CHAPTER SEVEN

"Erebus huh?" Bezel said looking up at Terry with a bewildered gaze.

Terry nodded his head, "Yeah honestly... if it was up to me I would have killed you, but Erebus had other ideas for you."

Bezel smiled his face was now mature and his body was now fully grown, "I don't know how long I was stuck the way I was... but I feel stronger now. Quicker and the hunger... it's gone."

Terry shrugged his shoulders as he looked down at Bezel who was on his knees with his hands on the ground bowing down only to look up when he spoke. Terry's face contorted as he thought of all the things that this vampire before him had done. All the people he hurt. How afraid they must've been. "You were despicable. I don't care if you needed to. I would have rather died than to hurt other people as you did. I don't know how you are ever going to make up for your past."

Erebus spoke in Terry's head, "He doesn't have a choice in what he does... We are his sire. He will do what we tell him to do. This region is in our hands, Terry. Headed by this pathetic vampire."

(I know.)

Bezel listened to Terry silently his head rested against the floor, "I am sorry for the way I have lived. I have lived for over a thousand years over that time I grew... numb to my actions." Bezel reached his arm forward grabbing the cusp of Terry's left pant leg, "But now you have changed me and made me new. Showed me another way. I will live for you, sir."

"Whatever." Terry huffed walking out of the darkroom, "If I find out you kill anyone else for blood... we'll kill you." Terry said coldly as he left.

Darryl and Alison were waiting on the first-floor watching as Terry descended the steps. Darryl was the first to speak, "I guess you are technically the lord of the region now... aren't you?"

"Hmm." Terry thought to himself for a moment until his shoulders raised and his head tilted to the side, "I guess I am. Better than him killing off kids." Terry said sourly.

"What do you mean he was killing kids?" Alison questioned standing up from a large love seat.

"Yeah, he admitted it to me. He was taking kids from orphanages including the one I lived at. That's why he attacked me. He thought I was sent to his chambers just to be a meal. You didn't know anything about it, Alison?" Terry questioned.

She shook her head, "That's... awful. I thought he had his vampirism under control that's what he told everyone in town thought."

Darryl sighed, "Alison told me that Bezel no longer looks like a boy after you did... whatever you did. How is he going to explain it to the town? He's looked the same for people's entire lives that have lived here. People are going to have a hard time believing that Bezel is the same person."

"Honestly... I don't really care that's his problem. I'm sure he can manage."

Darryl eyed Terry for a moment, "Wouldn't that be something you want to make sure works out? If people don't believe that Bezel changed he'll no longer lead the region. You wouldn't be in control."

"I don't care about that. I just wanted to make sure he would stop hurting people." Terry said sounding disinterested, "Shouldn't we be heading to the circle. I'd like to see where I'm going to be staying from now on."

Alison walked to the door and opened it for Terry and Darryl to be able to leave. "You really didn't do it to take over the region. That's..."

Terry laughed as he walked towards the door, "I don't know why that's so hard to believe."

Erebus spoke in Terry's mind "Even if that's how you see it Terry it doesn't change the fact that this region is ours."

Terry ignored Erebus and walked out of the open door into the city and smiled. The city was bathed in a vibrant orange glow. The sky was almost purple. "It's... beautiful out here," Terry said quietly.

Darryl followed out behind Terry and looked left to the right, "It is beautiful out here. Sunsets here are like this all the time."

"Sunsets?" Terry questioned.

"You don't know what a sunset is... you know when the sun goes down for the night. That's how it gets dark. The sun has to go down."

Terry sighed as Alison came out of the mansion closing the door behind them, "Matron always made sure all of us were inside before nightfall. Said some monsters would kill us if we weren't in bed before night came. Honestly I never even saw what night looks like."

"You've never seen the sunset or night at all?" Darryl said with a laugh, "Well you're seeing it all tonight cus we got a bit of a walk until we get to the circle."

Alison smiled putting her hands on Darryl and Terry's backs, "Well first we should get something to eat." She said nudging them forward.

Terry felt an empty feeling in his stomach as she said that along with a light growl coming from his core, "I guess your right. I haven't eaten since breakfast today."

"We haven't eaten today at all really," Darryl responded with a chuckle.

With Alison nudging them forward Alison Terry and Darryl started a short walk in the city glowing in orange light. "Where will we be going?" Terry questioned, "Don't we need to cook to make food?" Terry questioned.

"You seriously don't know what a restaurant is?" Darryl questioned.

"Shut up D he's spent his whole life in an orphanage of course he doesn't know what a restaurant is." Alison said with a grown, "So we going to Trader's like usual?"

"The Trader Inn you mean? Sure I bet Terry will love Liz's cooking." Darryl smiled."

Terry smiled widely and closed his eyes as he walked seeing a copy of himself standing in front of him in the darkness, "Guess you figured out a human form huh." Terry said with a chuckle.

"Seems so," Erebus replied.

"Lots of things have changed," Terry said with a sigh remembering what his life used to be and how quickly he was taken out of it all within a day.

"And they will to change. You will continue to change. That's life for you."

Terry opened his eyes the streets were still busy constant people walking by them continuing their busy lives even as the orange glow slowly faded into darkness. On his left was Alison smiling widely on his right was Darryl who was smiling just as wide.

The change was something he could get used to.