It was simple back then. If they were suspected then they were put to trial and executed. There was blood shed, war and ravaging. Vampire blood lines were created, despite the fact that they couldn't reproduce. It was simple, vampires selected the most powerful of our race crossed their cold undead fingers and hoped for something special. And then lucky for them but unlucky for us, vampires with gifts were born. Some were mild, a better sense of smell than other blood suckers. Perhaps they were just faster, or stronger.
The humans had to adapt to this creating their own special. Human blood lines were manipulated by their elders and they kissed their crosses hoping for something. Wars got bigger as humans and vampires got more and more "special". Vampire hunter bloodlines stretched for generations, and eventually they became immune to the vampires bite, they could no longer be turned. The wars were the worst at this point, and the vampires finally went into hiding. That's when the complications came
They spread rumors of their demise and fed in secrecy. The humans were satisfied and they moved on to "witches", then pagans, then scientologists.
The human bloodlines slowly diluted back into common human blood. But then there was an oddity, a human was born with instincts to kill. She was immune to turning, could sense them, and had speed almost parallel to them. She never pointed them out as a child, lest her parents think her crazy.
Samantha took of sip of the Pepsi in her wine glass. She wasn't quite old enough to drink yet. Her business associate on the other side however was downing a glass of red wine. She was working as an engineer at one of the most respected companies in the world. Sam had graduated collage at the tender age of seventeen. It was all due to her unexpected gene pool.
She was eighteen now and still less respected than the mail guy that gave them their checks every week, but it was sweet to be paid double the next guy. Charlie was examining the red wine with great interest but Sam knew he was human, maybe a vampire trustee but all the same, he was still human.
"Tomorrow we are going to meet one of the most important men in the city" Charlie said in a condescending way. "Josef Kostan, he's just your average hedge trader" Sam replied. Charlie sighed "Yes, he's just your average multibillion dollar man". Sam put a mental note in her head "Possibly a vamp lover" Sam finished her Pepsi and was about to get up when someone swept up behind her.
Sam knew it was a vampire and turned instinctively. It was Josef who was just a second before at the other table overhearing their conversation. "Charlie, it's been a while" Josef said. Charlie smiled "We were just talking about you, it's going to be a big meeting tomorrow". Josef smiled a fake but convincing smile "And who is this lovely lady, you know its illegal to be dating minors Charlie". Sam winced as his lewdness.
"This is Sam, she's a bit on the young side, but she's your chief engineer" Charlie replied. Sam shook Josef's hand, but her fake smile faded as he pulled her hand to his lips. "A forgive me, this is the age of baby genius' and such" There was a moment of silence as Sam quickly pulled her hand away, clearly annoyed by Josef.
Josef was baffled, it was usually woman that fell to their knees, and on occasion bent over backwards. "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked. Sam was going to say that she was about to leave, but Charlie the kiss ass spoke first. "Sure we were just ordering dessert". When Charlie said dessert, Josef took an odd glance at Sam. Josef then motioned for someone to come over. It was another vampire. Sam's instincts were telling her to run but she couldn't. She rationalized that this was a public place.
They both sat down, so that this vampire friend was beside her and Josef was opposite her. "This is my friend Mick" said Josef lightly. "It's nice to meet you" Mick said. Sam had to get herself out of there before she became part of the "wine" list. Sam suddenly got up. "You know it's getting pretty late, I'd better get going," Sam said. Josef was about to say something but Sam cut him off. "You should get a bite of the cherry pie here though, it's to die for". Sam had said bite slightly louder on purpose. Her pulse was beginning to race. They suspected that she at least knew they were different.
Sam left and was walking to her apartment. It was only a few blocks away. The cool night air calmed her for the first two blocks then she sensed that she was being followed. She knew it was Josef about grab a bite of her. The scent was his, she was sure of this. She turned to see him walking towards her. She walked slightly backwards so that her back was to a white picket fence.
