so far gone
TRANSCRIPT
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So Far Gone
Chapter 1
Over the last few weeks, many
voices whispered into her mind.
They were the cries of scared and
dying vampires. Beware was oftenthe message theyd send. Starr, as
terrible at mind control as she was,
couldnt block out the messages.
Like Shane and Mica, the voices
nearly drove her to the brink of crazy
sometimes. Only when she wastraining for battle, was her mind so
focused that she couldnt hear them.
Even worse than the psychiccries were the vamps who showed
up on a daily basis. She wouldve
rather been on her own. Repeatedly,
she tried to chase them away. When
she found them spying on her from
another empty condo on the otherside of the building, she even tried
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to kill one of them. Just as she closed
her fingers on his back upper napeand made to squeeze him like a
bottle neck, her hand froze.
The ghost lady appeared and
insisted she let them alone. That was
the first night she showed herpower, and there was no fighting
her.
Even more annoying than all
the demons hanging about was how
much they knew about her. Sheknew that shed sent shockwaves
through communities across the
globe, what with her defeating Levi,
working with the Council, and killing
an infamous Primordial, but these
vamps knew everything: from the
names of her best friends, to her
usual coffee drink. A few had even
confessed to spying on her long
before the attempted apocalypse.
They were curious to know if all the
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things theyd heard, about her, were
true.
All she ever said to anyone,
over and over, was that she wanted
to be left alone; to have a normal
life. What a shock to know that she
was never really alone. She onlythought she was.
Word of her Primordial
initiation and the whispers of the
ghost lady, falsely convinced them
that Starr was some kind of hero.Vampires got some crazy idea that
she was the one who was strong
enough to help them defeat
Credenza. And, frequently, her name
was mentioned in the psychic cry
outs.
Now, she was sharing a vacant
condo with a dozen other vampires,
while dozens more were in an empty
house several blocks over, not to
mention the empty condo on the
other side of the property. Theyd
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spend their days fighting and
plotting, gathering weapons andammo.
Several of them tailed the
family at all times, whose names
were Barb and Michael Mitchell. The
babys name was Meghan, just likeher dead sister. Such a coincidence
was eerie for her to think about.
Starr didnt know who the
ghostly woman was, though shed
asked many times. But it wasobvious that she was an ancient one
gone into unconsciousness; a
Primordial, she surmised, though she
couldve been a witch, too.
Perhaps it was foolish to trustthe woman, but so far, shed been
good help. It was she who led her to
the baby that, now, had her soul.
And it was because of her that all
these vampires were there to help
her win the fight. And she wouldve
never stayed in Boston if not for the
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woman showing her that Shane and
the others were in fact alright. Theywere worried and scared, but were
living well, and without much
supervision, at the Councils castle.
The castle was the size of New
York City, and was nestled in a bowlshaped valley of the Carpathian
Mountains in Romania. Having spent
time there, herself, she knew theyd
be fine. Not only was the castle built
to house an entire city, but it had allthe modern amenities of one, too.
More importantly, Credenza
would never hurt them as long as
Starr had what she wanted: the baby
and, both theirs, soul.
As she walked the rainy
streets of Boston, the essence of the
ghost woman blanketed her again.
Who are you? she asked
aloud. Are you ever going to tellme?
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A strong wind blew around
her; the trees wavered violently. Thestreet lights cemented pole groaned
under the strength of the wind.
Is that a sign? she asked.
But instead of the usualwhispers that followed this
benevolent behavior, the sky simply
darkened several shades, rather
quickly, and then a bolt of lightning
shot down into someones back
yard, several hundred feet away.
She walked to the corner and
pressed the little button on the
crossing light. Cars sped past as shewaited.
Across the street was the caf
she frequented, lately. At one point,
she was visiting the caf three and
four times a day, simply needing toget some quiet time. Just like at the
clinic, she had a hard time being
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around so many people, and it was
worse when they were clamoringadults. All day it was shouting,
arguing and the chinking of swords
and shocking of arms.
Oh hell! she said under her
breath.
A dark haired man in a black
trench coat dropped down, in front
of the caf, from the gray cloud
above the street. He looked right
into her eyes as he waited for her tocross.
This was the fashion in which
people, to her grief, came. It was
partly her fault because she was
terrible at cloaking her thoughts.Mental discipline was always her one
weakness. Like a lighthouse, her
essence shined out through the fog
of all the people, making her easily
locatable.
The light changed.
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Extremely annoyed by the
mans presence, she walked fast andhard, giving him a death stare.
Go away, she said as she
stepped up onto the sidewalk.
Are you Starr?
No, she said louder than she
meant. Now beat it, or Ill beat
you.
You must be her, he said
unfazed. Your ferocity is
legendary.
She rolled her eyes as she
pulled back the glass door, and
walked into the coffee shop.
