The Vampire and The Traveler Ch. 09

He sat patiently on his bed, waiting for Lilith to show up. She told him that she needed to prepare some things before she could transform him, and that he should head back to his apartment in the meantime. She said that she would be over in roughly an hour, but it seemed she was running a little late.

As he waited for her arrival, he found himself slowly dosing off. No matter how many all-nighters he pulled during his time with her, he still sometimes found himself slipping back into his natural sleep cycle. That was one thing he was looking forward to about this ordeal: he would go back to having a more consistent sleeping schedule. Eventually he drifted off into sleep.

He wasn't sure how many hours had passed, but he woke up to a tapping at his window. He sat up and looked out, to see a bat hovering outside the glass. It had to have been her; that or it was an actual bat, and he was about to risk getting rabies. There was only one way to find out, so he went and opened the window. It flew in, flapping its wings and squeaking for a moment before morphing back into a more human shape. As he guessed, it was Lilith.

She was wearing a black button-up shirt and red suit vest, along with matching black pants and a cape. He found himself staring at her, for she looked like a countess of old. "I have come for you." She said, extending a hand of invitation. "It's time for your induction."

"We're going through with it now..." his heart began beating out of his chest as his eyes dazzled "So you really will marry me?!"

She gave him a fanged smile. "Yes, my darling. There is no doubt in my mind that I want to marry you. Soon you will be inducted into the house and become a fully converted immortal."

He ran up and embraced her, tightly clinging to her. "I accept!" He exclaimed. "I love you!" He had always imagined the proposal to be one of them getting down on one knee and offering a ring, but it seemed vampires had different traditions on that front. Nonetheless, it still felt romantic in its own gothic way.

The image of the small, excited man holding onto her was ruining the intimidating veneer she'd been setting up. But it couldn't be helped, so she hugged him back.

He broke out of the embrace, his eyes and cheeks practically glowing. "This is incredible! I know we've been dating for over a year, but it feels like it's gone by so quickly! And what a cool way to propose, you've got the cape and everything! I can't wait for our wedding!" He began pacing as he thought about the future ceremony. "Oh, I should get a nice dress! You would look good in a suit, but it would also be cool if we both wore dresses! It's whatever you're feeling on that front, as long as I'm in a dress. Oh, and where do you think we should host it? A park would be nice, or maybe we can do it near your mansion."

"Alex." She grabbed him by the shoulder and gave him a gentle smile. "I do believe we have one thing to take care of before that?"

"Oh, right of course!" He released a sigh, realizing he was getting too worked up. After calming himself down a little, he looked back up to her with a loving gaze. Pulling his shirt collar down, he titled his head back so that his neck was completely exposed. "Take me."

"Of course, my dear." She kneeled down to his level, and gently held him by the shoulders. She opened her mouth, releasing a soft hiss as her fanged mouth came to his throat. Then, he felt her teeth sinking into his skin. Her fangs quickly pierced the skin like needles, and he felt a stinging pain. Then, as if he were taking a shot, the pain eased. He could feel his blood being drained, which was accompanied by the sound of her slurping and gulps. As he imagined, there was something oddly sensual about the experience.

She briefly pulled out and licked her lips. "Your blood is simply delicious. I don't recall the last time I drank fresh human blood."

"Are we done?"

"Oh no, I was simply taking a breath. In order for this to work," she continued, tucking his hair behind his ears "I must drink more of your blood and imbue you with some of my powers. Only then will you be turned. So if you don't mind," she leaned back in "I'll be helping myself to more." She then sank her teeth back into the wound she'd left, sucking up more of his blood.

As the ritual continued, he could feel himself being drained. He didn't feel like he was gaining anything new, and the blood loss was making him feel increasingly lightheaded. Still, he'd been with her long enough that he completely trusted her. He closed his eyes in surrender, feeling more of himself be drained as a pounding headache developed. After a point the outside world almost began to fade away, and all he could hear was her sucking and his heartbeat. He slowly began to lose himself, and eventually everything faded.

While Alex was passed out, he had a disturbing dream. In it, he was standing in front of a gate, in the middle of a black void. The gate opened, and a mass of tentacles came pouring out of it. They waved around briefly before reaching out and grabbing him. He was drug inside the gate, and it slammed behind him.

When he was released from the tentacles' grasp, he found himself standing before a hooded figure. He didn't know who or what they were, and their dark robes hid all their features. They spoke to him in a deep and echoey voice, saying "she has cast her spell on you, and now it shall begin: the dance of immortality."

