It was really no wonder that the world was coming to an end. Maybe it was the way it was ending. She would have never imagined the world being overthrown by some kind of undead beings. And she had thought only her kind was undead. As in, vampires.
Yes, those bloodsucking, inhumanely strong, durable, immortal beings. Not the kind that sparkled in the sunlight like those in Twilight. Those wouldn't even scare a child. No, their kind could change their facial features into the 'vampire' face. With every year they lived, they got stronger. They could compel people who weren't on vervain. They had to be invited into a house before entering. They could be burned in sunlight if they didn't wear a sunlight ring that was made by a witch out of a lapis lazuli stone. They could be killed by getting their head severed off their body, a stake into their heart or head, by a witch's powers, or their heart ripped out. Oh, and a werewolves' bite could kill them too.
And witches and werewolves also truly existed. The strongest of beings were the Originals. The first vampires, more than a millennia ago. But that had been before the world went to hell with the humans turning into cannibalistic killer-machines. Maybe not killer-machines, but they were the cause why vampires didn't have that much food anymore. They needed blood for a living, and with only a few humans still being alive, it was hard. Though nobody would think about vervain now. Not with the living dead chasing after them.
The humans didn't stand a chance against the 'zombies'. She labelled them as such, because she didn't have the imagination to find a better fitting term for them.
The vampires had built a refuge for the supernatural in New Orleans, with the Originals keeping the peace between the vampires, witches and werewolves. Yes, even werewolves. Though before the zombie apocalypse, they weren't allowed to take a step into the city.
She had thought it was safe. She had really hoped so. But nothing could stay that way.
The witches got into an argument with the vampires since most of the population consisted of the supernatural and only around a quarter were normal humans. Their uncompelled walking blood-bags. The witches thought it wasn't right of the vampires having an upper hand over the rest with the Originals ruling over them. And they tried getting the Originals' position in the safe city. She should've known when to pack her things, compel getting two humans with her and her witchy friend. But the hope in her made her blind to the fact that the Originals had already went to a safe place on an island, with some of their friends and most importantly, humans. They had compelled some people to take care of the city instead of them when they saved their asses from the zombies. It made her blood boil, but back then, nobody knew.
And when they found out, their whole system broke apart. The witches had tried to get the vampires out of the city, with the werewolves helping. But the vampires fought back, and when they were near the end of the whole issue, the witches and werewolves got them stuck in the city while they let the zombies in and got to safety.
Though, she found out on her own that while witches still could turn into zombies by being bitten or scratched, the vampires and werewolves couldn't. Which was the only advantage their species had. And even that wasn't much of an advantage with the zombies being everywhere in large numbers. They couldn't take humans to safety without risking their own skin being shredded into pieces.
At least her witchy friend had told her of what the witches had planned for them in the end. Making her quite furious. But she had reigned her anger at bay for the time and found a duffel bag, stuffed some clothes in it, a few water bottles, two bottles of some expensive Scotch and a reminder of when she was still human. Which was seven hundred years ago.
Then she took her witchy friend into an alley, thanked her and then had to promise her safety just to get her with her. Otherwise she'd have gone with other witches, and the werewolves. It didn't sit well with her. So she wanted to take the witch with her. And the tag team Cara and Jordan was created.
While the witch's powers couldn't really help them against the zombies, she still could blow up some of their heads. And Jordan really loved exploding heads, Cara realized. The witch didn't really help their situation since she still had to eat real food and drink water. While also staying out of zombie reach. They started going north, towards Atlanta where a sanctuary may still run. But the vampire wasn't too hopeful.
The two of them took a car and started driving towards it while trying to avoid cities and towns. It would be a death trap to go through places with a big population, because the threat would also increase. And Cara had to keep the witch alive, though she wasn't sure why she bothered. Except the witch giving her blood. Both of them knew that was the only good reason why Cara even tried.
While on the ride, they had to stop for Jordan to find some supplies, mainly water and maybe canned food or whatever the witch wanted.
Cara took their little stop to find some kind of weapons. Something that would put a small distance from the zombie and the two of them. She didn't really want guns or riffles because those would cause too much noise and more of those undead freaks would come towards them, so she was trying to find maybe a machete, an axe, or a sickle. She hoped that they'll run across an antique shop with some kind of weapon collection. Like a katana or its shorter version a wakizashi or even a tanto would help them.
She just wished they would've been near New Jersey where she had a container full of old things she once possessed, between all the things quite a few weapons. Even a whole collection of Japanese swords, from a nodachi to a tanto. Pity that she'd never get to wield those ever again, since the likelihood of reaching New Jersey without encountering big groups of zombies in the city. She'd been lucky that when the outbreak started, she'd been near New Orleans.
