Anything related to "The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod" belongs to Heather Brewer, I only own the writing below and Mitzi Jä takes place somewhere in the last book, kinda just went with it for this. So spoilers may be included here, as well as foul language.
For those interested, I was listening to "The Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson and "Bye/Die" by Pain; both songs of which inspired my character here (who was inspired by both these songs and my brother serving in the army right now, doing a course for it in Germany)
Enjoy~
(Oh, and I may end up continuing this into a two-parter or maybe a short story, it depends)
"Like a fresh carp on a bedding of sea salt, ze blood vas impossible to not be zeen," she quoted as she scribbled in a tiny, leather bound notebook. Then, sharply, she snapped it shut and returned it to its nest in her breast pocket.
In the bitter Russian breezes her hair whipped around her pointed face. She smirked. Before her the vampire writhed in agony. Punctures fouled his body like festering, puss-filled boils. In the air the strong smell of metal lingered and she could feel the electric pulsations of his very undead heart, struggling on. Oh, but it wouldn't last long – not with a silver tipped stake tearing through the tight cardiac muscle. Vessels popped and jerked around that pink flesh, pushing scarlet fluids on the survival command. Shame, though, that the river of haemoglobin would be wasted upon the snowy floor.
In one, last, vain attempt at living, the vampire reached for her and snarled. He spoke to her in his foreign tongue, a string of forbidden curses escaping chapped lips with the sting of canines. But, soon his hand went limp and the undead creature was no more. She grinned with a row of razor teeth and spun on the spot, furs flying about her and giving any – dead – on-seers a glimpse of "Ze Zilver Duo".
- Precisely two weeks and four days later -
Henry waltzed next to Vlad, wrapped up from head-to-toe in various woollies against the chill. His cheeks were flushed and shoulders shuddered with each whisper of another gust. Lengthy strips of swear words left the teen's mouth a mile a minute. And Vlad couldn't help that tiny smirk on his face, for the wintery weather wasn't bothering him in the slightest today; and it would remain that way. Today was meant to be a "relaxing day" for him and his friends. Even a vampire (in constant perilous danger) and his ever-so-loyal drudge needed a break from time to time.
They had recently held witness to a cheap-yet-deliciously-gory zombie movie; "Those Gormless Toe Snatchers; Rise of the One-Eyed-Freak". Sure it was no chainsaw induced coma of sheer blood and guts, but with blunt rotten teeth and flesh to boot, it wasn't so bad. The acting may have been horrible, but excellent make-up and half-decent script made up for that. But, then again, these lads were both only teenagers and thus wouldn't really care for such trivial matters.
"That part where you saw his spleen rupture, absolutely awesome!" Henry managed to blurt between a set of chattering teeth.
Vlad's smile stretched a little. "Seriously? I thought that part where you saw that one zombie digging his fingers into that guy's stomach was better!" he protested with glee, reminiscent over the morbid cinematic image.
After a moment's silence of mere marching down the row of houses, Henry spoke up once again. "So, what now?" he questioned. Now that was a good question, so many things were going on at the moment and Vlad was beginning to grow more and more confused. It honestly sucked to be the Pravus; and yes, that is in spite of its perks.
Just as Vlad opened his mouth to speak, he was suddenly knocked off his feet and plummeted into the snow. With a grunt, he landed hard on his spine. His first accusations went to Henry and his "trip-happy" foot. With a shake of his head, Vlad moved his hair from his eyes and glared at his friend, who was not looking at him, nor was he curled up with laughter. Curious, Vlad glanced to the side and gasped. "Oh, man, sorry-"
He was cut off short by Henry. "Are you alright, Miss?" he asked stridently, holding his hand out to the girl who was on the ground beside Vlad. Her green, fingerless gloved hand was pressed against her forehead and she shook her head, seeming dazed. Then, upon noticing Henry's hand, she took it and he helped her up. "There you go now – whoa"
At first Vlad's stomach churned, assuming that Henry was going to blurt on about how "hot this chick" was. However, much to the young half-vampire's disappointment, this was not the case. The girl towered over Henry easily and it definitely wasn't everyday that a girl was taller than a McMillan.
Her hair was mousy-brown and reached her shoulders in soft waves. Blue eyes caked in makeup stared onward vacantly. She was dressed in a bottle-green coat with the sleeves cut off, revealing the arms of an off-white jumper beneath. On her legs was a pair of denim shorts and purple tights, deep-red boots sheltering her feet from the cold and wet. To her chest she cradled several folders.
Clearing his throat, Henry tried to address the girl again. "Um, sorry about that," he said into his fist, lowering it and then looking up at her, "You OK?"
