Bloodsucking Hitman

Tw: Gore, light swearing

The last of the gang members' bodies hit the floor in a dull, wet thud. I let out a breath, trying to calm my raging heart. There was blood and body parts everywhere, including on my clothes. Over the centuries I had gotten better at keeping clean, but this was needlessly messy. Someone tipped them off that I was coming. They were too prepared for someone like me.

Looking around the room, I counted my kills. Boss told me he wanted all thirty-eight members dead. There were only thirty-seven. I knew he would be upset with me now. I had a small hope he wouldn’t take it out on me. Or her.

I dragged what remained of the bodies to the center of the room, pouring their cheap liquor and lighting the makeshift pyre. I hated the smell. Drugs always made the bodies smell when they burned. And made them taste funny. At least they didn’t reek of fish and seaweed like the Sirens and other Aquatic Folk when they burned.

The rest of the night and early morning went as planned. I drew the insignia Boss made me place at every sight, and I got rid of all the evidence that could tie back to me. Even though everyone would already know who did it. The world wasn’t very kind to monsters, even less to the blood-drinking or human-eating kind. And worse yet to the hitmen.

Walking down the pavement, I made sure to stay out of sight. Sirens and flashing lights passed me on their way to the burning building. I would need to make it back before dawn or risk the inevitable chaos of the humans and other monsters seeing me. I wasn’t in the mood to have anyone try and attack the “KG Mob Monster Hitman” or “Bloodsucking Hitman”, if even their blood would taste better than the gang. I hated the killing. I did as little of it as possible to survive and make Boss happy.

I found Boss sitting in his overly cushioned chair in his office, sipping some dark liquor and smoking a cigar; odd breakfast choice but whatever, I guess. I hoped those killed him one day. I wondered if he ever left that chair other than to sleep, eat, or piss. I took a breath, dreading having to tell him about the last gang member, “Thirty-seven members of the Oracle Gang are dead, Sir.”

He blew out a plume of smoke, “What of the last one? It’s not like you to get sloppy, Klaus.”

I debated telling him off. He had made me do these kills for the last ten years. It didn’t matter that I was centuries older than him and could kill him instantly, he had her. “I apologize, Sir. I will get started tracking down the last member tonight.” The smoke smell brought back the nausea of the burning bodies, their blood in my system threatening to come back up.

“Fine. Give me your Daylight ring. You will stay here until night.” He took another sip of his drink, gesturing to my left hand. This ring was the only thing that let me wander around in the sun pain free. And the reason why I didn’t look like the stereotypical pale vampire. I had gotten quite tan in the last hundred years or so thanks to this ring.

Hesitantly, I handed it to him. The second I could, I would take her and run. I just needed to know where he was keeping her. In ten years, he had never let it slip. I wouldn’t dare beat it out of him, I knew he had someone watching her and if I took matters into my own hands, she would pay the price.

“Go to the basement and use the computer to track down that member. I expect you to have a plan by nightfall.”

I grit my teeth, feeling my fangs pierce my gums, “Yes, Sir.” I turned and left his office, going back to the damn basement. At least I had a fridge in there with normal blood.

The humans and other monsters steered clear of me. I didn’t mind their fear, the smell of it was so common I forgot what it was like to not have it around. I had never once smelled her scent here. Whoever was keeping her, Boss didn’t let them come here for me to track them. He was a careful bastard, I’ll give him that.

As I did research for the last Oracle Gang member, I also thought about how I could get her away from this. She was human. Ten years was a long time for her. She was still in her youth. I hated how he wouldn’t let me see my daughter.

The world didn’t know she existed, and I planned on keeping it that way. She was the only one in eight hundred and seventy-three years I had let live. She looked just like my little Edda all those lifetimes ago. They had the same green eyes, same blonde hair.

My thoughts traveled back to my human life, no matter how hard I tried to block it out.

I was in my mid thirties when I was turned. I had heard the stories from the village elders about the Nightwalkers and how they sucked the life from their victims. I was going to move with my wife, Ingrid, and our daughter to a different village. Somewhere maybe a few weeks' journey that might be safe from these creatures.

I came back one night from hunting. I caught and gut a deer for the week's food supply when I heard her screaming.

I ran inside, finding a man on top of my wife. His face was on her throat. I raised my knife, moving to try and save her when he ripped her neck open. I froze, seeing the life leave my wife’s eyes. My daughter was lying on the floor nearby, unmoving, bloody, in pieces.

The creature turned to me. It was Hugo, a traveling pelt merchant. I had traded with him the other night.

A sob escaped me, raising my weapon and trying again. He had killed my family. The Elder was right about the Nightwalker monsters. In the firelight I could see the blood covering his body. My wife and child’s blood.

