"Natasha darling, do come down and have a drink." The older woman said in thick Russian words. Pouring the finest vodka the young girl sat down. She was wearing a thick leather aviator jacket with a heavy pelt of fur surrounding the collar of it. She had the typical black fur Russian hat known in her country as a ushanka. Her long dark chestnut brown locks hugged her face and shoulders with its voluptuous wave, accentuating her fair skin. She had thick plump rosy lips and an evil smile that could kill a man if she dared to flaunt it. Her eyes were icy blue that could draw just about anyone into a trance. She was gorgeous than most girls even in her own country and her country was known for creating the most exotic women. She was beyond the typical meaning of exotic. Her slim yet curvaceous body was perfect in all the right places. She had a thin waist with large and full breasts perfectly placed on her delicate chest. Her buttocks were of that of a goddess. She was blessed by the universe with incredible looks and brain that could run circles around most.
Her looks got her out of a lot of trouble, but it also seemed to draw in a lot as well. Men were gawking at the sight of her as she walked down street from a bar with a cigarette in her mouth and her heels clicking with every step. She found she got her way most often with men more so than women. Women seemed to be almost immediately jealous, and rarely could look underneath the cold layer of her personality to see that she was actually woman with a good sense of humor and loyalty that made a dog seem inferior. She could have easily been a model with just her gracious looks, but she chose a different path in life.
She chose to be in the Soviet army always carrying a weapon with her at all times. The higher ranking officers knew she could be the perfect woman to infiltrate any given situation involving any amount of testosterone. She looked weak compared to the men she worked with, but she had the more kills underneath her belt than anyone within her rank. Quick witted with words and undoubtedly smarter than most, she knew how to survive, kill anyone standing in her path and get away with it scot free. It was unusual for a woman to be feared in the way that she was, but she had a reputation that made most men look like cowards. Anyone who had heard of her knew never to cross her. When she is on a mission, whether it was to get a drink or kill a meaningless person, she always succeeded not matter the circumstance.
The young girl smiled and took a sip of the harsh vodka, not giving away any hint of its strength. "Brushna what have you been up to these days?" She asked in an equally thick accent.
"Ah, well if you must ask I am doing nothing." She laughed a harsh laugh. Brushna was a thicker older woman with whisps of grey hair refusing to stay within the taunt bun behind her head. Natasha and Brushna had known one another for years. Natasha had come to the bar enough and downed plenty of her vodka for Brushna and her to develop a friendship. Brushna was the only woman whom Natasha had ever been remotely close to. Though they were not hugging and giggling like school girls, they both shared a similar cold and hardened personality that most people didn't see past.
"How is it you run this bar and you have nothing good happening?" More vodka slipped past her lips. "You don't have any stories to tell?" That addictive smile was slowly revealing itself.
"Well I had an ass of a man come in here and ask where you were." Raising a cocked eyebrow Natasha was eagerly more interested in the conversation. "Do tell." She said slyly.
"Well he had said you had done him wrong and he wanted to find you so he could finish you off." The intensity of the conversation immediately lightened with they both bellowed in laughter. Both of them knew that she had been on a number of hit lists that any one person could be after her.
"Well I have wronged quite a few men in my lifetime. It's hard to keep up with them all."
"Well he seemed to be missing his thumbs on both hands."
Natasha grinned ear to ear as she gulped another harsh drink. "That is one of my favorites. Take away a man's thumbs and he is permanently at the mercy of another asking for help like a little bitch. Makes them feel less of a man." She smiled. "And it makes him a lousy lover." She added with laughter.
Brushna shook her head. The young girl was evil, but smart. She knew how to make a person's life a living hell without her even there to cause it every second of the day.
"You need to be careful dear. You may cross paths with the wrong man." She said with a warning smile.
"And when that day comes I will be finally off everyone's hit list." Laughing she shook her head. "And someone will be handsomely rewarded. But until then, I will cut off as many thumbs and other body parts as I see necessary." Both of them knew that her favorite method of killing was with a knife, but to torture someone in the process was a cherry on top, especially if they had wronged her in any way.
There was a deadly pause with only the sound of drunken men in the background.
"Well I must go Brushna. I will see you again my friend." She put down several bills in front of the woman before leaving out the bar.
With a cigarette in her hand she sucked on the nicotine like it was candy. It was a frigid night. Perfect night for commotion to happen with everyone focused on the cold. Ignoring the pain of the temperature, she kept a lookout as she walked in the alleyway to her nearby apartment. It was quiet besides the howling winds practically sweeping her off her feet. Dim lights barely lit the sky, even the street lamps showering every corner did little to light her path. Comforting herself, she patted the large hunting knife buried deep within her pocket.