Shaking her head, she looked for weapons. But the only ones she came across were three rifles with some additional ammo, an aluminum baseball bat and a few knives. She even found a walking stick, but she threw it away with a frown. If they had to use the rifles, Jordan would have to spell a few silencing spells on them.
She remembered how her life had once been. Travelling the world, compelling people and living in luxury. She's had a nice and very long life. It was a lonely one, if she crossed out the times she had one night stands with some human men and the few friends she had made. She had been a lone wolf type of person, enjoying the quiet and peaceful life, until the outbreak started.
That's when she had to pause for a second of her life and think it over. She had at first thought that going on her own would be preferable since it wouldn't be as dangerous, but she had to dismiss that option since with the zombies around, she would've had nobody to feed on. Which was why she actually tried making friends with people back in New Orleans. Before she continued her train of thoughts a yell snapped her out of them.
"Cara!" she heard Jordan yell, making the vampire curse as she took the baseball bat and the knives with her, tucked into her belt. Using her vampire speed, she ran to where she heard Jordan's yell.
"That good for nothing witch…" she growled as she realized Jordan was stuck in a store with zombies stumbling in. There weren't many places for her to take cover since she was in the middle of the street, two cars on one side of it, and the few buildings standing a dozen feet away from each other. It was a pretty small town.
"Where the fuck are you!?" she yelled as she stood there, watching as the zombies stopped and started turning towards her. "And don't yell back because these freaks will start attacking you again!" Though the only thing that bothered her was that the flesh-eating freaks were now stumbling towards her, hungry growls and snarls sent her way as their misty eyes stared at her like she was the dessert. It was a look that had once only been found on vampires. The predatory species. Now everything turned into chew toys for these flesh-eating undead freaks. She really hated the world's humor in creating zombies. As if vampires has had it comfortable in the modern age.
Using her vampire hearing and other instincts she ran towards the zombies, bashing their heads in with the weapon she just found. Though she distanced herself from them and took a look around her just in case. While she was relatively safe, from not being able to turn into a zombie to her supernaturally enhanced senses, she still remained cautious, borderline paranoid.
"In a small restroom. Blocked the door." Jordan's words reached her ears and she sighed, relaxing her shoulders a bit. At least the damn witch was safe. Now she only had to kill the zombies that had gone after her witchy friend.
"I should really just turn her…" she murmured to herself as she took care of the zombies. The ones who still lied groaning on the ground got a knife through their skulls to end their undead lives. She looked around and counted twenty-one corpses on the street. The undead she just took out. Then she heightened her hearing and stepped towards the store to make sure there weren't any more zombies lingering inside the shop. After hearing nothing, she took a look inside and looked everywhere before calling for Jordan to get out of her hiding place.
She turned her icy stare to the witch and she frowned at the redhead. Jordan was a small woman in her late twenties, curly red locks reaching her small waist with a pair of pale blue eyes. Her skin was pale and freckled and easily burnt by the sun. She was around 5'1'' tall with a slim body but just enough curvy to balance with her small chest.
She was the total opposite to Cara. The vampire had been turned while she was twenty-eight years old and stayed that way ever since. While her body was still warm and had a heartbeat, it didn't age. Vampires' cells regenerated too quickly, which was why they stayed the age they were turned and healed very quickly. Their body was frozen in time, so to say.
If someone with cancer tried turning, the cancerous cells would spread even quicker and those cells don't need to regenerate like normal ones. That's why a human with cancer if turned only died quicker from cancer.
Cara was a tall, athletically built woman with long legs that made her look like an athlete with how toned they were. Her caramel brown hair was cut short and wavy, reaching only her collarbones, but that's how she preferred her hair to be. And her eyes were amber, matching her olive skin tone.
"I really hate how vulnerable you are, Jordrina," she told her in a flat tone and the witch's brows furrowed together as Jordan gave her an assessing look. That nickname she gave the witch never meant anything good. It was one of those situations where the two of them would start arguing and questioning each other's worth. It happened once before, just after they left New Orleans walls. Well, Cara flat out told her she couldn't just do nothing, leave the work to Cara and expect a friendly tone from the vampire.
Cara then fell to her knees, clutching her head with her hands, hopelessly trying to stop the pounding in her head that the witch was causing her with her powers. It was one of the reasons she hated the redheaded witch.
"You should really know better by now, bloodsucker. I'm giving you blood, so give me the respect I deserve. We have a deal, might I remind you. My blood for your hunger and your strength for my safety. Both of us stay alive that way. Or do you want to start sucking the black foul blood out of those undead fellows outside?" Jordan said with a low voice, trying to sound threatening as her powers wavered and Cara's head stopped pounding, leaving a slight headache behind.
