Chapter 12

The city is in a state of terror as civilians are attacked by an unknown predator. Hospitals have confirmed nineteen casualties and counting, stating that the victims have been drained of blood. The president is calling for calm when he spoke this morn--

Alex paused the news they were watching from his phone, "I don't understand, if Cleo was the one calling the shots and she's gone now, why is this happening?"

"She wasn't the one calling the shots." Victor concluded. Dante sighed, "Don't blame yourself Dante, no one could have foreseen this."

Dante nodded, "I know."

"So how do we find whoever is in charge?" Alex asked tossing his phone on the couch.

"We find Nicole." Dante answered.

"Do you know where she is?" Victor asked.

"I do."

A walk through black clouds later, the three men stand outside Dante's building. The streets were full of chaos as people ran in all directions, several police officers were trying to instil order, which was not working, obviously. To Dante's left, an armed Alex spoke, "You're sure they're here?" Alex was wearing a sleeveless shirt under protective padding, a steel pole strapped to his back along with a long blade. Victor wore a black coat while Dante was wearing a black leather jacket.

Dante sighed, "Let's go."

Inside the building, a massacre took place. There were several people lying on the floor, which Dante could tell, were no longer alive. Others were cowering under desks, behind bookshelves and in corners.

"Alex." Dante ordered as they made their way up the stairs. Alex removed the blade from behind him and took position, following behind Dante and Victor. When Dante took Alex in, those many years ago, he had trained him knowing that someday he would need it. More for Dante to know that Alex would be able to take care of himself than for the idea of being skilled. Therefore, Dante would train with Alex everyday after Alex got back from school, every weekend and every summer. Sure, Alex didn't always like it, but soon he began to enjoy it and couldn't wait for the school day to be over. Now, after so many years, Dante knew how skilled Alex was, but still worried for his safety and Alex knew this.

"Stay focused, Dante." Alex said, "I can take care of myself." Alex spoke too soon as they were suddenly ambushed by several vampires when they reached the next floor.

Alex dived forwards and did a forward roll, landing on his feet. A vampire attacked him head on but was outmatched by Alex's skill, who ducked forwards, slicing through the vampire's middle, killing him. Dante had taken three vampires down with his bats but stopped when they heard a female voice cry out, "Dante!"

Frozen, Dante didn't see the next vampire who dug his claws into Dante's stomach. Dante looked up into the familiar eyes of his once second-in-command, Remy.

"Miss me?" Remy mocked. Dante growled, grabbed Remy and threw him against the wall. Dante advanced but winced, looking down, he saw blood staining his shirt from the wound in his stomach.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Remy began, "uh, uh, uh." He amended quickly when Victor was about to advance. Remy gestured to the other side of the room when Nicole was being held by Andy. His fangs near her throat, "I doubt you're fast enough to stop Andy from piercing Nicole's neck. One bite and she turns." Nicole whimpered making Victor's dark clouds receded back to him, "Drop your weapon young man." Remy instructed Alex, who looked at Dante who nodded. Alex tossed his sword to the side and within a blink of the eye, he too was grabbed by a vampire with fangs near his neck. Dante took a step forward but stopped when he saw the fangs get closer to Alex's neck.

Remy smiled and appeared before Dante with the speed of light, striking him again, this time piercing his chest. Dante coughed blood making Nicole cry out. Victor was about to intervene when Dante stopped him by holding his hand out, "There we go, Dante. You catch on faster than your friend." Remy smiled and pulled his hand back.

"DANTE!" Alex yelled out as Dante dropped to his knees, blood dripping on the floor. A look of horror on Victors face. Remy then attacked an unsuspecting Victor by throwing him against wall.

"Victor!" Alex and Nicole called out.

"Please, stop!" Alex yelled at Remy who then turned to Alex and walked towards him.

"No! Remy please." Dante pleaded weakly as Remy came to a stop in front of Alex who gulped but stood his ground.

"Is this your new puppet?" Remy asked. Dante began to pant as he struggled to breathe, "Is he so special to you that you would plead for me not to harm him?"

"Jealous?" Alex smirked. Remy snarled and was about to strike when another voice intruded,

"Now, now Remy. Let's calm down."

"Cho?" Dante questioned as Dr Ripley Cho emerged from the shadows. Cho chuckled as he came to stand in the light. "What? Why?"

