Author's Note: This is my first story EVER! I decided not to go and rewrite
it, because I like seeing how I evolved. Read and review if you like. This
story is also the basis for my other 5 or so Nightworld fics that will be
psoted.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Nightworld, and if I did, I would not be sitting here wasting the power.
Double-Trouble
Tyrna awoke to the sun streaming in her eyes. "I wish it was night-time," she whined as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her parents were gone for the weekend, and her brother was at a friend's house until Monday morning. But it was Friday afternoon, and she had until Sunday night to be with her friends. "This is going to be a fun weekend. But I'd better call Angel and see what she and Corinne want to do. I hope they got in touch with the guys." She sat up in bed slid smoothly to the floor. Picking up a brush from the nearby table, she began to brush her long, wavy, raven-black hair. As she looked into the mirror, two emerald-green eyes stared back at her, assessing her reflection. "Perfect." She reached for the phone and quickly dialed her best friend, Corinne's, phone number.
"Hello?"
"Hello Corinne, this is Tyrna. Did you and Angel get hold of the others?"
"Of course we did. Everyone is already at her house. I was going to call you and see when you thought you would get up. It's almost six o'clock," Corinne complained in a So what's your excuse this time? voice.
"Last night wore me out. I'm glad we didn't have school today, or else I wouldn't have gone. It's been so long since we had fun like that."
"Yeah, tell me about it. So listen, if you want to have even more fun, meet us at Angel's house in fifteen minutes. We'll be waiting!" Tyrna ran for her bag and then was out the door, heading for Angel's house.
*
* *
When she arrived she was ushered into the living room where the others were already assembled. There was elegant Angel, curly, light-brown hair pulled into a French braid and her intelligent, ever-changing eyes sweeping over the group. It was Angel who led this group, or Circle, as they called it. Seated on her right was Alex. He was tall, strong, and outspoken, and dirty- blonde hair accented his sky-blue eyes. Alex was one of Angel's second-in- command. Angel's other second sat on her left. Corinne was tall, thin, and incredibly strong. Short, curly red hair hung loose around her face to her shoulders, and her brown eyes glittered as she gazed at the boy sitting next to her. Tyrna recognized him as Alan. Although shorter than everyone else, his agility and speed made up for it. He was extremely thin, but his muscular legs seemed twice the size of anyone his weight. He looked back at Corinne with deep affection in his amber eyes, his tousled, dirty-blonde hair making him look eight years old. To Alan's left sat his older brother, Matt. He was the oldest besides Alex, and his gray eyes were of someone who had seen it all. His light-brown hair was short, but reminded you of someone who had just gotten out of bed. Tyrna resisted the urge to brush a strand of it out of his eyes. To Alex's right sat John and Peter. John was one of the strongest people physically of the group, on account of he had the body of a football player. His dark-brown eyes perfectly matched his dark-brown hair. Peter was one of the tallest in the group, and one of the newest. His orange hair was close-cropped, and clashed with his hazel eyes. This was their circle of friends, whom they all depended on. It was Angel who spoke first.
"I hope you all had a pleasant sleep. Even though some of us slept longer than others." She looked right at Tyrna, who looked away, and Matt blushed, knowing that he too had slept in.
"Anyway. Let's get down to business. It'll be getting dark in an hour, and we have to be ready." Corinne snapped everyone into attention.
"Corinne's right. We have to be ready tonight. The meeting is already set up. At eight o'clock we meet them in the woods. And who knows, they might bring knives and guns!" Alex jeered. At his words the entire group burst out laughing.
"Stupid thugs, thinking they can mess with us. We'll show them who rules these streets and the night!" Tyrna cheered, all too happy to be involved in the game.
"Yeah, they haven't got a prayer," Alan added, smiling to himself. He always thought it was a challenge to beat the fastest gang member they ran into.
"We'll show them. Let's just see how they like playing by our rules," John spoke up. Angel then clapped her hands for attention. The talk immediately stopped.
"I'm glad you're all excited about tonight. And guess what? I found out the names of some of the people we'll be playing with. One of them is Evan. The other is Kyle. I'm sure that Tyrna and Corinne will want those two?" Tyrna and Corinne exchanged evil smiles with one another.
'Revenge at last!' they both thought.
"Let's get started before it gets too dark and all the creepy creatures come out!" Peter teased as the group jumped up and headed out the door. Soon they had entered the woods next to Angel's house. They laughed as they ran to the meeting place for their "game".
*
*
*
At exactly eight o'clock the rival gang walked into a clearing out in the middle of nowhere. They pulled their leather jackets tight around them. It was so cold in the woods at night. The girls of the gang stood in the bushes, safe from harm. The leader, a stocky boy of eighteen, looked at the time on his watch. "I guess they aren't coming." he said to the others, who laughed.
"I guess they realized the Aces really are the best!" said Evan.
