Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Hunted ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Atem had spotted his friends and fellow Hunters blocking an alleyway. As he got closer, her over heard Joey ask why the vampire knock-out gas was affecting a kid. He moved his friends aside and immediately recognized the cloak from earlier. He pulled the fabric from the kid's face and everyone gasped. “He looks like an innocent version of you,” Tea said.

 

“But if he was knocked out by the V.K.G, then it means that he's one of them and must be put down,” Tristan pointed out.

 

Atem picked up the unconscious form and placed it in one of the cages that they had in the van. “We'll examine the boy and turn the other vampire over to the authorities once we know its identity,” he stated. “Now, let's get back to headquarters.”

 

Once back at their place, Atem took the boy to their examination room and strapped him to the lab table. It was starting to worry him that the youth was indeed a vamp. The kid hadn't stirred during the journey there. He knew from previous captures using the V.K.G; the vampires exposed to it wouldn't wake for two or three hours. But then again most of the vamps they caught were adults. It was very rare that they ran across a child that had been changed.

 

Atem sighed and got to work. He took fingerprints to see if the kid was reported as missing recently. He prayed that this was the case. But that little flicker of hope died when he looked at the kid's teeth. The boy had small fangs. He stopped the exam there and called Bakura and Marik. “Bring the bodies of the dogs we found earlier on your way in here,” he told them. “And don't let the others see you.”

 

While he waited for the two to arrive, Atem measured the boy's fangs and the space between them. “We're here, Temmie,” Bakura announced, using the nickname he used to annoy Atem. “Care to tell us why you wanted the dead mutts in here?”

 

Atem brushed by Bakura and measured the space between the puncture marks on the three dogs. Bakura was starting to get annoyed now, “Oi, Atem. What did you want the dead dogs for?”

Marik had been watching the scene and grew bored. He walked over to the unconscious boy and checked his teeth, “Hey, 'Kura. Come look at this.” Bakura growled and went to see what Marik was looking at. “Have you ever seen a vamp with such tiny teeth before? Hey Atem, did you figure out why the kid's wearing a collar yet?”

 

Atem shook his head, “No, but I think I've figured out what's been killing off the stray dogs. I believe that we may have found a new strain of vampire, and that boy is one of them.”

 

As he said this, the boy's eyes shot open. “Let me go, please,” the boy cried. “I don't want to die. We never hurt anybody, I swear. Please don't kill me.”

 

Atem looked at the boy's tear-filled eyes and was immediately shocked. “Bakura, run those fingerprints now! I want to know if this boy was a missing child.”

 

Within minutes they had their answer. A flyer was printed out containing the boy's last picture with two other boys, their names, ages, and the dates they went missing.

 

Ryou Bakura, Age 16—Missing: August 1, 2001

Yugi Mutou, Age 16—Missing: August 15, 2001

Malik Ishtar, Age 16—Missing: August 17, 2001

 

“This kid's been missing for ten years,” Bakura pointed out. “And he still looks like his last picture. He's an unregistered vamp. If the Council find out about this, they're going to throw a fit.”

 

Atem sighed, “I'll call them in the morning to inform them that they can have the case on Yugi Mutou closed. Now I'll take care of it.”

 

He turned to Yugi. The poor teen started to squirm, trying to get free of the restraints. “Please, let me go. I swear I haven't bitten anybody. I just want to go home,” he cried out, tears forming in his eyes.

 

Atem took a syringe and placed it against Yugi's right arm, “You're staying here for now.” He then injected a sedative into Yugi's arm.

 

“Why are you doing this,” Yugi asked. “Are you one of the `others' or a…Hunt...er…” He quickly passed out from the tranquilizer.

 

Atem took him to the basement and locked him in there. He returned to the lab where he tried to figure out how to let the others know without them wanting to kill the strange vampire. While he was mulling this over, his eyes wandered to the Missing flyer. He looked at the image of Yugi. Then he noticed that the boy's eyes were the same color they were now.

 

Atem knew from his days of Hunting that Vampires lose their original eye color when they were `reborn'. So this must mean that Yugi was either a new strain of vampire or hadn't been changed completely. Then his thoughts turned over to the three dead dogs lying on a table not far from him. Only one of the three had been Yugi's meal within the last few days. `This must mean that there are two others out there like him,' Atem thought. He then looked at the old flyer, `They might be his friends. After all the three boys vanished within weeks of each other.”

 

He grabbed the few reports of dead dogs being discovered and headed into the library to use the map. Atem scanned the reports and they were all the same; three dogs drained of blood and buried. He marked the areas where the reports originated and connected the dots; marking off a general search area.

 

 

Malik and Ryou had to stop their search for Yugi when they saw that the `others' were coming out. They dashed back to their alley to hide. They had found a couple of dogs and fed. But both boys were depressed, but had no choice but to wait until tomorrow search for their lost friend. Ryou sighed and barricaded the entryway for the night.

 

“We'll find him, Ryou,” Malik said, trying to ease the worry. “We found each other once before, we'll do it again.”

 

Ryou nodded, “You're right. Yugi found me and then when we escaped from the Vampire Lord. Then a year later, you found us.”

 

“That's right.” Malik stated, “Besides, the two of you are like brothers to me. We've been through everything together.”

 

The two boys fell asleep shortly after.

