Disclaimer: we do not own Van Helsing and Dracula, just the OCs that appear. Them being Kathryn, Petra and Andrei. They are utterly OURS *possessive mode on*

We are sure that any of you will give us a reason to kill you in your sleep, right? *murderous face and evil grin*

Please review!

Kisses*

I.

Falling

Well life has a funny way
of sneaking up on you
when you think everything's okay
and everything's going right
And life has a funny way
of helping you out
when you think everything's gone wrong
and everything blows up in your face

Ironic, Alanis Morissette

It was the middle of January and it was freezing cold. I had the feeling that I would lose my nose at any given time and my ears burnt due to the itching caused by the almost negative temperatures. I know, I should already be used to this kind of atmospheres but my organism seems always eager to repeal them. The only thing that was good about that day was the sun that radiated some heat in that frozen late afternoon. However, Starbucks was muffled and crowded with people pushing against each other. They almost ran in the shop's direction right before it was time to close doors, just like flies are attracted by honey. When I was finally attended, to my deepest dismay, the cashier was a college kid that was trying to look smart and dashing while eyeing me from head to toe. He didn't seem to be any older than 19 years old and he still had wide traces of adolescent acne spread across his face. He wasn't definitely an attractive guy. At least for me.

"Good afternoon dear, what is it going to be?" He asked with a metallic smile and a slightly deep southern accent. Dear? Really? For some moments I just stood there, looking at him dumfounded. I didn't know if it was only my sight playing tricks on me or not, but I can almost swear that he had yellow elastics on his braces.

"Good afternoon, it's a Frappuccino Mocca and an Expresso Macchiato, please" I answered very politely, "To go." He stood there without any reaction. Probably, thinking I was crazy. I knew that asking for an iced coffee in the middle of January wasn't something very common in Washington.

"It's coming right out. Just tell me your name, gorgeous". Gorgeous? But with whom did he think he was talking to? His classmate?

"Kathryn". I answered in the same tone of voice, I didn't have any patience for those social interactions, at least at that moment. He wrote my name in two large cardboard cups and I stepped aside to wait. To be honest, I was more worried about the work I had left back at the Smithsonian. I still had two more letters from Jack, The Reaper to transcribe and analyze, and they were giving me way too much work. The man had a horrible handwriting, too ugly for it to be called calligraphy. My thoughts were haunted by the morbid details that were inscribed in the pieces of paper already worn out by time. It was hard to break free from them after so many hours reading those letters. In my line of work I had dealt with many different individuals, all of them with a completely distorted mind. I had given sessions to pedophiles and rapists, even serial killers crossed my office, but none had such distinctive sophistication in the description of what he had done. My line of thinking was horribly interjected by the particularly high pitched voice of the cashier that had attended me.

"Kathryn!" He called aloud. I was so reluctant to be there that I forgot completely to register the kid's name. Quickly I went to the counter, grabbed the two coffee cups, thanked him and left the cluster of people. The night was promising to be a long one and it would be dangerous to have Petra caffeine deprived in the middle of so many autopsy instruments.

After that it didn't take me much time to cross the busy street and to enter the building, and therefore the section where my friend and post-doctoral colleague was waiting for me. I passed by the usual guard, showed him my identification, as I have always done, and descended in the metallic elevator that lead me to the morgue's level. Poor man, he should be taking advantage of his old age at home and, instead, he is here working on the nightshift, I thought with pity as I waited for the elevator to reach the last floor counting from above. If it wasn't sordid enough to be working on the nineteen century's most famous serial killer, doing it in a mortuary made the experience even more superb. Well, thanks to that, Petra had to do the dishes for a month, so not everything was tiring in those last few days.

I walked down the too white and bright corridor, which end was made out of two metallic and well-polished doors. I wasn't 10 meters away from them and I could already listen to the music that Petra had been playing on her computer. It seemed to be My Boy Builds Coffins by Florence + the Machine, it was a very appropriated song indeed.

As I entered, I quickly came faced with the image of Petra with a look of happiness in her features that always exceeded my comprehension in those working evenings. She was taller than me, but not by much and probably a size 8, I never bothered checking her sizes. To me she looked fine. Her enhanced curves and smaller waist sometimes were the only things men looked at when she crossed the street. One would look at her and guess that she was either from South America or from the warmer countries of Europe. She had a very distinct presentation, but was beautiful nonetheless, in a different way but she was. She had brown hair, divided in the dozens of thin African-like braids I had always seen her using, and eyes that contrasted with her slightly tanned skin and underlined her strong features. Both of us loved what we did at that time, of course. I worked as a criminal psychologist and she as a coroner. Her eyes even shone when she knew that there were more old bones waiting to be analyzed. Our thesis was based on trying to trace Jack's psychological profile with having the purpose of helping us understand who that man had really been. But the task was turning out to be a bigger workload than the one we were expecting it to be. Well, that was because no one had ever caught him, obviously, and the evidence that pointed in anyone's direction was too sketchy to be taken into account. Not to mention Scotland Yard's extreme generosity.

