Warnings: Mentions of Death and Dying. Main Character Death. Vampires. Vampire Themes. Blood. Drug Use. Potentially Gore. Shapeshifting. Apparitions. Nightmares. Visions.
Authors Note: This is NOT a stand alone work. To understand the full story, you must read the character introduction to Jake first. You can find this linked on the masterpost! Not every character introduced will require the other stories to be read prior, this one most certainly does.
New York City, New York, Fall 2044
With a single elbow rested upon the smooth mahogany bar top Danny angled himself slightly to survey the empty room before him. Sinking back into the leather lined chair, feet laid across the neighboring stool. The lights were dim and soft jazz played over the speakers. A clink of glass alerted him to the presence of someone behind the bar.
The smell of morning dew and incense tickled his nose. He did not need to look back to know it was Francis arriving to set up for the day shift.
Fuck, he stayed here way too long again.
The sun must be up by now.
The darkened windows left a constant sense of night within the restaurant. Jakes doing, smart one at that. But sometimes that led to trouble for this darkened casanova. The morning shift often found Danny after a rough night in this exact spot. Looking across the building. Never knowing what was going on in his mind. Most were too afraid to speak to him in these moments. Not Francis.
“2002, Bold.” Francis said inquisitively placing a bottle upon the counter with an accompanying glass. Danny smiled and raised the empty glass that he forgot he was holding out towards the man.
“You know me so well.”
“I do my best.” Francis replied, uncorking the dark olive bottle and reaching over to pour the contents into Daniels glass.
Daniel watched with a hum. His dark brown eyes clouding with a shimmering red hue as the thick liquid filled the cup in his hands. Running his tongue along his sharpened canines, the slowly extended as he swirled the glass between his fingers. Bringing the wine to his lips, he savored each sip. Francis watched while continuing his tasks. Not ready to push what was on the mans mind, but leaving the opening there.
Danny placed the empty glass onto the bar top and sighed. “Its been so long.”
Francis raised his eyebrow, a silent question.
“Of this. Of pretending to walk amongst people. People that I am so far from.”
“You’re right next to me, I’m people.” Danny rolled his eyes at Francis and sat up. Swinging his legs beneath the bar and leaning both forearms onto the wood. He looked at Francis intently.
“I can never return from what I have done. What I have become. What I still ache to do. I am a monster Sa-, Francis.” he shook his head at the slip up. He understood Jakes urge to find his brothers in every lifetime. Their brothers. But it got difficult sometimes.
All the memories he held of them. All the memories Francis did not know. Sometimes Daniel whispered them to him through his dreams. The moments he wished to relive.
Allegheny River, Pennsylvania, Spring 1792
Coming to America was exciting and terrifying for a young boy. The journey on the ship was grueling and unpleasant. Many grew sick and some did not make the journey. Daniels father told him that was to be expected. He still did not like seeing a body be slipped into the water from the side of the ship in early light.
One time he swore he saw glowing red eyes approaching in the darkness. He told his sister and gave her quite the fright. His parents scolded him harshly. Since they had arrived in the New World they began to travel to a farm in Western Pennsylvania.
A family that the Wagners had known back in Germany, the Kiszkas, were waiting for them. At 14 years of age, Daniel would be immediately indentured to work for them upon arrival.
The farm was smaller than expected. Daniel feared the worst for this time, but he was lucky for a farm hand. The family was kind. They had 3 sons and a daughter near his age. Twin boys Jacob and Joshua, 18 years old. A girl, 16 years of age. She left soon after Danny's arrival, she had been betrothed. And Samuel, a boy only a few months ahead of Danny in age. Daniel Wagner worked hard and steadily found himself as a fourth brother of the Kiszka farm.
During the days, Daniel took to the more stoic twin, Jacob. He became his right-hand on the farm in all the chores. An arrangement that would continue for eternity. Jacob was grateful for the addition of Dan. At first he argued his parents.
They were not in a position to be sponsoring another family to the New World. They had not truly made a name for themselves yet. They insisted however, the money from their sisters betrothal helped. And the Wagners were close neighbors back home even before any of their children were had. Jake tried to remember his time in Germany. He left when they were six, so Daniel would have been born. He could not recall. Joshua however did. He did remember when the neighbors had the baby boy. Astonishing to Jake that he could remember that but never his chores around the homestead.
