Mackenzie Estacado

Blood. The taste of it. The feel of it. I lathered in it after the taste of it. 3 days ago… I sat in my office listening to someone go on about how the business can't be run by a woman and one other person stuck up for me. Butcher Joyce. A friend of Jackie's and also a good person. He is the kind that gets the job done. He even cleans up afterward. Butcher: You don’t talk to my boss like that! I think she is doing a good job. Give her time. "It's okay, Butcher. I guess I should ask this man to leave." The man got angry and left cussing up a storm. Shaking my head, I turn the news on. Not that I care for it, but something came on about some people had died or found dead. Some drained of blood and had bite marks on their necks. Many think it was an animal or something else. I had guessed vampires. But could they be real? I had to find out for myself. If I had to kill one, then this would be it. I used the crossbow that my friend Eli gave me and had to buy bolts for it. Butcher decided to come with me just for safety. As I waited til nightfall, that's when it began. I looked around for anything and that's when I saw Eli carrying his hunting crap. Wait what was he doing out here?! Knowing him, he probably heard about the vampire attacks. But it wasn’t safe for him or me yet we're both out here. Touché. Eli: Mack! What are you doing out here?! "I'm about to ask you the same thing. Let me guess. Vampires?" Eli: This isn't the time to tell me that vampires aren't real. They are! Can't you see? These vampires abduct people and drain them and sacrifice them! "How do you know these things, Eli?" Eli: I knew this one guy who saw it all. He survived it. You on the other hand need to seek shelter. "I can take care of myself. I---" Then, I heard a scream and we ran toward where it was happening. There was one vampire biting someone and there was blood staining the person's clothes and I used the crossbow and fired a shot at it. It appeared to be a woman. She looked at me after removing the arrow bolt from her shoulder and walked toward me with hunger in her eyes. I backed away slowly and Butcher began to fire shots and she still kept walking. Then we saw a few more come up and we started panicking. Or should I say Eli was panicking. One of the vampires bit me and I yelled for Butcher to run and he took advice. I yelled for him to get help, but I was knocked out. I later wake up in some sort of underground cult and I was taken prisoner by vampires. Vampires!! They are real! I can hear Eli begging and pleading to be let out, but all they did was ignore him. Poor Eli. They took him prisoner as well. Then I saw one of them come up to me and looked at me up and down. He then walked around me as if he is observing me then smiled as If he was about ready to strike. Vampire: The Matron would love you, sister. You're perfect. Soon you'll be one of us. "Go to hell." The vampire laughed darkly at me and then grabs me and pulling me towards him. But he only clutched to my shirt. Vampire: I've already been to hell and back, girl. I'm not going back. But you were chosen for a reason. You have power. More amazing than anyone has ever seen. I pushed him back and he yanked the chains I was locked in and pulls me and takes me to the ritual area. They made me watch things melt before me and wanted me to defy what I believe in. They forced me to watch it all. I saw Eli get bitten and soon turned into a vampire. His greatest fear. He didn’t want to be one of them. I was taken to the Blood Matron and the scions were draining blood from me and then it was her turn to feed off me. I felt weak. I had bite marks on my neck, arms. I was sore. I wanted to run but I was stuck in place. The Matron had drained me and I was near death. I watched her slit her wrist and reached it out to me. Blood Matron: Drink, my daughter. You will feel whole again. Her words were mesmerizing and I felt like I was under her spell. Desperate, I grabbed her hand and drank the blood and felt It go down my throat. I felt changes happen to me and my skin turned cold and I felt my teeth growing fangs and stopped drinking as her wound healed up. Looking up at her, she gently touched my face and the chains broke free from my hands. My eyes were red like blood. I had the urge to feed as she had me do a trial to feed off people. But only at night fall. Blood Matron: Go, my little abomination. Be sure to come back here. Your new home awaits. I nodded and went off to go feed off people. The taste of blood was amazing. I wanted more. I fed off people and some I killed. I also became the Matron's right hand as she trusted me. I had a feeling this was only the beginning.

