Darwin hissed at the burning sensation on his skin as he tried dipping his skin to the small beam of sunlight. A part of him hoped that something about his vampirism has altered a bit upon remembering his humanity. But just like thirsting for blood and superhuman speed, the curse of the moonlight hasn't changed at all.
"What are you doing?", Stephen yawned as he strolled down the stairwell.
"Nothing. Just trying something", Darwin replied with a hint of sigh and disappointment.
"Well he's trying to burn himself off", Hubert interrupted out from somewhere.
"Why would you do that? Suicide?", Stephen asked with a rolled back laughter.
"Of course not, stupid", Darwin rolled his eyes at him.
Hubert laughed at his reaction.
"Now that's the Darwin I know", Stephen sat down at the staircase with his arms crossed on his chest.
"That's not even a percent of what will you hear as soon as I pulled my vampirism back. Well actually I'm still a vampire, in a state of amnesia. How dumb", Darwin blurted one at a time.
Stephen and Hubert exchanged laughter as they see Darwin slid himself inside an empty room. The day passed without any significant happening. Just the three of them living a normal day like any other else.
Hubert left the house at 3:00 PM. Leaving only Darwin and Stephen in the house.
"I'll be back dada! Bye!", He waved goodbye as he blink out of sight.
"Where's he going?", Stephen whispered on his side.
"None of your business", Darwin ignored him and walked silently to the living room. He grabbed the remote control and turned the TV on.
"Hey. It's just a joke. Are you mad?", Stephen blocked his view with his body. He only wore trousers.
"Get off. I'm watching", Darwin shifted his head to take a peak at the flashing videos.
"Not unless you tell me what were you up to", he playfully continued blocking his view.
Darwin sighed at his stubbornness.
"Look, just know that I'm still a vampire and O cam still snap you out of your life. So please, get off my view", Darwin tried consoling him.
"Try me", Stephen hinted with a smile on his face.
Darwin shut his eyes and let out a deep sigh. In a heartbeat, he grabbed Stephen's neck and dashed like a lighting pinning him hard on the concrete wall. So hard that the thick walls cracked at the impact of his back. He pulled him back and dashed straight into the couch. Landing with Darwin on top of him. He hissed with his fangs and burning crimson eyes at him, trying to intimidate him.
"Eas...easy", Stephen gasped at his grip. He tapped Darwin's shoulder as he surrendered.
"Don't try pulling it off the wrong time. I could still kill you", Darwin shut his eyes and offered a hand to Stephen. He grabbed his hand and they sat down side by side in the soft cotton behind them.
"What were you up to?", Stephen asked one more time.
"I was just wondering if my biological features were affected by the sudden withdrawal of my humanity", Darwin explained.
Stephen nodded at his statements. As if he fully understood the situation he's in.
"That's why you tried burning yourself?", Stephen asked once again.
"God, I just told you I was experimenting. I still thirst for blood and I still have the overpowering abilities. Also, my skin still burns at the sunlight", Darwin moved the back of his hand as he slowly dipped it with the beaming sunlight.
"But your hair changed color", Stephen pointed.
"I know. Right now I'm a vampire human. What a lame incident", Darwin sighed and rolled his eyes. He grabbed the remote and switched between channels.
"Think about it. Your hair and your eyes returned normal but your vampiric features are still preserved. So that makes you a half mortal and half vampire", Stephen tapped his chin as he looked up. Gripping his thoughts.
"Dumb as always. I just told you. My first sentence would have sounded harsher than how I said it if I'm absolutely the Darwin that you know", Darwin replied.
"But you said your eyes are dull? Where? It looks stunning", Stephen grabbed his little face and turned it to face him.
Darwin smacked him with a small cheeky laugh. He turned to the television once again.
Time passed and night crept in. Stephen walked down the stairs holding his jacket with his left hand as he took a hold of his phone with his left hand. He took a peak at Darwin lying silently on the couch.
"You have nothing to do?", Stephen asked.
"Obviously. I was in the point of ordering pizza again", Darwin replied nonchalantly.
"Order the delivery boy you are saying", Stephen moves his mouth as if saying "tch"
"Something's never changed", He added as he looked back at his phone.
"Ding dong", Darwin gave him a wink before the doorbell went on. The delivery boy arrived.
"Oh shit no!", Stephen ran towards the door but Darwin is much faster that he could ever be.
He grabbed Stephen's arm in the doorknob and gave him a threatening look.
