When I see red, I don't stop.

Ocean

"Fun fact, darling. When I see red, I don't stop." A tall, dark man stands in the doorway; he crosses his arms in front of his chest. One corner of his lip twitches as if he was about to smile, but the simple act doesn't happen. His presence makes me feel small, but beyond that, fear creeps over me, paralyzing my body - the stranger watched how I killed the Count. Now, even though somewhat free, I will still die at the hands of a vampire. Either way, I will die without a taste of freedom. "Here, let me show you how it's done," the man grins and stomps towards me. My reflexes have always been somewhat sharp, but I don't notice how the vampire snatches the key from my hand and drives it deeper into Vladimir's heart. His laughter fills the room, echoing off the walls like the most beautiful melody.

His laughter is strangely hypnotic; I find myself in a position I never thought I would be in - admiring a bloodthirsty creature. Besides, the only thing that proves he is a vampire is his blood-red eyes and unnaturally pale skin. If the man hadn't fed before we met, I would assume he's human. For the first time, I meet a vampire who dwarfs any other bloodsucker I've ever seen. His dark hair and the stubble covering his jawline coupled with his insanely muscular body make him seem alive. Usually, vampires are majestic and elegant creatures, all slender, but this man looks like one of the human warriors, only taller.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Did you see a ghost? I understand I'm rather pale, but I wouldn't classify myself as transparent," the man chuckles as he waves a hand in front of my face. As soon as I regain back to my senses, I jump back. In front of me is another man, somewhat similar but completely different. The dark features disappear, and suddenly I lock my eyes with ones just as blood-red as the previous man's, but the owner isn't the same. His hair is lighter, and his body looks more vampiric; the slender, tall stance makes him blend in with the other bloodsucking monsters. My heart races for miles as the man seems amused, probably on the verge of breaking through his cold demeanour and bursting into demonic laughter. Though this man seems a bit friendlier, I feel uncomfortable in his presence to the point beyond all my fears.

"Who are you?" I blurt out without thinking. When the words already leave my lips, I realize how disrespectful I appear to the vampire. My head hangs low; I'm ready to fall to my knees when the monster asks me to. "I'm terribly sorry; I wasn't thinking."

Again, loud laughter fills the room. The previous one sounded more distant, even cold, but still captivating. He laughs as if he heard a great joke. Laugh from the bottom of his dead heart, close to tears. "Don't worry about that. My brother said that only a fool would miss the show; well, I guess I am the fool then. Either way, you have nothing to worry about. Except for the next time you decide to kill a vampire single-handedly. Next time, make sure you have a backup or call us; we'll be there to help or finish the job, whichever suits you."

I let out the breath. A faint smile spreads across my lips as I whisper, "I am free." 

My joy is short-lived as the vampire clears his throat. I look up and raise an eyebrow as the vampire shakes his head in amusement. "No, my dear, not quite free." He strokes my cheek with such gentleness that I feel like the bloodthirsty creature is truly worried about me. Vampires had always thought humans were fragile, but I have been through a lot and could take more. He has no idea how strong I am.

"W-what do you mean?" I don't want to stutter, but his presence ignites doubt and fear in me. 

"My dear, Ocean, you should have killed that greedy man before he set foot in the office. We bought you and your friends. The club you stand in is ours." The vampire explains, obviously content with his announcement. "Be a dear, gather up your things and say goodbye to your friends; we leave in ten minutes." The vampire takes a glance at his wristwatch and waves a hand to dismiss me. 

He expects resistance or even an escape attempt, but instead, I decide to question him again. "Wait, what?"

He sighs and looks back at me. He keeps staring at my body, well, at the places that clothing didn't hide from his eyes. His wandering eyes make me feel as if he's looking for something. Is he trying to see if there are more scars than meets the eye? Of course, he will sell me off the same as Vladimir did, so he needs to come up with a decent price. Before I can fall into the abyss of self-pity, he pulls me out of my thoughts, back to the painful reality. "You're coming with us," the vampire announces. He turns his back on me, about to leave the room and the body of a dead vampire behind him. 

"And what about my friends? What about the other girls Vladimir abused? What about this stupid club?" I raise my voice and point a finger at the corpse beside my feet. I don't mind the Count's death; if anything, it makes me feel a little safer if he's not around or ever coming back. However, the whole setting with the two men feels a bit odd. The darker one is still around somewhere; I can sense his presence, but only the blond vampire shows his presence. If he keeps talking about both, why is he the only one standing in front of me?

"Your friends will move to the apartments above the club; you shouldn't worry about them. We will provide comfort and meet their needs. We won't close the club, but instead of a few nights a week, it will open to guests on the weekends. Your friends can work here or join the weekly donation system. It is up to them. I'd suggest you stop wasting time, you have eight minutes, and I'm not the one to look for you before we leave - my brother will do that." The vampire stares at the door as he lowers himself to my ear and whispers, "If I were you, I wouldn't mess with his temper. Honey, you have no idea how savage my brother can be. He's not your normal high-class vampire; keep this in mind." The vampire's words leave me stunned. I stand frozen in place as I watch the man leave and close the door. 

