A night to remember...that I would rather forget.04:02 Jul 02 2009
Times Read: 1,192
Carlo was very disappointed when I told him that he could not accompany us, as he feverishly wanted to take part in the upcoming combat. I had to make him aware of the importance of remaining in my home to guard the humans I cared for. He finally accepted my decision, and asked me if anyone else would be joining me, Ankh-Re, and Erik.
"Fujiro" I replied.
"Ah yes" Carlo said, nodding in agreement with the chosen fourth member of our team. 'Fujiro is one tough dude".
Carlo looked somewhat dejected, but perked up when I asked him to help me with my gear.
When I took the stairs down to the entryway, I saw Ankh-Re and Erik in the great room. Like me, they were both dressed in black leather and spandex.
"You look good in your lil' 'Selene' get-up" cracked Ankh-Re.
I rolled my eyes, then greeted Erik. 'Where is Fujiro?" I asked.
"Here" came the reply from the adjacent restroom. Fujiro rushed out, tucking his T-shirt into his pants, his long black hair flying behind him. We all laughed. Blushing, Fujiro bowed. I grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a huge hug.
"While the circumstances could be better, it is still good to see you, old friend."
"Likewise, my lady" he replied.
"So" interrupted Ankh-Re "We are two Master Vampires and two High Sires...more than enough to deal with the renegade assholes, I think."
"Yes" replied Erik. "From my tracking, I know that there is one High Sire and three underlings of various ranks and strengths. There is another High Sire - possibly maybe even a Master Vampire, but I can't be sure, with the strong blocking."
"Damn" said Ankh-Re. "The idiots don't even bother with using ritual magic to help ward off any tracking. They are either not too bright or just downright crazy."
"True" said Fujiro. "In any case, we all need to remain vigilant; crazy vampires are totally unpredictable".
'Well hell - let's get going!" exclaimed Ankh-Re. "I've got a cruise coming up that I need to prepare for."
We took up goblets of wine mixed with our blood, to wish one another a good outcome, and to fortify ourselves.
After telling everyone in my household not to worry and to obey Carlo if an emergency aroused, we drove off to San Francisco in Fujiro's hearse. All the while, I hoped that we would not gain too much attention with his ridiculous but necessary car...
Following Erik's tracking information, we soon found ourselves in the SOMA district. We took positions on the rooftops surrounding three underground Goth clubs. Even though it was late spring, the night was cool. Fog rolled in from the Northwest - a typical May night in the City by the Bay.
After an hour of waiting, I became bored. I did remain alert, however. Right at that moment, I felt a quiet vibration in my coat pocket. Erik called me on my cell.
"Odin and I detect a presence behind one of the clubs now" he whispered. "Lord Ankh-Re is already on the roof." I looked across the street to see Ankh-Re waving at me. He beckoned me to join him. In one leap, I was at his side. Ankh-Re grinned, and slyly whispered "Mrooow...cat woman." I chuckled under my breath.
We walked to the opposite side of the roof, to look down into the alley below. There were two vampires quietly feeding on a limp human, while three others stood by, watching.
"Look at these fools" Ankh-Re whispered in disgust. "They don't give a shit about the havoc they are causing for all of us."
"Yes - it appears that they do not give a shit" I replied.
Erik and Fujiro were on the rooftop across from us, also peering down into the alley. Fujiro shook his head in disgust.
We all looked at each other and telepathically agreed to jump down on the scene, all at once.
One of the three vampires who stood by saw me and Ankh-Re land behind the feeding vampires. Before he could sound an alarm, Fujiro crept up behind him and beheaded him with his samurai sword. The head rolled quietly down the alleyway, finally coming to a stop against a garbage bin. The long red hair glowed in the dim moonlight. Odin swooped down, and immediately began pecking at the head's eyes.
One of the feeding vampires looked up abruptly - I was thoroughly taken aback. This was no High Sire whose eyes I looked into - it was the glittering green eyes of the Lady Julia Aurelius - a Master Vampire.
"Ooooooh crap" said Erik.
Lady Julia glared back at me with pure contempt.
She stood up proudly, her eyes darting from me to Ankh-Re. The two remaining vampires, along with the High Sire who was the second blood drinker, stood as still as statues. I could sense their fear. Finally, Ankh-Re spoke, glaring at Julia.
"Bitch - are you crazy?"
Julia laughed. She wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, then calmly began to lick it clean.
"Boy, was he tasty" she finally said, nonchalantly. I shook my head in disbelief.
"Julia - you do know that you will have to go before the Council, right?" I asked.
Julia looked at me again with contempt. "I'm not going anywhere. Like you, I'm a Master Vampire and I don't take orders."
"You will when it's in the best interests of all concerned!" snapped Ankh-Re.
"Really? Who's going to make me?" I wanted to slap the smirk from Julia's face. The High Sire - who before stood mute - came to stand by Julia's side. I recognized him as well - he was a Byzantine named Theodosius and he was well over thirteen hundred years old.
"Theo - you disappoint me, my man." said Ankh-Re. " I always knew that Julia was a bit off her rocker, but you? It's almost a shame to have to destroy you...especially with you being a high-ranking nightstalker and all."
Before Theodosius could react, Ankh-Re had his hand in Theodosius' chest. He pulled his heart out and stared at if for a moment before dropping it to the ground. Julia's remaining minions were terrified. They tried to flee, but Erik and Fujiro eliminated them quickly, hacking them to pieces.
