Chapter 2 - Thee Ancient Hunger/ a.k.a. Black Light Special on Aisle EVIL The carriage was vintage, but still highly functional. Stationed in front of his Abode of Sorrows, Vladimir intensely studied the vehicle, perhaps envisioning it in it's prime, being drawn by seven pure black steeds, and driven by his trusted henchman Draednul as he languished in the riding compartment with a fresh kill, or a potential victim… Almost drowsily, a wry yet distant smile formed on his face. He reached for the antiquated handle, making the motion to step inside when he was interrupted by the shrill cries of the Harpy She-Beast he had come to loathe… "Frederick, what are you doing?" it bellowed. "We're taking the mini van to the mall, not your dad's convertible." "Yes, Mother." Vladimir again winced at the effrontery of the utterance of his given Christian name. Resigned, he shuffled towards the more family-accommodating carriage, taking his position in the back seat as the Beast Chauffeur climbed into the drivers' position. "This carriage is not quite so handsome as the other," Vladimir mused, "however, it's roomy interior and smooth ride compensate for it's aesthetic deficiencies." His position on the coach's comfort factor changed however, as soon his little brother, Charly and sister Jessica piled inside, making copious amounts of noise with the new Transformers: Beast Wars action figurines they had acquired through a lucrative deal with the merchant of the Pine Street McDonalds. Vladimir emitted a low hiss, secretly cursing his lot among the undead. Inside, however, he knew that he must live among the mortals as one of them in order to hunt them successfully. Vladimir leaned against the window of the van gazing outside, impervious to the noisy tots next to him. Even as they pulled at his hair, and threw wads of paper at his face, he remained unfazed, obviously deep in thought. He was still engrossed in his own meditations and had not noticed that the vehicle had arrived at the New Towne Market Shoppes until the van had stopped. "I shall now procure new attire" Vladimir told his companions. "I do not require your assistance in this matter, I shall meet you back here at 2:00 p.m." With that, he headed toward the Hot Topic store, where he knew that great acquisitions awaited him. His eyes first spied a tempting suit of chainmail. He scoffed at the paltry aluminum craftsmanship before noticing the price tag. "$375.00!!??? He stated aloud, incredulously. "Why, in my time, my armours were crafted of gold and silver, and fitted by curvy wenches whom upon completion of their task I then drained of their lifesblood! And it was an HONOR to perish so. Bah!" A merchantess, a young woman with eyes of fire approached him, asking him if he needed any help. Vladimir was taken aback by her beauty as he mentally roved the female human's body hungrily wondering what her young blood would taste like. He managed to stutter "Uhhh yeah, do you have any NIN t-shirts?" The sales girl directed him towards the back, where a rack of more affordable finery was positioned. Vladimir picked out two short-sleeved garments befitting of his personality. The first was simple yet elegant black vetement, with the initials "NIN" on the front, and the phrase "WISH I COULD FEEL, WISH I COULD HURT" on the back. The second was a bauhaus shirt, a band with which he was not familiar, but he wished to further his standing in the society of fellow Nightbreed, and was aware that their music had some sort of significance to the dark beings of the night. "This shall surely garner acceptance", he thought. He grinned slyly at his own cunning. It was about this time that Vladimir noticed the unmistakable feeling of hunger forming. It was still much too early to Feed, he reckoned, and headed towards the mall's meager food court for a holdover. As he ascended the escalator towards the court, his eyes wandered towards the roof. The numerous skylights reminded him of the great cathedrals of his native Transylvania. He shivered, uncomfortable with the thought of being close to anything godly. But Vladimir's mind quickly drifted to that fateful day, in the hallowed halls of St. Vyrgnyziecowicz, where he wed his betrothed, and where his descent into darkness began... His eyes lit up. "Ooh! Hot Dog on a Stick!" He smiled gleefully at the thought of the sausage delight, but quickly recovered his sneer as his eyes darted around nervously to make sure no-one was party to his brief expression of happiness. "Yes, yes... I will presently procure some worldy sustinence." Vladimir announced to nobody in particular. He approached the counter and was greeted by what appeared to be a former court jester. "What'll it be?" The bubbly blonde inquired. "Mmmmm, ahhh yesss... good day... I think that perhapssss I will indulge in a chili dog this after-noon... or no, no I will have the megawiener with musssstard, or no no wait, the cheesy nacho dog or... CURSES! So many choices!" Vladimir gazed up at the menu board for several minutes, unable to decide. The counter-jester began to lose patience as the line of customers behind Vladimir steadily grew. Finally, she decided to just help the next person in line. "Next" she yelled. Vladimir, who up until that point was involved in his own decision- making process, froze in his tracks. "You DARE dismiss me, wench?!" Vladimir bellowed, "I who have lived a thousand lifetimes, tasted the blood of QUEENS shall NOT be disregarded by the likes of you, you PITHY mortal! I will partake of thy flesh!" "So, you want one dog or two?" She replied. "FIE! TWO OF COURSE, IMBECILIC SERF!!! AND SOME OF THAT LEMONADE TOO, IDIOT." He grabbed his purchases, paid for them, angrily spun around, and marched off muttering extremely evil sounding ancient celtic rune-spells. Parents clutched their children close as he walked by on his way back to the main mall. It was as in the days of yore, when he led his army of doom into battle, and it seemed as though the crowds parted to make way for him. "Oho!" Vladimir gloated. "See how these piteous mortals fear me!" What he didn't see, however, were the two mallcops tailing him... Vladimir eventually noticed that something was amiss. His bat like radar detected he was being tailed. He correctly assumed that the almost authoritative looking mallcops coming toward him were the perps. Things were about to get ugly. In his mind, Vladimir heard the opening melody of the Mortal Kombat theme, and pivoted around, steps deftly matching the thump of the nonexistant beat. "Test Your Might"... indeed. He was prepared to go Liu Kang on their ass at a moment's notice if necessary. "Whoa buddy," one security guard approached Vlad, his hands making the universal sign for "calm down". Vladimir, of course, recognized this gesture as one of supreme human weakness, and *hisssed*. Vladimir was well into the second chorus of the inaudible fight song at this point. "DON'T YOU KNOW ME, BOY?" Vladimir sneered. "Every wolf suffers fleas. 'Tis easy enough to scratch!" "Uhh...?" One security guard piped up, exchanging a quizzical look with his partner. "How about you just get out of here before I call the real cops, OK." Vladimir waved his hand in a sweeping motion over the group of stunned mall shoppers, knocking over a Garden Botanika display in the process. Audible giggles could be heard from several directions. "YOU THINK...THAT YOU HAVE WON. BUT What is LIGHT, without DARKNESS? LOVE...WITHOUT HATE?" His glaze pierced all around him. "I AM... A PART.... OF YOU ALL!" He curled his fist into a ball and raised it towards the sky, presumably summoning a ray of evil to unleash upon the crowd. He paused... "Shit." Vlad looked at his watch. It was nearly time to meet his family to go home. "You will live to see another day, mortals... but I will visit you in dreams, and you shall know FEAR." With that, he pointed to a distant corner and yelled "ZIM-ZUM!". Most people looked in the direction he pointed, so he took this opportunity to make his escape down the escalator. "Curses." << >>