Reborn by Blood Read online

  Reborn by Blood

  By Richard Murray

  Copyright 2014 Richard Murray

  All Rights Reserved

  All Characters are a work of Fiction.

  Any resemblance to real persons

  Living or dead is purely coincidental

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to all of my family and friends who have been nothing but supportive of my desire to get my work down on paper, albeit electronically. Thank you all for your support.

  Cover Designed by Cormar Covers

  Chapter 1

  I had always thought death would be an end, perhaps a painful one at that. I never really expected a heaven or hell, or any kind of afterlife. Perhaps I would die a violent death or simply close my eyes and go to sleep. I certainly never imagined that I would wake up again.

  It was disorientating at first. I lay in that dark and dingy little two room flat set above the Chinese take-away and struggled to remember what had happened. My head was throbbing and the room spun alarmingly whenever I moved.

  My trainers were beside the front door and I was still wearing the jeans and shirt that I had on when I left the flat to go to the pub the night before. I slowly disentangled myself from the covers and sat up for just a moment before realising that was a really foolish thing to do, as the throbbing in my head became a pounding.

  I choked down the urge to vomit and felt around on the bedside table for my phone. The display lit up with an intensity that hurt my eyes and I regretted drinking as much as I had. An insistent message on the screen was telling me that I had seven missed calls from Beth, my best friend and the person most likely to be my usual drinking buddy.

  The clock display on the phone showed the time to be a little after six in the morning and I had no reason to believe it was lying, so I put the phone back on the side and resolved to call Beth later in the day when she would be more likely to be awake.

  My flat was small and had just the two rooms. A bathroom complete with shower and toilet and the main room that held my bed and a small kitchen area against one wall. I pushed myself to my feet and staggered across the bare and very cold wooden floor, towards the kitchen area and my one hope of finding some painkillers.

  “Those won’t help you I’m afraid” said a smooth voice from behind me.

  I spun around to see who was in my flat and immediately regretted doing so as I clutched at my stomach and fought down the bile that threatened to spill from my mouth.

  “You really are in a sorry state aren’t you?” said the strange man who sat on a camping chair beside my bed.

  “Who the hell are you?” I asked.

  “That is perhaps a complicated question at this moment.” The stranger smirked at me, “You may call me Sebastian.”

  “Why are you in my flat Sebastian?”

  Sebastian ran his gaze up and down my wretched form and his smirk became wider.

  “I am here because last night I made a mistake and it seems that you are the consequence that I am forced to deal with.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I groaned and leant back against the wall in an attempt to hold myself upright. I really wasn’t feeling well.

  “We met last night, you and I” began Sebastian, “I bought you one drink and then another.”

  He paused to pick some speck of dust from his immaculate black suit before speaking once again. “After the third drink you invited me back here.”

  “What! Why the hell would I do that?” I demanded.

  “Because I told you to.”

  That smirk was really beginning to annoy me. “Look pal, you aren’t making any sense and I am in no mood to deal with this so just sod off will you.”

  “I am afraid that I cannot do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I have to tell you a few things first. You may not believe them, you may not care to listen but if you don’t... well you will die before the end of the day.” Sebastian said with his smirk firmly rooted in place.

  “I’ll die?”

  “Yes I am afraid so. It is entirely my fault and now you are left with a choice to make.”

  “What choice?” I asked with more than a little confusion. This man in his dark suit was making no sense to me.

  “I am a Vampire.” Sebastian said and paused for that to sink in before continuing, “Last night I fed on you. Normally I would feed and leave you somewhat drained but otherwise unharmed. You would awaken the next morning with no memory of what had happened and within a few days you would be back to normal.”

  “You fed on me.” I said and let more than a touch of doubt enter my tone. If I wasn’t so concerned with just staying upright I would have physically removed him from the flat.

  “Yes I am afraid so. Unfortunately things went wrong and I drank too deeply. You died and to save you, I had to feed you my blood.” He said with the slightest hint of a frown forming. “The blood of a Vampire is sacred. It can heal a human of minor and often major wounds and if the human has it within their system at the point of death, it will keep the human alive... for a time.”

  “What do you mean for a time?”

  “Approximately twenty four hours. After that time the blood will leave your system and you will be dead for good.” Sebastian sounded almost apologetic as he finished speaking.

  “So are you saying I’m going to be dead by tomorrow?”

  Sebastian studied me for several long minutes before replying. “You have two choices,” he began. “The first is that you can accept your fate and die. The second is that you can embrace the gift you have been given and become a Vampire.”

  “Become a Vampire... you really must be nuts.” I let forth a laugh that was quickly choked off as Sebastian leapt from the chair and had his hands wrapped tightly around my throat without seeming to cross the space between.

  “Listen well human” he snarled, “If you die this whole embarrassing situation that I find myself in will be done with. If you choose to accept the transformation then you will become a member of an ancient race and more to the point, you will become a member of my line. Your actions will reflect on me as your sire, so you will show me a little respect.”

