I am running hard. I had only heard the explosion, the sound echoed so it was difficult to discern from where it had come, but I knew. The worry I have been hiding for the past few months has taken form into reality. My vision is a straight and narrow tunnel, all regard for my surroundings has been thrown out of my mind, the only thing I see, the only thing I think about, is the church that I sprint frantically towards.

People gather around the wreckage. There's no fire, so they look on in confusion, not knowing what could have caused such massive damage without the use of some sort of bomb.

I hold no confusion. As quick as I can, I scramble up the crumbling stone; I use the splintered head of a wooden Madonna as a booster over the debris. Half falling, half climbing, I reach the other side of the rubble and continue my sprint.

I can hear the crying in the distance – Ellie. Her high-pitched whimper pierces my ears, but it is not bad enough to cause me my own grief and slow me down. I knew they wouldn't be safe here, but I caved to them both, and I believed.

The room is ahead on my left. My breathing is ragged as I turn the corner….

I wake with a start. My breath catches in my throat as I stare wildly at my surroundings. When I realize I'm in the small bedroom of our apartment I breathe again. Ellie, who lies at my side, sighs gently in her sleep from my sudden shift, but doesn't wake. I tenderly brush the fallen locks of her hair out of her face.

"You are awake."

I jump and look over to the corner by the door. The priest leans against the wall, his arms folded against his chest, the long staff resting next to him. Apparently I hadn't scanned the room close enough; I missed his tall form during my first glance. I nod to show that I've heard him, but I am lost for words at the moment, so I sit there and stare blankly back at him.

"I have contacted the Vatican. They have sent an escort for both of you."

"Thanks," I say, and then his words sink in. "Wait…what?"

"You will be safer at the Vatican, and an escort will be arriving to take you there." He exits the room and starts for the main door of the apartment.

I ponder this. We have been safe for the past ten years, outburst like this have happened before, but never one so…noticeable. If there are vampires in the town they would surely have heard that and will begin their search for Ellie. I peer outside. It's dark. A foreboding feeling comes over me.

I climb out of the bed and quickly follow the priest to the door.

"How long will it be until the escort arrives?"

"I am unsure. They did not specify."

"Must you leave then?"

"If vampires were in this town, and even if they had heard, there is a minute possibility that they will find you. The noise was great and will not be easily pinpointed."

"But there still is that possibility."

"I am close to finding something I have been searching for, for a very long time. My condolences, but I must depart." A cold look enters his eyes before he looks at me again. He gives a slight bow and exits through the decaying door.

I should be highly enraged. I should run after him and start reaming him a new one, but the coolness in his eyes, and the dark determination in his voice, leaves me slightly speechless. I sigh. He's right. As long as we lay low for the rest of the night, and for the next few days, all should be well, and then we will be on our way to the Vatican.

"He's leaving isn't he, mama?" I jump for the second time tonight as Ellie walks out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes with the side of her right hand.

"Yes," I say softly. "I'm sorry, Ellie." She shakes her head and smiles. It's supposed to make me feel better, but I feel worse. I've denied her a lot to protect her and my heart tightens in my chest. "Why don't you change into your nightgown? I'll get you some water and we'll go back to bed, alright?" She nods and turns sleepily back into the bedroom, while I go to the cupboards, grab a glass, and start to fill it at the sink.

My mind wanders back to my dream. I think about the rest of the events that had happened that night and look to the couch. I had taken it for a situation like this; I should use it, or at least carry it around, just in case.

Sitting the water-filled glass on the small, worn table in front of it, I kneel by the couch and start flailing my hand around under it until my fingers hit a hard, metal object. I go to pull it out, but it seems to be stuck on something; an old, forgotten piece of food, a dead rat, I don't know, and I don't really want to. I tug harder until the object is freed. In the process, though, the force in which I was pulling flings me back and my shoulder hits the table. I can't see it, but I know it is going to happen. Glass shatters everywhere and my feet become soaked. Wonderful; and that was one of the good ones too.

Sighing for the millionth time I tip-toe around the shards and get a rag from the kitchen, leaving the object still slightly concealed under the couch. Once I have the clean cloth in my hand, I turn and I find Ellie picking up the pieces. The girl is like a ghost, I hadn't even heard her come back out of the bedroom.

"Ellie not with your bare hands, you'll cut yourself." And, sure enough, a few seconds later she gives a small ouch as she slices open her index finger; the blood forms a bright red droplet at the cut before it runs down her hand and drips to the floor. I walk over and smack her on the head with the rag. "Wash it up."

I start cleaning up the mess, but the scrap towel is full of water and glass, and is unusable far faster than I would have thought.

"Ellie could you get me another one?" Silence greets me. "Ellie?"

