Chapter 2 The vampire hunter
I was still surprised as I stared into those blue eyes, trying to make out what might have brought this beautiful stranger in little Westville, ghost of a once blooming town. I was so intrigued by him that the silence between us wasn't even awkward, just palpable with our silent questions of each other, as we analyzed each other.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"My name's Draven" he said as he took of his black leather glove and extended his hand.
Without hesitation, I shook his hand and introduced myself: "I'm Jade. Nice to meet ya." He had long fingers, but his hands felt rough, like he's been working on a farm. Not like my hands were very soft after carving wooden stakes, but with a glance I could see some scars around his wrist.
Once again silence fell between us. Now, the image of this stranger with startling bright blue eyes that contrasted with his raven hair, motorcyclist jack and combat boots had a name linked to it : Draven. Somehow, I thought, it sounded fitting for a guy looking like him. And quite uncommon.
For a second, I also asked myself what was this stranger- Draven- thinking of me now, what was he seeing…Jade, a girl with long dark brown hair, slightly tanned skin and big chocolate eyes. Suddenly I was very aware of my red t-shirt shaping my slim figure, the jeans shorts and worn-out Converse I was wearing. But his leather jacket seemed a bit used too and his boots were dirty- you can't blame a person for how they look now, after the vampire outbreak.
"After wandering ghost towns and deserted roads I'm happy to eventually find someone." He said as he took off his second glove and put both of them on the motorcycle's seat. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets.
"Well, welcome to what remains of our little town." I said with a small mock bow.
He sketched a little smile. "I've seen worse…" he said as his eyes drifted towards the scenery surrounding us. "So, how many are you left?"
I didn't say anything for a second- he was a stranger after all. He looked human and surely was human too, but humans were a danger as well- a lot of opportunists and looters can't wait to find vulnerable survivors.
I shrugged. "There are 40 of us, I guess." I paused a second as he nodded, then continued: "Want to meet the survivors? Do you need something? Maybe you want to stay for a while?"
His blue eyes met mine as a melancholic smile flashed on his face.
"I'd be nice to stay in a place for a bit. How many vampires pass around here?"
I flinched a bit at the mention of vampires- every night was a stress for us, waiting to see if a bloodsucker wandered around and decided to attack.
"Last attack was five days ago. Nobody was badly hurt, fortunately." I replied, biting my lip as I remembered the night. Greg Rogers' arm wound was quite nasty, but it was nicely healing now.
"Lead me to your leader, then." He said with amusement in his voice.
And like that, we started walking together toward the Taylor's house where the survivors hide, through the lonely, ravaged streets of Westville.
"It was a real nice town before the vampire invasion, y'know." I told Draven as we walked into the town, leaving the town name placard behind us.
He was carrying his motorcycle along him, while I preoccupied my hands with the hem of my shorts, while the wheels in my head tried to make something out of this stranger.
"So, how'd you found Westville?" I asked, genuinely curious, though also trying to investigate his motives.
He looked straight at the road that, too its credit, it wasn't filled with shattered glass anymore because the survivors made a habit of keeping the roads clean. Casually, he said: "I travel a lot- even since before the invasion. I guess it's a habit; plus, after the invasion, moving around all the time seemed more practical for me."
"Hmm, I guess. But isn't it hard, always having to find a new shelter, and supplies? I also imagine you encounter a lot of bloodsuckers while on the road, right?"
He shot me a wicked grin. "Those bloodsuckers aren't a problem for me."
I quirked an eyebrow and sneaked a better look at his motorcycle and the backpack strapped to it, trying to see if I could catch the glimpse of some kind of weapon- gun, stake, knife. Only someone prepared could be so sure of themselves.
"So…you're not afraid?" I asked as I watched my dusty Converse shoes. "I mean, killing vampires doesn't scare ya?"
A soft chuckle escaped his lips and my head snapped towards him. He met my eyes with confidence and I saw something strange in them, like some kind of satisfaction…
"If I'm scared? Killing bloodsuckers…hunting vampires…it's a job I'm taking pleasure in doing."
I stopped in the middle of the street, my hands clenching the hem of my shorts. He stopped as well and turned to look at me, with one dark eyebrow raised quizzically.
My mind was racing, heart pounding faster, brow knitted. He was…what he was saying is that…
"You're a vampire hunter." It wasn't a question.
He grinned. "Excuse me, Jade." He said my name for the first time since we met, and I couldn't help but smile at how it sounded said by him "but I think my introduction was incomplete. My bad." He cleared his throat. "Hello. I'm Draven. Vampire hunter. Family legacy."
Family legacy? That could only mean…that he was a vampire hunter before the invasion…and his parents were too…
I knew that once with the invasion, people began learning killing bloodsuckers- becoming makeshift hunters. I only heard rumors about professional vampire hunters, who make killing vampires a way of living. For us, it was just survival; for them, it was a way of living since before the invasion, when everybody learned about the existence of vampires.
It also crossed my mind that vampires hunters must be some very good allies- and dangerous at the same time.
"Huh. I've never met a hunter before- at least not any that I'm aware of." I said, putting my hands on my hips. "So you are travelin' around America slayin' vampires like some kind of savior, martyr…?"
"Martyr? You make me sound way too honorable; I'm just a guy earning his living by slaying fangs."
"Oh? You get paid for this? In the vampire apocalypse?" it seemed kind of weird, as money had little power now- I wasn't sure whether vampires used money or had other methods of payment.
"Well, payment can mean multiple things…like a place to spend the night, food, ammo…" he shrugged. "Y'know."
"Actually, sounds pretty good." I said, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips, for some reason or another.
"Sounds like the life of a mercenary." He commented.
I pursed my lips, considering. Well, he knows best, right? He's the hunter, after all.
"Anyway," I smiled excitedly as I resumed walking and he followed, "the survivors will be very happy to have you around us, even for a while. Maybe we can learn something about slaying fangs from you. Or…" I looked at him smugly "you don't give away your secrets?"
He laughed. "It's no secret, really. It's just skill. And training."
A good career for the vampire outbreak, that's sure!
We continued the road talking a bit about vampire hunting, some comments from me on how the town used to look before being ravaged and soon we were I near Taylor's house. Jonas- a fourteen year old boy with reddish wild hair- was playing with an old yoyo on the porch of the large house that housed most of the survivors. The house had a ground floor and one story, but was stretched enough and with a huge basement. All the windows of the house were secured with boards of strong wood, spikes are strategically assembled on the building's surface to keep vampires away and silver hangs everywhere, as vampires seem to be allergic to it, too.
Jonas looked up at us. Under his blue cap I could see his freckle-full face go from bored to surprised a he glanced at the stranger by my side. He jumped to his feet and stuffed his yoyo in his pocket and waited till we were close enough to call:
"Hello Jade! Hi mr!" he looked both excited and nervous- of course; it wasn't every day that somebody new came into town.
"Jonas, this is Draven." I made the introductions as Draven propped the motorcycle to stay and approached us. "Draven is a vampire hunter."
A/N: So, what do you think? Sorry it took me so long to update!