Author's Note : From this point on, everything is unedited and is a draft (in fact, this is one of my Camp NaNoWriMo April project). I am not a native English speaker so things does escapes me until I decide on revising it. As a disclaimer, the original characters and the basis of the story is owned by the CBS. But since its open-ended and a lot of the things in the TV is unexplored, whatever I do to them, it may not up to your liking and it can go on to be an original story on its own. I'll try to make it readable especially if you haven't watch the series fully. If you want a direct response to any comments, feel free to tweet me to syahirasharif.
Chapter 1
There was nothing in the world as calming as the sound of the night and the silence in the air. There she heard the sound of crickets and things rustling in the darkness, blocking out the deafening sound of the people and its traffic that never sleep.
The silent movement in the air that rustle the leaves from its perch, some of the dried ones following the night's breeze began to rain down to the ground. Moonlight shone over the park, bathing the area in a silvery silhouette.
A piece of the nature surrounded by the modernity in life. But in this carefully secluded haven filled with greeneries. The red roses with its thorns carefully plucked surrounding the enclosure like a cocoon. But in the midst of it, a woman in white walk barefooted onto its ground. She was barely whispering but the sound carried her voice in the air, one could hear her mumbling while the others swear that she was humming. If any of them ever hear the woman's voice, they could hear her sing.
"Sincerely, oh you know how I love you. I'll do anything for you. Please say you'll be mine…"
The moonlight gave the woman a halo around her as she weaved through the pebbled pathway without caring the sharp stones digging into her flesh until it bleed raw. But the woman didn't care for the pain nor does she care for the world around her except for the night itself. An old man who had no where to go and was bundling up with some old musty thin mattress on one of the outdoor seats heard the soft hymn. He looked up through his heavy gray eyebrows and saw an ethereal figure walking pass by him.
"Oh Lord, won't you tell me why I love that fella so…"
"Are you alright, miss?" The old man abandoned his warm musty mattress for the woman who was walking without looking where she's going. He was worried after hearing some girls were attacked by rapists and muggers in this park and he didn't want to see this pretty woman becoming one of the victims. Not when this one look fine and fragile like a flower. "Do you need help?"
"He doesn't want me…" sang the woman as she continued on without giving a response that she heard the old man. The homeless man went nearer to the lady. In his mind, a woman such as this need a guardian around her especially during the nights here. They are on a lighted part of the pavement which was illuminated ahead of them but as the man neared the woman, he noticed something odd about the woman's dark summer dress.
"Miss, are you hurt?" he rasped when he saw the white dress was stained with something dark and dripping on the ground as she move. The man find himself hurrying up to catch up with the woman and reach out to grab hold of her arm.
"But I'll never, never, never, never let him go…" she said with a small voice as she stopped on her track. To the one who was holding her, he began to feel something off with this lady. There's a distinct smell of something metallic coming from her and her arm which he was holding was ice cold.
He turned the woman to him without difficulty as she let him. But he didn't look to the woman face as his eyes fell down on her front. He gave a strangled gasp and took a step backward. The dress was originally white but instead it was covered in wet liquid that soaked through the dress. Even without proper lighting, he had been in situation that made him recognize the wetness as it is.
Blood.
He looked up to the woman face and saw a feature that rivalled the beauty of any pictures he had seen advertised on the city's billboard. The moonlight and the park's light gave her dark tresses a reddish glow while her porcelain skin was in an unearthly tone even when it was covered in blood. But he became captivated by her most expressive eyes. The bright eyes ringed in silver and red blood with an insanity gleam that matched her deep red lips. The lips stained with dark red gloss with the white opalescent teeth. Teeth with sharp predatory incisors that was predominantly feral and lethal.
The poor old man could only give a strangled scream before death consumed him.
The view of Los Angeles was wondrous in the dark and even more in the hillside mansion with the grandiose view of the city. From where he was sitting, he could see the buildings and streets covered in illuminating ember lights, thus giving an ombre stain to night's sky. The accommodating view that was almost as priceless as the prime spot of where the estate reside.
