#vamp!dark

(Sort of a sequel to This but I couldn't figure out how to fit Sia and Evan in but shhhhhhhhhh it's another AU we'll jsut say that)

Everyone stands around in a circle, looking at each other.

"... So... how do we go about this?" Bim asks. "Are we going to Boxcar Children up a makeshift shelter? Risk getting a hotel? I think I have about two thousand dollars left."

"I have an apartment."

Everyone looks at Doc.

"It's small, but it's somewhere to start."

"... Don't the people hunting you know about it?"

"Oh. Right. ... Do you think I'll be able to go back to gather some things?"

Dark shrugs, sitting down on a stump. "Depends. Who exactly is hunting you?"

"I don't fully know."

"What do you know?"

"... I was leaving work, a late shift at the hospital. I'm a- ... was a, surgeon. I guess I can't... do that, anymore."

"Oh, dude... that sucks." Bing gives Doc a pat on the shoulder.

"And now so do you," Bim says, snickering a little. Yancy elbows Bim, giving him a sort of... disappointed-big-brother type look. Bim rubs his arm. "Sorry," he huffs.

Doc shrugs. "It's accurate. Anyway, um, I was leaving work, and I was all alone walking to the bus stop. And then I... I don't know. Someone grabbed me and said something about... I think about 'rescuing' me?"

Dark tsks. "Yeah, a lot of other vampires consider turning someone to be saving them."

"... They weren't a vampire. Their hand was warm."

Dark perks up, surprised.

"They hit me over the head, and I woke up somewhere just..." Doc flounders for the words. "... Just horrible. Like a um, like a room in a cheesy movie about satanic cults."

"The candlelight flickered over the walls, somehow seeming to take away light instead of grant it, the shadows deeper than should be possible in the corners of the room."

Doc glances at Host, eyeing him warily. "Yeah. Like that."

"The Host was a horror writer."

"... Oh. So then... you can probably guess what happened next?" Doc desperately hopes he won't have to be the one to describe it.

"The Host doesn't need to guess. He can Know. ... ... ... Doc was pushed into the middle of a circle painted on the floor, the stench of rotting blood making his stomach churn. He looked up as a man approached him and tried to demand to know what was going on, only to realize he was gagged. His mind was still foggy."

Doc shakes a little as Host recounts it. Bing leads him over to another stump to sit down.

"The man knelt down and stroked Doc's hair. 'Here, and now, we have begun The Recompense,' he said in a voice as soft as the candlelight, and just as haunting. He stood, and threw open his arms. 'We at last fulfill our destinies!"

"The man pulled a vial out of his robe, something bubbling and the color of Sickness itself. He pulled Doc's gag out just slightly, and poured it into Doc's mouth. The taste was almost indescribable, thee only word for it being repulsive. The man forcefully closed Doc's mouth, and didn't let go until Doc finally had no choice but to swallow. The man put the gag back in after that."

"He gestured to one of the people hovering in the outskirts of the shadows. A person stepped forward. Doc's heart began racing as he saw their eyes were glowing red."

Bing rubs Doc's back. Doc clamps his hand over his neck, getting paler by the second.

"The leader of this stranger group stepped out of the way, and the vampire knelt down before Doc. They smiles warmly at him, their fangs glinting in the demure candlelight. 'It's my honor to be your Release,' they said, reverence in their words."

"They tilted his head to the side. Doc's breathing became fast, his heartbeat almost painful in the panic. The vampire brushed their fingers along his neck. 'Don't panic. Soon you'll be free from Mortal Fear.'"

"They sank their fangs into Doc's neck. Doc let out a scream, muffled by the gag. He felt thee blood being sucked from his body, his neck getting the staticky feeling of a limb falling asleep, the feeling spreading so very rapidly."

Dark tilts his head. "That's not a usual feeling for someone being turned." He looks around at the others. "Is it?"

There's a murmuring of answers, the consensus being a complete "No."

Doc shudders, and Wilford is suddenly by his side, draping a shock blanket over him. Doc jumps in place, but accepts the comfort.

"When it was over, Doc collapsed into a heap. He shivered and twitched on the middle of the circle, his veins empty yet his brain still functioning, though that term applied very loosely. He wasn't dead, at the very least."