"Oye!" A harsh whisper of a man came from a dark corner of the alley. Natasha didn't startle but merely walked in the direction of the voice. In view was a filthy dumpster with wooden crates casted aside littering the alley. Peering from the corner of the dumpster stood a grungy older man, with a thick grey beard and haggardly old skin hanging off his extremely small frame.
"What?" Natasha asked harshly.
"I know you." He said as he brought a shiny silver metal flask to his lips, sipping the warmth of the contents inside.
"Most people do." She replied curtly.
"I've heard a lot about you." He said drunkenly.
"I am quite the talk around here. You be best to listen to the stories." She said beginning to walk away, bored of the old man's attempt of conversation.
"I have an offer only a fool can refuse." He said in the distance. Natasha immediately stopped in her tracks, intently listening to what he had to say.
"Stories say that you are the best when it comes to –" He paused for a moment. "assassination." He said carefully annunciating the last word. Grinning she turned around and began to walk to him puffing on the last of her cigarette.
"Go on." She said with smoke passing through her lips as she flicked the cigarette from her fingers into the frozen street.
"There is a Count who has ruined the order of the Russian militia. He is selling our weapons to the enemies and has betrayed us all." Pausing he continued in a more harsh tone. "And he has taken our best women from our villages leaving us men with pigs to sleep with." Natasha couldn't help but smile at the last comment. He seemed more distressed over the women than the betrayal of this Count.
"You do realize that I am with the Soviet Army. We do not condone militias." She said warningly
"Yes I am aware. But I also am aware that at the right price, anything can be condoned." He was grinning, knowing she agreed. They both knew she didn't follow the codes of the army word for word, but what military personnel did? If they were smart, they would use their deadly skills to keep a flow of money on the side.
"You have my attention." She stared at him with her icy blue eyes.
"He is living in Romania. Transylvania to be exact." Her eyebrow lifted in curiosity.
"You wouldn't be talking about Count Dracula would you?" She knew where this was headed.
"So you have heard of him?" The old man said in surprise.
"Of course I have heard of him. He is an old tale of every village in Europe to scare children at night." Annoyed she began to turn away. "Go back to drinking you old fool."
"A smart woman like yourself should at least listen to what an old fool is offering before turning down a deal of a lifetime." She paused again, interested a second time in the conversation.
"I offer you a lifetime of immense wealth from the Russian militia and protection at every corner of this earth." Quickly she drew out her hunting knife and pinned him up against the foul dumpster with the sharp blade pressing hard against his throat.
"What makes you think I need protection?" She said through gritted teeth.
Coughing he responded with hands up surrendering to her. "A woman with a reputation like yours has an enemy on every street. The simple thought that one may have enough balls to slaughter you like a pig should be tempting enough." She pressed harder on his throat.
"If you kill the man, you will never regret it. You will never have a single worry over money for the rest of your days." He promised the skeptical woman.
"And how do you suppose I kill this man?" She said, not letting up on the pressure of his neck.
"We do not know how to kill a man who has lived for over half a century. Why do you think we are asking you? Every man has been drained of life. No one has ever been successful." He coughed a little more through a controlled laugh hoping he hadn't insulted her.
Natasha released him from her grip and stepped back half a step. "Where do I find you when I kill the bastard?" She said with confidence.
The man laughed, knowing she was too cocky for her own good. "We will keep in contact. Us Russians always have a way of talking." He handed over an old Nokia cell phone, one she hadn't seen since the early 2000s. It was far from being new, scratched beyond repair and buttons faded with the heavy usage. She almost took it as a joke, but quickly noticed the seriousness of his face.
He took another sip of his flask. She smiled and began to walk away. "And miss?" He said. She turned her head to look past her shoulder. "It will be such a shame to have an angel like yourself ripped from this world." Laughing to herself she continued to walk away back to her apartment.
(Transition)
"One ticket to Romania." She said to the nicely dressed clerk at the train station desk. He printed out a ticket and slipped it underneath the clear glass window after she paid him. Walking to the platform with her old dark leather duffle bag hanging on her back, she waited for the train. She had the option of taking a plane, but she found she enjoyed the train much more. The scenery was peaceful and reminded her of the village she grew up in. It was also the perfect place to have a quiet space to think about whatever crossed her mind, which seemed to never be an option knowing there were people out there waiting to finish her off.
The train arrived and she settled in her cabin after locking the sliding door and made herself at home with her laptop on her lap and earbuds blasting music. She was a peculiar woman. Most enjoyed more recent pop music about women being whores and men being heartbroken, but she enjoyed orchestras, especially solo pieces involving the violin and cello. Her favorite was new age orchestra music with violins creating hip hop beats and cellos mimicking vintage songs everyone knew from any day and age. It was peaceful to listen to, and if she had her way she would listen to it all day.
