Blood and Tears - Grumbo Vampire AU

Chapter 8: Introductions

Grian woke up the next morning, not where he had fallen asleep. Last he remembered, he had drifted off while playing bait for a vampire. Yet now, he was in the warm and plush comfort of a bed. It wasn't as nice as the beds in the castle, the filling of the mattress most definitely made out of dried straw and hay, though the blanket was soft and seemingly handmade.

He slowly sat up, a bit groggy from the late night he had. Glancing around the room, it most definitely wasn't the castle, nor his own home. Everything seemed more rugged and run-down. The curtains were dirty with holes in the fabric, the floorboards covered in dirt and muck, and the walls were barely even standing. It was amazing this house was even stable with the condition it was in.

There was humming coming from the other room, though it wasn't Wels. It was a new voice Grian didn't recognize. He slowly crept out of the mattress, his footsteps creaking underneath the old floor, though the person in the kitchen didn't seem to hear. The only thing separating the two rooms was a thin curtain that had a few mismatched patches, which Grian pulled back to peer into the next room.

It was just as tiny and run-down as the bedroom, with only a few small crates and some wooden cupboards attached to the wall. There was a single table (more like a barrel with a sheet of wood placed on top) as well as a chair that had one leg shorter than the rest. Overall, it was rather sad in appearance.

A man stood by the cupboards, his back facing the architect. His hair seemed greasy and dark, his skin pale, while his clothes seemed a bit too big for him. He was tall too, at least double Grian's height. The man pulled a loaf of bread out of the cabinet, seemingly his only source of food, as well as a little jar filled with what appeared to be red jam.

Seeing food reminded Grian just how hungry he actually was, causing his stomach to let out a low growl that filled the room. The man turned around, revealing his face, along with his sharp mustache. They locked eyes for a moment, his red gaze immediately causing Grian to gasp and fall backwards. Red eyes. Pale skin. That...that had to be a vampire. Oh dear. Was he kidnapped? And what did the vampire do to Wels?!

"Oh no," the vampire spoke up from the kitchen, his voice rather panicked. "Did I scare you? Oh dear, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I-I thought you were still sleeping!"

His footsteps echoed against the wooden walls of the shack, the beast slowly pulling away the curtain of the bedroom, while Grian cowered on the bed in fear. The vampire stayed out of the bedroom, though he pulled back the sheet to fully reveal himself. He most definitely was a vampire, with pointed fangs and ears to prove it.

Though he didn't look ferocious or terrifying, in fact, he looked just as scared as Grian. His clothes appeared as though they used to be nice, though now they were covered in muck and grime, ripped apart and sewn back together, with a dark cloak over his body to hide him in shadows. The vampire pulled up the hood of his cover, taking a step back. "I'm sorry," he mumbled weakly, his tired eyes filling with tears. "I didn't mean to scare you. All I do is scare people."

No. This had to be some kind of trick. Some kind of...false innocence? A vampire like him, they were supposedly all-powerful demons. But he...well, he looked like a twig that would snap in half when the wind blew a bit too hard. In fact, he looked awful. Tired and sleepless, the bags underneath his eyes heavy. He looked skinny too, as if he had been struggling to find food to eat. He looked...well, helpless.

Grian swallowed his fear, opening his mouth to try and say something. "H-...how did I get here?" He managed to choke out with a sore voice, skeptical of the beast he faced.

"I, uh, found you. Asleep. In the middle of the woods. You..were alone. I didn't want to leave you." The vampire explained, twiddling his thumbs as he kept his eyes glued to the floor.