Now, the others look sick. "You shouldn't have been awake by then," Bim croaks.

"You-you should've passed out when-when you lost enough-enough blood," Eric whispers.

"The group around Doc were speaking, but Doc couldn't understand the words. But even if his mind had been functioning well, he wouldn't have had any better idea. The words were ancient, a lost language, made for magic."

"As the chanting droned on and on, however, Doc grew more and more... alert. But not aware. Not awake. Simply alert. And hungry."

"I attacked someone," Doc croaks out, shaking. "I don't know what happened, I just- all of a sudden I was pinning someone to a wall and-and drinking blood and they were screaming around me-"

"But not because of fear. Not because of grief over their lost friend. Doc had become Feral faster than they expected. They were screaming because of their plans being ruined."

Doc puts a hand too his mouth, stifling a sob.

"When Doc came back to his right mind, he only had seconds to process before realizing he had to run. And even as he ran he could feel himself changing, feel the cold setting in-"

"Please skip this part," Doc whimpers.

"... Until at last, Doc slammed into Eric."

There's silence. A long, long silence, the only sounds being Doc's muffled sobs and the crinkling of the shock blanket as Bing rubbed his back.

"... I woke up, too." Mark breaks the silence. "... I was trying to take a hike. Job sucked, life sucked, I figured it would help. But I got jumped, and woke up while they were carrying me somewhere. I ran away, and it... it was so..."

Mark struggles to find the words.

"Yeah," Doc says, knowing what Mark meant still. "Just... yeah."

...

...

...

...

...

Bim stands up. "So. When do we go back to raid your apartment?"

"But I thought-"

I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO POST THESE-

anyways, remember that vampire edit I did of Actor in DAMIEN?

well, i decided to get a little closer & give it more of a personal touch for both Actor & Dark haha

Oooooo~~~~

I feel like Anti would be aware of this and have fun

Needing help to prop up the bag, she bites down, pushing down nausea as she desperately gulps it down. The bag is empty before she knows it, and she pulls away, burying her head back against Yancy, whimpering and hiccuping. The pain is slightly better, but its still agonising. Focusing on his comforting voice and humming, she eventually lets herself pass out, fitful shudders running through her body, her minds attempt at protecting itself, small motes of fire hovering protectively (2)(final)

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Bing races into the room right after she passes out. Yancy moves her over to one of the cots, and sits on it with her, humming tunes to try and soothe her in her sleep.

“Is she okay? What happened.”

“She’s fine,” Doc assures him. “What the hell did that to her?”

Dark glares at Doc, as he was about to ask Bing the same thing.

“There was some magic surrounding it, and the thing itself was made of nothing but pure iron,” Bing says, pulling a screen of his scans. “Don’t know what kind of magic though, never scanned it before. But it’s not aimed at vampires, that’s for sure.”

Dark runs a hand through his hair. “Google,” he says, voice sounding strained and tired. 

Doc looks at him in shock. He didn’t realize Dark could sound so human when he wasn’t trying to manipulate someone. 

“What has your research come up with?” he asks.

Google opens up a report. “Common mythologies with themes and traits relating to Sia’s symptoms suggest some sort of relation to the mythical creature The Phoenix.”

Bing looks up. “Like Harry Potter?”

Google rolls his eyes, a feature which Bing immediately regrets installing. “Phoenix’s do not originate from the book series Harry Potter,” the android says, in a tone that makes Bing feel like an idiot.

Man, he needs to stop upgrading their personality software. They’re turning into dicks.

“In many mythologies, iron is harmful to fae, fae-like creatures, and magical creatures. It is also possible that the amulet had an enchantment meant to worsen the natural effects, which according to our research, should typically be no worse than the effect of silver on vampires.”

“So hopefully we won’t have a repeat of this situation,” Doc mutters, looking at Sia. 

Dark looks at her as well. “A Phoenix?”

“Yes, that appears to be at least somewhat related to, if not the exact match for, what she is.”

“... So that’s why she was normal until she died. Phoenix rising from the ashes,” Dark says thoughtfully, staring at Sia slumped against Yancy.

Doc looks at Dark. “No, no. You will not be staring at my patient like that,” he growls. “Out. All of you, out. You too, Yancy. I’m sorry but it would be best if when she wakes up there’s less to overwhelm her.”

