Shadows Over The Ice

Viktor's fangs sank deep into the villager's neck. As he fed on him, filled with greed and recklessness. The warmth of the blood splattered on his hands and the scent of the resident's fear consumed by this insatiable feast, he felt unstoppable. Suddenly, nothing mattered to him anymore, only every pulse of the heart beneath his teeth. Viktor felt an inexpressible sense of odd satisfaction looking down on his victim. He felt power and a sense of superiority.

Despite his dismissive behavior, the rules nagged the back of his mind. He should have left with the others. The rules clearly state that when a feast is over with complete stealth and secrecy, it is best to retreat with your coven and leave no trace. However, his avarice and ego were too powerful to obey such rules. He kept feeding his greed and excessive appetite, filling his veins with life, attempting to satisfy his craving as his victim's last breath cursed the night. 

It was no longer an ordinary night. But the point of no return for Viktor, as Daavi returned from his reindeer hunting. Daavi was quite stunned at the sight of emptiness. There was no sign of life in Upernavik. As the chilly wind howled, his heart pounded even louder. He was in a state of denial. They must all be asleep, he thought to himself. He stepped into the nearest house to him, his boots crunching on the ice.

''Hello? Is anyone there?"

Nothing was louder than the silence that cursed night had to offer, Except for a splattering sound, echoing from afar. Daavi rushed there at once, with the hope of meeting someone and asking why the residents left this place. Inside, a faint light flickered and the fire nearly died out. He stepped in and saw a figure that he at first presumed to be someone who had fallen, but the bloody sight caught up to him, and his denial was shattered like thin ice. 

A vampire.

''Could it be real?'' Daavi could not believe that sight, yet it was right in front of him, feeding on that human, it reeked in that room, unlike other houses; this one was different.''Is this why the residents had fled? Did no one bother telling me?'' he thought to himself. The sight paralyzed him with fear.

''Move legs move'' He thought. But the sight was so grotesque he couldn't take his eyes off of it. That is until Viktor detected him and they shared a stare. 

Daavi's heart stopped, he could not keep up with that gaze of his, sealing him in place, and so he saw his life flash before his eyes, before running as fast as he could. Viktor was glancing slowly at his victim, considering what just happened, and the consequences he had to face when his coven discovers the repercussions of his feast of greed.

Daavi ran and ran, thoughts storming. He wasn't supposed to see this, he wasn't supposed to be here. ''What happened to the others? How come there were no other signs of violence? No screams, blood, or struggle? As if everyone had simply vanished.'' He glanced back and saw an empty street, as he wondered why he wasn't being chased by the vampire.

He knew that every few months, there were rumors about villages falling just like his, their homes untouched, where the authorities would dismiss it as harsh winter conditions or a natural disaster. ''But how could that be?''

Far behind him, Viktor cursed his greed. He got left alone in the village, despite warnings and invitations to follow along since the hunt was over. But he was still craving more. Vampires had learned long ago that their strongest weapon was stealth and secrecy. Which he had broken tonight, a main rule of the vampire society. They had come to Greenland from Svalbard, for its similarities, such as the long nights of the Arctic Circle. A perfect second hideout without interference, which Viktor realized he had ruined. 

Now, as the night lived, Viktor knew the gravity of the situation, he had broken the cardinal rule. And worse, he had been seen by a human. He also knew that vampire society wouldn't take it lightly.

Viktor rushed out, without cleaning his mess, and caught up to Daavi, at dawn. He had no time to finish him and clean him up. He had one last choice.

"Listen, kid, I don't have enough time, If you don't want yourself dead then form a pact with me, that can not be broken. From the moment I bite your arm, I will form a pact with you keeping this a secret between us, got that?''

''Do you hear me kid?'' ''Do you want to die?"

''No! Please don't kill me I beg of you.'' Daavi says.

''Then agree to this pact, I do not have time. Starting now, when I bite your arm as a symbol of our pact, you will never mention what you have witnessed. Got it?''

Daavi nods. 

Viktor bites Daavi, creating a Coven pact.

Daavi falls onto his back in fear, not knowing what just happened. As Viktor flew away before sunrise, Daavi glanced at his arm while his vision was blurring. He felt a burning sensation from the rising sun. He glanced at his reflection in the glass window beside him, unable to believe what he saw. His eyes glowed bright red for a brief moment; he could swear he saw it. Panic scattered through his body, he started shaking and hearing his heart pound louder than ever, as he finally realized that Viktor's bite had not just formed a deal with him but also turned him into one of his own. Daavi was lost in dismay, knowing he would soon be falsely accused of wiping out Upernavik.