"Sometimes, I get called a vampire. But that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm something much worse..."- Drake.

1940

8:15 p.m.

Where we begin does not define what we will become. Thirty years ago, I lost everyone I loved in the blink of an eye. And the entire world just sat and fucking watched...

Every voice around her seemed a mile away. The stifled screams of men and women. Ash and embers fell from the sky like snow. There was the roasting smell of flesh and blood. The landscape around was fiery and molten. When Lyn awoke, she thought she was in hell. But the jarring pain in her head reminded her all too well that she was alive.

Her ears rang, and blood streamed from the top of her head like a small waterfall. A firestorm engulfed everything around her, obscuring her vision. Her beloved sister, Ella, was nowhere to be found. Then she saw him, a monster in the embers, the church, and walls behind him resembled the gates of hell. His body was enrobed in black, a heavy trench coat, a steel helmet, and a gas mask that concealed his face. The man set the ground ablaze with every step as he spewed fire from the flamethrower on his back. A pile of corpses ignited beside him as he turned towards Lyn.

She froze, unable to move a single limb as he approached her. She could hear his muffled breathing behind the gas mask as he breathed fire into the air like a dragon. Blazing tar and petroleum burned her face with its bite. He directed the flames towards Lyn. She closed her eyes.

But a woman lowered the fire breathing soldier’s weapon. She was a woman unlike any other, with braided pink hair and indigo eyes. Fiendish claws of red steel covered her hands along with rows of fangs fit for a shark. A leather jacket and black latex completed her trappings. A group of fire-spewing demons guarded her on each side, shrouded in black. Despite the flames that scorched the landscape, this woman smelt of water and cherry blossoms.

“You’re special,” the woman whispered to her like a loving mother. She felt Lyn’s dirty cheeks. “Which is why I’m going to let you live. Tell me your name.”

“L- Lyn,” she stammered.

The woman gestured her closer, kneeling in front of Lyn before sinking her fangs into her neck. The taste of her sting burned before going numb. Lyn collapsed into her grasp. Blood spewed from the wound as she indulged. It was over as fast as it started.

The woman formed a grin. “You’re worried about your sister? Don’t worry, she’s in excellent hands. Perhaps you’ll meet her again someday. If you survive...”

She departed with the soldiers as they shouted orders in distinctive German. They disappeared into the floating ash and embers. Soldiers scourged through the remains as they laughed and pillaged while executing any survivors. They resembled rats more than men, a platoon of degenerates in baggy uniforms with rifles and machine guns. Criminals and sadists of the Dirlewanger Brigade, notorious for their crimes across the western front.

They encircled a small church, iron chains, and locks secured every entrance as it erupted into tongues of flames, their tips reaching towards the sky. Faint screams and cries could be heard within as the soldiers loitered around it, smoking and drinking stolen liquor. Lyn saw it as her opportunity to run as fast and as hard as she could through the dark forest. And she never looked back…

5:00 a.m.

Lyn found herself amid a small clearing with a stream running through the forest. Exhausted from fleeing for her life, she decided to take a break. A light drench of morning dew dampened what remained of her ballet dress. The morning mist dissipated as the sun burned it away. She struggled to comprehend the previous night. But despite that, the forest was peaceful as animals emerged from their hiding places.

She sauntered to the stream and washed away the ash and dirt from her face. Dried blood covered her neck and arms, she tried her best to wash it off as well. But the haunting images of burning corpses and the screams of women and children tormented her. She shook her head and splashed more water on her face.

I’m really alone…

A lone lily next to her caught her eye.

“Why are you growing in a place like this?”

She heard nothing but the gentle flowing stream and the sounds of birds and crickets.

Lyn’s face grew dark with anger. “So you won’t talk to me either, then!” she blasted, gripping the stem of the flower. “Who cares anyway! It’s not like anyone will see you here-!”

“That will do…”

Drake stood before her, his striking blue eyes glaring with a contagious smile. He wore a dark navy blue flight suit with matching gloves and black boots. However, it didn’t cheat from showing his muscular frame beneath. Lyn wiped her eyes. She thought she was dreaming. How could any human be so beautiful? He had to be a pilot. But if not German, then what?

“Maybe, just maybe. There is no purpose in life. But if you linger a while longer in this world. You might discover something of value in it. Like, how you discovered that flower there. Or, how I discovered you one fateful day…”

He chuckled and rubbed her cheek. Lyn felt a surge of warmth rush through her body. She couldn’t help but blush. As she looked up, she realized Drake towered over her. She couldn’t see much of his face now with the sun rising behind him. But that smile, that dangerous smile, convinced her. Her decision was irrefutable.

“Come little one, it’s time to go.”

He extended a hand. Lyn released her grip from the lily and accepted his offer. Today would be the first day she truly started living.