The steady rain has tapered off to a light drizzle. Despite the wet weather, the night is alive with activity. Where the hell are all these people going? Led by my senses, I'm following a group of dirty looking hippies through the snarl of traffic. Wherever they're going, wherever I'M going...it smells amazing. When I come down a dirt road and set eyes on the jam-packed field. Dear god! Thousands, tens of thousands of walking blood bags. I'm almost spellbound by all the sights, sounds...and smells. Oh, the smell of so many meals! The massive throng of humans seem to be centered around a brightly lit stage. Banners hang everywhere. 3 Days of Peace & Music. Woodstock Music & Arts Fair Present An Aquarian Exposition. I'm instantly enthralled. Even from the road, I hear a man singing from the stage:
"Mississippi Queen, If you know what I mean
Mississippi Queen, She taught me everything."
I clap my hands and laugh aloud. This is perfect! Live music...and an all you can eat buffet! I slosh through the mud, intermingling with the crowd. Nodding along with the music, my eyes rake hungrily over the crowd of bodies. Men and women in various states of undress. Damp and sweaty and delicious. I escape notice with a bit of effort until I catch sight of a group of people classy enough to stand out in the clusters of flower children. The quartet is staring at me with a faint curiosity. I focus my senses, honing in on them. My head tilts to the side, scrutinizing their auras. Oh! They're...like me. Other Kindred! Eager to rendezvous with my own kind I traipse over to them. "Hi! I don't get to meet other dead'uns often. I'm Madelyn...isn't this great?" I laugh at the over eagerness in my voice.
The other vampires stare at me, affronted, until the perceivable leader reluctantly sticks a hand out to me. "I'm Susanna Rockefeller, and this is my family." She waves a hand to the other three Kindred, but doesn't introduce them.
"So, do you and your..eh..family do stuff like this often?" I catch one of the other vampires rolling his eyes. My smile fades a bit, sensing the indignation, and puzzling over it.
After a beat, the female responds. "My clan is devoted to the arts. Naturally, we would be drawn to a performance such as this. Despite the...unsavory company." Her companions snicker.
I keep the smile pasted on my face, ashamed of my desperation. "And what..um..what clan are you?"
A throaty males voice comes from behind me. "Toreador, can't ya tell? Bunch of pompous degenerates..."
The quartet turn their noses up almost in unison, the female replying: "Better a degenerate than a filthy mutt."
The newcomer laughs heartily. Speaking to me, he asks: "And what clan are you, darlin'?"
I turn to face him, briefly taken aback by his bright yellow eyes. "...Malkavian." I mumble. His slit-like pupils dilate as he gives me a toothy smile. I hear the haughty woman sigh.
"I believe this is our cue to part ways." The well dressed group strides away quickly. I narrow my eyes, distressed by the less-than-friendly encounter. The yellow eyed man puts an arm around me companionably. "Don't ya worry about them. Pretentious dicks. You're Madelyn, I heard. The name's Lawrence, but you'll call me Law if ya wanna stay on my good side."
I smirk at him. "As I've already scared off one group of Kin, I'll call you Law. And if YOU want to stay on MY good side, you won't call me Maddie."
"Fair enough, m'am." He tips an invisible hat to me, and we both laugh. "Come meet my coterie of miscreants." he says, and leads me to the other side of the field.
He informs me proudly that he's a Gangrel. His coterie consists of two other Gangrel, and a Nosferatu. I'm shocked to meet the Nos, who introduces herself as Kat, and is strikingly beautiful. From the little I've learned of the Nosferatu, they're all supposedly afflicted with hideous deformities. Kat explains how she wears the Mask of herself before she was Embraced. She briefly lets her false facade drop, displaying a visage deeply pockmarked with pits and sores, and other nauseating flaws. Wearing the beautiful face again, she grins at me good natured. "If you looked like that, wouldn't you hide behind a mask, too?" I bite my tongue, keeping hold of my tact.
"That's ok.." Law responds. "..we've all got our quirks don't we?" He smiles his fangy grin and pulls the back of his pants down enough so that I see a bit of striped fur. He wiggles thick black claws at me and laughs. "Ooh, and feel this." He grabs my hand, pulling it to his mouth. Running his tongue along my palm, I feel the rough abrasion, similar to a cats tongue. "It's safe to say I'm a tiger in the sack..." The group breaks into whoops of laughter. I join in, the levity of my companions putting me at ease. The other Gangrel introduce themselves as Shade and Stella. The latter being a forked tongued blond whose voice and posture make me curious as to what other serpent-like qualities she inherited. Shade is a large, dark skinned, imposing figure who speaks in a whisper so conflicting to his appearance that I can't help but be intrigued by the few words he says. The small coven accepts me into their company amiably.
"Have you eaten tonight, Madelyn?" Stella asks, with a wicked smile.
I look around the crowd, licking my lips. "Not...yet."
She grins and rubs her hands together conspiratorially. "A hunting we will go, friends?"
Law cuts in. "Uhn uh. Reel in your beasts, ladies. We've gotta catch Creedence first...then it's chow time."