He pounced, pinning me to the floor before I could blink. His face looked almost sympathetic. The blood of my family dripped off his face onto my own. I glanced at my wife, seeing her dull green eyes staring at nothing. There was a giant chunk missing out of her throat. “Kill me.” I whispered, ready for it to be over. Ready to join them in the afterlife.

“I’m sorry, I stayed away as long as I could. Maybe one day you’ll understand.” Hugo’s voice didn’t sound any different. I knew now that these demon creatures weren’t demons at all. They looked just like me.

I screamed when his mouth landed on my neck. I tried getting up, finding him much stronger than any man I had met. Maybe if I-

I jerked upright, shoving away from the desk. Scanning the room, I remembered I was in the basement. That was eight hundred and seventy-three years ago. My family is long dead. I was long dead. “Damn dreams.” I muttered, looking for the clock.

I jumped up, rushing to go find Boss. It was well after nightfall.

I found him in his study, still smoking, and wearing my Daylight ring. “You’re late, Klaus. I was just about to call your pet and let her know of your mistake.”

Anger and fear coursed through me, “ Do not call her that.” I took a breath, trying to calm down, “I apologize for being late. The blood I got from the Oracles earlier was drugged. It apparently didn’t sit well.” I didn’t want him doing anything to her.

He hummed. “You have until morning to find the last member and finish your assignment.”

I waited for my ring back. Sunlight wouldn’t kill me now that I was old enough, but it still hurt like hell. “I need my ring.”

He grinned, “No, you don’t. Think of this as an incentive to be back on time.” He turned away from me, tempting my restraint not to murder him. He had never once let his back to me in the last ten years. Stupid, stupid man.

I took a second, thinking. He said he was about to call her. How often had he checked on her? At least once a day, right? What if he finally let his guard down after all these years? Humans were smug and forgetful creatures. Could I find her and we could finally be safe?

In a millisecond I was in front of him. I didn’t bother being clean. I twisted his head around, twisting further until the vertebrae snapped and skin ripped. I savored the wet and crunching sounds. This man had earned his death by my hands hundreds of times. I pulled it off easily, dropping it onto the rugged floor. Blood oozed from his body, but I wasn’t tempted to drink it. I wanted nothing more of this man. I pulled my Daylight ring off his dead finger, placing it back where it belonged.

A smile spread across my lips as I went through his phone. There was one number he called twice a day. I called it again. A man answered the phone. I told him there was an emergency and he was needed back immediately.

Within minutes the man arrived, he smelled of her. I took my time killing him, getting anything I could squeeze out of him on where my daughter was. Apparently, she was a few blocks down. I felt foolish. She had been so close to me all these years and I had never been able to see her.

I killed the rest of them at that house. All the men keeping my daughter from me. They screamed, calling me a monster or demon. They were right. If the world only saw me as the evil “Monster Hitman” or a demon or killer, then that is precisely what I’ll be.

Her scent was strongest in the attic. I broke the door, seeing her standing there with a book. She held it up like a weapon, prepared to strike whoever was causing all the chaos I’m sure she heard.

Her green eyes, the eyes of my Edda and Ingrid, widened further, “Dad? A-are you really here?”

I didn’t blame her hesitation. She didn’t balk at the blood and gore covering me. She had always known what I was. “Claire.” I breathed, trying to catch my breath. My eyes raked over her. She was in her late twenties now. A woman. I had wasted ten years of her life.

She dropped the book, running to me. We were both crying. “How did you find me?”

“Don’t worry about that. We’re going somewhere far away from all of these people. I am so sorry. I’m sorry for wasting this much of your life.” I looked into her eyes, seeing the faces of the family I lost.

“You didn’t waste it. I know what he made you do. None of this was your fault, Dad.”

I sniffled, moving away and grabbing a bag. “Bring what you want but keep it light. We need to leave before people find the bodies. They’ll know who did it.”

She was quiet for a moment, “I know what they call you. I know what people think you are. Who people think you are.” Her steps got closer.

I turned to see her, wanting to try and make up for it. Somehow make up for all the murder and everything terrible that man made me do. I hoped she wouldn’t think I was what everyone said. I had been missing for almost a third of her life. Humans had very short memories compared to me. “Claire, my daughter, I am so sorry. I understand-”

She hugged me again. “You are not a monster, Klaus. Not in that way. You are my dad. You will always be my dad.”

I kissed the top of her head, “What you asked for. If you still wish it, I will honor your request. You can be with me forever.” I had hated the idea of doing this to her. Making her a monster for the rest of eternity. She begged me all throughout her childhood. I would never turn anyone without consent. That choice was taken from me. I wouldn’t take it away from someone else.

“I still want that, yes. But first, let’s get out of here..” She grabbed a few other things before we left. I knew just the spot we could hide out. There was a secluded village in Germany I had been wanting to take her since I took her in all those years ago.