" I know your there"

It was dark, cold, yet she was not scared. She could hear him/her/it,what ever it was. A monster... A demon... Something in between. She knew what it was.

The speed.

The strength.

How it torments its victims, playing with them, their thoughts and fears, just like a true predator and she was its prey.

The worst thing was, she couldn't see all she could do was listen. To the creeks and the cracks, a gust of wind blowing on her face. It was cold, like its heart.

She knew she was close to death, but yet she was still not scared. All her life she had been taught not to fear, not to be afraid, not to let them win. If only she had some weapon, something, to defend herself. She could kill it, she knew how, a steak to the heart. If only she had her gun and her wooden bullets.

She heard it move again, her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see a figure move closer, tall, thin, long ish hair, mop head as you say. By the the looks of it this demon took the shape of a man, his eyes glowed red and his teeth, two sharp like fangs.

she knew what it was, she had been raised to kill them, she had been raised to never fear them, she had been raised to hunt them. She knew, and as her fellow friends had died before her she will die a similar death. At the hands on a monster, the hands of a demon, the hands of a ... Vampire.

It raised his head and opened his mouth.

" Boo"

xx

Astrid shot up from her slumber, some one had knocked her awake. As she shot up from this extremely uncomfortable bench she head butted the intruder that had awakened her.

" Ow, what the fuck Astrid I was just trying to scare you, I didn't think you would have a heart attack in the process" the male figue joked.

Astrid's eyes focused on the male and realised it was her friend.

" Carlos what have I said don't scare me like that okay" she sat up on the bench and realised she was on the waiting bench next to the area.

Astrid has lived in the hunters academy ever since she was three, she had lost her parents in a fire, who were previous hunters, and the academy had taken her in. She was trained from the moment she could pick up her first weapon, and was known as the best out of all the under 25's. She was 22 and was coming up to her 23rd birthday in less than 4 months. How ever Carlos was 18, and out of her, Carlos and her others best friends Carlos was known as the kid of their group of five.

Her other friends were Evie, jay ( they were kind of a thing) and mal ( who had a huge crush on Carlos) yet astrid hadn't seen them since this morning.

" Was it another nightmare, the same one you keep having?" Carlos said, attracting astrid's mind back to him.

" err yeah, the same one, he is just about to speak then I wake up, only this time someone yelled boo." She stared at him as he smiled sheepishly at her.

" Yeah sorry about that, it's just mal and Evie are getting worried they haven't seen you since ten this morning and it's half five now, they were just worried so I said I would look for you, I saw you asleep and I couldn't help myself and of course jay has been training all day for his exam tomorrow" Carlos rambled.

" Of course, I mean all of us has taken our exam, and as team leader I have picked you, Evie and mal but if jay doesn't pass then we will be stuck with Louise, and she can't shoot for shit." Astrid said as she gradually got up from the bench and stared walking to the eating area, as she hadn't eaten today. Carlos followed behind like some lost puppy.

" Has max told you any news of vampire sightings." Asked Carlos.

" No, he said he will update me tomorrow after jays exam" Astrid explained. They were just about to enter the eating area when max the leader of the academy, the man who took Astrid in when she was three and who was dear friends to her parents came up next to them and grabbed astrid's attention.

" Astrid, thank the gods I found you, their has been a vampire sighting just up town and I need you and a few of the over 25's to come along with me and Nathan" max explained. Nathan was Max's younger brother and the second hand leader to the academy if anything happened to max. The academy had been in their family's name for centuries, it was their duty to stop vampires and protect innocent people.

" Wait what? You said that the way the vampire refugees were going they would hit up town by tomorrow night." Astrid claimed.

" Yeah well they picked up speed, you know since they are vampires." Max went to pull her along to head to the weapons room, however Astrid stood her ground.

" Wait no,my team. We fight max, we have patterns and we fight better together I can't just ... Just leave." She argued.

" Astrid we need you, I - I need you, if we wait any second long they could have started a blood bath, now I need you but if your not up to it then sadly I will have to pick someone else." Astrid turned to Carlos who was standing behind her, she looked at him for some sort of advice in what to do. He looked at her and smiled.

" Astrid go, I'll tell the others where you have gone-"

" but we are a team, I can't-" Astrid interrupted, but now was Carlos' time.

" No, go. If we can't get the sons of bitches then you need to" he took a step closer and took her hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze " go kill the basters!"

she smiled and thanked her friend, she turned to max and grasped his hand dragging him to the weapons room, sure he was older than her, old enough to be her dad, but Astrid loved to boss and drag these boys around like it was her job.

xx

They waited, the academy said their was two of them, alone, male and female. Stupid she thought, coming into hunters towns, only two of them. Vampires were known to stick together like wolf packs, the more the numbers the harder it would be to kill them all. News came in on Max's radio, the two where heading our way, down the alley, however it was not long till they said the had spilt up. They must have known, if they spilt up it meant one could get away. So they waited, max told Astrid to take up post across the ally and told her to stay until she saw even a male of female. So she did, she waited, she heard guns shots, they were close. However like a solider she did as she was told and waited. She heard footsteps, and a shadow, female. She knew this was it, training had taught her never to hesitate, yet when Astrid came out from her post walked in front of the female vampire coming up towards her holding her gun out and steak in hand, ready to make a shot to this females heart, she stopped and looked.

She didn't look a day over 16. She looked new. In the academy they were taught to recognise new vamps and old ones. Even ones that were in transition, when the are in between death and becoming a vampire. She couldn't do it, she couldn't kill a child. She put her gun down slowly as the girls eyes went from scared to relaxed only to be turned to pain as she was steaked in the heart from behind and let fall to the ground and slowly desiccate on the ground.

she looked up to see who it was that killed the girl on the floor. It was max and his face did not looked happy, rule number one never hesitate.

" What in the name of hell happened Ast, why you didn't kill that bitch I do not know." His face reddened.

" I couldn't, she looked sixteen, she looked new" Astrid tried to explain.

His face confused " you couldn't new or not, sixteen or not you kill a vampire when it is standing in front of you, do you know what I do to hunters or people who take the vamps side ... I kill them Ast. It was a mistake bringing you, now get in the car it is late we will talk in the morning. " he shouted and walked past her to get in the car that was behind them, Astrid waited for a minute to take in the speech that was just said to her, however she did not stay long, she felt eyes on her she knew the other vamp was not killed she can hear it on her radio that the male got a way. So she hurried along and got in the car. She was right the male stood behind a wall by the ally and watched the scene unfold before him he was shocked, confused and did not know where to go from here yet all he could do was just look at the girl the hunter as she was different, maybe she could help him.

xx

astrid walked to her room and shut herself in it she did not want to talk to anyone however she was not alone, by the window stood a tall figure, thin and had a mop head just like her dream, yet now red eyes that glows in the night and not teeth that could tear her throat out in a second, just this gentle face staring at her looking for what looked like help.

" You, I know you, you were in my dreams, but that's impossible, I've never seen you before, who are you?" She grabbed her gun from its holder and slightly held it towards him.

" you know what I am, I can tell, however you not going to kill me, cause your different, I'm hiccup, hiccup haddock and your Astrid, I know your different I know you are nicer than the rest, all I ask is you help me please I need your help, you are my only hope, I need to make it to my dad, if I don't a hole load of people are going to die and I can't let that happen so please Astrid please, will you help me?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid slowly lowered her gun and stared at this man who looked no younger than 24, could she do this could she go against everything she was taught, yet she saw today what happens to vampires who are young or whatever, she could help him though, stop people from dying, she believed him, she doesn't know why but she does, could she do this could she?

"yes"