Dark Hunger; His To Keep

~Elias~

“Next person!”

My heart pounded in my ears as he shouted at the lady in line with me, and I knew it was just a little time before it was my turn. I didn't want to shed tears but I couldn't control it, seeing my fellow humans whimper in pain made my heart ache. The least they could do was to leave us alone but they didn't, they tampered with us so many times and this was the height of it all. We were from two different worlds so why do we have to sacrifice our blood just for an experiment? How could he keep gathering humans every year to look for the golden blood to cure his illness?

“Elias?”

Caden, my brother called out and I turned my head to him. He was scared, I could feel it and I wished I could do something to save us both but I was helpless. These vampires have a higher hand over us.

I touched his hand and caressed it,

“Don't worry, just give them your blood and we will go home.”

His doe shiny eyes stared at me with hope as the vampire guards took him with them.

I walked over to the people whose wrists had been slightly cut to take out blood and I helped them tie some pieces of clothes to it.

“Your brother is taking much time, don't you think so?” one of the elders in my community spoke up and it struck me that Caden might have been taking much more time than usual. I had been so engrossed in taking care of others that I lost the time. I immediately stood up and checked around the small room but he was nowhere to be found. I was next in line and no guard had come to take me yet. My mind was spinning as I quickly went to the door,

“Hey, get back!”

The guard growled at me and threw me away, and my back ached. His strength was nothing compared to mere human own, I haven't had so many interactions with vampires but I heard a lot of stories about how powerful and dangerous they were.

“My brother—Caden—” I felt lumps in my throat as I struggled to speak up. His crimson eyes flickered with disinterest as if he was disgusted and he didn't understand what I was saying. Why was my brother taking so much time, I had heard from those whose wrists were cut that they didn't even meet the perpetrator behind all this.

“Caden!!!”

I shouted with all the strength I had left in me but it was too futile and I stood up and approached the door.

“Caden!! Where are you??!”

I couldn't bear to think that they harmed my brother already, he was all I had. My parents died when we were young and even though I had to shoulder all the responsibilities, I loved my brother so much that I could replace his death sentence.

“What is wrong with you this dirty human?” another guard kicked me away from the door which made my other humans approach me. My lips were busted already and blood was seeping from it. Tears streamed down my eyes as Caden was still nowhere to be found. All he had to do was to drop his blood and make the king in the hidden room drink it.

“Elias!”

“Elias, I'm here!”

My head flew to the door as I heard Caden’s loud voice and I hurriedly stood up and pulled him into my arms. I sobbed hard as I held him tightly against me, refusing to let him go.