Steep Trails (Open)

[gunnar]

Gunnar had woken up in a cold sweat. The dream was always the same. The shadows always dancing in the darkness behind his eyelids as if taunting him. He couldn't save anyone they had laughed at him. You couldn't even have your parents survive for you. You couldn't save your wife and baby. You turned your son into a vampire so selfishly. You blackened his soul. You fought against all abominations and here you are with fang marks on you to keep your son as one of those abominations. "NO! He isn't an abomination!"

He screamed out loud even as he screamed it in the dream. He heard the words of remember your oath. You swore to uphold it always. He sat up on the bed putting his hands to his ears as he cradled his head and sat on the bed. Just a little longer before Jakob woke up. He knew quite a bit about how to kill vampires and he knew how to feed a vampire now. But he didn't know much of the laws that were set that he would have to abide by now.

The laws Jakob would have to abide by as well. No one knew his past and it was safe that way. Jakob he wasn't sure knew what they actually were either. His wife and him had agreed that their camp to Jakob and all the children a sanctuary and they would tell Jakob when he got old enough. He wasn't ashamed of what he had done to preserve his life and those he loved. But now he had to protect Jakob even though it seemed roles were switched.

He got out of the bed and looked around at all of the suits that he had just dropped onto chairs and such. "I am a piss poor excuse for a father." He murmured to himself. His wife would have beaten him for having given their son vampire blood and never would have allowed him to turn their son. He looked down at his hands as he stood in the middle of the room. How he missed her beautiful face.

How he missed cradling his little girl in his arms and rocking her to sleep. He moved to the wall and leaned against it. How would he ever survive without them? Living in a world without them. He put his forehead on the wall. He had to get a hold of himself. He had Jakob to think about. He brought his fist up and hit the wall a couple times. He hadn't thought about the nail that had been sticking out of the wall and it had cut across the top of his hand.

He looked down at the blood and quickly dressed in one of the suits hoping he hadn't woken Jakob up. He quickly went and wrapped a bandanna about his hand and tied it using his teeth to pull one side and pulling the other piece with his free hand. He moved to the door but stopped in the hall between the rooms. He figured it would be best to have separate rooms. He could have used the go between door but he didn't think of that. He leaned against the wall looking up at the ceiling.

Was he doing the right thing? He was caring for a ten year old vampire. His son. He loved him dearly. Yes, he was doing the right thing. He loved his son and wouldn't leave him to fend for himself. He needed though to come up with a good response for when they visited this council member. He looked to his son's door. He had his weaponry hidden just in case they needed to make a quick exit. He had his ways of making that happen.

He knew how things went with vampires. Perhaps he should tell the truth. The truth being he was one of the men in a rebel camp that took out quite a few of their kind and had taken out zombies. Hell, he had taken out more things than he could count. They would possibly use him or probably kill him and where would that leave Jakob? A ten year old boy that didn't really know the war that waged on.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had to feed Jakob. He would wake up possibly hungry. He slowly opened the door hoping he would one night be able to tuck the boy into bed once more but in any case he would still be his father. He nearly chuckled at that. A father that his own ten year old could beat up. He trusted Jakob and knew that Jakob would never hurt him like that but it was funny in a way. He was surprised at how strong Jakob truly was. It wasn't easy to leave the camp.

It wasn't easy for a ten year old not to have their mother or sister either. It had to be tough for the kid. It had to be tough never to hug his mother again and never to touch his little sister again. But Jakob was real resilient. Jakob and him had mourned through their walking. They had walked silently for nights sometimes while trying not to cry. They had kept walking but sadly. Gunnar had kept most of his mourning to himself so that it didn't effect Jakob.

Jakob had become quite curious once more after the sadness faded some. Jakob knew he could always turn to Gunnar and Gunnar would do what he could. Gunnar wasn't used to the city life and Jakob was helping him get associated with it. Especially with the suits. Jakob made him smile that first night with the first suit that Gunnar had put on. Gunnar wasn't too pleased but figured he could do it for Jakob. And then Jakob had told him he needed to clean up better than that.

