Chapter One
Alexandreia Mallory has lived a lonely life over the last ten years but it's one she chose for herself and she wouldn't change it. She felt as though this decision had been made for her the night those vampire bastards had broken into her home and destroyed everything she'd known and loved. Now the only thing she had left was a sister who she talked to occasionally, saw only once a year and the drive to keep hunting. To keep killing supernatural beasts because she still hadn't found the vampires who had so callously stripped her of everything she'd had. She'd gotten close a few times but it was as though they had her scent and knew she was closing in.
Ten years ago Lexi had decided that she wouldn't stop hunting until she found them, until she'd made each and every one of them suffer the way she'd suffered. She'd decided that night in her hospital bed that when she caught them she would torture them the way they had tortured her and she would love every minute of it. Although she'd told her sister that first night that they would do it together she'd known that she would never be able to bring her sister with her like that. So after she'd recovered and they'd held a funeral service for her deceased parents and son she'd packed a duffel tossing in the necessities and a few things she'd wanted to remember her family by and she'd taken off, leaving Mari with her fathers' sister, Georginia.
Using the money her parents had left her she'd gotten a small studio apartment in Bronx, New York and started preparing herself to be able to fight. She knew she couldn't take one of those things with the little knowledge she had about fighting, shooting, and about them as well. So she'd studied everything she could get her hands on when it came to the supernatural and she started taking self-defense classes, karate, and a bit of kick-boxing. She also started collecting different sort of weaponry.
Her father had owned a Walther-PPK, a Smith & Wesson 1911, and Remington 870 shotgun that Lexi had taken with her before she'd left town. The first weapon Lexi had bought for herself had been a broadsword, she'd figured it'd come in more handy than most other weapons when you were chasing what she was. During her research she'd found only one common link between all the legends about vampires and that was that beheading was the way to kill them. She figured that unless these real vampires could regenerate heads that was the most efficient way to kill them.
As Lexi trained and researched various supernatural creatures, Mari had gone back to school. At first when Lexi had left she'd been mad at her sister for leaving her behind with someone she couldn't possibly tell the truth to. The only good thing about the situation was that her aunt rarely asked about Mari's parents and never broached the subject of that night. So, after the initial questioning Mari never really had to talk about it again. It gave her ample time to repress the few things about that night that had truly frightened her but that didn't mean she'd forgotten that what had killed her parents and nephew hadn't been completely human. Mari forced herself to try and live a semi-normal life but she constantly thought of her sister and wondered what she was doing and what she'd found out about these monsters.
At first, Mari tried calling Lexi several times a day but she soon realized that Lexi wouldn't pick up unless she wanted to so she gave up. She threw herself into classes and socializing and she joined a karate class. She figured if her sister was learning to protect herself then it would be a good idea for her to learn as well. It actually cam pretty easily to her and she advanced at a quick pace. Mari wanted to learn to handle weapons as well but she knew her aunt would never allow it so she focused instead on the physical aspect and decided when she turned eighteen she would get a gun and begin going to the range like she had with her father.
After a little over a year passed, Lexi decided she'd learned enough to be able to handle herself and she'd built up quite an arsenal for herself as well. So she packed up what she wanted to take, which wasn't much aside from her weapons and stowed them away in her car before hitting the open road. She traveled from city to city, often sleeping in her car, at least until she figured out she had a knack for cards and could usually swindle a good amount when she played.
As the years passed her by she tracked down one beastie after another barely taking a breath in between hunts. Her rage and thirst for revenge wouldn't allow it. Not until she tracked down and killed every vampire that had been a part of the nest that had killed her family. Although Lexi preferred to hunt alone she realized there was a downfall to not having someone there to watch your back. Of course, she wouldn't admit it to anyone but herself even when she ended up in the hospital with a severe concussion and a few cracked ribs after a ghost pushed her through a second story window. Over the years she'd earned more than her fair share of scrapes and bruises but she managed to avoid hospitals for the most part by going to private practitioners and picking up a medical kit.
Time passed and her visible scars began to fade, leaving only a jagged slash across her cheek from where the vampire leader had smashed her face and the burn scars that traveled up her side. Emotionally though it was as if no time had passed at all. She lived and breathed revenge, it was all she could think about and it was clear to anyone that this girl was irrevocably damaged. Lexi had met other hunters on the road but she'd never gotten particularly close to any, these days though she was beginning to regret that decision when she realized they could easily be used to get information about the vampires she was hunting. She'd remembered hearing about a bar in Nebraska that they tended to frequent so she'd decided to check it out for herself.
