Hey everyone! How are you all? I'm doing okay; I finished Skin Game not too long ago and starting plotting this little thing. Thought I'd show ya'll the first chapter. Hopefully you like it... Not sure how I feel about it honestly. Just a warning though, if you haven't read CHANGES, a chapter or two down the line includes HEAVY SPOILERS. Thought I'd mention that. Also, just bolding them and I'll put it in the description as well. Also, the name of the story is still being decided. I'd like to hear your thoughts, I'm sorta... unsure about it. So just be out on alert for that.
Los Angeles, a sprawling metropolis of technology and ingenuity. Three million odd people live and work in the concrete jungle, slaving away to earn a decent living. Summers are brutal, the sun bright and clear on most days. Not helped by the gargantuan buildings with windows having a direct shot to the deadly sunlight.
If you wanted to get lost, it'd be the perfect place to hide. Any job you wanted to pretend to have, it's where you'd go. Entertainment, music, video games, you name it, they had it. Thousands come to try and find a name for themselves, some aren't lucky enough to survive the first month.
Today the sun was nice and warm, a cool breeze passed by every now and then. People littered the streets in shorts and sandals and went about their business. Traffic was as hectic as usual, the mob of people shuffling from one street to another.
One person, however, stood out from the rest. He stared at the palm of his hand, a frown on his face. He chewed the inside of his lip and looked up at the crowd of people on the sidewalk. The tracking spell had faded, leaving the lone wizard in quite the predicament. Now, in a city of three million plus, a wounded vampire needed to hunt. And being a Red Court vampire, things could get out of hand quickly.
Not only that, but he was being tailed by a few cops. Apparently walking around in a trench coat and carrying a wooden staff isn't what you'd call 'normal', even for L.A. He turned around, the cops failing at being discreet as he rolled his eyes.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the nice polluted air, and forced his mind to focus. He balled up his will and waited a few more steps till they passed by a parked car. He murmured under his breath, "Fotízo", and the runes on his staff flashed before he threw his will at the car.
The car alarm screeched and the cops jumped and turned to see the commotion. Smoke billowed from it and the smell of melted metal hit the air. The cops stared in shock as the man slipped down a side street and disappeared into the crowd. The man took a shaky breath and wiped his brow. He didn't want to ruin someone's ride, but hopefully their insurance would cover it.
Magic was a fickle thing, wasn't too kind on modern technology. Any wizard could effortlessly break it and some of the heavy hitters couldn't be around anything made past the 1940's. Televisions, cell phones, modern medical equipment, cars. That's why the wizard on the run didn't have a cell phone. He couldn't, they break all too easily for his tastes.
He couldn't afford to worry about it. A vampire on the loose was slightly more important than breaking a car. He sighed and looked down at the compass, the needle spinning uselessly. "Well crap," he muttered and looked at the blobs of people.
"Come on Mom…"
"Just a minute Luke, there's still one more place I have to go."
He sighed and rolled his eyes. He put his hands in his pockets and followed his Mom down an aisle.
School was starting next week and they were shopping for new supplies to start his middle school year off right. They had already bought him a new black backpack, a pack of pens and pencils, some notebooks, and a new binder with a Star Wars logo.
The mother pointed out a few things and the boy nodded, the two agreeing on the items. Finally satisfied with the supplies, they headed to the check-out line. They waited in line, which was moving slowly as the register stopped working for a few moments.
The doors buzzed and haphazardly opened, a man watching them carefully as he stepped inside. Everyone turned to gawk at him, blood rising to his cheeks under their gaze. He looked down at his hand and quickly disappeared down an aisle.
Luke watched him curiously, watching him vanish down an aisle. "I'll be right back…" He said, hearing the clunk of the staff dwindle.
"No." His mom said but it was too late, Luke had already left her side. "Luke!" she yelled at the boy as he chased after the strange man.
Luke wandered down the aisles, trying to act normal. The lights flickered and dimmed in the direction the man came from. He followed the failing electricity and found the man staring at his hand. He hid in the front of the aisle, his head peeking over the side.
The man sighed. "Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?" The staff glowed and suddenly the boy was on the ground, in front of the man. Luke staggered back. "If you have something to say, say it to my face."
"H-how- I mean…"
The man raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"H-how'd you do that?"
"Years of practice. Now, run along before your mother gets worried." He offered a hand to help. Luke grabbed it and yelped as electricity danced up his arm. The man's eyes grew and looked at the boy curiously. "What's your name?"
"L-Luke…"
"Luke… tell me, has anything strange happened recently? Well, besides me."
