The fall was cold and it seemed that the leaves died far earlier then they had the year before, not that there were many trees to be seen in New York. This night was particularly cold, she was unsure if it was because of the moonless, starless sky that seemed to forewarn a coming storm. Wrapped up in her long brown coat she stepped out of her apartment building's warm hall. Her black hair fluttered behind her, and she rubbed together her dark brown hands. Taking a quick look around into the darkness, not paying any particular attention to what was around her.
Turning around she wanted to make sure the door locked, of course it didn't. The manager kept saying he would fix it when she moved in a year and a half ago, despite her constant complaints for him to repair it. The building had had twelve break-ins in the last three months alone.
If it wasn't for the fact that she had to meet up with some of her friends, she probably would of woken the lazy man up to give him a piece of her mind. He already didn't like her, and was looking for ways to get her kicked from the building. Giving a quick kick to the door, she turned back around and rubbed her upper arms, then checked her watch. She was already an hour late, they would never let her live this down.
Walking down the cement stairs, she began the short journey down the sidewalk. The bar wasn't far from here, and she wasn't about to pay for a cab to take her ten blocks. Had she not been in such a hurry she might of noticed the two men across the street, in jeans and heavy flannel shirts, staring intently at her when she kicked the door. She would of also notice that as she walked down the street they followed closely behind. It wasn't until she accidentally dropped her gloves when she pulled them from her pocket, that she noticed them across from her, walking behind her. There had been several murdered rape victims lately, of course there was always something to be afraid about, especially in this neighborhood.
Shaking her heard, she decided that she was being silly as she picked up her gloves, when she turned back around she speeded her pace. The only sound that could be heard in the abandon street was the sound of her high heels, clanking along, as she sped down the sidewalk. Trying to take her mind of the fear of the strangers behind her, she watched the fog that formed around her lips because of her breath.
Slightly turning her head she saw them walking along the street with her, keeping with the pace she set. When she looked back a second time, they ran across the street towards her, letting her know that this was not just her being paranoid. Fight or flight was her decision now and she settled with flight, before fight even played across her mind. Her high heels slowed her down not to mention her short stride from being of below average height. All she could think of was that she should of taken a cab, which should have been the furthest thing from her mind. Her heart raced, as she turned her head again to see the men were gaining on her. The louder clanks of her heels echoed throughout her mind, as she came closer to an alley. Maybe it was because it was familiar, or that it just seemed dark enough to hide her, but she decided to run down it, despite the fact she knew it was a dead end.
As she turned into the alley she could barely make out the garbage filled ground, the only light was from the flashing light bulb directly above the dumpster in the middle of the alley. Keeping her stride she continued down into the darkness as she leapt over the scattered boxes and fast food containers. Once she realized her mistake in coming down the alley it was to late to turn back, as she turned her head, she saw them standing in the light of the street. They knew just as well as she did that the alley was a dead end. The brick wall revealed itself when she came to stand three feet from it, looking back she could see the shadow of the men walking down towards her. Their taunting laughter gave a slight echo bouncing off the bricks of the buildings.
Her heart throbbed, and it felt like it was trying to push itself out through her throat. She couldn't of screamed if she wanted to, and the feeling of her eyes tightening as they tried to hold back her tears, show no fear she thought to herself. Pressing her back up against the alley, she felt her pink plastic nails dig into the brick, as she unintentionally tried to dig her way through. The nail from her right middle finger popped off, landing with a soft thud onto a wooden box beside her. Fear had completely taken over her mind, as she climbed onto the box and turned to place her back against the wall, still digging with her nails into the brick. Both men came to a stop in front of her, looking her over as if they were enjoying the moments they had with her before them in total fear. One of them had wild brown hair, deep haunting dark eyes, and when he smiled, he revealed that he was missing his front teeth. He was shorter then his friend, but all she could think about was that fact that he was smiling.
His chubby cheeks giving her a large grin as he licked his lips.
The other was a bald man of large height, and a very slim build. Under his eyes were dark circles, and the coloring of his skin was off, like an almost bluish hue. He didn't even grin just gave her a look that sent a shiver of fear up her spine.
"Hey, pretty lady, we just wanted to talk to you." The wild haired man said, his words were stuttered several times, as if he had spent a lifetime on cocaine.
She released a deep breath, the air in front of her lips turned white which for the moment told her she was still breathing.
The bald man said nothing, just reached out his hand and rubbed her cheek. His hand slid down her arm, and as she felt him about to yank her to him the wild haired man spoke.
"Hey, you went first last time. I'm sick of being second."
The bald man let her go, and walk over next to his friend. They took a moment to whisper to one another, they weren't even afraid to waste time in fear of being caught. "At the same time?" The wild haired man said audibly.
Taking a huge gasp of air, she searched for the words, any words. "Please, don't kill me." She begged, her eyes filled up with tears as she realized what she was begging for. "Please, God, save me." She had never been the type to go to church, but she prayed never the less in hopes that she might receive a miracle for a lost lamb.
Closing her eyes, she let the tear fall down her cheeks and when she opened them to look at the men, she thought she saw a bird take off from above the building to the right. The men chuckled at her and began their approach, she closed her eyes again and when she opened them she saw the dark figure land behind them. She knew then it was her bird, it had made no sound when it landed after jumping off the three story building. Slowly it walked behind them, reaching out both of it's hands. The hands went straight for the necks of both men, she heard a snap and the wild haired man fell limp to the ground.
The bald man did not fall instead the dark figure pulled him towards it, he screamed as it went into the darkness, but only for a moment. After a short live silence, she heard another snap, sucking in her breath she waited wondering if she would be the next to fall. The shadow form stepped into the light revealing a woman wearing a black cocktail dress and black over coat. Her dark blonde locks had appeared to have come undone.
