Blood spattered, hitting my clothes. One of my only nice hoods was now completely bloodied. Fuck. That was the least of my problems at that moment.
The vampire killed Ricky. Just like that. If a skilled hunter died so easily, what did that say about me? Damn it.
I turned my head to the side, staring into the vampire’s eyes. He smiled at me. For a second, I thought that was it, I was dead. But the creature stopped to bite Ricky on the neck, draining his blood.
Being the smart guy I was, I took the chance to run back toward Mike and everyone else. Staying that close to the vampire was just stupid.
The vampire didn’t chase me. After getting hit by the red-haired woman’s sword, he needed to recover, and the best way for a vampire to do that was precisely what he was doing: drinking blood.
"Give me the purple potion, Vince," Mike shouted to me again. The only time he talked to me was when he needed something. I didn’t blame him.
I opened the backpack, looking for the potion he wanted. My movements were fast, pushing aside anything useless. While I was looking, Sarah talked to Mike.
"Are you sure you want to drink this potion?"
Mike bit his lips. "I don’t have a choice, alright? More vampires are coming soon. We need to end this and leave."
The vampire had finished with Ricky. He tossed the body aside.
"My friends are coming, yes," the vampire said, licking his lips. "You’re not that dumb, are you?"
Vampires were creatures that lived and hunted in packs. A lone vampire was really rare. They were an organized dark race. Some said they even had cities inside the dungeons, whole areas packed with them.
Nobody was stupid enough to think this was just a lone vampire. Not even Mike.
I found the purple potion a few seconds after that exchange and handed it to Mike.
This potion was different. Sarah’s expression gave it away.
Mike gulped it as soon as I gave it to him. The veins on his body bulged, and his muscles grew larger. He was turning into something else, like a superhuman or some shit.
He even dropped his katana on the ground, preferring to use his own fists.
"Let me finish this," Mike said.
That was some confidence. The vampire didn’t look scared. Maybe the creature didn’t know what the potion was doing to Mike’s body. Why should it be scared?
I was caught off guard when Mike moved. The ground under his feet cracked from the raw strength of his legs. He appeared almost instantly in front of the vampire, punching him right in the face.
The vampire flew meters away, crashing into the ground and destroying the cobblestones. His nose bent sideways, his fangs shattered. A single hit that rewrote his face.
He figured out fast that Mike was too strong for him. So the vampire made his last move.
A fucking scream. The bastard screamed to call the others toward us faster. What a motherfucker.
Mike dashed again, and this time the punch was so strong the vampire’s head exploded.
"Let’s get the fuck out of here," Mike said.
Everyone ran toward the staircase. I was last.
Then more vampires showed up. Five of them. They were close, almost reaching me.
Mike, seeing that, decided to do something. Or rather, he told the red-haired woman to do it.
"Kick Vince toward them to buy us time! Forget those crystals he’s carrying, we can get more later."
The red-haired woman looked at me, then at Mike.
"But..."
"DO IT!"
I felt betrayed. First time in a dungeon, carrying everything for them like a mule, and at the first sign of trouble, they decided to throw me to the wolves.
The red-haired woman, whom I’d pegged as cold, was the only one who didn’t want to do it.
"I’m sorry for this," she said. "Really sorry."
She grabbed my backpack first, pulling it off me. Then a kick to my belly that sent me flying toward the vampires.
They disappeared into the darkness after that. All I could see was their backs.
Mike, a fucking bastard.
The vampires stopped chasing them and turned their attention to me.
"They gave us something to eat," one of them said.
I was ready to die right there. First time I finally got to explore a dungeon, and this was how it went. First time.
The worst part? Nobody would remember me. If I’d at least died doing something heroic. But no. Dying like a dog.
I was on the ground, arms wrapped around my head.
"NOOO!" I screamed.
Hard not to scream in that situation. My voice even cracked.
"Don’t kill him," a voice came from far away.
I couldn’t believe it. Were they being merciful? How? These were vampires, creatures of the night that lived to kill humans.
The vampires froze after that voice spoke. A man stepped forward and stopped beside me.
Unlike the rest, his clothes were clean, not ragged. He looked young, maybe 17, with long hair.
"Get up," he said.
I did.
"Your friends abandoned you," he said. "How do you feel about that?"
What was I supposed to say? They weren’t really my friends. But yeah, those fuckers abandoned me.
"I can spare your life if you do something for me. Can you do it?"
I didn’t like where this was going. But what choice did I have? This might be my only shot at living.
"What do you want?" I asked.
The vampire extended his hand. I blinked, surprised. I took it, and he helped me up.
"Follow me."