But I need to talk to you, she
heard as she let the door swing
closed.
She walked up to the counter
and ordered her usual latte withcinnamon. Turning back, she saw the
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man watched her through the glass
door.
Spotting the Daily Times, she
picked it up and made her way to a
table at the back.
Lately, the news wasabounding in stories of murders and
missing persons. If he or she didnt
have his or her guts removed and
half eaten, he or she seemed to
disappear without a trace. There
were even a few stories of men andwomen whom the police, upon
investigation of their vacant homes,
were found to be as much as 500
years old, yet appeared not to have
aged a single day past
approximately thirty years.
No one believed these stories.
She knew this because shed heard
plenty of talk in the cities, and in the
psychic cries, but the upswing in
violence was a concern to many. She
didnt need to be a good telepath to
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see these worries, either. The fright
was painted on their faces, andinfused with the scents that humans
put off: scents of fear.
As she sipped her coffee, she
shifted her eyes to the windows.
Outside, the man still stood on thesidewalk, staring unblinkingly at her
through the glass.
She sighed long and loud.
Then she stood and threw the
newspaper down onto the table. Onher way out, she said to barrister,
Ill bring back the cup.
Outside, she said, Followme.
They walked several blocks
over to the condo she and the others
had been squatting in. Before
opening the door, she turned andsaid, Know that if youre working for
Credenza, Ill kill you.
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Once again, the man hardly
flinched. Shes already tried to killme, so you need not worry, dear
lady.
My names Starr. Try to be
contemporary. I cant stand all your
old world customs.
Miss, theres no need to be
bitter. Im not that old.
Ignoring him, she turned and
unlocked the door.
Inside, half a dozen men and
women were going over plans to rob
an army base, several states over, of
rocket launchers; something they
were sure would kill vampires the
likes of Credenza. They, mostly
being less than a few centuries old,
would need a leg up because the
older they got, the more difficultthey were to eradicate.
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Over the last few weeks, her
life had become just like a militarycamp, too. With vamps actually
training, learning how to fight, and
even with swords. This is where Starr
was actually grateful for the older
vamps because she knew thatCredenza would fight like a warrior,
and the younger ones needed to be
prepared for it.
Most of the younger vampires
thought Starr was being silly, butshe insisted they learn old world
styles of combat. Silly as it seemed,
barbarianism had a history of taking
out armies in the past. Just because
it was old, didnt mean it was
ineffective, she told them one night.
Younger ones? a man
named Aster asked sarcastically, on
the night she was asked to give her
opinion on how Credenzas army
would behave. Youre only justturned 18 years total. I like how you
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talk about us like were children to
you.
It was funny, yes, but they
didnt understand that Credenza and
Starr were one person divided by a
degree.
Wheres Aine? she asked a
man who was sharpening old
swords. Sometimes it was hard to
remember all their names.
Theyre out practicing. Got a
new one, there? he asked.
Yeah, can you take care of
him?
Sure, he said.
Aine was an old Irish vampire
shed visited some time ago. At first,
she and her companion, Ciaran,
were the only ones she trusted intheir army, and they were
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purportedly strong allies to have,
with reputations from centuries ago,of being vicious, tenacious, restless
warriors.
Rumor had it that they already
went up against the Council during
the Celtic Revival of the earlytwentieth century. The Council lost
that battle, and a number of men.
But they failed to takeout Credenza,
so when they heard whisper of
Starrs so called army, Aine,Ciaran, and a couple dozen of her
clan were more than eager to help.
However, Starr could tell by
the glisten in their eyes and the
vibrato in their voices that it was
more than Credenza that drove
them, but it was a thirst for a fight.
They were true warriors in the sense
that it was a matter of pride.
Credenza explained this ideology to
her once; it was something that shethought Starr would aspire to, but
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she was wrong. Nostalgia drove
these vampires to battle, and Starrwas a modern woman with modern
desires.
Aines people were strong.
Starr had already engaged them,
and learned a lot about swordfighting; things she couldnt pull
from Credenzas memory. For the
first time in years, they likened her
to pain. Something she hadnt felt
since the night shed been shot. Atthat moment when shed taken a
platinum bat to her kidney, she
understood why the old vampires
were excited to be there. The pain
from the fight made them feel alive,
like they were doing what theirdemons were meant to do. She, too,
loved it.
Even better than the pain was
their technique that was different
from the Romanians, who had amore conservative form of battling.
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With Aine and her men, Starr really
felt the passion in the fight, and herinner demon loved that, too. They
werent afraid to get in close or to
use their hands and legs as well as
their weapons, unlike the Romanians
or the Romans. Since she was amartial artist, the Celtic style fell
more in line with what she already
knew about fighting. And she was
able to teach them a modern thing
or two, too, which they loved.
