31 Haunts | Thicker than Blood | Day Fourteen | Vampire

The castle loomed as the car rolled along the winding road. The path was bumpy, clearly not maintained or used often, that helped keep people away, well, the wrong people at least. Rain fell from the sky, hitting along the windshield. The towers were lit, glistening red and yellow lights flickering playfully across the window panes.

Trees crowded either side of the road, their branches scraping at the car whenever the wind bent them low enough. Beyond them, the mountain dropped into a valley swallowed by rain and darkness. There had been no houses for miles. No road signs either, not since the last village had vanished behind them. The car’s headlights caught an old stone marker half buried in weeds and moss, its inscription worn away so thoroughly it might never have held a name.

The Sire eased the car around another bend. The castle disappeared behind a stand of pines, then rose again much closer, its towers cutting into the low clouds. For all the light in its windows, it did not look welcoming. It looked occupied.

“I should have told you more about this place,” he said, his voice nearly lost beneath the rain. One hand remained on the wheel while the other adjusted the cuff of his coat. “I had hoped we might have a little more time before they called me here.”

Ahead, wrought iron gates stood open between two stone pillars. Water ran down the face of a weathered angel carved into one of them, gathering at its chin before dripping onto the road. As if it too was weeping for the impending decision that the two vampires were driving towards unknowingly. The Sire slowed as they passed through. Somewhere beyond the reach of the headlights, gravel crunched beneath a second set of tires. Whatever had followed them stopped when they did.

The drive opened onto a broad courtyard, the road turning to a more maintained dirt and cobblestone driveway. The castle was larger up close than it had appeared from the road, its wings stretching away into the rain until the far ends were impossible to make out. Arched windows glowed above covered walkways. A few held figures who stepped back from the glass as the car approached. Near the entrance, servants waited beneath a stone portico, still despite the cold, while two guards in dark coats watched the car come to a stop.

The engine fell quiet. Rain immediately filled the silence it left behind. The Sire looked toward the doors, then across the car. His expression softened, though his fingers tightened once around the steering wheel before he let go.

“Stay close to me tonight,” he said. “You can ask me anything you like. Just be careful who else hears the question.” Outside, one of the servants started down the steps with a black umbrella. Behind them, the castle’s great doors began to open.

Make Your Own Intro! Leaving this blank for you to take control of the RP. Just OOC, your scenario and it should work, or you can just start a RP.