Children of Dionysus

by JN Moon

  Dazzlingly bright lights glared as we entered the tiny city of Bath and the scents were heavier. We parked up in the centre and I gasped at the beauty and the history of my charming city. I looked at the Georgian elegance of the buildings as if I was an awestruck tourist, not a local. The pillars on the buildings, the curvatures, tall, proud regal houses, and grand streets with ornate architecture. I lived here and yet it was as if I was seeing it for the first time.

  We walked along the cobbled streets and under the grand neoclassical Pulteney Bridge to a bar—our favourite haunt. A decadent place where we can blend in easily.

  Humans, they seemed luminous to me now and I was excited knowing, just knowing, remembering what Nathaniel had told me so long ago now, and a bubbling of exhilaration but as with tantra, was riding that wave oh so smoothly. Drawing out every sweet sensation.

  We quickly had the interest of two women, and we charmed them effortlessly.

  As I sank my teeth into her neck, every sensation she had rippled through my body. Her beating heart, straining as I drank, the heat from her body warmed into mine, and the settling of paralysis in her muscles as my venom coursed through her blood. The beauty and the horror.

  I floated above myself. She looked euphoric after my lascivious passions and I felt so high and so connected. I wouldn't have comprehended this feeling of elation without Nathaniel's genes. Now I was a part of him, I had a part of him inside me and I understood him and his actions so completely.

  I drank her with Nathaniel beside me with his woman. We were under the bridge not far from the bar, where we had found these women.

  As I pressed into her against the moss-covered wall, its dampness and darkness added to the sordid and lewd atmosphere. The river beside us, fast, wild, its energy seeped into me as I sank myself into her. She groaned loudly as she felt me, and I lost all abandon.

  A large gulp of air, pulling away, I had to stop now as her heart was slowing. I found this easier than I would have thought, but I wanted more. Slowly, I placed her against the wall, where she slouched to the ground, and I turned to Nathaniel.

  He dropped his female, not always as charming as he looked, and as he turned around, I grabbed him and pushed him hard against the wall. Grabbing him fervently like some drunk, lustful teenager, I ran my hands through his hair. His long, dark hair felt silky in my hands, his skin soft and warm. I felt salacious. Scanning his face, this wild, blood crazed creature, why had he chosen me? Free from human constrictions, we are exempt from your judgement, your fears, and we are top of the food chain.

  The women started to move. Taking a breath, he smiled. “We'd better get a taxi for these ladies,” he uttered softly, as he arranged his clothes to look, well, normal.

  I phoned for a taxi and helped the women up, hugging them and talking tenderly to them.

  Nathaniel was uninterested but helped. We managed to gain their address and bundled them into their taxi with enough money to travel as far as they wished.

  What they would remember I did not care. I would at least leave them with erotic memories of their fantastical night. Their night with vampires, though they did not know it.

  He took my arm and I thought we would head back to his car.

  “Not tonight, Anthony. I am not going back there tonight. Tonight, we'll stay at my place, come.”

  When Gods Meet

  Jamie

  Her blood was like no other and I felt truly indomitable, fascinated, alive.

  One visit wasn’t enough for this...woman. I knew the instant I heard her walking toward my room that something strange and powerful was coming towards me, but I was still surprised. Her force, whatever she was, was tangible.

  She undressed slowly and purposefully and led me to the bed. I could not keep from staring at her and though I wanted to speak, I was utterly bewitched. Transfixed by her emerald green eyes—no whites; just green. She was the epitome of perfection. Though I did not know what she was, I knew she was neither human nor vampire. That thrilled me, at times she appeared partly diaphanous, and when she moved slowly I could see faint light streams emanating from her. My lust and my intrigue would get the better of me. But I had always known that. Maybe it was a dream, but I wasn’t about to wake up.

  “You fascinate me, vampire,” and with that, our lips touched.