"Sorry about that," Vlad spoke up, rubbing his shoulder, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going"
The girl glanced at him and nodded slightly, her eyes narrowed a little. Was she that annoyed with him? Vlad wondered, nearly dazing out of the conversation.
"Hey, are you new around here or something?" Henry questioned, hands on his hips as he leant forward. This made the girl take a step back, lips twisted and a pale brow arched as Vlad's drudge looked over her inquisitively. Now that he thought about it, Vlad was sure that she wasn't from the area. Her hair and eyes weren't something common there – unless, of course, she dyed her locks. Not to mention they hadn't seen a girl so tall before and her face made her seem foreign; particularly her long, bony nose.
"Viziting," she hissed, as though trying to hide her accent, "a friend"
Henry nodded in understandment and rocked back on his heels. "Oh, I see. I thought you weren't from around here, so where are you from? Got a name? Hey, maybe I could give you my number or something"
Vlad instantly elbowed his friend and then grinned at the girl. "Sorry Miss, I'll be taking him home now," he stated with a small laugh. Then, grabbing Henry by the shoulders, Vlad began to push him down the street. Typical Henry couldn't keep his mouth shut around any girl.
Later that night, after Vlad left the McMillan residence to make his way home, he took a detour and made the trip even longer. He needed time to think. Even with this nice day off, things constantly remained on Vlad's mind and a walk alone should help clear them; for maybe less than five minutes, anyway. Maybe he should find a way to distract himself for a moment? Maybe think about someone... Meredith. No, not her. Snow.
At the thought of her, a delicate smile crossed Vlad's face and he gave a light chuckle. Even when she wasn't around she always managed to make him smile, she was just amazing like that, wasn't she?
"What ze fuck are you trying to even say?" a heavily accented voice came through the trees as Vlad wondered through the park. He stopped and angled his body, looking between the trunks. There stood a boy trembling. No, not just any boy, Bill. Big, tough, bully Bill. What was he doing out in the park this time of night? Vlad pondered. And just who was he talking to?
"Y-Y-Y-Y-You wouldn't want to be d-d-doing that!" Bill yelped in alarm. Despite the urgency of his voice, Vlad couldn't help but snort at how high-pitched it had become.
"Babiez like you I don't even underztand." The voice drawled on, almost tired. Then, it happened. Bill shrieked and dived to the ground, meaty hands covering his enormous head. The boom made the very trees shudder and the whistle of bullets made Vlad jump. Then, she appeared. Mousy hair, green jacket, pointed face. The foreign girl from earlier, bearing a hefty gun in her left hand.
"Now," she spat with malice, pointing the gun at Bill's cranium, "you're going to get me fucking paid, boy, c'mon"
He screamed. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!"
In a flash she was crouched beside him, gripping a handful of hair and ramming the barrel of her weapon to his temple. She licked her pearly whites. "I getz me zome money for killing you fuckerz," she grunted and gave a hoarse laugh. Vlad cursed. He had to move now. As much as he hated Bill, he couldn't let him get hurt! Or, killed anyway.
Just as he went to dart into the small clearing, he noticed that the girl had produced a slender hunk of wood. His heart skipped a beat. A stake. She was a slayer. "And I'm her prey" Vlad rasped, taking a step back. But, when the silver tip flashed in the moonlight, he raced forward, appearing as nothing but a blur when he knocked the girl away and grabbed Bill, shoving him back. The huge boy didn't hesitate and ran with his tail tucked between his legs.
The girl landed in a tangled mess of limbs and weapons. "Scheiße" she growled as she sat up, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Then, her eyes focused on Vlad and she scowled. In a second she leapt up onto her feet and tucked her stake into its holster on her leather belt. "You are ze creature I am here for," she murmured, irritated by her mistake. Then, just as Vlad went to speak, her mouth cracked into a grin and she threw her head back, laughing. "Oh man!" she exclaimed, "Zat little fucker before thought I vas gonna keel him! Too funny"
Vlad threw his arm out. "That is not funny! How can you find someone's fear funny?" he demanded, eyes flashing. This was not good. She was a slayer, yes, that was certain, but somehow she seemed different from the others. They were all serious and would have got him long ago. But she was purposefully taking her time and also got the wrong target in the first place.
"I refuse to explain to zomething like you," she said simply with a shrug of her shoulders. Then, reaching into her coat she produced another gun and began to fire aimlessly.
Skilfully – and equally as fast- Vlad ducked and weaved between each bullet. As he moved with vampiric speed, he spotted metal pebbles slice through the air and then explode into the trees. Frowning, he whipped around to her. Before he could barely blink her two guns were loaded once again and she returned to fire. Vlad spun on his heel and dived behind a tree, but not before the raw edge of a shell swept across the back of his knee and made him buckle. Crying out in pain, Vladimir landed in a heap and hugged his leg to him.