  His grip was tight and I was unable to breathe, my head was pounding and I struggled weakly in his grasp. I nodded as best I were able and tried to voice my agreement. Sebastian held me against the wall for a moment longer than he truly needed to before nodding to himself and releasing me. I slumped to the floor gasping for breath.

  “The choice is yours now human. Whether you believe me or not, before the end of this day you will be dead unless you accept the gift you have been offered.” Sebastian said his voice dripping with disdain.

  “Fine, how do I accept the transformation” I said in an effort to humour the ridiculously strong madman.

  “To become a Vampire you must drain the blood of a human completely.” Sebastian said and I couldn’t help the laugh that burst forth.

  “No wait!” I said, holding up one hand to forestall the attack I imagined was about to come, judging by the darkening expression on Sebastian’s face. “You have to understand that this sounds ridiculous.” I told him.

  “Believe it or don’t, your fate is in your hands now.” Sebastian said as the smirk returned. “Throughout the day you will continue to feel worse. The headache will become so bad that you cannot concentrate, your teeth will ache as the fangs form in preparation for the change to come and you will feel a thirst that you cannot quench.”

  Sebastian paused and reached into his suit jacket to pull free a white embossed business card which he placed on the kitchen counter beside me.

  “If you choose to accept the change you may call me. You will have much to learn about you
r new life.” He said as he turned to leave, crossing the room swiftly and pulling open the front door. Sebastian paused before leaving and turned his head to look back over his shoulder at me as I sat on the wooden floor.

  “The choice is yours but decide quickly because you do not have much time left.” Sebastian said before stepping through the doorway and letting the door slowly close behind him.

  I sat and stared at the door for a number of minutes before I recalled the headache tablets that I had yet to take. I pushed myself to my feet and picked up the tablets from the countertop before swallowing a handful with a glass of water.

  It would take at least ten minutes for the pills to work their magic and in the meantime I decided to lie back down and get some more sleep, but not before making sure the front door was securely locked. I had no intention of letting any more crazy people into my flat.

  Sleep refused to come and I lay in my sweat soaked sheets, tossing and turning as I waited for the headache to subside. It didn’t. With a curse I sat up and grabbed my phone from the bedside table where it lay. The phone’s clock had the time at almost 10 o’clock, still far too early to call Beth back.

  The odd encounter with Sebastian wouldn’t leave my thoughts and the tiny flat that I called home was beginning to feel too confining. I climbed out of bed and picked up my wallet and keys from the bedside table along with a few loose coins before heading to the door and pulling on my trainers.

  After a last check of my pockets to ensure I had everything I needed, I pulled open the front door and walked out into the glaring sunlight that was streaming in through the open window in the hallway.

  With a yelp of pain I retreated back into the dark, cool sanctuary of my room and slammed shut the door. It took more than a few seconds for my eyes to readjust to the dim interior and I had to wipe my eyes repeatedly with the back of my hand to stop them watering.

  “What the hell was that about?” I asked the empty room.

  I had one large window set into the wall beside my bed and I crossed to it. The heavy curtains were closed most of the time as my flat was situated next to a main road and the noise of vehicles rarely stopped. Anything that helped cut out the noise was welcome.

  With a tentative tug on the cloth, a gap appeared in the centre and a thin yet very bright shaft of light shone through. I stared hard at that beam of light for several minutes. My eyes stung a little but I could still see clearly, though anything caught in that beam of light was hard to focus on.

  My thoughts kept leaping back to the conversation with Sebastian and his seemingly fantastical idea that I was going to become a Vampire. No matter how ridiculous it seemed, I had never had a problem with sunlight before.

  I reached out and let my hand dip into the beam of light. I could feel the warmth where the light touched and after a few seconds, a slight tingling that seemed to start on the surface of my skin and travel straight through to the bone beneath.

  This was something new and I was beginning to wonder if perhaps Sebastian had not been telling such a tall tale as I had believed. Lost in thought it hadn’t occurred to me to move my hand and I was reminded of its place in the sun as the tingling turned to burning.

  Several choice swear words followed as I yanked back my hand and pulled closed the curtains to block the light. I rubbed at the back of my hand and a brief inspection revealed a large red patch where the beam had touched, much like severe sunburn.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and crossed to the kitchen unit where the business card still lay and picked it up. It contained nothing more than a single telephone number in black ink. I typed it into my phone and pressed the dial icon.

  The phone rang eight times before going straight to voicemail. It wasn’t even a personalised voice mail, just the standard automated message that everyone started with. I tried calling three more times before I threw the card back onto the counter in frustration though not before leaving a curt message demanding Sebastian call me.

  It seemed that I was trapped in the flat until the sun went down and I was starting to give some credence to Sebastian’s Vampire tale. Of course if he had been telling the truth then I would either have to kill someone or die by 6 am tomorrow.

