Bored at work
So I'm sitting here at work with nothing to do since all of my authors aren't putting out any new books for the next couple of months. Well I've been writing more and the following is my story of my hunter character Faith. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession.”
“Go on child, what is your sin?”
“I have denied God and incurred his wrath.”
“What makes you think this my Child?”
“Well I guess I should explain from the beginning…”
I had been working in a bar outside of London for about a year and a half. It’s prolly the longest I’ve been in one place since I left home. I had actually made friends with my boss and his wife; they had this precious little girl named Pearl. She was five and already knew how to read. She used to call me her aunt when I came over since none of her parent’s relatives visited them. I would baby-sit her and we would play all day. She soon became the daughter I knew I would never have. I was actually happy for once. I felt like I had finally found myself a home. I even almost forgot who I really was, but THEY wouldn’t let me forget.
One night the boss had called me up to ask me to baby-sit because he and his wife had to go visit a sick relative in the hospital. I was the only one working that night so I told him I’d be there in two hours. When I arrived the house was completely dark and the door was wide open. I thought it was very odd so I carefully went in to check. When I went inside and turned on the light, I found my boss and his wife, or what was left of them at least. There were body parts everywhere as well as blood; the once white walls were now a brownish red with all the blood. I hadn’t seen anything so terrible in a long time. After getting over the initial shock I ran to Pearl’s room. When I got there, there wasn’t a single thing out of place. The bed was still made but there was no sign of her or any sign that she had been bled. I looked around the rest of the house but couldn’t find anything. I ran as fast as I could to my apartment to get some supplies. I knew what had done those horrible things and could only imagine what even more horrible things might be done to poor Pearl. It had been my job to hunt those things and I had forgotten. I swore that night that I would track it down and make it pay for the damage it had caused and whatever monstrous acts it was inflicting on Pearl.
It took me three full days to track it down, by now I had very little hope of finding Pearl alive. I tracked it down to a very small town far to the south of where I had come from. As I had thought it was a Malkavian, the vampire breed whose embrace inflicts insanity. She, as I had found out it was female, had killed another family and was “living” in their house while the bodies rotted in the garden out back. By day she slept in the cellar, I waited until the following morning to strike. I first checked the house thoroughly and found it surprisingly clean. It wasn’t until I passed by the bedrooms that I noticed one of the smaller rooms was set up as a young child’s room. On the bed lay a pair of pajama’s Pearl loved to wear. I picked them up and inspected them but found no traces of blood. I went to the door that led into the cellar, got out a flashlight from the bag of supplies I had brought and headed down slowly. It may have been full day, but it was not unheard of vampires waking during daylight, especially if they weren’t too recently dead or if they were very powerful. I also took out a short sword and kept it readily at my side. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I quickly shined the flashlight over everything. I saw the vamp lying in a corner, far away from the door leading into the house and the small door leading outside. I walked over to her slowly, ready to take her head off. When I reached her I noticed she was cradling something in her arms. At first I thought it was a doll, until I got closer and looked upon the face of the child I had come to love like no other. Without a second thought I placed the flashlight on the floor and raised the short sword with both hands. I brought the sword down in one swift stroke. The sword cut straight through her arm making her let go of Pearl. Unfortunately it also caused her to wake up screaming, or screeching as the case was. I then turned the sword and slid it right through her throat, which shut her up really quick. I then took out the sword and dragged her by her hair to the cellar door leading outside. When she noticed where I was dragging her to, she tried to pull away and began thrashing about. It didn’t do much good seeing as how she now had only one arm and was losing a lot of blood. I currently had the upper hand, though even with both arms still intact we would be evenly matched in strength, one of the perks of the job. I finally managed to get to the door and kicked it open, letting the suns light filter in. As the sunlight fell full upon her she began to burst into flames. I dragged her all the way out and threw her onto the nearly barren ground. She stumbled and screamed as the flames engulfed her. I watched as she burned feeling a little justified but mostly empty.
It wasn’t until the vamp had turned into smoldering ash did I notice that there were screams still coming from the house. It took me a while to realize whom it had to be. If I thought I felt empty before I felt even more so now. I would have given anything at that moment to not know what I knew, to not be a Slayer. I slowly made my way back to the house picking up the short sword I had dropped on the way. I felt sickened and horrified at what I knew I had to do. As my mind filled with guilt, I made my way back down into the cellar. By the time I reached the bottom again the screaming had stopped. For just a second I thought that I may have imagined the screaming and that poor Pearl was just plain dead. Just then the vampire tackled me and slammed me into the floor. I almost got knocked out when my head hit the concrete floor, but I quickly regained my balance. She snarled up at me, snapping her fangs like a rabid dog. It was clear that there was nothing left of the child I had once cared for. She tried to claw at me, but her size and reach gave me the advantage. While I was trying to stab her with the sword, she grabbed my arm and tossed me against the wall. As she ran at me while I was getting on my feet, I thrusted the sword into her chest. When the sword slid through her heart it was like turning off a light switch, she just slumped down like a rag doll. I carefully picked her up like when I used to put her to bed and carried her out into the backyard. I lay her down gently and watched as flames consumed her tiny form till there was nothing left but ashes. I went back into the house, picked up my bag, and went into the room where her pajama’s where. I carefully folded them up and put them in the bag. Next I went into the kitchen and grabbed any flammable liquid I could find and began pouring them around the house making sure all the windows were open. Finally I went to the front door, lit one of my cigs, took a drag and then threw it back into the house. I stood out front and watched as the flames erupted and spread throughout the house. Seeing as the closest neighbor was five miles up the road I was confident they wouldn’t notice it till it was too late. It didn’t take too long for the flames to eat through the roof and for the house to start collapsing in on it. I then simply walked away as if nothing happened.
“Oh my! So then you are seeking penance for the sin of wrath are you not?”
“No Father, I have already been punished for that. Allow me to continue.”
“Very well….”
After I left that house, it took me four days to get back to my apartment. As soon as I got there I began to pack all my stuff and cursed myself for letting down my guard so blatantly. I also cursed God for allowing such an atrocity to happen. I thought of how he was supposed to be our shepherd, and if that was true he must have left us all to the wolves. I screamed at how he was a sick sadistic bastard and how I didn’t need a God like that. I forsook God for forsaking me. I went in and started to take a shower. As soon as I got in and under the hot spray of water I broke down crying. I punched the shower wall, which broke the tile. I watched the cuts on my knuckle bleed when suddenly my vision blanked out. I saw flashes of people looming over me with a really big mallet like thing and some really big nails. I looked slowly to my right and noticed that I was tied down. The last thing I remember seeing is one of the people bringing the hammer down on my wrist, then nothing. After that I woke up in a hospital room with both my wrists bandaged. I pressed the button to call a nurse and asked how I had gotten there. As soon as the nurse noticed I was completely lucid she ran to get the Doctor. The Doctor arrived shortly afterwards looking very surprised. I asked her how I had gotten to the hospital. She informed me that I had been found bleeding on the floor of my shower with the water flooding the small bathroom. She told me I was treated for major blood loss and two very deep and identical wounds on my wrists. They had suspected I had slipped into the coma due to the blood loss since I was unresponsive to all attempts to awaken. She asked me what the last thing I remembered was. I wasn’t sure what to tell her, so I told her a half-truth and left out the weird flashes I had before I completely blacked out. She proceeded to ask me why I had been so upset as to punch a wall. By now the story about my boss and his wife’s grizzly murder and their daughter’s disappearance had been in all the local and national newspapers. I told her that I was very close to the family and that I had just found out about it. That made her quite for a long while, after a long time she gave me the name and number of a grief counselor. She also commented that although the wounds on my wrist couldn’t have possibly been self-inflicted, she strongly recommended that I stay for further tests. I didn’t argue since I wanted to find out more about the wounds. Plus I really needed the rest after all the travel I had done. So I stayed for two more days while they ran some tests on my blood and some officers came in to question me about my wounds and also about my boss’s murder. I lied to the police and told them that I had last heard from my boss about seven or eight days ago and that he seemed fine. I said I had taken some personal time and gone to visit some friends in London. They didn’t really question me too thoroughly since I was in the hospital. On the third day the doctor gave me a clean bill of health and told me it may take a while for the wounds to heal. She said it was nearly miraculous that whatever caused them didn’t shatter her bone which would have caused her to lose any control over my hands. Before I completely checked out she urged me to go see the grief counselor and I told her I’d make an appointment as soon as I was able to. It was a blatant lie and I knew it.