In a second she was standing above him, lips quirked. "And ze dark boy, as black as coal, landed in the land of ze ashez and ruby-drops," the girl quoted, scribbling something down in her notebook. Closing her eyes, she snapped the book shut and tucked it into her sleeveless jacket pocket. Then, azure gazes opened. "Where he vill meet hiz final end"
Suddenly, the slayer produced her stake and flipped it in her hand, aiming its perfected tip to Vlad's chest. With a startled sound, Vlad moved up. His wound finished healing just as his grip found the girl's wrist, holding the stake at bay.
For a moment, the mousey girl was alarmed, but her grin returned in a flash. It was then that Vlad felt something prod at his stomach and just when bells rang and he went to evade the assault, there was an explosion and pain erupted within him. A vulgar curse tore through Vlad's throat as he fell to his side, arms wrapped about his abdomen.
"F..Fu-"he was cut off when her booted foot hit him hard, causing him to skid across the snow and into the bark of a tree. He grunted on impact, praying silently that his wound would heal fast. From what he could recall he'd taken knives and stakes, but never had he been shot. Vlad never realised just how much a ball of fire could really hurt. With his fingers, he navigated around the torn cloth of his hoodie and found the wound; would he need to pull the bullet out? The very joints of his digits ached. Why did he feel so weak?
"Ze Zilver Duo," the girl announced, bringing a gun to her lips and kissing it, "Zilver bulletz work a treat – forbidden candy I call it, for ze night-creature and hiz stomach"
Well that made more sense. It also gave Vlad the more reason to remove the burning object. Stakes were bad enough with their silver tips, made to weaken a vampire and assist in the kill – but they were easier to remove being massive hunks of wood, not little shells of death. Nails dug into flesh as he pulled the skin apart and made a clearing to reach in with his other hand. He'd grab the bullet and yank it out with one go; just one, no sweat. Honestly, where was Nelly when you needed her?
Shrieking, Vlad twisted and rolled onto his back, the feeling of his fingers brushing against meat, making him feel physically sick. Just as bile and blood flooded his throat and seeped between the cracks of his own teeth, he felt the burn of silver. There! Mouth flying open with torture, his fingers pinched the shell and with intense speed hauled it from inside and throwing it out. Vlad let out a long breath, hissing with pain as he felt the wound stitch itself back together.
"I wouldn't be zighing if I vere you," the girl said lowly. Vlad held back a terrified squeak as the cool barrel pressed against his forehead. "Honestly, I thought there'd be more of a battle from ze Pravuz"
Vlad flinched. This slayer was serious – like insanely serious. A nightmare of a slayer, she'd been toying with him and still was unlike others, who would much rather get the job over and done with. What would this bullet do to him? Silver and to the head! Would he die? Or would he become comatose? Well, no matter what, he could not allow this to happen.
With eyes flashing violet, he snarled and reached for the girl's pale, smooth face. Her lips titled into a smirk. When his fingers landed a faint grip on her jaw, he felt it. The tip of the stake against his chest. His eyes widened. He survived Joss's stake, but there was no telling now his invincibility had been taken if-
"Vhat-"suddenly, she was knocked away from Vlad and crashed into a tree, head smacking against the surface. Rapidly, Vlad was up on his feet, hand over his pounding heart. He snapped his head around and gasped. "Joss?"
The McMillan, panting, looked from the girl and to his friend. Yes, friends they were and still will be, even if Joss would have to end up staking Vlad. With a brief smile and nod, Vlad thanked him and moved over to the girl slayer. "Know her?" he asked.
Joss sighed and shook his head. "No, actually, I have no idea who she is."
The girl groaned and went to push up off the ground, gun held loosely in hand, when Vlad pressed his foot onto her wrist, hard enough to pin it but not severely hurt her. "Answer me," he spat, "who are you?"
She snickered. "Iz zat not obvious?" she quizzed with a laugh, looking up at him with maddened eyes, "I am ze slayer here to kill you, Tod!" She wriggled around a little, trying to ease off the weight on her and escape. Her stake had slipped from her grasp and her other gun unseen. She pressed her free hand to her chest and smiled up at Vlad. "My name iz Mitzi Jäger, from Germany. I am not a part of any of zis," she gestured to Joss, "Society. I am into thiz for ze pleasure"
"Pleasure!" Vlad snapped, pressure strengthening on her wrist slightly, "How can you find pleasure in killing me! Us!"
