legend of the vampire (chapter 4: the invalid dormitory)

8/6/2019 Legend Of The Vampire (Chapter 4: The Invalid Dormitory)

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CHAPTER 4: The Invalid Dormitory

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'I'm home.'

Just as the sun rose, Spencer found her way back to the five-hundred-year-old monasteryabout a hundred mile west of downtown Midgard. A monk sold it many years ago to a newresident in town. The small village had a population of less than three thousand residents.The sea ran from its west coast to the south, and a deep forest covered its north andnortheast area, separating it from the rest of the Island. Although it was as remote asSpencer wanted, she always took extreme precaution along the route home. Spencer Lee'sexistence as a vampire was known to only Reito Brown, and she preferred to keep it that

way.

'Welcome home.'

Spencer remembered well of the voice ever softly greeting her. But the voice was so distantnow however she wished it to last.

Entering the two-story home, she made her way into the modest living room and headedtowards a wooden door in the far corner. She slipped inside and walked deeper down thedark, narrow passageway. The sound of her of footsteps was light and nearly inaudible tohuman ear, but she knew it couldn't escape the one person waiting for her beyond thedarkness of this tunnel.

Another door eventually emerged in front of her. Once she entered, she took a quick lookaround the confined space. A stove and a small fridge took the area in the left corner. A fewpots and pans, cups and jars, dishes and pairs of silverware were neatly arranged on theledges just above the stove. The tiny, murky window on the brick wall to her right let innarrow rays of morning radiance. Warmed by the pool of light was the square, dinning tablein the middle of the room. On the table, a plate of sandwich and a glass of wine were leftcold since last night.

Spencer's attention then came to stop at the gray-haired, tall and slightly plump woman bythe doorway opposite to where she was. There was no greeting as Spencer had wished for,but it was to be expected as there hadn't been one for a while now.

Her gaze followed the old woman's and spotted the marks her male victim's blood had left

on her white jacket. Spencer quickly rubbed over the dry stain, displeased at her ineptness.She had planned to take off the jacket beforehand, but forgot as dawn was pressing.

"You look beautiful as beautiful as I've always remembered."

Spencer paused at those whispering words, her hand stopping over the dark spots on herchest. Slowly, she looked up to meet the delicate, violet gaze.

Annie Lu was in a thin, white dress, a gray sweater hung over her hunched shoulders.Beneath the white scarf around her neck was a black rosary, an old gift from Spencer. Her


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hair was neatly pulled back into a bun, a sign of a sleepless night. Her freckled face showedlittle joy even as her full lips curved up into a smile. She shakily pulled the hem of thesweater closer as she moved to sit at the table.

Spencer remained still as Annie shifted in the chair, studying the cold food and wine in frontof her.

"I was waiting for you, but you were gone all night I thought I'd never see you again,"Annie said, staring down at her own reflection on the spoon next to her right hand. But shehad to look away only a short moment later, her eyes narrowed almost in contempt.

Annie was supposed to celebrate her seventieth birthday last night, but Spencer planned onfailing to attend. She succeeded. Reito's casual invitation came abrupt but served herpurpose just fine.

"Silly. Where else should I go?" Spencer listened to herself as she did a stranger. Sheforced out a smile but knew how awkward it must have looked. The seemingly easy taskssuddenly seemed so hard. There were few exceptions in what Spencer would or could notdo, and Annie was unfortunately on the list.

Spencer grabbed the backrest of the chair and pulled it from the table. She sat downopposite to Annie, keeping her hands to herself, cautious to stay out of the pool of sunlight.When it was clear that Annie would spend as much time down in the basement as Spencerdid, the vampire insisted not to seal the window. She said humans needed some sunlight intheir home.

"You preyed." Annie bit her lips lightly.

"I did."

The bloodstain on the jacket was a confirmation Annie didn't need. After spending morethan four decades together, the woman could tell by just looking at how vibrant thosecrimson eyes were now, and how dull they were when the vampire started to occasionallyrefuse her blood during the past two years. The habit had grown into an absolute rejectionin the past weeks.

"I'm still strong enough for you."

"You need some sleep. I'll get your medication." Spencer stood up, but Annie rapidly shookher head.

"I'll take them later. Sit down with me."

Spencer reached out for the plate on the table. "Are you hungry? I'll warm it up"

Annie gripped Spencer's wrist, leaving only narrow space between the pale arm and thepool of light.

