Vampires: in space. How dare they.
I’ve just heard word of Vampires taking up residence on one of the moon colonies, trying to expand their grasp and ensure their survival beyond the stars. I may not be able to rid the Earth of the Vampire yet, but I can sure rid the moon of those Vampires bold enough to go where no Vampire has gone before.
To prepare for the depths of space, I put my leather jacket on over my continually shirtless chest. That night, I take the first civilian shuttle launch to Moonbase V. There are six Vampires inside out of the twenty-eight passengers. Odd. The limit for these shuttles is 24… I dig my claws into the outside of the craft before it launches into space. I do not ride on the inside, for they would not let me carry-on Vampire-Killer, and I simply do not trust the space agency’s baggage handlers to keep my sword in time with me. As we begin to transcend the atmosphere, peaking over the earth, the solar shields protect the inside of the craft from the harsh solar radiation, unknowingly protecting the Vampire filth inside as well. This really is the perfect little getaway for the Vampire from the sun– but not from me. After a quick flight, the shuttle begins its landing procedure. I stand on the steady craft, Vampire-Killer by my side, and leap off.
I land on the moon’s surface, sending a small cloud of dust into the nothingness. It’s chilly on the moon, so I make sure my collar is still lifted with my thumbs, and tighten the front closed slightly with my hands in one movement. I start into a dash, and quickly make my way to the moon-base. I tear off a ventilation re-breather, and replace it behind me with lightning fast speed, setting off no alarms. Two more airlocks before I am in with the populace. There are Vampires scattered all over the base, as opposed to relegating themselves to the underground as with most locations that run the risk of solar activity. Two fans are spinning at a high speed to get the used air out, while keeping pressure stable. I manage to grab the back of the blade, and climb over it. I jump through the next, and roll. One bypass left. I see a human through the vent, and whisper into her mind. She opens the lock for me, and faints. I close it behind me. This place really is the ideal breeding ground for the Vampire plague. The solar shields on every window and opening allow the sunlight in, but block out the inbred solar reactant that sets a Vampire burning aflame. I hate how easy these filth Vampires have it; the breaks they get. These advantageous Vampires will receive further ‘breaks’ before their deaths.
As usual, I must begin at the bottom of the facility, clearing out any Vampire activity I find on my way back up. Using my Vampire-enhanced speed, I appear only as a blur at most to the security cameras. As I head towards the hub of Vampire activity, the strong scent of human blood hits me.
This goes much deeper than I had originally thought.
There’s a section up ahead that only has Vampires, it’s been cordoned off from the human populace. Restricted. Here is where I’ll find my answers, my kills. Security’s too tight to just go barging in through the front, too many variables that the Vampires could take advantage of. I take again to the vents, Vampire-Killer strapped tight to my back. I follow the scent of fresh human blood, flowing, pouring, pooling, moving, churning, draining; being collected.
These Vampires are smart, too damn smart. I make it to the final room. Through the holes in the vent grating, I can plainly see Vampire scientists and Vampire doctors hooking humans up to tubes; needles, draining them of blood and putting it into blood-pouches, refrigerating it. They’re organized, but that doesn’t stop the abhorrence of seeing humans strapped down, being kept alive for their blood, seeing Vampires hovering over them, wishing to sink their fangs into their flesh. They’re salivating, finding it hard to keep their composure around all this visible, fresh blood. Some of the humans are awake, not gagged, screaming in fright, horrified. The Vampires here enjoy it. Vampires elsewhere do not; some enjoy a nice, quiet meal. I will simply have to enjoy killing these Vampires more. Either way, they will die. The room is nearly all in darkness, save for some red floodlights, the perfect environment for a Vampire’s work. It will be the perfect environment for the Vampire-Killer’s work as well. I burst through the vent, and draw my sword in mid-air, removing the central Vampire-Doctor’s arms. He looked to be in charge and also reveling in his macabre work the most.
“That white lab coat is not much protection from my blade, is it, Vampire?”
“No, not you, VAMPIRE: The Vampire Hunter! How even did you get here?”
“I do not need to answer you, Vampire trash!” I run him through with my blade. Without the commanding Vampire, the other Vampires are unsure what to do. Like most Vampires, they first resort to a confused and hurried attack. I backflip, and kick an inactive light fixture into the stomach of one, impaling it on the wall. I continue the backflip with my sword, and slice the head off of another Vampire who was behind me. Three left. One comes at me just as I land, only to receive the Vampire-Killer directly to the heart. I spin, cutting the final two through their torsos, splitting their Vampire hearts in half.
I cut down the groups of captive humans. They’ve been through enough Vampirismic psychological traumas. Though, this is one of the least inherently disturbing scenes I’ve seen of Vampires keeping humans captive for sustenance. Less torture, less mutilation. Perhaps it is the technological aspect, the professionalism that satiates the human subconscious. The organization of these Vampiric machinations only adds to my disgust.
“Stay here. It’ll be over soon.”
I grab the body of one of the Vampires, and drag it to the doorway. I slash the door with Vampire-Killer, and it falls open. I toss the bleeding, opened body of the Vampire into the crowd of Vampire security and Vampire assistants. The assistants back away from the body, towards the exit of the security area. The Vampire security team, however, crowds the body before setting their sights on the lab entrance. They must be overworked with no difference in day or night up here. Their laser sights dart back and forth around the lab, illuminating the humans huddled in the corner, and the dead bodies of their fellow Vampires strewn upon the floor.
