Chapter Text
if alfred had been just two inches to his left side from where he now stood, he would have been shot dead. he watched as his friend’s body dropped to the ground in front of his boots. that bullet was meant for me. he didn't do so much as look at the face of the soldier who shot the young man. he just aimed, then pulled back the trigger. he never missed a shot.
today marks the seventh day of battle.
he was one of the few among his fellow militiamen that bothered to carry the fallen’s bodies to the sidelines where they would later bury them. but, as the count of the fallen rose, the chances of them doing so grew slimmer and slimmer.
he pondered what would become of him after the war was over. he has a silent prayer he repeats everyday in hopes that it would bring good luck. it seems that today, it did.
he nearly slipped stepping out of the marsh walking back from the makeshift burial site. alfred swiftly grabbed the person closest to him to regain his footing. the man in front of him shrugged his hand off. “have you no sense, boy!?” the bearded man shrieked. scared was an understatement. and frankly, a misdefining word as to how alfred felt. having to stack the newer bodies on top of the ones from weeks ago was already disturbing enough. the smell of damp dirt and rot lingered in his nose even though alfred was miles away from the site.
once back to the camp, he made it his priority to get rid of the stench. reaching into his knapsack, he pulled out a pouch full of beans. he looked inside, shook the bag to make sure there were no insects crawling around and gave a big shout.
“WHO WANTS TO TRADE?”
a group of men scrambled to share what they had, which wasn't much.
alfred traded his beans with another man, who looked older than him by a few years, for some bread. at the time, alfred had convinced himself this was an amazing exchange! later, it would prove that he should have just kept the beans for a little while longer, cooked them and ate them all by himself.
as the night went on, his stomach growled.
“jones…” he heard a faint call. it was the man whom he had traded his food with. alfred hadn’t noticed that he was sleeping besides him.
he didn’t even really recognize him. for one: the sun had set an hour ago and it was dark. secondly, he saw that his hair was down, not pulled into a ponytail tied with a ribbon as it was usually.
“here, take this.” the man held out not one, but two crackers that he had hidden in his knapsack. alfred was almost angry that he had been keeping food from the others. but because he has so generously decided to give it to him, he chose to keep his mouth shut. alfred thanked him. he took a bite and smiled to himself. this would take him for the rest of the night, he was sure of it. and, before he sleeps tonight, he reminds himself to recite his prayers.
“i must ask you, though…” alfred whispered. the other man was about to lay his head back down, ready to fall asleep.
“ah. you must be wondering where i got this much food.”
alfred nodded his head in anticipation. “do tell. if you want to, that is.”
he liked this man, he really did. from a marksman’s perspective, he was very poor at handling guns. he was rather clumsy as well. but if alfred were to say anything good about this man, it would be that he is fast-thinking. a natural strategist that helped the militia take down the remaining confederates. one by one, day by day. if this war was to rage on for another few months, alfred would be more than happy to have him fighting alongside himself.
“i-i…it is a very complicated matter.” the man sighs. “perhaps it would be better if i just showed you.”
without another word, or warning, he began to undress himself. astonished at such a bold move, alfred suddenly yelled.
“WAIT!”
the man immediately gestures for him to quiet himself.
alfred meekly apologized.
he looks around to see if any of the others woke up to alfred’s scream. he let a moment of silence broken by snoring and a few grunts before continuing.
alfred’s eyes widened at what he saw underneath the soldier’s clothes.
dozens upon dozens of deep, purple bitemarks were littered all over the man’s bare chest. alfred feels ashamed for letting his eyes wander down this man’s body. but curiosity mixed with concern overrides that shame. each mark was the same two, miniscule holes. as if tiny bullets had pierced his flesh.
there were more bitemarks on his torso, just above the waistband of his trousers. alfred would bet his boots that there are more on his thighs.
“what on earth happened to you!?” he whisper-shouted.
the other man gave a soft chuckle. he scratched the back of his head. “there’s a woman…”
alfred fought the urge to holler in delight for his new friend. seeing a woman in these conditions was almost impossible!
however, as alfred listened to him go on about this woman. there was one thing that bothered him.
“that doesn’t really explain how you got all that food.” alfred said plainly.
the man narrowed his eyes at him. seemingly annoyed that he couldn’t make what was an obvious connection.
“surely you have heard of vampires before.”
“you aren’t telling me a vampire did this,” alfred motioned with his hand. “to you, are you!?”
“i am telling you exactly that, jones.” he crosses his arms and nods. “i pay for the rations i receive with what is equal in value to her.”
“blood.” the word escapes alfred’s mouth involuntarily.
“but,” the man continues on. “if you don’t believe me, you can walk into those woods over there and find out for yourself.” he points past alfred.
alfred looks out towards the woods. he remembers traversing through them on the first day they set up camp. that lengthy walk the militia took caused the soles of alfred’s feet to become numb by the end of it. on second thought, he realizes how easy it must be to get lost in those woods. it’s hard enough to walk miles in there during the daytime, he couldn’t imagine what it’s like in the pitch black of night.
he almost accused his new friend of being a liar. and he would have. but by the time alfred had turned around to speak, the man was gone.
alfred grabs ahold of the woolen blanket but he didn’t feel anyone or anything underneath it. the man’s bedroll was empty. and there was no trace of him.
alfred, against his better judgement, chooses to take his colt and head into the woods.