Yes, to all of the Kiszka, Daniel was much welcome there.
When work was done, it is Samuel that Dan would cling to. They became inseparable. Much to the Kiszka patriarchs chagrin. That duo was all play, no work. Running through the woods. Swimming in the river. Racing horses. If there was trouble, they would find it. Even worse than his twin boys.
New York City, New York, Fall 2044
Danny stared at Francis with longing. Not for love but for familiarity. For a time long ago. From their life together as it should have been. Samuel Kiszka and Daniel Wagner. Farmers. Later tradesmen, merchants, lovers of life.
Up until their dying day, everyone would recall the one night where Sam and Dan got caught sneaking out in the dark to swim. They were not caught by any person however.
It was the sound of a blood-curdling yowl that pierced the still air and awoke the house. It was Jake that made it to the door just as it burst open, two petrified teen boys skittering through. Slamming the door shut behind them, Danny collapsed to the floor unable to catch his breath. Sammy was shaking between the arms of their mother with silent tears.
Josh looked through the window of their home into the dark to see yellow eyes in a tree and then back to the shaken boys in just their undergarments and laughed. It was not until the next morning that they calmed down enough to explain the big cat the had ran from. Something that they arguably should not have been able to do.
But for some reason, the destiny intertwining them always saw divine intervention of sorts. At least when they were together.
Maybe if they were together that day Danny went to hunt with Jake... Maybe things wouldn't have ended the way way they did. Daniel thought of that possible life.
He had decided, he would have found himself a tanner, staying in the wooded area and servicing hunting outposts.
Samuel went on to be an ironworker for a bit but left and turned to the logging industry. Joshua joined him for some time.
Jacob worked the river, and then the canal, and then onwards. It was him and his affinity for ships that brought the four of them together to a new settlement that had yet to see pioneer migration.
Compiling the money they had earned, and the money the Jake and Daniel sourced from other endeavors, they were able to purchase land in Michigan.
Crossing the lake around 1818 the ragtime quartet made a new name for themselves. Samuel continued logging, Jacob and Daniel opted to work on their house, and a new business for Josh. An Inn and Tavern. Something he ran and upkept until his death in 1826.
Samuel took over and ran the business until he passed in 1832. Their legacy still stands today, their descendants and more continue to run the Inn. One of the first to have been ready to accept the arriving settlers, and still happily accepting visitors today.
A legacy he and Jacob should have left behind the right way.
“Hey Francis, ever been to Michigan? I know a spot."
“Not yet. When should we go?”
The duo smiled at one another. Daniels curls framing his sharpened cheeks. His nose slightly upturned as the smile grew and tugged at his lips and added a brightness to his seemingly dull eyes. His fangs were on full display, claws gently tapping a tune against the bar. Daniel arose from his seat and made a clear notion to depart.
“Soon.”
England, 1347
It was quiet for an early morning. No bird song graced the air. The sun stood barely above the horizon, the sky still resembling dusk rather than the impending dawn. Cobblestone was thick between his feet. There was a buzz that came and went. Flies. So many flies. Thick fur brushed across his foot. With a jump back he looked down at the source, a mangy looking rat scurrying past.
Surveying his surroundings he saw he was in an alleyway. The smell was nauseating. The air was sour, putrid, rancid even, with an odd sweetness beneath it. He was going to be sick. The streets were wet. Blood. There was so much blood. And other dark fluids he would rather not explore the origin of.
That's when it hit him. Where he was. The plague. This was the plague. The smell? The blood? Oh my god. The corpses, they were clear to him now. Lining the street where he stood. He looked down at his feet, held his hands out, he could not move from the spot. Why is he here? Is he here? What is happening?
A movement ahead caught his attention. A figure growing from the shadows. Crouching slowly over a corpse up ahead. Oh. Not a corpse. Not yet at least. Daniel watched helplessly as the figure loomed over the now groaning man on the ground. His heart was racing. Daniel could hear it.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Each beat quickening in fear as the figure descended upon him. The metallic smell hit Danny like a truck. Fresh blood. It was in that moment he felt it. A deep change. His mouth opened involuntarily, each tooth sharpening, elongating, pulsating. His eyes now flickered an ember color.
Hunger.
Need.
Want.
