Upgrade nudge will. Also, hug mother.
+1. I think we should tell them everything.
+.1. Sure. Why not?
Five weeks? Damn.
Probably shouldnt tell them about the being dead part.
Almost unanimous vote for this course of action, though. And it'll make things more interesting that way, nyeh heh heh.
- - -
She squeaks with relief and you step in and give her a hug. “Oh, I was so worried about you, I was so- where were you? What happened? Where are your friends? Did, did you talk to – we'll have to tell the police, and I'll give your father a call and let him kno-”
“Mom, mom, hey.” You say, breaking away. “Maybe you could hold off on that, just for a minute?” you say.
She treats you to a very concerned look. “What, are you in trouble with the law? You aren't-”
“Uh, it's complicated. Maybe you should sit down while I explain this all, okay?”
She sits down on the couch and rubs her eyes with consternation. You sit down on the opposite couch, and begin explaining.
“All right. So I'm kinda a...vampire.”
She scoffs. “What?”
“Like a supernatural monster? I guess. Allergic to the sun. Drinks blood. Dracula, y'know?”
“You're telling me – Tom, that's nonsense. That's a made up-”
You bare your teeth and they twist into a long row of sharklike teeth as your jaw dislocates, hanging wide open. The effect probably resembles a giant ivory bear trap, and your mother shrieks and your little brother falls down in horror. You close your mouth and your jawbone snaps back into place with a satisfying little pop.
“Believe me now?”
They tremble in fear. Your mother makes the sign of the cross at you. Maybe you've overdone it.
“It's all right, it's all right. I just wanted to prove...hey...”
“Oh my god, oh god, why...” your mother mumbles, curled into a ball on the couch. Your younger brother climbs onto the couch and clings to her.
“Mom, hey.” you say. “I may be, uh, like this, but I'm still me.”
You get up, reach out and pat her reassuringly on the shoulder. She flinches at your touch, but looks up at you.
“See?”
“H-how...?”
“Uh. That's the tricky part.” you tell her. “I don't remember exactly. The, uh, change kinda disrupted my memories, if that makes sense? I woke up the other night with only a vague idea what was going on, and I had to see our address in the phone book to make sure, uh...”
They look at you nervously from the couch. You back up and sit down. Your mother's voice is even more quavery than it started.
“You drink people's blood now?”
You meet the question with a shrug. “Nah. Not that I know of – cow blood seems to do.”
She seems somewhat consoled by that.
“It's all so much to take in. You've changed...”
The unspoken meaning was pretty clear: You're a monster now. You're not my son. Where have you taken my son? What have you done to him? Why is this so complicated? Why can't I have my son back?
“Hey. What was that about giving Dad a call? Isn't he here?”
“Uh. No. We had...a, he's staying with a friend of his. For now. We had a fight.”
“Oh.” You aren't sure how to take that.
Your little brother chimes in. “Tom, what happened? How did you get lost?”
“Well, this is where it gets a little hard for me to follow.”
“It was, uh, the, uh, Bishop. And his guys. They're a gang of some sort, they feel like they're evil. I don't know. But they know things. Sunglasses man, he was supernaturally strong and could, like, stun people by looking amazing? I dunno. I think they might be vampires too.”
“What?” they ask. “A Bishop?”
“Not a Bishop, a guy named Bishop. Except that Sunglasses called him the Bishop at one point. I dunno. Some sort of, I guess, vampire gang? They kidnapped me and my friends back at Christmas, and then, uh, there's sort of a gap. I only remember the last couple nights.”
“Sunglasses? Bishop?”
“Yeah. Sunglasses, kinda asian looking guy in a suit, he had, like, magic strength...I guess? And he stunned people with his, uh, I dunno, he just had this amazing ability to make his presence sort of fill the room? Yeah, he kidnapped me when I went to the Graham Hospital for help...”
“Wait, didn't they kidnap you at Christmas?”
“Yeah, I'm not sure. I woke up in some empty house and went to the hospital, then they tried to kidnap me again, I think.”
“What about your friends? Were you with any of them?”
“I think the Bishop has some of them still? They mentioned James by name. Anyways, uh, yeah, they had me in the trunk of a car, they were going to bury me alive...yeah, uh, sorry, anyways...Something he said, the club plays a game by taking a bunch of us, and, uh, initiating us? So maybe my friends are vampires now too? That's a bad thing, I think. I don't know where they are...”
Trying to reconstruct events is a bit headache inducing, like you only have a few puzzle pieces.
“Shouldn't we talk to the police about all this?”
“I don't think that's a good idea. They'll want to study me under a microscope or something, maybe even get me killed when they don't take my sunlight allergy seriously...” It's actually hard to pay attention to her now, you're wracking your brain, trying to remember. “Something...something they said. The initiation was crashed by someone or something, do-gooders? And they took a girl, they said, a girl that Doosang took, or something like that? So maybe one of my friends is with some do-gooders but I have no clue what that means or who they're supposed to be...and I think they're still in Graham.”
So, your friends are still with the vampires, or at least probably vampires. And if the police are more likely a danger than a help, maybe...maybe you have to find them. You stare into space.
Your mother breaks the silence. “How did you end up in Graham?”
“I think they took us there.”
“So, we'll tell, we'll tell the police and they'll look into it. They can help. And we'll figure out the vampire thing, your new, uh...problem, and maybe we can pray for it...Maybe we can pray it away?”
“Haaah. I doubt that.”“Thomas, you don't think-”
“It's permanent. Prayer won't budge this. Might even be a gift, taking the long view.”“This isn't part of God's plan for you, Thomas.” she says. There's doubt in her voice.
“IS IT?” you ask, making an emphatic wide-armed gesture.
“Seems to me, heh, trying to understand God's motives is a little beyond us – given the current circumstances and all.”You jump to your feet.
“Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out.”You go into the kitchen and put the kettle on, leaving your mother and brother on the couch so they have a little time to calm down. You need to figure out what your next move is. What do you really want to accomplish next?
- - -
Your powers grow!
You've learned intuitively how to Haunt people. Your voice can dredge up unsettling emotions, sensations, visions and feelings that only your victim can perceive. They'll be unsettled, incapable of properly focusing, on edge. Vulnerable to Nudge Will. If they have a mental illness, it'll become more pronounced.
Your powers grow!
Nudge Will is now free.
What's the plan now? And what now? >_
Clothes: Dress shirt, t-shirt beneath that, briefs, pants, socks, work boots, wool coat, toque.
Adjustable crescent wrench (Bashing weapon/tool)
A big wad of twenty dollar bills.
Blood: 8/10
Heightened Senses (Passive) – Sharper hearing, sense of smell, kinesthetic awareness.
Hidden Knife – Conceal up to three small items on your person. Free.
Hidden Person - Reach into the minds of others, convince them you aren't there. 1 blood to activate, no maintenance cost.
Nudge Will – Make someone cooperative or uncooperative. Subtle. Free
Haunt – Makes someone highly unsettled, brings their subconscious fears to the surface. 1 blood to activate.
Author
Topic: (SG) Please Drink Responsibly. (Read 12761 times)