"Let's leave now and go rob some liquor store or something. They're never going to come, Greg." said Kyle. It was then that a lone figure walked into the clearing out of nowhere. Her black skirt swished around her knees as she walked toward the group. She approached Greg and spoke to him.
"You are Greg, the leader of the Aces?" she asked.
"Yeah that's me. And who are you?" he replied.
"My name is Angel, and I lead the Night Raiders." Angel said.
"Well it looks like the rest of your group deserted you, babe. You're all by your pretty, little self." Greg said, as he and his group laughed at this lone girl who would dare challenge them.
"Foolish human. Just because you can't see, doesn't mean they're not there." so saying this, she snapped her fingers once. That one snap was enough to do it. Without the other group having time to say anything, the battle exploded around them.
*
*
*
Corinne and Alan leaped out of the bushes, followed by John and Peter on the other side. Tyrna and Matt jumped down from a tree directly behind the gang. Alex jumped down to stand next to Angel. To the Aces, it seemed as if they had just appeared from nowhere. Alex was the one who spoke next.
"Surprise! Now we have a little game for you guys. Nothing fancy. The winners get to live, and the losers... Well you can guess the rest. Just a few rules though. No leaving the woods. Rule two- No crying. And rule three- The losers die very painful deaths." he explained. The resounding laughter from Angel's group made even Evan and Kyle shudder.
"Fine. We'll play by your rules. But here are our rules. No touching our girls. And by the way, what weapons can we use?" Greg asked, as he stared at Angel. He was fascinated that her eyes seemed to be a different color every minute. When he had first looked at her, they had been brown. Now in the fading sunlight, they took on a royal-blue color. He would make sure to spare her life when they won.
"Weapons? You use weapons? How pitiful." John said.
"Strange, strange humans." Tyrna and Corinne said at the same time.
"Well what do you use to fight? You can't beat any gang barehanded." Shawn said. He looked at this group in wonder and pity. They would never defeat the Aces if they didn't use weapons.
"We don't need to use weapons. We've always used things more... Natural." Matt said, as he smiled to himself. Corinne let loose a bout of maniacal laughter. Shawn shuddered.
"Well this is great and all, but can we get on with it?" Evan said, eager to take this gang down once and for all. But something still bothered him. He had heard stories about the Night Raiders. Stories that said they played differently. Stories that they weren't too merciful. But since he wasn't merciful either, it didn't bother him too much.
"Fine. If that is your wish. You will have five minutes to either get away or kill us. If you succeed, we will yield. If not, you won't live to tell what you saw." Alex said, smiling evilly.
"Before we begin, I'll introduce my group and you will do the same for yours. We have an even number and we'll pair off. Fair?" Angel asked, as she looked straight at Greg.
"That sounds fine." he said, as he looked at her now dark-green eyes.
"Since I am leader, I'll take on you. One of my seconds, Alex, will take on yours. Where is your second?" Angel said.
"Shawn is my second." said Greg, as a tall boy of seventeen stood next to him. His coppery hair reflected the last rays of the dying sun. "Who will take on Kyle?" Greg asked the group. No one in the other group moved, and Kyle looked pleased. They must know how tough he was.
"I'll take him." came a female voice. Kyle turned to see Corinne standing there.
"It's nice to see you again, Corinne. I promise you a quick death." he said, looking at her with pity. It would take more than his ex- girlfriend to bring him down.
"And I promise you a slow, painful one." she replied, as Alan grinned at her. She would tear him limb from limb, and he almost felt sorry for Kyle. Almost.
"Who do I get the pleasure of killing?" Evan asked. He was grinning at the others, but a second later, he almost choked. Tyrna stood before him looking like a revenging goddess. Her thin, strong body seemed to glide as she moved. He hadn't seen her since the summer. Wow, she was pretty. But he felt sorry for her. He knew that there was no way she would kill him. She was just too nice.
"It'll be my pleasure to bring you down, Evan." Tyrna said, as she looked at him with hatred. He would regret the day when he had first crossed her path.
"I want the fastest one of your gang." came Alan's voice. A tall, lanky, fifteen year-old stepped out.
"My name is Pat. But they call me Speedy. You think you can out-run me, little boy?" Pat asked, eying the rival member with distrust.
"I'll not only outrun you, I'll run circles around you until I've dug your grave." Alan replied, narrowing his eyes.
"I've got a brother team of Mike and Ike. Who wants them?" Greg asked, as a pair of football players stepped to the front. John and Peter immediately volunteered.
"Finally, I have Anthony left. But I warn you. Even though he isn't the leader, he's the oldest and the most experienced. Who wants to take him on?" Greg asked, as the nineteen year-old wrestler came to stand next to him. There was only one person left to take Anthony. The tall, thin kid that was standing next to Tyrna. He didn't have a prayer.
