A/N Thanks for the reviews! (: Hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh and I don't know if a disclaimer is mandatory, but seeing as I never put one in the first chapter – yes, I do not, and nor shall I ever, own anything to do with the Lost Boys.

Chapter 3: Assignment

Boy, did it smell. Now, I've seen a good number of vampire lairs in my eight-teen years, but this one really took the biscuit.

It was easy to distinguish what this vamp's feeding preference was. There had been a rash of missing children lately, and I could see a good number of shoes, all very small, all bloodstained. It was probably a rouge, an outcast, living on the fringes of human society. He most likely moved to a new city every few weeks, avoiding the authorities . They'd never know what had happened to these poor kids, but I knew now.

My mouth pulled back into an ugly grimace, as I contemplated the fates of these poor souls. What a terrible end to meet. This vampire couldn't resist retaining souvenirs, apparent by the clothes, shoes, and other small possessions, which were littered across the cave. He might as well have signed a confession and left it in plain sight, just for me to find.

I was aware of everything; the soft sound of the water lapping against the end of the pier, the echo of scabbing rats, and another, unidentifiable scratching reverberation. I was conscious of it all, without being preoccupied, and when the small swish sounded behind me, I was prepared.

Moving as though I was taking my turn in a dance, I smoothly removed my stake from its holster, and without breaking motion, performed a pivot on my left foot, driving it into the vampire's chest.

I put all my strength behind it, driving the blow from my hips. The vampire skittered, skewered like a hot dog. His eyes, red and wide, glared down at me. His hair was a bushy tangle, his clothes tatty and filthy, and his expression somewhat surprised and hatred filled.

"I know, you really wanted to kill me. Life is tough, isn't it?"I said, watching his face.

His fangs, fully extended, glinted in the moonlight. He snarled one more time, before falling to the floor. I waited until he was no longer twitching, before stepping forward to remove the stake from his chest. I began to wipe the blade on the vamps clothes, before peering more closely. Yep, those were definitely little crawling things. The blankets were just as repulsive. Ah well, I'd wipe it on my own clothes; it wouldn't be the first time.

The stake was designed to penetrate a vampire's skin as efficiently and cleanly as possible. It was perfect for a quick killing blow, if the body was susceptible to wood, that is. It was the most important utensil I had at my disposal, unaffordable to lose.

After I had returned the stake to its rightful place, I stole another glance at the vampire's already mummifying form. Every vampire died in a unique way, and I usually stayed to witness them all. Such information was important.

This vampire's face was caving in on itself, the body collapsing, and its skin becoming dewy and yellow. It was truly revolting.

Well, all done. I rolled the vampire's body to the pier's edge, and, after a mental apology to everyone whom was attempting to clean up the harbour, dumped it into the water.

The only disappointment was the constant one; that it hadn't been the vampire. I was yet to come across any of those I had seen that night. Meanwhile, it was all I could do to rid the earth of these parasites, one by one.

Whistling softly, I checked my watch, nine o'clock. The night was still young. Seeing as I didn't have any more leads, I resolved to head back to the base, check in with Pyro.

Pyro was our co-ordinator; he chose where we were to hunt, and whom we were hunting. I had been after this rouge for around two weeks. He was the one who had brought me to this organisation, he had heard of my tale on the grapevine, and introduced me to this way of life. I hadn't hesitated, this was what I had been searching for; it was perfect for my predicament.

I respected him above all else. Pyro was aptly named due to his partiality to burning a vamps body, after the decaying stage. He said it was an easier method for disposal. And who was I to dispute it? He could kill them in any way he wished, as far as I was concerned. Although, I always thought burning tended to draw more attention to yourself.

And if there was one thing we didn't need, it was attention. We wore balaclavas mostly, these hid your face from the vampires, for if they somehow managed to escape; you would be on their hit lists within hours. Secrecy is a must.

Each and every one of us were branded with a tattoo on our left hand. A blood red flower design, to be precise. Whilst the male proportion were not so keen on sporting a flower on their hands, it was the universal vampire hunter code; therefore they just have to suck it up. Because of this design, we also have to wear gloves, as it was another sign, which could give us away to vamps.

I walked briskly, keeping an eye out for any sign of a vampire. There was nothing except the cobbled streets, with the lamps reflecting a soft yellow glow. It was a pity; I was in terrific form tonight.

The base wasn't far, about twenty minutes from this particular lair. I reached it in within ten minutes of leaving: I was known for my hurried pace.

I was greeted by the familiar stench of dirt and blood. Examining the door critically with one eye, I realised whom was on guard duty tonight. Each member had their own distinctive flavour they brought with them. It was simply a personal touch, for instance Pyro liked to keep company with a cat. Cats were alert, fast and unobtrusive.

Tonight Izzie was on duty; evident as Izzie liked to keep the entrance half-open, for if a vampire were to stumble onto this place, she'd have a clear shot with her stake. Izzie was a little over-prepared, and very zealous.

I knocked inaudibly on the door, and paused, waiting for a response. After a few seconds, a high, clear voice spoke, which I recognised as Izzie's, "who is there?"

Without speaking, I removed my left glove and stuck it through the gap. Izzie pushed the door open further, until I had a clear view of her.

"Sasha! So, you survived it, then?" She laughed, and allowed me admittance, without waiting for a reaction from me.

I smiled tightly at her, "yeah, I lived to see another day."

Izzie paused, visibly struggling to recall something. I waited expectantly, surveying the walls as I waited. She snapped her fingers, "ah, yes! Pyro wants to see you." Izzie smiled knowingly at me.