After they finished that sentence, they started moving closer to him. The phantom did not walk, but instead simply hovered towards him like a ghost. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a sense of danger from this strange being and he didn't want them to get any closer. He tried to move but he couldn't. Paralyzed, all he could do was watch as they got ever closer to him. When they were right in front of his face, he began hyperventilating before waking up.

He shot awake in a cold sweat. Sitting up, he clinched the sheets and breathed heavily. He looked around, then realized that he was in his bed. He barely had time to get his bearings when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Alex, you've finally awoken!" He looked to his right to see Lilith standing across the room, a look of relief on her face. Running to the side of his bed, she held him by the hands. "Are you feeling alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine I guess. I do feel kinda groggy, though."

"Well, you were asleep for 2 days so that might be why. I've hardly left your side since you passed out, but I knew you would wake up again. Because the ritual was a success, you've turned!"

"Wait, so I'm a vampire now?" He looked around. "What do I look like now? I need to get in front of a mirror."

She lowered her head. "Darling...think about what you just said."

"Oh, fuck." He slumped his shoulders. "This is going to take getting used to, I can tell."

"Well to answer your question, I think you look wonderful. Especially your eyes, they've turned a bright red and it looks rather lovely. Also," she looked at the bite mark on his neck "it seems your wound hasn't fully recovered yet. It's like I've marked you."

He put a hand to his neck to feel 4 puncture wounds. It seemed it would take a little time before that healed. "I see...how do my fangs look?"

"Well, let's see." He opened his mouth, and she looked intently at his teeth. Seemingly satisfied, she smiled. "Your new fangs look good as well! We will have to break them in and get you some blood soon."

"Do you happen to have any on hand?" He asked, rubbing his head. "I'm actually really thirsty, and there's a weird taste in my mouth too."

She nodded. "Yes, I happened to bring along some blood packets." Saying this, she got up to retrieve a cardboard box. In it, were the plastic containers of blood one could find in a hospital.

"Wait, is that human blood?" He asked, a little surprised.

"Yes." She said, grabbing one of the packets with a rather regretful expression. "I must apologize, I'd previously told you that we tended to drink animal blood. But truth be told, animal blood is rather unappetizing compared to that of humans. So we have taken to drinking from packets such as these. We have a...unique relationship with the medical industry."

"You lied to me that first night?"

"Yes. Again, I'm sorry, but I just didn't want to scare you too much. I suppose saying we drank the blood of livestock was easier to explain than this."

"Okay..." he sighed "y'know what, we'll talk later. Just give me the blood for now, it's hard to speak at this point."

Opening the plastic bag, he started slurping up the dark red liquid. With the way the container was shaped, he felt like a kid drinking out of a juice box. It had an almost metallic taste to it as he expected, but the flavor was somehow more tolerable now. It didn't feel like the taste itself had changed, but more that his tongue was more acclimated to it. Drinking in more of the blood quenched his thirst, and immediately made him feel more energized. In that regard, it had a stronger effect than coffee. Before he knew it, he'd sucked down the whole packet.

"How was it?" She asked. "That was type O blood just so you know, which is usually what I choose for the evenings after I wake up. That is a just a personal preference however, you're free to experiment with other kinds."

"I thought it tasted good." He said. "I feel much more awake now too, it's like it completely revitalized me."

"Blood is our sole source of energy, so that is not surprising. Any other food or drink is merely a luxury that we partake in."

"Oh, I just thought of something!" He announced, finally getting out of bed and stretched. "How do you turn into a bat? I want to fly around!"

"I was just about to say," she rose to her feet, amused by his enthusiasm "I should walk you through your new powers."

They migrated to the living room where they had a bit more space to move around. They both stood in front of his couch, where the training began.

"Now, as for turning into a bat, I'm not sure how exactly I should explain it. I've done it so many times, that putting it into words can be tricky." She put her hand to her chin and thought about how best to explain the technique. "What I usually do is think about turning into a bat, jump, then it just happens. So, try doing that."

"Okay, hold on." He jumped up, only to then land back on his feet with a thud. Still very much in human form. "Shit, I wasn't thinking about it hard enough. Lemme try again." Feeling both a little embarrassed and pity for the downstairs neighbors, he attempted it again. This time, focusing a bit more, he was able to do it. He felt his body shrink instantly, and now he could flutter around by flapping his arms.

"I did it!" He excitedly yelled.

Lilith simply smiled, then turning into a bat herself. "You catch on quickly, good job!"

"I've always wanted to fly! Want to flutter around town or something?"

"Perhaps, but first we have some other things to go over." Saying this she turned back into her human form and he followed.

"For your other abilities," she started "you may notice that you're faster and stronger now. Why not test it out?"