"Thank you." She said to the woman in the cocktail dress, hoping that this truly was her savior. Giving her a once over, she placed her index finger over her lips. Letting her know that she should never speak a word of this moment. She felt safe in the strange woman's presence, and from the gesture alone knew that she was out of the forthcoming darkness that had almost taken her.
"Did God send you?" She didn't know why she asked, perhaps it was to get reassurance, or a logical explanation. "Are you an angel?" The woman only smiled, and without a single word, she jumped into the air and vanished over the brick building to her left. Leaving her alone to stand in the alley, but alive, unsure as to call the police or go home. Remembering her savior's request to remain silent, she began her journey back to her apartment, she would think of a reason why she couldn't met her friends in the morning. As she stepped out of the alley, she looked over to the building where her angel had disappeared. Deciding she wanted to place this on God, she thank him for saving her, and promised to return to church.
Looking at the floors, she saw that she was nearing her floor, and gave herself one more glance before the doors would open. Her black handbag still had dust on the bottom from when she left it on the roof, while her black heels had scrapped along the side of one of the buildings, and now carried a scuff mark. She sighed as she reached down to pull it off, to see if she could rub the scuff off with her fingers.
She heard the ding of the elevator doors opened, and placed her still scuffed shoe back on. Bringing her eyes to the dark brown hallway, she stepped out onto the soft green carpet. Again, her nose was met with the pungent odor of cleaning agents, she hated weekends when they scrubbed down the building. Walking down the hall, she passed Mrs. Kraig's apartment, she could hear the old women open the door before she saw it.
As the door opened, Mrs. Kraig revealed her short withered form, white curls stuffed together into a hair net. She wore a white robe with blue flowers, and a pair of blue slippers. The last thing Kailin was in the mood for was to entertain the old woman's complaints, but she knew that she would have to.
"There you are, Miss Drake." The old woman spit when she said her name.
"Yes, Mrs. Kraig?"
The old woman stepped out into the hallway and looked her over, "What are you a hussy now? Dressing like a street walker, I thought you were the good one, out of the two."
"I just came from an dinner meeting. I had to dress nice."
Mrs. Kraig gave a disgusted look, "You girls, these days; think that you have to show off all your parts in order to get a man. In my day, you left everything to the imagination. Then the man felt like he earned something..."
"Did you need to speak with me?" Kailin interrupted her, she was older then this woman could imagine. She didn't want to listen to how she should be dressed, besides it was a long gown, the only thing it showed was some of her cleavage and her arms. Her arms were covered by her coat, so she didn't need to hear anymore.
"Yes, your hussy girlfriend..."
"Roommate."
"You know what I mean, she brought another man in there tonight. That girl is going straight to hell, bringing all these men into her bed. Woman needs to be properly married before she gives herself to a man." She huffed, "You girls just don't respect yourselves anymore, don't understand there are plenty of men..."
"Mrs. Kraig, I am very tired. I have work in the morning, but I will talk to Gabrielle about bringing men into the apartment."
"Alright, you tell her that if she doesn't stop being a tramp, she'll go straight to hell!"
"I'll tell her you said that. Have a good night, Mrs. Kraig."
Kailin watched the old woman slip into her apartment without another word, and then returned to walking down the hallway to her apartment door. As she stopped at the door, she turned her attention to her handbag and began searching for the keys. Locating her key chain, she fondled around trying to find the apartment key. Her elbow tapped the door, and it opened to reveal the peach colored living room. Kailin sighed, thinking she would again have to talk to Gabrielle about locking the door.
Sticking her head in, she looked over the floral couch near the door, no one was sitting in it and the TV sitting on the white metal entertainment center was off. Instead the stereo placed next to the TV was playing a Barry White CD, she grinned to herself as she stepped in the rest of the way. Quietly as she could, she shut the door and locked it, then placed her keys back in her purse, setting it on the end table behind the couch. Almost instinctively she reached for the blue lamp on the end table, but stopped when she heard a familiar giggle coming from the kitchen.
Looking up the kitchen was out of sight, being divided off from the dining room by a breakfast bar. She rolled her eyes when the familiar giggles became a laughter. Making her way towards the kitchen, she peered around the wall as she saw a human male kissing Gabrielle's neck. As soon as Gabrielle saw her, she bit into the flesh on the man's neck, ripping the skin off with her teeth and spitting it to the ground. She turned her mouth back to the open wound, and began to drain his body of blood. When she was content with the amount she had taken, she broke his neck, allowing his corpse to fall to the ground.
Gabrielle's thin dark red hair flowed down over her shoulders, as she crossed her arms, giving a glare to her companion. She always reminded Kailin of a glass doll with dark red hair and porcelain white skin only a slight hint of a pink hue. "Damnit, Kailin! You aren't suppose to be home yet!"
"I excused myself from the meeting, I had to feed. When I went back they were gone, so I just came home."
The angry look on her friend's face vanished, and she gave a grin. "Your hair is a mess. Should be glad they weren't there with it looking like that."
Kailin had small tight waves of hair, which had always been hard to control. Whenever she hunted, some of the hairs seemed to come out from the wind mostly. "It wouldn't of mattered." Reaching into the inside pocket of her jacket, she pulled out a small hand gun and placed it on the counter.
"Kailin! You took that with you? One of these days you are going to get caught."
She ignored her friend's comment, mostly because Gabrielle was afraid of guns. A bullet could pierce her heart and kill her almost instantly.
"I use it for protection from the Mephis, you know that." She said as she checked the barrel, "Mrs. Kraig wanted me to tell you that you are a tramp and you are going to hell."
Gabrielle laughed. "She caught me on the way in with this one," She pointed at the corpse on the ground with her thumb. "Was saying that he didn't want used goods, and that he should run away now before I take him to hell with me."
"The sooner she dies, the happier we will all be." Kailin smiled as she placed the gun on the table, "You are going to clean that up, right?"
