Dennis still hadn't grasped the horrifying truth: falling into this man's hands, survival would be a torment far exceeding death. "Just tell me your account number! I'll transfer a fortune!" Dennis, oblivious to the chilling implication in Enzer's words, blurted out, "Whatever you want, I can help you. I swear on the blood of my clan"
"Enough," Enzer interrupted, his tone dismissive. "Clan or not, they hold no value for me." He waited until the last alien had subdued its prey before slowly approaching. Four Messenger Xenomorphs had confronted six armed vampires, resulting in minor injuries to two of the aliens. This casualty rate was barely tolerable, given the Messenger Xenomorphs' inherently frail nature.
The Messenger Xenomorph was a parasite that typically infested lower mammals like cats, dogs, cows, and horses. Born with the ability to move on all fours, it spent the majority of its life mimicking its host's posture. It represented the lowest rung in the alien social hierarchy, possessing minimal offensive capabilities but exhibiting greater agility due to its smaller frame, roughly 2.2 meters when standing upright.
Unlike the Drone and Warrior Xenomorphs, which were initially reliant on their tails for locomotion after chestburster emergence and required several hours for rapid development and bipedalism, the Messenger Xenomorph matured at a significantly accelerated rate. Its sole redeeming feature was the ability to actively project its corrosive blood, a trait absent in the Drone and Warrior variants. Given that these four Messenger Xenomorphs had gestated within ordinary lower animals, their raw power was predictably limited.
Enzer examined the policeman being devoured, a detached clinical interest in his eyes. "If I were you," he advised George, "I'd end his suffering now. Put a bullet in his head. His system is already saturated with the vampire virus. He'll turn soon. Best to ensure a clean kill before that happens." George clutched his firearm, the only tangible source of security in this nightmare. The younger officers around him were paralyzed by terror, their first brutal introduction to the hidden, monstrous underbelly of their world. "Vampires… vampires are real…" one young officer stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared blankly at the carnage before him, before succumbing to another wave of nausea.
The vampires, impervious to bullets, had been brutally impaled by the aliens, their blood and viscera painting a gruesome tableau. "Vampires are just the tip of the iceberg," Enzer replied with a nonchalant smile, his every movement exuding an unsettling casualness. "The wonders, and horrors, of this planet will far surpass your imagination. Demons and gods wouldn't be entirely unexpected." If one could disregard the terrifying alien sentinels that constantly surrounded him like a royal guard, he might almost appear to be a kind and approachable individual.
"Sir, thank you, and your… companions… for saving our lives," George managed, his heart still hammering against his ribs. The events of the past few minutes had been a brutal assault on his senses. He struggled to maintain a steady tone, but a slight tremor betrayed his inner turmoil. "I'll… I'll handle my colleagues with care."
"Good. It's always easier to reason with someone who understands the gravity of the situation. Officer, your name?"
"George Stacy." Enzer stroked his chin thoughtfully. George Stacy… with that name and age… well, well, Gwen's father.
"Sir, I don't yet know your name. What's your plan for these vampires?" George asked, a sliver of courage cutting through his fear. A constant, unsettling drip emanated from the aliens, a viscous mixture of their own ichor and the vampires' blood.
"My name will become known to you in due time. In any case, do not return here. Whoever sent you, they do not have your best interests at heart. In fact, I'd wager they want you dead." Enzer waved a dismissive hand. While he might not possess the genius,level intellect of figures like Iron Man or Shuri, his basic reasoning faculties were more than sufficient to draw this conclusion.
"Boss… keeping… keeping those things… that's illegal, right…?" The young officer, having finally finished his latest bout of vomiting, wiped his mouth, glanced at George, and promptly began retching again.
"Well said," Enzer remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I always appreciate a man of principle. Though, if you manage to apprehend Tony Stark first, I might actually believe your outrage." With that, Enzer melted back into the darkness, the aliens silently flanking him. Only the horrific tableau of blood and dismembered bodies remained as proof of the night's bizarre events.
George stared down at his colleague, his face a mangled ruin, a silent testament to the brutal attack. After a long, heavy moment, he raised his weapon and fired a single shot into the man's head. "Head!" another officer exclaimed, his voice tight with shock.
