Latreia: Lifeless Ordinary:- The Beginning:

Latreia was a young woman at 16 she had seen a lot of horrors and had suffered to remain alive though not unscarred by her experiences. She lived in a great city once, now vanished from history and time buried beneath the dust of mortal men and sea the world changing with the white waters of chaotic actions humans called 'progress'. Before the sun had set on her birthplace it bustled with trade and she was caught up in her families frenzy of activity trying to keep afloat against the storm of trade winds. One morning she awoke in her simple yet well adorned and comfortable room in her families large house, built upon her fathers money from dealing in valuable foreign items, to a peculiar silence that seemed to radiate from the walls. Latreia threw off her sheets and ran to the small glassless window to stare down into the street below. It was empty. With the sun now shining down hard on the worn and sandy road the streets should have been teaming with the dirty robe clad merchants and street hawkers but there was nothing but the cart lines gouged into the dirt road to tell of a carts passage. Latreia started to shiver despite the heat of the day now flowing over her. What had happened? Had there been an invasion? Maybe a swarm of insects had driven people away as had happened before. These thoughts skittered through her mind as she ran through the house clutching her nightdress to her. But there was nobody there to care about her modesty, her fathers study was empty and their maid’s room was locked. Latreia stopped running on her second time past the maid’s room. She noticed a piece of cloth like the hem of a skirt sticking out under the door. Lying down on the floor she peered under the door with the cold floor sending shivers like snakes to her already troubled stomach. She could see a dark shape against it, trying to see more she tugged the material causing the shape against the door to shift and suddenly her maids head lolled backward onto the floor mere inches from her eyes revealing a deep red hole in her neck still oozing blood. Latreia jumped to her feet and ran to her room her breaths coming hard and fast her heart drumming in her ears. She threw on a scarlet edged black robe and ran down and out into the street with the dagger she had bought secretly for protection clutched tightly in her hands. As she ran out into the street a drop of warm liquid hit her in the eye stinging and blinding her till she blinked and wiped the red from her vision. Full of anger and fear she glared up at the roof of the sandstone house to see if this all had been a trick by her influential brother who'd be sitting on the roof dripping tomato juice on her feeling smug at how realistically he'd faked the maids death. This flight of fantasy was burned away in an instant. Her family all hung dead and limp from the side of the house high up by the roof impaled by swords through their shoulders and chests blood dripping silently to the floor where the large droplets threw up dust and mingled with the sand. Latreia couldn't scream or cry she felt like a blade was being turned inside her too. It hit her what she had to do, her brother who now hung pale, eyes staring through her with his head turned down had always said he would avenge any of his family if they were killed. How could she do any less? With tears of anger and sadness now starting to stream down her cheeks she turned to the road with wide brown eyes and began to run following the cart tracks to their source.



Latreia ignored the sharp rocks scratching her feet as she ran her mahogany-coloured hair flowing out behind her like a cape. Ahead of her the market place lay in shambles, the hastily erected stalls splintered and covered in broken goods were strewn everywhere. Here and there small smears of blood could be seen on the collapsed canvas tents that stood out against the sun-bleached landscape. Latreia spotted an arm in the shade sticking out from under a large collapsed fruit stall the fingers slowly clawing at the dusty ground yet not able to find purchase in the dust. She ran to the persons aid without hesitation using all her strength she rolled the stall off the young but fat merchant who lay in the shadow throne by the stall. 'Are you badly hurt' Latreia said, recognising the man as being Tavil the kind merchant who gave a lot of fruit away to local children. Tavil on his hands and knees slowly raised his head to look at her. His eyes seemed brighter than the sun burning yellow from within, the muscles in his face twitched violently like insects under the skin creasing the pale flesh. Latreia raised the dagger to fend off the demonic creature that once had been Tavil. Tavil leaped jaws open wider than seemed possible, saliva dripping from his elongated canines sharper than the dagger in Latreia's hand. Latreia screamed and slashed downward across Tavil's face cutting deep into flesh and grating across bone. Tavil threw her to the floor pinning her to the ground with his great weight, sitting atop her pushing down her arms he laughed maniacally blood spraying from his mouth cleaven in two by Latreia's blade. He stopped laughing suddenly a high pitched scream starting in his throat growing louder and louder as his body started to shake. The flesh of his hands against Latreia's arms seemed to pucker and bubble, the skin of his face wrinkled, blackening and cracking as his yellow eyes rolled. Latreia could only struggle in vain to get away from the grotesque monstrosity atop her as flame shot from the deep gash down the middle of his face. Tavil let go of her to stand up, Latreia staring up at his outline against the sun too afraid to move. Tavil toppled forwards smoke pouring off him, Latreia closed her eyes and raised her hands but the body crumbled like burnt paper as it hit her sending a cloud of dust rolling across the ground. Latreia stood up shaking with terror wiping the thick dry dust from her face and clothes it sticking to the lines of the tears on her face. Picking up her dagger that had fallen to the floor she looked with disbelief at the pile of dark dust on the floor. Now she knew what had happened to her family though she had thought it was nothing but silly stories before, she had heard rumours of the street children disappearing to be found pale and bloodless holes in their necks. 