Her last case had been in Utah and since she was only a few states away, she figured now was as good a time as any to head to Nebraska and see what she could find. She drove through the night and most of the day until she pulled up in the parking lot of the Roadhouse. Grabbing her Smith & Wesson, she checked the magazine to make sure it was loaded before tucking it in the back of her waist band. She'd found that you could never be too careful around other hunters and she didn't want to be taken off guard. Lexi was glad to see that there were only a couple of other cars in the parking lot as she walked towards the entrance and pulled the door open.
Quickly surveying her surroundings she headed to the bar and ordered a beer from the blonde girl wiping down the counters. Lexi figured she might as well get something to drink while she figured out exactly what she wanted to ask these people. She'd heard the owner knew a lot about hunting from her husband and Lexi thought she would be the best place to start.
Lexi took a swig from her beer and glanced around, catching the eye of an older brunette coming out from the back. The brunette eyed her before striding over and leaning against the bar on her elbow. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Setting her beer down, Lexi swung her chair around to face the woman. "You ask everyone that, or am I just special?"
The woman quirked an eyebrow at her and frowned slightly, "I don't like being sassed. I just thought I'd make conversation since it seems like you're looking for someone."
"I'm looking for the owner."
Her face tightened for a split second before she relaxed it into a smirk, "Well you found her. Name's Ellen, you are?"
She really needed to learn when to keep her mouth shut, she just hoped this wouldn't stop Ellen from helping her find the information she needed. "Lexi, Lexi Mallory. Sorry I was rude, I didn't realize."
Ellen just shrugged and took a seat on the barstool next to her before motioning for the blonde behind the counter to get her a drink. "Don't worry, hunters always were more suspicious then the civilians. What can I do for you?"
Lexi wondered if she was overly obvious about who she was and Ellen seemed to read the question on her face because her smirk broadened into a grin. "I can see the outline of the gun at your back."
Well that at least explained why she'd come over there in the first place. Lexi gave a little shrug, figuring if the woman knew hunters then she knew they didn't go anywhere unprotected. "I was hoping you could help me find some information on some vamps I've been hunting."
Picking up the drink that was set down in front of her, Ellen took a sip before answering her question. "I'm not sure I can help you with that, but there's someone I know who might be able to. You looking for a specific bunch?"
"They target families." At her words, Ellen tensed and frowned before finishing her drink and signaling for another.
"I haven't heard anything specific about that but I can put you in touch with someone who might have." As her drink was refilled, Ellen stood and headed towards the back of the bar. Lexi sighed in relief, feeling like she'd finally gotten her first break on these animals after all these years. Finishing her beer, she heard the opening tones to Little Sister by Cheap Trick and knew her sister was calling. Considering she hadn't heard from Mari in months she figured it must be something important.
Signaling for another beer, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. "What's up?" She asked quietly, feeling the slight twinge of guilt she got every time Mari called her. The girl had learned long ago not to call unless it was an emergency because more times than not Lexi wouldn't pick up or return her calls for weeks. It wasn't that Lexi didn't want to talk to her it was that she wanted to keep her safe and having what goes bump in the night know that her weakness was a little sister who was incredibly vulnerable would not be a good thing.
"Lex?" Mari's voice sounded shocked and Lexi could understand why. "Good," She said after a moment. "I'm glad you picked up. You need to come here."
"To your school? Why, what's up?" As the blonde brought her another beer Lexi laid out a ten on the bar and grabbed the beer before standing and walking towards the entrance. She could hear a signs of panic in her sisters voice and it was something she wasn't used to.
Mari sighed before answering, "Something's going on. There've been suicides on campus, but no one can explain why. I think it might be a ghost."
Lexi frowned and took a deep gulp of her beer, "What makes you say that?"
"All the people are in one dorm and they had no reason to kill themselves, it just doesn't make sense. Look I wouldn't have called you if I thought it was something run of the mill."
"I know that," Lexi nearly snapped at her when she spoke but she managed to keep her tone light. "How many?"
"Four… that I know of at least." It was Lexi's turn to sigh now as she glanced around for Ellen. She'd finally got a solid lead or at least a solid contact and she'd have to put it off.