  What was she? Her kisses were ardent, her skin soft and cold as she wrapped herself around me. A shock from her like a jolt of electricity jerked me back. But in an instant, I pushed up against her. Am I dreaming? I want her... My body ached for her. So much had happened so soon. Tingling all over, I kissed her body, her neck, her limbs.

  Since the change I haven’t met an equal, but here is someone, or something stronger than me. And after the last two vampires, this was intense, dangerous, elevating.

  Her eyes subtly changed colour as I touched her and I put my hand on her stomach, tracing down. She sighed, an ethereal haunting sound.

  I want her and yet she terrifies me. But I knew I'd take her, she was offering herself to me. And so soon after...whatever the fuck it was they had done to me. My craving was insatiable. And my conscience, my conscience had changed. This confused me less than I liked.

  It got stranger; when I took her, I saw her suddenly in my mind before she was this...whatever this was.

  I saw pictures of her in my mind of her human life, thousands of years ago, and then I felt very peaceful. Completely entranced in emotions, in lust.

  Holding her there and looking into her deep strange eyes, I didn't want to move. She felt so...

  “So, you are the one to lead Tyrell’s war?” her soft voice caressed my senses like a breeze on a warm day. Then laughing, she kissed me and I started laughing, too.

  I didn't know how this would end, but there and then I didn’t care. If I die now, I would be glad that I've had this to take with me.

  She sighed and whispered, “Dear Jamie, so innocent, so easily fulfilled. You have no idea of what fate holds for you.”

  Soldiers of Darkness

  Jamie

  The battalion was dispatched in units of ten.

  My orders were to search the city for vampires. If I thought they had potential for genetic alteration I would bring them in, sedated with the help of my soldiers. If not, kill them on sight. I was ready for this. During my time as a vampire I had met many evil bastards, killing innocent humans just to feed their hunger for blood and sex. They were remorseless, so I would be, too. And then, just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better, Tyrell introduced me to my mode of transport; let’s just say I was buzzing all over.

  A Suzuki Hayabusa, one of the fastest motorbikes on the planet. I almost kissed Tyrell. Funny thing, I’d always wanted a motorbike, but was too scared to ride one as a mortal. My grin went from ear to ear.

  Some of the soldiers travelled in SUVs, or rode Kawasaki’s or the classic Ducati.

  For me, dressed in black leathers, black helmet, and black visor on a black bike. The others wore various colours and had bikes of standard colours. To avoid detection, to blend in. We grouped into ten guards down to twos, threes, and fours until we would meet at our rendezvous points.

  The noise of us leaving was deafening and seductive.

  We were to contact each other by mobile once we arrived. Keeping off the radar was essential. Most human authorities were governed in secret by the Elite, but obviously as vampires we needed to avoid detection.

  I saw Tyrell smile contentedly to himself from the window as he watched the first of his units leave the complex. Pulling on my helmet, I couldn’t help but think, and so it begins.

  Knowing that a mass of bodies would alert human authorities, the orders were to pacify these wastrels with dart guns and bring them in. If they had to be shot, their bodies would be brought back and then disposed of in the complex’s old crematorium. Some of the scum would be kept alive for altering or for donor organs, some for experimentation and the rest—well, fire destroys pretty much everything.

 
; The crematorium had been rebuilt and modernised. To avoid suspicion they had registered the asylum as a private laboratory under the guise of a leading multi-national pharmaceutical company. They did, in fact, own most of the pharmaceutical giants, so this was easy. Tyrell knew that there would be no recourse. Local government was always greedy for money and large sponsors, so he threw money and P.R. at them like pennies to the poor and the authorities sucked it up. Obediently. I learned all this after my alteration with Nathaniel, I’d found that when I concentrated I could pretty much hear any thoughts I wanted in my vicinity. It seemed everyone else was blissfully unaware of my new abilities.

