Red Desire

There are all sorts of creatures in the world today. Most people just refuse to acknowledge their existence not to mention their presence, felt by all during the course of their everyday lives. They’re the tingle you feel at the base of your spine, they’re the small hairs on your arms and neck that stand on end whenever your body comes close to something unnatural. They’re the gust of wind you feel in the middle of a closed room that cause you to shiver with anticipation. These creatures are ruthless and will do anything to get what they want and can’t live without. If they had a name I suppose it would be vampires, but they aren’t really vampires for even vampires have limits. These are completely new and to our knowledge can’t be killed easily, but they can be killed just not by the normal methods of usual defeat. Sunlight is almost useless, they are weak during the daylight hours but it no longer kills them like it did their predecessors. Silver, crucifixes, and anything else of a godly nature seem to have no effect on them, in fact the only thing that the old and the new creatures have in common with each other is their uncanny abilities and their lust for human blood. The fighting continues even though we have no idea what we really are up against, but we fight just the same, as we always have. What other choice do we have?

“We have to run, Chris, we cannot defeat these monsters under these conditions,” Jake said grabbing her by the arm and literally yanking her through the door of the gym.

“But we can’t run. Who knows what they will do once they realize we’re afraid?” she asked appalled at the suggestion.

“If we die what will that prove. We will leave the group shorter than it already is,” he said vehemently tightening his grip on her small and seemingly fragile upper arm.

She ripped her arm out of his grip with enough force to knock him back a step or two once again proving to him how the senses can be deceiving. “We must go back. If we don’t stop them, they’ll hunt and innocent people will die,” she said walking, the strides of her long legs lengthening the distance between them in a few steps.

Quickly Jake ran up behind her and before she could turn around he brought both of his hands against her head like a hammer, hitting the vulnerable place in-between the shoulder and the neck. Chris caught completely by surprise never saw what was coming and fell face first to the ground with a heavy thud. “I’m sorry about this, but it’s for your own good. It’s just that you’re so stubborn, you could have gotten yourself killed,” he said trying to defend himself to her as if she could hear him when he knew that she could not. He quickly lifted her and Chris weighing a little over 120 pounds was no trouble for the 6’3, 235lbs Jake had and it all of it muscle. He threw her over his shoulder and quickly jogged out of the vicinity of the vampire lair they just discovered a few minutes ago.

About five miles away from the lair he carried Chris into an alley and gently laid her on her on her back and took a few steps back. Jake knew Chris was beautiful; he’d been working with her for the past six months and that was the first thing he noticed about her. Her long silvery blond hair, her pale almost translucent skin, the long thin arms and legs of a dancer that contained unimaginable strength, he can tell you that from experience, but also her iron clad will and determination, stubbornness, her effervescent personality and her optimism are what made her beautiful to him. Over the past few months they really got to know each other, and he found her faults as well as her weaknesses beautiful.
He slowly knelt to her left and gently rubbed her cheek, trying to get her to open her closed eyes and awake from the injury he was forced to inflict upon her. She came around slowly; first her eye lids fluttered open and then closed and stay open after a few seconds. Chris moaned softly, making Jake feel even more the jerk he felt before. Her right hand came up and cupped his hand that is still rubbing her cheek trying to stimulate her nerves. After a few seconds of her endearing hand holding his, her left hand snapped out as quick as lightning landing square in his jaw. He flew backward about five feet, nearly out of the shelter the alley provided, from the force of the punch and just laid there on the ground breathing hard. Chris sat up rubbing her neck. She cautiously got to her feet and walked over to her fallen partner. “You know you deserved that right,” she said holding her hand out for him to help himself up with.

“Yeah, I know it. But at least now I don’t feel like such a jerk,” he said taking her small delicate hand. “But payback’s a bitch,” he said purposely using all his weight and causing her to fall on top of him. “I out weigh you by at least a hundred pounds, what are you going to do little girl?” he asked playfully wrapping his arms tightly around her practically crushing her against his nicely sculpted chest.