Cara still clutched her head, leaving her head hanging and her hair masking the growing smirk on her lips as her vampire features came out. The witch was playing with fire now. The brunette knew Jordan wasn't a powerful witch. Only average. Enough to run out of magic by using it on a few zombies to blow their heads at the same time and then using her magic to blow them a few feet away. Then she was out like blowing a candle out.
"That's what I thought, your silence speaks volumes. At least some vampires know their place," she could hear Jordan's smirk and the superiority in her tone.
It really grated on her nerves and she forced her vampire face away, her red, blood-shot sclera turning white while the veins around her eyes also slowly disappeared. Vampires were a proud species, as were witches, but vampires were an abnormality, while witches were nature's servants. But if one were to call them a servant in these days, they'd try exploding your head. But it was a witch that had created the very first vampires. The Original Witch, the mother of the Original Vampires and their half-brother Niklaus, the Original Hybrid, as he was half vampire and half werewolf, making him the strongest being on Earth. But Cara hoped the zombies have shredded him to microscopic pieces, the big bad wolf fled once he had the chance, leaving the rest of their species' behind.
Selfish. But he took his family with him to safety. Leaving the city he helped to build a long time ago, behind in his wake. She knew she'd have probably done the same if she knew it was helpless. But she hadn't seen it as that until the main leaders left the safe haven.
"Let's continue on our way," Jordan growled as she saw Cara's still form, still crouched on the ground. It was her own fault that she turned her back to the fuming vampire. Cara's head snapped up and she quickly stood up, grabbing the back of Jordan's neck and slamming the witch into the nearest shelf, pinning the redhead down while using little strength.
"First of all, Jordan, more zombies will be coming this way by how much ruckus we have caused earlier. Not just from your little outburst a moment ago. Secondly, it's getting late and you're exhausted. We're both exhausted. Just because I'm a strong vampire doesn't mean I can go without rest indefinitely long. Thirdly, our car's fuel is low, so we better find another car to drive with or try getting some fuel from another car. So, I'd recommend we stay in this town for the night, place the supplies and the weapons I found in the car and continue our trip." Cara growled lowly with a sickly smooth voice, pushing the woman's face into the shelf with a little more strength applied, making the witch whimper.
"And lastly, I'm hungry. The little few gulps you gave me of your blood can't satisfy me for this long without reducing my strength and senses. So, I'd please you to give me some more of your blood, Jordan."
"G-Get off!" the witch stuttered out with an edge to it that was caused by fear. And Cara was pleased to hear the witch's heartbeat quicker than usual. Quicker than when zombies were around the witch.
Letting go of Jordan, she took a few steps away from the redhead. She knew Jordan would use her magic on her again for how she threatened her, but she couldn't care less. She was satisfied to have caused the witch fear, as sick as it sounded. Vampires were predators, and predators liked their prey shuddering in fear as it couldn't escape.
Cara once again fell to her knees and groaned from the pain, but it quickly passed. It seemed Jordan really was tired. As was Cara, but she was vampire out of the two of them. Meaning she would find them a safe place for the night, because the car wasn't an option now. She could barely hear the shuffling sound the zombies made when moving from a distance. Standing up, she dusted herself off indignantly and gave Jordan a glare.
"I know it was 'necessary' for you to inflict pain on me, but the zombies are on their way here. So you took away time we could use," Cara stated while throwing a fiery look at the small redhead whose eyes widened at what she said. "Now get on my back, so we're outta here."
And that the witch did, with her own duffel bag filled with food and something to drink from what Cara heard was inside.
They'd also have to get some medicine, if the witch ever got ill. Though Cara would be damned to let that idiot get ill. Then the witch would be ultimately useless and only a hindrance.
Cara quickly shot out of the shop and towards the opposite direction than where she heard the zombies coming. Her eyes had seen a small house a bit farther down the road with a fairly big balcony. While they landed on the balcony safely, she had let go of the aluminum baseball bat while running down the road, avoiding two stray zombies.
"Dammit," she snarled as she placed Jordan down and looking back to find where she lost it. The only good weapon she actually found and she lost it. Really f-ing great.
"What is it?" the witch asked and her blazing eyes turned to her, making Jordan flinch back at the intensity in those amber eyes.
"Nothing," she gritted out before sighing. She'd get it tomorrow, and the riffles plus the ammo too. "I'll see if there are zombies in the house, because I really don't plan on resting on a balcony." With that she focused to hear any shuffling inside the house. But there was none. She opened the balcony's door and slowly stepped inside, a grin spreading across her features. After the zombie apocalypse started, vampires were able to enter houses without being invited in. But only if the owners were dead, or infected. Because if they were zombies, they were dead, meaning she got access to the house.