Fright

by Jennifer Waller

  Chapter 1 - The Huntress

  I peered out over the edge of the rooftop. My target was in the alley below. Had he been alert he would have sensed my presence some time ago, but he was too engrossed in his own hunt. I looked ahead of him down the alley, his prey was as oblivious as he was.

  I jumped off of the roof. The drop was just over seven stories, but I wasn’t concerned. There was more noise generated by the leaves rustling by the wind of my cloak than there was by my feet touching the ground. Still, I quickly ducked into the shadows in case my target heard anything. When I was sure that I hadn’t been spotted I quickly moved to catch up to him.

  I was enjoying the hunt. It had been significantly more challenging than several of my previous assignments, and was a welcome break to the monotony. I wanted to draw it out as long as I could. Once my target was dispatched I would have to return to the normal pursuits of wanted criminals, boring in comparison.

  A scream from ahead brought me back to the task at hand. My target had made his move, which meant that I had to make mine. Silent as a cat, I ran deep into the alley.

  I found him down an even smaller side alley. His prey had her back up against a wall. Somehow her shirt had been torn off during his initial struggle to corner her. I cursed as I saw that her modesty had somehow overcome her survival instinct. She seemed more concerned with trying to cover herself than escape. She was so distracted that she didn’t even seem to notice that he was moving in for the kill.

  I had to act fast. That girl would be dead before she even knew what was happening if I didn’t.

  The girl finally realized the peril that she was in as my target put his hands to either side of her head. She made a move as if to scream again, and then was caught by his gaze. Transfixed, she had no choice but to bend to his will.

  I stopped. There was no greater danger of being found out than at that very moment. A vampire was at the height of their senses in the brief seconds between subduing their prey and moving in for the bite. I had to wait until the last possible second at that point.

  I held my breath as I watched. Depending on his intentions, the slightest nick on her throat could leave her forever wandering the night. I had to act in the brief second between his awareness dropping as he moved in, and his teeth actually piercing her throat.

  I spotted my chance. His head bobbed ever so slightly as he prepared to bite. He had dropped his senses and was at his most vulnerable. Moving with the speed of my kind I pulled my curved blades and made my way up behind him.

  The girl saw me just as I came up behind him. I implored her with my eyes to stay silent. Whether she understood me or not I don’t know, but she didn’t let on to my presence.

  I could feel his power as I got close enough to strike. He hadn’t pierced her skin yet, but I had no time to contemplate what needed to be done. She could get injured, but at least she wouldn’t be dead once I was through.

  Reaching out I grabbed the tail that he had tied his hair back in. Yanking his head back I had his throat slit before he was even fully aware of my presence. Dropping my hold on his hair, I spun around and dropped the blade of my second knife into his chest. He was dust before he even had the chance to hit the ground.

  I raised the first blade to eye level, and then licked the blood from the edge. I could taste the souls of the thousands that he had killed.

  “What a waste,” I muttered as I thought of the lives that he had taken to fulfill a hunger that would have been satiated with a fraction of the death.

  I was prepared to head back the way I had come when I noticed the screaming. Turning back, I saw the girl. She had been uninjured, but was screaming as if death itself had come for her. I guess in a manner it had.

  I walked back over to where the girl was huddled on the ground. She just tried to force her way through the brick wall at her back. She wasn’t succeeding very well. She was also still trying to cover herself up, which she was also failing at.

  I noticed something on the ground. It was the overcoat of the vampire that I had just killed. Somehow it had survived his death even though the rest of his clothes had not. I picked it up and shook the remainder of his dust from it.

  “Learn to watch your back,” I said to the girl as I threw the coat at her. Then I turned and walked away.

  “What a waste,” I muttered again as I left the alleyway.