She nodded looking at the corpse on the ground, "Don't worry, it'll be gone before you wake up tomorrow."
Kailin glared at her Pyrrhonian friend, letting her know she didn't believe her.
"It will be." Gabrielle's hands went to her hips, "I just have to wait for Mrs. Kraig to be asleep, so I can dispose of it." She looked down for a moment then back up, "So, what did Mark want?"
"Some author wants me to fact check his novel, and for some reason his agent wanted the four of us to have dinner. For as long as I was there we never discussed business."
Kailin was a historian, and like most vampires had put herself in a place of employment where she could stop working and no one would notice. She hired herself out as a fact checker for history textbooks, she became so well known for it in only one year that authors writing historical fiction began asking for her by name. And before the second year was even up she had been on several movie sets, checking screenplays, clothing, and even the sets themselves for accuracy. Except for an occasional business meeting or having to go to a set, she didn't even have to be in the public eye. As a matter of a fact, there were no pictures of her. Though she was famous it was only among novelist and producers.
Gabrielle on the other hand was a dancer at a gentleman's club, it was one of the many reasons that Mrs. Kraig didn't like her. She enjoyed her work, however, because she got to enjoy her food for a while. Gabrielle often blamed her love for her food on the fact that she was French, but it was a common Pyrrhonian trait. "I spent all evening picking my meal, and you came in and ruined it before I even had the chance to fully enjoy him." She looked down at the corpse sadly.
Kailin cracked a grin, "I'm going to bed, I have to get into my office tomorrow and do a few last minute checks, before I give the book to Mark."
"Finally done with that one?"
She nodded, "Yes, and of course as soon as I announced I was almost finished, Mark popped that new author on me."
Giving a sigh she turned to walk into the living room, heading towards her bedroom door. Her bedroom door was across the room near the TV center, while Gabrielle's was across the living room by the kitchen. Kailin praised that arrangement, as it made it harder for her to hear when the Pyrrhonian had late night guests.
Reaching for the knob of her door, she opened it slowly so that the crosses that hung on her wall wouldn't bother Gabrielle's eyes. They had many arguments about her flinging the door open, which cause Gabrielle to scream, in turn made Mrs. Kraig run over to find out what the matter was. Slowly slipping into behind the door, she looked over at her and smiled.
"Night, Gabby."
"See you in the morning." She said walked over to the TV and taking a seat on the couch, she grabbed the stereo controller and turned off the music, then turned on the TV.
Kailin chuckled to herself as she shut the door, Gabrielle didn't sleep much, but most Pyrrhonians didn't. The only time she slept was when the sun was high, causing her to be bothered by the amount of sunlight slipping into the window of the apartment. At most, she got five hours of sleep, it was another reason she chose a night time profession.
She made her way across the wooden floor, and to the sliding door closet on the right. The doors had full length mirrors, and she stared at her wild hair for a moment, before she open it and pulled out a knee length night dress. Walking to the door to the right of the closet, she opened it to the bathroom. There, she brushed her hair our, and then placed it back into the pony tail, before getting into her night gown.
Crawling in between the satin sheets, she closed her eyes. As her body recharged itself, the memories flooded back. Her little sister, Leila, sitting next to the window, as she stepped into the room with the sword in her hand. Her dark blonde hair just as curly as hers, up in a bun, it had taken her a moment to approach her, knowing what she would have to do.
Kailin placed the sword on the bed and walked over to kneel down before her. Leila didn't even look at her, only one tear streamed down her cheek.
"It will be alright, Caitlyn." Her soft voice said, "I don't want to be like this anymore."
She placed her hand on her knee, "I'm sorry, Leila. I am so sorry that I made you become this."
Her light green eyes turned to Kailin, "I never thought it was your fault, never." She sniffled, "I don't understand, how I can lose control of myself the way I do. But, I'm dangerous, Caitlyn, I'm hurting people for no reason."
Leila's eyes went over to the sword on the bed, and then back to her sister. "Not here, under our tree, that's where I want it to happen. That way, I'll become part of it, and then you can always know where to find me."
Kailin gave a nod, as she stood up. She didn't have the words for what she wanted to say, and as she walked with her beloved sister to their favorite place, the words became more distant. She wanted to tell herself that she was removing an evil from the world, and this would be no different then killing a bowery. Yet, she couldn't, because every time she looked over at the evil, she had seen her sister, her best friend. The only person she had ever been able to confide in, and even though the evil was there, she was blind to it until it was to late.
Without a hesitation, Leila kneeled down in front of the tree, keeping her back to Kailin. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, and Leila looked upon it. The others she had created couldn't see the sunlight, but Leila could, and she had often made mention how she hated herself for creating beings who couldn't look upon the sun. Kailin couldn't see her smile at the sunset, but she could here it in her words. The words she spoke was of a conversation that they had had for many years, even as children, when they had watched the sunset. It was like her death wasn't near.
"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" She said.
"I will never grow tired of watching the sunset." Kailin respond, as she held up the sword.
"Neither will I." Leila smiled, and with those words her life ended.
Kailin tied her body to the tree so the blood could drain over night, and buried her head next to the trees roots. She didn't shed a single tear, and when she returned to the brothel, the Pyrrhonians said nothing to her. Except Gabrielle, who came into her room, and told her about the days events trying not to speak of Leila.
The Pyrrhonians kept a dimness about their existence while Kailin healed. That remained until their deaths, when those who worshiped her sister wanted revenge.
Since she created the Mephis, and then killed her sister, there had been no peace for her. The Mephis hunted her, yet they could not kill her because she was their creator. A vampire could not kill their master, and it seemed a race could not destroy their creator. Mephis, however, were not intelligent beings, and they didn't understand the concept of master and peon. There had always been something that bothered Kailin, her sister was suppose to be the only intelligent Mephis, and they had hoped that when she died, all the others would die as well.
