but
-
Leo was a son of a low ranking lord. He had many siblings whom he had a close relationship with. He was not the oldest, by far. He had two older sisters, Malia and Yvonne, an older brother Damian and two younger siblings Marianne and Patrick.
Some kind of disease had swept through the town and as the medicine wasn't evolved yet, many people had died, including the two youngest Manning children. His family, just like the whole population of the town suffered greatly. The resources were scarce because of the disease and the Manning family lost a lot of their finances and resources. All that eventually led to the family losing their titles as well, becoming middle-class commoners, well-off but not that superior to others.
There was a lot of panic and confusion as the disease was spreading and killing people. An old vampire used this time to wreak even more havoc. Aneska Balogh was a foreigner in the land and bloodthirsty. The growing number of dead bodies got lost among the victims of the disease, but then she became bolder. She stopped covering her tracks, got more violent. Suspicions of a serial killer arose.
Augustus Manning, Leo’s father, was still an influential figure in the town and with what money they had left, supported the hunt of this vicious being, afraid that he might lose more of his children. Aneska became aware of his hefty support and targeted his family. The poor man had unknowingly made his worst nightmare come to life.
She killed all of his children, his wife Anastasia and then him. Leo was spared from this massacre just because he wasn’t home at that time. However, he had returned in the early morning, witnessing Aneska draining his father’s blood. She was next to him in an instant and would have killed him as well, if Leo didn’t remind her so much of her late son. The resemblance was uncanny and even a creature like her couldn’t lay a finger on him.
Still, Leo had seen her in the act of feeding and put two and two together about her being the feared serial killer. She couldn’t simply let him go as if nothing had happened, instead, she had made him a vampire just like her.
OUR LAST
GOODBYE
WAS NEVER
SAID
Leo was grieving, his whole family was dead, but there were other things keeping his mind away from the tragedy. He had a hard time controlling his thirst for blood and Aneska was quick to show him how to kill properly. He was easy on the eye, making him a great predator and an even better bait. He lured men and women without difference to Aneska who killed them and shared the blood with Leo and few other vampires. It was rarely just Leo and Aneska alone, there were always others, but he was her favorite.
WHILE I THOUGH THAT
I WAS LEARNING HOW
TO LIVE, I HAVE BEEN
LEARNING HOW TO DIE.
As decades passed and his deceased family become nothing but a memory, Leo was like a different person. He hardly recognized himself anymore. His whole life was centered around blood and killing and Aneska. She wouldn’t let him go without her anywhere, she was incredibly possessive. Leo wasn’t aware of how toxic their relationship was as long as he was getting enough blood to quench his thirst. They never had a romantic relationship, she saw him as her son, but it was more twisted.
Leo become incredibly violent with time. Aneska was there to support him in his behavior, as long as they didn’t get caught. And they never did, Leo was smart, but all that aggressiveness was doing things to him, mentally. One day, after he had killed half a dozen people with Aneska laughing in background, something in him turned. He sprinted out of the red-painted place. He was throwing up for hours, disgusted with himself. He couldn’t recall the faces of his family for years now, but as he was draining that other family, imagines of his parents and siblings came crashing back. He never wanted to end up like this.
He left his life with Aneska behind when he had realized what he had become. He cut his long hair, returning to the length he used to have as a human. It was nothing big, but to Leo, it was a symbol of his change back to who he used to be. It was a beginning of a long process of discovering who he once was, but he was determined.
I MISS ME
THE OLD ME
THE HAPPY ME
THE BRIGHT ME
THE SMILING ME
THE LAUGHING ME
THE GONE ME
Leo was Aneska’s favorite and so it was a bit suspicious that she simply let him leave. He tried not to think much about her and live his life. He was happier, even made several friends along the way. However, Aneska was merely waiting for him to get comfortable in his new life, then she struck. Just like with his first family, she murdered his new-found one as well, in cold blood.
He was deeply hurt and grieving, but the dark still lurked inside of him even if he sworn himself to never let it out again. With his friends gone, there was no one to remind him of who he was. Leo was thirsty for revenge. Aneska took so much from him, she had to die, no matter the cost. He hunted her down, his creator. She almost killed him, as she was much older and more skilled, but he made it out victorious.
Leo couldn’t bear staying where he lived now that his close friends were all dead. He needed a new start, somewhere far. He moved to another country to a big city where no one knew his name.
At some point, he had decided that he had wasted enough time and it was time to do something. He bought a night club, of all things. It gave him something to focus one, but it didn’t cure the loneliness he felt deep down for years to come.
His night club quickly become the hot spot for humans and supernatural creatures alike and Leo become the extravagant, mysterious owner, preferring to stay in the back, only occasionally showing his face.
WHAT IF
I FEEL
THIS WAY
FOR THE
REST OF
MY LIFE?
