'I think that's enough from my test subjects.' Zeleti's voice resonated through the laboratory. 'Well, I should give you some grace considering your help. I have finally completed my lifelong ambition.' Zeleti slowly descended the stairs of his platform to meet the students in his laboratory. 'Behold. I call it V.' He held a small transparent bullet in the air the seemed to shimmer against the light.
'V?' Camilla muttered under her breath; she remembered the name when mining for information on the university's dark web server.
Hina recognised the shine instantly, she had grown accustomed to pixie dust now that she had come into contact with it several times. Although she wasn't sure why, seeing her pixie dust in the form of a bullet pained her. Even though she didn't know what it would be used for, she had a feeling that what she did was wrong, very wrong.
'Imagine my surprise to find our little volunteer was actually a carrier.' Zeleti cackled in amusement.
'You should have seen the struggle to keep Iggi under control, even from up on the platform your sweet scent filled the entire floor.' Zeleti's joy at his accomplishment made his words more unfiltered, and his insanity more evident.
'It was ToRTure!' Iggi hissed at Camilla behind Kai's body. Despite his rage and disappointment in Camilla, Kai wouldn't let anyone or thing endanger her.
'I suppose now is the time where the villain's monologue explains his plans and trails off about his ideology, and in front of mere student that have no relation to the matter what so ever.' Zeleti began laughing to himself. 'Yes, in your eyes I am the villainous vampire, the antihero in your story. That just goes to show you humans' innocence.' He walked towards a device near the control panel of the laboratory. 'I've always found humans so fascinating; you can be the most innocent and the most cruel being in existence, all at the same time.' He placed the V bullet into a holding device while typing and tinkering with final touches. 'But unfortunately, I have no grand philosophy or ulterior motive. I simply wish to end this curse of an existence that is called a vampire and die as a human.'
The device lit up as the glass structure spun around the bullet, speeding up, it circled the bullet over and over, and over again. Zeleti sat and watched the glass container that held all his hopes and dreams flicker with light. He found himself thinking back to his journey, parts of him that he wanted to forget, but the curse of being vampire made him remember everything vividly.
Feel everything vividly.
Zeleti recalled the summer crickets creaking, filling the humid air and signalling the heat's arrival. Even though vampires' weakness being the sun was a lie they spread to better hide amongst humans, currently Zeleti felt as though he was indeed melting under its slow burn.
He sat in his office alone at the town hospice, he was often alone, and this was to his liking. Zeleti enjoyed his own presence, or more accurately, he couldn't tolerate the presence of others. This was why he willingly relinquished the family head position to his younger brother Ricard, instead Zeleti took a quieter yet still important role. He infiltrated the town hospice as a doctor for the terminally ill, this helped him acquire blood effortlessly and most importantly secretly, for the growing population as hunting became more and more difficult.
However, what Zeleti truly enjoyed about this position was the access he had to human corpses under the guise of research. He was fascinated with humanity and their frailty, he studied their anatomy and their numerous diseases, and although he was able to find cures to several of them that was never his intention. He simply wished to learn more, with vampires being immune to all human diseases, humans in comparison seemed intriguing to him.
The day started like every other, and as the time came to check in on his patients, Zeleti was told that he was relieved of them all and to focus all his attention on the new guest admitted. Curiosity caught him in its snare as he entered what looked to be an entire floor dedicated to this one patient. There were numerous attendants and even a maid, in fact he was corrected multiple times and told to call the lady a guest, not a patient.
The nurse ushered Zeleti down the never ending corridor. 'We've got a noble in our midst. Yes, I know what you're thinking, we still have nobility in this day and age? Goes to show you how rare our lady guest is!' Zeleti tried to hide his annoyance as there was nothing more he hated than an overly chatty human, and the corridor seemed to continue to no end. 'Her previous in-house doctor gave her three months to live, poor thing. What I'm curious about is, why come here? Surely it must be embarrassing for nobility to be amongst us commoners.'
'Thank you nurse that will be all.' Zeleti had to put an end to her rant otherwise he would have ripped her tongue out to silence the pollution.
He reached the lady's room, where a maid was stationed outside waiting in case she was called upon.
Zeleti knocked, and a light voice was heard. 'Come in.'
Zeleti stepped inside to find a poised lady sitting up in an overly large bed. The open window let in the breeze, the draping on the bed frame danced lightly around the lady obscuring Zeleti's sight, as though teasing him. As he walked closer the lady turned to face him revealing her beauty.
Her milk blonde hair fell in waves down her back and decorated the bed sheets elegantly. Her sharp lashes sat on top of her pale skin, making her deep brown eyes command your attention. Zeleti stood quietly for a moment as he admired the sight before him.
In all his years alive he had never felt such emotions stir from someone's appearance alone. He had only ever engaged in intimacy when feeding and even then, he felt disgusted that he allowed his primitive instinct to control him. But this, this was something else, something he wasn't sure of yet. Zeleti continued to stand in silence, he was afraid if he spoke, the image he had built of the lady would shatter quickly.
'I presume you are to be my doctor then.' The lady's soft voice didn't just shatter Zeleti's image of her, it built a completely new and even more intriguing one up. Her words were strong and sure, how could such a fragile voice carry so much weight he thought.
Zeleti stepped forward to escape his trance, he now stood right by the lady's bedside. 'Dr Zeleti Crimson, you are correct, I will be your presiding doctor my lady.' He bowed slightly in respect, only to be greeted by a hand that stretched out in front of him.
'Lady Rosalyn, I'll be in your care.' Her smile captured Zeleti's gaze as he peaked from above his bow. Rosalyn's hand still stretched out indicated she was waiting for him to greet it. Although this was an outdated custom it seemed some nobles still practiced the shivery of old. Zeleti lightly took hold of her hand and allowed his lips to fall on the back of her palm. Rosalyn giggled to herself. 'I didn't expect to have a gentleman for a doctor.' Her effervescent laugh lit up the room and took Zeleti by surprise. 'You seem accustomed to etiquette, Are you of noble birth?' She enquired.
Zeleti took a moment to ponder, as a vampire heir of the Great Three families perhaps he would be considered nobility. He couldn't help but chuckled at the thought. 'No, my lady but I'm knowledgeable in a number of things.' He replied as he picked the clipboard by her bed. He inspected the chart sheet, and his expression told Rosalyn what she already knew. Her situation was indeed very dire, it was a sheer miracle for her to be talking comfortably. 'May I ask why you came here?' Zeleti posed the question as he studied her facial features, her soft doll like appearance only made her look more fragile with her illness.
Rosalyn sighed. 'I'm not sure how much you know of nobility, but I am of a high-ranking noble family.' Her voice was firm and full of confidence. 'Due to this illness that plagues me I have already brought much disgrace to my family, still I have tried to offset this to the best of my abilities by contributing to their success.' Her face looked deflated for a moment before her confident gaze returned once more. 'My current state has worsened as I'm sure you have seen based on your earlier expression. I will no longer burden my family with things beyond their control. I simply wish to die as peacefully as possible. That is all.' Although her words seemed solid in resolve her smile held a tint of regret.
'I see. Well then, as your doctor, I will try to ensure your days here satisfy your final desire.' As Zeleti spoke, he realised this may have been the longest conversation he held with another person.
He wasn't disgusted, nor itching to leave. On the contrary, as he was leaving Rosalyn's room, he wondered how he could make their next encounter last longer. Once outside her bedroom doors, he gave into the urge he was so furiously resisting ever since he kissed Rosalyn's hand.
His tongue ravished his lips as he tasted the remnants of her scent.
'Delicious.'