’ve noticed one slipping something into a girls drink… I even had one of them try it on me… Disgusting.
It was getting late in the night and I was debating moving to another bar when I noticed the Amphibian Faced Man talking to a woman in her mid thirties with short brown hair and slightly awkward features. She wasn’t unattractive, but she also wasn’t as stunningly beautiful as some of the other girls out that night. I got the impression that she was already quite drunk, and I suspect that was why he’d targeted her.
They’d been talking for the better part of a half hour when I saw him make his move. He’d ordered them a fresh round of drinks, and I saw him reaching into his pocket for something, although I never saw what. When the bartender set two fresh glasses of beer on the counter, he grabbed them from the top before handing one to her.
Now, I’m not the most eagle eyed person in the world, but I was close enough to tell that he’d dropped something in the drink he’d given her, and I had to say something. People with good intentions don’t usually drug women in bars. She’d clinked her glass against his and was about to take a sip when I approached them.
“Excuse me, did I just see you dropping something in her drink?” I asked. Usually, that was enough to get the would be victim to pause, and the would be victimizer to panic. Instead, the Amphibian Faced Man just loosed another annoying laugh.
“Drop something in her drink?” He asked, before looking at the drunk girl, “What kind of man do you think I am?” He had a strange accent to him. I vaguely recognized it, but it was hardly definitive proof of anything.
“You think I’m pulling something?” He asked, before looking at the girl.
“Hey, good times all around.” She slurred before knocking back her drink. A responsible bartender really should have cut her off several drinks ago… She probably had no idea where she even was and it was a miracle that she was still on her chair.
“You want to accuse me of something? How about I accuse you of something?” He asked, before sizing me up, “A strange woman, swooping in like that… You like this kinda girl, no?” He gestured to the drunk girl, “You wanna try your luck anyways? Maybe she likes strange women… We could make this a party for three…”
He made a kissing sound. His lips seemed to move too much when he did it.
“Yeah baby, try your luck.” The drunk girl repeated. I don’t think she had any idea what she was saying because she was staring off into space and giggling.
“You’re disgusting,” I said to the Amphibian Faced Man. He just laughed again.
“Is that a no?” He asked, “Then you go and get lost. Go back to drinking alone, Blyat. Go on. Go.” He waved me off, and against my better judgment, I decided to leave.
When I looked back, the drunk girl was already falling off her chair and the Amphibian Faced Man was holding her, grinning from ear to ear. It seemed like they’d already forgotten about me.
I watched the two of them leave about ten minutes later. She was leaning on his shoulder, seemingly barely conscious as he led her outside. It was hard to tell if she was drugged or just that drunk… An argument could be made for both. As soon as they were outside, I left my beer and followed them out onto the street.
I could see them a few feet away. He was almost dragging her along. Her feet were barely even moving and one high heeled shoe had been left behind.
“Shh baby… Shh… You’ll be all better soon. Promise.” I heard him whisper as the two of them turned down a quiet alley.
He was about to do something horrible, and I wasn’t just going to sit back and let it happen.
I jogged towards the entrance of the alley and as I drew nearer, I reached for the dagger I’d hidden in the inside pocket of my jacket. My sword was too big to carry around, so I’d settled on using that instead. It would be better in close quarters anyways.
Stepping into the entrance of the alley, I was greeted with absolute darkness and dead silence. No sign of the Amphibian Faced Man, or the drunk woman. I didn’t call out to them. I just kept walking, keeping a slow pace and my dagger at the ready.
As I passed a dumpster, I heard a low murmur beside me and paused to look down. The woman was slumped against the dumpster, seemingly unharmed, although she looked just about ready to vomit.
“Where’m I…” I heard her murmur, before looking up at me.
Then, came a white hot pain in the back of my head. I saw stars as I stumbled forward and collapsed to the ground.
“Very dull for a Crusader, no?” I heard a voice ask as I sucked in a breath. I tried to turn only to be hit again and sent sprawling to the ground. My dagger slipped out of my hand and skittered away. I looked up to see the shadow of the Amphibian Faced Man standing over me, mouth hanging open in silent laughter. His fangs were small and hard to see, but up close, I recognized him for what he was… A vampire…
In one hand, he held a small but thick chain, likely once used to fasten the nearby dumpster closed.
“Yes, I know what you are.” He said, “I recognized you… We saw each other, very briefly in the ritual chamber… You very nearly killed me. Nearly…” His grin grew wider.
