Hunger Pangs{Private}

[Chloe Valentine]

Chloe sat up as the cold wind whipped across her face, opening her eyes she looked around, taking in her surroundings. The abandoned asylum was behind her, and she was smack dab in the middle of the parking lot. Disoriented she pushed herself to her feet and placed her hand on her aching head. What the hell had happened to her? Her hand slid from her head down to her neck, and that's when she felt the holes, two small holes about a inch and half apart. Her eyes went wise, and she reached into her pocket to find her cellphone. Turning the camera on and looking into the screen, her focus on the small neck wounds was soon not her concern, the crusty red substance on her face, all around her mouth was her new concern. She dropped her phone and rubbed frantically at her face, trying to get the red off.

Looking at the ground, bending down she grabbed her phone off the ground, and checked out her face again, pleased with how it looked now, well partially anyway, there was mascara smeared down her cheeks and her face was rather filthy. She locked her phone and shoved it into her pocket and then searched the ground for her gun, spotting it a few feet away, she staggered her way over to it and grabbed it from the ground, securing it into it's holster, as she strained to remember what happened. That's when the pains in her stomach started, pains intense enough to make her double over, holding her stomach. What was happening to her?

Hungry that's what, she hadn't eaten all day. She straightened back up and walked to her car getting in, the pains in her stomach not subsiding in the least. She started the car and took off, not driving very far until she came to a place called Finley's Cavern. That seemed as good a place as any, and she parked the car. She walked inside the Tavern and squinted her eyes, the light inside here was killer to the eyes, again she had to ask herself what was wrong with her. She sat down at the bar, and grabbed a menu and decided to order the first thing on it, fries with some gravy.Anything to drink dear? Chloe just shook her head, and as the bartender began to walk away she changed her mind. On second though, a glass of water would be splendid right now, I feel dehydrated. The bartender nodded and got that for her right away. She thanked him and took a sip of it, nearly choking on it. It was disgusting, she began to wonder what the food would taste like, if they couldn't get a simple water order right.

She pushed the water away and waited for her food, shielding her eyes to the light as she waited. She looked at a man sitting at the bar, giving her an odd look, she scowled at him and turned herself slightly so he'd stop staring. A few minutes later the fries and gravy was placed in front of her. It smelled just as horrible as the water tasted, but she decided to give them a try anyway, and grabbed her fork, stabbing a couple fries and shoving them into her mouth. The reaction was instant, she spit them back onto the plate, and bolted from her seat to the bath room and into one of the stalls, where anything she has swallowed had decided to come back up, and that's when the hunger pangs started again. She asked herself one more time, what was happening to her, before she blacked out in the bathroom stall.

[Alejandro Cepero]

Alejandro sat in the corner of the tavern, sipping wine as was his custom. God, it was nice to get away from that bunker in the compound. There was never any good wine there. Always with beer, whiskey, or some other angl-american concoction. Not like this tavern was much better, but the owner was a personal friend of Alejandro's (went back to the days he saved her daughter and killed the last of his old unit in the alleyway of her tavern.) and always made sure she had a bottle of the good stuff for him whenever he came on by. In truth, Alejandro was fond of her and her family, and had become extremely protective of them. As a result, many supernaturals rarely entered this place, if at all. They knew better than to fuck with those "La Espada" cared for.

That's why he was surprised, rather unpleasantly so, when he saw the woman enter for the first time. She didn't smell human. No, she was definitely supernatural, but by her demeanor you'd never guess it. But once he caught site of the two bite marks on her neck he knew immediately. She was just turned. Very recently, in fact. And it appeared the vampire who turned her did not even bother to explain what she had become. Poor girl.

Alejandro couldn't help but pity her as she placed the water back down on the table, clearly unsatisfied. "The drink shall never quench thy thirst... The food will never satisfy..." He muttered softly, sighing. It was why he took a small vile to place a tiny amount of blood in anything he drank. Made the wine revive, and taste as good as it did all those years ago, when he was just a lad compared to who he... no, what he was... now.

