In The Blood: The Beginning

By Miranda Darke

Anne Shepard became a vampire quite accidentally. Her attacker intended to drain all her blood and kill her. Instead, she killed her attacker, but was infected as he died. When she realized what she had become, she decided she would not be like THEM, but would dedicate her life to hunting down and killing the monsters who preyed on innocent humans.

With the help of a friend, Anne's quest begins.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Iron Goat Books
• Release date: Aug 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301220748

Miranda Darke

Mistress of dark stories!

Book preview

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is coincidental and any locales mentioned are purely for literary license. This work is Copyright 2013 by Miranda Darke and may not be copied in whole or part without written permission, except for brief excerpts under existing Fair Use laws.

In the Blood: The Beginning

Copyright Miranda Darke 2013

Published by Smashwords

Iron Goat Books

The Vampire Hunter Book 1

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In the Blood: The Beginning

Let's set some shit straight right now about vampires. They do exist. They do need blood to survive. They live a long time but are not really immortal. Vampires can die in many ways: fire, beheading, serious wounds where silver comes in contact with their blood, excessive exposure to sunlight (what would be a bad sunburn to a human), and draining of most or all of their contaminated blood. This last is very difficult to accomplish without the aforementioned silver poisoning or beheading, primarily because vampires have much more strength than humans.

Vampires are not at all threatened by garlic or holy water, whatever that is, and unless a cross or other religious symbol is at least covered in silver and is used to seriously stab or behead the vampire, those ancient myths are just myths.

Also, not all vampires are equal. The older vampires tend to be much stronger than newer bloodsuckers, but need to feed more often to simply maintain mobility, let alone super-human strength. Suicide rates among vampires are relatively high and are usually accomplished by burning to death or being secured into an escape-proof device for many months where they simply starve to death.

Younger vampires can tolerate more sunlight, if they are well fed. Old vampires cannot eat or drink any normal human fare; younger ones can usually take some nourishment from raw meat and some wines and high-protein drinks. As time goes on, and the vampire ages, it becomes more dependent on blood from any species, but human blood tastes better.

A vampire can usually recognize its own kind whenever in close proximity and it can also use mental powers to seduce and calm a victim to a greater or lesser extent depending on its age and the mental faculties of its victim. More on that later.

We cannot change shape or become invisible, but we can often persuade humans that we are not there. In short, we are a lot like humans but have enhanced abilities and needs.

The discerning reader will notice I have begun referring to vampires in the first person. Very astute! Yes, I am a vampire and have been one for ten years now. I am also the editor of a fairly major newspaper in a fairly large city. You don't need to know which one for obvious reasons. In my spare time, I hunt down and kill every vampire I can get to and will continue to do so until I am killed or decide to jump into a burning house.

How can I hunt and kill my own kind is a reasonable question. The answer is simple. I never wanted to be what I have become and I want to do my part to rid the earth of this scourge.

No, vampires are not born or made knowing what I know about my kind. Some of what I know is from personal experience and some I have learned from other vampires before I killed them or while in the process of doing so. Still more knowledge I have found in ancient texts.

Why am I writing this down is another reasonable question. That answer is also simple. I want this to be a warning to humans everywhere that evil does walk among them. Know thine enemy!

Eventually, I know it will be dug out of an archive somewhere and likely published as fiction. However, those who read it and have another clue or two regarding our existence will perhaps find it of value in carrying on my work. If I could I would recruit an army of those like myself who despise what they are and the evil ones who made them. Perhaps, someday, but for now I am alone, again.

I was a college freshman just barely turned nineteen when I went on the worst date