Starr loved having the respect
of the old warriors. It was only when
she was with them she realized that,
despite her modern desires, she
really was a warrior at heart. She felt
at home with them, and loved diningside by side with them.
She went to her room and shut
the door.
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So not all of the vampires who
showed were terribly annoying toher; it was just the younger ones.
Many of them couldnt fight to save
their lives, and had not a clue about
warring; then had the nerve to get
pissy with her. Credenza wasruthless, and so were her men. Since
bullets only slowed them down, they
needed to be prepared to go mono a
mono.
The young ones didnt likethis, and some even had the nerve
to be resentful of Starrs authority.
When a man named Aster scorned
her one evening, and even drew his
sword, she almost retreated. Not out
of fear, but out of shear frustrationthat the men wouldnt listen to her.
That was when Ikael, Aines
longtime friend from a neighboring
tribe back in the old country,
taught her what it meant to be achieftain warrior. Now, he was a
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member of the Scamall family.
Thanks to him and his friend, Druce,Starr was thriving as a militia.
What are you doing, lass? he
asked, sounding sincerely disgusted.
Are you a warrior or not? Youre
stronger than they. Show themyoure the authority, he said, and
pushed her back toward Aster. She
looked at Aine and Ciaran, both who
nodded, agreeing that the young
fledgling needed to be taught alesson.
Aster was a dirty demon. He
didnt give her a chance for a fair
fight, but he drew his sword and
charged her while she still faced
Ikael. She whirled around and, with
just her bare hands, severed his
arms from his back, and threw them
through the glass window. It was
actually an accident, as she meant
to throw him out of the window. Asbefore, there were still times when
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her new strength still eluded her
knowledge.
Ikael and his buddies didnt
seem to mind the sight of liters of
blood issuing from Asters sockets.
They shouted their approval and
laughed hysterically. Given theirreputation, she shouldnt have been
surprised by their delight.
Make no mistake, young
fledglings, Ikael said with a wide
faced smile. Starr is in charge, andwere here to support her. You got a
problem with that, than get out.
Before she dismembers you,
said someone, and the Scamalls
laughed once more.
Its not funny, said one of
the young ones.
They looked extremely upset.
Actually, Ikael, said a man
named Druce. They should fight
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until death, dont you think?
Attacking while anothers back isturned? We would have never
allowed such a thing in our day,
either that or we should just kill
him.
No, please! begged Aster.Im sorry!
No, said Ikael. Things dont
work like that anymore. Besides,
thats Starrs decision. Talk to her.
Starr, allow me to advise you.
Ive had great battle experience, and
I know how to handle a dirty rat, he
said passionately. Why dont you
get your arms before someone calls
the police, you dirty rat.
Druce pushed him to the floor.
Death by beheading, said
someone from the back.
No, said Starr. Just get your
things and leave, Aster.
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From that day on, no one
questioned her. Aster, who beggedher to let him stay, had become
especially subservient.
Although things went well
after her showdown, she still felt
ashamed for a while after. Thatswhen Ikael came to her once more,
and said, Its better that you dont
have to worry about what these men
will do when youre back is turned.
Its better that you assert yourauthority now, rather than on the
battle field or on a mission. Dont be
ashamed, this is a natural part of
leadership. Someone will always
challenge you, and you must prove
your worthiness. Tonight you didwhat was expected of you; though
the younger ones dont understand
this, but we, the Scamall Clan,
respect you.
After that night, Starr foundshe liked Ikael and Druce even more.
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Without any real confirmation they,
alongside Aine and Ciaran, hadbecome her lieutenants.
The only thing that worried her
was Shane had promised to contact
her, telepathically, but there was still
no word. The ghost lady assured herthey were okay, and even sent her
images of them in the Councils
castle, playing games and being well
taken care of. They simply werent
allowed to leave. Not that it waspossible, as the castle was nestled in
a bowl shaped valley in the
Carpathian Mountains, which
bordered Romania and the Ukraine.
There was no place for them to go.
The main thing, the ghost lady
told her, was not to rush into fighting
because a lot was riding on her,
including her destiny. Whatever that
meant, Starr didnt care about
destiny, she just wanted to save herfriends and go home.
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Starr tried to get more
information, but the ghost ladywouldnt answer. This angered her,
and if it werent for the fact that the
lady led her to the baby to her
soul, she wouldnt have listened.
Plus, there was somethingfamiliar about the lady; almost like
shed met her before. Naturally,
Starr realized she couldve been
tapping into a memory from
Credenzas life. She shouldvewritten her off, immediately. But
something, somewhere inside her,
told her to stay put.
Taking down the last of her
latte, she sat back on her inflatable
bed and turned on her computer.
She should have been training with
the men. Most of which took place in
the house a few yards over, but she
just needed to get away. Ikael and
his men understood this about her
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and respected her needs. For that,
she was also grateful to them.