And what this woman nearby clearly was in the process of realizing what she had become. She scowled at him, and he sighed, shrugging and rolling his eyes as he took a sip of wine. When he saw the food approach her, he knew immediately it wouldn't satisfy either. If she had gotten a large, meaty steak, rare, it may have alleviated some of the sickness she was feeling. But no, fries would not cut it. Within moments, he watched her bolt towards the bathroom, and calmly stood up and spoke to one of the bartenders, the owner's daughter.

"Frankie, I think that woman is one of the ones I told you of. Please make sure noone enters the bathroom after me."
"Of course uncle Ale." She nodded, smiling. He liked being called that, as a faint smile grew on his lips then disappeared as he turned away. Walking into the bathroom, seeing as it was clear of all others, he locked the door behind him and walked over to the stalls. There, he saw her slumped over the toilet, and sighed as he bent down and dragged her out of the stall and laid her down on the floor. He then pulled out the vial of blood he had, gently held her head in place as he opened her mouth and poured some of the crimson red liquid into it. Carefully, gently, so as not to spill any onto the ground. He then carefully set her head back down on the ground and backed away, leaning against the wall, taking a sip of his red wine. Now it was time to wait.

[Chloe Valentine]

The next 15 minutes was filled with an odd dream for chloe, or so she though anyway. It all started with her, gun out running after a man, probably in his early 30's, dark hair, and in a longblack trenchcoat. She could hear his heavy boot thumping on concrete of the parking lot. I said stop, or I will shoot you. The man stopped quickly and turned around, he had a scruffy face, and gorgeous blue eyes, that stood out from the rest of his features. They were bright, more color than the rest of his features, he wore all black under the trenchcoat. She raised her gun and pointed it right at his chest, ready to shoot at a moments notice. Unfortunately a moments notice wasn't quite enough.

The man moved at an impossible speed, knocking the gun away from her hand, and grabbing her hair, she struggled to release his hold, but his strength was phenomenal, and he wretched her head back and sank his teeth into her neck, the pain was unbearable for a split second and then she felt nothing, time seemed to have stopped and she felt like she was just floating there. Then she felt something being jammed against her mouth, and a warm iron tasting substance pouring down her throat. That's when everything went black for her.

Chloe sat up instantly and her hand shot to her neck, she felt the two holes there and groaned, so that wasn't just a dream, that was reality. The hunger pangs were still there, but it was just an annoying nuisance in the pit of her stomach now, nothing she couldn't handle, she was a woman afterall.

She suddenly became very aware that she was not alone, and her eyes shot to the man leaning against the wall, a wine glass in his hand, staring at her. All she could do at that moment was stare back, and then the dumbest question spilled from her lips like word diarrhea. Who are you and why are in the women's bathroom?

[Alejandro Cepero]

Alejandro simply stood by the wall, slowly sipping his wine here and there, as he waited for the woman to revive. He couldn't just give her a little bit of blood then leave. No, that would be highly irresponsible, and dangerous. She might wake up and attack a patron, or worse, Frankie. No, it was better to stand here and wait for the woman to awake. By the soft sounds she was mumbling and her twitching, she was having a rather vivid dream. Probably about the time she got turned (which was undoubtedly less than 24 hours ago). Finally, the woman popped up and immediately grabbed her neck. As she asked her question, he quickly downed the small bit of wine that remained in his glass, and placed it on the sink as he leaned off the wall.

"My name is Alejandro Cepero. And you are the reason I am standing here." He said in his accented voice. Crossing his arms and leaning back on the wall, he spoke. "I will cut to the chase senorita, you are no longer human. Water... She will never satisfy. Food will no longer satiate your hunger. You, like myself, are a vampire." He said calmly and in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice. His grey eyes simply studied her a moment, then spoke. "It is unfortunate, as the one who turned you clearly did not even bother to explain what has happened to you. You will have many questions, and I'm fairly certain it will take you time to adjust to your new state."