“Please don’t hurt me, you big strong man, a man much stronger than me. Please I beg of you don’t hurt me,” she said in an exaggerated defenseless woman squeak.

“I think I’ll keep you right here, for the moment and there’s not a thing you can do about it,” he said smugly.

“Oh, really,” she said starting to wiggle around in his grasp. She worked her way so that one of her arms was free to move around. She snaked her long arm down and grabbed his crotch giving it a slight squeeze. “Well, someone’s glad to see me,” she said feeling the bulk that poked out of his pants.

“Well, what can I say?” he said a little embarrassed at being caught.

“If you do not let me go, I’m in the position to cause you a great deal of pain,” she said giving the bulk another slight squeeze to let him know that she was indeed serious.

“What if I say no, what would you do?” he said actually enjoying the scene that was taking place between them.

“Well, I could give you extreme pain or extreme pleasure,” she said squeezing harder than before and then lightly stroking his pants, “the choice is completely up to you.”

“Okay, but you play dirty,” he said removing his arms from around her and placing them unobtrusively at his sides.

“I play dirty. You said it yourself you outweigh me by at least a hundred pounds so when you gang up on me, I’m the one that plays dirty huh?” she asked smiling to herself as she continued to stroke as the bulge reached new and unknown heights.

Jake closed his eyes and decided to enjoy the moment, he moaned softly to himself trying not to be so obvious. “Well, that’s enough horsing around. I wouldn’t want to pull on the old chain too hard now would I?” she asked abruptly standing up and briskly brushing herself off.

Expecting her to do something exactly like this, he wasn’t too surprised when she actually did, just very disappointed. He rolled over on his side and grabbed his crotch in pain, not physical just mental. He smacked the pavement with the side of his hand, a loud slapping sound breaking the silence of the dark alley as he stood up, rather awkwardly. “You’re hilarious, just hilarious. You find this amusing, I suppose?” he asked subtly motioning to his lap that looked like a very large pitched tent, not too subtle, in fact very obvious.

“We have to get back to headquarters, before they send out a search party for us,” Chris said avoiding the question and quickly walking in the opposite direction of the nest and back the way they came to begin with.

“Chris, sooner or later we’re going to have to have a serious discussion about what’s happening between us,” he said having no trouble catching up with her and grabbing her by the arm to slow her pace a little.

“What exactly is happening between us, Jake? Would you please tell me because I’m a little confused on the matter myself?”

“Maybe we should discuss this later when we’re not being chased by a pack of very hungry, rabid vampires, okay,” he said looking behind him in the direction of the man and his companions, obviously vampires, quickly gaining on them.

“Fine, use that as an excuse,” she said as the both of them took off running in the direction of the safe house. Things have gotten pretty bad when the hunters became the hunted, the predator has become the prey, she couldn’t help thinking to herself. She never had to run from a pack, in all the years she was doing this, since she was a small child. They ran for their lives side by side not able to make casual jokes about their situation like they would normally do.

Chris using all her body strength pulled ahead of Jake by a few inches and was taking the lead, taking a left and then a right. Jake a little confused about her plan followed her unquestionably. Looking behind her and seeing no signs of the pack she took a hold of Jake’s arm and stopped him in the middle of the street. “What are you doing, you know we haven’t lost them, they’re just staying far enough back to follow us,” Jake said repeating what she already knew to be true.

“We have to lose them before we can go headquarters, who knows what’s going to happen once the vampires know where we live. Come on,” she said bending down and lifting the heavy sewer marker by herself, “they’ll never expect for us to use their means of travel, and I know my way around the sewer better than the streets.” With that said, she dived head first into the sewer below quickly followed by her reluctant partner. Chris climbed the ladder of the sewer and placed the heavy sewer marker back in hopes of buying them some time.