Spencer didn't pull back. She stared into the old woman's eyes and couldn't help butquestion what had led her to this point in time. Her past was her future. Her friends wereher enemies. And when time ceased to exist, Annie happened and upset the cycle she wasin, adding something more to pondersomething to look forward to.

But now the cycle was about to return.


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Spencer let the old woman hold her arm for as long as she wanted. She wasn't afraid of theburning pain that might follow, being too close to the light. She trusted Annie more thanshe had ever intended, and now the trust was slowly taking everything from herthe lovewas going to make her stay and watch Annie die.

Against her resolve, Spencer brought the wrinkled hand to her face and gently kissed it. Itwas difficult for her to come to term with her feelings for a human. It took her many yearsto consider the options for their future, and it took her even longer to prepare herself forthe consequence of refusing Annie the eternal life. The path which she was forced upon,Annie was better not to follow.

"You're my home. I'm not going anywhere I won't" Spencer buried her face in thewoman's hand, and Annie pushed herself up and embraced her lithe waist. She had tried toprepare herself for the inevitability of mortality, but it only resulted in her spending moreand more time away from home. It wasn't expected to be this hard since Annie wouldn't bethe first loss Spencer had suffered. Nonetheless, the woman had become the only pleasantmemory Spencer would like to keep.

Eventually, Spencer broke away from the embrace and smiled. "Happy birthday, Annie," shesaid, her face beaming with sincere joy. She realized that even if it was a little late to

celebrate, it was still better than never.

But when her smile would usually bring out Annie's, the old woman could only now offer asmall one in return. Spencer was caught off-guard by the frail, defeated look in those eyesthat she had never witnessed before, not even when Annie was denied a life with her.

The woman warily sat back down. Dark circles were visible around her eyes, and thesleepless night had taken much of her energy. She grabbed the edge of the table, visiblyshaken in her deep thought, her other hand resting on her lap.

Kneeling before Annie, Spencer looked up at her, softly holding the hand on the lap. "Whatis it? Are you feeling all right? Are you tired? Would you like some water?"

Annie let out a sigh and said, "You ought to be careful. I have a bad, very bad feeling aboutthis. I never trust that friend of yours. I fear for you, Spencer."

"You mean Reito?" Spencer chortled lightly. "He's a mere acquaintance, not a friend by anychance. Don't you worry about me. I can take care of myself." She then got up and took theplate of sandwich from the table. Taking it to the oven in the corner, she set the time andwaited. "He's useful at times. He knows Uriah. The upside is that he doesn't have anybody,and it only makes him trust me even more."

"I can tell you're taking a liking in him. Didn't you say he's a fierce one? A competentfighter. In the least, he's one of you Just like you," Annie said, looking away.

"There're no others. It's always been only me, and no one else," Spencer muttered as she

stood, facing the wall.

When a human lifespan was just a blink of an eye, Spencer now felt those forty years wouldleave a deep imprint in her heart. She thought that she had found someone to share her lifewith, but then it wasn't enough to wash all her fears away. A life that wasn't entirely herscould not be shared with others. Maybe Reito felt the same way with the traitor. That thinline that kept them from giving it all.

"You have me. Haven't you noticed?"


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The statement pulled Spencer out of her thought. She hurriedly turned around, her facescrewed up in guilt. "Of course. Of course, I've got you, you know that."

Annie's gaze dropped to the cement floor and, after a long moment of silence, she graduallysmiled. This time, her smile was wider and livelier, her face beaming. "I know," she said.

Spencer felt a pang of relief. Smiling, she took the warmed sandwich out of the oven andbrought it to the table. While Annie started her meal, the chestnut-haired vampire satherself on the floor, resting her head against the old woman's thigh.

Hugging her knees, Spencer tilted her head back and looked up. "Do you still rememberthat scientist, Ann Kruger?"

Annie paused, and then glanced down at Spencer. "It's been many years. What made youmention her all of a sudden?"

Looking down on the floor, Spencer shrugged.

Doubt clouding her face, Annie eventually put the sandwich down. "Spencer?"

Spencer didn't respond until a few seconds later. "Yes?"

"What about Ann?"

There was a long pause before Spencer replied, "Nothing"

Annie's brows furrowed in worry.

"She She just popped up in my head out of the blue" Spencer muttered.

Annie looked grim all of a sudden. "Yes, her death anniversary is near Ah, I still

remember how lively and pretty she was. It was a shame she married him. I would havethought that she'd still be alive today if she didn't choose him."