[Jakob Svenska]

Creeeek… Creeeek…Creeeek…

The swings swing back and forth in the gentle breeze as Jakob sat still in the middle swing. He held the chains and stared out into the darkness. There wasn't anything in particular odd about the whole scene other than the fact that with the exception of the sound of the steel chains rubbing against the bolts that held them to the frame, there was dead silence. Jakob hummed softly as he nudged the ground beneath the swing with the toe of his shiny black patent leather shoe. “When you wake, you will see, all the pretty little pooonies.” He finished the lullaby he was humming with the words he had heard every night before he went to bed until he became a vampire, now he hears it every dawn. He smiled and nudged the ground again but then suddenly only his swing was making a sound.

He turned his head to see the girl who had bitten him. His eyes widened and he stared. “What…what do you…want?” he asked her. He noticed she was not the the fresh pure girl she was when she bit him. She looked more like…a zombie. He stopped his swing.

“We came to get you. You belong with us.” The girl said.

“Who is we?” he almost whispered.

“Me and your Papa.” She said and pointed to the swing on the opposite side of him. Jakob slowly turned his head to look, afraid of what he might see.

Sitting on the swing, looking straight ahead was a horrific zombie version of his father. It turned and looked at him. Its missing lips caused it to look like it was smiling at him. A missing eyelid caused one eye to bug out. Jakob screamed as he woke, “PAPA!!!” he shrieked. In his panic he could not get his sleeping chamber open and he screamed again, “PAPA!!! PAPA!!!” he continued to scream even as he felt arms wrap around him and pull him close. “PAPA!!!”

[gunnar]

Gunnar was moving slowly as if not to wake his son but then he heard the scream. That was definitely Jakob's voice he had heard. He pulled the gun from the holster on his chest and opened the door. "Move back from the door, Jakob!" He waited a few moments before he kicked the door open more fully but bent and hugged his son to him even as he slowly scanned the room with the gun poised with everywhere his gaze had went.

No one would get to his son at all. He would die before that would happen. He had heard Jakob calling to him over and over. He would defend his son no matter who it was. No one would take his son from him. None of these vampires or anyone. They would all die before that would happen.

When he was positive that no one was in the room with Jakob he set the gun down and lifted him more fully into his arms. "What happened, son? You okay?" He whispered the words softly. He was human but didn't mean nothing to him. He would die sooner or later while his son would stay young forever. How would the council handle it? He heard many things about how they thought it was an abomination to turn a child.

Kind of ironic in his opinion since the rebels thought vampires were the abomination. Perhaps he could keep Jakob from turning fully into the vampires here. He hoped that Jakob didn't forget his humanity. Didn't forget that humans still had feelings as much as these vampires seemed to forget. The humans were kept like cattle. Like they were to be used for just food.

He brought his head down and pushed Jakob's hair back from his forehead and gave it a soft kiss. "Did you have a nightmare, son? Want to talk about it?" He sat more fully on the ground with Jakob in his lap.

[Jakob Svenska]

Jakob was finally awake enough to know that his father was holding him. He stopped shouting and silently whimpered as he clung to his father. He may be a vampire but he was still only a little boy. His body would never age but his mind had a long way to go before he was an adult.

He wouldn’t always be vulnerable. There would come a time in a few hundred years when he could hold his own against other vampires but that was a long way away, and where would his father be then? Gone. Where would Jakob be? The thought frightened him even more and he began to tremble.

“She’s going to come take you to the zombies.” He whimpered. “I’m going to be alone forever. You’re going to die and I’m going to be alone.” He continued to cling to his father, unwilling to let him go even for a moment. Then he smelled the blood. Jakob always woke up famished because of his small body. He refused to drink from his father.

At first he had no choice but now, he had many humans willing to let him feed off them or he could go to the blood bank or one of the casinos and get something for free but he knew if he wasn't careful, he would feed from his father. And he knew he father would let him as he always did. He turned his head into his father’s chest. “Oh, Papa, you’re bleeding…I’m so hungry.” He complained. He could not keep his fangs from clicking out. He let out a shuddering sigh as he fought not to feed on his father.

[gunnar]

Gunnar ran his hand along Jakob's tiny form. Tiny compared to his own form. His hand rubbed along his son's back lightly in comfort as the boy clung to him. He put his chin on Jakob's head gently like a father did to their children that they loved very much. It would be strange in twenty years when Gunnar was growing older and Jakob would look the same and not be treating the same as he did now.

He felt his trembling and held him closer. "Shh... Jakob, you are alright. Son, I am here." He murmured softly. But then he heard Jakob's words and felt him continue to cling to him. "Who is? And we are far from the zombies, my son. And you won't be alone forever. And my dying won't be for a very long ways off." At least he hoped that were true. Well, for humans it would be a longs ways off. For vampires it would probably be a short time.