'Vampires are real' she thought 'I hope other parts of the stories are true'. She picked up a piece of wood splintered from a stall and used her dagger as she walked to sharpen its point. There was a horse standing eating from a pile of grain a severed hand just inches from it's mouth. With a calming hand she climbed up onto the dark brown back of the animal persuading it into a gallop away from its prize. The tracks of the wagon she followed led off the road into a patch of scrub at the base of some small rocky hills. She slowed the horse down her head darting from side to side very aware of the shadows here between two hills that seemed to tower on either side of the three horse wide trail. She saw ahead of her many marks in the sandy ground as if objects of great weight had landed there. Getting closer she saw the dents were in the shape of footprints the indentations of a sandal easily recognisable. Long lines led away from these indentations in twos as of heels dragged in the ground. 'Looks like I’ve found all the missing merchants' she thought grimly determined to carry on knowing she would likely die soon unafraid of the peace that death would now bring. She followed these tracks on foot to a cave the entrance piled high with bits of wood from the market and rocks. Squeezing through a small gap she'd made in the barrier she squinted into the darkness. A small fire burned within the smoke churning up to the roof of the cave to leave through small holes in the rock that let in no light. A pile of bodies lay further along the cave and she stopped to think of her next move. 'Why would Vampires need a fire', 'they don't eat or need warmth or light' she thought to herself, a voice behind her seared her like lightening seeming to singe her nerves numb 'Because I’ve always had a thing for fire sweet one'. She turned around as if on a turntable her dagger and sharpened steak forgotten. A tall pale figure dressed in black stood at the entrance to the cave a large brimmed black hat hiding his eyes black hair streaming over his shoulders smooth as silk and shiny as oil. He seemed to be surrounded by a nimbus of energy the light from the fire flickering around his outline yet not on his clothes which seemed imbued with their own shadowy light. 'I knew I read you right' he said in a sedate, deep voice that seemed to resonate in her skull as well as the cave. 'The others said I shouldn't waste such a pure, healthy, young thing but they don't appreciate anything but sport'. He was suddenly directly in front of her holding her wrist lightly yet with a hint of great power held at bay. 'You notice you aren't crippled by the pain' he spoke matter of factly. Latreia tried to raise the hand he held that contained the steak but couldn't hope to move it against his unmoving grip so she struck at his chest with the blade sliding it almost without effort into his heart. He smiled his dark lips turning up slightly at the corners. 'Ha well done, you will be perfect'. He lent down and kissed her on the forehead and her vision blurred as she sank slowly into unconsciousness.




Latreia awoke to the sound of wind blowing through the trees that now surrounded her in the darkness; the moon shone brightly casting long gnarled blue shadows around her. She felt exposed in the small glade she sat in obviously far from where she lived from the forests lushness. Unrecognised birds called off in the distant night, as she stood up her limbs cold and stiff. Panicking she searched the ground hopelessly for her stake but she knew it had been dropped in that now far away cave. The stars shone brightly and she glanced up at their beauty strangely enthralled. Suddenly she became aware of dark shapes gathered around the edges of the forest glade only seen from the corners of her eyes. Behind her the same deep crisp voice travelled from her ears down her spine making her shudder. "This is our birthplace sweet one". The strangely illuminated figure of the man from the cave stepped around and in front of her his waist length cape moving like living silk reflecting the stars. "All of us were born as you were in this glade distilled from the deepest darkness of humanity". Latreia didn't understand what this demonic creature was saying or why he was torturing her, why didn't he just kill her? "You have a choice my dear" he said this with a voice nearing compassion as he removed his hat to reveal deep dark blue eyes that glowed from under his jet black hair. "Death or rebirth". He gestured to one of the shadowy figures surrounding the glade; a young man strode forwards moonlight shining off his pale skin that had once been deeply tanned. "Godoric!" Latreia called to the young man who she recognised from her city. Godoric smiled widely at her, his once decayed teeth from eating the sweets given him by kind merchants now gleaming sharp and white in the blue night