"I'll be there as soon as I can be." Lexi closed the phone without so much as a goodbye and finished the beer before setting it on the bar. She motioned for the blonde to come over. "Can you tell Ellen, something came up and I'll be back as soon as I take care of it."
The blonde looked less than happy to be a messenger but she nodded her head and Lexi slipped another ten on the bar as thanks before turning to head out. As she reached for the door, it was pulled open and she ran smack into someone. Glancing up, she saw two guys both handsome and nodded her apology before pushing past them and heading towards her car. She could tell one of them was following her ass as she walked and she sent a glare over her shoulder. He offered her a smirk and wink before going inside and she shook her head. Men were all the same, after the same thing and they usually acted the same way once they got it. Then again Lexi had found herself becoming that type of person over the last few years. It was to dangerous to take up with someone but it was too lonely to spend all of her time with no male company.
Sliding behind the wheel, she removed the gun from her back and sat it on the passenger seat as she started the car up. Mari's school was luckily only a few days drive from where she was, but Lexi was going to need to stop to sleep so it would take longer than she would've liked. She'd been driving for nearly two days straight though so it wasn't really an option if she wanted to make it there in one piece. After a few hours of driving, Lexi spotted a rundown motel on the side of the road and pulled off. Normally she'd just park her car on the side of the road and sleep in the backseat but she'd gone to long without a bed, even a shitty motel bed would be better then the backseat of her car.
When she woke, she drove to the nearest gas station and bought coffee and a few energy drinks before getting back on the road. At the rate she was going, she made it there by the next evening and pulled up in front of her sisters dorm. Although she hadn't seen her sister in awhile, she still knew where she lived and she made a point of checking on her a couple of times a year even if Mari didn't know she was there. Tucking her gun in it's normal place she climbed out of her car and stretched her arms and legs before locking it and turning to head into the building. There were a couple of people sitting at a desk in the lobby so she walked over and signed herself in before calling her sister to meet her down there.
Mari seemed a little surprised to hear that she was in the lobby and Lexi figured it was because Mari hadn't know she'd known where she'd lived. When Mari, reached the lobby Lexi gave her a tight grin and hugged her lightly. "You look different, Lex. You're tanner."
Lexi laughed a bit and nodded her head, "I think I got the truckers tan."
Mari didn't laugh, but instead turned and started walking towards the stairs to lead Lexi to her room. "I didn't know you knew where I was."
"Aunt Georgie gave me your address awhile back, I thought she would've told you." Lexi just shrugged, not willing to divulge that she'd been checking on her periodically since she'd left her with their aunt.
"We don't talk that much." Lexi frowned at her sisters reply, she'd hoped they would be closer so that Mari would have someone to lean on when she needed it. Once they reached Mari's room and were safely inside, Mari handed her a manila envelope. "That's everything I've been able to find out about the suicides. The building is across campus, I can take you there if you like."
Lexi shook her head and flipped through the paperwork her sister had put together. She was surprised by what she'd found out, it seemed like her sister knew more about what had been going on then she'd let on at first. Lexi would double check her work, but if her sister was right this would be a simple salt and burn. Of course, she wasn't going to tell Mari that. She didn't want her sister knowing anymore about the supernatural then she already did.
"I think I can handle this," Lexi said after a few minutes and closed the folder before looking up at her sister. "Did you know any of them?"
Mari shook her head, "Not really. I went on a couple of dates with the second victim but that was ages ago."
Lexi prided herself on being able to read people and Mari didn't seem like she was lying so Lexi just nodded her head and glanced around the room. "Nice place you have here."
"It's not bad." Mari said quietly as she studied Lexi, making Lexi duck her head a bit. "You've got more scars."
"Hazards of the job." Lexi kept it simple because she didn't feel like hashing it out with Mari right now about why she'd left her with their aunt and why she didn't keep in contact.
"I could help you, you know." Mari's voice was bitter and angry and Lexi flinched a bit at the tone but she straightened her shoulders and stared at Mari.
"Wouldn't you rather have a life? Have some place you can call home? I did what was best for both of us. If you were with me, I'd be to worried about you to watch my back." Lexi knew she was being harsh but she also knew she was right. She wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she'd dragged her kid sister into the mess she'd made of her life. "I'm gonna get going. I'll take care of this and I'll give you a call when it's done."