"Good morning!" She cheered happily, with a box of bones that were older than time in her hands. I was always a great fan of horror movies, but that wasn't a good enough reason for me to appreciate that sight. She must be on crack! I thought.

"Good morning?! Did you, by any chance, have a good look at the time and at where we are standing?" I exclaimed revolted, the fatigue and the frustration were killing me and my mood. Surely she was with her sleeping periods swapped to be so electric at that hour.

"It's 9 in the afternoon right now and we are in my mortuary, my little relaxing space. Where's my coffee? We have a long night ahead of us. I already did the anthropologic report and I'm going to put the bones in their respective boxes to send them back to the British museum". She answered excited, like she was trying to appease me as she put the box inside the metal cabinet, where we usually kept all of the material that we had used until then, and locked it with a small key, also made of out of metal. I looked around trying to understand where the relaxation factor she referred to was portrayed. To me everything had a cold appearance and was deprived of any possible comfort, not even the chairs where we sat were minimally inviting, they were also made out of bright metal, just like the rest of the furniture that decorated the morgue. It all gave the impression that the cleaning ladies had great fun polishing all of that metal.

"That's what's wrong, it isn't day and it's cold. How come you call relaxing space to a pile of rotten bones? Ah, and here's your coffee". I said while giving her the coffee and sitting on a spinning chair that was on the other side of the desk. In that side there was a pile, not of bones, but of old photos, letters and reports that Scotland Yard had provided me with. If I wanted to be very creative and imaginative I could see them laughing and making fun of my sleeping and tired face. As much as I loved my job, I still hadn't gotten used to deal with all of the paperwork, I loathed doing it. After that I would have to take a trip, go on vacation to somewhere exotic, far from the cold and the piles of documents. Hawaii sounded just perfect.

While I tried to organize my space, Petra took off her smock, which had ceased to be white a week prior, and let her braided brown hair loose, of the elastic that was holding it. The white coat already had some yellow stains that hadn't come out with the bleach. She sat on the metallic chair that was in front of me. Usually, when there were too many papers to be examined, we shared the same desk.

"The osteological results are there." She informed me as she pointed in the direction of a bright blue folder that laid in front of me, while sipping a bit of the coffee that I had just brought her" It's really cold, thank you" she thanked with a smile playing on her lips. At least one of us had to show some excitement.

"You're welcome… I don't know how you drink that thing with all of this cold" I answered while pressing my lips in utter abhorrence, in my dictionary winter was the synonym for hot drinks. I eyed the pile of documents once again. "They could have been sweethearts and had it all summarized for me…" I protested as I leant over the desk, crossed my arms over it and buried my face in them. For some odd reason, the people of the British institute didn't seem to like me one bit. In another motivational attempt, Petra pushed my coffee forward.

"Come on princess, drink it. You'll need the caffeine, it's almost over. In what letter are you in?

"I know that we don't have much more to go through, but thanks to this job my lovely tea doesn't have any effect on me anymore." I grumbled before taking a long sip of the hot drink, my British roots yelling at me for gaining a horrible addiction to coffee. "I'm in the middle of the one that came with the kidney" I answered while pointing at the same cabinet that she had the bones locked in, there also was the said organ, preserved inside an old glass jar. Remembering the human body part made my stomach make a 180º flip. One thing was to be shown pictures of what the criminals had done, another was to have the physical evidence right in front of my eyes.

"Do you think it was the same guy?" She asked, this time with a more serious facial expression, as she put a song from Enya playing. I suppose she did it to give the room a lighter mood, mostly for my sake. I stayed there thinking for some short moments before I found an answer to give her, trying to make a mental list of everything that was similar between that letter and the others that I had already read.

"I think so… The calligraphy, utterly horrendous, is the same, so is the way he describes what he did to those prostitutes. The speech is almost identical. He also makes smudges in the same places, as you can see here" I explained while grabbing an older letter, to point and to relate one same word on both of the manuscripts." Not to talk about the fact that, according to the reports, the cut used in the kidney extraction is identical to the one used in the mutilation of the other victims" I went on, now looking at her and drinking some more of the dark hot drink. In that moment I had went from my casual repertoire to a more professional one. For some reason, and as incredible as it might look, it has always been easy for me to travel between the two types of behavioral records. My friend of three years reclined on her chair and mimicked my gesture, traces of confusion gracing her distinct features.

"It's strange, because one of the osteological exams showed that he either changed his M.O. in the process or that he started enjoying making fun of the Scotland Yard officers."