“You just want a chance to poison her against me,” Dark growls. “You’re hardly smooth, Doctor.”

“And you’re an asshole, now let’s stop stating the obvious and you all get the hell out so I can treat my patient!”

Yancy sighs, gently moves and places Sia’s head on the pillow, and leaves the room with Bing. “I hate when he’s grumpy, stressed, and fed,” Yancy mutters to Bing.

“It’s nice when he’s got energy and is in a good mood, though.”

“Yeah, but he’s not right now, is he?”

“Don’t worry about him bruh, he’s just ticked at Dark like usual. How about we go record another musical critiques video?”

“... I’d like that.”

They go to Bing’s room, and Dark stays behind. 

“She’s happy here,” Dark growls. “Unlike some people, she sees the worth in this gift.”

“Gift!” Doc spits. “If she is a phoenix of some kind then she wouldn’t have died anyways. All you’ve done is make it so that now she’s a monster along with that!”

“I’ve given her family and a loving home!”

“A home run by you is hardly loving!”

“You only say that because you still won’t accept-”

“No, I won’t!” Doc snaps, stepping closer. “You sent me out into the city where I had to stick to the shadows or risk being burnt to ashes by the sun, where I then had to kill an innocent person just so I wouldn’t die or go crazy, and then you dragged me by the arm through a forest while using super speed to bring me back to the house you keep me captive in that I never wanted to be part of in the first place, so I can treat someone who’s been brainwashed and tricked by you just like everyone else here!”

His chest heaves by the end of his rant, his eyes glowing bright red and his fangs fully extended, his face so close to Dark’s that their noses are almost touching.

Dark scowls at him. “You’re an ungrateful, shortsighted, disrespectful fool. I’m patient with you, and I do nothing but try to care for you-”

“You made me into a MONSTER!”

“I MADE YOU INTO WHAT YOU WERE MEANT TO BE!” 

Sia whimpers, and they both look at her.

“Get out,” Doc demands, voice as cold as his skin. “Now.”

Dark’s expression softens when he sees that their shouting has upset Sia, even if it’s just while she’s asleep. “Fine,” he says quietly. He looks back at Doc. “But if I find out you’ve even tried to lie to her and make her think I’m a villain and terrible man, I’m going to take you out with me for every hunt for the next month.”

He leaves, and Doc’s shoulders slump. He rubs his eyes, already feeling tired again. 

He goes to Sia’s bedside and checks on her arm. Good healing progress, the stitches should be able to come out in a couple minutes, and so far it seems there won’t be any scarring left behind.

He looks at her, asleep and innocent.

Dark limps his way into Doc’s office, his right leg gushing blood, his arm no better, his neck and chest covered in holy water burns.

Doc looks up at him with dead eyes. “Guess The DA said no again.”

Dark growls. “Just fix me up. I’m not in the mood for your snark.”

Doc gets up out of his chair as though his limbs are made of lead.

He drags his feet as he grabs a bag from the blood storage. 

“Your time’s almost up again,” Dark observes, shutting his eyes against the pain as he lifts himself up onto one of the cots. 

“I know,” Doc says. His voice sounds as dead as his eyes.

He gives Dark the bag.

Dark bites into it, and drinks quickly, draining the bag in seconds.

Doc watches.

Stares.

Dark tosses the bag aside, and shrugs his jacket off. “Staring won’t stitch my wounds.”

“I’m not patching you up.”

Doc’s voice shakes.

Dark looks at him, eyes flashing bright red. “Excuse me?”

Doc just stares back. 

Dark rolls his eyes. “Stop being melodramatic, and do your job.”

“My job is to be a doctor. My job is to help people. To heal them. You took that away from me.”

“Oh, not this again-”

“You made me into a murderer.”

“I made you better. I’m not in the mood for this right-”

He coughs.

“-right now.”

Doc still doesn’t move. His hands are shaking. His eyes are still dead.

Dark coughs again. Harsher.

Doc still just stares.

Dark coughs more. He coughs into his elbow.

His sleeve comes away bloody.

“It’s a shame we don’t have an x-ray machine,” Doc says.

“Wh-”

Dark is cut off by another wet, sticky cough.

“What?”

