She looked dark and lovely under the cover of the night. Her silhouette shifted and moved under the blankets as she moved to a more comfortable position. She looked like an angel in her sleep. She was finally at peace, her nightmares did not haunt her. I clasped her black nail polished hands in my own as I bend down beside her bed. Her skin was as white a snow, the softest things I've ever felt. Her eyes fluttered open. She let out a small smile, stretching her body and yawning.
"What are you -"
I put my free hand on her lips. I was surprised by the softness of them.
"We must go." I whispered in her ear. She grabbed my hands, closing her eyes in the process.
"Go where?" Her red lips trembled.
"Hunting."
Her breath caught in her throat, my words sunk in. She slowly rose up on her elbows, our hands still entwined. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and fear.
"I'm not ready."
"Yes, yes you are."
She shook her head at the idea. I squeezed her hand, silencing her. She must learn. She needs to know our ways. I slowed my breathing. My head was pounding from hunger. My limbs were shaking. I needed blood. My body was craving it, starving for it. I knew she was too for I could hear her stomach growling. Her body was breaking out in a sweat. Her once dark green eyes were now glossy.
"We must feed for we are both starved to death. It has been too long since our last meal." I stood up, letting go of her hand. I was hard for me to stand. Without another word, I slid her coat on her bed and walked out. I knew she would follow me. As I waited outside the crumbling building for Kasey, I could feel the ice cold breeze biting through my clothes and through my flesh. It ran my blood cold in my veins. I checked my pocket watch, the hands on it showed twelve. The night was still young.
I could hear her approaching, smell her perfume. It hung in the air. Lavender and Rose. She smelled sweet, so sweet she may bring more attention to us than necessary. I could not tell her to wash. She would protest, she would fight me and I was not in the mood to deal with teenage tantrums. They irritated me to no end. I pull her to the bus stop. It's white light beckoning the weary and lost. A salvation for the homeless to sleep in.
We could see an old man, filthy with dirt and the stench of a garbage, sprawled out on the bench. He did not stir nor bother to do so as we approached him. We waited in silence; the two of us, including the man. I could hear his soft snore beneath the lax bustle of the city life.
"Did you get to see him?" I turned to Kasey, the question surprised me. I nodded, not wanting to say more on the matter.
"What was he like?" Kasey asked. "Is he dying? How can he die?"
"Yes, he is dying like I've told you for the thousandth time. Now, shut up." I snapped at her. My voice was harsher than I had anticipated but I need her to be quiet for we were in the presence of a human.
I could see the bus from afar. Its lights shined brightly, vibrantly, in the sky tower jungle. Kasey grabbed my coat pocket. I could only imagine what she felt. What she was thinking at this very moment. We were now on the hunt.
The bus came to a squeaking halt. Its blue doors opened wide, inviting us inside. The old woman glanced at us for a brief moment before turning her attention back on the road. Kasey and I slid our cards in the meter before taking our seat in the far back. As the bus rolled on, I began to notice my surroundings.
The lights on the bus was a bit too bright, giving an eerie white light throughout. There were few passengers on. A man with a black hat. He kept glancing at his watch every few seconds. He tapped his foot and dwindled his fingers as he clutched tighter to his suitcase. There was a strange couple in the front. They kept glancing around them, fear swelling their eyes and movement. They were jittery, not able to stay still. The man kept grabbing the woman's hand. Both of them had hoods on. There they were. The ones I wanted. The ones I needed to feed on. We rode on for quite some time, passing blurry scenes of color and bodies. I waited until finally the man pulled the cord. I was first to walk off the bus, Kasey trailing slowly behind. The man and woman waited until Kasey and I got off before getting off themselves. They kept their heads low as they briskly walked pass us. Their voices were in a whisper. I looked up to the sky, feeling the first drops of rain falling on my face.
"Follow me, my dear."
*
Rain poured down on us, soaking us from head to toe. Yet we did not feel a thing. Our senses, our focus was on the prey that laid before us. They walked side by side with arms interloping each other. Their hoods coveted their faces as they walked down the dark cobblestoned street, leading us into the alleyway. I could hear their heart beating slowly, their breathing slow and focused. Their steps were deliberate and confidant. They will not see us coming. They will not hear us. It was a lonely street. Barely a living soul walked on it except the prey and the predators of the darkness. The woman leaned into the man for comfort. They were whispering to each other. Whispering of their sins and how they have gotten away with it. Murder. Robbery. A Family that consisted of a mother, a father and a poor old woman who did not deserved the fate they were deemed. I looked at Kasey. Her hands were shaking from the adrenaline. I was calm. As we all reached into the back alleys of dark bakery shops, pawn shops and cafes, I shook my head. It was our signal. And it happened. I rushed past them in a blurry flash. They stood still.
