Prologue
"This one." Purred the vampire, her crimson eyes glowing with delighted hunger a slight wetness in her mouth.
She was a tall woman, pale, her skin was a flawless marble, almost white. Youthful, the vampire looked no more than in her twenties, but for an immortal one's appearance meant nothing. Dressed in a skin-tight, black dress, it complimented her hourglass figure, with a low cut down her breasts. Despite her seemingly frail and thin body, a vampire, depending on their age could easily lift a car and just as easily throw it, killing someone. They were incredibly fast, but not everyone was blessed with the same traits and abilities. Some were special, gifted even, with powers no human could ever hope to possess. This one has long, straight silver hair, nearly matching her eyes as though one reflected the other perfectly. Her shoulders were covered by golden pauldrons formed for her body, decorated with accent detail along the edges were thorn-ed roses. Her wrists were laced in gold, the metal smith-ed in a fashion that had the bracelets appear a rope wrapped around the immortal's body.
The feral captive stood in the back of the cell, filthy from dirt sweat and mud, refusing to clean themselves. Their clothes were torn, dried blood crusted on the shirt's side and near the collar. Despite the cleanliness of the cell, its latest occupant made a point to make it as vile as possible. Feces smeared on the walls, an act of defiance and rebellion in the only way possible. Words spelled out to show the deep-seeded hatred felt by the captive, despite the age. If one thing was taught it was to never show weakness or submission to the vampire. After a few days of the repeated offense the guards left the cell alone, not bothering to clean it and thinking it a better punishment for them to live in their own filth as humans have done for thousands of years anyway. This time though...was different. Today they cleaned the cell and the captive was warned of the loss of numerous meals if they dirtied it again.
Losing meals was the worst thing because without it a human would not have the strength to fight back. With their young age of seven nearing eight, nutrients were vital to proper growth and they intended to have a long life of it.
Breathing heavily, their muscles flexed and tightened prepared at any moment to attack. Held behind their back was a sharpened stone, a shiv made by the repeated rubbing against the ground of the concrete floor. Formed by pulling out part of the piping for the sink, the captive was careful to keep their handiwork hidden, using the area under the partly unseated sink to hide the marks of sharpening then moving it when the guards came. A few times they were almost caught, but surviving this long was because of skill, not luck.
It had been months since their imprisonment and everyday was preparation for escape. How many guards, their routes; when were the meals; how did they bring them in; when did the sun rise and fall. This recon their father had taught them...before he left to join the resistance. They were supposed to be safe, suppose to have no chance of discovery; they made rules, followed them in order to keep hidden. What happened? It was still fresh in their memory, replaying over and over, the anger the rage; the seeds of hatred were sewn. They were deep in the woods, far from any civilization any known vampire camps. There was no path, but what the animals of the forest created, the family of humans left no evidence, no footprint of their presence and yet they were found.
Found...and killed. Except one, only one--them...but why? Why did it have to only be them? Everyone they had ever known or loved was gone, killed by the vampire--and yet here they are, about to be sold to the highest bidder. The captive had heard that there are only three things that happen to a human when among vampires: they become traitors and sell out their own; they are killed outright or worse...become livestock. They did not want to die, but if the ladder was either of those they would rather. Living as livestock, as a slave was not living at all! To be the food to these monsters was a fate worse than death and as a human it was their duty to fight until the end to keep that freedom.
But now they were not free, now they were caged like an animal...so they would act like one.
The cell itself was a concrete box, only one side was not stone and it was a thickened acrylic-like glass, strong enough to resist numerous attacks, but still allow for viewing of 'merchandise'. Though there were two lights in the cell, the occupant managed to break one, darkening the back of the cell. No one wanted to deal with the feral animal so they left it be. These were viewing cells, used to display captives to potential buyers. The normal routine was that an ideal captive would be moved here after processing and a few days or weeks in the main captivity area, but this captive was special. For the safety of the 'merchandise', they were placed here from day one separated from any and all other human contact, expect of course the cell parallel. That one was not kept occupied long, many people came and went in the eyes of each it seemed the fire of resistance, the will to live had all been extinguished. Not this one.
The transparent wall opened, of the four standing outside the cell, one entered, a dog of the vampire--a traitor human who became a servant to the immortal. He held a collar and chain, wanting to make their own kin a slave. How ironic of human history for this. The captive's heartbeat raced, but not in panic--they shifted their barefoot, placing one heel to the back wall. If they were to take from the captive again it would not only be their blood shed this night. Or was it day? It was hard to tell, this cell like the others in this section was underground, cut off from the outside world. The only reason the captive could tell night and day was by the difference of temperature of the concrete. A trick another captive had taught them...before he was bought and taken away that is.
The guard came closer, "Don't make this difficult." He warned shaking his head, mentally pleading for this troublesome brat to for once not make their life hell.
Lunging at the captive, the prisoner kicked off the wall going past the reaching arm and using the shiv to open the side of his neck. Opening an artery, blood spilled on the ground, but the vampires wasted no time, grabbing the captive before the guard's body hit the ground. He grasped his neck, trying to stop the bleeding, pleading for help to the vampires who ignored him. No mercy for the weak.
Grasping the captive's wrist, the vampires squeezed until they yelped and could hold the shiv no longer and dropped it. Struggling against the inhuman strength of the immortal. Fighting and resisting, the immortal woman made her approach with a soft chuckle.
"I like this one." She said grasping under the captive's chin, raising their eyes to meet her own, "Such fire in her eyes."
The girl glared, she jerked her chin away and bit down on the vampire's hand. A trickle of blood lined the edge of the child's lips, the vampire guard grabbed her, ripped her off then threw her to the ground on her stomach, pulling an arm behind her back and pushing her head into the ground.
The vampire woman curled an amused smile, "And quite a bit of fight left in her." She said looking at the instantingly healing down, motioning for her to be raise up.
Grabbing the collar and chain from the side of the dead human, the vampire clasped it around the human's neck and tugged on the chain, jerking the girl forward towards her.
"You are mine now, body and soul."