She grabbed hold of one picket, ready to rip the top of and jab it into this small intestine. "You again" She said calmly, keeping even her pulse under control. "Yeah, they didn't have the dessert that I like" He replied with a slight grin. "You forgot your purse at the restaurant" He said and then presented her purse. "Don't worry, it's all still there, I'm worth millions". He smiled. Sam realized that he was hitting on her and also throwing around the word money. Sam rolled her eyes. "Actually I'm worth millions too" Her hand tensed on the picket fence piece. She was worth actually only one million. Then he noticed her grip on the fence. "Hey, am I so charming that you need that fence for support"
Sam wasn't going to let go of that safety net, even though he offered his arm as her brace now. She was at her limits, soon her pulse would race, or she would begin to sweat. He would realize how she was really feeling. Sam smiled pulling the last of her control "I think you better be going, I'm just going to make a call"
Josef left again walking back in the directing that he came. He was flabbergasted by now, did this girl have immunity to vampires sex appeal. It was a blow to his ego for sure. Sam called her friend to for real just in case he was still listening.
"So how was your date with Charlie" Rose asked. Sam looked down the road and saw with that Josef paused at the word date. Josef was already a block away but Sam had very good vision. Sam sighed "For the last time rose, it's not a date". Sam looked again, Josef was gone from sight but she knew he had only disappeared and begun to follow her again.
If the normal way of getting into her apartment didn't work, he would be sure to try something else. Sam quickly rushed up the stairs to her apartment. She closed the door, and inhaled, he was on the roof. Sam was safe though, her house was full of weapons.
Outside Josef was on the roof wondering why he was there. Why was he so attracted to this girl, aside from the scent of her blood? It must have been an all red meat diet that made her smell so good. He had to control himself though, lest he call the cleaners. Josef didn't want to hurt this girl. He knew that someone with her intelligence was rare, and he didn't want to find another chief engineer for his building.
He listened to her shower and then fall asleep. Was he going crazy? He shook it off and ran home to his icebox. Sam awoke at six, knowing that she would have to face Josef again at the meeting. Sam wore two silver rings on each hand. It looked tasteful rather that excessive. She put on a silver necklace as well, but decided to stop there and but some white gold earrings on. She needed to play it safe, and unobvious.
She walked outside of her apartment and into her car. Her sense of smell was strong but in the car all her senses were blurred making her feel more normal. She parked her car on the third level of his building, there were many vampires here but she was prepared to deal if she was cornered. She walked slowly into the elevator, and somehow Josef had made his way into it before it closed.
"Top floor Sam" Josef said politely. "What a coincidence" Sam said, though she knew it wasn't. She realized then that she had become the prey, and she wondered if she would end up dead or turned. She would kill herself if she was turned. Sam herself didn't know that she could survive a turn, and stay human. The elevator reached the top floor, and Josef opened an imagined door for Sam as the elevator door opened.
Sam stepped through. Half the people there were vamps, some old and some relatively new. She was working on the different scents and how they corresponded with age. It was the decaying scent that marked their age. Sam knew Josef was the oldest here. Though probably not on purpose all the humans were on one side, they still had some instinct to group together.
Sam sat between a human and a vampire. It was the last seat left after Josef took his. The light went dark and a slideshow was presented. The briefing was boring but Sam retained it all. She inhaled deeply to catch all the scents in the room again. Then suddenly a Vampire on the other side stiffened. He had the slightest sense that she was more than the others. "Marcos, why don't you just pay attention to the slides" Josef said, catching him staring at Sam made Josef a little less humorous. Marcos turned his head to the slide but he whispered something that only the vampires in the room could hear.
Sam strained to listen but her hearing though far greater than a normal human, was missing most of his words.
"The girl is dangerous……… she knows" was all that Sam heard. Sam pretended to be interested to the slides, and even copied down some things. She controlled her emotions, and allowed nothing to give her panic away.
"And I thought I was paranoid" Josef replied in low tones. Sam had to quit, she couldn't do this every day. Her life would be in grave danger from nine to five. One of the Vampires inhaled deeply capturing her abnormalities in his mind. She stiffened, and Josef looked at her with new eyes.
"She does know" Josef said "Maybe she can even hear us"
Sam looked at him now. She was ready to defend herself. Then suddenly the vampires in the room looked at her. She then looked to her right, how many of them knew. Suddenly Josef turned the light on. "Alright, let's all spill the beans". Josef said now leaning over to Sam. "They all know, and I know you know".