I shrugged, as though I had no interest in the matter, everyone seemed to be under the impression I had a bit of a crush on him. And maybe I did, but I sure as hell wouldn't be admitting it.

"What about?" I asked, in an offhand fashion.

Izzie watched my face closely, "How should I know? All I do every night is sit and stare at this god damned door! When's rotation?"

I began to make my way down the stairs, shrugging my shoulders in response to her question. No one liked guard duty, so rotation would be getting held off. I wasn't going to be the one to tell her that though.

I walked through the winding corridors, heading for Pyro's room. I idly wondered what it was he wanted; maybe he wanted to send me somewhere else? I sure hoped so, I was growing sick of San Diego, I had to search somewhere else. All the vamps here were nearly obliterated, mainly due to the fact that we had set up our main base here. So most hunters congregated here, and consequently there were a disproportionate number of hunters to vamps.

"Hey, Sasha, been looking for you." I spun on my heel, turning to face Pyro.

He smiled, "where has your head been? You didn't even hear me approach."

I ducked my head, blushing, "guess I was just day-dreaming..." I rapidly tried to switch the topic of the discussion away from me, "uh, so what is it you want to see me about?"

Pyro's face grew more serious, "I'd like you and Nesta to travel to Santa Carla. There has been a large string of murders and missing persons lately. It's getting out of hand."

I made a face; it was putting it lightly to say Nesta and I were not exactly the best of friends.

"Pyro, I don't need Nesta. I work better on my own."

Pyro frowned, "I was afraid you would say that. Sasha, you are not the lone ranger. You need backup." His voice commanded compliance.

I looked down meekly, thinking about how I was actually trying to dispute the highest authority here. I considered going along with it, but then I thought; no, why should I?

I looked up again, "no, I'm not going anywhere with Nesta." My voice didn't betray my nervousness.

Pyro regarded me for a moment, "all right, I wouldn't just let anyone do this, but you can go alone, on one condition. You report back to me, each and every day. Santa Carla is much more dangerous than what you, or anyone else for that matter, is accustomed to. You got that?"

I nodded slowly, "yes, I understand."

Pyro let a breath out slowly, "don't mess this up. This is big."

I quirked an eyebrow, "how big?"

He sighed, "They're going as far to label Santa Carla as the murder capital of the world."

Yeesh. Was it really that bad?

As though he had read my mind, Pyro nodded, "yeah, it's that bad."

He resumed walking again, gesturing that I was to follow. "Okay, are you going to break the news to Nesta, or shall I?"

I looked away, blushing, "maybe you ought to do it..."

He laughed suddenly, breaking the tense atmosphere, "I might have known you'd give me the difficult job. The vampires are looking more and more appealing."

I smiled slightly to myself, if only he knew...

We were heading to the weapons room, I noticed after some thought. My head felt pasty, and heavy; I couldn't concentrate.

Pyro studied me, concerned, "you okay?"

I was determined to keep up my reputation for my strength; it lent you some respect when it came to working in groups. Swallowing hard, I told him yes. I didn't think he believed me, but he chose not to press it.

We arrived outside the room. Pyro pushed the door open, scanning the room before entering. It was empty, save for us and one other person, whom was sitting in the corner, cleaning weaponry.

"All right, you'll need some new weapons." He eyed my stake critically.

I pulled my stake closer to me, defensively, "hey, this stake has been through a lot!"

He laughed, "Whatever, that thing is all but broken. Take these."

He reached into the first shelve, and removed a brokken, which is another, more effective, wooden sword. It was also Pyro's favoured weapon of choice. While my attention was diverted, he plucked the stake from my grip, carelessly throwing it over his shoulder.

I handled the brokken with some reluctance; it felt unfamiliar in my grip. I seized it up, weighing it my hand, comparing it to my other weapons. I thought longingly of my trusty, good 'ol stake.

Pyro threw a few other artilleries at me, including holy water; I paid no head to the rest. Stakes and holy water was more than enough for me.

He looked satisfied, "I guess that's just about everything, you ready?"

I considered his question, "what else could I possibly require?"

He shrugged, "sure you want to do this on your own?"

I smiled, "I'm not budging on this." Although, if Pyro wanted to come along, I'd be more than happy...

I broke that train of thought off, feeling my face heating up. Pyro looked at me questionably.

I looked down, examining my gloves. He waited a second longer, and, after receiving no further reply or explanation from me, leant back against the counter, "well, that's everything covered, I suppose. Be sure to keep me updated. Good luck." He inclined his head forward, and for a mad moment I thought he was going to kiss me, before he reached into my pocket, removing my phone. He nodded at it, "keep this on, I know what you're like."

I smiled sheepishly, before taking it back, "sure I will."

A ghost of a smile played at his lips, "go on; get out of here. Vampire to kill and all that."

I nodded, and grinned in his direction once more, "I'll see you later."

I walked back in the direction we had entered from, intending to catch up on some well deserved rest, before setting off the following morning.

I had reached the door, when I heard Pyro call out, "oh and Sasha?"

I turned around, one hand still on the door, "yes?" I took care to lace some fake irritation through my voice.

All humour vanished from Pyro's face, "be careful."

I hesitated for a moment, "I always am."

He didn't smile, as I had expected, "I know, but these vampires aren't like what we are used to. They are much worse. Why else would I be sending you in? You're one of our best. But even the best can slip up."

I deliberated over his words; I wasn't sure how to respond. Eventually, I settled on a quick, reassuring smile.

"I won't slip up."