"That version of you won't scare me. So dropped it off and I'm gonna order you a stash of blood from the blood bank", Stephen smacked his forehead as he opened the door and greeted the delivery boy. He paid the bill ad took the pizza with him.
"Cheddar Fiesta? What an obnoxious taste", Stephen commented as he opened the box and put in the small table beside him.
" At least I have better choices that you do", Darwin lazily rolled over and grabbed a slice of pizza.
"Well, if you aren't up to something tonight then you can join me", Stephen offered as he took a bite on the slice in his hand.
Darwin turned to him with a bobbed face. He stopped munching the pizza and looked at him in confusion.
"I'm on a hunt. Bounty hunt. I need loots for money. And besides, you missed indulging your self in bloodbath, don't you?", Stephen walked across the room and closed the window in front of him.
"Well I'm not in the mood. But I can use a fresh air", Darwin swallowed his food and dusted himself off. He looked at himself in the mirror and bit his lips on his outfit.
"You don't have to...", Stephen threw his hands at him as if he knew what's been going on with his mind.
"Give me a second", Darwin flickered in flash and into Stephen's room. He rummaged into his closet and grabbed a grey shirt, a black leather jacket adorned with golden linings and a pair of tight jeans ended with a pair of combat boots. He also added chains and piercings which made him look dangerously gorgeous as ever. He geared up all his outfit and rushed out of the room.
He landed in front of Stephen and gave him a wink.
"Wow. My clothes never looked good at someone before", Stephen complimented his looks with an eye roll.
"That's because it's you. Not me", Darwin turned his back at him and walked out of the door.
An ample amount of energy surged inside him as he bathe into the moonlight. But then a sudden realisation struck him to the core.
The force field. It will somehow take half of his life just to to try to get through with it.
"Actually I can't...", He walked back inside the house walking passed by Stephen wearing a confused expression.
"What? What happened?", Stephen asked.
"That thing outside. It won't let me pass through anyway", Darwin replied nonchalantly.
Stephen grabbed his shoulder to turn to him. He looked straight into Darwin's eyes and gave him a firm look.
"Vampire boy. Believe me you can do it", Stephen said as if compelling him to do something but he just gave him a short laugh.
"What? Compulsion? That just won't work", Darwin tapped his arm and shrugged his hands off him. He gestured Stephen to go now because time is running.
Stephen grabbed Darwin's hands and dragged him out of the house. His face suddenly changed as they closer to the force field. Fear and frustration started ruling his over body as lump begin to form inside his throat.
"Wait. Hey! No...", Darwin low-key pulling himself back but Steph didn't mind him.
"Trust me..." Stephen stepped across the barrier with ease and enthusiasm.
Darwin on his back shut his eyes as he braced himself for a thunderous strike as he get close to the barrier but nothing happened and he saw himself walking a few meters away from the surface.
"See...I told you just trust me", Stephen let go of his hand and walked back to his driveway. He opened his garage and pulled his motorcycle and drove out of his drive way. He stopped by Darwin and signalled him to hop on,
"I got one of these", Darwin tried pulling his wings off but it didn't come out. He looked at Stephen with bobbed face as he let go a sigh. He swallowed his little pride and hopped into Stephen's back ride. They drove silently to the hunting site.
Darwin took small paces into a clearing of what seemed like a graveyard. He looked up to the beaming moonlight and bathe himself with a natural flow of power brought by the moon. Stephen put his coat on and adjusted his leather gloves.
"Do you know what I'm going to hunt?", Stephen whispered beside Darwin.
"What?", Darwin replied.
"Vampires!", He playfully snapped Darwin's neck with a snicker. His actions then annoyed Darwin and he gave him a knuckle on his gut.
"Oooooouch", Stephen whispered.
"What exactly are we doing here?",Darwin asked once again.
"Bounty hunt. Well, I took a mission last night and it says...", Stephen grabbed a scroll in his pocket.
"Mirrors in the Face of the Water", Stephen read the last word with a frown.
"You don't like reading and paying attention, do you?", Darwin grabbed the paper and read the words. He closed his eyes in dismay and frustration.
"You gotta be kidding me", He whispered loudly that Stephen heard it clearly.
"Don't try looking at the waters...", He was cut by Stephen checking at the pool of clear water next to him.
"So it must have something to do with these waters", Stephen looked back at Darwin and was confused by his reaction.
"You gotta be kidding me", he said it twice but now it's a little bit louder. He looked passed Stephen and behind stood another figure with the same face as his. But with a glowing auburn eye and a mischievous expression. His body's filled with an eerie aura and he can sense and incredible amount of energy from him.