The figure rose from the man beneath him, his corpse devoid of all blood. Daniel could not make out any discerning features besides the sharpened smirk settled beneath the bright ruby red eyes that came to meet his. With a slow extension a claw reached for him. In a deep an alluring voice the figure crooned.
“Daniel—-”.
Upstate New York, Fall 1802
As the creature consumed him against the Cabin floor, Daniel felt an erie sense of calm. That was until he heard Jacobs approach. Run! Leave! he cried out in his mind. Get out of here while you can! It was futile. He was already gone from the mortal realm. So why, was he still aware?
As an apparition he was bound to the cabin, to his body, to hear the pathetic screams of Jacob in the distance. He stared down at his slumped corpse. He was full of anger. How dare his life end this way. In his anger he was unaware of the approaching figure. The shadow man.
Seeing Daniel within the cabin he almost entered, but turned towards the screams of Jacob. In silence he took care of the creature. Shifting into the vision of an animal he was swift in approaching the local medicine man and urging them to go find the two boys, find them before it is too late. Too dangerous for all around.
It was Jake they got to first. Joining him to the back of a sled, dogs dragged his bloodied body to their long house as the search for Daniel continued.
“Daniel—” the deep voice pierced his anger. His apparition spun around in confusion. Why did he recognize that voice?
“Daniel— he needs you. They need you. Do not let the anger consume you.”
Daniel did not understand just yet. But as men in animal hides entered the cabin and approached his pale corpse, he knew he must listen. A week had gone by. He thought. He was plagued by visions of destruction and death and anger. He shifted in hunger. His body shook. He was both aware of everything and nothing at all.
An awake and confused Jake watched for days as Daniel shook and groaned within the long house.
“Did I do that too?” he asked, unsure if the people would understand his question. They did, and shook their heads no.
Jake understood then, they were no longer scared of him, but Daniel, even Jake was scared of him now. Would he become the creature they encountered? Is that why they kept calling them that name? Tcis'gä.
It played over and over again in Daniels head while he was comatose.
Tcis'gä.
Tcis'gä.
Tcis'gä.
I am Tcis'gä.
No.
A deep voice broke through his mantra and startled him. To those awake, Daniel had gone still for the first time. They began to retreat in fear.
No.
It spoke to his mind again.
Not Tcis'gä.
A vision was projected into his mind. Of Daniel standing in a desolate alleyway soaked in blood. Of hunger. Of need. Of a darkness that filled his soul. An anger deep in his now still veins. He understood. Death. He had become one with death.
He was teetering a dangerous line. Embrace the dark, or hold onto some light. In the distant night, a scream pierced the hearts of everyone in the long house.
Jake knew that sound. So did the medicine man. He turned to Jake with a soft smile and a nod. Daniel would be safe. Not Tcis'gä.
While Jake associated that noise with the big cat the stalked their homestead and chased his brothers, to the medicine man it meant power. And balance. And shapeshifting but he was willing to overlook that for the time being. What matters is the balance. Daniel had found it within himself.
Rising from where he lay with a gasp, frantically looking around and towards the sound, Daniel was awake and calling out in despetation.
“Sam!”
New York City, New York, Summer 1979
With a huff and a scratch beneath his nostril Danny wiped away the white powder he had just inhaled. Sitting upwards and slowly descending backwards upon the velvet lined couch behind him he settled into the haze he grew to chase. As Jacob was out chasing his brothers, Danny attempted to do some soul searching back home. It was going. Well. Bad.
If he was not seeking substances, he was succumbing to his rage. He knew he needed to be careful. Especially with other ongoings in the news. But that still did not stop the horrific behavior he was engaging in amongst the shadows.
As he stared at the ceiling, it was the shadows that began to speak to him. Maybe it was the cocaine but the corner of the room began to appear as a person approaching him.
“Daniel.” the deep sound broke his wandering mind. Sitting up swiftly he stared at the figure. He had no heart beat. No scent. Not human. Not vampire either? But that voice. It had been speaking to him for years.
Materializing next to him on the couch now appeared a lanky man. Short brown hair, soft, looked almost black. Green eyes. A suit that looked like it belonged decades prior in Chicago.
“You must pull yourself together. It is time to change. Jake is returning. Things are coming for you.”
“What? Who are you?” Daniel questioned, but the man was gone.
New York City, New York, Fall 2044
Daniel retreated from the front half of the restaurant and descended into the night club situated beneath. Heading towards the back door connecting to the storehouse he was stopped by a man standing in the middle of the empty dance floor.