“This way,” she said running through what little water was left after from the last rain, her heavy boots sloshing through the water, arms pumping her legs just starting to feel the fatigue she knew was coming. “We’re going to have to split up, they’re coming, and I feel them. Remember to use the surprise attack method to defeat them they’ll never know what hit them,” she said at the fork in the sewer, she took the left fork and he veered toward the right. Jake continued to run while Chris using her instincts stopped and listened in all directions for a noise. These creatures might be vampires but that doesn’t mean they’re quiet they are way too cocky about their new abilities and don’t really see a point to keeping everything quiet.

She heard the creature trying to sneak up behind her and waited silently around the corner while it trudged not too carefully toward her. Chris pulled the stake she was carrying from the back of her belt and held it in front of her anticipating the attack. The tall good looking vampire turned the corner and was caught completely by surprise by the heavy work boot to the chest causing him to almost fly backward and land on his back. Lightning quick before he could get up and retaliate she jumped over him and said, “Goodbye,” and she drove the stake into his heart turning him to nothing but dust. The dust almost evaporated in the damp sewer leaving no trace of the destroyed monster to tip his friends off. Before she had time to return to her original position a short woman vampire with long blond hair jumped at her from behind catching her by surprise. As she fell to the ground she became very angry that her own trick was used against her. Doing a half front flip moving like a spring, she was off the floor before the female vampire could move or even defeat her while she was down. Chris ran at her but her left punched was blocked as well as her right kick but before she could get any more in she was thrown backward by a gut punch. As her back hit the far sewer wall she was sure something broke. The female vampire blinked over to her and kicked her once hard in the ribs. Chris grabbed a hold of her foot in mid swing and threw it as hard as she could causing the vampire to lose her balance and crash to the ground only mere inches from where she herself was lying. She used all her strength and quickly stood up and looked down at the vampire. She took her stake out and pushed it through her body all the way to the sewer floor below her. “Die, Bitch,” she whispered as her body turned to ashes, mixing with the dirty sewer water below her.

She stood up and tried to control her breathing. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sounds of the sewer around her. A hand grabbed her shoulder. Reacting on instinct she spun around and twisted his hand. “Hey, hey. Easy, Chris. Jesus. It’s me,” Jake said.

“Oh, I’m sorry. But you should know better than to sneak up on someone like that.”

“Yeah, yeah. I saw you with that last one. You did well.”

“Thanks, Jake. I’m so glad you noticed. Now I can die a happy woman.” She started to walk, he caught up.

“I can give you something to let you die a happy woman.”

“Yeah, right,” she said as they both turned the corner. They fell silent as they both saw twenty vampires standing there, full of rage. No one moved. They just stared each other down. Fear was a weakness the two hunters couldn’t depend on or even show. The temptation was just too much for her. “Okay, you take those ten and I’ll take the others.”

She turned and ran with Jake close behind. “You’re such a smart ass,” he panted as they raced, the vampires behind them gaining.

Chris turned left, right and then left again to try and lose them. Her heavy boots sloshed the inch of water around the large sewer. It wasn’t that dark down there now that their eyes have had a chance to adjust. The rats running beside them barely made a sound, but still she knew they were there. They both came up on a four way intersection. She slowed down to a complete stop. She felt something, a slight tingling on her skin, a breath no one was close to leave. She didn’t see anything in that tunnel, only darkness. But she felt something was lurking there, just beyond her field of sight.

She shook the feeling when she heard footsteps behind her. She continued to run, not really worried about catching up with Jake but instinctively taking the same turns he took only moments before. She saw something in the water that marked his path; something she knew wasn’t actually there, something only she could see.

The vampire stepped into the middle of the intersection and stopped the others with nothing but a glance. He shook his hair out of his face and started thoughtfully after the hunter that almost spotted him. “I know where they’re going.” His curiosity got the best of him and he took a peek into her mind. He had to admit, it was more difficult than he would have liked to do so, but his power and discipline won out in the end. He saw what they affectionately called the safe house and felt the need to pay her a visit. He started walking and the others followed his lead.