"Nothing that they didn't deserve" I lowly grumbled before quickly moving on. After that I knew I would hold a grudge against them for the rest of my life" If we were making bets I would choose the second one. Someone that makes such precise cuts and that sends letters to the police would, certainly, want some type of acknowledgement. If he was falling into the world's oblivion, it would be worthier to remind the officers of their incompetence" To me that was one of the most plausible explanations that we had, and we didn't have many.

"You're the psychologist, I just do the reports of my dear bones. Unfortunately they can tell us what happened". She answered me with a mocking manner as she drank the rest of the cold liquid at once. That was enough to make me shudder.

"I know, but unfortunately I'm no investigator" I said, I could have taken that degree if I wanted to, I had the competence to do it, but human behavior always had pushed my fascination upwards. "One day that's going to make you sick" I warned, referring to the way she had drank the iced coffee and, like usual, she laughed at my reaction.

"The cold never bothered me anyway". She happily quoted the song from the movie Frozen, but her animated pose was lost as soon as the lights of the morgue started quivering. It was odd, the Smithsonian was always very proud in having everything in the most excellent conditions, in any time of the day and the year.

"What the bloody hell…?" I exclaimed vexed as I eyed the lights on the ceiling. "Don't tell me they forgot to pay the electricity bill?" That had never happened before and we had been working there for two straight years. I looked back at Petra and noticed that her laidback posture had changed completely. Her back was straighter than usual, her arms remained still over the desk and her hands were slightly opened in the air, like she was waiting for something. What it was I could have never guessed. Her facial expression had also changed. On her forehead some creased lines, indicating some confusion, had formed, her brown eyes had gained a metallic shine and her light pink lips were firmly pressed against each other. She was very grim and appeared to be listening attentively. The last time I had seen her eyes like that was on the day my dear ex had called me, some days later I discovered that he had become an eunuch. It was said that it had been a kitchen accident.

"Petra?" I asked worried, but received no answer from her. Instead, she got up from her seat and put herself behind the metallic door, with her back pressed against the white tilled wall. I was completely lost, I had never seen her reacting in such way. The mortuary lights kept flickering relentlessly, thanks to that my eyes started to burn a bit.

"What are you doing?" It should only be a power failure or some rat that had mistaken the cables for food and then gotten electrocuted, her behavior didn't make any sense.

"Quiet!" She ordered while grabbing an electric saw that was on the autopsy table, near the wall. That gesture only made my eyes widen, what was she doing? My confused state must have been obvious. I was standing still on my feet behind the desk, trying to understand her unusual behavior. Petra motioned me with her free hand to go to the other side of the room, her mouth exclaiming a soundless "Go!" She was starting to frighten me deeply, it was like I was entering one of the horror films that I enjoyed watching so much.

"I'm going, but you have to tell me why!" I protested with a low voice, not really knowing why I was whispering nor why I was obeying her. As far as I knew she could have been having a bipolar crisis and showing a paranoid side of her that she had never shown before, at least directly.

Once again she motioned me to be silent and turned on the saw, the later starting to make an earsplitting sound. Instinctively, I crouch under a metallic desk and stood there, lurking through a gap that was between its top and front plate, I was starting to gasp for air and my panic was escalating quickly. The first thing that crossed my mind was that she was going to kill someone right in front of me. Suddenly the lights went out for good, the only thing illuminating the room were the streetlights. The sound of metal grinding slowly against the tilled floor echoed through the morgue and my eyes quickly found its source. The metal double doors were opening painfully slowly. Whoever was trying to pass by unnoticed was failing miserably at it. Bleach blond hair started appearing at the entrance, it was a woman, a very well dressed woman by the way. Her hair was straight and cut shoulder length. She had the features of a typical childish beauty that was so appreciated. However, her red blood eyes took away any innocence that she might have possessed, I had never seen eyes like hers. They were so cold, they didn't give away any kind of sentiment, but they also didn't seem to be like that due to some disease, they were part of her… Something about her screamed fear. I had to make a tremendous effort to lower my breathing and to keep myself in place so I wouldn't start running away from that mortuary.

As soon as she got in, Petra hit the woman in the head with the saw's base, it seemed that she was attempting not to hit her with the slicing part of it. However, with the strength of the impact, the instrument jumped in the direction of the desk that was beside the one I was hiding in and clashed against it. I was extremely lucky that time, for I almost lost my balance with the scare I got. The assault didn't cause the intruder any damage, since she grabbed Petra by the neck and threw her hard against the opposite wall. I had to cover my mouth to muffle a scream that was threatening to come out.

"Where is she?" The woman snarled. Who was she talking about? I curled around myself a little more, my instinct was screaming at me not to move a muscle, but my eyes couldn't break free from what was happening in front of me.

