Unfortunate Fortune (ChooseYourOwnAdventure) P1

Your name is Jeremiah Leelan. You are a seventeen-year-old, male human being, with messy blonde hair and cheeky brown eyes. You are an only child. You never used to be. You once had an older brother. He died protecting you from the monsters, when they came for you as a child. You were nine years old at that time. He was fifteen.

Your parents are still alive, but they don't look at you the same. You know that, when they look at you, they see the misfit who only lived because their golden boy died. You know that, deep down, they must hate you for what happened. They must wish that you had been the one to die.

Well, they may just get their wish in the next hour or so.

There's this thing that the monsters run. It's the vampires who sponsor it, but a few werewolves like to tune in as well. It's this sick game show. Basically, the monsters go out and capture five random people. Humans. Mortals. These so-called Contestants are forced, in turn, to be paraded in front of the camera, and then one of the hosts will spin the Wheel of Fortune, and the result will determine their Fate.

You could be Drained by the show's Vampire host.

You could be Consumed by the show's Werewolf host.

You could be banished, or any number of freaky punishments.

Or... you could Win. There are two segments on the wheel, both of which say WINNER! One is red, and one is blue. You don't know what happens when you Win. You hope that it means that you get to go free. You hope that you get lucky.

And last night... last night, you didn't make curfew. Last night, you were one of the sorry sons-a-bitches that got caught. Last night, you became a Contestant.

And so, here you are now. Your hands are shackled to the sparkly, golden chair you are seated on. Four others are similarly shackled. You don't know their names. You didn't ask. There's no point. Chances are, they'll be dead soon. Chances are, you'll be dead, too.

You listen numbly as the Vampire host makes the show introduction, and the crowd – a bunch of rich monsters who paid for the honour of watching the happenings live – cheers eagerly. The Vampire host smiles benevolently and raises his hands, requesting silence.

The Vampire host is a male. He looks to have been Turned at around the age of thirty. He's attractive, you guess, if you can get past the white skin and dark purple-red lips. If you can get past the fang tips that poke out from beneath his lips when he smiles too widely. If you can get past the unnaturally dark hair, or the red gleam to his eyes. You've heard of him before. His name is Vlad. How original.

You turn your attention to the Werewolf host. This monster is female, and in her forties by the looks of the grey streaks  in her brown hair, and the fine lines on her forehead and around her eyes. She looks almost human, but her eyes give her away. Werewolves have very pale blue eyes, ringed with dark blue. Like dog eyes. Her name is Gina.

The show is starting. You bring your attention back to Vlad as he walks over to the first human in the row of chairs. He smiles with false warmth as he unlocks the old man's handcuffs and takes him firmly by the arm. The old man does not even try to struggle as he is led over to the Wheel of Fortune.

You'll be next.

“Here we have our first contestant!” Vlad says into the microphone. He beams at the old man, showing fangs. “Your name is Benjamin, yes? Can I call you Benny?”

“If you must,” Benjamin murmurs hollowly. His eyes are downcast and his shoulders are slumped with the hopelessness of the situation. “It doesn't matter any-more.”

Vlad laughs cheerfully, and the crowd follows suit. “Then I guess I know the answer to my next question – I was going to ask you whether you felt lucky. I guess you don't.”

The crowd laughs and clapps. Sickos.

“Well, Gina,” he says, turning to grin at his co-host. “Spin the wheel!”

Gina smiles thinly and turns to the wheel. She gives it a strong spin, and the wheel whirls around and around, so fast that it blurs. And then it starts to slow. You look at Benjamin's face, and you see the mixed hope and fear and anguish on his crumpled face. And then the wheel stops, and his head sags. You look to the wheel, even as Vlad lifts his voice.

“Oh-ho!” he exclaims. “Someone from the audience is lucky today!”

The segment which the little marker has stopped on reads 'FREE DINNER.' Benjamin will be fed to a random member of the audience.

Gina reaches behind the wheel and comes up with a shiny, metal bucket. She shakes it, and you hear the whispery sound of paper slips. She closes her eyes and dips her hand into the container, and draws out one of the slips. She glances at the paper, and then holds it out to Vlad. The Vampire reads it briefly, and then smiles and lifts the microphone to Benjamin's lips.

Benjamin reads the slip of paper. His knees are shaking, and his voice is so unsteady when he speaks, you can barely make it out.

“Geraldine Svarski,” he says.

An excited squeal rings out from the audience, and in seconds an eagerly bouncing, young female Vampire in a very tiny dress hurries onto the stage. Vlad smiles at her.

“Congratulations, Geraldine!” he booms. The old man is shaking, and you smell the pungant scent of urine. He's wet himself. Both Vampires ignore him completely.

“Thanks, Mr. Vladimir,” the young Vampire giggles.

“Please,” Vlad chuckles. “Call me Vlad.” Geraldine giggles again, and the audience laughs along with her.

And then Vlad shoves Benjamin towards her, and the carnage starts.

You can't look away as Geraldine grips Benjamin's shoulders in her vice-like hands and plunges her fangs into his throat. The old man lets out a strangles scream and she bites down harder, and her red eyes glow all the more brightly. He sags, and Geraldine holds him up as she continues to drain him of blood. And when she is finished and the old man is even paler than she is, she lets him go and he slumps lifelessly to the ground.

Geraldine wipes the blood from her chin and you look away, disgusted. You've never seen anyone drained before. You'd looked away when you were little and your brother was killed by these... these freaks. You feel cold, and sick. The same thing will probably happen to you in a minute.

There are cold, hard hands on your arms, and you jerk in surprise. Vlad chuckles from behind you as he unlocks the shackles, and you are pulled roughly to your feet. You stumble slightly as Vlad drags you towards the Wheel, but the Vampire pulls you back onto your feet before you can fall, and he drags you on.

You are standing before the Wheel of Fortune now. Gina is spinning it. You stare at the colourful bit of wood, pale and wide-eyed, frozen. You wait for it to determine your fate. It slows... slows... stops. You read the segment it has stopped on.

WINNER.

The crowd starts to cheer deafeningly, and you nearly collapse out of sheer relief. Gina is frowning. Vlad is beaming at the crowd, and his grip loosens on your arm. You look at him, and the question bubbles, unbidden, to you lips.

“What does that mean?” you blurt. Your voice is timid, weak. “What have I won?”

Vlad turns his grin to you, and he seems... proud? Is that it?

“You've won the highest honour a mere mortal can ask for,” he declared, speaking into the microphone so that the crowd can hear him. “You've won a Transformation.”

Your blood runs cold. “Wh-what?” you splutter. “What do you mean, a transformation?”

Vlad's smile widens.

“My boy,” he says, “you get to be Turned. You are going to become a Vampire!”



{PICK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:}
– “No way! I'm not agreeing to be transformed into a f***ing monster!”
– Say nothing
– RUN!
{VOTE ENDS, NEXT PART UPLOADED 23RD OF MAY}