I look up to find her eyes transfixed on the window above the sink. A dark shadow stands there. I can't see the entire face, but there is enough light from the moon to clearly see the grin that is planted there. A curved fang protrudes from the lips.

Shit.

"Ellie run!" But it's too late. The glass breaks and she shrieks, covering her face; the figure grabs her in that same second. I reach under the couch, but I have no time to fully retrieve the object as glass breaks in from the other window of the apartment; a hand tangles itself in my hair, the clawed fingernails slightly scraping my scalp, and pushes down on my head. I catch myself with my free hand, the glass that still lies on the floor cutting it in various places.

"She's fast for a human wench," the figure who grabbed me cackles. I glare up at him – if looks could kill, he'd be a dead man.

"Ow, fuck! Why do I have to hold it?" Ellie gets a few good kicks to her captor's stomach before he holds her flailing body at arms length. As the man that holds my hair laughs at his companion I take the opportunity to scan the room. It seems to be only the two of them, but there could be more outside. I bite my lip as my mind races to think of some sort of plan.

My hand curls around the shards of glass on the floor, and I give a small and hopefully weak sounding, groan.

The laughing man leans over my face and sneers. He's as stupid as I thought. I throw the glass at his face; it startles him, but he doesn't let go, so I kick my leg backward. I hope that it finds something and it does. I hit him directly in the knee cap and his hand falters. I take the chance and pull out the object from under the coach. I aim and pray. First that it hits something, second that that something is the vampire and not Ellie.

I fire and the bullet pierces the junction of the vampire's neck and shoulder. He drops Ellie and kneels in pain; screams as his skin steams from the small, but deadly, wound. The stupid one stares in disbelief, giving me another chance, which I gladly take, to kick him forcefully in the place that hurts the male gender no matter what you are, vampire or human, and hit the base of his skull with the gun as hard as possible.

He's stunned, but I don't know for how long. Ellie runs over to me and I carry her out of the broken living room window in my free arm, her hands gripping me tightly, and out onto the fire escape. The rusty, metal stair case is a blur as I whip around each platform and descend to the ground. There is a small glass vile, a cross emblazoned on it, which is attached to the barrel of the gun. I rip out the cork and put the liquid in my mouth, holding it in my cheeks.

I skid to a halt on the final platform of the escape to see the dumb one glaring at me; he's slightly hunched over in pain and I smile. This pisses him off even more and he lunges at me. As soon as he is inches from me, I spit out the liquid and he receives a face full of holy water. I run around the screaming form, down the last set of stairs, and onto the dark streets. I am at a loss of where to go. All I know is I only have a chance if I keep running.

The priest's image flashes across my mind. He can't have gone that far, I just hope that I'm running in the right direction.

Before this thought can fully sink in, though, I slam into a figure; a woman this time, my height, but with longer hair and much bigger boobs. I stumble back and point the gun. She's faster than the others, and by the time I fire she already has my wrist in her grip and is twisting my arm back. Unable to resist, I'm spun around, my arm in an uncomfortable position against my back, and I drop the gun on the ground. Another pair of hands grabs Ellie away from me before I'm swung back towards the woman, and then kicked in my side, the force of the blow sending me flying into a nearby brick wall. I'm surprised I don't suffer a concussion and a few broken ribs by the time I land on the ground.

A foot slams against my back and I am pinned before I can even try to get up.

"Nice try, poppet," the form chuckles. "You're so bothersome. We should just eat you now." I see him lick his lips and bare his fangs out of the corner of my eye.

"Suck it up, Damien," says the woman. "Nicolai said to keep her alive."

"And what do I care, whore? He's not here." He starts to kneel down closer to my neck.

"May I inquire as to what you are doing, Damien." It's not a question, it's a command. The cool voice comes from in front of me and I shift my gaze accordingly.

"N-nicolai! I was just…um, you see…" Damien stumbles over his words and takes a few steps back, his foot coming off of my back in the process. Air that I didn't know I was missing seeps back into my lungs and I almost gag because of the unexpected rush.

"You did better than I would have expected from a human." This time he talks to me as I lift myself up to a kneeling position, and look him fully in the face. He has murky red eyes; short black hair frames his strong face. He wears a belittling smirk and stands with his arms crossed, staring down at me. He leans down and cups my chin. "I want to commend you for killing two of my men." His voice slithers through my ears and causes me to shiver.

"You let go of my mama!" Ellie yells at Nicolai. He turns his attention to her. Sometimes I wonder if she knows how to keep her mouth shut, but it's not so bad this time - it gives me a chance to speak.

"Ellie scream!"

"But-!"

"Just do it!" She takes a deep breath and gets ready to shout as loud as her little lungs will allow, but is quickly knocked out by the woman.