Being that they couldn't produce complex thought, there was no way that they could do the compound ceremony it took to produce more. Mephis couldn't create themselves, they needed another vampire, a Hallowed, to create them. First the Mephis, who had to have extreme self control, had to bite twice without killing the human. Then and only then could the Hallowed bite, and create the Mephis. The Mephis were killers, who had no remorse, they would simply destroy any body they came into contact with. Biting and not killing had to be done by someone who understood the process, which meant to Kailin that there was an Alpha Mephis out there.
She shook her head, her mind had always been on the Mephis ever since she understood what she had done to Leila. Placing her feet on the ground, she walked over to the door and flipped on the switch, it wasn't as if she could see any better or worse in the darkness, but light made her feel more human. She had met too many vampires over the years that kept their homes lit by candles, if not in complete darkness. That was the last thing that she wanted to become.
"Kailin?" Gabrielle said, after seeing the bedroom light turn on.
"Yes?" She answered, knowing that Gabrielle couldn't come into her room, due to the mass quantities of crosses she kept on the walls.
"Something on TV, you should see."
She rolled her eyes, and walked out of her room taking a seat on the arm of the couch. "What?" "Commercial is almost over, they said it was coming up next." Gabrielle said, brushing some of her red hair from her face. She was dressed in a short red night gown.
"Is this really important, Gabby? I have got to get ready..."
"Shhhh." She said, then pointed at the TV.
A man standing in front of a court house, holding his microphone began speaking. Kailin recognized the court house right away, and understood the importance of the news story now. "In this courthouse, twenty years ago, Damon Anderson, the self proclaimed Vampire Hunter, was pronounced guilty of attempted murder on both Kailin Marley, a resident of LA, and James Stark, a LA police officer. Anderson claimed that Miss Marley was a vampire, and that Detective Stark was in his way of killing her.
Today, Damon Anderson, will be released from prison, after serving a twenty year sentence for the attempted murders. The early release is due to both witnesses being unable to testify at his hearing. James Stark has fallen ill and is unable to communicate, while Kailin Marley disappeared shortly after Anderson's sentencing. No remains or trance have ever been found, Anderson claims no connection to her disappearance. However, many blame the false accusations surrounding her to be the reason of her disappearance. The case, however, remains open. This Gregory Baulman, channel nine news, New York."
The camera went to a half screen where the male reporter was on the right, and the head anchor woman, a blonde with dark red lip stick on was on the left. "I remember this case, when I was a little girl."
"Yes, Clara, it was a big story. The media had wanted to place cameras in the court room, but that request was denied."
"There was no other evidence to hold him?"
He shook his head, "No, both Marley and Stark were the only witnesses to his crime, and there was very little proof. The entire case was based on their testimonies. He was sentenced to life for some of the crimes, however, he appealed and without the victims there to persuade the judge, he was released. Another interesting fact about the case, is there was never any photos released of Kailin Marley. Even to this day, the police claim that they have none, only a rough sketch from James Stark's memory. Not even the court room artist drew any photos when she was giving testimony."
"That is interesting, thank you, Greg." She said, and he gave a nod before the camera went completely to her. Shuffling together some of her papers, she cleared her throat and looked back at the camera. "This morning, a warehouse was discovered with an estimated two hundred human remains. The bodies are said to be dismembered, and much of their blood missing. Officials believe this is another sacrificing of the cult that has been nicknamed by world officials as The Bloody Hands. Miranda Valdez is on scene with more on this report."
"Mephis are at it again." Gabrielle said, trying to ignore the Anderson news.
Kailin nodded her head, Mephis were known for throwing large parties, and killing all those who attended. It was another reason, Kailin knew their had to be an Alpha Mephis, they couldn't come up with an idea that complex.
"I'm going to get ready for work." She said standing up and walking back towards her door.
"Are you alright, Kailin? About Anderson."
She nodded, "I should of killed him when I had the chance." With that she walked into her room to prepare for work.
Most vampires didn't work, they were raised by their masters for two hundred years, and then given enough to begin a life on their own. Kailin had been abandoned by her master to leave her to discover the truth of her "rebirth." Gabrielle, who had been turned in 1578, had been a poor French peasant, her master had left her and her friends to die. They didn't die in turn they hunted for him for several decades. When they received word that he had escaped to the new world, they to left for America, where they never found him.
They had money saved up over the years that they had been together, but they knew that they had to continue to work. Of course, for Gabrielle her job gave her the satisfaction of playing with her food before she consumed it. While Kailin enjoyed being needed by others, she had always chosen a profession where people relied on her, but gave her enough ease to slip away when she needed to. They only lived in each area for ten years before they had to move, due to Mephis or the fact that they didn't age. When they relocated they changed their last names, the vampire society had many who could give them a new life with a few key strokes.
Putting on a brown skirt suit, she put her hair into a bun, then slid on her high heels. Looking at her alarm clock, it told her that it was seven. She didn't have any exact time that she had to be at work, but it made her angry to be any later then eight. Stepping out of the room, she shut the door and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
Every type of vampire needed blood to survive, because they could no longer supply their own. However, like humans, their bodies were still mostly water. It cleansed their bodies, of course they drank much more then the humans did. Kailin had eight glasses of water for breakfast. Before Gabrielle vanished into her bedroom to hide from the sun, she told her to be careful.
She gave her a smile, and slid on her black overcoat and grabbed her purse. Before she left, she grabbed the gun from the breakfast bar, and slipped out the door.
Chapter 2: http://rkphunt.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=181
Turning around she wanted to make sure the door locked, of course it didn't. The manager kept saying he would fix it when she moved in a year and a half ago, despite her constant complaints for him to repair it. The building had had twelve break-ins in the last three months alone.