"I don't know who you're looking for" Retorted Petra calmly as she got up. It seemed that the fall hadn't caused her any kind of harm, in spite of the big dent that was left on the wall. She started moving slowly towards the fire alarm and the electric frame, while discreetly motioning me to move to the desk that was nearer one of the windows, which gave access to the street. The woman looked around, not paying any attention to what Petra was doing. "But certainly it isn't from someone from here" She went on, getting closer and closer to the alarm. I tried to crawl underneath the other table as quietly as possible but, by reflex, I lifted my head with too much strength and hit my head against the desk's metal top, making too much racket in the process.

"Fuck!" I bellowed as I place a hand on my head and another on my mouth once I realized my mistake. In a heartbeat, the red eyed woman appeared in front of my hideout and, with a strength that isn't usual on most women of her physical stature, she lifted the table and threw it against one of the walls, making it resonate metallically with an ear piercing bang. I was left exposed. The wide grin she made wasn't one bit soothing. She looked like a hyena eyeballing the meaty remains left by another animal, she looked famished. In spite of the few traces of light in the room, her way too white teeth contrasted sharply with her red eyes. At each step she took in my direction, the more I would drag myself to the window. That was until my back hit the wall that was near it. I was trapped.

"Shit…" I whispered. She was getting dangerously closer to me but, before she had the chance to touch me, the fire alarm sounded and cold water started pouring down inside the mortuary. I was petrified, it was like my muscles were completely out of my control, stiff like stones. With my eyes I still tried to find something sharp around me, but there was nothing. She probably noticed that I wouldn't be moving out of my spot anytime soon, so the blond quickly broke her attention from me and directed it back to Petra.

"I'll take care of you soon enough" She said with a voice so sweet that it would nauseate anyone, before turning her back to me. The stranger started walking in Petra's direction, the later opening the electric board. She grabbed my friend by the neck once again and held her against the white wall.

"Who are you?" She demanded with a very deep accent. Instead of answering her, Petra kicked her in the gut and punched her face. She took the chance that our attacker was momentarily disoriented and pulled the colored wires out of the board, making bright sparks crack soundly around her.

"Kath, get out!" My friend yelled at me, destroying some more wires in the process, the number of sparks increasing quickly around her as she did so. The water hadn't ceased falling and the alarm was still making a thunderous sound.

"Run as much as you wish, I'll be taking care of you right away." The woman snarled at me, before spitting the blood that was dripping from her mouth. What did she want from me?! In the next second she was standing up and next to Petra, my panic rising. I didn't even see her getting up, it was like she had teleported… Finally my synapses had come back to life and I felt an outflow of adrenaline flowing in my veins. I ran to the window that could be opened as quickly as I could, making a great effort not to slip and fall in the water that was accumulating on the floor. Once I got there, I was able of, very ungracefully and with every cell of my body trembling, opening the window and climbing it.

As soon as I started running, and was about 15 meters away from the building, a loud explosion was heard, followed by a blinding light and a strong air wave. The impact made me fall and hit my head on the ground, scrapping my knees and my palms. Once I recovered from the fall, I turned around and my eyes became wide with dread, there was no more light, just darkness flowing from the window, the alarm kept on echoing. Petra was still inside the mortuary and I couldn't do anything to help her. Tears started mixing with the dirt that was covering my face and the blood that started flowing from the cut that I had gotten on my forehead due to the fall. I got up and ran as fast as I could but the wet jeans started clinging to my skin, making my run become much more difficult and tiring. I remember that, in that precise moment, I cursed so much that I was certain a sailor would have been proud of me.

It was getting harder and harder to breathe because of the cold winter's air, at some point my throat was already scratched and stinging, the metallic taste of blood hitting my taste buds. I looked back several times, waiting to see Petra or the other woman following me but I always came faced with a dark and empty path. Several times I wished to turn around and play something I certainly wasn't: brave.

At some point I could barely run, I was losing all the energy I had in my legs and the car was still parked far away, "Yes Kathryn, today was perfect one for you to park Otso in the darkest corner of the parking lot" I scolded myself, completely exhausted. But there were more important questions that ran across my head. The first wished to know why the blond wanted me, the second debated with the abnormality of her bloodied eyes. They weren't normal, could she be using contacts? Or did I have an ill psychopath coming after me?

Finally I reached Otso, Petra's dark red Hummer. My legs were too sore for me to keep on running. I was terribly out of shape. Still trembling, I tried to find my copy of the keys somewhere inside my black coat's pocket. Once I found them, I tried to fit one of them in the lock but, with the amount of nerves and anxiety that I had boiling inside me, I clumsily let them fall on the ground. The adrenaline and the panic didn't let me acknowledge the presence of the person that was standing behind me. While I was crouched on the ground, looking for the keys that had fallen beneath the car, I noticed a pair of wet black boots appearing behind me and I quickly turned round. It was Petra, she was dripping wet from head to toe and stank of smoke. She opened the red car with her key, roughly grabbed me by the arm, took me to its other side and made me sit down on the passenger's seat, after this she put on my lap what it seemed to be a loaded silver arbalest. My eyes became wide once more. How the hell had she survived that explosion? That would have killed anyone. My head was racing, I didn't even notice when she got into the driver's seat, turned on the ignition and started driving. I was only able to react when we were leaving the city's limits and reaching the highway.

