Birmingham, England 1.20am

There was blood in the air. She could taste it. She looked to the night sky and sighed. It had been too long.

Jumping from the three story building, she landed in the shadows of the small alley. She hated this part of town, yet she always found herself returning. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the scent of the blood. It somehow freed her mind of all worries and she hated it. Hated how death brought her happiness, how it made her feel whole and right with the world and herself.

She shook her head. Old qualms. Same answer. She set out on the trail. She was close and some fifteen minutes later she found herself at an abandoned warehouse. It looked to be an old paint factory. All windows and doors were boarded up. It was surrounded by a five foot mesh fence.

With no intention of hiding her approach she made her way to the gate. An old sign read, Beware of the Dog. Ignoring it she pushed the gate open and made her way into the yard. The small light at the front of the entrance cast an eerie glow over the surrounds.

Casting a watchful eye on the shadows around her she made her way around the entire exterior of the building in hopes of finding an opening. There was no obvious sign of forced entry but a small window to a lower floor appeared to be open and large enough to fit through. Convenient.

Once inside she found herself in what appeared to be a file room. Rows of metal cabinets were set against the left side of the wall. There was a desk in the right hand corner nearer to her covered in papers. The damp and dusty air irritated her nose. Moving swiftly across the room she headed towards the battered and splintered wooden door on the other side. Signs of life. Much better. The door already hanging off its hinges, she went through into a long dark corridor.

She could see the wet patch from here. There was no need to test what it was but she did anyway. Crouching down she dipped two of her lift fingers into the thick puddle and brought it to her lips. She rolled the dark liquid around her mouth with her tongue, savouring the copper-honey. A predatory smile crossed her lips. She would no longer stall this little trip.

Without a sound she rushed down the hall with inhuman speed and up the flight of stairs. Flying up three flights she came to a glass doorway and peered through.

Still in the shadows, she saw two men standing over a cowering child. The little girl could not have been older than eight. Tears streamed down her eyes as she clutched her stomach. A large thick shadow lay beneath largest of the two men chuckled wildly and threw taunts at the girl, whilst the the other simply stood staring at her. He held a knife in his right hand and seemed at a loss as to what to do next.

Any other time, she would have dragged the night out longer, but she could see the girl was in pain; it would be cruel to let her suffer longer. Your rationalisation never ceases to amaze me. Deciding to take the men out first, she quickly rushed at them. Disarming the smaller one, she threw him against the far wall. His head cracked against it and he landed with a large thump on the floor dead.

Turning to the other, she grabbed his arms and bit into his neck before he had any chance to react. The flow of blood filled her mouth and she lost herself to oblivion. Flashes of memories danced across her vision, but she blocked them off. She did not want to see his previous victims, she had enough of her own to deal with. Dropping him to the floor, her eyes clouded over in the after-euphoria. The world grew blurry. She could not let this happen! Too long it had been since her last feed, she must not let herself be taken my the Lust. Swallowing hard she tried focusing on the wall. A few moments later the world seemed to become clear again.

Looking down, she saw the child slumped in a ball on the floor. a closer look at her she saw the she hadlong red hair and a plump roundface. She was wearing a mid-length blue denim dress that came to her knees and some black dolly shoes. Her heart deflated. Had she not been preocuppied she might have saved her.

She picked the girl up and held her in her arms for a few moments. Having learnt the whearabouts of the girls home from the memories of the man, she would take this girl back to her what propelled her to do such a kind act,she walked out of the warehouse and back into the night.