Chapter Text
"Mom! Dad! Look what I found!" You giggle, holding a flower as you run towards your parents. Both mimicked the smile on your face as you ran into their arms. The feeling was familiar and warm, almost as if you were truly there.
"May Bells! Darling, they're lovely!" Your mother, who you cannot remember the name of, gasps. She holds the flower up, watching as the morning dew gently drops off of them.
"Goddesses, and you were so fast too! I saw how you ran from the hill all the way here." Your father chuckles, picking you up and tossing you in the air. For a moment, you felt as if nothing in the world mattered.
All you could think of were the blurred faces of your parents, and the lighthearted laughter that made you feel as if you were the luckiest kid in the world. You wanted nothing more than to stay right there...
Suddenly, your ears were raptured by the sound of yelling and arguing. It was so sudden that you could do nothing more but cover your ears and close your eyes. You could hear your father pleading, "Please, give us more time! We're working both day and night to give you the money-"
"It has been seven generations since your great-great-grandfather signed for the protection of this family. We were fooled once by trusting you humans to keep your end of the bargain." A voice you don't recognizes, roars back at your father, followed by a loud bang and the splintering of wood.
In a panic, you rushed into the hallway above the stairs, watching as a man whose figure seems to change shape, removes their hand from the wall of the house. A large hole is left in its wake.
You watch as your mother drops to her knees, tugging on the man's shirt with tears in voice. "P-Please! Spare our family, take whatever you want just don't kill us! We'll find a way to-"
"Shut It, Wench!" The man spits, slapping your mother away and sending her into the kitchen counter.
"Mom!!" You cry, stumbling down the stairs to help her. You can hear your father call out your name before your sudden grabbed by the hair and pulled into the air. You yell out in both surprise and panic as you kick at the man to let you go, only to see a wicked and tainted smile spread across his features.
"Since you cattle couldn't produce anything that isn't worthless, I'll be taking this little calf just like the rest." He laughs, only to let you go as you manage to kick his crotch.
You immediately rush to your father, feeling him pick you up with tears. You could feel him tremble and tighten his hold around you as if you were his lifeline.
"No! Please don't! You-You've already taken every child we had. Take anything else, Please!" Your father impores, even begging for the man to take him instead.
"N-No! Spare my husband! Take me, Please-"Your mother's pleas are cut short when the man kicks her.
Her cry of pain caused you yell out with her, as the man continued to stomp on her. "I said Shut It Woman! With the way you continue to defy orders, neither you nor your husband would be even worth a penny!"
"Leave her alone, you monster!!!" Unable to withstand the sounds of her torment, your father drops you and rushes to attack the man, grabbing the coffee-table and breaking it against the back of his head.
You watch as the man freezes, only to turn and glare at your father. You watch in disbelief as the man swiftly grabs your father by the wrist and kicks him in the back of the knee. Your father is forced to knee as his grunt turns into a shout of pain the bites into your father's wrist.
The moonlight shines on the trails of blood that drip from your father's wrist and stains the cuffs of his collared shirt. You tried to move and stop the man, however your body wouldn't move. You were paralyzed from fear and from fear alone.
You could only watch in horror as your father's body, once filled with joy and life, turned pale and brittle. You could hear your mother cry out as the man tossed your father's body aside. Your eyes shook and your vision was blurred by tears, however you could see the man's sharp canines glisten with the blood of your father as if you were watching it through a magnifying glass.
The man moved towards your mother and in an instant you shouted, your body freeing you and allowing you to run in front of her.
"S-Stop!! Please!! Don't touch her!!" You protest, feeling your blood rush through your veins and hearing your heartbeat in your chest.
The man kneels in front of you, his face unidentifiable. "Wake up..." He mutters, causing you to pause.
"W-What?-" "I said, WAKE UP!!!" The man shouts his voice changing to a woman's, and the sudden bang of metal causes you to jolt awake, ripping you from your memories.