"What the fuck is going on?!" I yelled in panic.

"We were attacked by a vampire." She answered very serious as she adjusted the rearview mirror. Physically she seemed to be just fine. Even though she was completely drenched, she wasn't the slightest affected by what had happened. "You have some explaining to do. Why was she specifically after you?" She went on as she eyed the side mirror, maybe to see if we were being followed. "After me?!" I thought, she must have been crazy, I had never seen that woman in my life. "And hold that thing straight!" She commanded because I had barely touched the crossbow that laid on my lap, I didn't even know what to do with it. I eyed her in a mixture of scandal and panic.

"I am the one that has to explain something?! How come: vampires?! Until one hour ago, to me, the only ones that existed were the ones from Bram Stoker!" I protested, I had been thrown into a situation of which I didn't know anything about, I was completely lost. In my world vampires weren't real, they were just products of imagination and folklore, nothing more than that. I eyed the weapon that was on my lap. "And take this bloody thing off of me!"

With that Petra passed a curb so briskly that I was amazed at how we hadn't been thrown into the ditch.

"Keep that straight or it'll shoot!" She bellowed at me once again, like I knew how to use it. Meanwhile, she honked and straightened the Hummer on the road, passing through 6 or 7 cars at once.

"I don't know how to use it!" I yelled as I clung to the car seat, the feeling of fear rising every time she made a more hazardous maneuver. It was like I had my stomach climbing up my esophagus. Petra checked the mirror once again and took the arbalest out of my lap afterwards, putting it on Otso's backseat. Apparently she was sure we weren't being followed.

"Forget it, we won't need it. Please tell me how you ended up being followed." She asked one more time, slowing down the car's speed to 180km/h. How was I supposed know?! She must have been out of her mind, I couldn't recognize her anymore. I was desperately trying to convince myself that everything of what was happening wasn't real, it was just one more nightmare I had to go through. Would I wake up if I pinched myself?

"You tell me, because I don't have a clue. You're the one that seems to be extremely versed on the matter." I fought back. I was the one that had fallen into that situation knowing absolutely nothing and she was questioning me. Petra rolled her eyes at my answer.

"Save the sarcasm. I promise I'll explain everything to you but, to know if we're safe or not, I need you to please answer me now. Or do you want some more of those on your heels?" She asked with her thumb pointing at the drunk, from where animalistic grunts could be heard. "She put the woman in the trunk?! When did that happened?!"

"But I don't know anything!" I fought back once more, while throwing my hands up at Otso's ceiling so I wouldn't hit my head there, even though I had my seat belt on. She was pressing more and more on the gas pedal, we reached the 200km/h in the middle of curbs, hills and fast changes of direction." Do you mind slowing down?" the faster the car went, in more panic I got in. The lights of the highway looked like smudges due to the speed.

"If we go any slower we might get some more unwanted company. Vampires are like lionesses, they rarely hunt alone" And the speed kept on rising, her foot firmly pressed against the gas." Are you part of anything weird, like blood cults? Do you know anyone that is part of one?

Her questions, apart from not helping me calm down in any way, were starting to solemnly unnerve me.

"For fuck's sake, are you daft or do you just pretend to be? I already told you, I don't know a thing!" I yelled once again, always looking back when that thing groaned. I wasn't going to sleep at night again, that was for sure. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be real. With my outburst Petra stopped the car abruptly in the middle of the bloody highway. I almost hit the front glass with my forehead.

"Let's understand something here" She turned to me angry. Her wet hair was soaking her blouse, making it cling to her skin. "No screaming or shouting. I'll give every answer that you want but you won't shout at me." Scolded me like I was a 5 year old instead of a 26 grown woman. She started the Hummer once again and it was only after two minutes of silence when she spoke again." Go ahead, make your questions" She said with a much calmer voice.

"I just got out of a near death experience and you tell me to shut up, that's positive." I was starting to get angry but knew I was in no position to start a fight between us, much less with Petra driving faster than 200km/h. "Now, do you mind explaining to me what that thing is, what just happened and how the hell to you know so much?"

"That thing" is a vampire. What happened was a hunt, you being the obvious target. She wasn't expecting me today, she was waiting to catch you alone at the morgue. I've been dealing with this for a long time". She said while loosening the pressure she had on the gas, diminishing our speed to 160km/h. "And I already told you to hold your sarcasm. It's not helping and I need to think" She deeply sighed, getting annoyed". It doesn't make sense. Why would they go after you?

"Define a long time. " I inquired interested, I didn't understand anything of what she was saying but I decided to keep on making questions in a way to keep me from going completely insane and to try to find the smallest hint of logic in all of that.