As soon as I got back to my apartment and finished packing I was out of this town. Thankfully when I got there they had already taken down the crime scene tape from my apartment so I could go in without any trouble. I went in and finished packing the few things I owned and left the rest. I went to the landlord and turned in my key and headed to the bar to collect my last check. When I got there everyone had a very solemn expression and kept their eyes on their drinks. I got my check from the new manager and told him that I quit. He didn’t really seem to mind my quitting much, just sorta took it in stride. Afterward I went to the bus station and bought a ticket for London. When I arrived, I went back to the place I thought I would never have to see again. They were as pleased to see me as I was to be there. It couldn’t be helped, I needed more info on what had happened to me and this was the only place that could help lead me in the right direction. After a lot of arguing and throwing people around I found what I was looking for…
“
And that’s what led me here.”
“Oh? And so now you seek absolution? Or perhaps you are here to ask for penance?”
“Not really. I’m looking for information. I need to find someone, and I was told you would know where I could find him. After all he was one of your order, in more ways than one.”
“My child I have no idea of whom you speak of. All those of my order are her in this church or have passed on.”
“Look I don’t have time for the bullshit, so let’s cut to the chase shall we.” Faith then punches through the small screen and grabs the priest by the collar and pulls him to her. “Where is he? Don’t make me ask you again? I’m not exactly feeling charitable. I mean I even told you my whole story and you’re gonna sit there and lie to me padre? That is just not right.” As she says this she slams him against the dividing wall. “Now are you gonna talk, or am I gonna have to get really grumpy?” As she says this she shoves him hard, making him slam against the opposite wall.
“Alright, you win! You’re just as foul tempered as your report says you are.” The priest says as he straightens his robes and collar.
He then opens the door to the confessional and walks out. Faith goes out after him, following close behind. They walk to the back of the church, thankfully not passing any parishioners since Faith was in no mood to answer any questions or draw any more attention to herself than necessary. They finally reached the priest’s study and they both went in.
“So why are you looking for him specifically? I’m sure several of the more experienced agents would be able to help you with your little “problem”. I know there must be thousands of articles of information in the main database. Though you wouldn’t be allowed access to it yourself.”
“And there in lie’s my problem padre. I don’t trust any of you sniveling little bastards as far as I can throw you, even though some of you I can chuck pretty damn far. He’s the only one I can trust to give me all the info I need, not just what he wants me to know. I don’t need to worry about him trying to manipulate me into doing something he can’t.” She stares down at him while he rifles through some files in a desk drawer. The priest seems unfazed by her allegations and continues searching for the information she demanded. Finally he pulled out a small Rolodex from one of the drawers and was rifling through it. He finally pulled out a card and handed it over to her. “There’s were you’ll find him.” The priest said, then seeming to find some backbone, “So if there’s nothing further, would you kindly leave.”
“Oh! I suppose so, jeez! I thought you collar jockeys were supposed to be more courteous and whatnot. I know you’re all sexually repressed and everything, but I’m still a lady.” At saying this she laughed loudly, “I ‘m sorry. God I can’t believe I almost said that with a straight face. Well thanks a lot Padre!” She then slaps him on the back and strides out of the church chuckling to herself. As she is walking out of the church, she looks at the card in her hand and thinks to herself, Well shit! Now I have to go back to the States. But I guess there’s no other choice, it’s not like I can just call him up. I bet he’ll be really surprised to see me. She then puts the card in a pocket on the inside of her jacket. “See ya soon Paul.”
Several hours later and Faith is sitting in the London International Airport waiting for her plane to start boarding. While she sits there, she contemplates all the reasons she left the states, and how she came to be in the middle of all this mess.
It seemed like ages ago, She was only ten years old when her mother died in a car accident. It had been raining all evening and her tires were really low on air. She was driving on the freeway when she lost control and slammed into a pillar from one of the overpasses. They said she died on impact, though Faith didn’t learn that until much later. Her father had never really been a good guy, but he got even worse after her mother’s death. He didn’t really care about what Faith did or where she went. Sometimes he would get so drunk he wouldn’t wake up until the evening of the following day. He kept getting fired everywhere he worked for not coming into work. They were forced to sell the house they had been living in and move into a small two-bedroom apartment in a seedy neighborhood.
And so, her father kept jumping from job to job while they barely made ends meet. She had to always plead with him to buy real food and not sped all the money on alcohol. She grew up with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, taking care of herself while trying to keep her father motivated to work and live. She had very few close friends because of it all, she felt ashamed of her father and her situation. She never invited anyone to come home with her after school, nor would she let anyone walk her home. It was very hard for her when any parent/teacher conferences were called and either her father wouldn’t show up, or he would arrive tanked. After the first couple of times, the teachers excused her from those conferences and would simply talk to her about her grades and behavior. As she entered her teen years, she became more rebellious than most kids her age. Mostly it was to try to shock her father out of his drunken stupor. Some days it seemed like he was actually going to say something to her and actually be a parent, but most of the time he ignored her. Her neighborhood appeared to be getting worse, it seemed like there was a drug bust, a gang war, or something going down almost daily.
When she finally started high school she felt things might get better, because she planned to leave home right after high school. Strangely though she felt more confident about herself and didn’t care very much about her home situation anymore. Her father finally seemed to be managing to hold down a steady job, though she knew it was probably doing something illegal. She was beyond caring; she only focused on finishing school so she could leave this life behind her. Little did she know what the fates had in store for her…
It was her Junior year of high school when she became aware that she was slightly different. It wasn’t anything obvious, but it seemed as if she could never lose a fight. Her teenage angst blossomed into a short tempered young woman. So she got into a lot of fights with other girls and guys. Even if they were bigger than her she seemed to be able to simply outlast them. It was because of these fights and her skills that the teachers and counselors had the idea that she should join the wrestling team. In this way she could relieve some of her anger and not get into as much trouble. After joining the wrestling team she became one of the best wrestlers in her weight class and even when pitted against wrestlers of a higher weight class she excelled. She soon saw wrestling as a means to go to College and be able to make a good life for her. It was a few months after the beginning of the season when Faith noticed that there was a rash of disappearances and grizzly murders. This put her on edge since she lived in a bad side of town, so she started carrying switchblades and brass knuckles. Usually she only came across a few drunks or the random bum, but she felt better knowing she was ready for anything.