Sam wasn't going to play stupid so she remained silent. "I'm you average seventeenth century vampire". Sam looked around for a moment to assess her options. She suddenly scraped her hand across the glass table. Fragments of silver from her rings and dust from the scraped glass flew into the air. Josef was momentarily blinded. Sam took that second to get to the door. Then six vampires surrounded her. The door was glass as well. She quickly smashed the glass with her near vampiric strength. The knuckles of her hand were bleeding slightly. She got out of the way as the shards pierced them and stunned them.
Josef was the only one left. He was impressed that a girl could take on six vampires. His fangs were bared. "Is this what you want blood sucker" Sam said showing her slightly bloodied knuckles. Josef did want her enticing blood, but it would suck to have it only once. But then again it didn't look like she wanted to be a freshie. Josef charged at her, thinking she would be easy prey now that all the dangerous glass objects were out of reach.
Sam delivered a kick that a normal human martial arts master couldn't. Josef was sent back, but now he had upgraded her fighting skills. "What exactly are you Sam" Josef said. "Hmmm, your executioner" She said sarcastically. Sam saw all the humans flee from the room. She wasn't sure if this was good or bad. They might be calling for back up.
"You can't be human" Josef said and inhaled "But you no vampire". Sam took a step back, distance was good, and conversation would keep her alive. "You old enough to know Josef, you were alive back when humans still had bloodlines solely on killing your kind" Sam replied. Josef grinned, which looked savage on his vampiric face "You're a hunter of my kind, bred for this purpose to kill". Sam shifted "I'd like to think of myself as the only cure to vampirism" She said. Josef laughed "Do you have any code of honor"
"My code is simple" Sam said as she picked up a large shard of glass. "I hunt any feral ones, and any who are stupid enough to attack me" She pointed to glass to Josef now. "I have codes too, all I ask is secrecy, you keep my secret and I'll let you out of here unscathed". Sam watched confused as Josef put back on his human face.
Sam let the large glass shard in her hand fall and shatter at her side. "I quit" She said firmly and walked through the shatter glass door. "Bill me" was the last thing she uttered as she walked into the elevator. Josef was left standing there trying to control his need. He wanted right now to run into the elevator at vampiric speed and do unspeakable things to Sam. Josef just stood there, fearing that if he make a move that he would accidentally kill the girl. Sam was in her car now driving home. Her knuckles were still bleeding. She needed to get herself cleaned up. She walked up the stairs to her apartment, but before she opened the door she inhaled.
It was that other vampire Mick, and a human girl. They were rummaging through her things. She quickly opened the door, only to find that her apartment was empty. She inhaled, they were still there. "Mick is it, you know breaking and entering is against the law" She said into the silence.
Both the human and the vampire came out of hiding. "I'm so sorry for the intrusion" Mick said. The human girl looked familiar "You're that reporter from buzzwire" Sam said, as her brows tensed. "Why are you both in my apartment" Sam demanded. "Lately many of the higher vampires have been found dead" Mick started. "So what I'm a suspect, well I don't see what the problem is, a few less parasites out there" Sam interrupted. "So it was you?" Mick questioned. Sam was still for a moment "It wasn't me, but I commend whoever took the initiative" Sam replied.
"You sure have a lot of weapons around for protection" Mick accused. "I didn't kill those vampires, I only hunt feral vampires" Sam said as she bent down reaching under the table for a stake. She tossed playfully in her hand. "And maybe I'll take a shot at your rich friend too, but that's my list". Mick tensed "You're after Josef?" He questioned. Sam shook her head "He's after me". Then as if by magic Josef appeared at the door.
"She took out six of my top vampires all at once, and I'm the dangerous one" Josef laughed. "You know I almost wish I was feral like in my younger days, at least then I would have more of your attention Sam". Sam backed up, holding the stake in front of her.
"Oh Sam, If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead" Josef said, but still had a grin on his face. "Somehow, I doubt that" Sam said tensing. She threw the stake at Josef. He slid to the left but the stake managed to graze his arm. "She a dangerous human, Mick, I think we have our culprit" Josef said. Sam though for a moment, "I didn't kill any of those vampires, and there aren't any more people like me out there" Sam then inhaled and sensed another presence. "Who else is here?" She said.