“Asa.”
“Daniel—” he crooned.
Danny sighed. What fucking now?
“She’s coming.”
“Who?”
“She.” declared the man, and into the shadows he returned.
Quick Facts: born in Germany in 1778 - immigrated to the US in 1792 - died in Upstate New York in 1802 - forever 24 years old (human appearance) - 266 years old (vampire) - ability to influence others dreams, communicate through them, and watch what they are seeing - reformed menace (violently) - still a menace (sexually) - playboy of the club - enforcer of harshness when needed - soft spot for those he loves (can he still love?) - death personified (but he wants to move away from this) ((he couldn't even if he tried))
𓊈 𝔰𝔲𝔟𝔪𝔦𝔱 𝔞𝔫 𝔞𝔰𝔨 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔞𝔡𝔡𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔞𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 𓊉
Acknowledgments: Daniel's story introduces a lot of concepts and individuals that will be presented in future intros. Francis, Asa, and even a reference to Chris appears in this story. The vampires in particular are all intricately intertwined even eons before they had encountered one another. There are more Seneca legends drawn upon in this work, specifically that of the Mountain Lion. Both spiritually as a shapeshifter and as symbol for strength and balance. To settlers, the Mountain Lion was bad and to be eradicated. To the local indigenous peoples, it was to be honored. Unfortunately in the region spoken of here, the settlers won and Mountain Lions no longer reside.
Warnings: Character Death. Mentions of Blood. Mentions of Death and Dying. Angst. Reincarnation. Vampire Myths. Vampire Themes. Yearning.
Upstate New York, Fall 1802
Fear pumped through his veins as Jake ran blindly in desperation through the woods. With each heavy breath and thud of his boots upon the ground, blood rushed to his head. It was too dark, the fog thick and unwavering. The ground beneath him was uneven and the fallen leaves crunching underfoot left him powerless in any attempt to stay silent. Some thing was approaching swiftly. Jake could not make sense of what he had seen upon entering the cabin. A person? A corpse? Not even. The sickly looking lanky figure emerged from the shadows emitting a low and unnerving groan. It slowly faced a stunned Jake. In an instant the creature made a surge forward, mouth falling open to reveal a mouth full of sharpened teeth.
Without a second thought, Jake took off into the dark, dropping the water fowl he had scored on his earlier hunt. Crashing through the brush he was losing momentum. He had no clue where he even was. Finding that cabin itself was pure luck, he and Danny were already beginning to realize they were fairly lost and were not making it out in time before dark. Fuck. Danny. Where was he? Is he safe? Panic of a different manner began to settle in. It was all too much. Running straight into a tree, Jake collapsed with a sob. Slamming his fist into the bark in front of him he began to scream into nothing until his voice was hoarse.
“Danny! Daniel! Where are you? Dan! Please! Answer Me!”
Slumped against the Maple in exhaustion he could hear the creature closing in. Knuckles bloodied from the wood in front of him, he was in defeat. Where the fuck was Daniel? He hadn't heard him nor did he see him. If Danny could get out of here, his brothers would be okay. They would have someone to provide for them. Shifting his head upwards Jake was greeted to two glowing pupils advancing through the fog. Daniel would get out of here. Daniel would be safe and so would his family.
“Come and take me.” he whispered.
Unfortunately, in his panic, Jake had failed to notice one detail at the cabin. In the shadows beneath the feet of the creature laid the limp body of Danny. Now devoid of all blood. Against the old Maple, Jake screamed in agony as he faced the same fate.
Allegheny River, New York, Spring 1898
Walking along the water Jake was reminded of that night 96 years ago. Almost a century. A century of being forever 28. A century of being a monster. Somehow he found himself returning here time and time again. No matter the horrors that occurred. His gratitude outweighed the grief. It was this land that took his mortal life, yes. But it was this land, and its people, that kept him from going past the brink. For better or worse, he is grateful. Jake went on to have 30 more years with his brother Samuel, and 24 with his twin Joshua. His other half. The missing part of his soul. He will forever search for that piece. He thought back on that detrimental Fall hunt.