It was December of her junior year and she had stayed late to train in the gym. It was snowing pretty hard when Faith came out and so she decided it would be best to take the subway home so she wouldn’t have to walk too far in the snow. As she got on the tram the last few 9 to 5er’s were getting off. By the time she caught the next connection the cars were practically empty. She was about twenty minutes away from her stop when she heard a muffled scream from the last car. She got out one of her switchblades and held it at her side. As she went to open the connecting door, she saw through the little window, some big biker looking guy holding this old lady. It looked like he was trying to mug her at first, but then Faith saw the blood all over the guys face and the old lady’s jacket. She slid open the door and lunged at the guy, he was still busy with the old woman so he didn’t see or hear her. Faith used the switchblade and sliced the guys bicep and triceps on his left arm which made him let go of the old lady. The old lady fell to the floor having already lost consciousness. Faith was already moving by the time the biker guy recovered from the slices on his arm. When he turned and looked right at Faith, she noticed that he was deathly pale and that he had very pronounced canines. She didn’t believe what she saw at first, there was just no way, but when she saw him licking the blood off his lips she knew without a doubt what he was. The vampire made to grab Faith and drain her dry, but he was using the arm she had sliced up so she was able to snake out of his grasp. He then came at her with a swift right hook which caught faith square on the jaw and split her lip. To Faith it felt like she’d been hit in the face with a brick, she quickly shrugged it off and punched the vampire in the stomach, which amazingly made him back up. It took Faith a while to realize that the vampire was stunned by the fact that not only was she still standing, but that she had hit him and apparently made a proverbial dent. The vampire was pissed now and said “I don’t know what you are girly, but you interrupted my meal so now I’ll have you for desert.” He then moved so fast Faith could barely see him and came up behind her. Thankfully she was close to one of the metal bars and grabbed on to it to pull herself forward. Instead the bar broke off and so she used it to thwack him just as he bit into her shoulder. The pain was unbelievable and she knew that she had to get him off her or else she might pass out from the blood loss and then she would definitely be dead. So she thwacked him very hard with the pole making a big dent in it and causing him to pull his fangs out of her shoulder. He backed up a few steps and Faith used the opportunity to drive the sharp and bent pole right through him. He screamed horribly but Faith realized a bit too late that she had completely missed the vampires heart and that he now had a bent pole sticking through his stomach. He back handed her causing her to tumble back towards the end of the car. She managed to get up while the vampire was struggling to remove the pole. She came at him and roundhouse kicked him on the side of his face, which knocked him over sideways. She ran back to the back of the car and found the fire extinguisher and snatched it out of its little cubby. She taunted the vampire to try to make him run at her. She said “Oh is the big bad vampire afraid of a little girly like me? Or is it that your boo-boo hurts too much?” This taunting was apparently too much for the vamp because he rushed at her in the same unnatural speed he had used before to get behind her. This time Faith was ready, as soon as he began running she sprayed the floor and opened the emergency exit door. She jumped out the little ledge just in time as the vampire couldn’t stop and ran right off the car onto the rails, falling and impaling the pole further into his stomach. Needless to say he didn’t get up and give chase. He had lost too much blood and it was all over the car.
When they finally pulled into the next stop she found a guard and made him hold the subway and call the police. Unfortunately by the time the ambulance arrived the old lady had died from blood loss. The police took Faith’s statement while she told them what had happened, leaving out the small detail that the guy was a vampire of course. She told them that she heard the old lady scream and when she got into the car he was holding her and she was bleeding from her neck. She told them how she had fought him off with her switchblade, which they confiscated and tagged as evidence. She lied and told them that he had broken the bar when she had kicked him and he had fallen against it and how she had used the bar to wear him down. She also said that she had used the extinguisher to make him slip and eventually fall of the subway. They sent some officers to go down the tunnel to look for him, but Faith knew he’d be long gone. They didn’t take her back to the station for questioning mostly because of her age and her injuries. The paramedics bandaged her up and one of the officers drove her home. When she finally got there she wasn’t surprised to find that her father wasn’t home. He was hardly ever home, he spent most of his time either doing the illegal odd jobs or at the bar. Occasionally he’d come home and shower and leave some cash so Faith could buy groceries or pay the bills. She went straight into the bathroom and took a scalding hot shower to loosen and relax her muscles. After she was done, she threw on her oversize nightshirt and made sure the doors and windows were all locked and went to bed.
The next morning when she arrived at school it was a media circus, she stood there for a few minutes wondering what had happened. It wasn’t until the first reporter approached her that she remembered about last night. Subway attacks always make the news, since the mayor had claimed at the beginning of his term that he would make sure the subways were safe for all people, especially the elderly and women after the incident a few years ago with the subway rapist. As soon as the first reporter started questioning her, all the others swarmed in until all she could see was the mics and the camera’s. She answered their questions while moving towards the open door of the school. She hoped the school wouldn’t allow the reporters on school grounds. The reporters asked her all the basic questions, “What was going through your mind while you were fighting off the assailant?” or “Our sources tell us that you’re one of your school’s best wrestlers, do you think that helped you overcome the mugger/murderer?” Finally she made it inside and almost ran to her locker. The school was in an uproar about having the news crews camped outside the school, everyone was so excited and couldn’t stop talking about it. Faith got really tired of it by lunch, she just wanted to ditch and go home, but she had a test that day and practice after school. Thankfully nothing more happened, and the news crews got bored and left so Faith got to head to the gym for practice without any trouble.
A few days passed without any more commotion, it seemed a suicide in the nicer part of town had drawn away the attention of the media. So things began going on as usual, and the wrestling championships were coming up. Faith spent everyday after school practicing until she had to leave. It was after one of these sessions when she was walking out of the gym that she noticed someone was outside waiting for something. She didn’t really think anything of it since it was an older lady. She thought perhaps it was someone’s mom or some faculty member she hadn’t met before, so it was surprising when the woman called out to her.
“Faith, may I have a word with you please?” Said the woman.
“I’m sorry, but do I know you? Are you one of the other teachers or something?” Faith asked.
“Not quite. Is there somewhere we may talk? It’s rather nippy out”
Faith wasn’t sure what this lady’s deal was, but she didn’t seem threatening so she told her there was a 24 hour coffee shop a block up the road.
“That would be splendid.”
So Faith walked with lady in silence until they reached the coffee shop and were inside. The lady went right to the counter and ordered some earl grey tea, and Faith ordered a non-fat latte. After getting there orders they went and sat at one of the tables against the wall.
“So who are and what do you want?” Faith asked.
“Very straight forward and to the point, I must admit I admire that in a person your age. I am Gwyneth Mercer, and as to what I want, it has to do with what we have discovered you can do.”
“Well that’s very mysterious and all, but I prefer more direct answers. And who is this “We” you’re talking about?”
“I am here representing an agency or council if you will. Our purpose is to gather information and train certain unique individuals.”
“So you’re like a talent scout or something? What school are you from? Cause you don’t sound American in the least.”
“Heavens forbid I sound American, I’m British. And I’m not exactly a talent scout. The council I work for isn’t interested in your wrestling, they are interested in the fact that you fought off a vampire in the subway almost a week ago.”