He then leaned off the wall and crouched down next to her, his grey eyes meeting hers. "And what is your name chiquita?"

[Chloe Valentine]

Chloe's eyes never left the face of Alejandro as he explained everything to her, why he was here, what she supposedly was. She stayed quiet to the very end. He finally said his piece, and she just stared at him blankly for about 3 minutes. His question didn't register in her mind, she heard it but it just didn't register, the only thing that registered was, she was a vampire.

She stared into Alejandro's grey eyes, and then started to laugh uncontrollably, she wasn't sure what the deal with her was, nervous, not accepting laugh, or a I really don't believe in vampires laugh. The laugh lasted for about 5 minutes before she slowly tried to suck the laugh back, and holding her stomach because it hurt, from laughing so hard. She closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths, and then opened her eyes and looked at Alejandro again. You're joking right, are there hidden cameras in here, candid camera maybe? There are no such thing as vampires.Then how could she explain what happened to her then?The suspect I was chasing tonight, attacked me and drugged me, that's all there is to it. Who was she trying to convince, him or herself?

[Alejandro Cepero]

Alejandro merely maintained the woman's gaze as long as she kept it. What was going through her head? Had what he said registered in her mind? He blinked, and suddenly she appeared to be busting out laughing. That basically cleared up any doubts Alejandro may have had about how she was taking the news. She was taking it poorly. Understandable. Still, he didn't even flinch. His expression remained the silent, stern, attentive expression he had borne throughout the entirety of the conversation. He let out a soft sigh...

"Chiquita.... I don't think you understand. This is no joke. Observe." Alejandro said, as he pointed to his eyes, which for a moment turned glowing blood red, then returned to their natural grey color. "No cameras, no foolishness. I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty, your 'suspect' was clearly a vampire, as you yourself are now. Look." He said, pointing to the bite marks on her neck. "Those are unmistakable. Every vampire who has been turned bears scars there." He said, lowering his collar to reveal two very old wounds, identical to those she now bore.

"I'm sorry, but the fact of the matter is... You are no longer human. Human food, with some rare exceptions, will no longer satisfy you. You need this to survive..." He said, placing his hand into his jacket pocket and pulling out a vile, half filled with human blood. He offered it to her, with a stern, but kind look on his face. "Drink it and see. I'm telling you the truth."

[Chloe Valentine]

Chloe reverted back to staring blankly at Alejandro, and when his eyes started to glow that bright red, her own eyes widen, if that was at all possible anymore. She scuttled backwards slightly hiding under one of the sinks. There was very little in this world that scared her, and right now this guy was one of those few things. He was unnaturally kind, especially according to all the stories she had read about vampires. She stared at the bottle of the red substance, and swallowed, looking back at Alejandro again. That better not be what I think it is, because if it is forget about it pal, I will not be touching that with a 10 foot pole, let alone my lips. She pulled herself to her feet using the sink and smoothed down the front of her shirt. Looking again at Alejandro, as she pushed the sleeves of her shirt down. Now if you don't mind, my team is probably wondering what happened to me. Considering the last they heard of me I was chasing a man down. She turned to leave and that's when the stomach pangs started again, and she doubled over in pain. Oh god I think I'm going to be sick again

[Alejandro Cepero]

This woman's reaction was... Understandable. However, Alejandro could not help but feel as though she were a little dense. What was it that she was not understanding? Had he not given adequate empirical evidence to prove his claim? I mean sure, the glowing eye thing may have been dramatic, but it proved the point effectively enough. Or at least it should have. Clearly, it had not, or had terrified her to the point where she is now hysterical. Lovely.

Standing up as she did, he maintained a look of complete and utter calm as she brushed herself and tried to walk out the door. Not moving, he knew all he had to do was simply wait. He only had given her enough blood to revive her... Not enough to actually satisfy. That would require the rest of the vial. Watching her turn then double over, he walked over and gently helped her back onto the ground.

