Chapter 22. Fresh Meat

Pain enveloped Shawn as he awoke from unconsciousness. He smelled the scent of herbs and medicine as he pushed the covers off of his body.

"New blood, do me a favor and sit back. You'll open up your wounds." A short man with yellow skin and a deep voice spoke to him. He seemed to be middle aged with medium length black hair. The man was in the middle of washing out blood from some cloth and hanging it to dry. His clothes a cotton shirt and worn-out pants.

"Ughhhh, where am I?"

The man looked at Shawn for a moment and responded. "Hell kid, you're in Hell."

Shawn was in too much pain to focus on the ominous words spoken. He looked around and noticed he was in some kind of medical tent. He did a brief scan seeing the many wounded lying in makeshift beds of leaves and wood. Shawn normally wouldn't ask what he was about to, but he was going to go unconscious any minute now.

"I don't know if it's safe here, but could you watch over me until I wake up again?"

"It isn't safe here; however, you can recover in here til you can walk."

Shawn nodded. He knew the moment that monster dropped him down here, he would be in for something nasty. Lying back down the boy fell into slumber's capable hands.

The man finished his sanitizing of bandages and sighed. "This has gotta be the youngest batch. A damn shame."

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Shawn awoke again in far less pain. His body sluggish, as he moved off the makeshift bed onto the floor. Scanning the room revealed others who either looked grievously injured or seemed mentally insane. Most of them were either teenagers or young adults. Shawn observed in silence while some of these men and women screamed incoherent words or phrases. They drooled on themselves or soiled themselves as a madness seemed to possess them.

Hoping off the makeshift bed, Shawn left to find the man he spoke to previously. Lifting the large tent flap, Shawn gasped as he saw his surroundings. He was in a cavern that produced a small amount of light from torches. It smelled of blood, crap, and despair. Shawn could see some individuals with plague masks dragging dead bodies towards a certain direction before they disappeared from sight.

Sitting down nearby was the middle-aged guy who Shawn spoke to previously. Shawn walked up the man that was sitting on the ground smoking out of a strange pipe. Shawn approached, attempting to say something when he heard the man's deep voice.

"New blood, I know you got questions but shut up and listen. This place is something evil. Bury the hope you have of getting out of this place; me calling you new blood is because you're a fresh vessel filled with precious blood. This place is called "Facility Five", remember that. Head over to the entrance by those crates over there so you can report to block E."

Shawn was worried immediately because the man spoke about his body like it was a container for something precious. Shawn only heard one story about blood demons, and it wasn't a nice one. He looked at the man and saw his stone like expression, Shawn sensed that the man would speak no more to him regarding his questions.

Heading in the direction that the man pointed, Shawn could hear the occasional screams and demented laughter. Once walking for a period, a stone building came unto view. It was massive but it gave off a feeling like it was out of place. Shawn didn't want to head into the unknown, but the alternative was most certainly death. Steeling himself, Shawn moved towards the building, seeing a man in an all-black cape and grey mask he continued on to him.

"Number." Sounded the grating voice behind the mask.

Shawn thought fast as he didn't have or know anything. The couple of seconds was enough to establish to the masked man that Shawn didn't know what was being asked of him. Shawn saw the masked individual's eyes flash red before a chuckle resounded.

A woman wearing a long silver cape walked out in high heels. They were blood red; her figure was faintly visible even behind the cape. A slender waist with small breasts and a tight butt. Her figure sashaying from side to side.

"This one will receive the utmost care; he is a 'special' one. " The woman had black eyes like the night, blending in with the dark setting. Shawn saw the guard's eyes turn red and stay as such after hearing the woman's command. The guard bowed to her silently upon hearing her voice.

Shawn looked at the woman who no longer paid him any mind and continued to walk away. The man harshly grabbed him, "Should you not bow in the future, you will be eaten immediately."

The man slammed him into the floor before telling him to follow. Shawn was in pain because some of his wounds opened back up. Shawn was still badly bruised and cut while the pain from these injuries blurred his vision a bit.

The man walked off, but Shawn couldn't find him as he walked into the dark building. Visibility was already low, and Shawn's vision blurred a bit. He lost sight of the man. He started to walk in the direction he last heard footsteps.

Sadly, Shawn was lifted up before being thrown harshly by the same man. He was reprimanded for being slow and purposefully disobeying orders. This time, Shawn didn't lag behind even after being manhandled. He hurried after the man as to not give him ammunition to harm him further.

He could hardly see inside the building; from what he was capable of seeing were multiple closed doors.

As the two moved through the main entrance to the deeper area, there was an area that had symbols flickering all around. Shapes and letters Shawn had never seen, danced in the air above them.

Other children were present already. Shawn couldn't make out faces because this area was particularly dark. Shawn was pushed forward as the man left.

Looking around he guessed about forty to fifty kids, he just hoped they wouldn't be killed. Shawn wanted to leave but he knew better... escape from this place wouldn't come easy. One of the children was frantically looking around before he screamed and ran off to the exit.

He hardly made it a few steps before his body tumbled. Shawn was confused until his vision adjusted enough to know that the boy's head was no longer on his body. The other children started to get restless until a pair of red eyes appeared before them.

A young man in a red cape had shown himself. Before anyone could figure out what was going on, a head splitting headache reached everyone as they crumbled to the ground. The vampire himself was emitting an intense pressure from his eyes that reached into their minds.

Shawn was in excruciating pain, the pressure went on for a minute total. Shawn felt it ease significantly and looked at some of the other children. Some bleed from their orifices while others writhed around on the ground. Some however went completely still, never to move again. A few of them looked were drooling with an empty look.

Shawn touched his nose that released a drop of blood. He looked at the vampire that was gasping for air. The vampire was a mere teenager but his eyes gleamed with enthusiasm and malevolence. One of the girls that survived started to cry when the vampire appeared before her in a flash and grabbed her.

No one moved an inch as the girl had her throat bit into. She was a shriveled corpse a minute later.

Invigorated, the vampire looked around to see the looks of despair in the children's faces. He once more released a tormenting pressure from his eyes that seemed to enter everyone's mind. The pain went on again for another minute, this time it lasted a few seconds longer.

Shawn knew it was longer this time because focusing on the time was all he could do to ease himself. It hurt just as bad as previously, and he wasn't the only one feeling the effects. Several had died while a couple more became mentally retarded. The vampire was heaving as sweat was coming down his forehead but that sadistic smile never left his face.

Shawn realized now that he was a test subject for these vampires.