Faith’s jaw just dropped. “What are you talking about?! No one said anything about vampires. It was just some guy who was probably high and killed that old lady for shit’s and giggles.”
“My dear, we are well aware of the circumstances involved in the elderly woman’s demise. We read the coroner’s report as well as the police’s report about the incident. We keep a close eye out for anything with peculiar aspects. The council I work for investigates all manners of unnatural deaths as well as what may be considered supernatural activity. We know you are one of a select few whom has certain gifts that allow you to fight against the vile creatures that thrive in this world, the vampires, werewolves, and other such fiends.”
“Ok. Lady you’re starting to sound really nutso right now. Why should I believe anything you have to say? You’re a complete stranger and then you start babbling about me having special gifts. It all sounds really farfetched if you don’t mind my saying so.”
“What further proof do you need? You saw a vampire with your own eyes, you even fought it. You witnessed first hand the way they feed, and their strength. I do have a way to prove what I say is true, but I doubt you trust to follow me anywhere. Am I right?”
“To be perfectly honest yes. I don’t trust people as a rule and I wouldn’t be stupid enough to go to some undisclosed location where some goons might be waiting to rob me or rape me. Thanks, but no thanks.”
“You know what I’m saying is true, you can lie to yourself all you want but you can’t change the fact of what happened. You also can’t stop them from coming after you. Now that they know what you look like and what you can do, don’t believe for one second they won’t come after you. They don’t like your kind, they think of you as a possible threat and they won’t hesitate to eliminate you. Think on it, we are offering to train you. Help make sure you can fight back and win. Here’s my card, give me a call when you have an answer.”
With that, Gwyneth got up and walked out of the coffee shop while Faith sat there for a long time. She was amazed at the woman’s sincerity about the vampires, and she had also mentioned were’s and other creatures. She felt that the lady was probably right about the vampire wanting revenge and that thought chilled her right down to her feet. She didn’t know what if anything about vampires was true other than the fact that they existed. She had no idea how to fight a vampire, and the one she had fought she had fought as if he was just a normal guy. She knew that it was merely her quick thinking and luck that she managed to get out of the situation alive. She calmed herself down, and finished her coffee. By the time she was done she had calmed down enough to start thinking rationally. Faith walked out of the coffee shop and down into the subway constantly looking over her shoulder. She knew she couldn’t let her guard down, and she had merely been lucky the vampire hadn’t come back to get her by now while she was off guard.
The next day was mainly uneventful, which was good because Faith was mostly coasting through the day. She couldn’t take her mind off of what that Mercer lady had said. She kept the card with the number on it in her back pocket constantly pulling it out and looking at it, then putting it back. It wasn’t until practice did anyone notice that four of the members of the wrestling team had not shown up at school or for practice, and when the coach called their houses he got no answer. Everyone thought it was really odd since the guys were usually the first to arrive at practice, other than Faith. The following day, people became very suspicious since they again had not shown up. After school, the coach personally went to their houses to see why they weren’t there. When he arrived at the first guy’s house, he noticed that the door was unlocked and opened. He immediately called the police, suspecting a break in. He cautiously entered the house trying not to touch anything. As soon as he made it into the living room, he saw it. What was left of the guy’s family was scattered throughout the living room. The sight was too much for the coach and he ran outside and lost his lunch all over the front porch. The police arrived 30 minutes later and he told them what he had seen. They immediately called in the crime scene team and the coroner to collect the bodies. While the police questioned him about why he had been there, he remembered the other three wrestlers that had also been absent. He told the officers and they called it in to have a few squad cars drive by and check on them.
It had been two weeks after the incident, wrestling and any other after school activity had been canceled. Students were still terribly shaken up over it, especially since two of the wrestlers had not been found amongst their dead families. Faith had not really found that as odd until she started getting notes in her locker. They were in the hand righting of one of the missing wrestlers, if that hadn’t been bizarre enough the message on them was always the same “Always finish what you start”. It took her a while to realize that it was referring to her fight with the vampire on the subway. The bastard had stalked her and gone after her classmates. Now he was making sure she knew that their deaths were on her. She immediately called Ms. Mercer; she wasn’t too surprised to hear her sounding a little eager at Faith’s call. Ms. Mercer gave her the name and # of the Hotel she was staying at and told her to meet her at seven that evening. Once Faith arrived she half expected to have to put up with small talk and was mildly surprised to find that Ms. Mercer had laid out several weapons.
“Don’t look so shocked; as I had told you when we first met we keep a close eye on the news. Quite frankly we expected to hear from you sooner.”
“Yeah, well I was kinda shook up by what happened. It’s not every day you find out your friends and their families are found splattered all over their homes. Not to mention that the person or people responsible are monsters from outa bad movies.”
“Well, let’s get to it then, the sooner you learn about these things, the sooner you will be able to fight them. The first thing I’m sure you will want to know is how to kill them. There are a few ways, a stake through the heart will only put them in a sort of deep slumber, you must follow it up by either cutting off the head or burning the body. Another method is quite simply sunlight; they burst into flames when they come in contact with any direct sunlight. Garlic, crosses, or holy water have no effect that we’ve seen. Now they heal at an incredibly rapid speed but they can’t seem to heal wounds inflicted by fire quickly if at all. Any questions so far?”
“How do you know all of this? I mean how accurate is this info, if I’m to trust my life to it I need to make sure it’s right. It’s hard enough to know these things are real, but having to fight them is worse.”
“My dear child, all the information we’ve gained has come through our research and other operatives if you will. You aren’t the only one out there fighting these monsters. Now this may seem the task more daunting, but there are quite a few different kinds of vampires. We aren’t certain how exactly the categorize themselves, but we’ve grouped them accordingly. First are the brutes that specialize in speed and strength. Secondly there are the ghouls whom can manipulate their flesh or that of others, there is also a sub class that seem to be rotting and are quite good at masking their presence. Thirdly there are what we call the stereotypes that act and appear as vampires out of movies and books. Fourth are the undead mages who wield magic of all sorts, some can command the elements; while others can make things appear out of thin air. You must always use the utmost caution when dealing with this kind as we have no way of judging how powerful they may be or what magic they wield. Fifth is a vampiric cult that worships the Egyptian god Set. They have the ability to take on aspects of snakes and are thought to be amongst the oldest vampires. Lastly there are the vampiric Royalty whom are amongst the most vicious and deadly vampires. They are said to descend directly from one family bloodline. Very few of our operatives have ever survived an encounter with these vampires. Those that have were never the same, both physically and mentally.”
“Well at least I know what category the vamp I fought falls under. The son of a bitch moved so damn fast I could barely see him. So let me get this straight, there are all sorts of different vamps out there, but they can all be killed in the same way? That about right?”
“It’s not that simple, some are harder to kill than others. While some you wouldn’t be able to get close enough for the traditional means.”
“All I need to know is if I slice off their heads or fry them to a crisp their not coming back.”
“Yes if you sever the vampires head or completely incinerate the body there is no way they can survive. Now, do you have any martial arts training or experience with armed combat?”
“No, just wrestling and fighting with my switchblades. Any other fights I’ve been have been with fists.”
“We’ll have to start training as soon as possible then. Most of these vampires have at least some knowledge of martial arts so they don’t rely solely on their preternatural strength. So must you learn to not rely solely on your strength.
