Chapter I
The next evening I awoke to find myself tied and handcuffed to a chair in what looked like the basement of someone's house. Above me was a simple bulb light with a pull string switch, and off to my left, almost out of my line of sight, I could see someone staring at me. I tried to talk, but quickly realized I was gagged. I then began testing my restraints to see if I could break them, but whoever tied me up obviously knew what they were doing.
"If I ungag ya, do ya promise not ta try and bite me?" the voice of a young woman, possibly black, said to me. I simply relaxed and nodded my head. She then walked behind me and untied my gag. "I hope ya don't mind, but I touched yer ears while ya were asleep," she said as she walked around to the front of me, giving me my first real look at her. "They're really pretty." Her brown eyes glistened curiously as she looked at the top of my head, at what I thought obviously couldn't be where my ears were.
"They're just ears like anyone elses," I said calmly.
Seeming to disregard what I said, she then immediately asked, "Are ya some sort o' cat man? What with the the eyes and ears?" At that moment I began cursing myself in my head.
"Let me guess," I started. "I have cat ears now don't I?"
She nodded at me slowly and said, "Yea'. Black ones. They weren't like that at first though. What are you?"
I looked at her calmly, and said the first lie that came to mind, "I'm a Panther Demon." As soon as I said that I wanted to stake myself. There was no way anyone would actually believe something like that! However, as I continued to watch the young woman in front of me, it became more and more apparent that she was falling for what I had said. So I kept it up. "And I'm very impressed you were able to catch me." Actually, I was rather irritated. "However, I need to be released soon so I can feed." That part was true, for I could feel my inner beast starting to claw its way out due to my lack of nourishment.
She then looked at me, somewhat horrified, and said, "But how do I know ya won't attack me like ya did ta Peter?"
At that point I was starting to get impatient and yelled, "Fine! If you're not going to release me, then at least bring me something!" I think I made her piss herself, and she then ran around me and up the stairs behind me screaming for someone named Antwon. A few minutes later I heard the sound of someone slightly heavier than the girl walking down the stairs.
"Ma boy might die cuz o' you," I heard the voice of what seemed to be a young black man say as I felt the cold end of the barrel of a gun pressed against my head. "So why in tha ******** should we help you?!"
"Because if he's dying and not dead already, then I can save him," I said angrily. At that I felt the gun pull away from my head, and I continued, "However, I can't do anything in the condition I'm in. You either get me some blood to drink, or you can kiss your 'boy's' a** goodbye for good."
"How do I know you're tellin' me tha truth?" he said as he walked to the front of me.
I burned some self-control to keep from yelling at him and said simply, "Do I honestly look like I'm lying?"
"No, I guess ya don't," he said in a now tired voice, showing a weariness he had been hiding just moments before. "But promise me you'll save 'im."
"Sure kid. I promise," I said in a now very calm voice. At that, Antwon closed his eyes, and let a few tears fall down his face as he leaned in close enough to let me bite him. He was no doubt thinking that he was about to give his life for his friend's. "Don't worry kid. I'm not going to kill or even hurt you." I then bit into his neck, and drained from him what I needed. After I finished, I quickly licked his wound and pushed his head away with mine. "Now either untie me, or bring your friend down here."
"Yea'. Sure," Antwon said as he sat down in front of me, obviously dizzy from the lack of blood in his system. "Abby! Get Paul down here ta' untie this guy!" A few minutes later I heard the steps of someone coming down the stairs. Shortly thereafter, I felt someone grab my hands and unlock my handcuffs, quickly followed by the sound of a knife being pulled to cut the ropes around me. "Come on," Antwon said as he slowly got up and walked toward the stairs. "I'll show you where he is." I then pulled the ropes off of me and got up to follow him. The one I assmued to be Paul followed behind me quietly.
'He must be the fat ******** who beaned me when I chewed on his pal,' I thought to myself, and as I got to the top of the stairs I realized we were actually in an abandoned warehouse. I looked around and saw the girl trying to keep herself warm via heat from a barrel fire. "Is this where you kids live?" I asked Antwon.
"Yea'," he said. "The four of us are a family." He got quiet again until we reached the door to what used to be a small office; Pauly-boy still following silently behind. "Pete's in here," Antwon said as he opened the door to let me in.
"This won't take long," I told him. "You can even watch me if you want." I then walked in and looked at the young man I had wounded the night before. He was lying on some old newspapers with a thick, ratty-looking blanking over him, and a small metal bucket of burning coals beside him to keep him warm. "Hey there," I said as I kneeled beside him. "If you want to live, I'm going to need you to drink something for me." He stared blankly at the ceiling and nodded weakly. Looking back to Antwon standing eagerly behind me, I asked, "Do you have a knife I can use? I just need to make a small cut." He nodded and walked the few steps needed to hand me his knife. I then flipped it open and sliced open my wrist. "Here," I said as I slid the knife back to him.
"What are ya doin'?" he asked beind me.
I put my wrist to Pete's mouth and replied, "My blood will heal him if he drinks it." I squeezed my arm a little bit to help push the blood out, and watched as my previous prey slowly drank from me. After a few more moments I pulled away and forced my wound to close. "He'll be fine by the morning. I'll even stay here until tomorrow evening. I just need to feed again before the sun comes up." Antwon nodded and walked towrd me with his neck bared. "Not off you you moron! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Now sit the ******** down and look after your friend before I actually take you up on your offer!" He quickly dropped to his knees and pulled himself past me to sit beside his newly-ghouled friend. "I'll be back before the night's done. I just need the rest of my clothes back first."
"They're in tha corner down stairs," Antwon muttered.
"Thanks," I responded before leaving the small room. As I walked past Pauly-boy, he quietly followed me like he did before, and Abby watched me from the other side of the fire. "Don't follow me!" I said in a rather commanding tone, halting my pursuer in his steps. I then made my way back down the stairs and located my clothes. After putting them back on, I made myself vanish from sight, and I found my way out of the warehouse.
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