Chapter One: Darkness Falls Ever had those days when you think its best for you and others? Well, I have. My name is Mackenzie Estacado. This is my story. I'm now in charge of the Franchetti Crime Family. How did that happen? My cousin Jackie Estacado was once in charge of the family but placed me in charge of it while he had business elsewhere to do. Jimmy the Grape or should I say Uncle Jimmy raised me since I was 15. After my father died. Michael Estacado was my father’s name. He gave me everything I could ask for. A normal life, got me trained in ballet and martial arts. He made sure I studied hard in school and I was top of my class. But then, the day he died I'll never forget. He was shot and killed in front of me by an unknown sniper. I was only shot in the leg after the shooter missed and it caused an uproar in the park. It happened on my 15th birthday. My mother was struck in grief, she left me in the care of my uncle as she needed time to heal. Uncle Jimmy was there for me at the house. He worked for Paulie Franchetti but I stayed at the house he was in. Aunt Sarah also cares for me and made sure I ate well. I was depressed after losing my father and I spent those years in therapy. After my leg healed, I was able to resume activities. My father’s birthday was two days after mine. I was born March 4. Makes me a Pisces. Heh. Ironic right? Uncle Paulie felt “sorry” for me after my father had died. Everyone in the house did. Paulie wasn't the type at all. Years later, after finishing high school, I attended the university that was the best in all of New York. I attended it with my friends Eli and Melanie. Those two were the best of friends I met. Eli and his obsession with hunting vampires and Melanie in her fashion sense. During those four years I also had a rival named Stella Grundy. She hated my guts because where I was raised and my last name. As if she knows everything about me or my family. Pfft. That was when the night before my twenty-first birthday. The first time I died. I was out walking my dog Sparky. Got him as a gift for my 20th birthday a year ago. My uncle got him for me and it was the best present I had. But as I was walking him by the cemetery, we always brought flowers to his grave while walking. It was dark out and I kept a flashlight with me. I usually take him out for walks when I can't sleep. When my dog set the flowers on the grave, I heard a noise and turned to see Stella holding a shovel and whacks me in the head with it and I fall down a hole. I wasn't out cold, but I could hear voices in my head. “Mackenzie……” I could hear it calling my name and I know I had dreams about that voice lately. They began to be annoying after a while. But then I started to feel a burning sensation in my body. It spread toward my fingertips and down to my feet. “Come to the dark Mackenzie……..darkness will fall……” “No!!! Get out of my head!!” Then, out of nowhere all the lights burst out and it was dark in the cemetery. Trinity Cemetery was in total darkness. “Through you……..I am born…..” Looking up, I felt something come out of my back and stretched out of the hole and it pulls me out of the dug up grave and I knock Stella down aside and her friends and I landed on the ground. The demon-like arms moved back into me and I heard the voice again. “You are nothing but my puppet…” I felt drained, but I never felt more alive at the same time. What just happened?? Then, I heard a whimper and I turned around to see Sparky waiting for me with his leash. I went over to take it and we walked back home. I didn't go to my dorm, but went back to the house instead and collapsed on the floor as I entered. I later wake up to find myself in a bed the next morning. It was the morning of my 21st birthday. March 4th. I know I celebrated with family and my friends, but after explaining my experience with Uncle Jimmy, he refers me to a cousin I had. A cousin!! He had been staying with Uncle Frankie, Paulie’s brother. His name was Jackie. He had the same experience I had but is much more dangerous. When we were put to chat in a private room at a restaurant, he just looked at me. Jackie: So, you're my cousin I was told about. You're what I imagined. They mentioned you had dark hair, blue eyes and was very tall. “Yeah? They didn't give me a description about you.” Jackie just looked at me as he started to walk around me. Jackie: Well, you're part of the family and you got a lot to learn. This isn't some ordinary power you earned. I find it odd that it chose a female bearer. Usually it chooses and prefers males. Females usually get the Angelus or the Witchblade. “That sounds sexist.” Jackie: -Sighs and shakes his head-It's not. But it's good to know it made up its mind and chose you. I heard about what happened to your father six years ago. I'm terribly sorry to hear that. I didn't know I had an uncle. But know this. You're not alone. He walks over and offers me a hug. I return the hug back and I could feel tears slip from my eyes. I missed my father so much.