“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession.”
“Go on child, what is your sin?”
“I have denied God and incurred his wrath.”
“What makes you think this my Child?”
“Well I guess I should explain from the beginning…”
I had been working in a bar outside of London for about a year and a half. It’s prolly the longest I’ve been in one place since I left home. I had actually made friends with my boss and his wife; they had this precious little girl named Pearl. She was five and already knew how to read. She used to call me her aunt when I came over since none of her parent’s relatives visited them. I would baby-sit her and we would play all day. She soon became the daughter I knew I would never have. I was actually happy for once. I felt like I had finally found myself a home. I even almost forgot who I really was, but THEY wouldn’t let me forget.
One night the boss had called me up to ask me to baby-sit because he and his wife had to go visit a sick relative in the hospital. I was the only one working that night so I told him I’d be there in two hours. When I arrived the house was completely dark and the door was wide open. I thought it was very odd so I carefully went in to check. When I went inside and turned on the light, I found my boss and his wife, or what was left of them at least. There were body parts everywhere as well as blood; the once white walls were now a brownish red with all the blood. I hadn’t seen anything so terrible in a long time. After getting over the initial shock I ran to Pearl’s room. When I got there, there wasn’t a single thing out of place. The bed was still made but there was no sign of her or any sign that she had been bled. I looked around the rest of the house but couldn’t find anything. I ran as fast as I could to my apartment to get some supplies. I knew what had done those horrible things and could only imagine what even more horrible things might be done to poor Pearl. It had been my job to hunt those things and I had forgotten. I swore that night that I would track it down and make it pay for the damage it had caused and whatever monstrous acts it was inflicting on Pearl.
It took me three full days to track it down, by now I had very little hope of finding Pearl alive. I tracked it down to a very small town far to the south of where I had come from. As I had thought it was a Malkavian, the vampire breed whose embrace inflicts insanity. She, as I had found out it was female, had killed another family and was “living” in their house while the bodies rotted in the garden out back. By day she slept in the cellar, I waited until the following morning to strike. I first checked the house thoroughly and found it surprisingly clean. It wasn’t until I passed by the bedrooms that I noticed one of the smaller rooms was set up as a young child’s room. On the bed lay a pair of pajama’s Pearl loved to wear. I picked them up and inspected them but found no traces of blood. I went to the door that led into the cellar, got out a flashlight from the bag of supplies I had brought and headed down slowly. It may have been full day, but it was not unheard of vampires waking during daylight, especially if they weren’t too recently dead or if they were very powerful. I also took out a short sword and kept it readily at my side. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I quickly shined the flashlight over everything. I saw the vamp lying in a corner, far away from the door leading into the house and the small door leading outside. I walked over to her slowly, ready to take her head off. When I reached her I noticed she was cradling something in her arms. At first I thought it was a doll, until I got closer and looked upon the face of the child I had come to love like no other. Without a second thought I placed the flashlight on the floor and raised the short sword with both hands. I brought the sword down in one swift stroke. The sword cut straight through her arm making her let go of Pearl. Unfortunately it also caused her to wake up screaming, or screeching as the case was. I then turned the sword and slid it right through her throat, which shut her up really quick. I then took out the sword and dragged her by her hair to the cellar door leading outside. When she noticed where I was dragging her to, she tried to pull away and began thrashing about. It didn’t do much good seeing as how she now had only one arm and was losing a lot of blood. I currently had the upper hand, though even with both arms still intact we would be evenly matched in strength, one of the perks of the job. I finally managed to get to the door and kicked it open, letting the suns light filter in. As the sunlight fell full upon her she began to burst into flames. I dragged her all the way out and threw her onto the nearly barren ground. She stumbled and screamed as the flames engulfed her. I watched as she burned feeling a little justified but mostly empty.
It wasn’t until the vamp had turned into smoldering ash did I notice that there were screams still coming from the house. It took me a while to realize whom it had to be. If I thought I felt empty before I felt even more so now. I would have given anything at that moment to not know what I knew, to not be a Slayer. I slowly made my way back to the house picking up the short sword I had dropped on the way. I felt sickened and horrified at what I knew I had to do. As my mind filled with guilt, I made my way back down into the cellar. By the time I reached the bottom again the screaming had stopped. For just a second I thought that I may have imagined the screaming and that poor Pearl was just plain dead. Just then the vampire tackled me and slammed me into the floor. I almost got knocked out when my head hit the concrete floor, but I quickly regained my balance. She snarled up at me, snapping her fangs like a rabid dog. It was clear that there was nothing left of the child I had once cared for. She tried to claw at me, but her size and reach gave me the advantage. While I was trying to stab her with the sword, she grabbed my arm and tossed me against the wall. As she ran at me while I was getting on my feet, I thrusted the sword into her chest. When the sword slid through her heart it was like turning off a light switch, she just slumped down like a rag doll. I carefully picked her up like when I used to put her to bed and carried her out into the backyard. I lay her down gently and watched as flames consumed her tiny form till there was nothing left but ashes. I went back into the house, picked up my bag, and went into the room where her pajama’s where. I carefully folded them up and put them in the bag. Next I went into the kitchen and grabbed any flammable liquid I could find and began pouring them around the house making sure all the windows were open. Finally I went to the front door, lit one of my cigs, took a drag and then threw it back into the house. I stood out front and watched as the flames erupted and spread throughout the house. Seeing as the closest neighbor was five miles up the road I was confident they wouldn’t notice it till it was too late. It didn’t take too long for the flames to eat through the roof and for the house to start collapsing in on it. I then simply walked away as if nothing happened.
“Oh my! So then you are seeking penance for the sin of wrath are you not?”
“No Father, I have already been punished for that. Allow me to continue.”
“Very well….”
After I left that house, it took me four days to get back to my apartment. As soon as I got there I began to pack all my stuff and cursed myself for letting down my guard so blatantly. I also cursed God for allowing such an atrocity to happen. I thought of how he was supposed to be our shepherd, and if that was true he must have left us all to the wolves. I screamed at how he was a sick sadistic bastard and how I didn’t need a God like that. I forsook God for forsaking me. I went in and started to take a shower. As soon as I got in and under the hot spray of water I broke down crying. I punched the shower wall, which broke the tile. I watched the cuts on my knuckle bleed when suddenly my vision blanked out. I saw flashes of people looming over me with a really big mallet like thing and some really big nails. I looked slowly to my right and noticed that I was tied down. The last thing I remember seeing is one of the people bringing the hammer down on my wrist, then nothing. After that I woke up in a hospital room with both my wrists bandaged. I pressed the button to call a nurse and asked how I had gotten there. As soon as the nurse noticed I was completely lucid she ran to get the Doctor. The Doctor arrived shortly afterwards looking very surprised. I asked her how I had gotten to the hospital. She informed me that I had been found bleeding on the floor of my shower with the water flooding the small bathroom. She told me I was treated for major blood loss and two very deep and identical wounds on my wrists. They had suspected I had slipped into the coma due to the blood loss since I was unresponsive to all attempts to awaken. She asked me what the last thing I remembered was. I wasn’t sure what to tell her, so I told her a half-truth and left out the weird flashes I had before I completely blacked out. She proceeded to ask me why I had been so upset as to punch a wall. By now the story about my boss and his wife’s grizzly murder and their daughter’s disappearance had been in all the local and national newspapers. I told her that I was very close to the family and that I had just found out about it. That made her quite for a long while, after a long time she gave me the name and number of a grief counselor. She also commented that although the wounds on my wrist couldn’t have possibly been self-inflicted, she strongly recommended that I stay for further tests. I didn’t argue since I wanted to find out more about the wounds. Plus I really needed the rest after all the travel I had done. So I stayed for two more days while they ran some tests on my blood and some officers came in to question me about my wounds and also about my boss’s murder. I lied to the police and told them that I had last heard from my boss about seven or eight days ago and that he seemed fine. I said I had taken some personal time and gone to visit some friends in London. They didn’t really question me too thoroughly since I was in the hospital. On the third day the doctor gave me a clean bill of health and told me it may take a while for the wounds to heal. She said it was nearly miraculous that whatever caused them didn’t shatter her bone which would have caused her to lose any control over my hands. Before I completely checked out she urged me to go see the grief counselor and I told her I’d make an appointment as soon as I was able to. It was a blatant lie and I knew it.