"Shut up! I know what I'm doing!" George snapped, his face a mask of grim determination. "This isn't over. Whoever sent us here will answer for this! For him!" His face was ashen with grief and rage. These extraordinary horrors were not something unprepared, ordinary officers should have to face. If they were to be thrown into such a nightmare, they deserved advance warning, proper equipment, and sufficient backup.
"Boss, didn't you say the report came from an animal rights group?"
"I lied," George admitted grimly. "If it were just animal rights activists, they wouldn't have sent just a handful of us into this hellhole." As for the official report… they'd just have to pin it on the vampires. Yes, it was plausible that these bloodsucking creatures would prey on local wildlife. And the stranger with the… creatures… he was clearly a powerful individual. He had saved some of their lives, after all.
For Enzer, the rescue of the police officers was a mere footnote. His true focus lay with his captured specimens. Throughout their journey back, he monitored the vampires with a surprising degree of concern, genuinely anxious about their survival. This unexpected solicitude bewildered the dying vampires, who were both flattered and deeply confused. One seized the opportunity to weakly suggest that if the alien were to release them, they could still be saved. Enzer, however, paid them no mind, leading them into the subterranean cave and gesturing for the aliens to unceremoniously dump the incapacitated vampires onto the damp earth.
Dennis's eyes darted around the cavern, taking in the disturbing surroundings. It resembled some kind of subterranean monster's den, with bizarre, sticky residue coating the walls and floor. A strange, pulsating tube snaked through the space, and beneath it, he spotted three more of those unsettling eggs. He could sense a palpable stirring within them, an immediate reaction to their arrival. Even in that brief glance, an instinctive dread coiled in Dennis's gut, the feeling of being watched by something ancient and malevolent.
"Six vampires. One at a time." Enzer personally seized a vampire by the throat and dragged him before one of the pulsating eggs. In a horrifying instant, the egg bloomed, four fleshy "petals" unfurling at its apex. From within, a grotesque creature resembling a giant spider scuttled forth: a Facehugger.
"Let go of me! What are you doing?! Ugh…" The vampire's protests were swiftly cut short as the Facehugger clamped onto his face, its tendrils locking around his head. He felt a sickening pressure, followed by the unmistakable sensation of something being injected into his body. A heavy drowsiness began to creep into his mind, pulling him into unconsciousness.
"What… what's happening?" Dennis watched the scene unfold in bewildered horror. It should be terrifying, yet it defied any logical understanding.
"You'll understand soon enough," Enzer replied, a hint of sinister satisfaction in his voice. He focused on the mental link he shared with the Facehugger, a surge of elation coursing through him as he confirmed the successful implantation. This was a monumental achievement, the first parasitization of such a unique host. Now, all that remained was to wait. Patience was a virtue Enzer possessed in abundance, a trait he shared with the aliens. Like them, he was capable of enduring for extended periods, a silent predator awaiting the opportune moment.
Eventually, the parasitized vampire stirred, his eyes fluttering open in confusion. He shook his head groggily, easily dislodging the dead Facehugger remnants clinging to his face. "What did you do to me? Why is this thing… dead?"
"Vampire," Enzer said, his voice devoid of emotion, "you will atone for the countless human lives you've extinguished. Fortunately for me, you've unwittingly offered your potent physique for a… new purpose. I intend to make good use of it."
Under the unnerving gaze of Enzer's blood, red eyes, he raised a hand, extending his index finger towards the vampire suspended in the air. Then, a sight of pure terror unfolded before the other vampires. A grotesque bulge erupted in the vampire's chest. Before he could even register the sensation, a monstrous form tore through his flesh and bone, bursting forth in a shower of blood and gore, a newborn alien. The vampire's desperate wails were like a macabre symphony, his violent convulsions a grotesque dance of death and rebirth. A new alien had emerged, a hybrid of the cosmos's most efficient predator and the supernatural resilience of a vampire, announcing its arrival with a chilling, alien shriek, the dawn of a terrifying new power in the world.