Spencer giggled and sprung up to her feet. She playfully pulled the woman's hands, andsaid, "All right, enough of recollections. It's my fault for bringing it up. Now, I'm going totake you to bed, and I'm going to make sure that you'll get a decent sleep. Come, Annie. It'stoo cold down here. You're tired."

Nodding slightly, Annie stood up and followed the vampire's lead. "Yes Yes, you're right. Ineed a nap."

Leading Annie out of the basement, Spencer helped the old woman walk up the stairs to thesecond floor. Annie's bedroom was comfortable in size, and it smelled of soft lavender. Awooden closet and two drawers stood in the left corner. The right side of the room wasoccupied by a bed, a writing desk on its left and a lamp table on the right.

As soon as they entered, Annie instantly let go off Spencer's arm and went to the windowsto draw the blue curtains close. Spencer usually would not come up here during daytime,and she had to smile at Annie's thoughtfulness.

"I didn't even think about it," Spencer said. And it was the truth. She could be so negligentsometimes as she felt so at ease here.


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"I'm not surprised. I had to teach you how to use computer!" Annie laughed. She thenproceeded to change into a creamy nightgown. But when she noted the watching crimsongaze, she awkwardly bent and turned the other way, looking down at the wooden floor asshe pretended to be busied with her hair.

Leaning against the drawer, Spencer stopped in her pose. She hated to see even theslightest hint of embarrassment in those confident eyes. She walked up behind the womanand slipped her arms around her. Planting a kiss on Annie's cheek, she took in the faintscent of Annie's perfume.

Annie remained silent for a while before she held the cold hands back.

Ian opened his eyes to the strong light that came through the gaps between the blinds. Onthe 64th floor of Forest Dr. condominium, his privacy was fiercely guarded by a set ofdouble, bulletproof doors, and the row of large windows lined up from east to west of hisbedroom.Groaning, he turned left and right before sitting up and stretching. He rubbed his face,

trying to shake off from sleep. Last night wasn't one of the finest sleeps he had had.

After a long discussion with Jerry during dinner, Ian finally gave in to his plea, but he leftthe restaurant with an even more frustrated mindset. They'd need a vampire alive, and ifthey were lucky, the said hostage would lead them to Uriah. However, vampires rarelyshowed themselves in public and were never alone. Given Jerry's superficial strength, Ianwasn't sure how to proceed without asking for help. The only one responding to Jerry was,sadly, Sam Savage.

Although he was granted permission to pursue the rescue plan, his father wasn't entirelywilling to join the matter. Risking safety of the pack members for a vampire wasn't asentiment shared by many, granted that they didn't know the possibility of Mai exposingthe location their lair.

To take his mind off the matter, Ian made good use of her spacious bathroom and took along, cold shower. Sprinkles falling against his toned body, he felt a bit of energy andclearer mind returning. And the memory of what he encountered last night after he wentseparate way from Jerry became vivid as well.

The phone suddenly rang, causing Ian to flinch. His slippery hand dropped the shampoobottle onto his toe.

"Shi! Aww Aww," he yelped.

Hopping out of the shower stall, Ian had wrapped himself with a white towel. The wetstrands of his hair spread out and plastered along his shoulder blades and back. He stalked

towards the desk next to his bed and grabbed his cell phone.

"Yep?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, Ian. But your father has just called. Herequires your presence at the mansion as soon as possible."

Ian made a face, scratching his head. "Is it about last night?"


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"Uh I'm afraid so, sir."

Ian mentally growled. He had stressed Alex and Samantha not to report his father of theevent, but it was almost an encouragement whenever the subject was forbidden.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be ready in fifteen," Ian said and hung up. He sprinted into the bathroom

again to finish his morning business.

A dead body washed up at the beach was in itself a big headline in Midgard, but what Ianfound odd was the gruesome wound around the victim's neck, an act inhuman to say theleast. Autopsy would be done, but the police wouldn't be able to conclude the motivebehind it. Ian realized just what it was, and the awareness disturbed him.

It was safe to assume that a vampire was hunting at large and was trying to destroy theevidence. The deed would be considered shocking since most vampires would feed frommore discreet sources like donated bloods, or even feeding on animals when necessary. Inthe age of computers, cable TV and Ducati, the immortals had learned to lead a subtler life.At the crime scene, Ian called upon his personal guards to take care of the body before amorning jogger would find it at dawn.