As soon as I got back to my apartment and finished packing I was out of this town. Thankfully when I got there they had already taken down the crime scene tape from my apartment so I could go in without any trouble. I went in and finished packing the few things I owned and left the rest. I went to the landlord and turned in my key and headed to the bar to collect my last check. When I got there everyone had a very solemn expression and kept their eyes on their drinks. I got my check from the new manager and told him that I quit. He didn’t really seem to mind my quitting much, just sorta took it in stride. Afterward I went to the bus station and bought a ticket for London. When I arrived, I went back to the place I thought I would never have to see again. They were as pleased to see me as I was to be there. It couldn’t be helped, I needed more info on what had happened to me and this was the only place that could help lead me in the right direction. After a lot of arguing and throwing people around I found what I was looking for…
“
And that’s what led me here.”
“Oh? And so now you seek absolution? Or perhaps you are here to ask for penance?”
“Not really. I’m looking for information. I need to find someone, and I was told you would know where I could find him. After all he was one of your order, in more ways than one.”
“My child I have no idea of whom you speak of. All those of my order are her in this church or have passed on.”
“Look I don’t have time for the bullshit, so let’s cut to the chase shall we.” Faith then punches through the small screen and grabs the priest by the collar and pulls him to her. “Where is he? Don’t make me ask you again? I’m not exactly feeling charitable. I mean I even told you my whole story and you’re gonna sit there and lie to me padre? That is just not right.” As she says this she slams him against the dividing wall. “Now are you gonna talk, or am I gonna have to get really grumpy?” As she says this she shoves him hard, making him slam against the opposite wall.
“Alright, you win! You’re just as foul tempered as your report says you are.” The priest says as he straightens his robes and collar.
He then opens the door to the confessional and walks out. Faith goes out after him, following close behind. They walk to the back of the church, thankfully not passing any parishioners since Faith was in no mood to answer any questions or draw any more attention to herself than necessary. They finally reached the priest’s study and they both went in.
“So why are you looking for him specifically? I’m sure several of the more experienced agents would be able to help you with your little “problem”. I know there must be thousands of articles of information in the main database. Though you wouldn’t be allowed access to it yourself.”
“And there in lie’s my problem padre. I don’t trust any of you sniveling little bastards as far as I can throw you, even though some of you I can chuck pretty damn far. He’s the only one I can trust to give me all the info I need, not just what he wants me to know. I don’t need to worry about him trying to manipulate me into doing something he can’t.” She stares down at him while he rifles through some files in a desk drawer. The priest seems unfazed by her allegations and continues searching for the information she demanded. Finally he pulled out a small Rolodex from one of the drawers and was rifling through it. He finally pulled out a card and handed it over to her. “There’s were you’ll find him.” The priest said, then seeming to find some backbone, “So if there’s nothing further, would you kindly leave.”
“Oh! I suppose so, jeez! I thought you collar jockeys were supposed to be more courteous and whatnot. I know you’re all sexually repressed and everything, but I’m still a lady.” At saying this she laughed loudly, “I ‘m sorry. God I can’t believe I almost said that with a straight face. Well thanks a lot Padre!” She then slaps him on the back and strides out of the church chuckling to herself. As she is walking out of the church, she looks at the card in her hand and thinks to herself, Well shit! Now I have to go back to the States. But I guess there’s no other choice, it’s not like I can just call him up. I bet he’ll be really surprised to see me. She then puts the card in a pocket on the inside of her jacket. “See ya soon Paul.”
Several hours later and Faith is sitting in the London International Airport waiting for her plane to start boarding. While she sits there, she contemplates all the reasons she left the states, and how she came to be in the middle of all this mess.
It seemed like ages ago, She was only ten years old when her mother died in a car accident. It had been raining all evening and her tires were really low on air. She was driving on the freeway when she lost control and slammed into a pillar from one of the overpasses. They said she died on impact, though Faith didn’t learn that until much later. Her father had never really been a good guy, but he got even worse after her mother’s death. He didn’t really care about what Faith did or where she went. Sometimes he would get so drunk he wouldn’t wake up until the evening of the following day. He kept getting fired everywhere he worked for not coming into work. They were forced to sell the house they had been living in and move into a small two-bedroom apartment in a seedy neighborhood.
And so, her father kept jumping from job to job while they barely made ends meet. She had to always plead with him to buy real food and not sped all the money on alcohol. She grew up with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, taking care of herself while trying to keep her father motivated to work and live. She had very few close friends because of it all, she felt ashamed of her father and her situation. She never invited anyone to come home with her after school, nor would she let anyone walk her home. It was very hard for her when any parent/teacher conferences were called and either her father wouldn’t show up, or he would arrive tanked. After the first couple of times, the teachers excused her from those conferences and would simply talk to her about her grades and behavior. As she entered her teen years, she became more rebellious than most kids her age. Mostly it was to try to shock her father out of his drunken stupor. Some days it seemed like he was actually going to say something to her and actually be a parent, but most of the time he ignored her. Her neighborhood appeared to be getting worse, it seemed like there was a drug bust, a gang war, or something going down almost daily.
When she finally started high school she felt things might get better, because she planned to leave home right after high school. Strangely though she felt more confident about herself and didn’t care very much about her home situation anymore. Her father finally seemed to be managing to hold down a steady job, though she knew it was probably doing something illegal. She was beyond caring; she only focused on finishing school so she could leave this life behind her. Little did she know what the fates had in store for her…
It was her Junior year of high school when she became aware that she was slightly different. It wasn’t anything obvious, but it seemed as if she could never lose a fight. Her teenage angst blossomed into a short tempered young woman. So she got into a lot of fights with other girls and guys. Even if they were bigger than her she seemed to be able to simply outlast them. It was because of these fights and her skills that the teachers and counselors had the idea that she should join the wrestling team. In this way she could relieve some of her anger and not get into as much trouble. After joining the wrestling team she became one of the best wrestlers in her weight class and even when pitted against wrestlers of a higher weight class she excelled. She soon saw wrestling as a means to go to College and be able to make a good life for her. It was a few months after the beginning of the season when Faith noticed that there was a rash of disappearances and grizzly murders. This put her on edge since she lived in a bad side of town, so she started carrying switchblades and brass knuckles. Usually she only came across a few drunks or the random bum, but she felt better knowing she was ready for anything.