"You don't want to know, believe me…" She answered lowly while taking a good look at the traffic signs and directions.

"Hum… Maybe not now but you are going to have to tell me everything sooner or later." If it was up to me the matter wouldn't die in that car ride.

"Whatever you want. Now let's make sure that we are safe. Do you have any family here on the states?" She inquired. I wanted to tell her to fuck off, she knew the answer for that very well.

"I don't have any family here, you know that." The only one I had left were my parents and grandmother, and they were all back in England enjoying their quiet lives.

"Okay, any friends that you could stay with?" She asked, eyeing the sky through the front window. I rolled my eyes annoyed.

"Do you really think that it's safe to stay with someone I know because, as you already said, I'm being hunted?" In my head that didn't make any sense, if I was in such danger it would be better for me not to get close to anyone else.

"We need a place to think and reorganize, and if you don't know…" She said, while turning the wheel, making the car spin around and entered a bumpy dirt road. "Let's see who does". She went on with a look of control and simplicity that would scare anyone. It was like she asking to go to street corner's coffee shop.

The dirt road was everything but straight, in one of the bumps I almost hit my head, again, against Otso's ceiling. I had to keep my hands up there for some support and physical safety.

"Who?" The answer was given to me by Petra's finger pointing at the jeep's truck. "Oh…" I retorted a bit forcibly, how she would do it was beyond me. My arms started to hurt so took my hands from the car's ceiling and clung back at my seat.

"Press there and search on the phonebook for a name starting with A please. " She asked. Was she going to call the police? I did as she asked me, trying to hit the right buttons but my other hand never ceased clinging onto the seat, there were too many bumps and flaws on that road for one to stay perfectly still on one's seat. Fortunately, I was able to find the only name on the list that started with an "A".

"Is this one that says "Andrei"?" I asked. Who was he? She had never spoken to me about a guy named Andrei.

"Yes. Please, call him." She requested, her eyes always on the road.

"Hum… Okay." And with that I pressed the calling button. I was very confused, I didn't know who the man was nor why she wanted to call him. After two ringing sounds a deep but forcibly formal voice picked up.

"Institute of Ignored Husbands, how can I help you? " What?

"Husband?" I whispered, she had never told me that she was married. Petra rolled her eyes once again. It was like she was expecting me to have that reaction.

"I'm surrounded by comedians. I have a tracker inside my truck and Kath's here next to me almost having an apoplexy." She informed promptly. I didn't think that I was in such state, but after I did a small introspection I realized that I was in a far worse state then the one I thought I was in. However I looked back at her, confused, she spoke to him about me? How much did he know? There were 3 seconds of silence before there was an answer from the other side.

"What do you need?" His joking voice was completely gone. I kept looking confused at the device. My friend eyed me with worry stamped on her brown eyes before looking back at the dirt road.

"Can you locate Gabriel?" I arched an eyebrow, I didn't have the slightest idea of who she was talking about. Another husband whose existence was completely unknown to me? At that point everything was possible.

"It's your lucky day, he's here with me. What was the tracker after?

"Kath." after her short answer nothing else was heard, except from the roar of Otso's motor. But it didn't take long for Andrei to question her again, much more seriously this time.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep" She answered back, making a small popping sound at the end. For some reason, that confirmation froze the blood that I had running in my veins.

"We're in New York. Get your ass here. I'll meet you at the bridge." He said in a more demanding voice. I didn't like where things were heading.

"You don't ha…" She started grumbling before being quickly interjected. Wow, there was someone that could interrupt Petra.

"I'm going and that's final. Oh right, hi Kathryn!" he greeted me more enthusiastically. From the corner of my eye I could see the brunette slowly facepalming and whispering "Idiot", while driving with her other hand.

"Hum… I'm not really sure of who you are and of how you know me, but hi to you too." I greeted back very awkwardly. Having people knowing my name and me not knowing anything about them sounded very much like stalking.

"You'll see me soon enough." He laughed malevolently, that didn't make me feel any safer. "Any idea on why they're after you?" I just heard Petra whispering, what sound like curses from the tone she was using, in a language I had never listened to in my life.

"I don't have a clue." I answered shortly. How they thought that I knew something on the matter was beyond my understanding.

"Okay then…When you arrive call me, the sun is almost shining and I have to sleep before the apocalypse breaks loose." He answered back, yawning loudly. "I'll have Gabriel here by an ear if I have to before you summon a demon with the shower of curses you're saying." I looked dumfounded at the red and illuminated device, who the hell sleeps during the day?

"Baiat" she bite back aggressively.

"I also like you very much. Kisses Kathryn!" and with that the call ended. I needed some answers urgently. Petra had to give them to me.

"You know, now it would be a good time for some enlightenment on what's going on." I informed, feeling a little calmer. If there already were at least two people that spoke of the situation as a fact, it was a good time for me to start realizing that I wasn't going mad, even though I was still very nervous. Petra turned the car on a 180º curb. With so much stress packed inside me I only noticed that the sun was starting to rise and shine, even if it was at a minimal rate, in that moment.