If it wasn't for the fact that she had to meet up with some of her friends, she probably would of woken the lazy man up to give him a piece of her mind. He already didn't like her, and was looking for ways to get her kicked from the building. Giving a quick kick to the door, she turned back around and rubbed her upper arms, then checked her watch. She was already an hour late, they would never let her live this down.
Walking down the cement stairs, she began the short journey down the sidewalk. The bar wasn't far from here, and she wasn't about to pay for a cab to take her ten blocks. Had she not been in such a hurry she might of noticed the two men across the street, in jeans and heavy flannel shirts, staring intently at her when she kicked the door. She would of also notice that as she walked down the street they followed closely behind. It wasn't until she accidentally dropped her gloves when she pulled them from her pocket, that she noticed them across from her, walking behind her. There had been several murdered rape victims lately, of course there was always something to be afraid about, especially in this neighborhood.
Shaking her heard, she decided that she was being silly as she picked up her gloves, when she turned back around she speeded her pace. The only sound that could be heard in the abandon street was the sound of her high heels, clanking along, as she sped down the sidewalk. Trying to take her mind of the fear of the strangers behind her, she watched the fog that formed around her lips because of her breath.
Slightly turning her head she saw them walking along the street with her, keeping with the pace she set. When she looked back a second time, they ran across the street towards her, letting her know that this was not just her being paranoid. Fight or flight was her decision now and she settled with flight, before fight even played across her mind. Her high heels slowed her down not to mention her short stride from being of below average height. All she could think of was that she should of taken a cab, which should have been the furthest thing from her mind. Her heart raced, as she turned her head again to see the men were gaining on her. The louder clanks of her heels echoed throughout her mind, as she came closer to an alley. Maybe it was because it was familiar, or that it just seemed dark enough to hide her, but she decided to run down it, despite the fact she knew it was a dead end.
As she turned into the alley she could barely make out the garbage filled ground, the only light was from the flashing light bulb directly above the dumpster in the middle of the alley. Keeping her stride she continued down into the darkness as she leapt over the scattered boxes and fast food containers. Once she realized her mistake in coming down the alley it was to late to turn back, as she turned her head, she saw them standing in the light of the street. They knew just as well as she did that the alley was a dead end. The brick wall revealed itself when she came to stand three feet from it, looking back she could see the shadow of the men walking down towards her. Their taunting laughter gave a slight echo bouncing off the bricks of the buildings.
Her heart throbbed, and it felt like it was trying to push itself out through her throat. She couldn't of screamed if she wanted to, and the feeling of her eyes tightening as they tried to hold back her tears, show no fear she thought to herself. Pressing her back up against the alley, she felt her pink plastic nails dig into the brick, as she unintentionally tried to dig her way through. The nail from her right middle finger popped off, landing with a soft thud onto a wooden box beside her. Fear had completely taken over her mind, as she climbed onto the box and turned to place her back against the wall, still digging with her nails into the brick. Both men came to a stop in front of her, looking her over as if they were enjoying the moments they had with her before them in total fear. One of them had wild brown hair, deep haunting dark eyes, and when he smiled, he revealed that he was missing his front teeth. He was shorter then his friend, but all she could think about was that fact that he was smiling.
His chubby cheeks giving her a large grin as he licked his lips.
The other was a bald man of large height, and a very slim build. Under his eyes were dark circles, and the coloring of his skin was off, like an almost bluish hue. He didn't even grin just gave her a look that sent a shiver of fear up her spine.
"Hey, pretty lady, we just wanted to talk to you." The wild haired man said, his words were stuttered several times, as if he had spent a lifetime on cocaine.
She released a deep breath, the air in front of her lips turned white which for the moment told her she was still breathing.
The bald man said nothing, just reached out his hand and rubbed her cheek. His hand slid down her arm, and as she felt him about to yank her to him the wild haired man spoke.
"Hey, you went first last time. I'm sick of being second."
The bald man let her go, and walk over next to his friend. They took a moment to whisper to one another, they weren't even afraid to waste time in fear of being caught. "At the same time?" The wild haired man said audibly.
Taking a huge gasp of air, she searched for the words, any words. "Please, don't kill me." She begged, her eyes filled up with tears as she realized what she was begging for. "Please, God, save me." She had never been the type to go to church, but she prayed never the less in hopes that she might receive a miracle for a lost lamb.
Closing her eyes, she let the tear fall down her cheeks and when she opened them to look at the men, she thought she saw a bird take off from above the building to the right. The men chuckled at her and began their approach, she closed her eyes again and when she opened them she saw the dark figure land behind them. She knew then it was her bird, it had made no sound when it landed after jumping off the three story building. Slowly it walked behind them, reaching out both of it's hands. The hands went straight for the necks of both men, she heard a snap and the wild haired man fell limp to the ground.
The bald man did not fall instead the dark figure pulled him towards it, he screamed as it went into the darkness, but only for a moment. After a short live silence, she heard another snap, sucking in her breath she waited wondering if she would be the next to fall. The shadow form stepped into the light revealing a woman wearing a black cocktail dress and black over coat. Her dark blonde locks had appeared to have come undone.
"Thank you." She said to the woman in the cocktail dress, hoping that this truly was her savior. Giving her a once over, she placed her index finger over her lips. Letting her know that she should never speak a word of this moment. She felt safe in the strange woman's presence, and from the gesture alone knew that she was out of the forthcoming darkness that had almost taken her.
"Did God send you?" She didn't know why she asked, perhaps it was to get reassurance, or a logical explanation. "Are you an angel?" The woman only smiled, and without a single word, she jumped into the air and vanished over the brick building to her left. Leaving her alone to stand in the alley, but alive, unsure as to call the police or go home. Remembering her savior's request to remain silent, she began her journey back to her apartment, she would think of a reason why she couldn't met her friends in the morning. As she stepped out of the alley, she looked over to the building where her angel had disappeared. Deciding she wanted to place this on God, she thank him for saving her, and promised to return to church.