My eyes light up. "Creedence?! Oooh, even I can contain my blood lust until then!" My comment spurs another wave of humor. Within a half hour, Creedence Clearwater Revival is crooning Down on the Corner and Born on the Bayou. We dance wildly among the unaware Kine. Our antics drawing no extra attention from the unconcerned hippies.
Janis Joplin takes the stage, and even the sounds of Take Another Little Piece of My Heart can't distract the overwhelming need for fresh blood. We head towards a darker section of the field, each scoping our potential prey even as Kat and I unconsciously dance our way through the crowd. Law spots his meal first and lopes gracefully towards the young woman. I pinpoint an inebriated couple sneaking off behind a tent and go into predator mode. "Ooh, those two look delicious. Enjoy, Maddie."
I growl over my shoulder at Kat, who chuckles nervously. "Don't call me that."
She spreads her hands apologetically before approaching a shirtless man tromping barefoot through the mud. I follow my couple around the tent, where they latch onto each other like mollusks. When I step in front of the, they pause their kiss. "Mmm, hey cutie. Wanna taste?" The woman slurs at me, reaching out to caress my shoulder.
I curve my lips into what I hope is a seductive smile and take her hand. Glancing at the boyfriend, I ask: "You sure three's not a crowd?" He blinks slowly, staring like he's entranced.
"Three's company, right?" Actually two's company, but who am I to argue? The woman pulls me in between them, and my lips meet hers in a sloppy but sensual kiss. Boyfriend's hands creep around, grazing my breasts as he covers my neck with licks and nibbles. Tracing my hand up the woman's stomach, across her chest and around to the base of her neck, gripping it lightly as I explore the soft confines of her mouth with mine. I break our lips contact and bring the man's hand up to my mouth, running my tongue along his index finger before pushing it between the woman's lips. She sucks the digit eagerly as I trail kisses along her neck. She emits a deep moan when I sink my fangs into her yielding flesh. I catch myself expelling a noise of my own as I swallow down her life's blood. It coats my throat like syrup and I drink until she slips from my grasp. I move quickly, before the man can react. Spinning around to face him, I twist my foot around his ankle, pulling so he drops back into the mud. Whether dazed from pleasure or just plain intoxicated, he doesn't react when I hike his pants around his ankles and bite deeply into his thigh, sighing when the femoral artery lets loose it's gush of vitae. After a moment or two of vigorous feeding, I detach myself from him. His heart still beats, distractingly loud, so I snap his neck. The sharp crack seems to echo in the air. I wipe my mouth on his damp shirt and rise from the dirt. My head spins a little. Mmm...wow, either I overindulged or flower child blood is extra potent. I linger by the tent for another moment, staring at the smears of mud on my skirt. It looks like clouds. Or...a Rorschach inkblot.
"Ehehe, what do you see Herr Doctor?" Shaking my head ruefully, I head back into the crowd.
The rain starts up again, and I find myself twirling around with a handful of smelly Kine decked in tie dye. The colors seem to be dripping off their clothes, leaving them in pure white garments. I hear the band on stage singing.
"Dance to the music! Dance to the music! Turn the white clothes red! Bleed them out!"
That...doesn't sound like Sly and the Family Stone. I shrug. Well, ya can't argue with a classic. I grab the nearest lily white dancer and pull my arm back to thrust it through his chest when a pair of clawed, calloused hands grasp mine. I let the human go and bring the claws in my line of sight. A ruby red semi dried drop of blood rests along the curve of the dark nail. I dart my tongue out and lick it off. In that tiny drop of blood I'm lost in a cavalcade of memories. Whoever the blood belonged to, I see their past. Their future, blank. Their present, lying under an abandoned truck, hidden behind the tire. Law pulls me from the dancing group as I flip through the thoughts of his deceased prey. "Law, this is...awesome. I can see...all this stuff!"
The tiger laughs. "Looks like your dinner came with a added bonus."
"Hmmm?" I respond, distracted by the flowing lights emitting from the band on stage. Was the stage that tall when I got here? It seems to tower over the throng, the performers on a pedestal. Held high above the undulating crowd.
"Acid, darlin'. You're tripping. One of the hazards of feeding off a hippy."
I try to absorb his words. Acid? That's a...hallucinogen. "A schizophrenic Malkavian on hallucinogens? Oooo..errr." Did I say that out loud? Law wraps his arm around my waist, steadying me as we reconnect with the group.
Shade glances up at our arrival, eyebrow raised questioningly. "Button, button, Madelyns got a button." I say in a sing song tune.
Law chuckles. "Our newbie got her first taste of an acid addled hippy."
Shade nods and responds in his quiet voice. "So did Stell."
Stella giggles waving her hand in front of her slowly. "Sssshade. So quiet, it's worth a million to hear you ssspeak." Her words are so smooth as they slither from her mouth. I watch in amazement until each word grows fangs. They drip with venom and I whimper quietly, ducking behind Law.
He takes my hand reassuringly. "We're gonna have our hands full with you until this is over, aren't we?"
