Disclaimer: I do not own Being Human

Prologue

1863

For Terrorist Of The Seven Seas

As she lied on the floor, drowning in blood she felt nothing. Whenever she looked back on that memory, even a century after it happened she still found it difficult to get her head around this paradox. Maybe that was what it was truly like to be dead. Not just physically but mentally as well, completely cut off from all emotion and feeling. It was like they had drained out of the ability to feel anything from her. The physical and emotional pain which had been thrown upon her was so intense and numbing she was no longer able to feel anything. It sent her nervous system into overdrive it simply shut down altogether. Her heart just felt like one big black hole that was empty and couldn't be filled. What was she going to do now? Eventually the blood exiting her body was going to stop until she had none left but she was still going to be able to get to her feet and walk away. She was still going to walk away from this but not alive. An immortal, demonic being who should be dead but due to the nature of her existence was going to defy all logic and break all the rules of nature.

Everything was covered in blood. The walls, the ceiling, the carpet was painted with a bloody blur like the swiftness of their intrusion. It was strange, that morning she made an extra effort to clean the house and now everything was gone to waste. Just like the rest of her life. It was if she might as well of not made the effort at being human. He, she or it was so fast it was almost like a dream. Something surreal and from another world. She wanted to lie there forever. She wanted to wake up and wish it was all just a nightmare. She was that tired, that exhausted that she wanted to close her eyes and rest in her own death. She wanted to will herself to die even though she knew deep down now that was never going to be an option for her. But she was too awake to realise that this was all happening. The deed was done. Her hands could never be washed of this pain she was now feeling. Or the unstoppable, destructive force that had entered her home and life, smashing everything into a million pieces. All that she believed, all that she had was all gone and she had no idea of where to begin. Now idea of what to believe any more. However one thing she knew was this. That nothing was ever going to be the same again.

Sixty years later...

This was going to be a long night, Effie thought to herself as she looked around at the empty streets. She had to get something to eat and there wasn't a soul in sight. She could feel her hands shaking she was afraid that she was going to grab the next orphaned street urchin running by her and drag them into an alleyway. She would prefer to not attack children. Strangely enough she was still able to retain onto some virtues...The night was dark, casting a black blanket across the city tempting any vampires residing in the city for a hunt. Effie was sure that it was dark enough for hunting. Dark enough to take an unsuspecting stranger by the shoulder, drag them into the darkness without even uttering a whisper. No one would hear. No one would know, especially if it was a prostitute or a drunkard. Thankfully, the stories of Jack the Ripper still went on, Effie took that as a blessing to a certain extent but at the same time she knew that it may leave a trail that would lead to her so she had to be careful. As she always was. She waited round a street corner, enveloping herself in the shadows embrace. Her dark blue eyes glistened like diamonds in the darkness, hungrily searching for her prey. She felt no moral obligation to what she was doing. She knew it was a necessity. It was how she lived and that was that.

You keep telling yourself that. Her conscience told her. The same could be said for your own family.

She shivered against the cold wind as if it was the voice in her head itself stroking against her skin, whispering into her ear, threatening to ensnare her with its claws. Even vampires could get scared. She was sure there was a way that even a vampire could die, that was the only thing left to fear really. The true death. Hell, what a thought. If vampires could get scared she could only imagine the terror coursing through the veins of her victims before she dug her fangs into their skin. She should be able to remember considering that she had been turned therefore should know how terrifying it is but she was finding it difficult to remember what it was like to be human. Humans were scared of more things than vampires. Humans thought they were bullet-proof when really it was the real monsters who were. But at the same time they really weren't. They weren't completely immune from death either. Being human was like a dream now rather than the other way round. But right now, her life as a damned immortal was like a continuous nightmare that would never stop. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the memory and banged her head against the brick wall. That was the right way to get her to become more psychotic.

Whenever she tried to recall her life as a human being she began trying to behave like one, entrapping the beast inside for a while, making it more wild and hungry. Every aspired to be something that they weren't but there was a point where it got...not just ridiculous but also dangerous. For a vampire to pretend they were human was...It was the most impossible thing to do. Eventually she couldn't control it any more making the next kill even more bloody and violent. She could remember making her own bloody mess, as bloody as her own death in a hotel room making her flashback to what happened to her all those decades ago. Never was she going to do that again. One time she had to fled the city because it was so dangerous for her. And people died in cities all the time. Lately the memory of her being changed had been coming back to her. Why now? Why was it bothering her so much now? She couldn't think of any good reason why...Whether she liked it or not. She still had something of a conscience left in her, but she knew she was doing this out of necessity not out of greed or desire.