---***---
Kailin stood in the elevator of her apartment building, the smells of cleaning detergent stung her sensitive nose. Carefully she inspected herself, making sure that she hadn't spilt any of her meal when she fed from the man in the alley. She stroked down her black dress, pulling the wrinkles that has accumulated from levitating onto the buildings out. Next, she straightened out her black overcoat, and when she yanked on the color she could make out a few blood droplets. Being that the code was black, she decided that it would probably go unnoticed by any human eyes. In the two hundred years she had been alive, she realized how nosey humans were when they spotted blood on another being.Looking at the floors, she saw that she was nearing her floor, and gave herself one more glance before the doors would open. Her black handbag still had dust on the bottom from when she left it on the roof, while her black heels had scrapped along the side of one of the buildings, and now carried a scuff mark. She sighed as she reached down to pull it off, to see if she could rub the scuff off with her fingers.
She heard the ding of the elevator doors opened, and placed her still scuffed shoe back on. Bringing her eyes to the dark brown hallway, she stepped out onto the soft green carpet. Again, her nose was met with the pungent odor of cleaning agents, she hated weekends when they scrubbed down the building. Walking down the hall, she passed Mrs. Kraig's apartment, she could hear the old women open the door before she saw it.
As the door opened, Mrs. Kraig revealed her short withered form, white curls stuffed together into a hair net. She wore a white robe with blue flowers, and a pair of blue slippers. The last thing Kailin was in the mood for was to entertain the old woman's complaints, but she knew that she would have to.
"There you are, Miss Drake." The old woman spit when she said her name.
"Yes, Mrs. Kraig?"
The old woman stepped out into the hallway and looked her over, "What are you a hussy now? Dressing like a street walker, I thought you were the good one, out of the two."
"I just came from an dinner meeting. I had to dress nice."
Mrs. Kraig gave a disgusted look, "You girls, these days; think that you have to show off all your parts in order to get a man. In my day, you left everything to the imagination. Then the man felt like he earned something..."
"Did you need to speak with me?" Kailin interrupted her, she was older then this woman could imagine. She didn't want to listen to how she should be dressed, besides it was a long gown, the only thing it showed was some of her cleavage and her arms. Her arms were covered by her coat, so she didn't need to hear anymore.
"Yes, your hussy girlfriend..."
"Roommate."
"You know what I mean, she brought another man in there tonight. That girl is going straight to hell, bringing all these men into her bed. Woman needs to be properly married before she gives herself to a man." She huffed, "You girls just don't respect yourselves anymore, don't understand there are plenty of men..."
"Mrs. Kraig, I am very tired. I have work in the morning, but I will talk to Gabrielle about bringing men into the apartment."
"Alright, you tell her that if she doesn't stop being a tramp, she'll go straight to hell!"
"I'll tell her you said that. Have a good night, Mrs. Kraig."
Kailin watched the old woman slip into her apartment without another word, and then returned to walking down the hallway to her apartment door. As she stopped at the door, she turned her attention to her handbag and began searching for the keys. Locating her key chain, she fondled around trying to find the apartment key. Her elbow tapped the door, and it opened to reveal the peach colored living room. Kailin sighed, thinking she would again have to talk to Gabrielle about locking the door.
Sticking her head in, she looked over the floral couch near the door, no one was sitting in it and the TV sitting on the white metal entertainment center was off. Instead the stereo placed next to the TV was playing a Barry White CD, she grinned to herself as she stepped in the rest of the way. Quietly as she could, she shut the door and locked it, then placed her keys back in her purse, setting it on the end table behind the couch. Almost instinctively she reached for the blue lamp on the end table, but stopped when she heard a familiar giggle coming from the kitchen.
Looking up the kitchen was out of sight, being divided off from the dining room by a breakfast bar. She rolled her eyes when the familiar giggles became a laughter. Making her way towards the kitchen, she peered around the wall as she saw a human male kissing Gabrielle's neck. As soon as Gabrielle saw her, she bit into the flesh on the man's neck, ripping the skin off with her teeth and spitting it to the ground. She turned her mouth back to the open wound, and began to drain his body of blood. When she was content with the amount she had taken, she broke his neck, allowing his corpse to fall to the ground.
Gabrielle's thin dark red hair flowed down over her shoulders, as she crossed her arms, giving a glare to her companion. She always reminded Kailin of a glass doll with dark red hair and porcelain white skin only a slight hint of a pink hue. "Damnit, Kailin! You aren't suppose to be home yet!"
"I excused myself from the meeting, I had to feed. When I went back they were gone, so I just came home."
The angry look on her friend's face vanished, and she gave a grin. "Your hair is a mess. Should be glad they weren't there with it looking like that."
Kailin had small tight waves of hair, which had always been hard to control. Whenever she hunted, some of the hairs seemed to come out from the wind mostly. "It wouldn't of mattered." Reaching into the inside pocket of her jacket, she pulled out a small hand gun and placed it on the counter.
"Kailin! You took that with you? One of these days you are going to get caught."
She ignored her friend's comment, mostly because Gabrielle was afraid of guns. A bullet could pierce her heart and kill her almost instantly.
"I use it for protection from the Mephis, you know that." She said as she checked the barrel, "Mrs. Kraig wanted me to tell you that you are a tramp and you are going to hell."
Gabrielle laughed. "She caught me on the way in with this one," She pointed at the corpse on the ground with her thumb. "Was saying that he didn't want used goods, and that he should run away now before I take him to hell with me."
"The sooner she dies, the happier we will all be." Kailin smiled as she placed the gun on the table, "You are going to clean that up, right?"
She nodded looking at the corpse on the ground, "Don't worry, it'll be gone before you wake up tomorrow."