  For now, though, I would lead the search travelling into Bath, which is conveniently filled with alleys and cobbled back streets, the perfect hiding places for those creatures that prey on the innocent. Since my transformation from human to vampire, I had been appalled at the violence and death inflicted by other vampires. I relished the fact that I was now active in their destruction and supported Tyrell vehemently.

  Tyrell had the right principles to stop the blood from spilling into the streets, as ironically now the vampires were so many, they were in danger of wiping each other out by their violent, blatant, bloody desire.

  And I had been given this opportunity. I felt like a lion, the very top of the food chain. Fast, strong with the acute senses. To the normal vampire, I was like the wolf to the sheep. People seemed invisible to me now, but killing savage, ignorant vampires? Well, that made my desire burn. Deep.

  I swept in and out of alleyways, throwing my bike around, revving up and generally feeling high. The first squad scoured the city. It was a weekend and the streets of Bath were busy with drunk people. Humans roaming perilously close to slaughter though they didn't know it. Lurking in the shadows close to the rabble, death waited. Patiently and quietly. I could smell it from a distance. Putrid.

  Old, decrepit, sinister creatures from a twisted fairy tale, ready to pounce and devour any unsuspected victim. Their demeanour contrasted with the splendour of the elegant buildings that surrounded them. Prowling in the shadows, an old, ancient breed not unlike the tales from Eastern Europe. They didn't speak and their clothes were ragged. They reeked and they were filthy. Feeding on a man who not long before had, by all accounts been drinking and having a night out with friends. An unsuspecting victim. Only snorting noises came from them as they drank from him like eager pups feeding frantically from their mother.

  My squad approached silently, eyeing the scene with disgust. But to my horror, I watched as these vile creatures began to gnaw and chew on the flesh of this hapless victim, though he was still alive. Invincibility didn’t seem too grand to me now, as my stomach churned and I had to fight to stop myself being sick. A small sweat broke over me. In God’s name...

  We watched in absolute revulsion and disbelief, it was several minutes before I could signal to the others to get in place and take out these...things. Nodding, I gave the order to draw weapons, 9m semi-automatics along with dart guns strong enough to take down a rhino. I opted for the Glocks. There could be no helping these hapless fucks, the quicker we killed them, the better for society.

  My second in command was Eloise, charismatic with a strength and determination that had been identified early on.

  “Jamie, I've been a vampire for almost a century, but I never saw anything like this. Let’s waste them.” Her face showed her truth, her eyes wide with shock and her hand over her stomach as she tried not to retch. I could only nod, too shocked for words.

  The disgusting vampires ignored us. Not used to having any predators, they knew no danger. A thunder of firepower and it was all over. No-one heard us, all our weapons were fitted with silencers.

  The soldiers went to grab some gloves, and I wasn’t about to argue with them. The corpses put in body bags, then dumped in the SUV’s. The many surveillance cameras were of no importance as the Elite controlled these.

  After a few minutes to catch our breath, we locked our vehicles and went off into the night to see what else we could find. My squad and I roared off on our bikes. Wheeling and revving around the cobbled streets alongside the Roman Baths and my adrenalin was coursing. I owned the city now.

  We found a few others, young vampires, violent and menacing, with a quick nod to my soldiers, they were darted and carried to another SUV. Once inside, they were handcuffed, just to be sure. It was oddly quiet though, and I knew our presence in the city had been detected, I could sense others watching us from a distance. But tonight, after those cannibals I was in no mood to hunt them. They could wait until tomorrow, and both vehicles now had enough vampires, alive and dead.

  As the squad drove back to command, I found myself pondering the future. Maybe it was all that killing that left me cold. I had thought I would revel in this, in wiping out those malevolent creatures. A nagging feeling persisted inside me, that this wasn’t who I wanted to be. I tried to ignore it. Striding back to my bike, my legs were rigid, and I realised that my breathing was short.

  My future as head of an Elite squad to wipe out the criminal scum from where? Bath, Bristol, the South West? Then what? The feeling wasn’t going away.