"What the hell is that?", Stephen looked behind him with shock as he saw his own image standing a few meters away from him.
"Just a single you is a total pain. Now with the two of you, it would be such a nightmare", Darwin commented in his face.
"Hey! That's rude! At least I like you better now", He grabbed Darwin by the back of his hand as h shrugged him aside still locked on to his warped double, looking at them with a malevolent expression and a dangerous look.
Darwin grabbed the sleeve of his coat feeling a little threatened at the partial nerf of his abilities. Because he might be able to last longer in battles without his original state. Unfortunately, he hasn't drink a single drop of blood since a few days ago.
"I might not be a help for now", He warned Stephen. But he just faced him and looked straight into his eyes.
"Stand by me and fight with all you've got. I'll try to do the rest", Stephen gave him a reassuring smile. They both shut their eyes a familiar link connected them that their senses altered in new heights and they can already feel every movement in the surrounding.
"Now", Stephen opened his eyes. The hollow ring appeared in his eyes as an overwhelming surge of power expanded his core.
Darwin in front of him let out a short breathe as a surge of power crawled through his nerves. He opened his eyes and it appeared differently from before. The color instead turned grey with blue halo circling around. Half of his hair turned red and half turned silver. The mark of the "chain" in his chest beamed as he looked at Stephen.
His human-vampire mid state caused the sudden partial changes in his look.
"Snap", He whispered in the air as he dashed straight into the copycat behind them. He launched an attack into the enemy but he dodged it. He gave Darwin a vigorous attack in his gut.
"How come you look so bad!", Stephen flickered at the back of his own image and lunged him with a thunderous blow. They exchanged blows and attacks while Darwin fell back in his battle stance. Waiting for a timing so he can finish the game off.
The double suddenly turned to Darwin and gave him a creepy smile. In a blink of an eye, he appeared behind him and grabbed him by his neck and smashed him backwards. Blood dripped down Darwin's forehead as the double grabbed his hair up. He mounted on his back with force that even the vampire Darwin cannot withhold. The double let out a bone chilling snicker as he grasp Darwin's head and smashed it on the hard rocky ground.
Darwin screamed at the impact of his head on the hard rock piercing nastily in every touch. Almost ripping his skull open.
Stephen flashed forward and dug a knife on his double's neck. But it just grabbed the thing off and stabbed Darwin instead.
He locked his double's neck with his strong arms as it scratched his face struggling for air.
"Touch little self", Stephen commented on his struggling double with his grip.
"Stubborn as your origin", Darwin licked his lips as he drove his hands deep into his heart and pulled his heart out. He took as step back and let out a sigh of relief, thinking he'd shut him off that easily.
But the double gave him another sinister smile. His flesh melted into liquid and run down creeping like a waterfall down the earth. Before they knew it, another figure with the same face of Stephen rose up from the ground.
This version wore a gothic and metallic outfit, his eyes so red that it gleams in the misty night shade. His hair, white as the velvet clouds and his lips, red like rose petals. He stood beside the first double with the same intimidating face.
Darwin and Stephen took a step back. With Stephen, holding Darwin's arm with his left hand.
"And what the hell is that?", His jaws almost reaching the ground in full shock and terror.
"You, but as a vampire", Darwin answered his queries.
As he took a step backwards, he noticed how his feet suddenly went cold. He looked down to see that he dipped himself in an open water and he accidentally looked at his own image.
He and Stephen both shared a wary look with both of their foreheads in a frown.
"And we are both fucked up", Darwin whispered with a hint of dismay and disbelief.
A strong vibe sent shiver to their spine as another figure rose up from the ground.
An image of Darwin, wearing a black leather suit and with red inner garments. Golden chains and laces adorned in his outfit giving him a very strong contrast depicting his character. His hair, tied in man bun fronted by a v-shaped bangs edged with a sharp twin flocks that looked like a sabertooth. Piercings in his perfectly carved eyebrows and his face bore a deadly look. His eye color is a mix of gold and red, the hue that usually appear in a sunset. And his overall appearance depicts an absolute threat and chaos.
"Now, I declare that we both fucked up", Stephen almost cracked his voice in intimidation.
"We don't have something to par this version of myself", Darwin said in between gasp.
"What exactly are you with him?", Stephen tightened his grip in his arms.
"The eclipse of the witch clan turned into a bloodsucking abominations of nature with the defiance of death, The Hybrid Maniac", Darwin answered.
"It's what I was supposed to become", He added.