It was December of her junior year and she had stayed late to train in the gym. It was snowing pretty hard when Faith came out and so she decided it would be best to take the subway home so she wouldn’t have to walk too far in the snow. As she got on the tram the last few 9 to 5er’s were getting off. By the time she caught the next connection the cars were practically empty. She was about twenty minutes away from her stop when she heard a muffled scream from the last car. She got out one of her switchblades and held it at her side. As she went to open the connecting door, she saw through the little window, some big biker looking guy holding this old lady. It looked like he was trying to mug her at first, but then Faith saw the blood all over the guys face and the old lady’s jacket. She slid open the door and lunged at the guy, he was still busy with the old woman so he didn’t see or hear her. Faith used the switchblade and sliced the guys bicep and triceps on his left arm which made him let go of the old lady. The old lady fell to the floor having already lost consciousness. Faith was already moving by the time the biker guy recovered from the slices on his arm. When he turned and looked right at Faith, she noticed that he was deathly pale and that he had very pronounced canines. She didn’t believe what she saw at first, there was just no way, but when she saw him licking the blood off his lips she knew without a doubt what he was. The vampire made to grab Faith and drain her dry, but he was using the arm she had sliced up so she was able to snake out of his grasp. He then came at her with a swift right hook which caught faith square on the jaw and split her lip. To Faith it felt like she’d been hit in the face with a brick, she quickly shrugged it off and punched the vampire in the stomach, which amazingly made him back up. It took Faith a while to realize that the vampire was stunned by the fact that not only was she still standing, but that she had hit him and apparently made a proverbial dent. The vampire was pissed now and said “I don’t know what you are girly, but you interrupted my meal so now I’ll have you for desert.” He then moved so fast Faith could barely see him and came up behind her. Thankfully she was close to one of the metal bars and grabbed on to it to pull herself forward. Instead the bar broke off and so she used it to thwack him just as he bit into her shoulder. The pain was unbelievable and she knew that she had to get him off her or else she might pass out from the blood loss and then she would definitely be dead. So she thwacked him very hard with the pole making a big dent in it and causing him to pull his fangs out of her shoulder. He backed up a few steps and Faith used the opportunity to drive the sharp and bent pole right through him. He screamed horribly but Faith realized a bit too late that she had completely missed the vampires heart and that he now had a bent pole sticking through his stomach. He back handed her causing her to tumble back towards the end of the car. She managed to get up while the vampire was struggling to remove the pole. She came at him and roundhouse kicked him on the side of his face, which knocked him over sideways. She ran back to the back of the car and found the fire extinguisher and snatched it out of its little cubby. She taunted the vampire to try to make him run at her. She said “Oh is the big bad vampire afraid of a little girly like me? Or is it that your boo-boo hurts too much?” This taunting was apparently too much for the vamp because he rushed at her in the same unnatural speed he had used before to get behind her. This time Faith was ready, as soon as he began running she sprayed the floor and opened the emergency exit door. She jumped out the little ledge just in time as the vampire couldn’t stop and ran right off the car onto the rails, falling and impaling the pole further into his stomach. Needless to say he didn’t get up and give chase. He had lost too much blood and it was all over the car.
When they finally pulled into the next stop she found a guard and made him hold the subway and call the police. Unfortunately by the time the ambulance arrived the old lady had died from blood loss. The police took Faith’s statement while she told them what had happened, leaving out the small detail that the guy was a vampire of course. She told them that she heard the old lady scream and when she got into the car he was holding her and she was bleeding from her neck. She told them how she had fought him off with her switchblade, which they confiscated and tagged as evidence. She lied and told them that he had broken the bar when she had kicked him and he had fallen against it and how she had used the bar to wear him down. She also said that she had used the extinguisher to make him slip and eventually fall of the subway. They sent some officers to go down the tunnel to look for him, but Faith knew he’d be long gone. They didn’t take her back to the station for questioning mostly because of her age and her injuries. The paramedics bandaged her up and one of the officers drove her home. When she finally got there she wasn’t surprised to find that her father wasn’t home. He was hardly ever home, he spent most of his time either doing the illegal odd jobs or at the bar. Occasionally he’d come home and shower and leave some cash so Faith could buy groceries or pay the bills. She went straight into the bathroom and took a scalding hot shower to loosen and relax her muscles. After she was done, she threw on her oversize nightshirt and made sure the doors and windows were all locked and went to bed.
The next morning when she arrived at school it was a media circus, she stood there for a few minutes wondering what had happened. It wasn’t until the first reporter approached her that she remembered about last night. Subway attacks always make the news, since the mayor had claimed at the beginning of his term that he would make sure the subways were safe for all people, especially the elderly and women after the incident a few years ago with the subway rapist. As soon as the first reporter started questioning her, all the others swarmed in until all she could see was the mics and the camera’s. She answered their questions while moving towards the open door of the school. She hoped the school wouldn’t allow the reporters on school grounds. The reporters asked her all the basic questions, “What was going through your mind while you were fighting off the assailant?” or “Our sources tell us that you’re one of your school’s best wrestlers, do you think that helped you overcome the mugger/murderer?” Finally she made it inside and almost ran to her locker. The school was in an uproar about having the news crews camped outside the school, everyone was so excited and couldn’t stop talking about it. Faith got really tired of it by lunch, she just wanted to ditch and go home, but she had a test that day and practice after school. Thankfully nothing more happened, and the news crews got bored and left so Faith got to head to the gym for practice without any trouble.
A few days passed without any more commotion, it seemed a suicide in the nicer part of town had drawn away the attention of the media. So things began going on as usual, and the wrestling championships were coming up. Faith spent everyday after school practicing until she had to leave. It was after one of these sessions when she was walking out of the gym that she noticed someone was outside waiting for something. She didn’t really think anything of it since it was an older lady. She thought perhaps it was someone’s mom or some faculty member she hadn’t met before, so it was surprising when the woman called out to her.
“Faith, may I have a word with you please?” Said the woman.
“I’m sorry, but do I know you? Are you one of the other teachers or something?” Faith asked.
“Not quite. Is there somewhere we may talk? It’s rather nippy out”
Faith wasn’t sure what this lady’s deal was, but she didn’t seem threatening so she told her there was a 24 hour coffee shop a block up the road.
“That would be splendid.”
So Faith walked with lady in silence until they reached the coffee shop and were inside. The lady went right to the counter and ordered some earl grey tea, and Faith ordered a non-fat latte. After getting there orders they went and sat at one of the tables against the wall.
“So who are and what do you want?” Faith asked.
“Very straight forward and to the point, I must admit I admire that in a person your age. I am Gwyneth Mercer, and as to what I want, it has to do with what we have discovered you can do.”
“Well that’s very mysterious and all, but I prefer more direct answers. And who is this “We” you’re talking about?”
“I am here representing an agency or council if you will. Our purpose is to gather information and train certain unique individuals.”
“So you’re like a talent scout or something? What school are you from? Cause you don’t sound American in the least.”
“Heavens forbid I sound American, I’m British. And I’m not exactly a talent scout. The council I work for isn’t interested in your wrestling, they are interested in the fact that you fought off a vampire in the subway almost a week ago.”
