Chapter 6

At first, as I lay between consciousness and unconsciousness in a hazy state I was able to enjoy my rest for a while as little by little my senses came to be, and not only bringing the pain back but making me sense my surroundings as I lay on a soft bed full of pillows smelling of lavender, so different from my old creaking bed at the new place that that softness is what actually pulls me away from my sleep the most.

And that's when I'm shot awake by the memories of yesterday that come back as fast as a lightning bolt and make me shudder once more when the first thing my eyes look at when they finally open is my hurt arm, but this time not finding a bleeding mess of a bloody messing piece but a carefully warped gauze obscuring the view around it.

"What the…" I managed to blabber before my eyes finally blink some of the dizness away and glance at my new surroundings with a mix of a frown and widening eyes as I try to take the situation in.

Because I was in a completely different place, and it is definitely not a hospital.

Unless the new white is black I suppose.

There is so much information that I don't even know where to start. First there is the bed I'm in, with red velvet blankets framing a completely black bed with black pillows, sheet, and canopy, not only that but the walls are black too as well as the overly fancy framed mirror and some other furniture, being contrasted by some discreet silver lining here and there and the red oak wooden floor.

A very eccentric gothic place, to say the least.

However as I am about to stand so I can reach for the closed curtains and try to figure things out as to where I am and how did I get here a voice sounds not too far from me, almost making me jump.

"You know, this is the first time that a rookie of mine got a leave day for injury on his first day." I hear someone say, and as I turn to have a look at the one that carried such familiar voice I am somewhat relieved to see a familiar face, especially in the situation I'm in.

"Detective Bradley, I'm so glad to see you here, w-what happened to me? Where am I?" I am not the type to blabber around most of the time, actually I'm quite shy too, but even I could not stand still in a situation like this.

He sighs before taking a cigarette off his pocket, attempting to light it up, but as I frown at the fact that he is trying to do such in a sick patient's room, the line of smoke is already up and quickly drifts inside the room, stinking it up, but he simply says:

"They don't like the smell of smoke. Why do you think there are still so many horses walking about instead of cars?"

I take the bait and ask, curious: "They?"

"Vampires. I'm sure you are very familiar with the kind, theory wise that is." I am, but I did not enjoy the way he put it, though I make a mental note about that fact he exposed, considering the effect that having such sharp senses the vampire kin must have.

What else could affect them that way then? Perhaps the garlic is not such a myth as I thought at first, and how much of this city has been changed to comported them?

My curiosity is piqued.

However my guard is still up, and the situation at hand comes first, so while I slightly cover my nose with my hand while giving small coughs out, trying to give him a hint of his impolite behaviour, I insist on my question:

"What happened? Where am I?"

"How about we start talking about what you are up to and what are you hiding from me?" He says with a tone that is not up to discussion, giving me a sharp glare as the shadows on his face move in accordance to the burning up flame at the tip of his cigarette. "To make a gargoyle tester lose his cool, no matter how young… And you are telling me there is nothing in it rookie?"

Well, great, seems like I've already left a good image for myself with my colleagues, day first at that.

"…Not talking?"

"I-I'm really don't know what you are implying at…" My shyness seems to annoy him as much as my words as his mouth twists a little, so he simply put his cigarette out on the side in an annoyed move and, with a stiff face from beginning to end, says:

"Then I cannot help you. Your new partner will be coming here shortly, and I'm sure he will be happy to explain things to you, until then rest here." He says, leaving even more confused than before he spoke up, closing the black door behind him and leaving me to stare at the eerie stillness of this quiet place.

And left to explore alright, since I would never be able to simply brush it all off and turn around to sleep again, though the cold, in contrast with the coziness of the blankets, makes me considerate it when it hits my bare legs.

Even though the fire is lit on the side… I think as I shiver, looking at the short pajamas and stopping myself from wondering when did my clothes got changed.

Not in the mood to think about that, not that I ever will be, nor want to, better just ignore it completely, yes.

As a person in a strange place and with cold, I do what anyone would have and start with the fireplace, the red flames dancing among the darkness, small and weak, so I add some wood to it and poke it until a nice cozy blaze is burning up nicely, only to finally reach out for the curtains and open up to see what the windows hid behind them.

And what lays is straight out of a period soap opera or movies, and it seems that I was right at the heart of it all, right inside the enormous mansion that sits right in the middle of the bustling city, surrounded by its gardens and almost seemly in the middle of nowhere, if the high buildings did not perch up above the leaves of the forest surrounding the mansion.

I frown at what I manage to see, at the outskirts of this place, and cannot help but feel somewhat nostalgic about it, almost recognizing some parts of the path bellow, but that would be impossible since I've never come here before.

Not long after I had managed that glimpse outside, however, I hear steps behind me, and I have to blink a few times before realizing who is in front of me, or rather, what is when the door is suddenly open, leaving me to stupidly gasp at the creature that beholds in front of me, excited and yet cautious to finally meet one of them.

Because there it is, there it is!

A vampire, in the flesh, right in front of me!