Post by laura on Sept 13, 2007 23:15:38 GMT -5
I watched in morbid fascination as he stalked his prey, waiting for a sign, something to assure me I hadn't just tracked down another of your average, run of the mill murderers.
I'd been tracking this guy for over three months, and in that time, more than twenty people had been mercilessly slaughtered, their bodies left to rot in the sewers, until sewage workers came across them. But this time, I had him. This time, the d**n vampire would not get away.
There it was. The moment I’d been waiting for. His retractable claws slid out of their sheaths, and he grinned devilishly as he moved in for the kill. This is it. No mistakes. No room for error. Just the three of you, and either two will walk away proud, or one will walk away with a full stomach.
"Now!" I shouted, pulling my crossbow out of its sheath at my side. The vampire's "unsuspecting prey" jumped around, peppering the vampire with bullets, as I shot arrow after arrow into its back. Not to be shaken easily, he leaped toward me, claws held out in front of him, and impaled himself on my weapon’s steel tip.
"We did it!" I shouted, struggling to push the heavy corpse off of me. "We killed the d**n bastard!" Seth, my partner, who had been instrumental in taking the killer down, fell to his knees, staring at the body with a mix of shock, and horror, as I attempted to clip one of the vampire's thick claws for my collection, (and a couple for my arrows).
I wasn't surprised at his reaction. Seth was just a child, and no matter how much he wanted to “destroy the forces of evil”, as he put it, one’s first kill is always shocking. Knowing that because of you, one of the many plagues on humanity would never kill again. Plus, he had probably expected the gun to kill it, even though I had explained only something extremely tough, like steel, or their own claws (hence my efforts to acquire them), could penetrate a vampires tough hide.
“Pretty good kill, aye?” I asked, kicking the carcass into a nearby ditch. The rising sun would take care of getting rid of the body, disintegrating it until nothing remained for the neighbors to find.
“You… you… you killed him.”
“No my boy, we killed him.”
“What?” He looked up at me, a confused expression on his face.
“It’s our job!” I exclaimed cheerfully. “They’re vermin, and it’s up to us to exterminate them!” I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings, should have been aware of what was about to happen. Instead, I continued to happily pull my arrows out of the vampire’s back.
“You… you murderer!” He shouted, jumping to his feet.
“What? Seth, what are you…? I paused as I saw him walking toward me slowly, a strange fire burning in his eyes.
“You killed my brother, my girl. Now I’m going to return the favor.”
“Seth, no! I didn’t! Please, put the gun down, we can talk about this!” I didn’t even have time to scream, before he showered me with bullets, ranting all the while about how I had murdered his brother, how he was going to enjoy my murder, how as soon as I was dead he was going to drain my body of its blood. I fell to the ground, feeling my life slowly ebb away.
“Well, well, well,” a rich, velvety voice sounded from the shadows of the alley. “How the mighty have fallen.” He walked over to me slowly, sizing up my condition. “What a shame. Youth, cut down in its prime.” Then, he knelt beside me and ran his hand down my back, sending a fresh wave of pain through my body, and shivers down my spine. “But it doesn’t have to be this way, does it, Laura? You have what, ten, fifteen minutes to live?”
“Who… what are you?” I struggled to ask, although I already knew the answer.
“Shhh.” He pressed a gloved finger to my lips. “Don’t speak. You need your energy.” He peeled off one of his gloves, revealing perfectly manicured hands, a pianist's hands. “We’ve already established the fact that you, Laura Crofort, are dying, and I…” He leaned closer to me, whispering in my ear, “can make you feel much, much, better. I can make you…” He paused, clearly for dramatic affect.
Don’t say it… Please don’t say-
“Like me.”
I'd been tracking this guy for over three months, and in that time, more than twenty people had been mercilessly slaughtered, their bodies left to rot in the sewers, until sewage workers came across them. But this time, I had him. This time, the d**n vampire would not get away.
There it was. The moment I’d been waiting for. His retractable claws slid out of their sheaths, and he grinned devilishly as he moved in for the kill. This is it. No mistakes. No room for error. Just the three of you, and either two will walk away proud, or one will walk away with a full stomach.
"Now!" I shouted, pulling my crossbow out of its sheath at my side. The vampire's "unsuspecting prey" jumped around, peppering the vampire with bullets, as I shot arrow after arrow into its back. Not to be shaken easily, he leaped toward me, claws held out in front of him, and impaled himself on my weapon’s steel tip.
"We did it!" I shouted, struggling to push the heavy corpse off of me. "We killed the d**n bastard!" Seth, my partner, who had been instrumental in taking the killer down, fell to his knees, staring at the body with a mix of shock, and horror, as I attempted to clip one of the vampire's thick claws for my collection, (and a couple for my arrows).
I wasn't surprised at his reaction. Seth was just a child, and no matter how much he wanted to “destroy the forces of evil”, as he put it, one’s first kill is always shocking. Knowing that because of you, one of the many plagues on humanity would never kill again. Plus, he had probably expected the gun to kill it, even though I had explained only something extremely tough, like steel, or their own claws (hence my efforts to acquire them), could penetrate a vampires tough hide.
“Pretty good kill, aye?” I asked, kicking the carcass into a nearby ditch. The rising sun would take care of getting rid of the body, disintegrating it until nothing remained for the neighbors to find.
“You… you… you killed him.”
“No my boy, we killed him.”
“What?” He looked up at me, a confused expression on his face.
“It’s our job!” I exclaimed cheerfully. “They’re vermin, and it’s up to us to exterminate them!” I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings, should have been aware of what was about to happen. Instead, I continued to happily pull my arrows out of the vampire’s back.
“You… you murderer!” He shouted, jumping to his feet.
“What? Seth, what are you…? I paused as I saw him walking toward me slowly, a strange fire burning in his eyes.
“You killed my brother, my girl. Now I’m going to return the favor.”
“Seth, no! I didn’t! Please, put the gun down, we can talk about this!” I didn’t even have time to scream, before he showered me with bullets, ranting all the while about how I had murdered his brother, how he was going to enjoy my murder, how as soon as I was dead he was going to drain my body of its blood. I fell to the ground, feeling my life slowly ebb away.
“Well, well, well,” a rich, velvety voice sounded from the shadows of the alley. “How the mighty have fallen.” He walked over to me slowly, sizing up my condition. “What a shame. Youth, cut down in its prime.” Then, he knelt beside me and ran his hand down my back, sending a fresh wave of pain through my body, and shivers down my spine. “But it doesn’t have to be this way, does it, Laura? You have what, ten, fifteen minutes to live?”
“Who… what are you?” I struggled to ask, although I already knew the answer.
“Shhh.” He pressed a gloved finger to my lips. “Don’t speak. You need your energy.” He peeled off one of his gloves, revealing perfectly manicured hands, a pianist's hands. “We’ve already established the fact that you, Laura Crofort, are dying, and I…” He leaned closer to me, whispering in my ear, “can make you feel much, much, better. I can make you…” He paused, clearly for dramatic affect.
Don’t say it… Please don’t say-
“Like me.”