“Forgive me for not finishing the job…” I rasped, tasting coppery blood in my mouth.
“Forgiven!” He said, gently wrapping the chain around his knuckles. When I tried to stand, he threw a punch that connected with my jaw and sent me back to the ground.
“Perhaps before you and I part ways once more, I’ll teach you how to properly kill someone?” He asked, “Let me demonstrate!”
As I struggled to rise, I felt the chain wrap around my neck as he dragged me further away from my dropped knife. I felt my pulse spike as panic set in. My legs kicked out as my air was cut off. I could feel his body pressed against mine, and hear him taking a deep sniff of my hair.
“Crusader girls were always my favorite…” He hissed, “Something about breaking that holy pussy… The best ones were always the virgins…”
He pulled the chain tighter against my throat and I could, unfortunately, feel his visceral excitement through his pants, pressing into my back.
“Are you scared, little knight?” He asked, “Shh… It’s alright… I can feel your pulse quickening… I can smell it… That reeking stink of dread… Yes… Yes… Yes, pretty girl… That’s okay… Don’t worry… Your blood will still be fresh enough for me after you’re dead… Don’t worry. You won’t suffer for long.”
I closed my eyes, feeling my consciousness slowly start to slip away. Elsa’s face flashed through my memory.
I couldn’t die like this! I was supposed to be a Warrior of the Golden Crusaders! I was supposed to be better than dying like this!
I reached up for the Amphibian Man’s face, trying to dig my nails into his skin. He tried to pull back, letting out a frustrated hiss as he did. I just kept fumbling around until I felt my thumb brush against the bridge of his nose. With as much force as I could muster, I grabbed him by the head and traced my thumbs down his nose, toward his eyes. Then, I pressed them in.
The Amphibian Faced Man let out a pained scream. His grip on my throat loosened and I sucked in a gasp of air as I drove my thumbs into his eyeballs. I could feel them breaking under the force I exerted before he violently pushed me away.
“BITCH! WHORE! FUCKER!” He spat, thrashing like a wild animal as I fell forward, clutching my throat and gasping for air. I looked back to see the vampire crashing into the alley wall and slumping against it. He looked over at me, blood pouring from one eye. The other one was bloodshot and full of fury. The chain still dangled from his hand.
He was coming for me again.
They say that the Golden Crusaders don’t feel fear… I can say firsthand that this is a lie. All the training in the world can’t remove that primal terror that swells in your chest when you look into the face of that which means to kill you, and I think that he had made his intentions towards me brutally clear.
He let out an animal hiss before shuffling toward me again, and I scrambled for my knife. I snatched it off the concrete in the moment before he reached me again. His chain wrapped fist connected with my shoulder as I turned around, sending fresh pain through my system and sending me back to the ground. But I had the dagger! He drew back his fist to hit me a second time, but I was faster!
I slashed at his throat, sending a crimson spatter against the brick wall beside us. His eye widened as his mouth hung open, blood gurgling past his lips. His knees gave out as he landed on top of me. He stared down at me with a single wide, shocked eye.
“Don’t worry…” I rasped, as I drove the dagger into his heart, “You won’t suffer for long.”
As his body went limp, I pushed him off of me and left him lying in a heap on the concrete as I lay there for a few moments, allowing myself a chance to breathe, before beginning to pick myself up.
I stared at the body of the vampire. His throat was cut wide open. His good eye was glassy and vacant. That looked like a confirmed kill to me.
I grabbed the wall to slowly pick myself up and looked over at the drunk woman, who was standing by the dumpster with vomit down the front of her dress. Her eyes were wide with terror as she stared at the body, then at me, covered in fresh blood.
“You’re safe now…” I assured her.
I don’t think it was very reassuring.
She just took a step back, her breath shaky and terrified before she started to scream. Before I could utter another word, she was already running, screaming, and sobbing all the while. I knew better than to stay and wait for her to call the local law enforcement… Something told me that explaining to them that the man I’d just killed was a vampire would be a fruitless endeavor. So I did the only thing I could do. I ran.
The next day, I heard on the news about a man who was killed in an alley behind a bar, and an unknown female assailant. They had nothing to go on outside of that.
That vampire should not have gotten the better of me. He caught me off guard. I can’t let that happen again. I know that next time, I may not be so lucky…
As she treated my wounds that night, Elsa and I argued about whether or not I should still be going out. But I am a warrior. I have my mission and I need to carry it out…