Clad in a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt, Ian walked to the desk to get his watch andbag. Books, stacks of papers, an iPod and two laptops occupied most of the space of herworkstation. As he put the watch around his wrist, he caught sight of a thick, green-leathered, palm-size journal beneath the stacks of papers. It was his mother's, the onlyremaining souvenir of the old days. Although Ian had stopped deciphering every word inthose entries to death, it took him more than a few moments before he could look away.

Stuffing his car key into his coat's pocket, Ian exited the condo and trudged down thecorridor. He was armed with loaded, twin guns in the shoulder holster. Extra UVammunition on the belt holster added to the feeling of safety whenever he left home.

"This is outrageous! This is a slap in our face!"

Sam's voice was the first thing Ian heard as he entered the central hall underground of themansion. His brows knitted in annoyance even before he saw the blonde in the middle ofthe hall, the distinct frame surrounded by thousands of werewolves.

Ian moved to the nearest table and found an available bench to occupy. He looked aroundfor a sign of his father, but he was nowhere to be seen. Alex and Samantha entered the hallmoments later and moved to stand behind Ian.

"They're enraged, Ian. They believe the vampires are challenging them," Alex whispered.

Slightly turning, Ian raised an eyebrow at her guard. "But you don't think that they arechallenging you?"

Alex was taken aback at the statement, but then nodded with determination. "My sole dutyis to protect you, Lord Ian Only if you'd like to join Sam on the crusade. Isn't he the onlyone who volunteered to help you and Jerry?"

Ian detected the mischief in Alex's tone, and made a grim face. He hadn't made a decisionwith the rescue plan, but Sam already set the pack in motion towards war over a bloodycorpse.


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The loud blonde turned around and spotted Ian in the far back. "Ah! He's here now, thebody collector! Have you slept well last night?"

"Soundly," Ian said, and then briefly glanced back at Alex.

Sam marched towards Ian, and the crowd dispersed to make way for him. If there was one

likely to succeed Ians father, it probably would be Sam, the temple wolf. For better orworse, he was always battle-ready and seemed to be able to charge the pack with fire andthirst to crush all foes. Only Sam was never quite equipped with an exit strategy to fall backon. Looking at it as a pessimist, the werewolf clan was still an infant when compared to theancient vampires of Uriah. The thought of not having Hideaki around was horrifying tomany.

When the crowd was out of the way, Ian peered over Sam's shoulder and saw the femalecorpse stuffed in a body bag on the floor. Furious, he turned and glowered at Alex.

"We had to bring it back here, Lord Ian. The abandoned warehouse we used to frequentwas recently sold to an air-conditioner company. It's already under massive reconstruction.I couldn't possibly get rid of the body there without being seen."

Alex looked down, and Ian felt as if he was going to burst. He should have sailed out anddrowned the body in the middle of the sea himself.

"Stop whispering like cowards. I've already figured out everything," Sam interrupted, as hestood face to face with Ian.

"Yeah, I'm dying to know what you've come up this time," Ian said.

Sam ticked his finger against the chin and paced back and forth. "They're going for abackstabbing method now because they're afraid of us. But I'm not surprised since we areso strong and talented. Look at the body. It's obviously their attempt to make it look likeour doing. The nasty wound around the neck was made to look like an attack from a wildanimal. With a crime like this in the middle of the city, there'll be doubts and endlessspeculations! The secret government, or Woohp, will dig up our master's project, and ourexistence will be exposed to the world!" Sam stopped pacing and spun around to face thecrowd. "And they will hunt us down!"

The crowd roared in anger.

"But we will strike them first!" Sam pounded her fist against her chest.

"Kill them! Kill! Kill!" the crowd rumbled in an enthusiastic response. Ian pinched the bridgeof his nose, thinking. On the bright side, it surprised her that Sam could come up with suchelaborate assumption for once.

Sam turned to his master's son, the strongest of them all. "What say you, Ian Kruger? Willyou join us, or will you hide in your hefty condominium and play with the bullets that willnever be shot!"

There were times when Sam really got on his nerve, and this was one of them. Ian couldtotally imagine the imaginary boos the crowd was making against him. Their eyes weregiving it away. Subtlety wasn't a virtue the wolves cared to cherish.

"What about Mai Anderson?" Ian stared intently into Sam's eyes.


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At the question, the crowd actually hissed at him, but Ian ignored them. Undoubtedly, thisturn of event was perhaps why Jerry was absent from the meeting.

