by Jade Farhill
But when she got there, she noticed that something was off. But she couldn’t put her finger on it.
Abby walked around, keeping a covert eye on her surroundings.
Then spotted another group of men pursuing a drunk girl. She gritted her teeth and followed.
The girl turned the corner and stumbled into an alleyway, the guys closing in behind.
Abby was about to go around the corner when she figured out what was wrong. Despite acting drunk, the girl didn’t smell of alcohol. And her heartbeat was unusually calm and even.
Abby lingered at the corner for a moment, then continued walking the area as if she had somewhere to go. She went downwind, just so she could hear what was going on.
There was a scattering of steady and even heartbeats in the area. Very odd, considering every other heartbeat she’d heard changed rate in response to emotions and surroundings.
But these just stayed the same.
When Abby was about one hundred metres away, she hid in a dark area, waiting to hear—with her superior hearing—what would happen with the ‘drunk’ girl.
The men approached the girl. “Looking for a good time?” one asked.
“What? No—leave me alone.”
“Come on. A pretty girl like you never wants to be alone.”
Abby squinted, seriously tempted to go back and scare those guys away. But, even at this distance, the girl’s heartbeat was steady.
Last night, the drunk girl’s heartbeat had sped up the moment she became frightened.
Now, either the girl wasn’t scared, or …
“Leave me alone,” the girl cried again.
The guys chuckled.
Something wasn’t right here. But what?
The guys got closer to her and she screamed and struggled against them. Finally, she said, “Stuff this.”
The next thing Abby heard was the guys grunting in pain and hitting the walls.
A group of people rushed to the ‘drunk’ girl’s location and fell upon the men.
A moment later, silence fell.
“So, you think you were made?” asked a voice that took Abby back to the night she’d been Turned, with Kenny lying on the ground looking up at her.
Abby covered her mouth. That was Kenny—the vampire hunter—talking.
“I thought we had someone for a moment,” said Annette, probably referring to Abby. “But she didn’t look like she even stopped.”
“Did you see her face?” asked the ‘drunk’ girl.
“No.”
Abby heaved a sigh—at least they hadn’t identified her.
“Same time, same scenario,” said Kenny. “Yet no one showed. I guess we were somehow made.”
“Must be an old one,” Annette replied. “They’re the only ones who can spot us this quickly.”
“So that’s it?” asked the ‘drunk’ girl. “We’ve lost the lead?”
“Would have been nice to get an old one for once,” muttered Kenny.
“That it would. But we’ll continue here for a few more days, then move on.”
“If we’ve been made, there’s no point continuing,” Louise said.
“But we can’t be sure if she knows we’re here.”
“So we continue this tomorrow?” asked Kenny.
“Yep.”
Abby shrank back. Her activities last night had clearly caught the attention of the hunters. She couldn’t come back here.
***
It took her three weeks of searching different parts of the city before she finally found a group of vampires. They were outside a nightclub, assessing the scents of every drunk human who stumbled past.
Abby hesitated, then approached them.
“Oh,” said a woman, eyeing Abby with interest. “Are you new around here?”
“I am.” Did all vampires in this city know each other? It wasn’t a small city, but perhaps the vampire population was small.
The two male vampires in the group nodded. “That explains why you smell different.”
Abby tried not to look alarmed—how different did she smell? And did they smell that she was only a partial vampire?
“And why you’re alone,” added the other male.
Did vampires hunt in packs? The crazy lady certainly hadn’t.
“She could just be an old vampire, adept at avoiding hunters,” said the woman.
Abby shuddered. “So, you’ve come in contact with hunters too?”
They all eyed her with curiosity and nodded.
“How many times have you escaped them?” asked the first male.
“Twice.”
They gaped at her.
“Whoa,” whispered the second male. “You must be either lucky or old.”
Abby shrugged. “Can’t I be both?”
They chuckled.
“We were about to hunt,” the woman said. “Want to join us? We could use your expertise.”
“How many times have you escaped hunters?” Abby asked, her stomach twisting at the thought of hunting humans—even though she’d almost done it multiple times, the point was that she’d never actually harmed anyone.
They three exchanged a look.
“Well, twice between the three of us,” said the second male.
“Can you tell me about it?”
They all grimaced.
“It’s not a subject I like to discuss,” said the woman.
Abby understood. When she was human, the hunters hadn’t listened to her; they were going to use Sharon against her. And now they were tracking her. She shivered and looked over her shoulder. “I get it. But I won’t join you—thanks anyway. I’m … still full from my last feed.”
“I thought as much,” said the first male. “Older vampires always hunt alone.”
So the crazy lady was an old vampire? “Safety in numbers for the young ‘uns, right?” Abby asked, smiling at them.
They flashed grins at her, showing their long canine teeth.
A chill ran down Abby’s spine—these were predators. She really shouldn’t be associating with them. “Have you seen another vampire who looks like me?”
