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The SlaYeR · 09:49 AM

Louie stared out of his bedroom window over the sleeping village below.
´An insight in the cult of Narash´ was resting in his lap. His hand rested between page 73 and 74.
Ever since Tobias had ´moved on´ a term he preferred over dead he had absorbed the knowledge of the vast amounts of books his father had left him.
His eyes moved over the pages but he could not focus tonight.
It had been five years since the death of Tobias.
He put the book down on the nightstand and stood up to take a look at himself in the cracked mirror against the rear wall.
Louie was wearing his dusty, old dinner jacket which felt a little tighter since the last time he had worn it.
He had kept up his extensive training and his slender figure had grown fuller as he had gained quite a bit of muscle.
His journey over the past few years had been an interesting one. The piles of book and his many hours of training had prevented him from losing his mind.
He had blocked Estella from his thoughts and had made peace with the death of his parents.
Dead was a natural part of life. He brushed the dust off of his black jacket that matched his black pants, laced with a purple line of silk.
The silver buttons on his coat had not lost their shimmer and he buttoned up the final button closest to his chin and seemed content for he walked out of the room for a private moment with an old friend.

He entered the mausoleum moments later. After a quick glance at his mothers grave he turned his head to the wooden coffin he had carefully crafted with his own two paws.
The words ´Here lies Tobias Crane, mentor and friend´ were etched into the dark wood with much precision.
It had costs him close to a day to make his friends final resting place, the man who had thaught him so much, yet left him with so many questions.
He stepped outside and left the door ajar for a moment to think of whether he would go inside for a longer visit or walk back to the house.
He settled with the second and pulled the iron door shut before making his way back through the overgrown bushes that once carried white roses.
As his feet moved over the dry and brown leaves he thought he noticed something in the corner of his eyes and quickly turned around, both fangs and his claws bared.
He shook his head when he saw his own shadow staring back at him, but with a frown of disbelief he realized there was no light source to produce a shadow this vivid.
The shadow crawled out of the ground, rose up and stood face to blank, transparent face with Louie who was searching for words.
A soft "What the..." was all he could manage.
The shadow had the same size and build as him but lacked a face even though he was able to produce noises.
It seemed almost comical. "My, what a rush." It said after finally confirming to itself that it was indeed able to talk.
Louie reached out his hand which was absorbed within the gasiform of the creature, he yanked it back and a small cloud of a gas like substance moved back in place.
"Yah, it's nice to meet you as well kid, where the heck are we?" Louie's shadow scratched his butt and walked towards the entrance of the mansion.
"Classy, very classy. Nice place you've got here." The voice was a ridiculous mixture of gruff and wacky, not half as wacky as the way in which the character moved and looked at the unfamiliar surroundings however.
Louie noticed he wanted to enter the mansion and walked after him, he made a motion to grab his shoulder but realized this would be rather futile.
"I can't remember inviting you in?" Louie noted, but the shadow just laughed and waved his comment away with a flick of his transparent wrist.
"Neither can I." It said as it walked through the door.
Louie ran after him and saw it slowly float into the drawing room where it took place on the piano bench.
"You could at least tell me who you are." Louie told him while the shadow mimicked playing the piano, his fingers not being able to touch the keys.
"I guess I could." It seemed to look up at him and if it had eyes it would look right into his. "I am you."
Louie had the feeling several things were coming back to it's memory all at once.
"I'm what you've left behind actually. The newborn you've left on a doorstep somewhere out there in the cold."
It pointed it's shady finger at the window, the weather outside was cold and gloomy.
The shadow stood up and walked over to Louie. "I can see you are confused." It said "Let me make things a little clearer for you."
It punched Louie in the face and sent him flying into the brick fireplace. His head smacked against the red stones and a dizzy feeling overcame him.