  Constrained. That was it. I was never one to follow the rules and a lifetime of obedience to my superiors, a killing machine—even though I believed in the cause—this wasn’t for me. Not long term. They had given me a gift, and so I owed them, I guessed. But not for life.

  Killing those mindless, cruel creatures had been easy. What had been harder was deciding about who should live and who would become a genetic warrior, like me. Except most of them they wouldn’t be granted the same freedoms as me. They were, to put it bluntly, cannon fodder. Their identity would be stripped away, obedient slaves. Fuck, I hated servility. I didn’t see the Elite as my superiors, I just saw them as vampires with the money and means to do what they chose. I understood their game plan. To them, I was the ideal candidate for the job, but I was acting. I bowed to no man, unless to save my life.

  Agitation filled me and I knew my next plan was to get the hell out of here. I opened up the throttle on my bike, and let it rip as I tore through the long, dark twisted road across the murky isolation of the Mendip hills.

  Previously I hadn't given much thought to my future, being too content with the blood and the attention my ego craved. But to leave the project, it would be incredibly risky to get out. I would need to keep this secret, and not even think it. If they got a hint... But getting out. The more I thought about it, the more I craved it.

  My agitation grew as I neared the complex. My manner was sharp with my squad who were still busy sorting out the vampires we'd collected.

  “Jamie, a good start I see. You have done well,” Tyrell stated.

  “Thank you, we were busy. There were some particularly obscene vampires, they were,” I tried not to gag at the thought, “trying to eat their victim?”

  His face showed his revulsion, brows furrowed, and his mouth hung open. “I don’t think you’d want to see them, to say they stank is an understatement.”

  But he was also intrigued and left me to go and look for himself.

  I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could, and where in the past, before my transformation I had been very gregarious, now I could act arrogant and blame it on the change. Anything to keep me apart from him and the obedient soldiers.

  Eloise came up to me, “I’m surprised you didn’t show Tyrell those vile creatures yourself, you’re his number one.” I shot her a look of indifference. “Can I help you unwind?” she moved closer, beaming at me, and holding my eye contact.

  Except I didn’t want her. She was as docile as the rest of them. I didn’t think less of her, well maybe I did. But we were not the same and I wasn’t about to waste this power bestowed on me by conforming to system for all eternity.

  I had tasted Emidius. She was fantastical. Even thinking of her, I could feel her, touch her, and taste her. But there were moments when she seemed a dream, a wave washing over
me. And her power, I felt aroused and knew only she would satiate my lust now. And my frustration. So, after briefing Tyrell, I grabbed my bike and headed off across the Mendip hills back towards Bath.

  Shadows

  Anthony

  I took a shower whilst Nathaniel slept, and I thought about my life. At every corner I seemed to be faced with some situation—fighting to survive or killing. I wanted neither. As the warm water fell over my blood-stained body, washing away my sins, I wondered, what do I want? There was something deeper within me, stirring. And now perhaps I had the chance to create that in my life.

  It was only two in the morning so the night was still young. I wanted to explore this old city with my newfound self.

  I got dressed and headed out, not even looking back at Nathaniel. He would know anyhow. I needed space from everything to explore my transformation that he’d given me.

  It was cool and dark, and the antique fashioned street lamps gave the nostalgia of being in a Sherlock Holmes novel. A few people were wandering around looking for their next place to carry on drinking. I kind of missed that. Nathaniel lives in a grand part of the city and I headed off to where I still kept my flat at the other end. My muscles tightened as I realised I hadn’t visited it for what seemed like ages.

  Walking back, I noticed a glyph on a wall. It was drawn in red chalk on the honey stone and tiny, easy to miss. The symbol was a complete circle with a horizontal line drawn from the centre to the outside on the left. I had noticed a few of these for a while, but decided to keep the information to myself. Information was power, and I wanted to know more about this first.