Sam sat in the beaten up apartment. It was his seventh in as many months. Damn bloodsuckers kept finding him. There was no escape.
But why go after him? He had quit that years ago. After his grandfather died. After his stint in the loony bin, trying to convince himself that it was all just insane hallucinations. He had left that job to the Frog brothers.
Brother.
He had to remind himself of that.
The reason and answer to that damn question.
Alan.
He was who it all boiled down to.
The fallen friend.
He had no doubt that Alan had tried to stay normal, but he knew it was hard. Michael had proved that to him.
But then why had he not succeeded? Alan was strong-willed and adamant in his beliefs. Stubborn and arrogant. How had he fallen so easily into the shadows?
The air changed, not enough for a normal person to notice, but something any hunter would recognize. He looked up, even though he knew who it was.
A man stood lazily by the window, his hands tucked into his long dark coat and his eyes shadowed by a dirty white cowboy hat.
He made no pretense of what had been, "Alan."
"Hello Sam. How've you been?"
"I would be better if you didn't send your cronies after me. I'm flattered but it's rather annoying."
The creature before him smirked, Alan's version of a smile. Sam shook his head. He had to believe what Edgar believed. Alan was dead. This was some monster using his body.
"We can fix that all tonight Sammy."
He moved forward slowly. Sam reached for the emergency stake he always kept nearby.
"Get out Alan."
The thing chuckled darkly, "It's not so bad when you get used to it."
There would be only one victor to this fight, and they both knew who it was.
"He'll never fall Alan. You know that."
He shrugged apathetically, the smirk breaking into a full blown vampiric smile. The hat tilted, revealing glowing crimson eyes.
Not Alan.
"We'll see."
The creature charged, Sam barely ducking out of the way, thanking Edgar for the training.
And so the battle raged. A war between two opposing forces. One steadily weakening.
Suddenly, Sam found himself on the floor, the air knocked from his form. The stake rolled just out of reach. He moved for it but the monster pinned him down, smiling at him.
"Gotcha."
The fangs were bared. Sam grinned back.
"I hope he kills your fucking ass."
"You won't soon enough."
The teeth dug into his neck. He gasped as the pain flooded his body. And then it was gone. Cold replaced the pain. Alan still smiled down at him, but it was again the simple smirk. The teeth were gone, though blood stained the area around his mouth. The eyes were again the calm amber. He wiped it away with the edge of his coat. Standing, he picked up the fallen hat.
"See ya soon Sambo."
And as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. Sam stood slowly. He heard the other tenants' heartbeats and hungered. He sighed. Tomorrow morning he would go to Edgar.
But it would be a long night.