They shook their heads.
“Well—have a good night.” Abby turned to leave. She couldn’t ask one of them to follow her. She needed to find a single vampire, but from the sounds of it, a single vampire would be old and would quickly be onto her.
Abby sighed. What could she do? She didn’t want these vampires to hurt anyone. The image of Kenny covered in his own blood haunted her still. But she wouldn’t be able to stop them even if she tried.
The vampires said their goodbyes and vanished into the night.
Abby mustered her resolve. There had to be a single vampire out there somewhere.
Abby chose a random direction to search next and stepped towards it—
A woman screamed in the distance.
The scream was coming from the direction of the three vampires.
Without thinking of the consequences, Abby ran to the location of the scream.
When she got there, mere seconds later, she saw the three vampires bent over a prone figure, drinking.
Abby bared her teeth. No, she wouldn’t let this happen! A red haze formed at the edges of her vision and crept slowly towards the middle.
Then she heard slow heartbeats approaching at a rapid pace.
The red haze disappeared.
Abby hid behind a corner of a building, watching with conflicting emotions.
This was good—if the hunters interfered, she wouldn’t have to.
Then again, they were about to kill vampires she’d just been talking to.
If she survived this, she’d have escaped the hunters three times.
The hunters rushed onto the scene, silver daggers drawn and thick, heavy silver chain whips circling overhead. The chains flew through the air and lassoed the two males.
Abby’s breathing came fast.
The males screamed in pain as they were dragged away from the woman they’d attacked.<
br />
The scent of her blood hit Abby.
Her mouth watered.
In a quick movement, four of the hunters pulled one of the males towards them. He came flying at them, fingers gouging at their eyes.
But the hunters easily side-stepped the attack and stabbed him in the heart with a dagger. He slumped to the ground.
And like that, the first male vampire was dead.
Quick.
Efficient.
Terrifying.
Four other hunters were now lassoing the second male vampire, and they disposed of him in a similar fashion.
A second vampire death.
The only vampire left was the woman. A rumble came from deep within her belly, her eyes darting at exits, then she tried to run away.
But the hunters collectively cut the palms of their hands.
The scent of blood almost made Abby come out of hiding, so it didn’t surprise her when the woman vampire turned around and attacked the nearest hunter.
But the hunters all leapt on her, silver daggers flashing in the moonlight.
The female vampire screamed, then went limp.
The hunters stood up, patting each other on their backs and grinning.
All of this had happened in less than a minute. That was all it took to end the lives of three vampires. How was it that Sharon had still been alive the night the hunters had tortured her? Was it because she wasn’t distracted by the blood? Was it because she’d been in blood rage where these three hadn’t? Was it because Sharon had taken them by surprise and not the other way around?
“Any injuries?” asked a man, presumably the leader of this particular unit.
“A few here, sir,” muttered the one who’d been attacked by the woman. “But nothing massive. She’s lost a lot of blood though.” He pointed to the pale woman who was curled up against the wall, trembling in fear.
“Come on,” whispered a female hunter. “Let’s get you to a hospital.”
The woman shook her head, staying where she was. The hunters exchanged a look.
“I’ll call it in.” The leader pulled out a smart phone and put it to his ear. “Yeah, it’s me. We need a med team and a disposal unit.”
So, Abby had been right that the hunters covered up their work.
As the leader was talking on the phone, the others were chatting among themselves.
“Three of them,” said a man, smirking viciously.
“They weren’t much of a challenge, were they?” asked a woman.
A laugh rose from another. “They obviously underestimated us.”
But had they?
Abby certainly had. The hunters killed so efficiently. No wonder those three vampires had been awed by Abby’s record of escapes from them.
She winced. Had she made a different decision and gone with them, she’d be dead by now.
Had she rushed in and tried to stop them, she’d be dead.
Had she been lured by the hunters’ blood like the woman, she’d be dead.
She hugged her elbows.
“They must have been young,” said an older woman. “We never get any old vampires anymore.” She sounded disappointed. “They’re the real menace.”
Thinking of the crazy lady, Abby had to agree.
“Yeah, but we’ll find the old ones eventually. We’ll get them all. It’s just a matter of time.”
Abby leaned back. That statement might have made her human self feel safe once, before her sister had been Turned.
A large, black truck approached. Abby recognised it: Annette’s team had used a similar one. Maybe all the hunters used these trucks.
This place would be crawling with hunters soon. Perhaps it was time to leave. And maybe pay a visit to the abattoir.
***
With the little money she’d collected from working at the abattoir, Abby bought herself a server and installed it underground, beneath the ramshackle hut on her rural property. It would allow her to remotely access all her research and back up her work from the basement of the Royal Sunrise Beach Hospital. She could also destroy all her data on the local drives instantly and not have to start all over again like she had when Sharon left.