illumination. "Godoric chose last year Latreia, after the death of his family in the grainhouse fire he longed for the peace and escape from pain we could bring him. Like him you are unsuited to your shallow, meaningless existence. I sensed in you a desire to escape the cattle around you." He stepped closer to Latreia seeming to stare deep into her soul. Latreia aware that he had known her name felt a sudden wave of anger rush over her as the monster who had killed her family stood there as if he expected her to join him gratefully. "You killed my family!" She screamed as she ran at him her nails aimed at his eyes. The figure casually lifted her with one arm and held her tightly against him. Speaking softly into her ear he said. "For your new life to begin your old life must die, all we did was force fates hand." He set her down Latreia now to week from the effects of the stranger’s voice and emotionally drained to fight. "Latreia you are special, your name is written across the stars, it is destined you alone will survive the centuries of chaos that mankind will bring to this world as they wring it dry." At this a few of the dark figures laughed. Latreia's tormentor threw burning looks at the shadowy figures with glowing yellow eyes that shone for a brief instant. "I have never been wrong! Latreia many of our kind are too proud to believe that lesser beings as man could destroy them but alas they can." Seemingly aware of the growing impatience amongst the gathered vampires he gently stroked the hair away from Latreia's face and lunged forward sinking his teeth almost painlessly into her neck. Latreia saw the stars spin and whirl above her and a strange calm came over her. The dark figure at her throat lifted his face up to hers and kissed her lightly this time instead of sending her into darkness his kiss sent her thoughts into a blur of speed and awoke her from her drowsiness as the blood left her body. "Choose" he said the word echoing again and again inside her mind seeming to loosen her hold on the pain and anger of her loss. It seemed to make more sense by the second that her feelings were meaningless, her family was gone so why be upset? What good would that do? Her family had all died without making a difference even if she lived to a hundred she would just be another one of the cattle to vanish from the earth leaving only dust. She had been good at one thing all her life. Surviving. "I don't want to be dust" she said in a whisper. "She chooses rebirth!" the dark haired figure cried victoriously as he rose up from the ground leaving her lying staring up at him as he floated against the stars. The figures in the forest lifted from their shadowy concealment to gently land beside her with disbelief on many of their faces. Against all odds she had chosen to be reborn where only those embittered with life and alienated from humanity had done so before. There were more than thirty vampires around her from many backgrounds of different ages yet all beautiful in the way only a beautiful yet dangerous animal can be, the untouchables. They each took it in turn to cut their palms with a black dagger with an ebony panther hilt, dripping the dark blood into her open mouth. The blood was cold and sickly sweet to Latreia who felt sick as the first drops hit her tongue but after a few seconds it seemed to tingle and loose it's taste as it sought its way down her throat. Burning fire in her stomach made her suddenly scream and black clouds drifted across the stars, only the moon now visible to pour its cold light across her now far paler skin. The vampires backed off to watch, the cuts in their palms beginning to pucker and heal. Latreia was the first to have been sired by more than one vampire and none knew what could happen. Latreia's skin gave off a pale blue illumination and her eyes dark as black pools of oil closed and her chest stopped moving as she grew limp and the light from her flesh died away. For a few minutes the vampires waited then one spoke. "Ha so much for your stupid prophecy, all that for a brief light show." The blue eyes that had stared into Latreia's as she'd denounced her humanity turned on the speaker who's smile instantly faded seeing the malice in the face that had commanded so much respect for so long. As many of the vampires were about to leave the glade Latreia's body started to move, her hair previously covered with sweat and mud from the forest floor seemed to writhe like snakes and became shiny and smooth. The blood on her lips sank into her skin and she opened her mahogany-coloured eyes and she sprang into the air to land behind the startled vampires. Grabbing the sword of the nearest vampire she aimed it in an arch at the unbelieving vampires neck to stop at his skin. "Choose" she said making the vampire whom had laughed at the prophecy kneel before her and the blue eyed vampire by her side placed a hand on her shoulder. "I prophesise a good relationship between you and me Latreia". He took the sword from her hand and the chastened vampire with relief on his face backed away. "I will avenge my family" she said turning to face the tall mysterious vampire. "But it will be centuries before mankind can harm any of you". With this the vampires dispersed by air and on foot and Latreia vanished into the darkness leaving the tall, blue eyed vampire standing alone staring at the moon bright red through the clouds as rain began to pour sliding off his clothes yet leaving them dry. "From here the story writes itself" he said softly as he to vanished into shadows.

i take it nobody wants the second chapter then...i'll stick to the day job.