"N-No…"
The man slightly relaxed and looked around. The few people around were ignoring the two, only the man getting side glances. The man bent down to one knee. "My name is Leon and if it's alright, could I ask you a random question?" Luke nodded. "Do you believe in magic?"
Luke gulped and went to say something when he heard footsteps. The man looked up and paled slightly before getting off his knee, dropping something from his pocket. "Excuse me, who do you think you are!?" Luke's Mom yelled, grabbing Luke's hand and pulling him away.
"Sorry ma'am, he slipped and I wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt."
"Oh." His mom pointed a finger at the man. "If I ever see you come near my son again, I'll have you arrested. You hear me?"
"Loud and clear." The man dipped his head and walked away, the clank of his staff hitting the linoleum. His mom watched the man walk away; Luke bent down, picked up the card and slipped it into his pocket as his mother sighed.
"Now you mister, have some explaining to do." She bent down and hugged him before glaring at him. "Did he hurt you? Touch you?" She rattled off a few more things, Luke tuning it out.
"Mom, I'm fine! I-I just slipped..." he lied, knowing his Mom wouldn't believe him.
She stared at him some more, studying his face. Finally she nodded. "Let's get you home." She said and took his hand tightly before she led him back to check-out aisle.
A man with red eyes licked his lips, watching the mother and son check out and leave. The wizard had tailed him well, almost catching him. But he had managed to hide in the store, hovering near the back. He had overheard the conversation between the Warden and boy, the look on the Warden's face saying it all. Another practitioner, how… lovely. If he could get to the boy before the wizard, he could turn him into a valuable asset. Or at least make sure that the wizards couldn't use him.
The vampire grunted and could feel his Hunger starting to take over. He'd follow them home, map it out, and get them later. But for now, he needed to feed. He bared his fangs and ever so slowly slipped out of the store, tailing the pair home.
A few days passed by, the encounter with the strange man on Luke's mind. He still couldn't get over how Leon had managed to move him. It could've been a really strong gust… inside the supermarket? Pfft… But didn't the staff thing glow… or was he just going crazy? One thought kept coming back, worming its way back from the depth of his mind, however… Magic? The way Leon had asked if he believed in it, he wasn't sure. It couldn't have been… could it? The overhead light dimmed and he scowled at it.
Whenever he'd get upset, everything around him starting acted strange. But it would affect electronics; one time, when he was really upset, his computer started to spark before it shot out heavy smoke.
He took a deep breath and looked at the card again, "Leon Nasby, Warden." Then it had a telephone number, no email or house address. But what was a 'Warden'?, he wondered and twirled the card around for a moment. He was tempted to call the number but knew his Mom would kill him if she found out.
He put the card away and decided to go over to a friend's house to try and clear his head. His mind made up, he got up and packed a few things in his backpack, asking his mom before texting his friend. Awhile later, he was off chuckling to himself. Magic, yeah sure, and I'm the King of Egypt. He made his way to his friend's house, the wizard pushed to the back of his mind.
Crap, crap, crap… The wizard had been searching for three days and still nothing. It was too big of a city to do it alone. Maybe I should call Mush… he'd be able to get in touch with the Paranet here and help me look around. He tapped his chin as the hair on the back of his neck shot up.
He froze and looked around; nothing out of the ordinary, or so he thought. He turned around, a group of people heading towards him, not even trying to hide their intentions. He paused, the other people on the street giving them a wide berth.
"Well… shit," he muttered and took off at a brisk walk, trying to remember a place that was deserted close by. He didn't want to risk any innocents getting in the way.
The group followed him as he led the way to a deserted park and turned around, hitting his staff against the ground. "Excuse you!"
The group paused and tilted their head, looking passively at him. Leon hesitated before he stretched his wizard sense out and instantly pulled it back in. There was a dark user nearby, he could feel it as a chill swept through him. He could taste the perverted magic and the group edged closer, brandishing their weapons of choice.
Thralls, of course it'd be thralls… And there were six of them. He licked his lips, six on one weren't very good odds, especially with their ringleader nearby. He gripped the staff and did what one would call a wise decision, a tactical retreat. Some may call it running, but he prefered to think of it as a way to reassess the situation without doing something foolhardy.
The thralls chased after him, the stomping of feet right behind him. He shot out into the street, sliding over the hood of a very angry taxi driver. The thralls followed suit, one of them pulling out a handgun. People screamed as he aimed and fired, the bullet going wild.
Cars crashed into each other and people fled, a siren adding to the mounting chaos. It's never easy… He grunted and pulled out a small pistol of his own, firing three rapid shots at the thrall with the gun. Each bullet connected and it went down, another taking it's place.
