I walked quickly south towards the outskirts of the town. I had just overheard two men talking about an old man that lived in a mansion in that direction. After I had stopped at a library, I had found that this mansion happened to be in the same place my house had been all those years ago. The article I read said it was over a hundred years old and was built on a design that the man’s grandfather had found in the wreckage of the house that was once there. My house.

I came to the house quickly and looked at it in amazement. It was three stories high and had high arched windows that came to a point at the top. All the windows where stained glass and had pictures of holy symbols. (That will need changing.) The house itself was made of gray stone and no windows were on the main floor. There were gargoyles all along the top of the roof, and a dragon at the very front. The front door was made of red wood and was composed of two doors at least ten feet high. The grass around the place was well kept and the bushes lining the bottom that seemed to go all the way around, were trimmed and stood two and a half feet high. Beyond that was an old black gate that I now stood in front of and looked like it was brand new.

I smiled at the cathedral-looking house and how much like mine it was. Everything from gargoyles to the yard was just like it had always been. The only difference was the windows had been in the design of the royal family symbol and a few had been battle scenes. Looking at the windows was when I realized there was something odd. They were all painted black from the inside and I knew a human wouldn’t do that.

Realizing this, I quickly climbed over the gate and  ran to the front door of the house and  was not surprised to find it locked. With a swift kick the door came open and I ran inside only to be stopped dead in my tracks at what I saw. In front of the main stairs laid the old mans body. There were two holes in his neck and they were still draining slightly. Behind him, leaning against the stairs banister, was a vampire. He had deep red eyes and short black hair with small red highlights running through it. He wore tight black jeans and a long ribbon he had tied around himself several times to make it look like a shirt. He was smirking.

“Who are you and what right do you have be in this house?!” I growled, and  bared my teeth.

He put his hand to his chest and made a face as if he were shocked. “I have come from my grave and gone through the trouble of taking your house back and you don’t even remember me? Ludwig, I’m crushed,” he said and smiled jokingly.

Something in the way he acted and spoke suddenly made me remember who he was and I ran to him, embracing him in a long-lost friend’s hug. He chuckled and hugged back. I released him and held him at arms length to look him over.

“Minlok Rutmier, how could I forget you my old friend?” I asked and smiled.     He smiled back and looked me over too, to see how I was blending with the humans. “It’s alright,” he said, “my memory was hazy my first few nights as well.”

I was about to ask him how he was when I heard a hard cough come from behind me. I turned around to see the old man still alive and looking up at me. I knelt next to him and returned his gaze.

“I left him just fresh enough for you,” Minlok said from behind me, “When I came here he begged for me to set him free from life.”

I looked into the old man’s eyes and saw just what Minlok had said. His eyes begged for his death and through those eyes, deep into his mind, I saw memories of a lonely and unloving childhood and life. I had been a vampire for two thousand years and had made a kill every century to keep me up to date. But never in these long years had I enjoyed taking life and enjoyed the thing that I was. If it had not been for the look in that mans eyes I probably would never have had the strength to end his life.

I stood up and closed my eyes as the knowledge the old man had passed through me and became mine. I saw Minlok’s smiling face when I opened my eyes again.

“Good?” he asked. I just nodded.

“What side are you on?” I asked calmly.

“What do you mean?” he asked with a confused face.

“Are you fighting for our thought before or after sleep?” I asked him while sitting in a chair near the stairs. Minlok frowned at this.

“I knew you’d be the one to start the revolution,” he said, standing in front of me and sighed.

“The question was not who would start the revolution, Minlok, it was if you fight for me or Marcus,” I asked, and got another sigh from him.              

Marcus Wolkna had been the lead planer for our revenge against the humans right before our sleep. Everyone had loved his ideals and voted him the king of our “new world”, completely throwing out the old royal family. Of course there had been reason for it.

“You still fight in the royal families name,” Minlok said and shook his head. “No one trusts the old royal family now not even -“

“Silence!” I hissed.

            He sighed, “You do realize it will be hard to get any help on this don’t you?” When I didn’t answer he looked at the floor and pondered on this thought.  After a few moments he looked up at me and smiled. “I’ve always fought along side you,” he said.   

            I returned the smile and stood up. “Very well then. Let go get Sirus then.”

“Wait a minute,” Minlok said and I turned to look at him. “Who’s Sirus?”         

I felt my face redden slightly at this. Minlok smiled teasingly and started to say something but he quickly stopped when I shot him a glare. “Sirus is a human I believe will help greatly with my plan,” I answered.

            “How?” he questioned and tried not to laugh at the inappropriate thoughts I knew he was thinking.

“He is the human of prophecy that truly understands us and does not know why himself,” I stated and glared at my friend again.

“How do you know?” he again, questioning my hormones.

“He was scared I would kill him until I told him I was a vampire.”

I heard Minlok’s “oh” as I walked out of my house and towards town.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The night was very quiet as we walked. As was my companion. Though to you Minlok may have seemed some what hyper, he was really only that way around me, his sister, and the rest of our group that used to travel together. Any other being he was around he was very serious and quiet. As are most vampires.

I walked up to Sirus’ house and stood under the tree I had the night before; leaving Minlok by the road. I figured the young boy would be watching for me and sure enough he was standing at his window in dark red satin pajamas. It didn’t take him but a few seconds to see me and he smiled slightly. I smiled back and was about to go up to him when the vision hit me again. I fell back against the tree and heard Minlok running to me.

*~*~

The vampire that visited me the night before fell back against the tree, holding his head. I felt panic grip me wandering what could be wrong with him. I was about to race down to where he was when another vampire with black and red hair came to his side.

“Are you alright?” I heard him say. The white haired one nodded and they both disappeared.

I turned around and saw them standing next to my bed just like the night before. “You never told me your name,” I said to the white haired vampire. I guess it was a bit quick after he’d just fell but he looked fine and I wanted to know more about him.

“Please forgive me,” he said, “My name is Ludwig Unmensch and this is Minlok Rutmier.” The other vampire nodded slightly.

I smiled and waved, then turned back to the white haired one. “Okay then Ludwig. Why did you fall against the tree? Are you alright?” He looked at me oddly a minute before answering my question.

“Err, it’s nothing really my heads just fuzz since I’ve not been awake to long and I was a bit dizzy,” he answered quickly.

I got the feeling that wasn’t the truth but I didn’t want to say something to make him leave and not want to come back, so I left it be.

“So, why have you come here?” I asked to change the subject.