"What the bloody hell, mate? What you want?" The man spoke, his accent thick, his breath heavy with liquor. I could see the contours of his face, so too the woman. Their eyes were sunken and worn. I could see the hollows of their cheekbones. They were on drugs. Death was upon them.
"Hello, Sir and Madam." I approached the man, both my hands inching toward his pale blue eyed face. My fangs slid out of their hiding place. His heart beat faster and faster. His eyes were wide with horror and amazement. He couldn't move because of the fear. The woman started screaming, inching away from the pair of us, her body slumped over in terror. I bit into him. The blood. My god. The blood that seeped into my mouth, down my insides. It burned my body, burned my soul. It quenched my hunger most of all.
I could only hear the struggle. Kasey grabbed the woman. Shutting her up by draining her of her blood. I dropped his still body, watching it fall down with a thud to the cobblestone ground. The rain washed away what was left of his blood. I could hear gurgling behind be. I turned to see Kasey on the ground, the woman laying flat on her back. The woman's green eyes were wide and dead. Her hood was pulled down revealing her vibrant red hair. I put my hand on her shoulder, prompting Kasey to let the dead woman go. She did. Our breaths were heavy. The blood rushed through us like water. We felt alive. We felt strong. We felt invincible and indestructible. She stood up. She looked at me with the most curious eyes I've ever seen.
"Gregory, what did we just do?" Her question was unnecessary for I knew she knew what we did. She knew I didn't have to answer for she turned away, shame and guilt engulfing her innocent face. She has killed for the second time. A vampire never gets over their kill. It becomes them. They accept it.
"We kill because we have to. We have to live. That's why I brought you here. I needed to show you how to kill and who to kill." Her back was still facing me as I instructed her on our ways. Our coven, our history, and the potential devastation that awaited us. I jerked her around, forcing her to face me. I need her to listen and to face the truth. "We are creatures of the night. We are the predators of the human race. Accept your fate as it is." I paused, watching the tears fall down her face along with the rain. I fought the urge to wipe the tears from her face.
My voice was softer this time. "Listen, we're here because I wanted to show you that you do not have to kill. We killed these two because they were murderers. The filth of the earth. I have hunted these two for weeks now." Kasey looked down at the two bodies on the ground. I understood what she felt at the exact moment. It's what we all feel. I put my hand on Kasey's pale checks, surprised by the warmth of them. "They killed an innocent family, and all in the name of drugs, sex, and money. We have given that family justice, Kasey."
At this last statement, I felt the presence again, only this time it was strong, prevalent and close. He, too, had recently feed for I could still smell the fresh blood upon him. I could only guess who was following us, watching us from afar.
He jumped in front of us from the darkness above. His silhouette masked in shadows, made him look strong and invincible. Paris. My last protégée. My old companion.
His suit was soaked to the bones with water. His damp black hair masked part of his face. His light blue eyes burned me, seeping through my bones and into my soul. He was fierce. Angry. As he slowly rose up to his normal height, Kasey backed behind me. I shielded her from what was to come. What I have been waiting for for so long. Finally, it was time.
"You still believe yourself to be a man of God. A man who can determine who lives and who dies." His voice was husky, his French accent was thick almost hard to understand his English. "You still believe you can play God, punish the wicked and save the good." He chuckled a little bit, blood seeping out of his mouth. He wiped it away, licking his lips in the process. Paris closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the flavor of his kill. As he opened his eyes, something sparkled within them. Was it pride? Anger? Pity? I couldn't tell. He lifted both his hands in the air, as if surrendering.
"Do not worry, little birdy. I didn't come here to fight." He approached closer to use. I could feel Kasey's body stiffen, her breathing was ragged and short. I could hear her heart beating faster and faster with every step Paris took. I growled at him. He stopped walking. A smile crossed his pale face.
"I understand." He put his hands down to his side. Cocking his head to the side, he spoke with such fierceness and seriousness that it shock me to my core. "They are coming for you, for me, for her, for everyone. You know who." With that, he backed away into the dark corner of the alley. My clutched my hand to my heart. Trying my best to stay calm. To calculate. To run. Damn, there goes our peace and serenity.
"What was he talking about?" Kasey's hand grabbed my arm. The gesture angered me but I let it slide. I let the words slip off my lips like blood.
"Hunters. Human Hunters."964Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sJh1Nekot