"He's all mine." Matt said, as he faced his opponent. He didn't want to laugh at the poor kid, but it was a shame to have to kill him.
"Then that settles it. We'll now begin. You have five minutes. Ready? Go!" Angel yelled, as the Aces pulled their guns on the Night Raiders. They just laughed.
"You'd think these humans would learn that it doesn't pay to use these things!" John said, as he stared at the two boys in front of him and sent a smile to Peter, who nodded.
"Fire!" came Greg's simple command. His group pulled the triggers, and the resounding noise was deafening.
Corinne dodged, and a bullet went whistling past her ear. Alan ducked while one flew over his head. John and Peter simply stood there as the bullets hit them in the shoulders. Matt stepped smoothly out of the way, and Alex jumped over Shawn's head and landed behind him. Tyrna dodged and then kicked the gun from Evan's hand. It was then that they heard Angel scream.
"You idiot! You shot a hole in my new suede blouse!" she screamed at Greg. There was a large hole right in the middle of the blouse. Blood dripped from the hole in Angel, but she paid it little mind. "You are going to regret doing that." she said coldly. Greg and the rest of his group dropped their guns in astonishment. They had never seen anything like this. She wasn't screaming in pain, she was... Well... Hissing in anger. They forgot their fearlessness and ran screaming into the woods.
"Head for the road!" Greg shouted, as they left the Night Raiders far behind.
"Wait a minute, they aren't supposed to be near the road. That's cheating. Attack!" Alex yelled, as they took off after the Aces.
*
*
*
Greg ran fast, but apparently not fast enough. He stopped by a big tree to catch his breath. Angel stepped out calmly from the woods. And she wasn't even breathing hard. "I told you that you would pay for ruining my blouse." she said, as she slapped him across the face. He flew back against the tree. As he looked at her, he noticed a change, something about her was different. Her mouth. She had long, pointy canine teeth that slightly indented her lower lip. She smiled at him as she came towards him.
"What are you?!" he cried, as she looked deep into his eyes.
"Apparently not human." she said, as she sank her teeth into his throat. Warm blood poured down her throat as she drank deeply. She wondered how the others were doing.
*
*
*
Alex jumped from branch to branch, hunting for Shawn. He found him in a small clearing, looking around like a caged animal. Waiting until he was directly below him, Alex jumped and landed on top of him. Shawn had time to see only the long canines as his world exploded in pain and darkness.
*
*
*
Not far from Alex, John and Peter had cornered Dumb and Dumber, who unloaded a few more bullets into them. They merely smiled, showing two pairs of pointy canines at their opponents. The brothers immediately understood that their lives were over as John and Peter advanced on them hungrily.
*
*
*
The boy they called Speedy was still running when he heard a sound behind him. He kept running, afraid of what would happen if he stopped. A small figure broke through the trees and barreled into him. "Caught you!" said Alan, as he smiled at Pat. All Pat could see were the long, sharp canines as Alan bent his head and began to drink.
*
*
*
Kyle had run for a long time before he finally stopped and looked behind him. He saw no one. With a sigh he turned back around- and almost stopped breathing. Corinne sat on the ground a few feet in front of him. She rose in one fluid motion and walked over to him. "I missed you, Kyle." she purred, as she stroked his face with her hand. "I always wanted to thank you for giving me a chance to... Find my inner self." she finished.
"Your inner self is a demon!" Kyle said to her shaking off her hand.
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Corinne said, as she showed Kyle her teeth. His eyes widened as he realized her canines were twice as long as they should be, and as sharp as small needles. She grabbed him and bit into his neck. He didn't even have time to scream.
*
*
*
Anthony walked warily about the woods. He didn't want to meet that kid Matt. After the gun thing he wasn't sure that he could kill him as easily.
He walked until he heard a rustling in the bushes. Thinking it was one of the Aces, he called out. "It's just me Anthony." Expecting a reply, he waited. A lone figure stepped out and spoke to him.
"You know, if I were you, I wouldn't have identified myself. I'm still trying to figure out how you lived this long by being so stupid." Matt said, advancing on the boy.
"I'm a whole lot older than you, so that might say something of my intelligence." Anthony replied.
"I think I'm just a little older than you. So if I were you, I'd be frightened." said Matt.
"I don't have anything to be frightened of." came Anthony's simple reply. Matt smiled at him, showing Anthony a pair of canines designed to puncture a person's throat cleanly and effectively.
"Now you do." Matt said, jumping on top of him. A few seconds was all it took and then he was feeling the warm blood coarse down his throat.
*
*
*
Evan didn't know what had happened to the other Aces. He didn't know what had happened to Tyrna. All he knew was that he was scared. Tyrna had changed! She was no longer the innocent girl he had tortured last year. A rustling sound came from the bushes, and he jumped ten feet. A little chipmunk came out, saw him, and ran away. "Stupid animal. I'm much smarter than you. I can't believe you're scared of me." he said. Just then, a voice came seemingly from nowhere.