Only when I feel like I'm alone can I finally take a breath and process the thoughts running through my mind. Sadly, I don't have enough time to stand and think; I have to warn my friends about the changes Vladimir forced on us before he died. I take off to the locker room and barge in, startling the other girls.

"Ocean, where have you been? We were so worried!" Sally exclaims as her eyes widen in shock. 

"No, we weren't," Marissa mutters under her breath. She is more than happy for a chance to show her hatred towards me. Marissa should join the others; they should be a team, but instead, the woman crosses her arms in front of her chest and sinks into the club chair. Her action gets everyone's attention, but Freya is the only one who stands up and shouts. "Shut up!" The woman had been acting out of control for quite a while. Unfortunately, Marissa never saw herself from their perspective, so unlike others, she never noticed the problem in her behaviour.

Sally's eyes fill with tears, her lower lip trembles, and she runs to examine me. Her hands shake as the girl does her best to ensure she doesn't inflict more pain by trying to help. As soon as her palm pressed against my ribs, I hiss in pain, and Sally jumps back as she covers her mouth with her palm. "Oh my God, did Vladimir put his hands on you again?"

"No, the Count is dead."

"What?" The girls cry out in unison.

I let my gaze wander around the room; perhaps I can take something with me as a reminder of the friends I will leave behind. My absence might upset the girls, so I save the subject for later, choosing to answer their previous question to distract them. "I killed him, well, not me exactly. I wasn't the one who finished the job; another vampire did. Don't ask me. I'm just as confused as you are."

"No, no, no, please, no." Sally throws her hands around my neck and cries in agony. Killing a vampire is a crime punishable by death, so she probably thinks that I will face the same fate as Count Vladimir. A vampire will never take the blame for killing another vampire. 

I free myself from Sally's grip and caress the girls' cheek to bring our foreheads together. "I'm not going to die. I think." I exhale.

Marissa's been quiet for the longest time, and usually, she is the one making accusations or acting like a complete asshole. This time, her voice is full of shock and disbelief as she silently questions me. "What the Hell happened out there?" The choice of words may seem a bit crude, but anyone can easily grasp the woman's confused state as she stares at the wall. Her personality has always been a bit audacious, so it is surprising to see her in such a state.

"He sold us." I lock my gaze with Marissa's. The action proves I am telling the truth; avoiding one's gaze might make me look like a liar. I lick my lips and step closer to Marissa. "Before I tried to kill him, he managed to sell all of us. The new owners are taking me somewhere; I need you to stay with the others and make sure they are safe. Some of the guards will come later and lead you to the new rooms; please don't try to resist them. Resistance can have consequences." It's not that I like Marissa; I don't, so asking for something is quite a step to overcome ego. But I wouldn't let mutual hatred get in the way, especially when it comes to those I care about. Marissa may be a bit of an ass, but the woman is strong and can defend others when necessary.

For a moment, Marissa observes me, letting the words sink in. Then, just as she is about to part her lips and agree, the door opens, and an insanely tall, dark figure stops in the doorway. All eyes are on the intruder, me, being the only one who's somewhat familiar with the muscular body. The vampire who helped me kill the Count has probably arrived to pick me up, just as his brother had warned me earlier.

The deep voice echoes off the walls of the small room as he speaks. For some reason, he doesn't just look at me - he stares at me as if I've managed to become an enemy in a matter of minutes. "Are you ready?" The question is short, but it leaves many unanswered questions wandering deep in my mind. Did he want to know if I was ready to go? What if I said no? Would my answer change anything in his plans? Probably not. What if he was preparing to present me to the highest council as the one who had taken Vladimir's life? His brother announced I was going with them, but he never mentioned where. What if this was a trap?

Taking a deep, anxious breath, I whisper a faint "Yes." It's better to leave now and distract the vampires from my friends. After all, if anyone deserved to die, it was only me - I took the Count's life, the girls had nothing to do with my actions.

The vampire's blood-red eyes scan the room before jumping back to me. "Your bags?" He asks me, somewhat taken aback by the state of the room, the girls, and little to no furniture in the room. There aren't any outfits for those who perform. And the tons of makeup that vampire women usually use before they have to set foot on a stage- we don't have that extra. We watch how his eyes wander around, probably looking for everything that's supposed to be present, yet Vladimir never bothered to give us anything. Many people claim that vampires are emotionless, but they have some emotions, even if they are somewhat robotic - they're still there. So, it isn't surprising that the girls notice the slightly confused look on the vampire's face.

It's not easy to admit, but I have to come clean. "I own nothing." I proclaim, somewhat saddened, that I don't have a single photo of my friends. The list of things I would do and give up just to have a small photo frame with the faces of my dearest people is ridiculous. 

The vampire nods his head, accepting my answer. "Follow me." Unusually for a bloodsucker, the man holds the door open for me. The vampire waits for me to hug all my friends. He doesn't bother to order me around or raise his voice; perhaps he's aware of how much I need the moment with these girls. He decided to be kind for once.

I leave my friends and follow the man to a black car. As the building disappears from my sight, I wave a final goodbye to the nightclub I once called home.  "Off to the new torture chamber."