It was moment before midnight when Josef Kostan spend his nights in leisure on his butter-soft leather couch, holding a fine Baccarat crystal glass half-filled with red wine laced with fresh blood and a leggy blonde drowsing at his side. Nothing in life is more exceptional than the life as a vampire. Or so he thought until he became crippled by the emptiness that never seem to fade away.
His eyes travelled to the glass in his hand. He swirl the dark liquid until he could sense the bouquet of Pinot noir grapes intermingled with the undertones of the pungent smell of fresh blood. To a human, it was more than foul but to a vampire, it was ambrosia.
Vampires doesn't become drunk on alcohol as they do with blood. Their bodies tend to metabolize the acetaldehydes quicker and thus they required a constant volume to be intoxicated. But mixing the two does help retain the edge off and numb his emotions to a degree. Something of a habit he had accustomed in these past few years.
Josef rubbed his unshaved jaw and wondered how many days had he went without shaving. Despite being immortal, human things like personal hygiene is still one of the things a vampire have to live. Its like a reminder of their human past life before death change them. Then again, he would die again if he was doomed with past several eras worth of ever changing norm of hair style. There are some things a 414 years old vampire could live on but not for medieval fashion senses.
His phone vibrated on the coffee table where he had propped his legs. He had ignored several long calls and all of those went to voice mail. Then again, as if people still use voice mails instead of texting. But this is a night reserved only for himself and his needs. For all he cared, the world can be engulfed in hellfire and still he would care even lesser than that.
But fate doesn't always agree with him.
"Mr Kostan?" a familiar voice echoed from the front door. It was his sometime PA and hacker extraordinaire, Rider England who choose this moment to wake up the two very naked freshies at his side. "Mr Kostan, I hope I wasn't bothering you."
Giving a thin smile to no one, Josef give a silent command to the girls to go home and ignored them as he focus on his drink instead. Rider looked down with a small smile as the girls understood that they have been dismissed and silently collect their clothes and left the room.
"Now what is it that you find the need to bother me at this hour," Josef muttered. He knew it was barely a couple of hours before dawn and his PA wouldn't have bother him in this hour.
"I'm sorry, sir. But you didn't pick up my calls."
"Busy is the word, Mr England. Can be aptly replaced with 'Do Not Disturb'. All these years, I thought you'd remember that."
Rider gulped down the thinly veiled threat. He knew it was wrong to bother his boss but it was important. Anyone could have lose their job for this. With him, it was probably his life. "It is urgent, sir."
"Out with it," Josef stood up. His unbuttoned shirt hang loosely as he reached for the expensive wine bottle and drain its content into his glass.
"There's a security breech, sir. Someone is hacking into your computer."
Josef eyebrows drew together as he processed this. "And here I am, realizing that I've overpaid someone who assured me that it won't happen. "
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Stop repeating that, you're giving me a headache." Josef rubbed his eyebrows and went to the kitchen for the blood jug he had stored for his consumption while his assistant followed him.
"The programming system was impenetrable but we didn't realize there's a leak until we realize it too late."
"Late?"
"Over an hour ago…" Rider said hesitantly. Josef give him a pointed gaze while pouring a healthy dose of blood into his drink and nodded for him to continue. "The hacker didn't go for other sensitive information about the company except for your own files…"
Josef frowned at this. "They want something specific?"
"Very specific," Rider began to fidget but try to calm himself by putting his hands together. He knew that he had screwed badly in his job. Well, he thought, it didn't matter anyway if the vampire going to kill him now. "The hacker seemed focused on a very specific information. On Sarah Whitley."
Suddenly, Josef was in front of Rider and was grabbing the PA's collar until the overgrown boy choked in his saliva. "What did they take?"
Rider gasped against the strong grip and tried to catch some air but the vampire was relentless. "The address… in New York."
Josef let his PA drop on the ground and run through his hair with a shaking fingers.
"Why now?" he wondered and grab the kitchen's phone and started dialling for his private jet service. Whatever this mean, someone is seeking information about his lost love and they knew where he kept it.
In New York where it all begins.