"I don't think it was scared of you, Evan. I think it was scared of me." it said. Evan looked frantically around for the voice, but saw no one. Until Tyrna landed directly in front of him after jumping from a nearby tree. Evan screamed!
"What the hell are you?! You aren't human!" he yelled.
"You're right, we aren't. You know, I never realized how smart you are." she replied sarcastically. She knocked him back against a tree by simply pushing him back. She was strong, even for a girl. "This time Evan, I'll be the one who'll do the torturing." she said, as she felt her canines extend. Suddenly Evan understood. He was going to die! As he gazed at her needle-sharp teeth he tried one last defense.
"Go to hell." he said. She merely smiled at him.
"Been there. Done that." Tyrna said, as she bent down. Evan screamed as he felt the pain of her teeth in his neck. Then all he could see, was darkness.
*
*
*
Angel stepped into the clearing and waited for the others to get there. She didn't have to wait long. Alex sauntered out of the woods, followed by John and Peter. Alan and Corinne ran out, racing each other again. Matt and Tyrna walked side by side, debating about the Aces. Angel clapped for attention. "I think we should get the others and go back to my house." she said, as Alex, John, and Peter went into the bushes. They emerged with eight terrified girls. Dragging the bound girls, they walked back to Angel's house. They reached the house in a few minutes and flung the girls inside. One of them, Natalie, spoke to Angel.
"You're going to be in big trouble. You'll never get away with this. The police will find their headless bodies." she said angrily.
"Headless bodies? What headless bodies?" Angel asked her. The Night Raiders burst out into hysterical laughter. "Oh those headless bodies! Don't worry. They're in a safe place where no one will disturb them, or their heads." Angel finished, as the laughter died down.
"So what are you going to do with us? Give us to the men?" A girl named Samantha asked.
"Hell no! These men belong to us!" Corinne said, putting a possessive hand on Alan's shoulder. Alan just smiled.
"You can't kill us in here. Your parents won't allow it." One of them, Rachel, said.
"My parents are dead. I inherited this house from them. And even if they were alive, I can assure you that we would still be doing this.
"Your parents are dead? How?" Natalie asked.
"They were killed two years ago by Hunters. Vampire Hunters." Angel replied.
"Wait a minute! That's impossible! There are no such things as vam..." Samantha's voice trailed off as the girls saw that all the Night Raiders had long, sharp fangs. They were vampires!
"What's your name? So we can tell those Hunters that they forgot one." Natalie asked, thinking they would get out of there.
"My name is Angel. Angel Redfern. And you won't live long enough to even scream." Angel told her. With that, she dove on Natalie. The others picked their own girls. In a matter of minutes, eight dry bodies lay before them. Each of them carried a girl to the edge of a ravine in the woods, and threw her off. Back at Angel's, they sat down to talk.
"Aaahh. There's nothing like the thrill of the hunt late on a Friday night to make your blood stir." Alex said.
"Tell me about it. But those guys were about as spineless as-" Corinne started to say.
"Seahorses?" Alan asked, looking at his brother. Tyrna stepped behind him and wacked him on the head. She then sat down next to Matt.
"Next time I'll use a frying pan. One with a wooden handle!" she said, as Matt put his arm around her.
"Soulmates." Alan said, rolling his eyes.
"Oh. So having a soulmate is so bad, huh? Thanks!" Corinne said, looking upset.
"No. I mean... Well... Never mind." he said, as Corinne laid her head on his shoulder. Alan just sighed.
"Getting back to business. What's on tomorrow's agenda?" Alex asked.
"How about sleep?" Matt asked, as the rest of the group groaned, and Tyrna sent him a black look.
"How about a sleep-over for tonight. I mean, it's almost twelve o'clock. The dead are waking up right now." Peter said.
"And the undead are walking the streets right now." John said.
"And our two dead-heads need to quit with the humor. Or un-humor." Alex said.
"All right. Quit it, you three. We should head around town tomorrow and see if anyone else wants to take us on." Angel said.
"I still don't know why these stupid humans want to fight us. I mean guns? You'd think that after the first six times, they would get it." John said.
"Just remember, John. No one survives our fights, so they can't go back and tell everyone else. And don't forget, you used to be human." Corinne said.
"Yeah we know. Just because you, Angel, Tyrna, Alan, and Matt are lamia, you think you're better." Peter said.
"We don't think, we know." Angel said, glaring at him. Peter let the subject drop. He knew it wasn't wise to get Angel mad. She could just as soon stake him before he knew what hit him. But he loved her. But did she love him? No! Peter had thought that maybe she was his soulmate, but whenever he touched her, nothing happened. Except that Angel would hit him occasionally. He wanted Angel to love him, but since he knew it was impossible, he just followed her extremely loyally. No one messed with any Night Raider and lived to see the next sunrise!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Nightworld, and if I did, I would not be sitting here wasting the power.