"Well I can't really run around in the apartment, but..." looking for something heavy to pick up, he grabbed the arm of the couch and lifted it up. What he would normally struggle to lift with two hands, he could now easily lift with one. He was still just as thin as he was before, yet somehow significantly stronger. "Oh wow!" Surprised at his own strength, he gently set it back down. "Hm..." he walked over to Lilith and was about to try picking her up, before she firmly placed her hand on his forehead. Keeping him at arm's length, he was stopped right in his tracks.

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no." She stated, quickly predicting his next move. "I do not appreciate being picked up."

"Right, sorry." Stepping away, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Shit, where can I even test out my new speed? If we go outside, someone could see us and freak out."

"I suppose we can test it out at my mansion sometime. But for now, I just want to make sure you understand all your new abilities, and that you're familiar with the new rules that you must follow." She sat down on the couch, hands folded over her lap. With the way she talked and her demeanor, she was starting to look like a tutor from a historical drama. "Speaking of which, I want to remind you of a few things."

"Hm?" He sat next to her so he could listen.

"As you already know, going out in the sun is no longer an option. I feel this should go without saying, but a surprising amount of newcomers forget about it and meet an early end. I suppose it is easy to forget if you're not accustomed to it, so just so I don't lose you: consistently remind yourself to not go out in the sun. Take extra caution to ensure it doesn't happen, especially now when you're in the early stages."

He nodded silently.

"And I don't think this will be an issue, knowing you, but just in case: try to avoid going to churches. The prevalence of crosses and other holy symbols make them a terrible place for us. And though we can technically eat human food, be wary of garlic."

"Yeah, like you said, I don't think the church thing will be a problem but good to know." He slumped his shoulders. "I'm really going to miss garlic though..."

"And, let's see what else..." she thought things over some more "oh! And you must resist any urge to attack living humans. The thirst we feel for blood can be great at times, especially with the prospect of drinking it directly from a live host, but any attack on humans will inevitably lead to problems. Being a monster in this world sometimes requires suppressing your natural urges."

"Wait." He looked at her, now having been presented with this new aspect of immortal life. "Did...did you ever get the urge to drink from me when I was still human?"

She sighed and lowered her head. "I must admit, a small part of me did. There were times when your neck was right up against my mouth, and I felt it would have been so easy to sink my fangs into it. But I held back. I knew turning you immortal too soon would be a reckless mistake, and it is not something I wished to do against your will. Fortunately, I've been a vampire long enough that my self control is quite strong." She put her arm around him. "It is as I said on the very night we met: you have nothing to fear from me. I kept myself from biting you all that time, after all."

"I guess you did." He rested his head against her. "I just...it never occurred to me that I may have been a source of temptation for you. I knew going in that a human dating a vampire could come with problems, but I didn't even think about that one."

"I suppose it did have its obstacles, but it worked out in the end." She ran her hand through his long, blonde hair. "Now, would you like to fly around outside as a bat?"

"Oh yeah!" He immediately shot up. "Come on, let's go do that now! I actually know a good spot where no one should see us!"

She calmly followed him as he ran out the door. As they made their way to the outside of the apartment building, he gradually slowed down so she could more easily keep up. Unlike him, she seemed to be in no particular rush. Walking over to the side of the building, the two arrived at the dumpster.

"Okay," he looked around "hardly anyone ever comes here, so we should be safe."

"I suppose..." she furrowed her eyebrows, hands still folded. Though certainly it seemed that they couldn't be seen by any passerby, she didn't much appreciate the stench and overabundance of flies.

"Alright, bat!" Jumping into the air, he transformed, and Lilith followed.

"You do not have to yell out 'bat' whenever you transform." She stated.

"I know, but it makes it easier." Saying that, they both flew off.

It was like a dream, being able to fly over the city. All the people, cars and buildings looked smaller from above. He'd gotten a glimpse of this whenever he flew on a plane, but this was different than that. Rather than being inside the cabin of a flying machine, he was flying freely. The wind on his face, still being able to distinctly hear the sounds of chatter and cars below, and he could move with little hinderance. What's more, he got to experience this dream with the woman he loved.

"I must admit that I've grown accustomed to this sort of thing." Lilith said, observing his wonder. "But seeing you get so excited has put a new perspective on it for me. Turning into a flying creature really is a marvelous thing, isn't it?"

"It is!" He always had a certain appreciation for the glow of city lights but flying above them gave it a different feel. It was truly an incredible sight.

Now having been turned, yet another phase of their relationship had begun: vampirism and marriage. It felt ironic, that the thing Lilith originally proposed as a joke was exactly what happened. Now a fully fledged vampire, it would soon be time to plan for their wedding.