  As I tried to work out exactly what I planned to do, I realised that Sebastian had said that I would have approximately twenty four hours. If he had met me in the pub and had bought me a few drinks as he said, then we had likely arrived back at my flat before midnight.

  I felt a sudden chill as the time I had left shortened by a quarter and I picked up the phone and called Beth.

  Three rings and she picked up. “What?”

  “Beth it’s me, I need your help" I said with more than a touch of hysteria in my voice.

  “Why? What time is it?”

  “I...” my voice faltered as I struggled with how to tell my friend what had happened without appearing mad. “Just come over to my flat. Please” I finished weakly.

  “If I must. I want beer though” she said before hanging up.

  The phone dropped to the wooden floorboards with a clatter and I sat on my bed. The headache was worsening and as promised, my teeth were starting to throb in time with the headache with sharp pulses of pain that travelled all the way through my jaw.

  With little else to do, I lay back on the bed and waited in abject misery for Beth to arrive. My time was running out. I could feel each and every fragile second of life fall away as the day wore on.

  The claims Sebastian had made, while incredible, seemed all too real. The pain in my jaw had subsided as the headache worsened. A dull ache filled my muscles and joints and every movement was agony.

  If I had the will to do so, I could raise my hand to my brow and feel the slick sheen of sweat that lay upon my fevered brow. Though to do such a thing would take more energy than I felt I could muster.

  I was dying. Again. My breathing was shallow and my throat was sore and dry, oh so very dry. I wanted to drink, no I needed to drink. I needed to drink all of the water in the world and still I knew somehow, that it wouldn’t be enough. It wouldn’t slate my thirst.

  An insistent banging came from my front door and I refused to open it. I wouldn’t call out and answer when she called my name. The buzzing of my phone as it vibrated against the floor was easily ignored as one more minor irritant as I floated in a sea of agony.

  It had been a mistake calling her. I could feel it now, the growing thirst, the need to drink of something. Someone.

  The very idea was repulsive and made all the more so by how much I wanted to do it. I wanted to drink the blood, the very thought of it made me salivate as my heart beat faster. I wouldn’t though.

  I refused to do it. Not for any altruistic or moral reasons, but out of spite. That bastard Sebastian had done this to me and I had no intention of letting him win, letting him be right. Vampires weren’t real and if they were... I would not be one of them.

  As the aching lessened, the dull pain starting to fade away I realise that I must be close to that time, that crucial moment where I would have to have killed another person or I would die myself.

  The thirst was still with me, a yearning for something that I refused with every shred of will I possessed. The pounding that had been behind my eyes all day had slowly quietened to the occasional small thump of pain.

  I pulled myself to my feet and staggered across the room to the kitchen sink. I barely made it. Only the thought of being found dead on the floor in some undignified position kept me upright.

  A turn of a tap and sweet, cool water flowed out. I cupped my hands beneath the stream and let the water caress my fingers as it found its way through my poor attempt at blocking it, before I doused myself.

  It felt good, it felt incredible. The coolness of the water was a balm that I needed, it helped me concentrate. I grabbed a mug from the draining board filled it to the brim with the cool sweet water before bringing it to my lips and gulping it down.

  The water stayed in my stomach for le
ss than a dozen seconds before forcing its way back up and out, to splatter into the sink as I heaved. I wiped the last of the vomit from my mouth with the back of my hand. My thirst had, if anything, grown greater.

  With a click the lock on my front door opened and I jerked upright in alarm. No one had a key to my place, other than my landlord and me.

  “Yo, Ray you better not be naked in there” Beth called before walking in.

  She had a short crop of blonde hair that was showing dark roots. She had stunningly pretty blue eyes and a body type that could be politely called curvaceous. She carried her car keys in one hand and her ever so precious mobile phone in the other.

  If anyone could be considered my best friend it was her, I loved her for her free spirit and quick wits. She was smart and resourceful and utterly without shame or conscience. She glanced around the room and grinned as she saw me leaning against the sink.

  “Whoa, you look like shit.” She said.

  “Stay back” I gestured weakly as she started to walk across the room to me and she paused, looking confused.

  “What’s up? You sick?”

  “Something like that.” God, she smelt delicious even from across the room. I could hear her heart beating in her chest. Thump, thump, thump.

  “Too much beer.” She said with a shake of her head. “Eurgh... you been sick?”

  “Oh god, get out” I said, “Seriously get out and lock the door.”

  Everything was fuzzy and out of focus, everything except the large vein that was pulsing in her neck. Her pale skin was emphasised by the black vest top and jeans she wore. She always wore black, just one of her preferences.

  “Stop being a prat.” She said as she crossed the room to me. I tried to swallow past my painfully dry throat as I raised a hand weakly to ward her away.

  “Please Beth, just leave me.” I said.

  “No chance. This looks like more than a hangover. What’s up?” she asked.

  I shied away from her touch and stumbled across the room towards the door and the blinding sunshine that was streaming through it. The pain would be a blessed distraction from the thoughts of ripping open her throat that I was currently enduring.