"Unbelievable! Don't you get it now that she's a tap to lure us out, and this dead woman isanother crack to put the blame on us! If we don't act fast, we'll become the scapegoat. Ican't believe you're getting soft on them now, Kruger. What happened to you? Whathappened to the determination to exterminate them all!"

Sam did look genuinely baffled, and Alex promptly moved to stand between his master andthe blonde.

"I just don't think Mai was a trap, and I disagree that the woman was killed to expose us. Ifwe act rashly, we're only getting ourselves exposed more," Ian said.

Sam pressed in closer with Alex fully between them now. "One less vampire will make theworld a better place, remember?"

Their gazes locked, Ian wondered if the hatred in Sam's eyes was once his own. Themirroring picture did scare him that reasons alone were not enough to weight out anger.

"Ian." Hideaki's voice broke the tension in the hall, and everyone turned to see him by theentrance. Jerry came in behind the master.

The air in the room seemed to grow lighter at Hideaki's presence, and the crowd backedaway a few steps.

"Sam has already shared his ideas. I wonder if you could share yours with us." With a smileon his face, Hideaki moved besides Ian, his hand gently patting his shoulder.

Even though Ian was nervous, he wasn't about to sit back and let others humiliate hisfathers trust in him.

"Well, umm Considering how I found the body I doubt it was Uriah. They never left theirtraces within human territories. It could be just a rogue vampire on its hunt."

Murmurs erupted at his words. Rogue vampires were rather uncommon as most wouldlikely seek comfort and protection under the Uriah queen.

Hideaki nodded lightly. "This woman's death probably has nothing to do with us, but it didpose threats to us unintentionally. Both you and Sam have offered both sides of theargument. Surely, the body will get Woohps' attention, and anything that goes wrong mightlead them to me They'll try to find me again."

A wave of anxiety washed over Ian. "What do you want me to do?"

Hideaki stood in front of the crowd and looked into their eyes. His facial expression wascalm, but Ian could sense his hidden distress. It was the troubled look in his gaze, the samelook whenever he talked about his motherthe danger he saw no prevention.

"We've encountered strange occurrences recently. Mai Anderson disappeared without atrace, and we have yet to know her true motive. Then, the murder of this woman. If this isUriah's doing, we will respond. But until we have proofs" Hideaki slowly turned to Ian andSam.


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"While I'll prepare for any incoming attacks, vampires and Woohp alike, I want you both totrack down the rogue vampire. Lure it out. Do whatever you need to catch it. I want toknow what's behind his action, why he refuses to join Uriah, and most importantly, if heknows where it is. He could be just another lead to nowhere, but we won't take chances."

"But, master, I can take care of this alone! I am ready. My men are ready!" Sam protested.

Arms across his chest, Ian glanced at the blonde. "When was the last time you actually leftthis place? Scared to death, aren't you?"

"Whatwhat about Mai Anderson, master?" Jerry stepped up to Hideaki's side. "Ian wasgoing to"

"This is more urgent, and it concerns the safety of our clan." Hideaki gave the youngwerewolf a long, scrutinizing look. "Trust your own kind, Jerry. Mai might just turn out tobe the murderer of this victim."

"Master, please hear me out! Ian Kruger is incapable of working with anybody, let aloneliving with us, and you know it!" Sam clenched his fists. His ordeal in this jointed

assignment was deeply shared with Ian himself.

"For once, dad, I agree with him," Ian said, rolling his eyes. "I prefer to work al"

"Silence!"

At Hideaki's snarl, everyone in the hall stood unmoving, their eyes unblinking and theirbreaths quickening. Some immediately looked down, hands clasped together. Their masterseldom showed his temper, and the public display of discontent only suggested how seriousthe matter at hand was.

"This is not how Uriah survives in the darkness for millenniums. This is not how humanssurvive for hundreds and thousands of years. If we want to equal them, we must discipline

ourselves! We must stick together, not turning against each other when danger is near!This is a time to put all your personal feelings aside, and this applies to everyone." Hideakiturned to stare at both Ian and Sam. "Everyone."

Sam instantly saluted his master. "Yes, sir!"

Ian quietly looked down. "Yes, sir."

"Good. You will lead the assignment, Ian."

"But, master"

"Dad"

Hideaki gave both youngsters a cold look, prompting them to shut up. "You must learn howto work with others, Ian. Lead them and protect them. Given your strength, you owe themto be their shield. And, Sam, until you can accept others and channel your judgment, youcan never lead. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Both Ian and Sam responded in unison.


