Those blue sparks hit me an instant later. The feeling was like my nerves being replaced with white hot filament. I convulsed awfully in place, unable to force my limbs to do more than quake uncontrollably. Then... the worst of the pain stopped. The smell of burning flesh and hair remained but I was no longer in agony, instead merely aching as the bolt abated. I looked at Carla, who looked visibly drained by her use of the power. Was that... spellcraft?
I drew a shaky breath. "Carla please I have no intention of harming...!" I tried to say, but she was already repeating her prayer. Time seemed to slow, as I dived out of the way, behind the chair. I took quick stock of my situation. I wouldn't take another life, that was certain, therefore I had to be very careful not to use my full strength. The easiest way to incapacitate a person was to strike under the chin, however I was no boxer, nor did I have any confidence I could close the distance before I was shocked to death.
I could run, but again, I doubted turning my back was a good idea, especially when the door was closed. I could hear Carla approaching around the side of the chair. I had a second, if even. It was at this time I really wished I had access to some kind of magic of my own.
Then it hit me. I did. Somewhere from deep within the recesses of my memory I thought of a symbol, split in two in the book, that when fully combined could serve as a conduit for magic. The Yellow Sign, that was the name. I could remember it clearly.
Just then, Carla appeared and unleashed another bolt of searing blue energy, once again racking my body with that same horrific shock. I didn't know if I could take another hit like that. I had no clue how tocarve the Yellow Sign before the next shock came. My nails might be strong enough, but they were not accurate, no I needed something fluid. Blood.
I bit my left hand, just below the thumb, noticing how my teeth sheared through the skin, more easily than was expected of the force I bit with. The pain didn't register at all, I hastily scrawled the Yellow Sign onto the palm of my left hand, daubing the blood on with my right thumb. As the prayer reached its crescendo, i flipped over, extending my left hand, hoping for some kind of salvation.
Nonetheless, the electricity once more crackled and fizzed towards me. I closed my eyes and awaited the agony, but it never came. Carla now stood, apperently stunned, as the electricity vanished as suddenley as it had appeared. Carla's outstretched hand trembled. She seemed to be actively fighting the influence of the Yellow Sign. I felt a bizarre form of link with her, as if I was trawling the depths of her psyche with my left hand. Memories and information were tangible, physical objects. She grasped at her pocket, pulling out rosary beads.
"Hail Mary, full of grace..." She whispered, holding them out. What was moments ago an execution was now a standoff. Images and snippets of sound asserted themselves in my brain, as I pushed the sign's influence deeper into her brain. I saw my collection, handed over to someone with bandaged hands, another figure standing beside the recipient, breathing reverberating against some kind of iron mask or helmet.
Just then, I could feel my grip loosening on Carla's mind a little. She was resisting through her repetition of the rosary. I felt an urge awaken within me to silence her rebellion, to let crawling, seething chaos flood her brain, but I immediately was sickened by this impulse. I was a doctor. My role was to preserve life and health. With my hand somehow manipulating her mind in a tactile way, as if within a basin of water, I gently slowed the ripples within, sedating her mind. Suddenly, Carla collapsed to one side, asleep.
I drew a deep breath, letting my shoulders relax and neck loosen a little. Looking at my left hand, the bite was gone, and the blood was already turning brownish red on my hand. It was unusually thick and sticky, as if...enriched. I was starting to develop a migrane, into the bargain.
I laid Carla on the couch, making sure her airways weren't obstructed, and searched the appartment for any documents of value. I had little intention of stealing actual valuables, as doing so would be spiteful, and also illegal. Luckily, the couple had left their plans open on the kitchen table, as it seemed they would collaborate on their projects. I found a contact list, and a map citing locations of interest to the Bell-Bearers.
There were a handful of pages, seemingly ripped from grimores and reappropriated by Carla. They were spells, they had to be. I'd use them, seeing as this was my world now. I was a vampire, no longer human, as such I had to adapt.
The appartment contained a prodigious collection of relics, and other gothic trinkets. There were cilices, and whips too. Did they still practice flagellation, or were these confiscated from some unhinged soul?
I felt deeply uncomfortable looking at the assortment of hellish devices and instruments of penance. There was a small cache of weapons too. There was a box of ammunition for Luis' pistol, alongside a brace of four nail-like darts, polished to a mirror sheen. I needed them, if I were to reclaim my collection, and sucessfully drive back theDeep Ones. I took the darts first, tucking them under my coat, and went back to the box I'd brought for Luis' gun and dagger. My twinge of guilt was somewhat dulled by the recent attempt on my life.
Before I left, I made a note on the back of an old envelope, leaving it for Carla to read once she awoke.
"Carla,
I have already left and hold no ill will toward you. I have taken some of your equipment, and documents which is a necessity if I am to reclaim what's mine. I'm sure you'll feel that this is immoral, however you did try to kill me. Please do not attempt to come after me, or rally others to do the same. I say this, not as a threat, but out of desire to avoid bloodshed. I spared your life because I wished to uphold my morality, even as a vampire. If you still believe me to be a monster, I can't do anything about that.
All the best,
Aspen"