“I could have caught that internal bleeding in your lungs,” Doc says, eyes dead, voice dead, hands shaking as much as physically possible.

Dark lurches as he coughs harder. “What-”

His eyes widen.

He looks at the bag.

His eyes travel to the trash can by the desk.

An empty, used syringe, blood on the tip.

“You made me into a murderer,” Doc repeats.

Dark can’t breathe.

“I was a good person.”

Now, Doc’s voice shakes.

“I helped people. I saved people. You made me need to kill them to survive.”

Dark is wheezing, coughing weakly.

Doc gently pushes him to lay down. Moves him to a more comfortable laying position on the cot.

“Your time’s almost up,” Doc says softly. “Please say something that will make me feel bad about this.”

Dark snarls, or at least tries.

Doc stares at his face. 

“... I thought so.”

Dark chokes.

Doc stares.

Dead eyes.

Hateful (and scared) eyes.

...

...

...

...

...

Dark goes still.

Blood leaks from his open mouth.

His eyes stare into Doc’s, unseeing, glassy.

Ooooh, that’s a tough question.

Dark has banned Bim from making his show before, as punishment, but usually only for a week or two. Bim accepts that, mostly out of shame for being caught at whatever made Dark mad at him.

But if Dark were to try to take the show away permanently?

Ooooh... I’ve never thought about it before.

... I think it depends.

Bim loves his show because it gets him attention. Basically in this AU he was a rich kid who’s parents ignored him a lot, so now he’s got issues with craving attention and approval (his murderous habits, however, are just because he’s an asshole).

So, if Bim had an alternate way to get the attention he craves, he might be upset but able to deal with it. Perhaps if Dark took the show away to try and train Bim to be more like him (something he promised Bim but never followed through on), Bim would be able to accept it.

But. If Dark took away the show and continued to pay the same amount of attention to Bim? An amount that Bim considers inadequate, and thus used his show to supplement? Bim might try to break away from Dark. 

Dark feels the shiver that means it knows he’s here before he even crosses the border of it’s power. At least, the former border.

Apparently, that’s expanded. Which he doubts is good news for him, or his mission.

Months. It’s been months now, since Doc managed to escape. Months since Dark realized he’d fled here.

To The Manor.

Dark swore he’d never step foot on it’s grounds again. But he has several new scars, along with everyone else in the family, and Doc hasn’t been seen outside of The Manor even once since he’d gone missing.

So now here he is, once again. After a century, he’s finally returned to the place where he’d been turned.

He walks up to the front door, feigning confidence as best he can, as though he’s not feeling smaller and smaller the closer he gets.

The door swings open before he’s even in front of it.

As soon as he steps through the threshold he can feel it’s reaction to his return. The air is thick with anticipation, and then... rage. It knows why he’s here, and it does like like it ones bit.

He feels like he’s just gotten back home after a long trip away, and at the same time like he’s stepped into a place where he’s entirely unwanted and will be punished for even daring to enter.

The door slams shut behind him, and he hears it lock.

No turning back now.

“D-Damien?”

He cringes. Ah... right.

“Damien! I-I knew you’d come back! Where’s William, where’s Celi-”

Dark ignores Actor, walking right past him as Actor tries to go for a hug.

“Damien?” he asks, following Dark as Dark begins to search the house. 

Whispers tickle at his mind, and shadows dance around his vision. They’re taunting him, and welcoming him, and screaming at him, and warning him.

He ignores them.

“Damien, you- you look so different. What have the years done to you?”

The years? The years? 

The man responsible for changing his entire life, his entire being, is placing the fault upon the years?

Dark doesn’t reply.

“Whoa, please, slow down, talk to me! It-it’s been so long, surely you aren’t still angry? Damien, please-”

“Stop calling me that!” Dark snaps at him, the shadows reeling back before closing in thicker than before. “I am not. Damien. Damien died.”

“You-you’re right in front of-”

“My name is Dark,” he growls. “And I’m only here to retrieve what’s mine.”

Actor gapes at him. “What do you mean?”

“Doc,” Dark says coldly, looking right into his old friend- old brother’s heartbroken eyes. “I’m just here to bring Doc back home.”

“Excuse me?”

Dark turns around, and there stands Doc where he hadn’t been moments before.