"Chiquita... You don't understand the gravity of your situation. You are a vampire, and be all accounts, you should be dead." Hell, I should be dead he thought to himself. "It would be best for your friends and family if they truly believed you were dead. Many people react... Well, rather negatively when they find out their loved one is a vampire."

He remembered when he tried to tell his father what he had become after the Napoleonic wars were over. Instead of greeting a long lost son, as he had hoped would happen, the old man threw holy water at him and demanded he left, and never return again. 'It is better your mother think her son died a hero than lives a monster.' His father had shouted at him as he rode off into the night. Those words had haunted his mind ever since...

"Look at me." He said, grabbing her jaw and forcing her to look at him. "Pay attention to what I am saying. You... are.... a... vampire. This, right here, is the only way for you to stop your hunger pains." He said, holding the vial out in front of her. He then released her jaw and placed the vial in her hand.

"Now drink. I will not force you, but if you so much as go out there and harm a human when you go into a frenzy I promise you I will cut you down myself." He said with a certain finality and sternness to his voice he had not used before. His eyes flashed red, then returned back to normal. He would not allow her to harm a human. "Drink."

[Chloe Valentine]

Chloe's eyes go wide as Alejandro grabs her chin and makes her look at him, his eyes glowing that creepy red once more as he hands her the bottle and makes her take it. He was being firm with her, and she believed he would not let her leave until she drank the bottled substance. She refused to acknowledge what was in the bottle, she wouldn't even think it, nor would she say it. You're not joking about this are you? This is really happening to me? She didn't wait for him to answer, she took the top of the vial and took a whiff of the substance inside, there was that rich iron smell, a smell that was getting better and better with each passing second. Her mouth was actually beginning to water as she smelled it, her eyes started to glaze over and she couldn't hold back any longer, the vial met her lips and she frantically gulped it down. In that moment she defiantly knew Alejandro was not lying, and she was indeed a vampire. Just like that she accepted it all, the only thing she could not accept, was the fact she would have to leave all her friends and family behind. She understood that they, would not understand what had happened to her.

She finished off the vial and licked her lips, her eyes could not meet Alejandro's now, She had fully made a fool of herself by laughing in his face, and probably even more with how she inhaled that vial. My name is Chloe by the way. She held the vial out to Alejandro.

[Alejandro Cepero]

Silently, he watched the woman open the vial of blood and look at it for a second. It was type AB, his personal favorite, and he found himself salivating slightly when she opened it. Better drink it quickly he thought to himself. While over the years he had very much learned to control himself, but still... She better drink that quickly. When she did, he took a small sigh of relief, hopefully not too noticeable, and looked back at her. She visibly looked healthier, and by the way she basically inhaled the vial itself he could tell it was sustenance well needed. He smiled softly, a smile that quickly disappeared before she could see it. Grabbing the now empty vial, he stood up and offered his hand to help her up.

"Well, Chloe." He said, albeit her name was a bit mispronounced (he pronounced the 'e' as more a 'eh' instead of 'ee'). "I'm truly sorry this happened to you... This fate calls for a certain... Sacrifice..." He sighed. This was not what most vampires would say. Most vampires would tell her she now had license to do whatever she wanted, of the power, of the endless pursuit of pleasure... Alejandro was not one of them. To him, becoming a vampire was a curse. It was a curse with benefits, but nonetheless a curse. How you lived with it was what made the difference. "Now come with me... There is much explaining to do, and there's not alot of time until the sun rises. I have blood packs you can feed on." ... And he needed to see what kind of person she was. If she proved to be dangerous and want to run off to be a vampire of reckless abandon like in the legends he would have to end her life without a moment's hesitation...

But let's not think of that. Best to be optimistic. Perhaps she could be the first he teaches to finally learn to truly coexist with humanity, not just view them as cattle... So many failures...