 

 

Yugi woke up and started panicking. He had no clue as to where he was or how he got there; he didn't even know what time it was. All he knew was that he had to get out. He looked around the cell he was in and spotted a boarded up window.

 

Yugi grabbed one of the boards and pulled as hard as he possibly could until it came loose. What he didn't count on was the sunlight pouring through the small hole he had created. It hit his hand and burned. He screamed in pain and held his hand.

 

 

“I'm pretty sure that I've located Yugi's `territory',” Atem announced at the meeting they had over lunch. “I want to search it to see if there are any others like him.”

 

Joey raised his hand, “How can you be sure that he's sharin' his territory with other vamps? They aren't normally a friendly bunch of bloodsuckers.”

 

Before anyone could say another word, a scream rang out from the basement. Tristan was the first to the stairs, “Aw, man. It smells like something's burning down there.”

 

Duke and Atem rolled their eyes at the boy and headed downstairs, pausing to unlock the iron door. Duke stood guard while Atem looked for the little vampire. He heard whimpering behind the old couch and went to see if it was Yugi. “Please don't hurt me,” Yugi pleaded. “I just want to go home.”

 

Atem noticed that Yugi had one hand cradled in the other. He realized that the little vampire had tried to escape and got burned in the midday sun. Yugi whimpered again and started crying. He dashed to the opposite side of the room, leaving Atem complete access to the stairwell. The strange vampire was a complete mystery to him. Duke let him through and relocked the gate.

 

“I'm going to call the Council once we've searched its territory for other vampires,” Atem announced. “Until it is clear as to whether or not he is a threat, he stays downstairs.”

 

 

Ryou took over Yugi's self-appointed task of watching their alley. “So are we going to look for food first or search for Yugi,” he asked Malik.

 

Malik shrugged, “I don't know. Both, I guess. I just hope that the `others' or the Hunters didn't get him.”

 

The `others' had been searching for the boys since their escape. Apparently, the vampire lord had placed a bounty for their capture. He wanted them brought to him alive. Granted most of the `others' in the city had no clue who they were or what they looked like. But there was still that off chance, the few that knew about them would take them in.

 

“It's clear, Malik,” Ryou whispered.

 

They left their sanctuary to search for both their friend and a meal.

 

 

“Bakura, there have been reports of a group of strays in an alley not far from where we captured the two vampires last night,” Atem told him. “Since we now know that the little vampire preyed on stray dogs, that's a good place to look. I want you and Marik with me. Joey, Duke, and Odion are going to search the area near the park. The rest of you are going to watch the vehicles in case we capture any vampires tonight.”

 

The group then split up and headed to the areas they were going to search.

 

Atem led Bakura and Malik to the alley where they had learned a pack of strays were spotted. They spotted two cloaked figures looking in each side street as they walked. As soon as the figures spotted them watching, they turned and ran. Atem and his friends gave chase.

 

Just as they were almost out of the alley, a taller figure blocked the cloaked ones. “And where do you two think you're going,” it questioned.

 

The small figures stepped back in fear. The smaller of the two tripped and its hood fell back, revealing snow-white hair. “We're not going anywhere with you, Alistair,” the boy stated.

 

Bakura decided to throw a V.K.G in the middle of the three figures.

 

 

Malik looked at the object that had landed between him and Ryou. Alistair smirked, “Well, now. I hope you have better luck with the Hunters, boys.” Just before he was affected by the gas, he left.

 

Malik leaned against the wall and slid down as the gas claimed both him and Ryou.

 

 

Bakura smirked, “Well, it looks like we just caught two more little vamps for our little friend in the basement to talk to.”

 

“Don't be so confident, Baka-ra,” Marik replied. “One of the vamps looks a bit like you.”

 

Upon hearing this, Atem went up to the figure slumped against the wall and took off its hood. “It looks like we have inadvertently solved a missing children's case that was ten years old,” he stated once he got a good look at the sleeping figures. He radioed Ishizu and told her where to pick them up.

 

When they got back to the mansion, Atem had Bakura and Marik take the unconscious vampires to the lab. He looked at their teeth and measured them. He then compared the measurements to the ones he took of the punctures on the dogs. They were a match.

 

After this, he had them taken down to the basement. He went ahead of the others who were carrying the vampires to be sure that Yugi wouldn't try to hurt them. He wasn't prepared for what he saw at the bottom of the stairs.

 

Yugi was sprawled out on the floor, lying face first. Atem grabbed a long pole with a blood bag attached to it and moved it over to the small figure. He didn't even move.

 

Atem brought the pole back and poked a hole in the bag. He quickly sent the blood back to the vampire. Still no response. This wasn't good. He ordered Duke to unlock the gate and ran inside. He rolled the boy over and looked at his eyes. They were glazed over. Not good. If he didn't do anything soon, they would lose the strange vampire and wind up with an inspector hounding them for a month. He lifted the small teen up and took him to the lab.

 

Atem laid the boy on the table and grabbed a small vial of blood from the stock. He lifted Yugi's head and slowly poured the contents into his mouth. “Come on, come on,” he pleaded. Then the desired results came, Yugi started coughing.

 

After his coughing fit, Atem offered a packet of blood to the weak vampire. “Take it easy,” he cautioned the boy.

 

After draining the bag, Yugi fell asleep. Atem carried the boy back into the basement and placed him on the couch.