“Hey stranger,” Chris said once she caught up to Jake.

He waited at the ladder that led to the surface right under the safe house. “Hey yourself. Ladies first,” he motioned upward.

She climbed in front of him. “Don’t be staring at my ass either.” She opened the hatch and climbed out turning around and helping Jake. He closed the hatch and followed her up the steps. They stood in front of the yen foot tall stone doors and waited for the x-ray and retinal scan. They felt the lasers comb over their body’s. “I always fell exposed when they do that.” She heard the locks on the door disengage and the hundred pound door move inward of its own volition.

They both stepped through together and heard the door shut behind them. We need to talk,” Jake said, his lips against her ear.

“Put your hands in the air.” Two guards with semi-automatic weapons yelled running out.

“Can’t we talk about this later?” She asked knowing the camera pointed on them right that very moment was equipped with a thermometer and alarm that went off when anything below 98 degrees was detected.

“No, it can’t wait.” They were given the all clear and allowed to enter the house.

He followed her up the wide staircase to the third floor, all the way to the end of the hall and into her room. “I need to know what’s between us,” he said sitting on her bed, the ancient four poster more comfortable than it appeared to be.

“Can I change first?” she asked her hands on her hips.

“Feel free. I’m not going to stop you.”

“Okay, fine. If you can handle it.” She opened the double doors to her closet and pulled her shirt over her head. She felt his eyes on her and saw him stare at the white lacy bra she wore. She heard him swallow loudly from across the room, and unbuttoned her pants. She slid them down her long, thin legs turning around, she slipped out of them and tossed them into the corner with her shirt. She pulled a pair of blue jean shorts out of the closet and slipped them on. She reached behind her and unhooked her bra slipping it off her shoulders and throwing it to the ground.

He stood up and walked slowly toward her. He pressed his lips to her soft back, the space just between her shoulder blades. Chris closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of a man’s lips on her skin; a feeling she didn’t feel very often. He spun her around quickly. Her arms crossed instinctively over her breasts as he kissed her, his tongue working her reluctant lips apart. She knew better than to get involved with someone this close to home, someone she hunted with. It always went sour. “Stop,” she whispered against his mouth.

“Why?” he asked holding himself back, his face close enough for his breath to fan her blood warmed cheek.

“Just sit down and let me finish getting dressed. You’re right we do need to talk.” She watched him walk back to her bed and sit down. She turned to her closet and threw on a lavender tank top. The floor creaked slightly under her as she sat next to him on the bed. She turned to him, their knees touching slightly. “Jake, you know I care about you. I care more than I should about you.”

“I care about you too, Chris. We’ve been working together for six months and my feelings for you have grown.”

“But I didn’t want to feel this way about anyone ever again. Everyone I ever cared about is dead, or undead should I say. I can’t go through that again.”

“Nothing bad is going to happen to me. We both take risks every time we hunt, but we made that decision a long time ago. I don’t regret my decision, do you?”

“No, of course not.”

“You’re going to regret not taking this chance with me later and you know it.”

Before she could respond, they both heard a noise downstairs, a loud bang. “What was that,” Chris said jumping to her feet.

“I don’t know. Stay here.”

“No, I ‘m coming with you.”

“Chris, listen to me. There are people up here that need your protection. I’ll go down and see what’s happening.”

“Okay, be careful,” he started to walk away, “You remember, we have unfinished business.”

He smiled at her before he left. She plopped back onto the bed and tried to erase the emotions that got in the way of what she did best, fight. She felt the same tingling sensation along her skin and k new she wasn’t alone. She felt a dark presence lurking in the corner of her room, which was puzzling since she didn’t invite him in. Chris concentrated on blocking her thoughts as she walked to the open door and peeked down the hallway. Her bag was just where she left it beside the door.

The sharp, wooden stake was held close against her back as she walked back in and shut the door behind her. “I know you’re in here and I want you to know that this is really going to hurt.”

