The Red General Club

Loki stepped up to the boarded up windows and door, and smirked. He rapped the door three times, and a hole in the floor opened to admit them, Loki knelt and clambered in, he held his arms up to Alicia, who shook her head “I will not need assistance thank you very much.” Loki shrugged “Suit yourself.” He walked off, into the darkness of the corridor beneath them. Alicia jumped in, landing crouched on one knee. She looked around, cobwebs covered the place ‘cheap décor’ she thought. She looked for Loki. He was stood at an old iron door, by some stairs. Alicia walked to him, as the others clambered into the hole. The hole closed up, darkness swallowing them completely. “Loki, can you just say the god-damned password and get us in there?” Rachel hissed. Crovat pushed his way to Alicia’s side “Forgotten Loki? Here, let me help.” He smirked, and approached the door. He raised his hand, and touched the door, before balling his hand into a fist and thumping it six times, all the while, in an extremely deep voice hissing;


“Six of us stand here, in the dead of night,
We who love darkness, and flee from the light,
Humans suffering will only begin,
If in the name of the Dark Lord, you let us in!”


Crovat stepped away from the door as it glowed a deep-red, then the glowing subsided, leaving the door, a charcoal black once more. Crovat nodded. Alicia stared “Now what?” she asked. Loki smiled “You’ve never been through a vampire security door before have you Miss Alucard?” Alicia shook her head. Loki smiled “thought not.” He stepped forwards, and walked through the door. Rachel and Aureus followed, hand in hand, Alicia stepped forwards, and walked through, it felt cold. Crovat finally emerged from the human-proof door.
                     Cobwebs littered every pillar around them, a thick layer of dust covered the floor like a carpet, muffling the sounds of their clinking footsteps, a tinkling sound could be heard in the distance, “It sounds like a jewellery box.” Alicia whispered. Loki nodded “The catacombs.” He replied. Seeing the look on Alicia’s face, he explained to her what he meant. “This isn’t the actual club; the club is in the cellar. The stairs are over there.” He pointed “it’s based in the cellar, partly from someone French, you might have heard of him mademoiselle.” He purred, amusing himself. Alicia nodded “The Phantom of the Opera, I presume.” Loki nodded “There is a band called ‘the catacombs’ a vampire and a human.” He explained. “The singer, a fine vampire if ever I saw one, cannot bite her guitarist. She protects him from the other vampires too.” He pulled a face “Sick if you ask me, we should never ever mix with them…but…anyway, she got banished, she can only return from her exile, when he is turned. But they tend to play their music here. Only problem is, he isn’t even Goth…he’s more...oh what’s the namby-pamby term for it now?” Rachel smiled and stepped forwards “I think you’ll find the term is Emo.” Loki nodded “That’s it, the whole one-eye thing, drives me mad.” He gestured to the stairs “Anyway, moving on…” he smiled at Georgina who looked at him, and blushed, before moving along with the others.
               As they walked down the stairs, Alicia could hear the lyrics, ‘Loki was right’ she thought ‘The girl has an amazing voice…’ she listened to the music. It sounded like a band she had heard while murdering a teenager, the sounds from his iPod. “It sounds like…HIM” she smiled “That’s Goth enough for me.” Aureus shook his head “Not you too? Every bugger likes HIM.” He grimaced “Even this one here.” He pointed at Rachel, who beamed “Of course!” Alicia smiled. They reached the door to ‘The Red General’ as the song finished, Alicia hissed as the guitarist sang “Three letters…I’m cutting your name into my heart...that makes me EMO!” They reached another door, flanked by two vampires. One was huge, ‘a stone-cold Steve Austin look-alike’ Alicia thought. The other was a woman; she had short green hair, and wore chains…everywhere! She had a black leather bikini top on and short black leather hot pants. “Who goes there?” she asked in what sounded no les than a bark. Crovat stepped forwards. “We six vampires need a place to recuperate,” he started “My name is Lord Crovat, and the others that follow me are none other than,” he pointed to each of them in turn “Senorita Georgina Hulohot, Miss Rachel Dante, newly married to Monsieur Aureus Alucard, Master Loki, travels with us also, and last, but most certainly not least, mademoiselle Alicia Alucard.” The vampire nodded “Enjoy your stay at the Red General.” She stepped aside and allowed them through. Alicia opened the door and gasped.
              This club was completely different to the dusty, dirty, theatre above them. Flashing lights shone everywhere, in red and violet, Cradle of Filth - no time to cry blasted from eleven huge speakers around the room, there were around a hundred vampires dancing against each other, and the bar…Alicia’s eyes widened as she saw the bar; running the whole length of the room, she loved it. The shining black marble counter-top running around the room, held up by brass posts, ending in clawed feet. Behind it, Alicia saw a massive walk-in freezer, with enormous sliding silver doors. Every couple of meters, a vampire sat, stirring a red concoction. Several black lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating all the fangs.
                She pressed past all the dancing bodies, until she reached the bar. Looking at a piece of illuminated paper, she read the menu:


• 30 year old man (Fresh or Frozen) = £4
• 34 year old woman (Anemic) = £6
• 16 year old twin brothers (mixed) £3.50
• Mulled wine with Blood (Ask for age of blood) £7.50


“What can I do you for Miss?” asked the barman. Alicia glanced at him, “A mulled wine with blood please…” she shouted over the music. The barman smiled “Any particular blood?” Alicia nodded “Any…as long as it isn’t ‘O’ positive.” Alicia smiled and reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a small wad of cash, she pulled out a ten-pound note and handed it to the barman. He smiled at her, then went to the till; he brought her drink and change, and waddled off to another customer. Alicia brought her drink to her lips, and turned around, looking around the club. She spotted Georgina and Loki, pressed together; dancing, Aureus and Rachel were chatting to other vampires, over the wailing of Dani Filth’s “No, no, no, no time for heartache!”, although she still couldn’t find –
“Bonjour mademoiselle.” Said a voice in her ear. Alicia jumped and turned “Oh! Bonjour monsieur.” She replied as the song ended, and the piercing chords of HIM – Vampire heart started on the speakers. Crovat smirked “It sure looks like Senorita Georgina and Loki are enjoying themselves eh?” he pointed over Alicia’s shoulder, Alicia turned to see them ‘tongue wrestling’ as it were.
          “Oh my.” Alicia stammered. She looked for her brother, and sighed as she saw him and Rachel kissing deeply too. “Yes they do” she replied turning back to Crovat and finishing her drink. Crovat nodded to her, and rapped the bar twice, then placing eight pounds on the counter, the barman slid it away, replacing it with two glasses of deep red blood. Crovat handed a glass to Alicia and lifted his “Try it” he purred “You’ll be surprised.” His eyes glinted. Alicia raised her drink and nodded, before pouring it all in one down her neck. Crovat did the same. Alicia opened her eyes, to see her senses had sharpened immensely. She could hear more than just the music, she could smell more than the smoke machine, and she could even taste blood. Alicia looked up at the ceiling “Humans…” she breathed. Crovat nodded “Shall we?” Alicia stepped towards her brother “No Alicia.” Crovat purred, catching her arm “Let us both go, just the two of us…” he smiled at her as she nodded, and the both of them left for the stairs.




back to the vampire lord crovat