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To Ian's surprise, the werewolves howled and cheered for them, shouting well wishes fortheir mission. Ian mentally winced when the blonde waved his hand high in the air, flashingher self-assured smile like a politician running his campaign.

Sam spent hours on end lecturing his small pack, three males and two females, andpreparing their gears and medical supplies. At the same time, their vehicles underwentroutine checks and refueled in the garage.

Impatiently, Ian stuck around, waiting for him on ground level. To kill time, Ian went intothe woods near the lair and tried out several shooting games with Alex and Samantha. Hewon every match, but not by far since his guards were among the better shooters. Hisfather always picked the best for him.

After hours of strolling in the wild, the dark-haired werewolf returned to the mansion andsat at the black, grand piano in the music room. Alex occupied the sofa, relaxing with aglass of wine and a weekly PC magazine. Ian played a few pieces by Chopin, his mother'sfavorite composer, trying to soothe his mind. But all he saw in his head was the bloatedbody washed up at the shore.

Even if Woohp had been somewhat inactive since Hideaki's fake death 150 years ago, the

organization still existed and watched over for any sign of the immortals. It only panickedher that the vampires risked to expose their existence now. Given Mai's treachery, themurder of the woman might be another attempt to upset Uriah. Quite possibly, things werenot going smoothly inside the vampire coven.

"IanLord Ian!..... Lord Ian!"

The sound of Chopin ceased. Ian turned to see Samantha at the doorway, while Alex shotup from the couch, bewildered to see his partner in such fright.

"What is it, Samantha?" Alex had moved fast to Samantha's side, his brows furrowing inworry.

"It's It's Jerry!" Hands on her knees, Samantha stopped to take some air in.

"Jerry?" Ian echoed. He'd avoided him since the meeting this morning. A part of him wasglad that Jerry was freed from the rescue mission. But, deep in his heart, he regretted forhe knew that it must have hurt him. When Jerry was upset, Ian was, too. It had alwaysbeen this way for both of them.

"He took the motorbike from the garage, along with a sniper rifle, two handguns and adozen packs of ammo. He told the guards that he'd be back before dusk. But when theydidn't allow him, he just took off. I think he'll go after Mai by himself," Samantha said.

"How on earth would he do that!" Alex pondered aloud.

Ian rubbed his temples and paced around the room for a few moments before slamming hishand on the keyboard. "Damn you, Jerry." Murmuring, he grabbed his coat and ran out tothe garage.

The guards promptly handed him the weapons and backpack, giving way as Ian raced a redDucati out into the driveway. Alex and Samantha both hopped onto their silver motorbikes,noting that the Ducati had already passed the front gate and was nearly out of sight.


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Tracking Jerry along the hilly terrain, webbed with the stoutest and tallest trees throughoutthe area, made the task even more difficult. Ian could still follow his scent even though itwas fading fast. Cursing under his breath, he swore to lock him up in the cell himself.

Ian glanced up through the patchy gaps among the heavy leaves above. The sky hadreddened, and his heart raced at the dying sign of sunlight. The sun gradually slipped belowthe horizontal line, the time most suitable for vampires to start their day.

"What the" Ian swiftly ducked to avoid a large, object zooming past his head by a fewinches. Eyes widened in anticipation, he straightened up and looked over his shoulder. Itwas gone, but he knew just what it was. Only aged and strong vampires possessed wings,and what had just flown past him was one of them.

Ian grumbled. He hadn't expected an attack within 60 square miles of the lair. Had Maialready spilled out their location? Even so, the vampires were so daring to have moved in soclosely.

Glancing over his shoulders, Ian looked for any sign of a backup. But Alex and Samanthaproved not as good a rider as he was. He eventually slowed his vehicle down and lookedaround. Amid the cold, damp air, he found himself alone in the maze of thousand-year-old

trees.

"He Help Somebody help"

The weak call came from his right, and Ian readily pulled the pistols from his shoulderholster. He firmly held them to his eye level, pointing them up at the darkening sky. He didnot even blink as he stared into the dizzying tree lines in the direction the voice came from.Being a natural born werewolf, his night vision was superior to his peers and the vampires,and it was one advantage he treasured. He had yet to know of their numbers, and being outin the open like this only made him a sitting duck.

A hot air lingered approximately twenty-five feet above him. A vampire's breath. A carelessone, at that. Perhaps, they had underestimated his senses to have come this close.