The tall man dressed in black stepped out of the darkness and into the dim light one lonely lamp threw against the walls of her walls of her room. She tapped the stake against her leg and saw his eyes were drawn to it. She didn’t see fear like she expected but curiosity. He towered three or four inches above her, but still she knew no fear. She lunged at him, the stake in hand. She arced the stake forward but he moved too fast for her to see. She spun around, knowing he would be behind her. He grabbed the hand that held the stake. She put all the force she had behind the stake and still it did not move. “You’re strong. The strongest I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks,” she said between clenched teeth.

“But not strong enough.” He knocked the stake out of her hand. It flew across the room and bounced against the wall. She drove her knee into his crotch and kicked him in the face. He stumbled; she crouched down and used her leg to trip him. She did one cartwheel and then another, grabbed the stake and dived on top of him. She moved fasted than any human he’d ever seen.

“Okay, that’s enough.” The stake flew out of her hand again and he rolled over pinning her to the floor, one of his hands holding her wrists over her head.

They were face to face and she was forced to stare into his eyes. She felt him enter her mind and fought to push him out. He saw her childhood, her mother, a cute little girl riding a tricycle, her mother chasing after her. “Get the fuck out of my mind, you bastard.” She mentally shoved him so hard he flew off her physically.

He was taken by surprise, but recovered well as he got to his feet. He looked at her and whispered, “Sleep.” And that was the last thing she heard. He caught her before she fell to the floor and carried her from the room.
She opened her eyes some time later and stretched like a well fed cat just awaking from her mid-day nap. Memory clouded her eyes as everything came flooding back to her. She sat up quickly and looked around. The room was small, about the same size as her bedroom. Everything was black, the walls, the floor, even the bed she’d slept in was the darkest of black. She looked down and realized she was naked as the day she was born. Someone removed her clothes while she slept, helpless and unaware. She fumed. Anything could have happened to her and she wouldn’t have been able to stop it. Hell, she wouldn’t have even known.

She got up and wrapped the black satin sheet around her naked body. She saw the only
Source of light was a naked sixty watt bulb above the bed. The bed was against the wall opposite the door. The other two walls were covered, floor to ceiling bookcases, filled with leather bound volumes of only God knew what. There was a single black chair, a futon of sorts in the corner. She walked to the door and felt along it. It wasn’t wood or any kind of metal she could tell. There were no visible locks, latches or even a doorknob. The room had no windows and the only door had to be opened from the outside. She was trapped.

She banged her fists on the door in frustration. The door slid upward with hardly a sound. She jumped back in surprise. A tall brute with wide shoulders, short blonde hair and moody blue eyes walked in carrying something. The door closed as he stepped in. “And what do you want?” she asked folding her arms over her chest, her weight on one leg.

“I have clothes for you,” he said in a soft, cultured voice with a slight British accent, worn but still present.

She noticed right away that he was a vampire. It was the way he carried himself, his movements. Every move had its purpose, nothing frivolous or out of place. She took the clothes he handed her. “I don’t want to wear that. And I don’t want to be here.”

“Well, you can walk around naked. I won’t mind a bit. And there’s nothing I can do about you being here.”

She grunted in frustration. “You get on my nerves,” she stared at him for a moment, “Well, are you going to leave so I can change?”

“No.” He answered simply. He used her tactic and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

She tossed the clothes onto the bed and with her back to him she dropped the sheet. She picked up the black panties in the pile and slid them up her strong legs to rest on her slim hips. She picked up the long black skirt and turned around. She stepped in and quickly pulled it up. She knew he stared at her, wanting her body and her blood. She hooked the black bra he gave her and saw his look of disappointment when the peep show was over. “It’s nice to know men are the same dead or alive,” she said casually buttoning her black shirt.

“Yeah, well, we don’t get too many women around here. Especially, women with your annoying combination of beauty and such a smart mouth,” he walked up to her and held her chin, staring at her mouth.