As Lexi turned and started to open the door, Mari leaned around her and shoved it shut. "That's it? No questions about how I've been or what my major is?"
Lexi sighed, "Now isn't the time Mari, I came here because you needed my help. I didn't come here to argue or have a girls night with you. I'm sorry if that upsets you but it's how it is. You need to learn to move one. Just forget about me."
"What the hell is wrong with you? We're family! Since when did that stop mattering?"
Lexi pulled the door open forcefully and glanced over her shoulder, "Since you were the only one left. You're in danger around me, it's better this way." Lexi walked into the hallway shutting the door behind her so she didn't have to hear her sisters reaction as she walked away from her once again.
When Lexi got back to her car, she flipped open the folder and began reading through the information her sister had compiled. It seemed to her that it was a vengeful spirit, killing anyone who reminded her of the people who had toyed and taunted her while she was alive. All of the people who had killed themselves were the type who probably acted like royalty and had no problem treating other people like shit. Of course that didn't mean that she thought they should die.
Dropping the paperwork into the passenger seat, she started the car and headed towards the library to verify the information her sister had gathered on the supposed ghost. A girl named Beverly Thrush, she'd killed herself about twenty years back. Lexi wanted to see if there were any other suicides at the college that fit this pattern. Once she did that she needed to locate where the girl was buried and take care of the remains before someone else got hurt.
After spending hours going through slides at the library, Lexi finally leaned back with a sigh while rubbing her eyes. Her sisters information had been right and she thanked god for that because it seemed that the ghost was picking people off a lot quicker and Lexi didn't think she had much time before the girl went after someone else. Luckily for her she'd been a local kid going to the college so her remains were only about twenty minutes away.
As she collected her belongings and headed out of the library, the hair on the back of her neck seemed to stand on end. Something wasn't right but she couldn't put her finger on what that was so she just shrugged it off and drove to the cemetery, wanting to get this taken care of so that she could get the hell out of here and head back to the Roadhouse. Parking near the entrance, she grabbed a shovel from her trunk along with a bag containing a flashlight, a can of salt, and a container of gas. Pulling the flashlight out of the bag, Lexi didn't bother to shut the trunk and instead headed towards the area she knew the girl was buried in.
After twenty minutes of searching, her eyes finally landed on the grave and she dropped the bag before she began shoveling the dirt out of the grave. She had hit the coffin and finally gotten it open when something grabbed her hair and pulled her out of the grave. Glancing over her shoulder she caught sight of Beverly for a split second before she was thrown into a headstone three graves away. "Trying to get rid of me? Why?" The ghost screamed, "Those people deserve what they got! You know it's true!"
Lexi staggered back to her feet and lunged for the iron shovel that was her only protection at this point since she'd forgotten her shotgun with it's salt rounds. Beverly let out an ear piercing scream and came flying back at Lexi just as she swung the shovel towards the ghost. Heaving a sigh when Beverly disappeared, Lexi dragged herself to the bag and dumped the salt and gasoline in the coffin. She lit a book of matches on fire just as Beverly reappeared, "I'm sorry. I hope you'll find peace."
Lexi tossed the matches into the grave and turned away, not wanting to see Beverly's apparition burn up before her eyes. It wasn't often she felt bad for a ghost, especially one that when on a killing spree but every so often she could see how circumstances could make them what they'd become. This just happened to be one of those times. Sinking to the ground, Lexi started putting the canisters back in the bag before she headed back towards the car.
This definitely had been one of the easier jobs she'd been on and she guessed she could thank her sister for that. Not that she'd actually thank her because then her sister might get the bright idea that she had a knack for this sort of thing. The last thing Lexi wanted was Mari out on the road hunting these things. Dropping her belongings back in the trunk, she slammed it shut without so much as a second glance as to where everything had landed.
She needed coffee and she needed it now, because she wasn't planning on stopping again until she made it back to the Roadhouse. Lexi sighed, pulling her phone out she stared at it for a moment before settling on sending a text to her sister saying the job was done. She wasn't in the mood to fight and she didn't have the time to waste on it right now. After that was done, she tossed her phone onto the passenger side seat and headed for a gas station. Once she had coffee in her she would be back on the road and so much closer to finding the monsters that had destroyed her life.