Kailin glared at her Pyrrhonian friend, letting her know she didn't believe her.
"It will be." Gabrielle's hands went to her hips, "I just have to wait for Mrs. Kraig to be asleep, so I can dispose of it." She looked down for a moment then back up, "So, what did Mark want?"
"Some author wants me to fact check his novel, and for some reason his agent wanted the four of us to have dinner. For as long as I was there we never discussed business."
Kailin was a historian, and like most vampires had put herself in a place of employment where she could stop working and no one would notice. She hired herself out as a fact checker for history textbooks, she became so well known for it in only one year that authors writing historical fiction began asking for her by name. And before the second year was even up she had been on several movie sets, checking screenplays, clothing, and even the sets themselves for accuracy. Except for an occasional business meeting or having to go to a set, she didn't even have to be in the public eye. As a matter of a fact, there were no pictures of her. Though she was famous it was only among novelist and producers.
Gabrielle on the other hand was a dancer at a gentleman's club, it was one of the many reasons that Mrs. Kraig didn't like her. She enjoyed her work, however, because she got to enjoy her food for a while. Gabrielle often blamed her love for her food on the fact that she was French, but it was a common Pyrrhonian trait. "I spent all evening picking my meal, and you came in and ruined it before I even had the chance to fully enjoy him." She looked down at the corpse sadly.
Kailin cracked a grin, "I'm going to bed, I have to get into my office tomorrow and do a few last minute checks, before I give the book to Mark."
"Finally done with that one?"
She nodded, "Yes, and of course as soon as I announced I was almost finished, Mark popped that new author on me."
Giving a sigh she turned to walk into the living room, heading towards her bedroom door. Her bedroom door was across the room near the TV center, while Gabrielle's was across the living room by the kitchen. Kailin praised that arrangement, as it made it harder for her to hear when the Pyrrhonian had late night guests.
Reaching for the knob of her door, she opened it slowly so that the crosses that hung on her wall wouldn't bother Gabrielle's eyes. They had many arguments about her flinging the door open, which cause Gabrielle to scream, in turn made Mrs. Kraig run over to find out what the matter was. Slowly slipping into behind the door, she looked over at her and smiled.
"Night, Gabby."
"See you in the morning." She said walked over to the TV and taking a seat on the couch, she grabbed the stereo controller and turned off the music, then turned on the TV.
Kailin chuckled to herself as she shut the door, Gabrielle didn't sleep much, but most Pyrrhonians didn't. The only time she slept was when the sun was high, causing her to be bothered by the amount of sunlight slipping into the window of the apartment. At most, she got five hours of sleep, it was another reason she chose a night time profession.
She made her way across the wooden floor, and to the sliding door closet on the right. The doors had full length mirrors, and she stared at her wild hair for a moment, before she open it and pulled out a knee length night dress. Walking to the door to the right of the closet, she opened it to the bathroom. There, she brushed her hair our, and then placed it back into the pony tail, before getting into her night gown.
Crawling in between the satin sheets, she closed her eyes. As her body recharged itself, the memories flooded back. Her little sister, Leila, sitting next to the window, as she stepped into the room with the sword in her hand. Her dark blonde hair just as curly as hers, up in a bun, it had taken her a moment to approach her, knowing what she would have to do.
Kailin placed the sword on the bed and walked over to kneel down before her. Leila didn't even look at her, only one tear streamed down her cheek.
"It will be alright, Caitlyn." Her soft voice said, "I don't want to be like this anymore."
She placed her hand on her knee, "I'm sorry, Leila. I am so sorry that I made you become this."
Her light green eyes turned to Kailin, "I never thought it was your fault, never." She sniffled, "I don't understand, how I can lose control of myself the way I do. But, I'm dangerous, Caitlyn, I'm hurting people for no reason."
Leila's eyes went over to the sword on the bed, and then back to her sister. "Not here, under our tree, that's where I want it to happen. That way, I'll become part of it, and then you can always know where to find me."
Kailin gave a nod, as she stood up. She didn't have the words for what she wanted to say, and as she walked with her beloved sister to their favorite place, the words became more distant. She wanted to tell herself that she was removing an evil from the world, and this would be no different then killing a bowery. Yet, she couldn't, because every time she looked over at the evil, she had seen her sister, her best friend. The only person she had ever been able to confide in, and even though the evil was there, she was blind to it until it was to late.
Without a hesitation, Leila kneeled down in front of the tree, keeping her back to Kailin. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, and Leila looked upon it. The others she had created couldn't see the sunlight, but Leila could, and she had often made mention how she hated herself for creating beings who couldn't look upon the sun. Kailin couldn't see her smile at the sunset, but she could here it in her words. The words she spoke was of a conversation that they had had for many years, even as children, when they had watched the sunset. It was like her death wasn't near.
"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" She said.
"I will never grow tired of watching the sunset." Kailin respond, as she held up the sword.
"Neither will I." Leila smiled, and with those words her life ended.
Kailin tied her body to the tree so the blood could drain over night, and buried her head next to the trees roots. She didn't shed a single tear, and when she returned to the brothel, the Pyrrhonians said nothing to her. Except Gabrielle, who came into her room, and told her about the days events trying not to speak of Leila.
The Pyrrhonians kept a dimness about their existence while Kailin healed. That remained until their deaths, when those who worshiped her sister wanted revenge.
---***---
Slowly her eyes opened, and she stared upon the white ceiling of her room. She had decorated it with crosses that she had collected throughout her life. Some were as old as two hundred years, while others she had bought the week before off some street vendor. In the darkness she could see to her right, the mirrored make-up stand, and at the end of her bed was her dresser. She always checked her room before getting out of bed, to make sure there were no others in the room with her.Since she created the Mephis, and then killed her sister, there had been no peace for her. The Mephis hunted her, yet they could not kill her because she was their creator. A vampire could not kill their master, and it seemed a race could not destroy their creator. Mephis, however, were not intelligent beings, and they didn't understand the concept of master and peon. There had always been something that bothered Kailin, her sister was suppose to be the only intelligent Mephis, and they had hoped that when she died, all the others would die as well.
