The Hunt 1

A/N: So.....Hmm. I'm still new to writing gore and scary scenes, so be patient with me please.

__________

(Narrator POV)

"Henry!"

"If you're listening, reply!"

"Henry where are you!"

Inside the giant Sproul State Forest at night, several lights wandered through the dark forest like fireflies at nightIt was a search party that consisted mainly of hunters who screamed and called for Henry.

"Where are you, damn it!" Benjamin muttered. It had been many hours since Henry, his son, had been separated from him and his grandson as he chased a deer he saw.

'Stupid son! What's the use of trying to impress your child if you're going to make him worried in the end?!' Benjamin thought, furious.

It was just supposed to be another normal hunting season, but for some reason, Henry was quite eager to show his son what he was capable of. Going so far as to chase a deer through the woods. Now, he was probably lost in a completely dark forest, not knowing how to get back.

Fortunately, when they split up it was still close to the edge of the forest, so the chances of Henry encountering a dangerous animal were low - that is, if Henry did stay in one fixed location rather than wandering aimlessly through the forest.

Benjamin could only pray that his son is safe and well. Because he himself wants to strangle the scoundrel for all the fuss, stress, and worry he is going through right now.

As he thought about the good spanking he would give his son, Benjamin heard someone call.

"Hey, guys! Found something here!" A hunter a few feet away from Benjamin and the rest of the group exclaimed.

The group quickly gathered near the hunter and they lit the area with their candles and flashlights.

"My God... What is this?"

"Is this a deer? Why is he like this?"

In front of the hunters lay a completely dry body of what must have been a large deer. Benjamin crouched down and studied the corpse more closely. "That's weird. There is no sign of combat, no blood. From the state of his body, it looks like he died of dehydration, which is impossible since there's a river just some kilometers from here."

Feeling unnerved by the strangeness of the situation, Benjamin tries to touch the deer's body, but a hand on his wrist stops him.

"Wait, let me do this," the man who held Benjamin's wrist said in a thick accent.

Benjamin stared at the dark-skinned man, recognizing that he was one of the descendants of the natives from the old tribes that lived there long ago and nodded. Benjamin still didn't like black people very much, but among all those hunters -including him - he was sure that nobody knows more about these forests than this black man.

Benjamin turned to the other hunters and said, "Y'all keep looking, let us handle this."

The others, seeing no problem with that, nodded and went back to shouting for Henry.

The native man crouched down beside Benjamin and placed his hand over the deer's body gently. With his eyes closed, he moved his hands slowly across the body.

"The bones are intact, but the muscles are hard and dry," he deepened his hand into the corpse's belly, and his brow twitched. "I can't feel the organs."

"So... did this deer really die of dehydration?" Benjamin asked beside him.

Instead of answering, the native hunter takes a knife from his belt and slashes the deer's belly. Benjamin quickly took a few steps back, waiting for the putrid smell and blood that would come out from the corpse.

However, none of that happened.

To his shock, there was no blood inside the corpse, and the organs that the native hunter couldn't feel were actually still there, but they were so dry and small that they looked like dried fruit.

"What the hell...?" Benjamin muttered.

Not caring about Benjamin, the native puts his hands on the deer's neck and starts looking for something. Then, as if he found what he wanted, he stopped his hands and his eyes widened slightly.

Benjamin, who came out of his stupor, asked, "What is it? Did you find something?"

The native nodded. "Yes...But a very concerning discovery."

Benjamin looked confused, but instead of explaining what he meant, the native turned the deer's neck and showed him what he found.

"See this?" The native said, pointing his finger at the dead animal's neck. "Those are fang marks."

Benjamin raised his eyebrows in confusion. "So an animal did this? Maybe the deer managed to get away and died from blood loss?"

"No." The native shook his head. "It's impossible for the deer to have lost all the blood in its body because of two small wounds on its neck. Only one creature can do something like this. An Alukah."

"Alu-what? What is that?"

"In your language, it has another name."

"Which is...?"

"Vampire."

"..."

"..."

Benjamin remained frozen for a few seconds, then he started laughing. "Pfft-! I didn't know your race had a sense of humor! Vampire! Heh!"

The native hunter raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly irritated by Benjamin's blatant disrespect and prejudice. But in the end, he decided to just ignore it. He just said what he found out, whether Benjamin believed him or not made no difference.

Rising to his feet, the native begins to walk away.

"Hey, where are you going?"

The native stops. "Home. Walking through the woods at night with an Alukah on the loose is suicide," he replied without turning around.

"What?! But what about Henry! We need to find my son! And the more people looking, the better!" Benjamin exclaimed indignantly.

"Your son is probably dead," the native responded emotionlessly and then started to walk away again.

"Tch! Heartless Bastard!" Benjamin grumbled.

Still cursing the native in his head, Benjamin goes back to yelling for Henry along with the rest of the group.

"Henry! Where are you!"

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(Rosalie POV)

I killed someone!

[So what?]

What the hell am I supposed to do now?!

