CHAPTER 22: THE ORIGIN

Vlad the vampire began his tale of long ago.



*‘In the beginning, HaShem created the heavens and the earth. He saw that it was good and created the first being, to rule over the earth. That being was my father. He was the first and greatest of our kind, and because he was from the very beginning, father was beautiful, wise and full of love. But he was lonely, so HaShem created a companion for father. The companion was mother.*



*Their powers were great, far greater than the powers I wield today. Father would often busy himself tending the creatures of the world and communicating with HaShem and because of that, mother felt lonely.*



*Then one day, as mother wandered about in the great forest, she stumbled upon another being, one she had never met before.*



*The being was hideous, its body was covered in scaly hides and the pupils of its eyes were blood red. It smiled at mother, beckoning for her to come.*



*“Hello, who are you?” mother asked innocently.*



*The being smiled at mother, sending chills down her spine. She had never felt fear before and was therefore unaware of the danger that stood in front of her.*



“*Are you lonely?” the being asked, its eyes boring into mother’s. It was dark and cold. Mother did not like it.*



“*I have to go,” she said and started to move away.*



“*But I have a gift for you,” the being tempted mother.*



*Mother loved gifts, she missed getting gifts from father. He had been too busy of late, tending to the fruits and trees of the forest.*



*The being slithered closer to mother, smiling once more. Mother could see that it had sharp white teeth. Its mouth had a strange stench. Of blood? Mother could not be sure.*



*But she knew that she did not want to be there. Mother took a step back, suddenly unsure of the way to head home. This was the beginning of fear, but mother did not know*.



“*This gift is special,” the being teased, “for once you take it, you will have your husband’s full attention.”*



*His full attention, mother thought happily. Perhaps she could finally get to spend some time with father.*



*And so, the being handed over the gift to mother and mother consumed it.*



*That night, father came back from his walk only to find mother standing in the shadows. There were blood and carcasses of other beings at her feet. They had been gored to death as if torn by a wild animal*.



“*Husband, come to me,” she whispered, her face shrouded in the dark.*



“*Wife, what happened?” father hurried to mother’s side. But what he saw made him take a step back for mother’s face mouth was smeared with blood, and she was licking her hands.*



“*Husband, I am hungry,” mother said like a little child. She then stroke her belly, she was pregnant.*



*At that moment, father heard HaShem’s voice. The creator had come for his daily walk with father. Father could not let HaShem see mother like this*.



“*Quick, hide!” quickly, he pulled mother away to hide under a tree. Mother continued to lick her hands.*



*That night father shed his first tear, for in his heart, he knew that mother had turned into something alien, something dark and cold. But he still loved her.*



*Father kept mother hidden for quite some time and continued to feed her. Being pregnant, mother’s appetite was insatiable and one by one, the creatures of the forest began to disappear.*



*It did not take long for HaShem to find out what had happened*.



“*She has been tainted, I cannot let her live.”*



*But father begged HaShem, promising to keep mother from hurting others. HaShem was merciful, but he was disappointed. He banished both father and mother from his forest of overflowing abundance and forbade them to ever set foot in the sacred place again. Father stopped seeking HaShem’s council from that day onwards.*



*They both finally settled in a barren land where mother gave birth to us. Instead of children of the light, mother bore creatures of the night. To father’s despair, we killed, more and more as we grew.*

*Bloodshed followed us everywhere*.



*The day came when father could finally no longer live with the insanity*.



“*My Great Lord, please forgive me for my sins. Please stop this madness from spreading,” father begged.*



*And HaShem came, he stood in front of father, radiant like the morning sun. His presence rattled the foundations of the dessert, causing everyone to scatter in confusion. He looked at father and there was love in his eyes*.



*He spoke into father’s mind,” It will require a great sacrifice from your to ensure the age of peace.”*



*Father bowed to HaShem, tears spilling out from the corner of his eyes. All this would finally come to an end*.’



The vampire stopped suddenly and took a sip of his cognac. Not far away, Celine the redhead continued to sleep on with a gentle snore.



“What happened next?” Tom asked eagerly. He was practically at the edge of his seat, witnessing history play out right before his eyes. This was practically a blockbuster in the making.



Suzanne sat next to him in silence, her face obscured by the shadows cast by the moon that was peeking out of from clouds.



“What happened next?" the vampire chuckled and put his glass down, looking at the ice swirling in his drink, "Father had to kill us all.”