Days after the creature attack, Jake woke up to the smell of smoke and a sweetness. Herbs of sorts? He came to groggy and confused. Was this the after life? No… he felt a softness beneath him, some sort of animal pelt. Eyes opening he took in his surroundings. He was in a massive log cabin of sorts. Sitting up he realized how many people were around, cautiously watching his movements. They were afraid of him. What happened? Where is Daniel? A groan from his left answered that question. There next to him beneath a deer hide was a head of curls covered in think dried blood. Blood? Jake looked down at his hands, reached for his long chestnut hair. He too was covered in the crimson.
It would take a long time for Jake to understand, to remember, to move on. It took Daniel even longer to come to. They stayed in this place for what felt like weeks. A healer of sorts helping them the best they could, the communication barrier was difficult. One word was drilled into his head. It was clear it was what they referred to himself and Daniel as. Even worse, it was the same word belonging to the creature. Tcis'gä.
Jake and Daniel did not want to overstay their welcome. They left as soon as they could. They both felt some deep unsettling within themselves, something they were about to face the moment they meandered their way home. Home to a desperate pair of brothers who had begun to give up hope. From that day forward, Jake and Danny made a commitment to giving back to the people of this land the best they could.
That is what kept pulling him back. And some other sensation he had yet to understand. A sense of familiarity, a beacon of energy. He chased the feeling to the ends of the earth.
New York City, New York, Fall 2044
It had been 242 years since becoming a creature of the night, a servant to blood-lust and carnage. Appearance wise, there was little to no change. Soft chestnut waves, deep brown eyes, skin as olive as it could be for someone long deceased. New features appeared. Gleaming fangs. A sharpened set of claws. A chilling sensation of ice in place of what was once a beating heart. Feelings were not frozen however. Jacob Kiszka was important. Over the decades, he made a name for himself. Success did not mean all. Jacob Kiszka in all regards is tormented beyond belief. His soul, or what was left of it, yearned for Joshua. For Samuel even.
As he came to learn, the energy that called to him years ago was his twin and his brother. In their new lives. Who would have thought? Reincarnation IS real? Guess you could say the same about the animal he had become as well. Creature of the night. Vampire. Tcis'gä even. Whatever you called it, it all came down to the same thing. Jake was stuck in a loop. Why not make the best of it?
Travelling the world, making friends, learning so many things. Jake found himself back to where he started time and time again. That is why he chose to settle here, create quite the life for himself even. Residing in New York City he oversaw a popular nightclub, a premier wine bar, and ran the adjacent winery located upstate. On Seneca land of course. A portion of all proceeds went back to his saviors.
His business placed him above others, especially in the United States. While he served humans at his establishments, the true intended clientele were his fellow brethren. With the help of those along his travels, Jacob Kiszka became a King of sorts amongst vampires of the States. He curated an industry to sustain his kind. One that not many had access to the inner workings. To those who were not part of his chosen family, he remained a mystery. Often referred to as “dark and broody”, he was intimidating. In reality, it was his right hand man, Daniel, that one should fear - not Jake.
Jake had done some damage back in the day. Still could, and still would if need be. Yet - at the end of the day - it was his brothers he would continuously seek above all else. He vowed to find them in each and every incarnation of their lives. Did he always have success? No. But he still tried.
Mercifully, in the past decade, Jake stumbled across Michael, an illusive painter that frequented nightclubs right here in New York City. He smelled of Patchouli and felt like sunshine. Joshua. Returning from a business trip, it was Daniel who brought home Francis. A vagabond, poet, and amateur pianist he found blundering the world. He felt like smooth Jazz and smelled of morning dew. Samuel.
This club. This winery. This bar. Jacobs legacy. It all came together and operated at its peak when he had everything he could need -- his family.
𓊈 𝔰𝔲𝔟𝔪𝔦𝔱 𝔞𝔫 𝔞𝔰𝔨 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔞𝔡𝔡𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔞𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 𓊉
Acknowledgments: Throughout this series I will be pulling from a variety of vampire myths and legends from different cultures as inspiration. Each individual will have their own history and origin to be explored and discussed. Jacob (and Daniel) both encounter a creature known as the Tcis'gä. This is a Senece legend. i chose this particular vampire like creature because I wanted the boys to be from North America and around 300 years old in the present day of the story. That places them in the early settling of America. Rather than taking a German legend such as the Blutsauger (given the origin of the Kiszkas) I have established a goal of highlighting regional and time specific culture throughout the entirety of this work. I hope you all enjoy learning within the folds of this fanfiction.