Ian shot himself from the bike and fired up as he flipped himself in the air. He landed on hisfeet, two vampires falling from the treetop ten feet behind him. They cried out as the bluelight gnawed and burned at the bullet wounds on their chests. Soon their bodies idled in theshrubs, and dissolved into dust.

Falling to his knees, Ian stretched his arms out in both directions, firing two more shots.When cries of pain erupted from behind the bushes, he ran headfirst and threw himselfbehind the gigantic tree in front of him, avoiding the shower of bullets coming from behind.

Breathing as quietly as possible, Ian stayed low and held the guns up, ready for moreattacks. He glanced at the bullet paths on the trunk he was leaning against.

Silver nitrate Just what I need

Science had granted these new inventions for them, and both sides must learn to live withit. A silver nitrate bullet would have the same effect on a werewolf as a normal bullet wouldon a human. While it was supposed to kill fast, slow and painful death was not at allforeign, and fortunately for Ian, the same went for UV bullets on a vampire.

Taking in a deep breath, Ian jumped out from the cover and fired several shots beforerolling fast to find another trunk to hide behind. Counter gunshots kept echoing in the dark,


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and he meticulously collected the directions the noises came from. From one tree toanother, he continued to lure them out. Every shot made his tracing their hiding spotsfaster.

Without looking, Ian bent low on the ground just as bullets whizzed past his head. Aiminghis gun over his left shoulder, he fired and took down the two vampires fifteen feet behindhim. While one of them was killed instantly, the other groaned as he tried to get up fromthe large boulder he had fallen upon. Ian peered over his shoulder and sent a bullet throughthe back of his head, effectively silencing him.

"Help I an Help"

Crawling on the ground, Ian followed Jerry's voice like a predator its prey. His wild gazesearched in the dark. His senses heightened to try and locate Jerry. But then a strongpresence abruptly emerged in the dark, sending chills down his spine. Ian knew that he hadedged very close to the leader of the squadron.

All of a sudden, two pointy tips of gray wings whizzed towards him. Ian backed away, andthe sharp tips missed his nose by an inch, causing him to tumble backwards and rollingdown the steep hill.

"Ah Ah Goddamn it!" Guns still in his grip, Ian ignored the pain on the nasty cut on hisright arm. He quickly bounced to his feet, incessantly firing up the hill.

The dark-haired vampire snarled at him before he swooshed up to avoid the bullets,disappearing behind the thick roof of leaves along the treetops. Ian kept firing as she ran tothe opposite direction, where Jerry's voice came from.

Dashing further down the slope, Ian eventually reached a long, narrow plateau and spotteda figure hanging by the tree fifty feet ahead of him. Jerry was tied up by a rope, bruises andbloody gashes all over his body. He twisted and turned, kicking feebly in the air.

Ian bit his lips as he dove hard onto the ground. His body sliding through the mud, he bentbackwards and fired up at the vampires coming down the hill, narrowly escaping the silvernitrate bullets himself. From what he gathered, the vampires had come in a modest-sizedunit, and there were roughly 15 vampires left, including the dark-haired leader.

Without a second to waste, Ian continued to shoot at the relentless vampires with one gun,keeping them at bay. Turning a little, he lifted his other gun up and fired a single shot toslice the rope.

"Ahhhhh!" Jerry fell to earth and his body rolled nonstop down the slippery mound,disappearing from Ian's range of vision.

Seeing that Jerry was freed to defend himself for the time being, Ian bounded onto a treetrunk nearby, camouflaging in the shadow as he positioned himself on the thick branch. His

precise shots managed to take four more vampires down.

"Ah great" Ian grumbled at the empty pull of the trigger. However, before he couldreload the weapons, a sharp, heavy pain singed through his left shoulder. Howling in pain,he tried to aim the guns at the attacker. But he veered and shoved him against the treehard, causing the guns to slip from his grasp.

The black-haired vampire had rocketed down the treetop and tackled him off the branch.The razor-sharp end of his wing managed to get him but missed his heart just when he


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turned to obtain extra ammos. The vampire then lifted Ians whole body up with his strongwing, soaring into the air.

"I didn't think it'll be this easy to get you." He laughed hysterically.

Both hands weakly gripping his wing, Ian struggled to lose his hold, Ians warm blood

trickling down his arms and dripping off the elbows. Even through the dark, he could clearlysee the raging appetite in the vampires hazel eyes. If he didn't know better, it lookedalmost as if he couldn't endure the scent of it.