Faith’s jaw just dropped. “What are you talking about?! No one said anything about vampires. It was just some guy who was probably high and killed that old lady for shit’s and giggles.”
“My dear, we are well aware of the circumstances involved in the elderly woman’s demise. We read the coroner’s report as well as the police’s report about the incident. We keep a close eye out for anything with peculiar aspects. The council I work for investigates all manners of unnatural deaths as well as what may be considered supernatural activity. We know you are one of a select few whom has certain gifts that allow you to fight against the vile creatures that thrive in this world, the vampires, werewolves, and other such fiends.”
“Ok. Lady you’re starting to sound really nutso right now. Why should I believe anything you have to say? You’re a complete stranger and then you start babbling about me having special gifts. It all sounds really farfetched if you don’t mind my saying so.”
“What further proof do you need? You saw a vampire with your own eyes, you even fought it. You witnessed first hand the way they feed, and their strength. I do have a way to prove what I say is true, but I doubt you trust to follow me anywhere. Am I right?”
“To be perfectly honest yes. I don’t trust people as a rule and I wouldn’t be stupid enough to go to some undisclosed location where some goons might be waiting to rob me or rape me. Thanks, but no thanks.”
“You know what I’m saying is true, you can lie to yourself all you want but you can’t change the fact of what happened. You also can’t stop them from coming after you. Now that they know what you look like and what you can do, don’t believe for one second they won’t come after you. They don’t like your kind, they think of you as a possible threat and they won’t hesitate to eliminate you. Think on it, we are offering to train you. Help make sure you can fight back and win. Here’s my card, give me a call when you have an answer.”
With that, Gwyneth got up and walked out of the coffee shop while Faith sat there for a long time. She was amazed at the woman’s sincerity about the vampires, and she had also mentioned were’s and other creatures. She felt that the lady was probably right about the vampire wanting revenge and that thought chilled her right down to her feet. She didn’t know what if anything about vampires was true other than the fact that they existed. She had no idea how to fight a vampire, and the one she had fought she had fought as if he was just a normal guy. She knew that it was merely her quick thinking and luck that she managed to get out of the situation alive. She calmed herself down, and finished her coffee. By the time she was done she had calmed down enough to start thinking rationally. Faith walked out of the coffee shop and down into the subway constantly looking over her shoulder. She knew she couldn’t let her guard down, and she had merely been lucky the vampire hadn’t come back to get her by now while she was off guard.
The next day was mainly uneventful, which was good because Faith was mostly coasting through the day. She couldn’t take her mind off of what that Mercer lady had said. She kept the card with the number on it in her back pocket constantly pulling it out and looking at it, then putting it back. It wasn’t until practice did anyone notice that four of the members of the wrestling team had not shown up at school or for practice, and when the coach called their houses he got no answer. Everyone thought it was really odd since the guys were usually the first to arrive at practice, other than Faith. The following day, people became very suspicious since they again had not shown up. After school, the coach personally went to their houses to see why they weren’t there. When he arrived at the first guy’s house, he noticed that the door was unlocked and opened. He immediately called the police, suspecting a break in. He cautiously entered the house trying not to touch anything. As soon as he made it into the living room, he saw it. What was left of the guy’s family was scattered throughout the living room. The sight was too much for the coach and he ran outside and lost his lunch all over the front porch. The police arrived 30 minutes later and he told them what he had seen. They immediately called in the crime scene team and the coroner to collect the bodies. While the police questioned him about why he had been there, he remembered the other three wrestlers that had also been absent. He told the officers and they called it in to have a few squad cars drive by and check on them.
It had been two weeks after the incident, wrestling and any other after school activity had been canceled. Students were still terribly shaken up over it, especially since two of the wrestlers had not been found amongst their dead families. Faith had not really found that as odd until she started getting notes in her locker. They were in the hand righting of one of the missing wrestlers, if that hadn’t been bizarre enough the message on them was always the same “Always finish what you start”. It took her a while to realize that it was referring to her fight with the vampire on the subway. The bastard had stalked her and gone after her classmates. Now he was making sure she knew that their deaths were on her. She immediately called Ms. Mercer; she wasn’t too surprised to hear her sounding a little eager at Faith’s call. Ms. Mercer gave her the name and # of the Hotel she was staying at and told her to meet her at seven that evening. Once Faith arrived she half expected to have to put up with small talk and was mildly surprised to find that Ms. Mercer had laid out several weapons.
“Don’t look so shocked; as I had told you when we first met we keep a close eye on the news. Quite frankly we expected to hear from you sooner.”
“Yeah, well I was kinda shook up by what happened. It’s not every day you find out your friends and their families are found splattered all over their homes. Not to mention that the person or people responsible are monsters from outa bad movies.”
“Well, let’s get to it then, the sooner you learn about these things, the sooner you will be able to fight them. The first thing I’m sure you will want to know is how to kill them. There are a few ways, a stake through the heart will only put them in a sort of deep slumber, you must follow it up by either cutting off the head or burning the body. Another method is quite simply sunlight; they burst into flames when they come in contact with any direct sunlight. Garlic, crosses, or holy water have no effect that we’ve seen. Now they heal at an incredibly rapid speed but they can’t seem to heal wounds inflicted by fire quickly if at all. Any questions so far?”
“How do you know all of this? I mean how accurate is this info, if I’m to trust my life to it I need to make sure it’s right. It’s hard enough to know these things are real, but having to fight them is worse.”
“My dear child, all the information we’ve gained has come through our research and other operatives if you will. You aren’t the only one out there fighting these monsters. Now this may seem the task more daunting, but there are quite a few different kinds of vampires. We aren’t certain how exactly the categorize themselves, but we’ve grouped them accordingly. First are the brutes that specialize in speed and strength. Secondly there are the ghouls whom can manipulate their flesh or that of others, there is also a sub class that seem to be rotting and are quite good at masking their presence. Thirdly there are what we call the stereotypes that act and appear as vampires out of movies and books. Fourth are the undead mages who wield magic of all sorts, some can command the elements; while others can make things appear out of thin air. You must always use the utmost caution when dealing with this kind as we have no way of judging how powerful they may be or what magic they wield. Fifth is a vampiric cult that worships the Egyptian god Set. They have the ability to take on aspects of snakes and are thought to be amongst the oldest vampires. Lastly there are the vampiric Royalty whom are amongst the most vicious and deadly vampires. They are said to descend directly from one family bloodline. Very few of our operatives have ever survived an encounter with these vampires. Those that have were never the same, both physically and mentally.”
“Well at least I know what category the vamp I fought falls under. The son of a bitch moved so damn fast I could barely see him. So let me get this straight, there are all sorts of different vamps out there, but they can all be killed in the same way? That about right?”
“It’s not that simple, some are harder to kill than others. While some you wouldn’t be able to get close enough for the traditional means.”
“All I need to know is if I slice off their heads or fry them to a crisp their not coming back.”
“Yes if you sever the vampires head or completely incinerate the body there is no way they can survive. Now, do you have any martial arts training or experience with armed combat?”
“No, just wrestling and fighting with my switchblades. Any other fights I’ve been have been with fists.”
“We’ll have to start training as soon as possible then. Most of these vampires have at least some knowledge of martial arts so they don’t rely solely on their preternatural strength. So must you learn to not rely solely on your strength.