We spent two weeks in the middle of nowhere, guided only by a compass and a confusing road, on horses in intense cold. The snow had disappeared, but the sun did not come out.  We saw dead animals wherever we passed, the vampire came out at night. Denver and his companions came to the conclusion that their colleagues had already lost sight of the vampire. Now the onus was on them. 

As we made our way along that difficult path. I could see how we arrived to a warm place. In the distance we could see a town. Denver saw it and made a gesture for us to start moving faster, since it was already in the afternoon hours, and in less time than we expected it would get dark.

Most of the gentlemen were very hungry, during the two weeks that we were doing this tour some of them lost weight, as they ate very little. Many of them longed to get to that town as quickly as possible.

[...]

After two hours we arrived there. Contrary to all the road we had traveled, the ground was already dry. The place had several ways to get out of there, there were no measures to protect themselves from any attack. They were almost out in the open that someone strange would enter. The houses were made of stone and wood, most of them had only one physical floor. There were a few restaurants. This town looked very prosperous, perhaps there were more than five hundred houses. This town had a lot of future.

The first thing we did was to go to a restaurant, as soon as they saw us they offered us food. A well-dressed man, with green eyes, red hair, a scar on his cheek and quite tall, spoke to us without hesitation.

"Welcome hunters. My humble restaurant offers you a free meal during your stay here"

I didn't understand why they were giving it to us, but Emiliano explained.

"In all the towns where we go we are heroes, so they give us all kinds of gifts, but keep an eye out, it is possible that the vampire is restless, and probably is here. A being this hungry would not hesitate to approach a place like this"

All the gentlemen sat down at a table to eat. They were served all kinds of things. Chickens, fish, breads, wine, grapes, it was almost a feast, as they were out in the open eating fruit and some bread.

They all began to taste one by one the food on the table. I watched them all eat, Esteban did not hesitate and gave me some of his food.

"Eat" he said.

"No thanks, my body doesn't seem to be able to eat"

"It's a problem, so you drink animal blood"

"Neither, when I saw all those bloody bodies I felt like vomiting"

"You're the strangest vampire I've ever met" He took a chicken wing and tried to force it into me.

He forced me to eat, and I had to swallow it the hard way.

"What do you feel now" he asked.

"It doesn't taste like anything, but I feel strange"

"Are you going to throw up?"

"No"

While everyone was eating I was looking at them a bit jealous. They could taste all kinds of food while I could only watch. I felt a little disgusted, I would have given anything to try some of what they were eating. It seemed like a competition for who could eat the most food.

The three neutrals kept offering me food. Until they were done and everyone looked happy, they couldn't even get up to pick up their things. Around the table they left their swords and pistols on the floor. Watching for anything that might happen. Only one of the gentlemen was missing. Denver was not with us. Maybe he was busy looking for clues about the vampire, but sooner than expected. He came out of nowhere and looked at everyone. That was almost like an order for them to stand down, for the presence of so many men in armor intimidated anyone. One by one they all left the place. 

As I was leaving the place he spoke to me without hesitation. I had to stand there and answer him.

"Are you all right " he asked me.

"Yes, it's nothing"

"You must drink blood"

"It makes me want to vomit.."

"Ok, then what should you eat?"

"I don't care. I don't feel hungry or anything"

"If you don't feed you'll die, remember the vampire we followed left animal bodies everywhere, but you came all this time without eating anything"

"I'm fine, I feel the same"

He took out a knife he had on the side of his armor and cut his arm a little to see if there was any reaction in me, but nothing happened.

"This is bad, we must do something for you"

"Don't worry, I'm fine"

This time he took a necklace off his neck and gave it to me.

"Wear it, it won't kill you but it will force you to cling to your human form"

"This was from you ...."

"Yes, but unlike you he was aggressive like an animal, although he lived like a person, his instinct called him"

I put it on and within seconds I was hungry. I felt like I was going to faint.

He took me by the shoulders and we went back to the restaurant, sat down at a table to eat. It was strange for me, as if I was human again. The waiter brought us the same food that all my companions ate, the smell of chicken was intense, as if I had not eaten for years, but before taking the first bite he spoke to me.

"What do you feel when you are human again?"

"Hunger and tiredness"

Marcos came to pick us up and was surprised that I was there about to eat, because I had a fork in my hand.

"It seems you only listen to Denver, too bad" he said without hesitation.

"It's not like that, what"

"Yes, we have to force him, or else he will die for not eating," said Denver"

He sat down at the table and began to bother me.

"You look tired, let's rest" he said.

"Just wait for me to finish a I haven't tasted this"

Not even five seconds had passed when I said that and I started to cut the chicken, but I felt too strange, I started to eat with my hand as my companions did, I looked like a wild animal.

Both Denver and Marcos stared, but I didn't care, the chicken was very tasty, and it had been months since I had tasted something so seasoned, I could only eat bread when I was still human. This was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

[...]

I agreed to my companion's request and left the restaurant together with the two hunters.

Afterwards, we arrived at an inn and the group was divided in two, since there were not enough rooms for all of us.

I had to sleep next to Emiliano and Esteban, each one in a bed, it was strange for me, I could not sleep all this time, I just lay down to think and now I felt tired. I remembered that I was still wearing the necklace that Denver gave me and that's why I was more human.

I was calmer, but I had to be alert if that vampire showed up. However this town was quite active at night, I wanted to go out to see what was going on, but I was tired and I started to get sleepy like the day I was bitten by that vampire, I couldn't get up to do anything else.

[...]

While I was sleeping, someone woke me up, it was Marcos who was still half asleep and entered the room.

"We're all going to bathe in the river"

"I'm not a human, I don't need to bathe"

"We haven't had a bath for days, you should do it"

He yawned all the time.

Esteban looked at us and said.

"Hey, let's go, we have to join the group"

"Let's go," said Marcos

He took my hands and we left the lodge.

Everyone was together getting the latest information.

Albert, apparently in charge, gave the information.

"They found two people this morning who had their throats slit by the vampire we are looking for. We must search every house until we find him"

"What happened to Denver?"

"He fought with that demon yesterday and got hurt, he won't come out for now"

Another guy showed up and talked to Albert. He had frizzy red hair, tall and with a darker beard and a scar on his face.

Marcos approached me and explained who he was.

"He is Denver's right hand man, he is giving the intrusions to Albert on his behalf"

"So why didn't he try to talk to me like he did?"

"Most people didn't like that Denver left you alive, and that he let you come with us"

I had become a problem for him, but I promised him I wouldn't leave. So I had to keep going until we killed that vampire.

After dialoguing with Albert the guy rejoined us and he spoke again.

"According to information, the vampire is a little weak, by taking animal blood it will be easier, we will have to go from house to house. And you must go from five people, please if you see him do not hesitate to shoot him, the lives of many people are at risk"

At the end everyone joined and went to look for the vampire, I followed the neutrals who were already five with two more subjects who had joined them.