The new thrall pulled out a tire iron and chucked it at Leon. He went flat to the ground, the iron whizzing by his head. He gathered his will into the pit of his stomach and thrust out his hand.
"Aéras!" A strong gust of wind hit the pack; anything not nailed down was suddenly forced into the air. Car alarms blared as the cars themselves rocked on their wheels. Light poles bent under the force and several people flew back as if they were extras on a movie set. The thralls, however, recovered quickly and landed gracefully on the ground, the other people, not so much. Quite a few started to groan as they lay on the street, kids crying.
Leon laid there for a moment, out of breath. Using that much magic without a focus had drained him and the world floated into a blurry mess before he forced himself to his feet and staggered away, the thralls chasing him.
The world spun and he could barely move, exhaustion and fatigue setting in. He'd been forced to use magic constantly for all three days he'd been there, with little food or sleep. He knew it was dangerous, but he needed to stop the vampire before things got out of hand. He only managed to take a few steps and with a grunt, fell, catching himself with his hands as someone flew overhead.
He let out a manly warcry and gripped his staff before he used it as a bat and swung at the person behind him, a rather sickening crack answering. Something fell like a bucket of rocks to the ground, Leon falling right next to it. He lay there for only a moment, summoning the remains of his willpower to get up.
He panted and looked around, there were still four thralls, but thankfully he'd taken out the one with the gun. They surrounded him, leaving him nowhere to run. He took a step back and fell into the side of a building. He looked up, the building itself abandoned and worn down.
It was a three story building, the remains of a sign over the front. Windows on the second and third story were broken, some covered with cardboard. The front door was a ways away, bordered it up as well.
They tensed and got ready to attack. The staff lay in front of him as his mind sluggishly ran at snail's pace. He closed his eyes and built up the remaining energy he had, coalescing it into a ball that he forced into his left hand. He paused for a moment, letting the magic build in his palm. The thralls hesitated, the air growing thick as Leon strained to keep his arm still. After a pause, the thralls attacked.
Leon smacked the building and yelled with everything he had, "SYNTRIVI!"
Thunder boomed through the area as the magic hit the building with enough force to cause the thralls to stop and stare in horror. A good chunk of the building was gone, a large crack trailing up to the roof. The thralls took a step back as the building leaned towards them, the structure creaking under its own weight. Leon used what little energy he had left to fall and crawl away, the thralls unable to do the same.
Suddenly the building collapsed, smashing into the concrete below and taking out the thralls. Dust shot out of the rubble as everyone screamed. More sirens blared as the ground shook with the aftershocks. People rushed to the scene, staring on in shock. People with phones were taking pictures or recording; police, fire trucks, and ambulances rushing to take control.
One battered, bloody, and bruised man forced himself to his feet, looking at the destruction he caused. "I'm sure gonna get hell for this…" he muttered as the world faded away and blacked out.
Luke was on his way home, furiously typing on his phone as a cop car sped right past him, sirens blaring. He turned and watched, the car disappearing towards the large plume of smoke coming from downtown.
He was being called home, his mom worried something happened. He sighed and put the phone away, his friend going off to the movies. They didn't have anything to say that helped him with some choices, so he grudgingly still had that stupid card. He pulled it out of his pocket, glared at it before crumpling it up and throwing it in the gutter.
It's all in my mind. He rolled his eyes and muttered to himself as he turned onto his street. Both cars were in the driveway, Dad finally home from work. He went to open the door as a chill crept up his spine. He stopped and turned, glancing around. He'd swear someone was watching him, but no one was out in their yard.
He shrugged and opened the door, the living room dark. "Hello?" he called out, shutting the door and plunging the room into near darkness. "Mom? Dad?"
He heard someone yelp and ruffled grunts coming from the kitchen and rushed inside. The kitchen was turned into a war zone, plates smashed, tables and chairs broken. In the room stood at least four people he didn't know, his Mom and Dad held against their will. Both looked a bit battered, a small cut on his Mom's cheek and Dad's temple.
He squeaked in fear as one of them turned and smiled, his ruby eyes shining in the dim light. "Well what do we have here? The practitioner himself…" He licked his lips, revealing pearly white teeth.
Luke stumbled back and tripped over a horribly placed rug and sat there, his eyes wide.
"Run!" his dad yelled as the man with the red eyes turned.