[Get over it?]

And oh, god! I can feel his soul, his memories, and everything else like he was always a part of me from the beginning!

[You know the saying? That's what she said! Ha!]

Can you please leave me to grief in peace?!

[Oh stop it. You're not even really feeling guilty about killing him.]

So let me pretend griefing in peace, damn it! At least that way I can still think I have some humanity left in me!

[Well, whatever you say. Anyway, what are you waiting for to kill these humans?]

Up on one of the branches of a large pine tree, I look down.

"Henry! Where are you!"

"If you can hear it, head towards our voice, Henry!"

Dozens of people are looking for Henry - the human I killed and consumed - in the middle of the night.

How do I know it's the guy I killed they are looking for? Well, courtesy of Alucard's main ability: Soul Absorption. With this ability, by drinking the victim's blood, I can also absorb their soul, which gives me their memories, abilities, and everything else, along with having an extra life to burn if I need it.

I am Rosalie, but at the same time, I feel like I am Henry. Damn, this is so weird.

Now I understand why Alucard in his base form looked so crazy and at the same time leaves me speechless, because even with hundreds of thousands of souls inside him, he still managed to maintain his identity and some sanity. It's a really impressive feat.

Would consuming a mage with great Occlumency powers help with that? A question to be answered another time.

Now back to the matter at hand, should I kill them? Don't get me wrong, I haven't become some kind of psychopath, but I'm still hungry, and one or two more humans aren't going to be enough. And if my hunger grows...Well, I'm going to lose control of my body and I don't know what would happen.

I sigh.

Unfortunately, I must do this.

I'm sorry, but you will be my food. Please don't forgive me.

__________

(Narrator POV)

The hunters split into groups of three to four to cover a larger perimeter, so the search becomes more efficient.

Each group carried with them at least two rifles and a few knives, to defend themselves, as the night stalks the unknown.

"Henry! Answer me so I can go back and sleep!" One hunter from a group of three shouted tiredly.

"Come on, Andrew. Don't be so lazy. A life is at stake here," another of the three hunters commented.

"Well, my night's sleep too, Michael!" Andrew responded with irritation. "Besides, why the hell are we doing a search in the middle of the night? Should we not do this in the morning the next day when we have light to help us?"

"I agree with Andrew. Searching in the middle of the night is dangerous. Every hunter knows this." The third hunter responded without much emotion.

"See? George agrees!" Andrew smiled triumphantly.

Michael sighed. "Alright alright, whatever you say. But we couldn't just let that old man come and look for himself all alone, right? If I had a child and lost him in this huge forest, I would be desperate too."

After that exchange, the three started to call Henry again.

"Henry-!"

Suddenly, something seems to pull Andrew with great force and speed into the thick woods.

The other two turned quickly when they heard the noise with weapons in hand.

"Andrew?" Michael called cautiously. "If this is a joke, you better stop before we shoot!"

There was no response, but a second later, a blood-curdling scream echoed not far away.

It was Andrew's scream.

" "Andrew!!" " The two hunters exclaimed. Afraid of what might have happened to their friend, the two rushed into the woods, toward the scream.

As they ran, however, in a flash, an extremely fast black figure passed between them, taking George with it.

Michael stops and looks back. "George!"

In the next instant, Michael heard a sickening cracking sound like bones being broken like kindling not too far from him.

"Dammit!"

He was now alone, in the darkness.

Wielding his weapon, Michael stood still, not knowing where the danger could come from. At each noise, Michal would turn with his gun, ready to fire.

Michael clenched his teeth - sweat drenching his face. 'I should have listened Andrew,' he thought regretfully.

Unfortunately, now was not the time to mourn. What got Andrew and George? It couldn't be a bear, much less a big cat. Maybe a wolf? But what kind of wolf is this fast?

Several theories ran through Michael's mind, trying to figure out what the threat was.

Then, in the middle of the darkness, Michael hears a growl.

Turning with the gun in the direction of the sound, Michael freezes. There, in the middle of the darkness, demonic bloodthirsty ruby-red eyes stared at him.

Michael takes a step back. His entire body was shaking. He saw through those demonic eyes, he could feel it...

His imminent death.

The creature then moved, out of the darkness, and Michael could finally see it.

It was a big dog, at least one and a half meters.

But it was no ordinary big dog.

It was a dog who came from the depths of hell.

The dog's body appeared to be composed of some black substance with blood-red edges. Its mouth was open as if it were grinning in a sneer, showing its huge, sharp teeth.

Michale couldn't believe what he was seeing. That thing can't be real! Michael's eyes started to water, and his pants were now wet.

Then, as if satisfied with the messy and funny sight of the human who has collapsed in despair in front of him, the dog lunges forward, bounding toward Michael.

As a last act of resistance, Michael shoots.

In the distance, other hunters heard a shot, then a scream of terror. Not half a second later, several hunters were already preparing to leave the forest in fear.

Unfortunately for them, the night was still young, and the hunt was just beginning.