"I agree." She answered as she drove Otso into a clearing. "Let's take care of the more pertinent ones."

"You can start, I don't know if I should ask you first about what you have in Otso's trunk or about the husband you never told me about." That made her role her eyes once again. The reaction was becoming strangely frequent.

"He is my husband, but he isn't." That wasn't an answer, she was married to him or she wasn't, she couldn't be both. "As for the thing in the truck…" She said as she stopped the car on a hill, before quickly getting and leaving the driver's door wide open. "We are going to take care of that now."

"We are?" She was mad for sure, what did she want me to do? My mental question was quickly answered when she opened the backseat's door behind me, took the crossbow out and, after opening my door, put it back on my lap.

"Follow me." She demanded as she walked to the trunk where the said vampire was. For some odd reason one could very easily smell burnt pork coming from there, it was a quite strong smell.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea…" I mumbled, eyeing the object that was once again in my possession. "And why the hell does it smell like barbecue?" I asked while putting my head out of the car. I came faced with the vision of Petra dragging a cage by a chain out of Otso, it seemed to be made out of cast iron. From what I could perceive, she dragged it about 20 meters away from the car.

"Come here, please!" She asked, clearly with no patience for me questions. The woman was shrunken inside the cage like an animal taken from the wild, bloody tears streamed down her pale cheeks. From the position she was in, she seemed to be trying desperately not to touch the cage's bars.

"Alright, alright, I'm going. I still don't what do need me for, but I'm going." I got out of the car reluctantly and went in her direction. For safety I stood against a tree that was nearby and made aim at the vampire. I felt much safer inside the jeep. 10 seconds went by and no one did or said a thing. Petra seemed to be waiting for the first rays of sunshine to hit the woman's fair skin. As soon as that occurred, the smell of roasted meat came back and she started screaming in perfect agony. At that Petra sat down in front of the cage, observing everything with absolute attention.

"Name and why, or I'll leave you here frying." My friend demanded.

"Why should I tell YOU that, witch?" The vampire bite back hysterically.

"It's either that or you dying roasted. And believe me when I say that it's better for you to die as quickly as possible instead of me leaving you in the sun, bit by bit." I had the feeling that either option would make me throw up dinner.

"I don't see how that could be of any benefit, I'll die either way." the woman answered, smiling almost victoriously. "Congratulations Sherlock, you're a logic genius" I thought skeptically. The brunette scratched the cage using the tip of Otso's key, which made the vampire cover her ears with her hands. Her face held an agonizing expression. Maybe the cage wasn't made out of iron as I had initially assumed. That sound didn't have any effect on me, it just bothered as much as nails scratching a table slate do. How come it caused her so much pain?

"You better give me what I want or your death is going to be a very, very slow and painful one." Her joking voice was starting to become uncomfortable. I didn't know how, but it looked like she had played interrogator before.

"You'll need more than that to convince me, sweetie. I'd rather die than to tell you anything. Plus, I don't know why you're having so much trouble, that piece of meat with an expiring date coming to an end isn't worth half of it." In that moment, despite the sick feeling that the stench in the air was causing me and the fear that crackled up my bones, I felt extremely insulted. I tried to hold the crossbow more securely and aimed it at her head but, if it came to shooting, there was a big chance I would miss the target. Petra went back to the truck searching for something. Once she succeeded, she came back with what seemed to be a silver flask in hand. From where I was standing I could see an insignia carved there, what it stood for I couldn't understand. But the vampire could, even at 20 meters away, for her red eyes widened up in sheer fear.

"Do you know what this is?" Petra asked, in that moment she was the one grinning. I didn't like that smile at all.

"I'm not going to tell you a thing!" The other fought back roughly, making a point to show off her white sharp canines. Fangs, like the ones snakes possess.

"This…" Answered the brunette as she put her index finger inside the flask, only to take it out covered in a liquid substance as dark as oil. "Isn't holly water, sweetie." Oh for the love of God, please tell me that isn't blood, I silently prayed.

"Dead men's blood?" She asked in exasperation, as her eyes went even wider than before. "Shit", I thought to myself. I felt my insides twisting and turning, creating a nauseating knot. Petra crouched in front of the cage, her facial expression dead serious.

"Some drops of this and your stay in the sun should turn out to be a very interesting one." My friend informed as she made a string of liquid fall above the cage, onto the female's forehead. As soon as the liquid hit her, the vampire started screaming louder than before. Where the liquid oozed the skin was spontaneously decompose and smoke would start to coming out of the burn, it was already possible to see the muscle. I believe that, if Petra added some more drops, I would be able to see her cranial bone. The reek was becoming nauseating. I had to close my mouth so I wouldn't throw up right there and then. The prisoner seemed to be more stubborn than tough for, even gasping heavily, she made sure to expose her canines even more and to provoke Petra even more.