"Is it clear to you now?" It shouted. "I am what you should be, I am the feelings you've put aside for so long and I am here to stay."
Louie was bleeding from the back of his head and from a deep cut in the side of his face, just underneath his left eye he searched for words "This is not possible, you are a mere figment of my imagination. I've just been alone too long again. Leave fiend!"
He closed his eyes and repeatedly stated the fact to himself that he was not crazy.
Louie opened his eyes again and the shadow was gone.
He sighed in relief and tried to push himself back onto his feet.
"You did not think it would be this easy did you?" A whisper and a gush of cold wind descended from the chimney.
Before he knew it he received kicks and punches from every side and he realized he was no match for this creature, he could not hit it because it did not have a physical body. Minutes that seemed like hours crept by and after what seemed like forever the being stopped and took place again on the stool behind the piano.
It played a macabre tune as Louie reached for his chest. His eyes were swollen, his body black and blue and he was missing several teeth, including one of his canines.
"Trust me boy, Tobias was a bad man. A very evil man that wanted to take your true nature away from you." His mothers voice spoke out to him.
The shadow walked over to Louie and stroked his cheek as it's physique changed in that of the beautiful young woman Louie had known years ago. "I'm here baby. Everything will get better now. Do you remember the good old days? You and me devouring a villager by candlelight?" Estella's voice soothed him. She was back and she was here with him.
Louie's shadow portraying Estella planted a kiss on his forehead and took Louie's head in it's hands. "Would you like to go back to the days of yore, love?"
For a moment Estella looked him in the eyes and wanted to cry out and shout "Yes!!" if that would mean she'd stay here, but he thought of Tobias and the many hours of mental training his tutor had pulled him through and the spell his shadow had cast on him was broken.
"No, I'd rather die again." Louie said and he spitted blood right through the transparent face in front of him.
With a sharp crack Louie's neck was snapped and he sank down to the ground.

He woke up the next day and was firmly tied to a metal pipe in the basement of the mansion with the shadow patiently waiting in front of him.
"Good morning sunshine. I realize we got off on the wrong foot and I apologize for this." It spoke in it's own voice, it seemed less rough and more soothing.
"Well, untie me and I will try and find it in my heart to forgive you." He said, trying to hide his fear with the sarcasm in his voice.
The shadow laughed and opened the drawer in an old abandoned desk that once belonged to his father.
"You mean this old thing?" He said and he pulled out Louie's heart and pushed it in his face.
Louie suppressed the urge to vomit as he looked down at the scar in his chest.
"Don't worry pal, I'm just borrowing it." The shadow sat down theatrically and brought the heart up to the hight of his hostage's eyes. He sighed and shook his head. "What use is it to you anymore? You are a vampire, you do not need this old thing."
He walked back to Louie and jammed the heart into his chest, he pulled his hand back and blood seeped over the dusty floor.
"Now, there are a couple of things we have to go over. And I would kindly suggest you behave this time or I'll take something else away that actually has some life left in it."
It reached down between his legs and squeezed him hard in the testes. "Alright, I'll listen." Louie hissed between his teeth.
"I would like you to forget all about Tobias." Louie's shadow asked if it was a simple request. "He has brainwashed you into believing you are something you are not."
"And that is?" Louie asked, careful not to upset his new 'friend'.
"One of the good guys, you are rather dimwitted are you not?" He tightened his grip on Louie's sack.
Louie grind his teeth together because he knew what was about to come would be the most painful experience in his life.
"Go to hell." He grumbled but the pain did not come. The shadow let go and left the room.
He did not return for several days and it was not long before Louie realized what was going on.
"Give me something to eat now. Get down here or I'll kill you." He shouted again and again.
He was being punished for his betrayal to his own killer instinct.
A vampire was a wicked beast by itself, but deprived of food it was a thousand times worse.
His mouth foamed on the fourth day of hunger and his eyes were blood red.
The shadow had thought it was time to check up on his corporal self.
"I have brought you something my friend." He dragged a young girl in with him, they young maiden was bound and gagged and he threw her on the floor in front of Louie's feet.
Muffled screams escaped her lips. There was terror in her big eyes and salty tears ran down her cheek.
Louie sniffed the prey but fought hard to resist the temptation and turned his face away from her.
"Come on, champ. Have a nibble." The shadows face changed into Louie's own and he winked at him. "Just one little bite, you know we want it. Look at her, isn't she beautiful?"
Louie gave in to his cravings and fed on innocent blood. He gulped it down, all of it until there was no more...