Both Josef and Mick then inhaled and picked up another vampiric scent. Josef quickly went to Sam side, who was reluctant to accept his protection. An instant later, someone crashed into the window, fangs barred at Sam. Josef quickly flung him to the side "Who do you work for" Josef said demandingly. "She's been killing us out, and you're protecting her" The vamp said as it got up off the floor, amazingly unscathed by the glass. Sam wondered how he knew to jump in without getting paralyzed by the glass shards. It must have been something with the physics. She would have to analyze it later
Josef was already pinning him to the wall. "You're working for the brothers aren't you?" Josef said threateningly. His grasp tightened on the victims neck. "Yea, I'm working for the brothers, to exterminate her before she kills them all"
Sam's accelerated intelligence kicked in right then. "It's obvious that you're lying. If the brothers really thought I was a threat they would have come themselves. The threat is a little closer to home, say the brother that hired you is knocking off his own brothers to concentrate the power" Sam said. The assassin vampire looked away. It was as good as a conformation. "Sounds like something Lance would do" Josef injected. Sam took a deep breath. She had to be sure, and there was a method for her to derive the truth.
"Hold him still" Sam commanded Josef. She then took the vampire's arm, and bit into it. At first the vampire struggled but then he fell into a trance. Sam saw visions passing through from his brain to hers. There were grotesque feedings scenes. Then there was a woman, ordering him around. Her name was obscured because the vampire was struggling to keep information. She was the sister in the royal family.
Sam turned away, spitting out the blood in her mouth. She wiped the rest off with her sleeve. "Was there a girl in this family of brothers?"Sam asked. The scarring on her knuckles from breaking the glass door began to heal. "Coralline, is she behind this?" Mick asked. Josef's eyebrows tensed as he dropped the now knocked out vampire. "How about you just explain what just happened" Josef asked.
"It's an interrogation method, memories straight from the source" Sam said "But it has setbacks, I temporary inherit the traits of a vampire". The scars on Sam's knuckles were now completely gone. "Even bloodlust, but I didn't take too much so my body will be able to process it in a few hours" Sam shrugged. "Normal humans die when they drink vampire blood, even a half a cup will do you in" Josef screamed. "Relax, I'm not like normal humans, plus I'm smart than to OD on vamp blood" Sam said. Beth shifted uncomfortably.
"Who's Coralline?" Sam asked looking away from Josef's murderous glare. Mick was silent for a moment but then he decided to speak "She's my ex-wife, and she is definitely capable of committing this". Sam thought for a moment "This vampire wasn't supposed to succeed in killing me, if I die then the other brothers will no longer have reason to disappear". Sam shifted "I'll only truly be in danger, when Coralline knocks off enough of her brothers, so that she won't bother to keep me alive". Josef growled protectively "Your crazy ex-wife sure is crafty" he spat.
The vampire lying on the floor suddenly jerked back to life. Sam screamed and suddenly found herself holding on to Josef. It was Mick who decapitated him. Josef rather liked how Sam's body was pressed up against him. Josef smirked "No worries baby, I'll protect you from all the things that go bump in the night, but who will protect you from me?" Sam immediately let go of him, crossed her arms and let a pout form on her face. "As if" was all she managed to say.
"Where are you going to stay?" Beth questioned "If you have no place to go, you can stay with me" Mick scoffed "There's no way someone attracting that much danger is staying with you". Mick shuddered to think of a vampiric Coralline battling Sam, and Beth as a casualty. Sam looked around at her ruined apartment, she couldn't stay here either. "You're staying with me" Mick said. Beth suddenly felt a wave of insecurity. Sam was extremely beautiful, and probably a tempting slut. Sam's lovely brown eyes and ebony locks suddenly became very prominent to Beth. "And if Coralline comes, you're just going to let her waltz right in and kill her. You might even help her do the job" Beth said, though she knew he wouldn't. Mick looked indignant.
"Look I can move around, I'll be fine" Sam finally said. Josef involuntarily put his arms around Sam, as if to stop her from moving away from him. Sam's eyes widened "What do you think you're doing?". Josef inhaled her scent for a moment "You'll stay with me, I'll keep you safe"
Sam thought for a moment "Sure, you'll keep me safe from the things that go bump in the night but who will protect me from you?"