"You'll need a lot more than that to make me talk." The sun was rising slowly, but not enough to keep her safe from its rays. As each minute passed, more and more smoke stemmed from her, her skin slowly gaining carbonized hues. Whoever witnessed the scene from afar would believe that we were making a simple bonfire.

"Fine by me, I have all day to see you roast. Inside that cage it will take at least 7 hours." She had definitely done that before. The vampire remained thoughtful for some long moments, moaning when the burning pains intensified. "What is it in for me if I tell you?"

"A quick death." the brunette answered while inspecting her nails, as if she was pondering if she should make a manicure appointment or not. How could she be speaking of killing with such cold blood?

"Define quick, witch." The creature asked. Witch? That had been the second time she had referred to Petra that way.

"7 seconds." I was going to miserably regret watching what was about to take place.

"Hum… Deal." The inquired answered after some silent seconds of thinking about it. With that Petra made her way to Otso's truck once more and came back with what seemed to be a sound recorder.

"Go ahead." She encouraged.

"My name is Carmilla Jenkins and I'm a freelance tracker. I was asked to localize her and bring her to Him. If you're as smart as you seem to be you don't need any more hints." Sorry? Who wanted what with me?! I thought, my eyes big in alarm. I was left astonished, but Petra's stare became more serious than before, which made me believe that she knew who the other was talking about. That was another answer that had to be done later.

"Why does he want her?" Petra asked. "Who's he?" My head kept asking.

"I don't know." she hissed, the rays of sunlight still burning her skin. "He just sent a message requiring the captures, hers and five others. He wants us to take them into some kind of lab."

"Who else knows about her and how did you find her?" She kept on questioning as she put the flask ready to drop its content on her.

"Only one more tracker, Jade Wilson. Your friend wasn't hard to find, I could feel her scent from miles away. I was just passing by when I sensed her. And you want to know something?" She asked as she maliciously smiled and looked at me dead in the eye. I swallowed hard. "If I found her this easily and I'm only a hundred years old, imagine how quickly He'll come when he knows where she is."

"Have you met him?" She asked, smiling cynically.

"Unfortunately no, or I guarantee you that I wouldn't be here about to die!" I only saw Petra's smile widen and her legs getting her even closer to the cage.

"But I know him very well and he doesn't give a fuck whether you die or not. Good luck on your trip to Hell." Petra said in a confiding tone as she poured all the blood over the vampire's golden hair, taking in advantage the fact that the sun was shining more brightly over the cage. In that moment I was sure that her shouts were heard from miles away. I saw her skin fall apart in shreds and her muscles starting to show. Once these were burnt down, it was time for her bones to degenerate into dark ashes on the ground. When the burning process ended, a cold winter rush of air picked up and her remaining ashes dissipated into the morning's air, creating a dark cloud. Those images would me branded in my memory for the rest of my life, that vision was too brutal to be forgotten. I couldn't hold the vomit in any longer, I couldn't take the twirls my stomach was making, that had been the last drop. I tossed the crossbow on the floor and ran in the direction of the nearest bush, bended over and I let it all come out. All of sudden I felt Petra's hot hands pulling my hair away from my face while I emptied my insides. It tasted awfully but in the end it felt relieving. When it was over I could barely walk, Petra had to help me walk back to the car and carefully seat me and then she packed up everything she had used.

"Now to New York. Questions?" She asked as soon as she sat on the driver's seat. I lowered my head in between my knees, everything around me was spinning fast and my head was uncomfortably light. I felt the car's motor starting.

"Many but just let me make sure my stomach gets back in place first." I mumbled.

I can't remember very well the path we took, but I know that in one hour we stopped at a tacky gas station full of truck drivers, so we could change clothes. She had some spare ones inside the truck, they were about four times my size but they made the trick. What else was inside Otso? Meanwhile, I also had the chance to put something on the wound I had on my forehead and to sterilize my knees and hands before I got an infection. Trying to walk in the following days should be a painful adventure, I mentally groaned.

Petra gave me a small glass bottle that contained an opaque green substance. She told me that it was to cover up my odor. That sounded extremely strange and dubious but I didn't protest. I opened it and tried to figure out what it was made of, but the smell was so complex that I couldn't figure it out. The only thing I could perceive was that it was made out of a weird mixture of herds. It also didn't have a very pleasant smell or taste if I might say. I drank it without asking questions, but I did ask her what was going to happen to our jobs. She said that she had already sent a message to the institute, saying that we had had a family emergency and that we would be gone indefinitely. We continued our trip in the direction of our destined state, eating some sandwiches we had bought at the gas station. What's happening with my life? I asked in silence before blacking out in my seat, exhausted.

Baiat (Romanian) - Boy