I bust out of another vent into the security area, and begin to hack into the Vampire security team without regard. With quick work made of them, turned into a pile of limbs and guts all slopping around, I turn to the assistant Vampires. The Vampires involved with the minor workings of the capture, containment, and draining of the humans. They have heard of me. I can tell by their attempts to claw through NASA-grade titanium to escape my blade. The door locks and opening controls are near me.
“Safety first, Vampires? Of course you couldn’t let the humans find out what you were doing.”
“Are… Are you…?”
“Yes, I am VAMPIRE: The Vampire Hunter.” They stand in silence. There are only four of them. They know they don’t stand a chance, that there’s nothing they can do. Trapped like the Vampiric rats that they are. They exchange uneasy glances, and attack as one. In mid-air, they are cut down as one. Their blood and entrails splash upon the floor. I engage the door controls, and exit into the final restricted hallway, killing the two clueless Vampires standing guard by ripping off their heads from behind.
Footsteps. I wait around the first corner, Vampire-Killer at the ready. The first of the two security personnel meets my blade at the middle, separating his front from his back. The second has time to pull his weapon and fire. I push the accompanying humans out of the way. The spray of bullets does not make it past Vampire-Killer, and neither does the filthy Vampire.
“Don’t kill us we–”
“Don’t worry, I’m here to help. You were the extra stowaways on the shuttle that just docked, correct?”
“Yes, but the security–”
“I know.” I leave the scene in the blink of an eye, to clear the station of the Vampire scum being where they have no business being: where I exist.
Shadow-running along the walls of Moonbase V, I cut down Vampire after unaware Vampire. I make no attempts to hide the bodies of the dead in my war, clearing level after level. All Vampires are the same to me; their deaths are simple routine. But how did the Vampiric machinations on Moonbase V come to pass? I’ll find out soon, for the command center is all that is left. Three Vampires before the moon is cleansed of the curse of Vampirism.
Approaching the command center at the top spire of the moonbase, a hail of gunfire causes me to rethink my path. These security forces are not Vampires; they’re human. There is no proper way to sneak through the facility itself. Damn Vampires. They really do see humanity as nothing more than food: mere fodder of continuation for the bloodline. These three coward Vampires will pay.
I run down the hall, making a spiral across the walls and ceiling through the maelstrom of bullets, but the Vampire-Killer can only stop so many. They tear through my Vampire flesh, spilling my Vampire blood. Tearing my jacket and pants. These three coward Vampires will really pay now. I get up close to the security team, and am able to cut a few of their guns, break some noses and arms. Without being able to fire, running the risk of shooting their teammates, I make quick work of the remainder, and go through the door they tried so valiantly to protect.
The three Vampires are standing there, waiting: A commoner, the commander of the space station, and a third, standing in the back. A mystery.
It then dawns on me.
The Vampires secretly infiltrated the upper strata of governmental control in this, the fifth moon colony: Moonbase V. All they needed was one on board with a plan to turn the chief commanding officer into one of them. From then on, they gained control over the station, all the loading and unloading of nighttime passengers. The Vampires had been overloading the shuttles with hopeful humans, looking for a new life, and harvesting them, feeding off of them. Obvious, in hindsight.
The two Vampires begin to walk backwards towards the third, mysterious Vampire.
“What’s the matter, Vampires? Afraid in knowing that your time here, using the moon as a Vampire getaway is over?”
The Vampires remain silent, going towards the third, facing me. The third Vampire extends its arms– the other two stop, and begin to shake violently. It’s then that I notice the third’s arms extended, forming to the other two Vampires. It pulls them in towards itself, and morphs violently into this massive Vampire-demon.
“This is all your fault, Vampire Hunter! If you hadn’t been so stalwart in your war against the Vampire on earth, we’d have never had to seek elsewhere!”
“No, Vampire, your bloodlust is your fault for existing! Now die!”
It reaches out with its clawed tentacle-arms, and grabs me faster than I can react, smashing me through the glass and out into the blackness of space. As I’m falling in the vast abyss, disoriented, it digs its claws into my abdomen. My blood freezes as it spills out of me. I cannot free my arms to get Vampire-Killer. I have no leverage. The Vampire-Demons grip cannot be broken. I begin pushing against the palm of its hand with my elbows, pushing its black, Vampiric talons through my body. I make enough room to free my arm, Vampire-Killer, and slice of its hand in one movement. I grab onto its arm, and pull myself back towards the moonbase. Its other arm stops me, and slams me onto the lunar terrain. I hold onto one of the fingers with my hand, blocking the palm with my boot, stopping from grabbing a hold of me. I place one of my hands on the nail, and the other on the knuckle, pushing it back. The base of the nail begins to pop, causing a green puss to slowly ooze out, freezing as it drips to the ground. In a fit of pain, the Vampire-Demon’s hand retracts, and I’m back in the broken, sealed off command center of Moonbase V.
Still within the vacuum of space, I waste no time on my witty banter; I take my opportunity of distraction, and drive Vampire-Killer deep into the heart of the Vampire-Demon, and watch it dissolve into nothingness.
As the sun begins to rise over the Earth, I know I’ve done a good thing. I’ve rid the moon of Vampires.