"It's simple really." Cho began with his hands behind his back, "When you left us those many years ago. I knew you had no intention of returning. I applied logic to an illogical situation. Why would you leave us if not for your guilt. You were ashamed of us, so all I needed to do was give you a reason not to be ashamed. I needed to remind you where you came from. What better way to do that than to ruin the life you would make for yourself?"

"You killed and turned innocent people to remind me who was?" Dante asked, a hint of fury in his tired and weak voice.

"Well, that was how it started. When I realized that the people I tried to kill, turned, I came up with a new plan. A plan where we rule the world. We are superior beings, so why do we hide in the shadows? Why do we tame ourselves when that is not who we were made to be?"

"This is such a cliché story." Alex stated and was silenced with a punch to the face by Remy. Alex coughed and caught the pleading eyes of Dante to remain silent. Alex groaned and licked his split lip. His eyes filled with hate toward Remy.

"Do you remember the war, Dante?" Cho continued, catching Dante's attention once more, "You needed an immortal army and you got one, but then you just cast us aside as though we were nothing. So I know what we are capable of, I know we can take control. But, we faced an, mmm, unforeseen complication. Several actually." Cho looked as though he was in thought before taking a breath, "We are not monsters, you see, but my blood is not potent enough to fully transform a human into a vampire, so there are some, side effect, the uncontrollable bloodlust, the compulsive nature and indecisive thinking. I'll admit, it was a good way to expose ourselves, but it didn't quite set a good image. And besides, we need subjects to rule, and there wouldn't be any if we ate them all. So you see, I realized I needed your blood, which you so voluntarily gave me to conduct tests, although, not the tests you believed I would do. After unlocking your DNA I finally made the perfect vampire, with a few altercations, of course," Cho chuckled wickedly, "I found a way to control the vampires, see, I don't want what's happening to you, to happen to me. I don't want another vampire thinking he can overthrow me, so I took away their conscience. Now they are obedient little soldiers, waiting for my command, but as you can tell, I need more of your blood so I can continue to make my loyal soldiers. That, of course, is the hard way. The easy way is you transform them yourself. No muss, no fuss." Cho clapped his hands together.

"And what about Cleo? Why'd you bring her into this?" Dante asked looking up at Cho for his answer.

"Cleo? Well, you were catching on a lot faster than I thought you would, so, I needed someone to distract you for a while." Cho answered.

Dante looked back down and began to chuckle, "So, you thought you could use me to fulfil your plans and ideals?" Dante groans, the room suddenly began to turn dark, "you seem to forget one thing." Dante says as he stands. He looks up at Cho with blood red eyes, "I am the Master!" Bats bring Cho towards Dante and he grabs Cho by the throat, Cho struggles against Dante's grip, "I am not your puppet, insolent fool, I am the ruler of the dark, the supreme nightmare. I. AM. DRACULA!" they begin to rise from the floor and hover in midair. Dante sends bats to take out the vampires in the room, turning them into smoke.

"No Dante, it's what he wants!" Victor yells as he gets up, but is knocked out again as Dante sends his bats in Victor's direction as well.

"You want to see the real me? I'll show you" Dante says to a terrified Cho before he bites into Cho's neck, draining a writhing Cho of blood. When he was done he dropped Cho's lifeless body to the ground where it turned to smoke. Dante rolled his neck, reveling in the flavor of the substance he deprived himself of for so long in order to tame the beast that has now emerged from the darkest depths of Dante's consciousness.

"No Dante, this isn't you!" Nicole yells from where she was rooted with fear because of the monster above her.

"This is me. I am the darkness." Dante says before he disappears.

With Dante gone, Nicole and Alex run over to Victor who groans and tries to stand again but stumbles. Alex quickly catches him and helps him upright.

"Where's Dante?" Victor asks.

"He just disappeared." Nicole answered with tears in her eyes.

Victor groans again and stands up, "Let's go." Victor creates a black cloud and walks through, Nicole and Alex follow. When they exit, they are standing in the street outside the building. The sky is dark and bats are flying everywhere. There are still several people lying on the ground, unconscious when Detective Brian and several more police cars arrive. Brian jumps out the car and rushes toward Victor.

"What's going on?" He asked out of breath.

Victor sighed, "Get all the people to safety." Victor says. Brian nods then signals the officers to get moving, lifting people and taking them away, to safety.

"Where's Dante?" Nicole asks

"Everywhere." Alex answered looking up at the sky.