Being that they couldn't produce complex thought, there was no way that they could do the compound ceremony it took to produce more. Mephis couldn't create themselves, they needed another vampire, a Hallowed, to create them. First the Mephis, who had to have extreme self control, had to bite twice without killing the human. Then and only then could the Hallowed bite, and create the Mephis. The Mephis were killers, who had no remorse, they would simply destroy any body they came into contact with. Biting and not killing had to be done by someone who understood the process, which meant to Kailin that there was an Alpha Mephis out there.
She shook her head, her mind had always been on the Mephis ever since she understood what she had done to Leila. Placing her feet on the ground, she walked over to the door and flipped on the switch, it wasn't as if she could see any better or worse in the darkness, but light made her feel more human. She had met too many vampires over the years that kept their homes lit by candles, if not in complete darkness. That was the last thing that she wanted to become.
"Kailin?" Gabrielle said, after seeing the bedroom light turn on.
"Yes?" She answered, knowing that Gabrielle couldn't come into her room, due to the mass quantities of crosses she kept on the walls.
"Something on TV, you should see."
She rolled her eyes, and walked out of her room taking a seat on the arm of the couch. "What?" "Commercial is almost over, they said it was coming up next." Gabrielle said, brushing some of her red hair from her face. She was dressed in a short red night gown.
"Is this really important, Gabby? I have got to get ready..."
"Shhhh." She said, then pointed at the TV.
A man standing in front of a court house, holding his microphone began speaking. Kailin recognized the court house right away, and understood the importance of the news story now. "In this courthouse, twenty years ago, Damon Anderson, the self proclaimed Vampire Hunter, was pronounced guilty of attempted murder on both Kailin Marley, a resident of LA, and James Stark, a LA police officer. Anderson claimed that Miss Marley was a vampire, and that Detective Stark was in his way of killing her.
Today, Damon Anderson, will be released from prison, after serving a twenty year sentence for the attempted murders. The early release is due to both witnesses being unable to testify at his hearing. James Stark has fallen ill and is unable to communicate, while Kailin Marley disappeared shortly after Anderson's sentencing. No remains or trance have ever been found, Anderson claims no connection to her disappearance. However, many blame the false accusations surrounding her to be the reason of her disappearance. The case, however, remains open. This Gregory Baulman, channel nine news, New York."
The camera went to a half screen where the male reporter was on the right, and the head anchor woman, a blonde with dark red lip stick on was on the left. "I remember this case, when I was a little girl."
"Yes, Clara, it was a big story. The media had wanted to place cameras in the court room, but that request was denied."
"There was no other evidence to hold him?"
He shook his head, "No, both Marley and Stark were the only witnesses to his crime, and there was very little proof. The entire case was based on their testimonies. He was sentenced to life for some of the crimes, however, he appealed and without the victims there to persuade the judge, he was released. Another interesting fact about the case, is there was never any photos released of Kailin Marley. Even to this day, the police claim that they have none, only a rough sketch from James Stark's memory. Not even the court room artist drew any photos when she was giving testimony."
"That is interesting, thank you, Greg." She said, and he gave a nod before the camera went completely to her. Shuffling together some of her papers, she cleared her throat and looked back at the camera. "This morning, a warehouse was discovered with an estimated two hundred human remains. The bodies are said to be dismembered, and much of their blood missing. Officials believe this is another sacrificing of the cult that has been nicknamed by world officials as The Bloody Hands. Miranda Valdez is on scene with more on this report."
"Mephis are at it again." Gabrielle said, trying to ignore the Anderson news.
Kailin nodded her head, Mephis were known for throwing large parties, and killing all those who attended. It was another reason, Kailin knew their had to be an Alpha Mephis, they couldn't come up with an idea that complex.
"I'm going to get ready for work." She said standing up and walking back towards her door.
"Are you alright, Kailin? About Anderson."
She nodded, "I should of killed him when I had the chance." With that she walked into her room to prepare for work.
Most vampires didn't work, they were raised by their masters for two hundred years, and then given enough to begin a life on their own. Kailin had been abandoned by her master to leave her to discover the truth of her "rebirth." Gabrielle, who had been turned in 1578, had been a poor French peasant, her master had left her and her friends to die. They didn't die in turn they hunted for him for several decades. When they received word that he had escaped to the new world, they to left for America, where they never found him.
They had money saved up over the years that they had been together, but they knew that they had to continue to work. Of course, for Gabrielle her job gave her the satisfaction of playing with her food before she consumed it. While Kailin enjoyed being needed by others, she had always chosen a profession where people relied on her, but gave her enough ease to slip away when she needed to. They only lived in each area for ten years before they had to move, due to Mephis or the fact that they didn't age. When they relocated they changed their last names, the vampire society had many who could give them a new life with a few key strokes.
Putting on a brown skirt suit, she put her hair into a bun, then slid on her high heels. Looking at her alarm clock, it told her that it was seven. She didn't have any exact time that she had to be at work, but it made her angry to be any later then eight. Stepping out of the room, she shut the door and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
Every type of vampire needed blood to survive, because they could no longer supply their own. However, like humans, their bodies were still mostly water. It cleansed their bodies, of course they drank much more then the humans did. Kailin had eight glasses of water for breakfast. Before Gabrielle vanished into her bedroom to hide from the sun, she told her to be careful.
She gave her a smile, and slid on her black overcoat and grabbed her purse. Before she left, she grabbed the gun from the breakfast bar, and slipped out the door.
Chapter 2: http://rkphunt.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=181