Chapter 2
Interrogation
Luke cracked open his eyes against the bright sunlight that barely beamed through the cracks in his drafty room. The plastered walls were cracked and the paint, or the remainder of it, was chipped. There was a leak in the ceiling and the bed was hard. But it was home.
He got up and put on a fresh set of clothes then stepped out to make some breakfast. No one else was in the room but someone had left out a box of cereal. Catheryne must have gotten out already for her usual morning exercises. She always did a set of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, and jogged along a trail in the back of town.
Luke picked up the box of cereal and poured some of the contents into the bowl. He grabbed a jug of milk and poured it in with the cereal. He ate it fast, wanting to avoid soggy bits, then placed the bowl in the sink just as Kiernyn walked in.
"Good morning," he greeted.
"Mornin'…" she grumbled, getting some cereal of her own. "Catheryne's out, I suppose?"
"Yep…" Luke responded.
"I'm surprised she's still out," Kiernyn responded as she ate. "She gets up at five and usually is done by six. It's seven now…"
Luke looked at the clock.
"She's not obsessing, is she?" he asked.
"You should've seen her in high school…" was all Kiernyn said.
Luke sighed and got up and walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Kiernyn asked him.
"I'm going to find her…" he responded. "She'll get herself into trouble before we know it… I'll take the Indian…"
"Suit yourself…" she said. "But knowing her, she doesn't give up easily."
Luke snorted and walked out the door of their little cabin, if you could call it that. He mounted a 1940 Indian motorcycle and drove off, using the Force to trace Catheryne's presence. She wasn't anywhere near him but he sensed her in the city. The engines roared as he sped off to Chicago.
She was walking down the street, looking deep in the shadows of dead-end walk-ways along the crowded streets of the Illinois city. She saw only a few people; maybe vampires, maybe just regular people with no homes or money. Catheryne looked deep into one crevice, seeing one punk-looking man who was hiding in the shadows.
"There you are!" a voice from behind her.
Catheryne turned and saw Luke standing behind her, wheeling a motorcycle next to him.
"I've been looking for you!" he said. "You're little Miss Obsessive-compulsive, aren't you?"
"I just need to know…" she responded.
"They don't come out during the day…"
"Today's forecast calls for a cloudy day, Magis," she said huffily. "I thought I might have a chance for information."
"And that gives you an excuse to wander around Chicago with no one knowing where the stang you are or what you're doing?" Luke asked angrily. "You could get killed out here. You shouldn't be alone."
"I can handle myself," she insisted roughly.
"I'm worried about you," he said huffed. "You could get yourself killed… or worse. Please, don't do this alone."
Catheryne blushed at the comment, knowing that he cared in some way.
"Well, maybe if you would just-" she stuttered before stopping. "Look out!"
Luke ducked while grabbing her in her arms as the punk vampire dove for them. The vampire flew over their heads and landed on all fours with cat-like grace.
As they faced their adversary, the pair noticed that no one else populated the streets. The vampires must have induced a mental message for all of them to do something else; there could be no witnesses.
The vampire got into a low-crouch and moved slowly toward the two. Luke put himself protectively between the vampire and Catheryne and readied himself for a fight. The vampire leapt hungrily at him but Luke stopped him with the Force, leaving the vampire in mid-air. He then threw his opponent into the dark alleyway and approached the alley with caution.
Catheryne had more headstrong ways of dealing with the situation. As Luke crept forward, she rushed into the alleyway, found the vampire, and pinned him against the wall. Luke instantly ran after her, crying a warning.
"Where are they?" she asked roughly.
"Who the 'ell are you talking about?" the vampire asked with a sour bite in his voice.
"The hunters," Catheryne said, breathing hardly. "The ones who kept you in check. What happened to them?"
"The 'unters…" the vampire growled thoughtfully. "I remember them… Four, all male?" Catheryne nodded. "Yes… I know what happened…"
"Tell me." she pressed. "NOW."
"Easy, easy… Keep your pants on, geez…" he growled. "There was this scuffle about a week ago… Me and my buds, we were hungry and we went hunting… But we went onto McCoy's territory… Nasty vampires… All gangsters… Well, we threw a few punches here and there and…"
"And the hunters?"
"They came soon but not before they came…"
"They?" Luke asked. "Who's 'they'?"
The vampire looked around cautiously and spoke to them again, this time lowering his voice.
"The Dandies," he said. "They dress like English gentlemen but don't let the tailored suits fool you… They're the nastiest of the groups here. They have eyes and ears everywhere."
"What's their connection with the hunters?" Catheryne asked.
"After a fight broke out, the Dandies arrived," he responded. "They laid ruin to most of us and then the hunters arrived to save the humans that were going to be our dinner. Long story short, there was a big fight and the hunters were arrested."
"Arrested?" Luke asked, confused.
"Yes…" the vampire chuckled until Catheryne shot him a dark glare. "They were arrested. But it was all a trap. All William's doing… He arranged for the police vampires to show up."
"William?"
"The leader of the Dandies…" the vampire answered. "He's the nastiest of 'em all…"
"What happened to the hunters?" Catheryne asked harshly.
"It's possible that the Dandies have them locked in their manor on the outskirts of the city…" he responded. "I can't tell ya anymore… I won't risk getting everyone in my clan slaughtered."
"Thank you…" Catheryne breathed hardly, letting go of the vampire and turning to leave with Luke.
"What? No reward?!" the vampire complained loudly.
"You get to keep your life, how's that?" Catheryne called back to him.
There was no answer and the two assumed that the vampire decided not to argue against that.
"You're insane!" Kiernyn scolded. "You're going to barge into a mansion full of vampires all by yourself just for four men who might have already been killed, turned, or used for a midnight snack?"
"There's still a chance," Catheryne responded. "Besides, we'll have contact by radio. I'll be fine."
"I still don't like it…"
"Luke'll have my back," Catheryne reassured her, gathering her supplies to kick vampire butt.
"Luke's coming with you?" Kiernyn asked, surprised.
"He didn't want me to go alone," Catheryne said. "And I won't… this time. I won't be much help to the guys if I get killed."
"Fine…" Kiernyn sighed after a pause. "But be careful."
"I will," Catheryne responded calmly. "I'm not dead yet, am I?" With that, she walked out of the room and to where Luke was waiting.
"Not yet…" Kiernyn sighed and followed her.
He sat in a corner, his eyes closed and his long, curly brown hair tied back in a ponytail. He was dressed in black slacks and a fancy white long-sleeved shirt that, in the present, you could only see in movies set in the 1700's or so. He breathed in deeply then opened his eyes. He rose and stood near the door, waiting.
"Michael…" he called his voice soft but somehow echoing through the entire building.
A man ran into the room. He was dressed just like the one who had called but he was wearing a clean, white suit over everything else along with a Derby hat. His shoulder-length brown hair fell over his shoulders as he bowed.
"Yes, sir? What is it?" he asked.
"Prepare the household for some guests, Mr. Carden," the other man, obviously the superior. "But don't attack until I give the word. I want to see how they work."
"Yes, Master Beckett," Michael (or Mike as his friends called him) said with another bow then exited.
William Beckett, leader of the Dandies, smiled as he slipped on his ermine-lined coat and shook his hair out of his ponytail.
"This shall be very interesting…" he muttered and placed his Derby hat on his head.