Ian realized that the higher above the ground, the more vulnerable he was. And the gravityonly tore his wound wider. Biting his lips, he fumbled for the folding switchblade tuckedinside his coat. As soon as his fingers felt the grip panel, he pulled the knife out, arched hisarm and stabbed him. The blade pierced into the base of the vampires neck, missing hisheart by far.

The vampire screeched, and the wing released Ian from its hook. Ian plummeted onto theground and rolled down the hill, too pained to stop the fall. Then the hum of a large vehicleand a few other motorcycles approached the site. Lying on the ground, Ian could hear faintgrowls from Sam and his pack. Gunshots erupted again between the newly arrived

werewolves and the remaining vampires.

"Lord Ian!"

"Lord Ian! Where are you!"

The two voices belonged to Alex and Samantha, but they seemed so far away. His headgroggy and heavy, Ian coughed furiously instead of responding to the call. His body beganto tremble at the loss of blood. Although the immortals could heal themselves in given time,severe ones could kill them.

Wheezing, Ian tried to sit up and shakily reached for the gun in his right ankle holster. Buthis movement came to a sudden halt when he detected a quiet presence around him.Glancing up, his eyes widened and his lips quivered at the sight of a young woman standingonly twenty feet in front of him. It startled him that he had failed to catch the aura earlier.

A a vampire?

The woman appeared very different from the black leather-clad agents from Uriah. Shecould pass as a wandering teenager in the pair of shorts and leather sandals. Her fists hid inthe front pockets of the white, hooded sweatshirt. Her long, chestnut tresses hangcomfortably around her slim shoulders as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

The questioning gaze from the crimson eyes looked Ian up and down, but cold and lifeless.If it were not for the understated cruelty in the gaze and the pale skin, Ian would havefailed to identify her as a vampire.

Grunting, Ian yanked the secondary weapon from the holster and aimed. He fired withoutany hesitation, and in such a close range, he never missed.

But to Ian's blow, the vampire ducked so fast that his eyes almost missed the act. Leapinginto the air, the woman lunged towards Ian and kneed him in the chest. The violent forcesent Ian flying and crashing against the huge tree many feet behind.


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The werewolf dropped to the ground, leaves falling around and upon him from the nastyimpact. Ian would have expected the tree to fall with him even. Lying on his stomach, heslowly looked up as he tried to suppress his bloody coughs, his fists clenching tighter.

The vampire leisurely glided towards him again. All the while, she never took her hands offthe pockets as though she was afraid to let go of the hidden candies. The vampire's identitywasn't of Ian's concern at the moment as he'd need a miracle to get away from thisstranger alive.

Pain quickly eating up his insides, Ian realized that his body was giving in to the injuries.He glanced around, trying to find the spare gun he had dropped. To make matters worse, helooked up again to see the vampire stopping just a few feet from him and then bending topick up the weapon he was looking for.

The vampire raised the UV-loaded gun up close to his face and scrutinized it for a fewmoments before peering down at Ian. The gaze was indifferent, and stories and tales ofhow a hunter was killed by his own weapon suddenly poured into Ians mind like a wreckeddam. Even if UV bullets did not have the same effect on werewolves as they did onvampires, any more injury would have made his death imminent.

When the vampire sharply raised the gun, Ian squeezed her eyes shut.

Bang!

A long, dark moment passed before the green eyes opened again, and the grass in front ofhim was as green as ever. Ian shivered, unable to believe that he was still alive.

Thud.

At the falling sound, Ian looked over his shoulder and saw a vampire in black falling to theground, eventually turning into dust. It'd take one of a kind to kill one of their own, and thevampire in front of him had just proved to be it.

This This is crazy

Wheezing, Ian grabbed a rock nearest to him, but the vampire readily kicked it off his frailgrasp. His breathing became maliciously difficult, and he could only watch the rock rollingaway from his reach. Too weak to even lift his arm now, he slowly rolled onto his back andlooked straight up to meet the crimson eyes and the dark blue sky in the backdrop.

"Do you want to die? Do you?"

Ian didn't reply. He didn't trust that his voice was still there, or that his body stillfunctioned. His chest heaved slower, and he felt the air around him getting colder andcolder. Then, a pair of large, black wings spread above him, and all he saw was darkness.

legend of the vampire (chapter 4: the invalid dormitory)

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