Double-Trouble
Tyrna awoke to the sun streaming in her eyes. "I wish it was night-time," she whined as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her parents were gone for the weekend, and her brother was at a friend's house until Monday morning. But it was Friday afternoon, and she had until Sunday night to be with her friends. "This is going to be a fun weekend. But I'd better call Angel and see what she and Corinne want to do. I hope they got in touch with the guys." She sat up in bed slid smoothly to the floor. Picking up a brush from the nearby table, she began to brush her long, wavy, raven-black hair. As she looked into the mirror, two emerald-green eyes stared back at her, assessing her reflection. "Perfect." She reached for the phone and quickly dialed her best friend, Corinne's, phone number.
"Hello?"
"Hello Corinne, this is Tyrna. Did you and Angel get hold of the others?"
"Of course we did. Everyone is already at her house. I was going to call you and see when you thought you would get up. It's almost six o'clock," Corinne complained in a So what's your excuse this time? voice.
"Last night wore me out. I'm glad we didn't have school today, or else I wouldn't have gone. It's been so long since we had fun like that."
"Yeah, tell me about it. So listen, if you want to have even more fun, meet us at Angel's house in fifteen minutes. We'll be waiting!" Tyrna ran for her bag and then was out the door, heading for Angel's house.
*
* *
When she arrived she was ushered into the living room where the others were already assembled. There was elegant Angel, curly, light-brown hair pulled into a French braid and her intelligent, ever-changing eyes sweeping over the group. It was Angel who led this group, or Circle, as they called it. Seated on her right was Alex. He was tall, strong, and outspoken, and dirty- blonde hair accented his sky-blue eyes. Alex was one of Angel's second-in- command. Angel's other second sat on her left. Corinne was tall, thin, and incredibly strong. Short, curly red hair hung loose around her face to her shoulders, and her brown eyes glittered as she gazed at the boy sitting next to her. Tyrna recognized him as Alan. Although shorter than everyone else, his agility and speed made up for it. He was extremely thin, but his muscular legs seemed twice the size of anyone his weight. He looked back at Corinne with deep affection in his amber eyes, his tousled, dirty-blonde hair making him look eight years old. To Alan's left sat his older brother, Matt. He was the oldest besides Alex, and his gray eyes were of someone who had seen it all. His light-brown hair was short, but reminded you of someone who had just gotten out of bed. Tyrna resisted the urge to brush a strand of it out of his eyes. To Alex's right sat John and Peter. John was one of the strongest people physically of the group, on account of he had the body of a football player. His dark-brown eyes perfectly matched his dark-brown hair. Peter was one of the tallest in the group, and one of the newest. His orange hair was close-cropped, and clashed with his hazel eyes. This was their circle of friends, whom they all depended on. It was Angel who spoke first.
"I hope you all had a pleasant sleep. Even though some of us slept longer than others." She looked right at Tyrna, who looked away, and Matt blushed, knowing that he too had slept in.
"Anyway. Let's get down to business. It'll be getting dark in an hour, and we have to be ready." Corinne snapped everyone into attention.
"Corinne's right. We have to be ready tonight. The meeting is already set up. At eight o'clock we meet them in the woods. And who knows, they might bring knives and guns!" Alex jeered. At his words the entire group burst out laughing.
"Stupid thugs, thinking they can mess with us. We'll show them who rules these streets and the night!" Tyrna cheered, all too happy to be involved in the game.
"Yeah, they haven't got a prayer," Alan added, smiling to himself. He always thought it was a challenge to beat the fastest gang member they ran into.
"We'll show them. Let's just see how they like playing by our rules," John spoke up. Angel then clapped her hands for attention. The talk immediately stopped.
"I'm glad you're all excited about tonight. And guess what? I found out the names of some of the people we'll be playing with. One of them is Evan. The other is Kyle. I'm sure that Tyrna and Corinne will want those two?" Tyrna and Corinne exchanged evil smiles with one another.
'Revenge at last!' they both thought.
"Let's get started before it gets too dark and all the creepy creatures come out!" Peter teased as the group jumped up and headed out the door. Soon they had entered the woods next to Angel's house. They laughed as they ran to the meeting place for their "game".
*
*
*
At exactly eight o'clock the rival gang walked into a clearing out in the middle of nowhere. They pulled their leather jackets tight around them. It was so cold in the woods at night. The girls of the gang stood in the bushes, safe from harm. The leader, a stocky boy of eighteen, looked at the time on his watch. "I guess they aren't coming." he said to the others, who laughed.
"I guess they realized the Aces really are the best!" said Evan.