She put her hand on his, “You’re so cold,” she whispered staring into his eyes.

“A condition, I’m afraid, of the disease that was given to me, a symptom. That’s what it is, a disease and with it comes several life altering symptoms.” They stared at each other, something between them, some kind of understanding between two people who don’t fit in, in their own worlds. “Forgive me for my impudence. This way.” He stepped to the door and banged five times.

The door slid open. “I don’t get shoes?” she asked.

“No. You don’t need them. Stay close and keep your eyes to the ground.” He started walking and she lengthened her stride to keep up with his. She walked beside him instead of behind him as he intended. They walked down the long dim hallway and through a wide open doorway. It looked like a large common room, draped in black. The only illumination was dull lamp fixtures fixed to the wall. There was a fire place against one wall with two couches flanking it. She counted ten vampires in the room, all male. All conversation came to a complete halt as they entered the room.

She felt their hostile stared rake over her body, the several seconds it took to walk through the room. As they left she spun around her escort and stood in the doorway. “Later boys,” she blew everyone in the room a kiss.

“You’ve got some balls to do that to a room full of killers,” he said walking up a flight of stairs.

“They don’t scare me. Where are we going anyway?” she asked as they passed the second floor and walked up to the third.

“Someone has requested a meeting with you. Someone you should be afraid of.”

“Are you trying to scare me?”

“Why? Is it working?” he asked, a sly smile on his face. “Here we are.” He stopped in front of a set of double doors. He grabbed her arm and got close to her face. “Be careful.”

He knocked and the doors opened. She took a step forward and turned around. She punched his arm lightly. “Thanks for the concern, Ethan.”

“It’s my pleasure, Christina.”

She turned and walked into the dark room; the doors shut behind her. He stood across the room from her, his back to her in front of the fireplace.

“Please, take a seat,” he said without turning to her. His attention was caught by the flames engulfing the wood in the grate.

“Isn’t it a little early in the year for a fire?” she asked sitting on the couch. She tried to detect something in his voice, but heard nothing. No small nuance or mishap once so ever in the way he spoke. His speech was flawless. She tried to push inside him but couldn’t; she was blocked by something.

“As you well know vampires are… blessed with a subzero temperature. The fires are kept year round to dispel the cold.” He walked away from the fire and sat next to her on the couch. “Can you blame us for disliking the cold?”

“No.” With the fire going in the dark room she could see this man talking to her and it was the same man who was in her room at the safe house.

“Do you like the clothes?”

“A little too dark for me.”

“Yes, I’m sorry about that. We have a penchant for the dark side of the color spectrum.”

“Why am I here?”

“Because you intrigue me.”

“Oh, and that gives you the right to practically abduct me.”

“Yes.”

“And why should I, of all people, intrigue you, as you so delicately put it.”

“You have the strength and powers of a vampire but the drawback of human compassion and conscience.”

“Those are drawbacks to you.”

“Yes. It keeps you from doing what you truly, in the deep darkness of your heart, wish to do.”

“And you know me so well.”

“That I do, because you and I are more alike than you’ll ever admit.”

“I’m nothing like you. You’re a…”

“A what? A Monster. And what are you? Tell me, don’t you enjoy the kill, the feeling you get as the stake pierces the heart of a vampire, the elation, the exhilaritation, the rush. You feel it just as we do. The only difference between us is when we kill it is for food, survival. Who’s the monster, you or me?”

“You’re right. But I do have compassion and a conscience. I can feel pity and sympathy and know the difference between what is right and wrong. The voice inside that you seem to lack tells me the difference. I have a choice, always. Have you ever chosen not to kill someone?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“All you see is the next meal, the blood. It’s not a person you’re killing but a vessel, something that holds the all important and precious blood. We’re not cattle, you should remember that?”

“Your friends at the safe house ran like cattle last night, ripe for the slaughter.” He watched her reaction.

“Did you kill everyone?” she asked the tears threatening to flow from the corners of her eyes.