And one night, she found a solitary vampire. He was prowling the busy city streets, looking like he owned everything in sight, humans included.
Her lips tugged upwards the moment she spotted him. She stepped out into the light.
“So,” said the suave male vampire, turning and sending her a seductive look, “you’re approaching me very boldly.” His green eyes sparkled with interest.
Abby stepped closer, but froze in dread.
Predator.
Run.
He’ll kill you.
The vampire reminded her of Sharon when she was in a blood rage, or the crazy lady.
But his eyes were green, without a hint of red.
This vampire was on a completely different level to the young ones she’d interacted with before. Perhaps the older they got, the more powerful they became, and they didn’t need to go into a blood rage to radiate power like this.
Abby suppressed a shudder. She couldn’t back out now; just like running from a dog was an invitation to chase, running from this vampire would have the same effect. “Yes, I am.” She’d tried to sound confident and sultry, but her voice trembled.
The interest faded from his eyes and he dropped his shoulders. “What’s your name?”
“A-Abby.”
“My name is Gabriel.” He covered a yawn. “You’re just another young vampire, trying to win favour with me.” He looked away. “How boring. If you were over four hundred, I might consider spending time with you … but …” He let the sentence hang.
Abby swallowed. “I see,” she muttered.
“And you’re not even running away,” Gabriel scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You’re clearly old enough to control your instincts, but not old enough to match my power.” His eyes darted over her. “Come back in a hundred years, then I might take you up on your offer.” He raced off.
Abby stood there in shock. Did vampires really attack each other?
“Are all old vampires like him?” she wondered aloud. If they were, she’d never be able to test the cure and vaccine on them—they’d kill her before she even got the chance.
Leaning against the wall, Abby looked up at the stars, dimmed by the city lights. Young vampires went everywhere in groups. Old vampires were too deadly to even touch.
How could she possibly find a test subject? She certainly couldn’t test on herself, she wouldn’t survive talking to vampires as a human.
Her chest went tight—she might need the vampire hunters to help her—
She shuddered. Nope, there had to be another way.
***
After another month of no progress, Abby was getting desperate. She stalked the streets every night. Maybe she could convince a very young group to help her. Could she compel vampires?
She was about to find out.
One night, she came across a group of four vampires, milling around under a street lamp, chatting and laughing.
Abby was about to step out and introduce herself when they all tensed.
Abby did too—because the wind carried the scent of fresh blood.
The four took off and Abby followed, wondering what she would do when they found their target.
They tracked the scent to an industrial area and leapt up onto the roof. A skylight window was open, and all four vampires dove inside.
Abby rushed forward, determined to stop them.
Then she heard large chain links whipping, as if someone was circling it overhead. Hisses erupted from the skylight.
The sounds of footsteps and movement—organised and fluid—floated into the night air.
Then silence.
Abby froze.
The scent of fresh blood wafted from the warehouse.
It had to be a trap.
CHAPTER 12
Abby was out of options.
S
he took a calming breath, then approached the skylight.
Just don’t lose control, she thought.
Until now, she’d been in control—barely—but she was still very young by vampiric standards. The hunters could easily kill her.
Don’t get too close.
Run when you think they’re about to attack you.
Abby peered through the open window. Figures were gathered in the darkness beneath her.
She tried, “Hello?”
She could hear twelve heartbeats below her. They remained steady.
“I know you’re vampire hunters. I know what you do. I also know that you want to eradicate vampires,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm. “I do too, but we’re using different methods to achieve the same goal.”
She shouldn’t give them too much information about herself. But they’d know who she was.
Good thing my friends and family think I’m dead.
The hunters were silent.
They were probably waiting for her to drop down into the warehouse.
Fresh blood wafted up from below her. Yeah, they were trying to bait her. “I’m not going to attack you, I know you’ll just kill me. I’m here to let you know there’s another way to eradicate vampires. I’m searching for help.”
“What help could a vampire want other than blood?” came the sneer.
Finally, a verbal response.
Her chest tightened. Now was the moment to tell them who she was. She hesitated—even though she knew she wasn’t truly safe from them, given how often she almost fell into their traps, revealing this made her feel like they’d show up at her hospital basement door and kill her. “I’m working on a cure. I’ve had some success but the vampire only turned human temporarily.”
Silence and steady heartbeats greeted her.
“Why would a vampire want a cure?” muttered another voice.
“Because I don’t want to die.” It seemed a simple enough answer. “I have my own reasons for wanting it. I’m reaching out to you to see if you’ll help me. If not, I’ll be on my way.”
“Why are you reaching out to us? You know we kill vampires.”
Did they just want to keep her talking? She cast an eye over her shoulder, just to make sure no one was sneaking up on her. “We have the same goal. I’ll achieve mine through science.”
“Vampire, come down here and we’ll talk about it.”