"Idiot!" she yells to the vampire that holds Ellie. "Don't just stand there and let her kill us! Give me the child." She grabs the unconscious Ellie, and hoists her over her shoulder. "The rest of you," she points to the several other vampires that stand around us, "secure that." She looks over to me like I'm some sort of disgusting, mutated creature that has emerged from the sewers. Bitch.

I'm out of ideas as they hoist me up and secure my arms behind my back, forcing me to walk forward with them into the night. A whistling sound reaches my ears, followed by a squelching sound. My left arm is free. I look over to find my captor split in two, his organs spreading across the street with his blood. I hear the same combination of sounds and now my right arm is free; my second captor is decapitated instead of split in two, but no better off.

A strong hand pulls me back so that I am now standing behind the blonde-haired priest from before. I am delighted to see that his staff has a hidden sword in it, the blade dripping blood. He points the bladed staff at the group of vampires and I have to inwardly slap myself for thinking how gorgeous he looks at this particular moment.

"Release the girl," he states firmly. Well, shoot, why didn't I think of that? I'm sure it will work well.

The woman that holds Ellie, and the lead vampire, Nicolai, both chuckle simultaneously.

"A tempting offer," Nicolai says in his cold voice, "but I'm afraid I'll have to decline." He snaps his fingers and the both of them are shielded by a wall of bodies that look ready and willing to shed some blood. The air is still, and then the first vampire lunges. I can barely follow him as he moves forward. I find it difficult to believe that the priest can match the vampire's speed to attack back, or even defend, but the blade cleanly slices through the air, stabbing the rushing man in the heart and slicing through the body until the blade exits out of the neck. It's gruesome, but I find myself smiling. Maybe there is a chance to get Ellie back after all.

Nicolai, who had been watching with glee, now stares scornfully at the priestly man, who I'm beginning to think is definitely more than he appears.

"Finish him then return," he states in the same collected voice. His face, however, is far from calm, but we must not let on to our pawns that we are actually worried, lest they retreat and leave us open for attack. He turns, the woman following, and they both disappear into the night with Ellie.

There are five left now. I notice that the Damien fellow is lurking in the back, not as willing to die as the others, who still, even after three of their comrades are dead, continue to underestimate the priest. They lunge and he runs. I'd rather him die now, but it seems we'll be seeing him again.

Three fall dead, and the priest pins the remaining one to the ground by his shoulder with the blade.

"Where are they headed?" he demands. The vampire laughs annoyingly and slits his own throat; quite the loyalist, or at least smart enough to save himself the pain of being tortured.

The priest sighs and removes the blade from the body, swiping it quickly through the air to shake off all the blood before resting his arm at his side.

"I guess I kind of missed the low profile approach, didn't I?" I laugh meekly. He does not seem amused.

"Do you know where they are?"

I stare at him blankly. "Why of course. I do believe they live in the apartment above the bakery. They so do love their mid-morning scones." I pause for a few moments after my blatant sarcastic attack. "No, I don't know where they are!" I huff and blow a few strands of hair out of my face.

"A simple question," he states.

"A stupid one," I counter. We stare at each other for a moment in awkward silence.

"Sorry…" I mumble. He starts to walk forward and I follow. Neither of us have any idea where we're going but it is better than just standing around by cut up, blood and organ spewing bodies, I suppose.

"So, what's your name anyway?" I ask trying to break the tension.

"Hugue. It would be beneficial to know yours as well."

"Karin." I'm met with another long string of silence. That didn't work very well, so I decide to turn my attention to something more important.

I try my best to think of where they could be. Maybe the bakery wasn't such a bad idea…. But they probably wouldn't be anywhere on the main street; unless of course it was so obvious that they wouldn't be there that they were, in fact, there.

I'm starting to confuse myself, so I stop – both my thoughts and my body. I look up to the sky; it's a clear evening, every star is visible. It's beautiful, just like that night ten years ago.

My eyes widen. It's no crazier than any of my other ideas, and it's worth a shot. My legs move again, this time at a run. As I pass Hugue, I grab his arm and drag him after me.

"An idea, I presume?" he asks as his legs catch up and soon I'm the one that's starting to fall behind.

"Yes," I say as we turn down a dark side street, "the church."

"I thought one did not exist?"

"Well, technically I guess it was destroyed, but the debris from its collapse is still there. They didn't bother to build a new church or clear it away. No one wanted the plot for a business, it's too far from the main street, and building another apartment would be a waste of time and money. In the end they just erected walls around it. I suppose their theory was if no one could see it, it never really happened."

We come to an abrupt stop in front of high walls of grey concrete.

"So here we are," I gasp. "Your good with that thing," I point to the staff, "but how high can you jump?"