"Let's leave now and go rob some liquor store or something. They're never going to come, Greg." said Kyle. It was then that a lone figure walked into the clearing out of nowhere. Her black skirt swished around her knees as she walked toward the group. She approached Greg and spoke to him.
"You are Greg, the leader of the Aces?" she asked.
"Yeah that's me. And who are you?" he replied.
"My name is Angel, and I lead the Night Raiders." Angel said.
"Well it looks like the rest of your group deserted you, babe. You're all by your pretty, little self." Greg said, as he and his group laughed at this lone girl who would dare challenge them.
"Foolish human. Just because you can't see, doesn't mean they're not there." so saying this, she snapped her fingers once. That one snap was enough to do it. Without the other group having time to say anything, the battle exploded around them.
*
*
*
Corinne and Alan leaped out of the bushes, followed by John and Peter on the other side. Tyrna and Matt jumped down from a tree directly behind the gang. Alex jumped down to stand next to Angel. To the Aces, it seemed as if they had just appeared from nowhere. Alex was the one who spoke next.
"Surprise! Now we have a little game for you guys. Nothing fancy. The winners get to live, and the losers... Well you can guess the rest. Just a few rules though. No leaving the woods. Rule two- No crying. And rule three- The losers die very painful deaths." he explained. The resounding laughter from Angel's group made even Evan and Kyle shudder.
"Fine. We'll play by your rules. But here are our rules. No touching our girls. And by the way, what weapons can we use?" Greg asked, as he stared at Angel. He was fascinated that her eyes seemed to be a different color every minute. When he had first looked at her, they had been brown. Now in the fading sunlight, they took on a royal-blue color. He would make sure to spare her life when they won.
"Weapons? You use weapons? How pitiful." John said.
"Strange, strange humans." Tyrna and Corinne said at the same time.
"Well what do you use to fight? You can't beat any gang barehanded." Shawn said. He looked at this group in wonder and pity. They would never defeat the Aces if they didn't use weapons.
"We don't need to use weapons. We've always used things more... Natural." Matt said, as he smiled to himself. Corinne let loose a bout of maniacal laughter. Shawn shuddered.
"Well this is great and all, but can we get on with it?" Evan said, eager to take this gang down once and for all. But something still bothered him. He had heard stories about the Night Raiders. Stories that said they played differently. Stories that they weren't too merciful. But since he wasn't merciful either, it didn't bother him too much.
"Fine. If that is your wish. You will have five minutes to either get away or kill us. If you succeed, we will yield. If not, you won't live to tell what you saw." Alex said, smiling evilly.
"Before we begin, I'll introduce my group and you will do the same for yours. We have an even number and we'll pair off. Fair?" Angel asked, as she looked straight at Greg.
"That sounds fine." he said, as he looked at her now dark-green eyes.
"Since I am leader, I'll take on you. One of my seconds, Alex, will take on yours. Where is your second?" Angel said.
"Shawn is my second." said Greg, as a tall boy of seventeen stood next to him. His coppery hair reflected the last rays of the dying sun. "Who will take on Kyle?" Greg asked the group. No one in the other group moved, and Kyle looked pleased. They must know how tough he was.
"I'll take him." came a female voice. Kyle turned to see Corinne standing there.
"It's nice to see you again, Corinne. I promise you a quick death." he said, looking at her with pity. It would take more than his ex- girlfriend to bring him down.
"And I promise you a slow, painful one." she replied, as Alan grinned at her. She would tear him limb from limb, and he almost felt sorry for Kyle. Almost.
"Who do I get the pleasure of killing?" Evan asked. He was grinning at the others, but a second later, he almost choked. Tyrna stood before him looking like a revenging goddess. Her thin, strong body seemed to glide as she moved. He hadn't seen her since the summer. Wow, she was pretty. But he felt sorry for her. He knew that there was no way she would kill him. She was just too nice.
"It'll be my pleasure to bring you down, Evan." Tyrna said, as she looked at him with hatred. He would regret the day when he had first crossed her path.
"I want the fastest one of your gang." came Alan's voice. A tall, lanky, fifteen year-old stepped out.
"My name is Pat. But they call me Speedy. You think you can out-run me, little boy?" Pat asked, eying the rival member with distrust.
"I'll not only outrun you, I'll run circles around you until I've dug your grave." Alan replied, narrowing his eyes.
"I've got a brother team of Mike and Ike. Who wants them?" Greg asked, as a pair of football players stepped to the front. John and Peter immediately volunteered.
"Finally, I have Anthony left. But I warn you. Even though he isn't the leader, he's the oldest and the most experienced. Who wants to take him on?" Greg asked, as the nineteen year-old wrestler came to stand next to him. There was only one person left to take Anthony. The tall, thin kid that was standing next to Tyrna. He didn't have a prayer.
"He's all mine." Matt said, as he faced his opponent. He didn't want to laugh at the poor kid, but it was a shame to have to kill him.