"See ya later Ruby." A cockney accent called from across the street.

Effie looked up and spied a curvavious woman, with breasts almost bursting out of her tight-fitted cheap dress and flaming red hair that could be spotted a mile away. Effie smiled grimly.

Got ya.

Ruby waved back to the other prostitute before strutting across the street, looking around as if the Prince of England was going to pop out of nowhere and demand a quickie down some alleyway. She had the same smile on her face a predator would have looking for their prey. This only made it easier for Effie. She knew how a predator thinks, especially the amateurs. Effie knew she was going to get something tonight, just something she didn't expect. She had attacked some women and yes some of them were ones who preferred the company of other women but not so often. It was more men who preferred the company of other men, hence her appearance. She saw her approach the corner she was stood by and took in a deep breath. She knew what to do, she just had to calm herself first. To resist herself from losing control and making a scene and not to panic about the whole thing. It was something she had to do. She took a deep breath and stepped out in front of Ruby.

She stepped back and blinked. "Oh! Sorry darlin' I didn't see ya there." She looked Effie up and down in her man's attire. Effie's tall, skinny stature made it easier for her to be able to carry off the look. Effie gave her smirk and swaggered over to her.

"You alright, sweetheart." She spun round and gave her an arm to hold onto.

Ruby flickered her eyelashes and took all of this rather meekly. She was probably used to men behaving like this in order to attract her attention. Of course there were others who were a little more straightforward and business like. Effie on the other hand liked to be polite. That was how she was raised after all. Bad habits died hard she supposed. It wasn't necessarily a bad habit anyway but it was a little unusual considering she drank the blood of humans...After all she was going to be killing this young lady tonight, she might as well balance out things a little bit. Without thinking about it, she reached out to stroke her face. She looked so young, so beautiful, so delicious, so full of life. She could hear the beat of her heart pumping all that blood circulating around her body. She almost felt sorry for her but she always had to put those thoughts away. She didn't look any older than nineteen, if you looked beyond the make-up which she had plastered on her face. Effie smiled sadly. She was about the same age. Forever twenty-years of age. She would never grow to be a day older. She would never have wrinkles or white hair. She would never die, warm in her bed. Always condemned to be cold for eternity. She was going to be more merciful to Ruby. She was going to spare her the sufferings of eternal life.

"Really. I've never met some like you. With so much swagger." Ruby jingled her breasts slightly when she tried to imitate her. She was afraid they were going to fall out.

Effie smirked. "Well, its a gift really."

Ruby smiled a conspirators smile, her hand sliding down her leg. "Oh yeah. I know plenty of little tricks myself. Some have even told me that I have certain gifts."

Effie exhaled deeply. "Really? What gifts might those be?" She chuckled.

"Well why don't I show ya?" She asked, slowly circling the button on her trousers. Effie grabbed her wrist, a bit too roughly and held up a hand.

"I like to treat my ladies well. I prefer not to do this in an alley way. Come round to my place."

Ruby took a step back and gave a little giggle. "Well look at you. You've got charm and you got manners. Is there anything else I should know about?"

What a question to ask. How appropriate and how terrifying the answer would be. The old tale of Red Riding Hood came to Effie's mind when 'Ruby', if that was her real name, asked her this question. It was a rather dangerous question to ask a stranger. Sometimes it was best if you didn't know the answer sometimes. Effie took a few steps back knowing that there was certainly something she should know about her. Perhaps if she walked back further enough she would be able to stop herself, give her some money and send her into the night to find some other 'suitor'. But Ruby couldn't walk out on fate and fate dealt her with the worst luck that most people in her professional could be given. She should run away from her and not look back but she knew that this was necessary. She had to do something to keep the beast at bay. She had to satisfy its hunger in small tributes. She had to appease it otherwise she would pay for her intolerance. Besides, Effie knew she wasn't going to make much of a life as a prostitute. In a way she was doing her a favour. She was saving her from the anguish and suffering. She no longer had to continue degrading herself to nothing more than the dirt of the ground. Instead she would be in the ground. She held out a hand and smiled darkly.

"Nothing more." She whispered.

Ruby eyelashes flickered in the gaslight and slid her fingers into hers. Effie drew her arm back into herself leading her into the darkness...