I stumbled out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. All the streetlights along both sides of the road were broken. No cars nor people dared entered a neighborhood that was shrouded in darkness. I noticed an alley on the opposite side of the street, and made a straight shot for it. My clumsy feet tripped over broken slabs of pavement and glass that littered the road, but I made it unharmed into the alley.
The narrow road stretched across the width of the block to the next street. Another, living world awaited me there. The streetlights there were unbroken, and I glimpsed traffic. My feet pounded pavement and splashed through mucky puddles. Mud soaked the bottom hem of my dress and soiled my shoes. I felt my heart thump against my chest and I gasped for breath.
At the halfway point I risked a glance over my shoulder. My heart skipped a beat as a half dozen shadows dropped fifty feet off the rooftops and landed neatly in the alley. They stood and their red eyes followed me. I looked ahead and pumped my arms faster. The alley exit loomed in front of me. Just a couple more yards.
Two figures stepped out of the darkness. They wore black suits like those who fought the driver, and both of them grinned at me with sharp teeth protruding from their mouths. I skidded to a stop and half-turned towards the way I'd come. The six shadows strode towards me. A chuckle returned my attention to the exit.
One of the pair stepped forward. It was a man of thirty with dirty-blond hair and a cruel smile on his pale lips. His hands were tucked into the pocket of his jeans and his feet didn't make a sound on the pavement as he circled me. The other man blocked the exit, and the six to my left shut off that way of escape.
The older vampire, I couldn't deceive myself that these were humans, eyed me with a hungry, bemused gaze. "What's a fancy kitten like you doing in a place like this?"
I leaned away from him. "P-please, I just want to leave."
He stopped on my right side. His hand whipped out and grabbed my wrist. He pulled me against his chest. His horrible breath wafted over me. It smelled like a charnel house. I shut my eyes and turned my face away.
He leaned down and slid his long tongue against my cheek. I shuddered and tried to pull away, but he held me tight against him. He lowered his head and his breath wafted over my neck."You taste delicious. I bet your blood's just as-" A shadow dropped from the sky and landed on my right.
The vampire's eyes widened and he turned his head. "What the-" A pale hand shot out from the shadow and wrapped around his neck.
The leader yelped. His hold on me broke and I stumbled back. I tripped over the uneven ground and fell onto my rear. The leader was lifted off the ground and flung into his companion, who caught him. The shadow turned their red eyes on me, and I recognized the pale face of Simon.
He leaned down and held out his hand to me. "Are you all right?" he asked me.
I nodded and took his hand. The enemy of my enemy was my friend, and the vampires around me were definitely my enemies. Simon looped his arm around my waist and pressed me against his side. The six vampires pressed closer and their leader shoved his lackey away.
He marched to within two yards of us and sneered at Simon. "Get lost, old man. This is our prey."
Simon's eyes flickered from the pair to the six behind us. They closed in closer to us. "She is under my protection. If you wish to live then I suggest you leave this city."
Their leader scoffed. "Fuck off, old man. We just got here, and we're not about to let all these tasty treats go." He glanced past us at the other six and raised his hand. His fingers snapped together.
The six behind us leapt twenty feet into the air and arched downward towards us. Their fingers were splayed out and their nails lengthened into long, sharp claws. They hissed and pulled back their hands to swipe at us.
Simon swept me behind him and caught the first attacker by their neck. He swung the vampire up and the attacker collided with two of his fellow vampires. Simon walked forward and side-stepped the remaining three vampires. They landed on their feet around him and swung their clawed hands. He ducked and blocked their blows with his arm against theirs. His own nails lengthened into weapons, and he sliced his nails across the neck of one of the attackers.
The male vampire let out a bloodcurdling scream and stumbled back. He clutched the bleeding wound across his neck. Blood drizzled from his mouth. Simon swiped again, and the vampire's head was cleanly cut from his neck. The decapitated vampire fell to his knees and his head rolled off his shoulders.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around me and lifted me off the ground. It was the companion of the leader. His strong grasp squeezed my rib cage and the pain caused me to cry out.
Simon spun around and snarled at my captor. My eyes widened as I watched his opponents come at him from two different directions.
"Watch out!" I screamed.
The two remaining attackers stabbed Simon with their claws. He dropped to one knee and winced. Blood dripped from the stabbing wounds and onto the filthy ground. The leader stepped forward and held up one hand so the palm faced outward. The two bowed their heads and backed up.
