Chapter Text
The time had arrived. Everyone else had been blinded to the truth, but Pyro was going to be the apostle to expose the rot that had festered in the Coven. To rip out the seed and cause of the grand problem. Jimmy. He acted as if Sire owed him his presence and attention. He was predictable, every sundown he would wait in the grand hall for Sire to appear, whereupon he would follow him around all night and sometimes even well into the day before before going to sleep in the way many newly fledged and weak vampires often needed. That is to say, Jimmy was in no way fit to stand beside Sire like an equal when he so clearly was below him, and if Sire wouldn’t raise a hand to put Jimmy in his place, then Pyro would.
So, in the late light of day, Pyro had left the safety of his tomb and made his way to Oakhurst. The town, full of paranoid people fighting to keep the vampires at bay, was sure to have some vampire-repellent tools. Things like silver, stakes, crosses and garlic, the latter of which Pyro now wanted a share of.
Nearing the town, the tall wooden walls once built to keep vampires and monsters of the night away now burnt to the ground left the place to feel meeker. Easier to attack and less threatening, and with that a sense of apathy, perhaps a looming thought that their deaths were creeping ever so closer, must be hanging over the heads of the villagers.
The day was cloudy, like so many days before in this cursed land, and the weak rays of the sun made their ways down to the earth. It painted the world in a dim light, caressing the ground and everything which stood upon it. The dew lay heavy on straws of grass that were then tramped down under Pyro’s boots.
Pyro stalked around the small town. It felt surreal that not even a few months ago, he lived in a place like this. To think that he would accept these living conditions, even thought them normal. With a new life, one could see the flaws in the old one. How could it be, that in society as a large, no one questioned the uncleanliness of their surroundings? And Oakhurst was only a small village. Here - the soot-stained walls where torches sat, the muddy ground that splattered onto one’s shoes and clothing and water so brown one could not see through it – none of that held a candle to life in a larger city. Where everything unwanted, waste, trash, even corpses both animal and man - when the plague arrived, lay on the street in broad daylight. There, not a soul batted an eye at the uncleanliness of it all.
Briefly Pyro wondered about what life would be if everyone suddenly opened their eyes and used them to see. See what was happening around them. Perhaps then, the world would be clean and pure. Perhaps then, someone would look at him and see why Czeslaw was dead, and why he deserved it, and why it wouldn’t have happened were someone to sTEP IN A LITTLE SOONER! Perhaps then, his family…
Ahead of him appeared a tall shadow. Cleo was stood there, gazing upon them with something calculating in their eyes – assessing why they were here. Not threatening but not exactly welcoming either. Pyro met her eyes before turning them down quickly. Attempting a smile, a smug look and a feeling of self-assurance, Pyro spoke.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be up and about right now..”
“You’re the one up and about. I live here.”
There was a pregnant silence cast over their barely there discussion. One which Pyro longed to break, but he couldn’t find any words to do so. At last, I settled on something to answer her unspoken question with.
“I... We at the castle wondered if you have any garlic in town?”
“Why, are you wondering if the townsfolk will try to poison you?”
Again, a brief silence.
“No, not that I know of.”
That’s bad. It would ruin Pyro’s plan. He could have sworn that at some point there had been garlic available from somewhere. Had it all been eaten?
“No garlic at all?”
Cleo seemed to consider this for a moment before answering.
“There are of course some cloves planted near what used to be Avid’s house, but nothing relevant, no.”
Pyro let out a breath he had been holding without noticing. Yet another thing to remind him of how just recently he had been alive, he had had a need to breathe. If he wanted to be looked upon like a real vampire, then he would need to lose such habits.
“Right. And where would I find Avid’s house?”
Cleo stared at him for a moment. She appeared to come to some sort of realization, eyes widening in recognition.
“Whatever you’re planning, I want no part in your lover’s quarrel.”
Pyro was taken aback.
“First of all: I’m not planning anything”
From Cleo’s doubtful expression, it was clear that she did not believe him.
“Second of all: it isn’t a lover’s quarrel! Who would that even be with!?”
Again, Cleo looked doubtful but decided to hold her silence.
“Third of all: pretty please could you show me where Avid’s house lies?”
Cleo’s eyes closed as she seemed to pray for patience. When she opened her eyes again, she turned and pointed towards one of the houses in town.
“There. Now go, before everyone else wakes and chases you out.”
“Thank you, thank you!”
Pyro walked away at as fast a pace as he could without making his relief too obvious. Coming closer to the house, Pyro could easily spot, if not by sight, then by the putrid smell, the garlic.
ཐིᗢཋྀ
Standing outside the grand hall, Pyro was waiting for the right moment to strike. The only time Jimmy and Sire would separate so that the newly turned vampire could get the rest which Sire did not need. This, then, would be the best time to strike. Lured into a false sense of security within the Coven, Jimmy would be none the wiser. That is why Pyro was waiting, flinching at every footstep nearing him, like a coil ready to spring up at any given moment. In his hands he held a plate of blood pudding. Within it hidden many clovers of garlic. To an older vampire like Sire, the amount would probably induce nausea and dizziness – but to a new blood like Jimmy it would surely be deadly.
Even the thought of it brought a smile to Pyro’s lips, his face splitting into a wide grin. Already he felt pleased with himself. Standing there for an undecided amount of time as the sun lifted further and further above the horizon, Pyro was finally startled out of his thoughts by the familiar sound of Jimmy’s footfall.
Taking a deep breath – he really has to work on breaking that habit – he finally made his move.
“Jimmy! Just the man I was hoping for!”