"Then that settles it. We'll now begin. You have five minutes. Ready? Go!" Angel yelled, as the Aces pulled their guns on the Night Raiders. They just laughed.
"You'd think these humans would learn that it doesn't pay to use these things!" John said, as he stared at the two boys in front of him and sent a smile to Peter, who nodded.
"Fire!" came Greg's simple command. His group pulled the triggers, and the resounding noise was deafening.
Corinne dodged, and a bullet went whistling past her ear. Alan ducked while one flew over his head. John and Peter simply stood there as the bullets hit them in the shoulders. Matt stepped smoothly out of the way, and Alex jumped over Shawn's head and landed behind him. Tyrna dodged and then kicked the gun from Evan's hand. It was then that they heard Angel scream.
"You idiot! You shot a hole in my new suede blouse!" she screamed at Greg. There was a large hole right in the middle of the blouse. Blood dripped from the hole in Angel, but she paid it little mind. "You are going to regret doing that." she said coldly. Greg and the rest of his group dropped their guns in astonishment. They had never seen anything like this. She wasn't screaming in pain, she was... Well... Hissing in anger. They forgot their fearlessness and ran screaming into the woods.
"Head for the road!" Greg shouted, as they left the Night Raiders far behind.
"Wait a minute, they aren't supposed to be near the road. That's cheating. Attack!" Alex yelled, as they took off after the Aces.
*
*
*
Greg ran fast, but apparently not fast enough. He stopped by a big tree to catch his breath. Angel stepped out calmly from the woods. And she wasn't even breathing hard. "I told you that you would pay for ruining my blouse." she said, as she slapped him across the face. He flew back against the tree. As he looked at her, he noticed a change, something about her was different. Her mouth. She had long, pointy canine teeth that slightly indented her lower lip. She smiled at him as she came towards him.
"What are you?!" he cried, as she looked deep into his eyes.
"Apparently not human." she said, as she sank her teeth into his throat. Warm blood poured down her throat as she drank deeply. She wondered how the others were doing.
*
*
*
Alex jumped from branch to branch, hunting for Shawn. He found him in a small clearing, looking around like a caged animal. Waiting until he was directly below him, Alex jumped and landed on top of him. Shawn had time to see only the long canines as his world exploded in pain and darkness.
*
*
*
Not far from Alex, John and Peter had cornered Dumb and Dumber, who unloaded a few more bullets into them. They merely smiled, showing two pairs of pointy canines at their opponents. The brothers immediately understood that their lives were over as John and Peter advanced on them hungrily.
*
*
*
The boy they called Speedy was still running when he heard a sound behind him. He kept running, afraid of what would happen if he stopped. A small figure broke through the trees and barreled into him. "Caught you!" said Alan, as he smiled at Pat. All Pat could see were the long, sharp canines as Alan bent his head and began to drink.
*
*
*
Kyle had run for a long time before he finally stopped and looked behind him. He saw no one. With a sigh he turned back around- and almost stopped breathing. Corinne sat on the ground a few feet in front of him. She rose in one fluid motion and walked over to him. "I missed you, Kyle." she purred, as she stroked his face with her hand. "I always wanted to thank you for giving me a chance to... Find my inner self." she finished.
"Your inner self is a demon!" Kyle said to her shaking off her hand.
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Corinne said, as she showed Kyle her teeth. His eyes widened as he realized her canines were twice as long as they should be, and as sharp as small needles. She grabbed him and bit into his neck. He didn't even have time to scream.
*
*
*
Anthony walked warily about the woods. He didn't want to meet that kid Matt. After the gun thing he wasn't sure that he could kill him as easily.
He walked until he heard a rustling in the bushes. Thinking it was one of the Aces, he called out. "It's just me Anthony." Expecting a reply, he waited. A lone figure stepped out and spoke to him.
"You know, if I were you, I wouldn't have identified myself. I'm still trying to figure out how you lived this long by being so stupid." Matt said, advancing on the boy.
"I'm a whole lot older than you, so that might say something of my intelligence." Anthony replied.
"I think I'm just a little older than you. So if I were you, I'd be frightened." said Matt.
"I don't have anything to be frightened of." came Anthony's simple reply. Matt smiled at him, showing Anthony a pair of canines designed to puncture a person's throat cleanly and effectively.
"Now you do." Matt said, jumping on top of him. A few seconds was all it took and then he was feeling the warm blood coarse down his throat.
*
*
*
Evan didn't know what had happened to the other Aces. He didn't know what had happened to Tyrna. All he knew was that he was scared. Tyrna had changed! She was no longer the innocent girl he had tortured last year. A rustling sound came from the bushes, and he jumped ten feet. A little chipmunk came out, saw him, and ran away. "Stupid animal. I'm much smarter than you. I can't believe you're scared of me." he said. Just then, a voice came seemingly from nowhere.
