“No one is to feed on any member of this village unless I permit it,” he said. “You all know that.” He pulled off his shirt displaying the hundreds of white scars that continued down from his neck and across his back and chest. They shone like slugs in the morning light. “I have given myself as all of you know.” He paused briefly then continued in a louder and firmer tone. “Any stranger found is to be brought to me before anyone can feed on him. Any vampire found is to be brought before me before he is allowed to feed. Any thrall is to be locked away with the others in their barns. Anyone, man or vampire who disobeys my law will find himself in this position.” He pointed with the ax shaft and the prone vampire then raised it. He brought it down with both hands, his teeth gritted, and it dug into the vampire’s neck with a sickening crunch then bounced and sliced a chunk out of his shoulder blade. The prisoner’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and his tongue lolled as my brother raised the axe again. When it fell the vampire’s, head fell from the block with a thud. My brother stooped, letting the ax fall to the ground and picked it up by the shaggy hair holding it up over his head for all to see oblivious to the drops of blood that fell from the ragged stump of its neck. Its pale skin, the whites of its eyes and a grey tongue looked out over the crowd that screamed with approval. They roared and whooped; some even capering a little bit in places, but all I could do was stare at those dull grey eyes with the taste of bile in my mouth. Their mania filled me with a surprising sense of revulsion, after all who wouldn’t have cheered the death of a vampire. I’d always thought that one dead vampire was one less vampire to drain you later, but the excitement crashing around me felt akin to the roiling crowds of vampires as they clamored for fresh blood on the streets of their conquered city. I felt more alone in my silence as I stood surrounded by humans than I had walking the abandoned land with Abdul. I wondered what Abdul must have thought the humans were screaming about wherever he was locked up, he hadn’t been around so many humans for years. Had his hunger devoured him? As the crowd continued cheering my brother shook the head as he turned around to all sides of the crowd and then tossed the head against the block and strode away, his entourage in tow.
I stepped forward to follow him, but the crowd swirled around him calling out questions and trying to get his attention as the majority began returning to their work. The people parted to allow my brother and his men to pass despite their clamoring, but they scowled me as I tried to shoulder my way through. The two brothers had been left behind to clean up the block and the corpse. One picked up the corpse but frowned when he found it too unwieldy and then they moved off carrying one at either end of the body. I paused as they walked in front of me and then spun around when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Slapping the hand away I reached to my empty belt and then came up in a crouch my hands in front of me and my knees bent ready to spring and found an old woman staring at me quizzically. Her face was rough and leathery, fractured by a thousand fine wrinkles that radiated out from her eyes, mouth, and nose. Just like my mother she had straight silver hair that she had woven into a neat bun that sat on the top of her head. She looked out at me from dark eyes, unafraid, and then crossed her arms under her breasts.
“What,” I began but she cut me off.
“Now that you’re here, you’re gonna work,” she said. I looked behind me, but my brother was quickly walking away, and the crowd had dispersed. My eyes lingered on the bloody block. The old woman took in my gaze. “Your brother has to do what