But then he heard Jakob's words. "I'm sorry. I got a bit cut is all. Want me to get one of the blood... Humans?" He refused to call them slaves. Humans deserved to be treated with just as much respect as vampires. He knew Jakob hated feeding from him and could understand that. Jakob loved him and he loved Jakob as well. He gave his son a kiss on the head in his hair.

[Jakob Svenska]

Jakob was famished but he knew two things. One, he would not feed on his father. His father was weak and thin from being in the wilderness for so long as they traveled to New Vegas. Moreover, two, he didn’t want his father out of his site. He needed to protect him. The vampire girl and the zombies could hurt him any moment or take him away from him.

It was his job to keep him safe. It was his job to make sure he had his Papa as long as possible. It was his job to make sure his Papa had everything he needed to be healthy and happy.

“No Papa!” he nearly shrieked in a panic, “No don’t leave me. Let me go with you.” He pleaded. Bloody tears filled his yes and he reclaimed his grip on his father’s clothing. “She’ll get you, they’ll get you.” He cried. “Don’t leave me.” He began to sob.


{UHG no muse}

[gunnar]

Gunnar was holding onto his son comforting the boy as much as he could. But he wasn't sure what had truly scared his son. He began to rock gently even as he looked down at his son. Jakob held onto him tightly as if not wanting to let him go at all. He knew one day it probably wouldn't be like this. As the boy aged mentally and not physically he wouldn't want his father near him in those times when he grew up. It hurt to admit it even to himself and he didn't want it so.

Or on another note Gunnar would die at some point. Death was inevitable for a human. It was natural that he would die. Old age, an illness, or anything could happen. He knew this as much as he knew anything. His eyes slid closed at that thought. He'd be leaving his son in this world when he would have to be judged for his sins. Judged for turning his son into a vampire. Judged for all the things he had done that were wrong. He knew he it would be a judgment more than any other. All his sins laid bare to him.

Aaaannnndddd... That was fine by him. But then he heard Jakob's shriek and his eyes opened suddenly in surprise as if Jakob had been hearing his thoughts. What?! He nearly spoke but then he realized Jakob was talking about the conversation they had been having. "Who will get me?" He whispered softly still not sure if Jakob had been hearing his thoughts though. Would the demons get him or something else? She? Would that be his death? From a woman?

He felt the grip on him and saw the bloody tears filling Jakob's eyes and he held the boy closely. "I won't leave you..." Any time soon at least I hope so. "No one will get me, Jakob son. Angelique has been watching out for us, you know that. She would take it as an insult if we were hurt and send out Vengeance. Whatever the... I mean whatever he is he doesn't get passed easily. And most of her men and women are just as ruthless. Angelique cares for you and she wouldn't let you be hurt." He rubbed Jakob's back again.

"Instead of going to see the Council since it isn't really mandatory you want to go see Angelique? She always is happy to see you." Granted he didn't like Angelique but she had a way with Jakob that was so motherly. Almost as if she had adopted Jakob emotionally as her own child. Angelique was much of a strong woman but she knew how to handle a crying child better than Gunnar did. It was quite strange seeing such a powerful woman turn so sweet to Jakob.

He hated Angelique but he had to respect her in her strange ways. The woman threw insults at Gabriel in front of him and it had made him blink and Gabriel wasn't quite thrilled with the way Jakob acted towards Angelique either but Angelique practically tossed Gabriel's notions aside as smoothly as she waved a hand. It was all quite strange here. Angelique even tried to help Gunnar in quite a few ways which made Gunnar resent Angelique more but dealt with it for Jakob's sake.

[Jakob Svenska]

Jakob stopped crying at the sound to Angeliques name. He always felt safe around her and he remembered Drake telling him if he was ever in trouble he should run to Angelique, Thor, Gabriel or Drake himself, whoever was closest. He didn’t know why Drake liked him so much but he felt safe around each of these vampires. He knew they were powerful and could protect them.

“Yes, lets go see them. I need to tell Angelique that you need to be protected or the girl will get you and feed you to the zombies.” He stood up resolutely and went to his closet. “We have to stop her and I think Angelique will know how.”

Being a vampire, his dreams were more vivid than they ever were as a human and in his little mind, the dream was true, or it would come true and he had to stop it.