~~~~~
You sit upright, feeling your heartbeat rapidly as you look around your surroundings. You see the worn bars of your all too familiar cell, and the cold biting tile of the stone floors beneath you. Your attention is grabbed by a masked figure bangs on the metal above you.
"About damn time, Gilipollas! The auction is in five minutes and boss wants everyone down here to be dressed and put in chains backstage." The figure says and you recognize her by her silvery voice as, Laura, the vampire in charge of your section.
You stand as she opens the cell door, allowing you to walk out. Unlike the other "Cattle", you were simply given a metal collar around your throat that connected to the long chain that held the shackles and collars of the others.
For eight years, you've resisted these foul creatures, narrowly escaping countless times. However, after they told you that if you attempted to escape once more, they would kill your mother in front of you, your desire to flee vanished as quick as the chance of seeing your mother did.
Laura snickers, noticing the dead look in your eyes as she lead you up the stairs, followed by the other captives. "What? Not going to try and knock me down? Or worse, use the chain against me?" She mocked, yanking your chain in particular to have you stumble up the stairs.
You say nothing however and stand back up only to be kicked in the back of the knee as you reach the top of the stairs. Laura growls, bearing her fangs as she grabs a handful of your hair and forces you to look up at her.
"You know... I should have your head for what you did to Mi hermano. He was to be married next week and yet you killed him with a damn estaca! A rabbit like you should be dead by now!!" She snarls, and you can feel her grip on your hair tighten.
"Laura! Boss wants them Alive." A disembodied and grating voice calls from behind your peripherals, causing Laura roughly let go of your head and allow you to stand.
"Tch... I swear if this bolsa de sangre isn't sold, I'll kill them." Laura spits, as the man, who you recognize as Edric, approaches, wearing a mask similar to hers.
"Not after I get payback. This little deviant caused me to lose an eye, so it's only fair that I do the same." Edric mutters, looking at you from behind the mask. You could clearly see the eyepatch over his right eye as the other glared at you.
"Question is... Which one should I take?" Edric moves a hand over your face, his fingers tracing over your eyelids as he speaks. "The left... Or the right."
You didn't flinch as Edric began to press his thumb against your right eye, his gloved finger threating to pop your eye right then and there.
Edric eventually backs away, muttering something to Laura that causes her to laugh and look back at you before leading you and the rest of the poor souls to the back of the stage, guiding you all through an arch where you are all dressed up and masked.
Each of you are put into outfits that resemble an animal, and given a mask that signals your age. You were given an outfit that resembled a hare and given a green mask that signals you are 18. Your clothing fitted on your rather tightly, as the auctioneers didn't care much for everyone's measurements.
One by one, you all were guided through the curtains and the sound of a man and woman's voice began biddings. The numbers for people 30 and up were relatively lower than the bids for people 25 and lower. If a captive was sold, they were guided off stage and into the carriages and carts of their buyer. If someone wasn't sold, they were guided back to their cells to receive punishment depending on the amount of times they failed to be sold.
If someone failed to be sold ten times, they would be drained dry and killed.
Your thoughts were interrupted by the nudge of the captive behind you, signaling that it was your turn to go on stage. If you could recall correctly, it was your 9th bidding. You didn't care if you were sold or not, as you had given up hope of seeing your home again.
As you step through the curtain, you gaze out into the crowd, standing tall. Murmurs of approval wash through the sea of vampires, and you could feel eyes cover your form. As the auctioneer began to speak, you moved to look at the quartz floor beneath you, only to maintain eye contact with someone.
You could feel a strange sensation in your heart as all the noises of numbers being shouted were drowned out by the figure's simple stare. It wasn't until they raised their sign were you able to hear again.
"A staggering 350,000 gold from Dirs. Drop!" The host declares, causing a wave of gasp to flood from the crowd. Not a soul raised their sign afterwards. From their eyes and their eyes alone, you could tell why.
They were someone to be feared...