Pyro had to bite his tongue not to scowl at the man mentioned. Jimmy, on the contrary, seemed to brighten up at the sight of Pyro.
“Oh hey! You’re Pyro, right? I don’t think we have had the chance to speak-“
With his patience quickly dwindling, Pyro cut Jimmy off.
“I had made this blood pudding. You up to try some? See it as a welcome gift?”
It was said with a smile as Jimmy regarded the blood pudding held out on the tray in front of Pyro. His eyes scanned it with mild interest, if not for genuine want, then at least for the hunger all vampires felt at a constant. After a few seconds of silence, during which Pyro felt his smile grow more and more strained, Jimmy spoke again.
“Thank you… but perhaps sometime later would be more suitable? I was just about to go rest, you see…”
With a quick glance up, Jimmy appeared to find something on Pyro’s face that made him reconsider.
“-or on second thought, sure!”
They both stood in silence as Pyro waited for Jimmy to take the platter, but which Jimmy did not make a move to do.
“…”
“…Would you like a bite with me?”
Suddenly, it was as if someone had poured a bucket of holy water over Pyro. Surely it would seem suspicious to their fragile trust – one-sided, mind you – if he were to refuse. If that’s the case, then…
“It’s a gift to you, but if you’re sure!”
Hopefully Pyro could withstand the garlic. He was not as new to vampirism as the one before him, at the least.
They moved together into the grand hall which doubled as dining room. Well, there, Jimmy brightened once more, and it was something terrible akin to the rising sun in the morning.
“I should go get Scott too! He will surely appreciate your blood pudding! -and I will surely appreciate his presence.”
The last few words were spoken like a whisper – more towards oneself than to another.
Before Pyro could get a word of objection in to hinder Jimmy, he was already out the door. To Pyro, it all seemed very stupid. There was no way to know where Sire was, even if Jimmy saw him a mere twenty minutes ago, he could have moved across half the forest in that amount of time! Furthermore, the sun was rising. This was made apparent as a surprised yelp of pain echoed from just outside the door before Jimmy, seemingly set on his goal, continued on ahead to a place where Sire may not even be.
So, Pyro had his doubts that Jimmy would even come back. Perhaps it was too much to ask for him to accidentally burn up in the sun so that Pyro didn’t have to do it himself, but a vampire could atleast be hopeful that he would not find Sire. With that in mind, Pyro figured that he would have to wait a while, and with great care he set the dish down on the table nearby.
ཐིᗢཋྀ
”Hey, Pyro!”
Shelby had just come back, slipping into the dark halls and relishing in not having to face the sun anymore. She approached Pyro with familiarity and and sweet smile on her lips.
Pyro nodded to her in way of a greeting, to tired after the stress this plan had carried with it – from worrying, contingencies, second guessing and perhaps even guilt (though he would thoroughly deny this if the thought passed by) – to answer her in a more energetic manner. She, however, took no offense, but continued the conversation.
”Say, what is this you have?”
Referring to the blood pudding. A sudden chill, something Pyro had thought one would not feel after loosing all their body’s warmth, ran through him. It began somewhere above his head and continued to shake its way throughout his body, leaving behind it a freezing sensation.
Shelby was good. Shelby was nice. She had her faults of course: she was too naïve - couldn’t leave her human heart behind. Too optimistic: searching for a way to help all she loved. But still, despite her flaws, Pyro liked her, for that’s how friends – how family, for surely the Coven could count as family – should act. They should love without any requirements, without any doubts. You could occasionally get angry with each other – like when Shelby turned Avid! – you could disagree, fight! But never give up. NoT LIKE-!
So- Shelby was good. That blood pudding was not good. Shelby is reaching for the blood pudding. Shelby is asking if she can taste - just a bite. Shelby is looking at him with questioning, undeniably kind eyes.
And Pyro-
…
Pyro was caught in a crossroad.
If Shelby takes a bite, she will without a doubt have a reaction to the garlic. The blood pudding was after all made to kill. And if she does, Pyro will will have to hide her body or something! And then when the new blood… and maybe Sire too? – comes… What should he do if Sire comes! No surely he will not! But if he does then Pyro will have to stop him from taking the first bite… let Jimmy fall dead and let Sire se reason if not Sire will surely be angry but Pyro can take anger but if Sire casts him out nO OWEN WOULDN’T ALLOW THAT WOULD HE AND NOT SHELBY EITHER BUT THEN SHELBY WOULD BE DEAD SO-!
Pyro came to the realization that this plan is a bust. This wouldn’t work and he will have to find another way, another time… just stop Shelby before she tastes that thing!!
”Ah sorry! I just realized I used a less-than-ideal way to make it. I think it isn’t raw enough and it will probably make you sick… I’ll go and throw it out.”
Shelby accepted his explanation and looks at the blood pudding one last time with a forlorn expression before turning her gaze to him again.
”What a pity. I’m so tired of just the same blood all day long… But I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much… Just something I miss about being human perhaps…”
As she spoke, her voice becomes more and more quiet and resigned. She gave Pyro a last nod before he walked away with the tray, intending to throw it to the chickens or whatever. They eat whatever they find, right?
ཐིᗢཋྀ
”Pyro! I’m back and ready to taste-”
Jimmy strolled into the grand hall with excitement clear in the way he held himself. Behind him came Scott, not with the same enthusiasm but still with a content smile and gentle look at Jimmy.
They both stopped, Jimmy more abruptly than Scott, seeing the hall empty of all but one.
”Scott! Jimmy! Pyro was just here, but you missed him. He needed to throw out some blood pudding which apparently was a bit too cooked? So sorry.”