At this, Mitzi closed her eyes and relaxed against the bark. "I do not know what you mean by "us", you are ze only hybrid vampire in existence"
Vlad's mouth opened to speak, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to find Joss shaking his head. "Don't, Vlad; if you do all you'll be doing is giving her the satisfaction," Joss explained as Mitzi mumbled quietly to herself. Vladimir blinked, calmly visibly. "She's not worth it. Don't worry, I'll get her to the Society and let them deal with her, if she wants to be a slayer they'll need to know to keep track of her"
"... And zen ze isty-bitsy spider drowned in blood again," Mitzi sang loudly. The boys looked at her, just as she produced her other gun from the inside of her jacket and held it up at them both. Vlad lifted his foot and moved to push Joss away. Scarcely, the young slayer evaded the shot and sprang back to his feet after landing in the snow. But, Mitzi was relentless as she continued to fire. The only breaks the boys got as they hid behind trees were the small amount of seconds between not having and having ammunition.
"Aw, vat is ze matter?" Mitzi drawled, holding her guns up in the air and firing to the grey sky, "Don't you vant to play!" Waving her weapons about dangerously, she began to dance and twirl on the spot; though none of it was elegant in the slightest. "I know plenty games!" she announced with another round, "Hide and Zeek, Bulldog, Corners, Rounder's, who stole my pencil? Tigz, Hopscotch, What time iz it, Mizter. Wolf?"
Doing a mock howl, she fired a bullet that grazed the tree right by Vlad's face. "A-Woo!" she cried and then broke into hysterics.
He needed to move now and stop her, not only was he in danger but Joss was too; it wasn't as though she were only armed with a stake. Joss tried to peek round the corner, but the shell whistling by his skull brought him back into hiding. He let out a sigh and glanced at Vlad, a tiny smile playing at his lips. That was then wiped off instantly. "Vlad!" he exclaimed.
The young vampire turned to find Mitzi stood behind him. Her stare was vacant and lips parted slightly as she smiled, making her appear almost drunk. "I hate gamez really," she stated and held up her once discarded stake.
Vlad's eyes narrowed as he concentrated hard, infiltrating her mind. But, just as fast as he was in, he was out again. He yelped and leapt back from her, hand swiping at her as she brought her stake down. There was just no way he could even describe her mind. Too many thoughts at once, memories, fantasies and horrific plans. To him, it looked like a black mess; a bee hive. If that was the state her mind was in it was no wonder she attacked the way she did.
"Vlad, move!" Joss demanded as he stepped forward and threw something at the girl. Barely, Vlad managed to snake away from two orbs of light as they whizzed over towards Mitzi. She blinked, blue eyes shimmering and for a second she looked like a normal, innocent girl.
The orbs hit her in the face, dancing at her eyes with hisses and crackling sounds, sparks snapping glares of light exploded from them. Mitzi gave a horrid shriek and threw her weapons to the ground. Collapsing onto her knees, she covered her eyes with both hands and curled up into a pathetic, quaking ball as she cried.
Letting out a breath, Vlad angled his head towards Joss who shrugged. "Flares, to distract my..." he paused and glanced away from Vlad, "well..."
Vlad nodded in understandment and then turned his gaze back to the young German slayer; independent slayer at that. Did that make her more dangerous? She certainly seemed that way. She very nearly killed himself, Joss and even Bill. In spite of that, Vlad couldn't help but feel the minutest pang of pity as he watched her writhe in agony on the floor. He could just leave her here, see if she'd crawl out by herself or (more than likely) become a local snack. "Come on," Vlad grunted, moving toward her, "we can't just leave her here"
Joss gave a half-nod-half-shrug, on the same wavelength as Vlad. Just as the two reached for her to help her up, she swatted a hand at them."Filthy creature," she screamed, "Do not touch me!"
Irritated, Vlad sighed. "If we leave you out here then-"
Click.
Vlad froze at the sight of the gun. Mitzi parted two of her fingers and glared with a watery, bloodshot eye at him. "One ztep," she growled deeply and aimed the gun at Joss, "and I zhoot ze boy"
Hands up, Vlad took a step back. "Fine, I won't touch you, but at least let us make sure to get you to a hospital. If that's left the way it is you'll go blind"
She snickered at this. "And even zen I vould not stop tearing you limb... from..."
Groaning, she managed to stagger to her feet, gun in one hand and eyes covered with the other. She beamed. "Limb"
Just as Vlad went to speak, she fired her weapon several times causing the boys to duck and cover. When the bullets stopped soaring and the air grew still Mitzi was gone. "You OK, Joss?" Vlad asked as he pushed off the ground to his feet.
Brushing snow off his clothes, Joss grunted an affirmative. "Yeah, you?"
Vlad did not answer as he stared at the scarlet droplets. The remains of the solo slayer from Germany, spelling out the promise of one thing: of carps and salts, coal and ashes; "Where he vill meet hiz final end"
This certainly was not going to be the last time he saw Mitzi Jäger.