Kat appears from nowhere, startling Stella out of her daze. Stella's gets to her feet in a smooth maneuver that leaves me awed. She hisses gently in the Nosferatu's direction. "Give someone a heads up before you pop in and out of existence, bitch." Kat laughs and grabs Stella around the waist. The two start dancing, and I'm entranced by the effortless way Stella's body moves. The word 'serpentine' appropriately comes to mind. I drift away from Law, captivated and joining the girls in their dance. Stella runs her hand through my hair, flicking her tongue at me seductively.
I hear Kat's giggle, close to my ear, sending a shiver through me. "Trying to corrupt the new recruit already, Stell?" Stella just smiles in response, undulating her body against mine.
Law mumbles from the sidelines, "Good god, you girls are killing me..."
Stella replies, "Mmm, you know there's more than one way to unleash the beast, right ladies?" The three of us pull closer, Kat and Stella sandwiching me between them. Stella surprises me, pressing her oddly rough lips against my own. When the initial shock wears off, I relax, returning the kiss. Her forked tongue flicks against mine in a curious sensation.
Kat bites gently on my ear from behind, whispering, "How 'bout it? Wanna let out your inner monster?" At the sound of the last word, my body stiffens. Unanticipated, I feel a mental tornado touch down in my psyche.
"Monster, my monster." The derisive sound of his voice as he cuts me. Slices me open. His monstrous actions building up a vicious beast inside of me. His monster.
I turn on the mocking creature behind me. Clawing at it's face, I clutch my hands around it's throat. It's when my thumbs start to puncture the windpipe that I'm pulled roughly away. I shriek like a banshee, fighting an iron grip. Kat Kat? No, I thought.. lays on the ground, holding a hand over her bleeding face and coughing. "What the FUCK is wrong with you?!" She leaps up, coming at me.
The grip on my arms relents for a moment to knock her back. A deep growl of a voice behind me commands, "Shade, hold her back."
The dark skinned man restrains her. Her beautiful visage slips in her anger, revealing the hideous face underneath. "She just attacked me for no reason!"
When the voice behind me speaks again, I recognize it at Law. "She's a Malk, you idiot!" I'm whimpering to myself as he orders the other three back to their shared haven. "Go! Go back the the haven. Get out of here before one of the few sober people here notice what the hell's going on."
Shade retreats briskly, dragging Kat with him. Stella hesitates. "Law, what are you going to do with her? How do you know she's not going to kill you? She's obviously unstable.."
I growl at her words, sensing veiled threats in my twisted mind. "Just go for Christ's sake. Ya'll act like I can't take care of myself." She shakes her head but slinks off. I see all the crowd clearly now. They all smile at me knowingly. They know. They know who am I. They know WHAT I am. I've got to...kill them. If I kill them all they can't hurt me anymore! I strain in Law's clawed grasp. "You stop that." He growls in my ear, pulling me away from the crowd, back in the dark between two empty tents. I feel myself starting to spiral into a frenzy when he grabs my face, pulling it to his. "Madelyn. Look at me! Look in my eyes." He grabs a handful of my hair, halting my frantic escape attempts. "STOP. I don't want to hurt you." I glare into his cat-like eyes, sneering in petulance until Law's voice reaches through.
"Madelyn. Be still. You're safe. Calm yourself. Just listen to my voice and everything will be alright. Safe. Let the frenzy go. Let it go."
The tenor of his words are soothing. I feel the emphasis of each syllable washing over me. And...it starts to work. The beast that pulls the strings inside of me stops it's roaring. My brain seems to halt the screaming hysteria. Law keeps talking as I relax in his hold. How is he doing this? In my relaxation, the voices recede to a dull murmur. When I finally regain significant control of myself, I place my hands on Law's chest, gently pushing him out of the close proximity. "How...did you do that?"
He grins his sharp grin. "Lot's of practice, darlin'. Spent a lot of time with a lot of hot-headed Gangrel. It helps in keeping everyone from tearing each other apart."
I wrap my arms around myself, shaken and embarrassed at my lack of control. "Well I guess I should thank you. So. Thank you." I turn and abruptly start walking away.
"Hey!" He follows after me, grabbing my arm. I pull away with a grimace, observing the brief look of hurt on his face. What does he want? I just want to get out of here before I get myself in another dire situation. "Where are you going? You know sunrise is in about 45 minutes." Damn it. He's right.
"I'll find a place...um...somewhere." I respond back, lamely.
He starts to reach for my hand, but perhaps remembering my rebuff, lets his fall back to his side. "I've got a place nearby. It's safe. You've still got that shit in your system, so there's no telling what you could get into if you're alone."
Before I can stop myself, I ask: "What do you care?"
He studies me for a moment. "Who said I do? Now come on." And I'm following him out of the field of Kine, still oblivious to the monsters in their midst. "Aw, damn. We're gonna miss Hendrix. Of all the luck.." I don't reply. As we walk, I concentrate, perusing his thoughts. His concern in genuine. He doesn't fear me. Isn't sickened by me. I'm so baffled by the purity of his emotions. Pulling back into my own miserable head, we head to his makeshift shelter. We're well unexposed by the time the sun rises. For the first night in awhile my thoughts seem to be near coherent as I fall into my day sleep, and I almost feel safe.
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