Hours passed and she had found she had been researching this fable character the entire time, finding no sufficient evidence of his existence. Occasionally she found American TV shows that attempted to find him, but was more amusing than factual. "Idiots." she muttered to herself after getting bored of a documentary about Vlad the Impaler.
Sleeping and listening to her music, the train took days before it reached the outskirts of Romania. She needed a drink, and a strong one at that. Waking at the sound of the obnoxious horn signaling train's arrival she forced her eyes open and quickly gathered her belongings. Stepping onto the platform she found the town of Brasov to be completely different than her home in Moscow.
Tall white stone buildings with red finished clay roofs showered the country side. It was a city no less, but it was a very simple city. Large churches hugged every corner and cobblestone streets were layered across the city. Pigeons flocked together in masses looking for tourists to feed them. People were scattered throughout the city keeping to themselves or in deep conversations of their harsh language. It was a very interesting place. What Natasha found amusing was that this Dracula was the icon of the entire town. Mainly for tourist attraction, they had memorabilia and museums throughout every street. It was hard to look in any given direction without seeing something relating to the famous demon.
Quickly she was able to find a pub and found herself at the bar asking for the strongest drink they had. The bartender brought over an eerie green liquid in a clear shot glass. He looked at her as if she were crazy. He knew of the substance in front of her, but he wasn't sure if she did. But she was smart, she knew of the poison. Grabbing the glass she held it up to him and smiled, cheering to him before she downed the extreme liquid. The absinthe didn't pass through her lips easily. It had been years since she had it, but she kept a brave and emotionless face as she forced it down her throat.
The man looked at her in surprise of how even keel she was. She was tougher than most men who passed through his doors. "Where can I find Count Dracula's castle?" She asked in his native language. She was gifted in learning language quickly thanks to her father. She still had a memory of a three year old, soaking up every bit of information and knowledge and holding onto it without letting it slip her mind.
The bartender laughed as he dried a glass with an old rag. "And what brings you here in search of him?" He said with question.
"I have friendly business to attend to." She said, not giving away any information.
Shaking his head in amusement he responded quietly in a hushed voice. "And what do I get in return?"
Grinning she replied sensually. "You get to keep the full function of your boys." She said as she eyed down his groin.
His evil grin immediately faded knowing she wasn't joking. "I would suggest you take a cab to the hostel in Transylvania. But I must warn you, you might as well be looking for fairy dust."
"Trust me I feel the same way." She paid for her drink and winked at him as she walked out the door with her duffle bag in tow.
(Transition)
Gathering all her weapons that she could pack she headed into the country side of the famous castle. She felt foolish for trying to find this man, but she had never known herself to pass on a deal that could change her life or improve the statistics of kills. Sitting high in the covering of trees she watched through her night vision binoculars looking for any sign of life. Her sniper rifle sat in her lap, her finger twitching at the trigger. It had been hours in the freezing weather and still no sign of life other than the occasional deer.
Sleepy she rested her head against the cold bark of the tree and closed her eyes for only a moment. With a series of twigs breaking beneath her she was suddenly alert and focused. Careful to not make any sudden movement, she peered through the bare branches and saw a tall creature panting and growling. It was unlike any creature she had ever encountered. It stood up on hind legs like a human, but had the body and face of a rabid wolf. She knew it was beginning to pick up on her scent as its snout lifted high in the air.
Quickly she took aim with her scope and shot a single round into its chest. Perfect shot. Directly into the heart. The creature fell back, but seemed more angered and alive now it had been wounded. Immediately looking up into the branches it saw its prey. Howling, it scooped out the hot steaming bullet from its chest before it began to jump up into the tree.
"Shit!" Natasha muttered. She climbed higher hoping it couldn't reach her. But it was smarter than any wolf she had ever encountered. It zig zagged its way branch by branch until she found herself at the top of the tree swaying on the weak branches. Grabbing her heeled boot it clawed its way up her leg. Trying to shake it off, she kicked it with the force of her free heel hoping it would fall. But as it did, it clung to her foot and they both were being slapped by branches as they fell down through the tree until they landed on dried cold leaves.
Stunned and winded it took her a moment to regain her strength and found the creature was already on top of her trying to kill her. She struggled to keep its froth filled mouth away from her. Managing to grab her fallen sniper rifle, she hit it a second time over the head with the butt of the gun. Staggering to her feet she immediately went over to the creature grabbing its blood soaked head with both hands and quickly snapping its neck. Falling to its knees it lay motionless at her feet. She was panting and found that her back ached from the fall.
"You there!" turning quickly she saw a tall figure of a man standing behind her, his face masked by the shadows. Stepping forward the moonlight casted its rays to reveal a devilishly handsome specimen of a man bearing down on her with looks to kill.