He walked over and grabbed the dad by the hair, pushing his face towards Luke's Mom and leaned close. "I suggest food like you be quiet." The man whispered into the father's ear before pushing more, showing his neck. The man licked his lips again and pressed his nose gently against the skin, his eyes shut. "So tasty…"
He opened his eyes and something flashed through them before he plunged his fangs into the dad's neck. His dad fought and screamed, blood leaking profusely. The thrall held him in place, the vampire feasting for a few minutes. The father's fight slowly faded, the color draining from his face.
Luke's Mom screamed in terror, tears falling from her eyes. Luke watched, his mouth open. The vampire pulled his mouth away from the father as the thralls let him go. He dropped to the ground and laid there for a moment, his body thrashing.
"What did you do to him!?" His mom cried.
The vampire grinned, blood dripping from his fangs. "You'll learn soon enough." The vampire bent down and stared into her eyes. "Such beautiful eyes; I bet you were dashing in your younger days." He laughed and gently grasped her chin.
His mom looked at him. "Luke! R-remember how much we loved-" She was interrupted as the vampire bit into her neck. She tried to fight him off as well, but the thralls were too strong.
Luke backed up, knocking into the small table by the kitchen door. The vampire watched him go, feeding on his mother. He grinned as he let her go, the thralls dropping her. He licked his lips and sighed. "I do love feeding on them like this… Their blood…" He smiled. "Well, you'll learn soon enough." The thralls were all behind him, staring.
Tears fell from his eyes, his body frozen in fear. "What's wrong? No magic to protect you?"
"M-magic?!" he squeaked.
The vampire laughed. "You mortals are so amusing! You'd do anything to ignore the obvious. Gotta keep the 'status quo' as they say." He tapped the cheek of a thrall and looked out the window, the smoke finally dissipating. "Well looks like the job is done." He shrugged and went to say something else when there was movement behind him. He turned. "Oh, you ready already? My, my, so impressive."
His Mom and Dad stood up, their body twitching. He smiled, but that quickly faded. Something wasn't right about them, he was sure of it. "M-Mom? D-Dad?" He called out.
They turned towards the voice, their eyes black and red. They blinked as the vampire moved out of the way. They closed their eyes and took a deep breath through their nose, their skin pale.
"Run…" His mom whispered as she shuddered.
Luke scrambled to his feet and rushed upstairs, everyone watching. The vampire laughed as he slammed the door shut and locked it. He wiped his tears and fought to get to his phone. With a sizzle and a pop, his phone stopped working, smoke coming from it. "Damnit!" He threw it against the wall and held his head in his hands.
W-what do I do?! What happened to them- Something smashed into his door and he yelped. He crawled away, the door nearly buckling under. "G-go away!"
Something snarled and scratched against the door before the handle rattled. He quickly backed against the opposite wall and frantically looked around his room, trying to find a weapon. The door finally caved and crashed down, his parents standing there.
"M-mom! What's wrong!?" he pleaded with her.
She smiled, her teeth pure white. His dad lunged at him and he screamed, putting his arms in front of him, a hand held out to stop him. "Get away!" he screamed.
Pain seared in the back of his mind as pressure built in his stomach, unknown energy pooling inside. His body began to shake as his mind flashed with multiple memories, each a happy time with his parents. His eyes went cross and the hair began to stand up on his arms as the air thickened. His palm felt like it was on fire, his skin seemingly burning.
Just as suddenly it appeared, the pressure went away and fire flew from his hand with a sudden flash of light. He stumbled back to the wall and sagged to the floor, nearly passing out from exhaustion. It took everything he had not to close his eyes, but what he saw and heard kept him awake.
His Mom had taken the brunt of the fire, half her skin melted clean off. What remained of her clothes were tatters, that quickly fell to the fire's hungry wrath. Her skin blistered as her eyes widened, shock and pain as she looked at him and crumpled to the ground. She twitched and tried to rise, blood pooling from her wounds.
His Dad had gotten easy compared to her, the fire hadn't hit him as hard. But it had taken him across the chest and ate away a decent portion of his skin, revealing his heart. He clutched at his chest and fell to the ground, his skin bubbling.
Fire alarms went off, the room covered in flames. The fire was alive and nibbled at the wood, quickly using it as fuel to spread even further. In a matter of minutes, it had spread to the other room upstairs and was already hard at work taking out the roof and floor.
Luke struggled to his feet, hand over his mouth as smoke filled the room and made it even harder to breathe. He coughed, somehow getting his feet underneath him and made it towards the window. Something grabbed his ankle and stared down in horror, his Mom's burnt hand clenching tightly.
He screamed and once again, fire answered his call and destroyed his mom's hand. She screamed in pain as there was a loud cracking noise before the second story caved into the first.