"I don't like this," Daniel whispered to Ramielle and Ethan. They were following Pam into the woods from which she had come from before showing herself to them. "You know, I can hear you. I have vampire ears," Pam retorted nonchalantly at Daniel, continuing on her way.
They pass many dead trees, but here and there a little green leaf remained on some. Ramielle was so amazed by the signs of life, and would reach out to poke at the little frozen leaves. Ethan smiled at her cuteness, and Daniel pretended not to be moved by her.
Pam neared a cave and stopped. The trio peared inside, seeing what looked like stairs that lead down - into the mountain.
Daniel turned to Pam, "You're leading us into your lair, aren't you?" Pam burst out laughing, then she cocked an eyebrow, "You think I live in a cave? Are you serious?"
"The demon lord of Blood - better known as the Bloodlord - would never have let the vampires live in caves, Daniel. They live in a castle and many mansions scattered across the mountain," Ethan said with a sigh. "The Bloodlord has more than a taste for blood. He also has a taste for riches." Pam nodded in agreement.
Ramielle grew curious about vampires after hearing that they had a demon lord. She wondered if Pam would answer her questions if she asked any. There was only one way to find out.
"Pamela - uh, I mean Pam - why do vampires serve a demon lord? Does that make them demons too?" Ramielle asked as they started descending the stairs in the cave.
Pam's arms swayed by her sides as she walked. "I guess you could probably say that. We are just more human than demons, I guess. The first vampire, Vlad Dracula, was bitten by the Bloodlord because the Bloodlord needed followers - armies, servants, and so forth - and so Vlad became a vampire. He still had feelings, emotion and a conscience, but he had an immense hunger for blood that overruled those things if it wasn't satisfied. And he couldn't tan in the sun anymore or he'd be toast," Pam snorted at her own joke, and Daniel caught himself before snorting as well.
Pam continued, "Then Vlad was given the order to make more vampires by biting more and more people. And if those people became vampires, they bit people. It became this whole cycle. But there was one problem: The further down the cycle the vampire was from being bitten by Vlad, the madder and more crazed they were. Some even had no self-control at all."
Ramielle remembered the vampire that first attacked her. He must have been very low on the ranks.
"Where do you lie on the ranks then?" Ethan asked. He noticed that Pam's self-control had to be rather strong for her to feed only on animals, considering that there were hardly any animals left.
Pam looked back at Ethan, "I'd rather not say, dear Ethan. I'll keep it a secret for now." Daniel scoffed, "Why? Because we'll be scared of you? Dream on."
Pam smiled, but Ramielle noticed that there was sadness hidden behind it. She turned around again, and continued leading the way, "Who would be scared of this gorgeous beauty? You should only fear the fact that you might burn because of my hotness."
Ramielle was confused, but Ethan explained to her that 'hotness' can refer to beauty as well, not just actual flames. When she understood what Pam was saying, she giggled.
That placed a soft smile on Pam's lips which none of them could see.
Finally, they reached the end of the cave. There was an opening with two bridges, each bridge leading to a seperate cave. The bridges looked nothing near sturdy. They seemed like they could fall apart with just a slight gust of wind.
Pam frowned. She turned around to face the others, "Guys, we will need to make a compromise. The bridges won't hold all of us at once. We'll need to go one by one."
"That's too dangerous. We would have to send the lightest one first, and that would be Ramielle. What if she falls or the bridge breaks? She isn't skilled enough to save herself," Ethan observed. Ramielle and Daniel glanced at him. Pam tapped her index finger on her chin.
"Then we go in groups of two. First Rami and I, and then Leech and Ethan," Daniel suggested. "That way, if anything happens to Rami, I can save her. And if anything happens to Ethan, Leech can save him." Ethan slapped Daniel on the back of his head and Pam kicked his shin. Ramielle giggled.
"I think I will be alright if I go by myself. We should follow Pam's idea," Ramielle suggested. "I think I am more than capable to cross the bridge by myself." Pam agreed, "You men should stop treating Rami like she can break like a twig. She is much stronger than you think she is." Ramielle grinned at Pam, who winked back at her.
"No. There is no way in hell that I would let Rami cross that bridge alone. What if we are overestimating the strength of it and she ends up crossing the bridge but it breaks down after her or something? How does she navigate? She doesn't know the area! She barely even know HERSELF for crying out loud!" Daniel exclaimed while he gestured around with his arms. It was clear that his words were filled with emotion.
"Neither do you," Ethan said. Daniel stared at him and Ethan continued, "I have traveled through here before and know my way around. And Pam lives in these parts. So, I think we should split in teams of two, as you suggested, but I go with Ramielle and YOU go with Pam."
Pam nodded, "I agree. And you and Rami go first. That way, if the bridge breaks down after you, I can lead Daniel across the other bridge and through an alternate route."
"I am NOT traveling with this Leech," Daniel said in a voice filled with anger and disgust.
"Would you rather that Ramielle traveled with her?" Ethan asked with a serious tone.
Daniel fell silent. He did not trust the vampire with a single cell in his body and what if it did anything to hurt Rami? What if Rami ended up dying as a pray to this leech just because of Daniel's own disgust and hatred?
"Fine. I'll travel with the leech. But if anything happens to Rami while she is under your care," Daniel's eyes burned into Ethan's visible eye, "I will kill you. Without hesitation."
"And I will let you," Ethan responded, in the most serious tone that Ramielle and Daniel had ever heard from him.
"I would not allow you to kill a friend over me, Daniel," Ramielle said in a gentle tone, lightly touching his forearm. Daniel's heart flipped. Then she turned her attention to Ethan, staring intensely into his light-brown eye and placing her other hand on his shoulder, "And I would not allow you to allow a friend to kill you because of me." Ethan's cheeks turned pink and his heart beat sped up.
Pam cleared her throat and clapped her hands together, "Okay! Before I burst into tears and feel very, VERY unacknowledged, let's get going, shall we?"
Pam pointed Ramielle and Ethan toward the bridge to the left. She placed a hand at the small of Ramielle's back and said, "Be careful, okay?" Ramielle smiled brightly, "I will. Take care of Daniel, please?" Daniel started to protest, Ethan smirked mischievously at him and Pam's eyes sparkled with a sense of duty. "Sure! Of course I will! I mean since you asked so nicely..."
With that, Ramielle took the first step onto the bridge.