"I don't think it was scared of you, Evan. I think it was scared of me." it said. Evan looked frantically around for the voice, but saw no one. Until Tyrna landed directly in front of him after jumping from a nearby tree. Evan screamed!
"What the hell are you?! You aren't human!" he yelled.
"You're right, we aren't. You know, I never realized how smart you are." she replied sarcastically. She knocked him back against a tree by simply pushing him back. She was strong, even for a girl. "This time Evan, I'll be the one who'll do the torturing." she said, as she felt her canines extend. Suddenly Evan understood. He was going to die! As he gazed at her needle-sharp teeth he tried one last defense.
"Go to hell." he said. She merely smiled at him.
"Been there. Done that." Tyrna said, as she bent down. Evan screamed as he felt the pain of her teeth in his neck. Then all he could see, was darkness.
*
*
*
Angel stepped into the clearing and waited for the others to get there. She didn't have to wait long. Alex sauntered out of the woods, followed by John and Peter. Alan and Corinne ran out, racing each other again. Matt and Tyrna walked side by side, debating about the Aces. Angel clapped for attention. "I think we should get the others and go back to my house." she said, as Alex, John, and Peter went into the bushes. They emerged with eight terrified girls. Dragging the bound girls, they walked back to Angel's house. They reached the house in a few minutes and flung the girls inside. One of them, Natalie, spoke to Angel.
"You're going to be in big trouble. You'll never get away with this. The police will find their headless bodies." she said angrily.
"Headless bodies? What headless bodies?" Angel asked her. The Night Raiders burst out into hysterical laughter. "Oh those headless bodies! Don't worry. They're in a safe place where no one will disturb them, or their heads." Angel finished, as the laughter died down.
"So what are you going to do with us? Give us to the men?" A girl named Samantha asked.
"Hell no! These men belong to us!" Corinne said, putting a possessive hand on Alan's shoulder. Alan just smiled.
"You can't kill us in here. Your parents won't allow it." One of them, Rachel, said.
"My parents are dead. I inherited this house from them. And even if they were alive, I can assure you that we would still be doing this.
"Your parents are dead? How?" Natalie asked.
"They were killed two years ago by Hunters. Vampire Hunters." Angel replied.
"Wait a minute! That's impossible! There are no such things as vam..." Samantha's voice trailed off as the girls saw that all the Night Raiders had long, sharp fangs. They were vampires!
"What's your name? So we can tell those Hunters that they forgot one." Natalie asked, thinking they would get out of there.
"My name is Angel. Angel Redfern. And you won't live long enough to even scream." Angel told her. With that, she dove on Natalie. The others picked their own girls. In a matter of minutes, eight dry bodies lay before them. Each of them carried a girl to the edge of a ravine in the woods, and threw her off. Back at Angel's, they sat down to talk.
"Aaahh. There's nothing like the thrill of the hunt late on a Friday night to make your blood stir." Alex said.
"Tell me about it. But those guys were about as spineless as-" Corinne started to say.
"Seahorses?" Alan asked, looking at his brother. Tyrna stepped behind him and wacked him on the head. She then sat down next to Matt.
"Next time I'll use a frying pan. One with a wooden handle!" she said, as Matt put his arm around her.
"Soulmates." Alan said, rolling his eyes.
"Oh. So having a soulmate is so bad, huh? Thanks!" Corinne said, looking upset.
"No. I mean... Well... Never mind." he said, as Corinne laid her head on his shoulder. Alan just sighed.
"Getting back to business. What's on tomorrow's agenda?" Alex asked.
"How about sleep?" Matt asked, as the rest of the group groaned, and Tyrna sent him a black look.
"How about a sleep-over for tonight. I mean, it's almost twelve o'clock. The dead are waking up right now." Peter said.
"And the undead are walking the streets right now." John said.
"And our two dead-heads need to quit with the humor. Or un-humor." Alex said.
"All right. Quit it, you three. We should head around town tomorrow and see if anyone else wants to take us on." Angel said.
"I still don't know why these stupid humans want to fight us. I mean guns? You'd think that after the first six times, they would get it." John said.
"Just remember, John. No one survives our fights, so they can't go back and tell everyone else. And don't forget, you used to be human." Corinne said.
"Yeah we know. Just because you, Angel, Tyrna, Alan, and Matt are lamia, you think you're better." Peter said.
"We don't think, we know." Angel said, glaring at him. Peter let the subject drop. He knew it wasn't wise to get Angel mad. She could just as soon stake him before he knew what hit him. But he loved her. But did she love him? No! Peter had thought that maybe she was his soulmate, but whenever he touched her, nothing happened. Except that Angel would hit him occasionally. He wanted Angel to love him, but since he knew it was impossible, he just followed her extremely loyally. No one messed with any Night Raider and lived to see the next sunrise!