He looked past them at the pile of three vampires, the first who Simon had felled. "Get up!" their leader shouted.
The three roused themselves and struggled to their feet. The count was now seven against two, and I was no help. The leader's eyes flickered to Simon and he sneered at him.
"You're tougher than you look, old man, but not tough enough for my gang." He strode over and knelt in front of Simon. A smirk danced across his lips. "I handpicked these guys myself. There's no way any one person can defeat all of them."
"What about two?"
The vampire who held me stiffened and the pressure on my rib cage loosened. His arms opened and I dropped to my feet. I looked over my shoulder and gasped. The vampire's head was missing from his shoulders. His headless corpse fell to the side and revealed Certus behind him.
The leader of the vampires jumped to his feet and trembled with rage. He stabbed a finger at Certus and looked to his minions. "Get-" He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Simon stood and swiped his hand cleanly across the leader's neck.
The leader stumbled backwards towards me. Blood dribbled onto the ground. He choked on his life fluid. "Fuck. . .you," he choked out.
He fell backwards. The impact of the fall loosened the final thread that attached his head to his neck. The head rolled across the ground and stopped at my feet. His lifeless eyes stared up at me. I stumbled back and into Certus's waiting arms.
Simon glanced at his driver and frowned. "Protect her this time."
Certus bowed his head. "Yes, sir."
The remaining vampires hissed and leapt at Simon. He jumped into the air and flew past them all. His arms were blurs as he swiped left and right through their ranks. When they crashed to the ground they were nothing but piles of limbs. Simon landed neatly beyond them and turned to us. He brushed himself off and strode over to us. Certus held still, but I shrank from him.
Simon's eyes flickered from me to Certus. "Release her."
Certus frowned. "But sir."
"Release her."
Certus's hands opened and he stepped back. I pressed my arms against my chest and glanced from one vampire to another. "W-what are you going to do with me? Kill me like you did them?"
Simon shook his head, and when he replied his voice was soft like an autumn breeze. "No. These vampires were far too dangerous to allow them to exist."
I frowned. "So then what? Keep me captive until I change into one of you?"
A sly grin slipped onto Simon's lips. "As tempting as that sounds, I would rather let you go home. That is, after a short overnight stay at my penthouse to ensure you're physically and mentally well."
I raised an eyebrow. My arms slipped a little lower down my chest. "And if I say no?"
He shrugged. "Then you would have said no, and will still remain overnight at my penthouse."
&nb
sp; My eyes flickered between Certus and Simon. "And you'll let me go tomorrow?"
Simon swept his hand across his chest and bowed to me. "You have my word."
I snorted. "A word of a vampire?"
He raised his head and straightened. "Have I lied to you?"
I pursed my lips and studied him. "No, but you haven't been entirely upfront, either."
He chuckled and offered me his arm. "True enough, but that can be remedied before the night is over. I offer you another chance to ask me anything you like, and now that you know the correct questions it should be quite illuminating for you."
I glanced from his arm to his face. "What if I left and called the police on you?"
He dropped his arm and that smooth smile of his slipped onto his lips. "I needn't tell you it would be rather uncomfortable for both of us. Now shall we go, or do you wish to remain among this filth?" His eyes flickered to the ground. I followed his gaze and shrank back.
The bodies of the vampires were aged beyond their youthful appearance. Many looked to be seventy or eighty years old. The body that belonged to the leader of their group was more bones than flesh.
I felt a tingle in my mind. Simon's voice intruded on my disgust. "They have reverted to their true age. When the sun rises they will turn to dust."
My eyes flew up to his smiling face. I narrowed them. "You're reading my mind, aren't you?"
He bowed his head to me. "I am."
I balled my hands into fists and glared at him. "Stay out of it!"
Simon chuckled. "But your thoughts are rather interesting. That in itself is unusual for a human."
I marched up to him and tried to meet him face-to-face, but he was a head taller than me. "I said stay out!"
He chuckled and stepped back to offer me his arm again. "Very well, but shall we go? I hear the sounds of the police, and I'm sure none of us wish to explain how these dead bodies came to be here."
I glanced over my shoulder. Behind Certus was the bright lights of the living city. I looked back to Simon. His pale face and red eyes were another path.
A voice inside me pulled me towards Simon. I grudgingly agreed to its demands and stepped up to him, ignoring his arm. My eyes met his and my voice was firm. "Fine, I'll go."
CHAPTER 9