Only Julia remained. She looked up towards the rooftops for an escape. Suddenly, she leapt - airborne - to a rooftop, where she began to run. She was not going to come away quietly, it appeared. The chase was on.
Capturing a fellow Master Vampire is no easy task. It normally takes three or four Master Vampires to subdue one. Ankh-Re and I made two; as High Sires, Erik and Fujiro were strong, but not as powerful. Once we caught up with Julia, we would need to use every resource of magic at our disposal to get her under our control...
...which we did, after running about on rooftops for over two hours. Ankh-Re and Erik finally cornered Julia. I was able to toss a Lariat of Horus over her, while reciting the binding incantation. She struggled and hissed, swearing to destroy us all. Since I was the only one who did not get a chance to kill anyone, Julia was beginning to look like fair game to me. I then thought of what Makafisa could possibly do to her, and smiled. The opportunity for me to kill would come up at another time, I mused.
Ankh-Re patted Julia on the head, as if she were an unruly puppy.
"You hush now - be a good girl" he said. Fujiro removed a small flask from a cord that hung around his neck. He pulled the stopper from its mouth and poured the contents down Julia's throat, then Ankh-Re clamped her jaw shut.
Fujiro then said "It's a special tea that'll knock her out and shut her up."
"Thank the Gods" replied Ankh-Re. "She was really getting on my damn nerves."
We carried Julia down a fire escape back to the alley. Erik and Fujiro gathered up the remains of the other vampires - all nightstalkers, I might add - and placed them on the top of a roof, where they would disintegrate with the sunrise.
"Bravo" came a quiet voice from out of the darkness.
The four of us focused our attention from Julia to the newcomer. He appeared out of nowhere, casually walking towards us with his hands in his pants pockets. We knew immediately that he was not human...and neither was he one of us.
"Don't let me keep you from your work" the stranger said. He looked down at Julia, who was slowly nodding off. "She's really beautiful. You all aren't gonna' kill her, I hope?"
We did not know what to make of him. None of us could read his thoughts or communicate with him telepathically. Trying to read him was like trying to read through the walls of the Great Pyramid.
"Um - no. We won't kill her" Ankh-Re finally offered. "She will need to be taken before the Council to be judged." Even Ankh-Re was at a loss before this 'man', who appeared to be no more than twenty-two or twenty-three years old in human years. He was as tall as Ankh-Re, with a more slender, muscular build. He had pale skin and bright green eyes. His long black hair had a shock of white through it near the front of his face...which was absolutely beautiful.
"I see" he said, looking about. "That was quite a show." He began walking around the alley, and stopped before the body of Julia and Theodosius' victim.
"Um, folks...this guy here ain't dead."
We four looked at each other in shock. "I'm surprised that none of you sensed that there was life still here" said the stranger. Ankh-Re ordered Erik and Fujiro to load Julia into one of the two caskets we had prepared in the back of the hearse, then walked with me to the crumpled body of the black-clad victim.
"Hmmm" murmured the stranger. "He's lost a lot of blood, but he's still alive - barely. He could either be left out here to die, or he could be turned for another chance at life."
Ankh-Re stated that he did not want to be responsible for siring a new vampire at the moment; neither did I. As I was about to turn and walk away, I felt sorry for the human bleeding to death on the filthy ground. The 'goody two-shoes' in me would not let me leave. I bent down and rolled the victim over. Still being dressed, I knew that Julia and Theodosius did not get the chance to strip him of his clothes and sexually assault him, as they did with their previous victims. He was young - I guessed him to be in his early thirties. His dirty blond hair was collar-length; there were specks of blood in it. His blood-splattered face had a grayish tinge - the pallor of approaching death. The man's eyes slowly opened - in the semi-darkness, I could see that they were hazel. I quietly told him that in order for him to live, he would have to drink my blood. He thought for a moment, then weakly nodded - he did not want to die. In his mind, I heard him pray, as he closed his eyes.
"As you wish" I whispered. I bit into my left wrist, and put it to the man's lips. My blood trickled in his mouth down into his throat. He choked a little, then began to suck. While feeding him, I looked around the ground. A few feet away, I spotted a stiff white collar...oh damn.
"Yeap" said the stranger, standing over us."Looks like you have a priest there."
Ankh-Re began to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh man - this is too much!" he finally gasped, still laughing. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Tears rolled down my cheeks as well, but I did not find the situation amusing.
At that moment, Erik and Fujiro joined us. Erik saw my stricken look and the tears upon my face; I did not feel like talking, so I allowed him into my mind.
"Oh, Isis..." was all he could say. He and Fujiro loaded the priest into the other casket, then waited for me and Ankh-Re in the hearse. After Ankh-Re gained control of himself, he took on a serious demeanor. He leveled his gaze at the stranger and said "If I may ask - who are you, sir?"
The stranger chuckled and replied "Name's Huey. Give my regards to Makafisa." He then strolled out of the alley, disappearing into the fog.
We piled into the hearse and headed back to my house. Odin fell asleep on Erik's shoulder, full from his feast of eyeballs.
No one felt like talking; what little communicating we had was done telepathically. We mainly asked each other two things: What was Julia's fucking problem, and who or what was Huey?
When we were on the Bay Bridge, Ankh-Re said out loud "Well...this was one fucking wierd night...I guess I'll need to cancel that cruise."
© MFH 2009
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