“Yes.” He relished in her pain.

“Why? They did nothing to you.” She struck him once and then again using all her strength, all her might.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “You have such strong emotions. They consume every part of you and feed into your strength.”

“There were children there, babies. Completely innocent and you let them die.” The tears burned down her cheeks. Her face felt like it was on fire, as she stared at him, shooting daggers with her eyes.

“Oh, come off it. No one is innocent. Even children are stained.” He stood up and walked to the fireplace. “You feel so deeply, with such passion. The only thing we feel to any degree is the desire; the desire that coats everything in blood, the red desire.”

She sat there in silence. A feeling started in the pit of her stomach and worked its way up into her chest. A crushing feeling crawling into her throat and into her head. She laid her head back against the couch, the weight too much for her and closed her eyes. “I have this feeling for you, Chris. I felt it when you almost saw me in the sewer. It runs deeper than curiosity or intrigue. Could it be love? Who knows? Or lust? I haven’t felt either in centuries and have honestly forgotten both emotions completely. You see, Chris,” he turned to her then, “I came to the safe house for you. It’s your fault everyone you have ever known or loved is dead.”

He saw her lift her head and open her eyes. He couldn’t believe what he saw in her eyes. They were hollow, empty bottomless pits. He felt the fear well up in him as she stood up. Her voice was deeper and all controlling. “you should be afraid,” she moved too fast for even him to see, her face inches from his, “Boo,” she whispered.

He jumped back. Before he could do anything else she used her fists and pounded his face and chest. She felt bone crack, the noise melting into the crackling of the fire. He knocked her across the face with such force she flipped in mid-air and landed on her stomach with a loud plop. She jumped up and popped her neck. “Michael, your mother is burning in Hell as we speak.”

He was taken aback a bit, “What did you just say?”

“Your mother was burned as a witch in fourteenth century Milan. I see her, she has dark hair, green eyes like yours. She’s burning in Hell waiting for you,” her voice changed into his mother’s, “Help me, Michael, the fire hurts me so.”

He yelled in rage and they flew at each other. A bright blue light came out of her hands and flew at his chest. It was absorbed inside him. He stumbled back gasping for air. He fell to his knees as the life force took a hold inside him. “How does it feel Michael?” she asked kneeling next to him. His nose started to bleed, his ears. The strange blue light came out of his eyes. “It’s been over seven hundred years since you’ve been human. Now you will know what it’s like to be human. Enjoy it.” She bent down and kissed his cheek. He fell over onto the floor. She walked to the door and opened it.

“What did you do to me?” he asked sitting up and staring at his foreign body.

“A gift from me to you. Have fun.” She walked out and shut the door behind her. She looked at a vampire down the hall. He stopped in his tracks to stare at her. Her once silvery blonde hair turned completely white and her eyes were totally black taking up most of her face. “What are you looking at?” He scurried away without answering. She smiled, “It must have been something I said.”

She walked down the three flights of stairs and into the common room. Her eyes roved over everyone in the room. She saw them stalking room to room at the safe house and killing everyone. Suddenly everyone burst into flames. Vampires were running around left and right screaming in pain on fire, their flesh melting. She didn’t stay to watch the carnage but walked right through and down the hall. She stopped at the room where she was kept earlier. The door opened before her and she saw Ethan lying on the bed reading a book. “This is your room?” she asked.

“Yes. What’s happening?” He sat up setting the book down.

“I’m getting out of here. You wanna come?”

“But what happened to you?”

“He pushed me to far. Come on. Let’s go.” She held out her hand and he took iy.

She led the way out, finding it with no trouble at all even though she was unconscious when she was taken in. “But where will we go?” he asked as they left the house and walked onto the street.

“Anywhere we want.” They walked into the sunrise. It was the beginning of a new day. Christina was the human race’s next step in evolution with powers to protect herself against anything. Vampires beware, the tables have turned once again. The hunter has just become the prey.