Author's Note: Sorry guys, I'm going through a bad week and it is showing in my writing, so Lure will not be updated this week. Ask me about my day at work, and I'll tell you a tale about a woman screaming at me in French that I hadn't given her back 30+ dollars when I had and my boss had already checked my cash and knew I had. Ask me how my writing is going and I have nothing to report. Maybe next week, though no promises. Instead, I bring you this. Luckily, it was already finished.

Club Vampyr

Chapter 7.

Kerry arrived in her apartment, feeling as if she hadn't slept in days. Fear and emotional turmoil were pressing hard on her shoulders, making her want to buckle and break under the weight of her own mind. She remembered thinking she loved him, but it hadn't been enough then to make her stay, and it wasn't enough now for her to sacrifice her life. She'd get on the phone right now and spill her guts to the first vampire willing to listen – Tim's boss in particular – if she thought it would help. She had dug herself far too deep into this hole for the truth to do any good, and it amazed her that she hadn't really seen it coming until it was too late.

Who was she kidding? She wouldn't change a thing she had said or a single denial of her knowledge she had made. Even if she had spilled the beans about knowing a vampire named Michel, they would still want to know about her hiss, and still come to the wrong conclusion that she knew more than she was telling. Even worse, they might think he had information to give them. She didn't think she could protect Michel any more than she already had, but that wasn't true. All she could do now was protect herself.

Kerry looked around her apartment, hugging her arms around her middle. What should she do? She wanted to go home and immerse herself in the safe feeling of family, but that was the last thing she could do. She couldn't put Ian and her dad in danger like that, ever. They were more important to her than some vampire she had known for three days. Oh, God. Had she put them in danger already? She had been thinking of running away, maybe fleeing to Canada or something, but that would definitely be a risk to those she loved. She'd have to stand her ground.

What would Buffy do if a murderous vamp was after her? Kerry knew the answer to that one. A vampire slayer would grab herself some stakes, holy water, crosses, and that wooden bolt shooter thing she was so fond of. None of those would be any use to Kerry, because not only did she have no slayer weaponry, but real vampires were surprisingly impervious to most of their mythical weakness. She rushed into the kitchen, turning the light on as she went. Quickly, Kerry opened one of the drawers beside the sink and removed the paring knife. She wished she had something thicker and larger than that tiny blade, but her apartment wasn't exactly riddled with weaponry.

Carefully, she held the knife down by her side, flicking on the light to her hallway. The door to her bedroom was closed. She couldn't remember whether she had closed it before she left, but her heart was pounding so hard because of terror and adrenaline, she thought she was going to drop dead right there. Then it wouldn't matter whether the vampire inquisitor came for her or not, she'd already be pushing up the daisy. She hadn't ever felt this before, even with Ethan. Her own heart was betraying her with every beat, and the faster it went, the more she was scared to open the door. She knew a vampire couldn't miss her pulse sounding, and the more she dwelled on that knowledge, the more her own body was her own worst enemy.

Kerry reached out with her left hand, taking cues from the millions of cop shows on television, and turned the knob to her bedroom door. If anything popped out at her, she'd more likely pee herself than stab, but with the fear running through her veins, she felt vulnerable despite Tim's subtle assurances she should be fine for a while longer. The door creaked audibly, swinging open. Kerry's head started to go fuzzy from the amount of time she had been holding her breath. She really didn't think that was helping her heartbeat any, she realized as she exhaled with what she hoped was a quiet whoosh.

Not making a sound, she flattened herself against the doorjamb and glanced into the room. With a quick flick of her wrist Kerry turned on the light in her bedroom. She could see no one. Her room was set up in such a way that the only place a person of any substantial size could hide was in the closet. Her bed was one of those cheap dorm-roomesque ones with the drawers underneath, and she had that space filled with old text-books and clothes which weren't in season. Not even Ian could squeeze into the space left. The closet was definitely the only place available. For a second, she had the ridiculous notion to pick up the phone and dial Nathaniel. If she begged, he might come over and check the closets for her.

Unfortunately, her pride stopped her from doing so. Not only did she not want to be indebted to him, but she couldn't bear the thought of anyone seeing her terrified of a few shadows and bumps in the night. "Get a grip," she muttered to herself, disgusted at her own actions. She opened the door to her closet regardless, thoroughly checking behind a layer of long dresses to make sure there was no one in sight.

Kerry snorted at her own foolishness, gripping the knife in her hand so tightly the knuckles in her fingers began to ache. She felt wired, her eyes wide opened with anxiety. Despite the fact the past two days had been far more tiring and emotionally tolling than anything she had experienced in a long time, she didn't think she'd be able to sleep for hours. Kerry sat on the edge of her bed, supporting her elbows on her knees and letting her head fall into her upturned palms. She just wanted this all to be over. She hated the waiting. Were the vampires going to kill her? Send someone to torture her? Or would they finally realize that she had nothing more to offer her and just let her go? Kerry wished for the latter, but her instincts warned her it wasn't likely.

She sighed, feeling sorry for herself. She couldn't see an end in sight – or at least one which had a happy ending. She had the insane urge to phone her little brother, just for the comfort of his innocent, familiar voice. In a way, he was the one who had gotten her into this mess, what seemed like centuries ago. Would making contact right now put him in more danger than he already was in? Was she making too much of this whole situation and seeing a threat to herself and family when there wasn't one? She sighed again, worrying about everything.

Kerry glanced up from her slouched position, looking at the clock beside her bed. She had completely lost track of the time. It was now after midnight, and the last time she remembered knowing the time was around eight. Four hours had passed so quickly, and yet it felt as if it had been some of the longest hours of her life. She was vaguely surprised she had managed to live through the day. Regrettably, it was far too late for her to call home. She stretched, arching back in a stretch to put her weary muscles into use. For a second, she stared at her white ceiling and bright overhead light, letting her back tremble until she couldn't keep the position anymore.

Uncrossing her legs, Kerry stood off the bed and rummaged through her dirty clothes hamper for her pajamas. Usually, they were waiting on top for her to just grab them and put them on, but she had disrupted the messy organization of the bin earlier today as she searched for a lipgloss in the pocket of one of her pair of jeans. She easily located the baggy blue bottoms to the set, but the smaller tank top was more elusive. "Gotcha," she muttered to herself, yanking it out of a tangle with a sweater. She tossed it on to her bed, within easy reach, and changed out of the nice suit she had been wearing. She pulled on her wrinkled and rumpled (and maybe slightly smelly) night clothes and put her suit on a hanger.

She wasn't tired at all, but she still went through the motions of getting ready for bed. Even if she had to lie under the blankets for hours, staring at her ceiling and jumping at every noise, she was determined to get a little bit of sleep. Tomorrow she would figure out whether to run or stay.

After she used the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, she exited the bathroom and headed towards the front door to make sure it was locked. It escaped her notice, but the lights of every room she had entered since arriving back were blazing, dispelling most of the shadows usually covering every surface of life. The knife was still held by her side, as the secure and well-lit apartment didn't chase away all of her fears. Since the only room she hadn't checked was Nelle's, she knew she'd lie in bed and worry about it until she did make sure nothing was hiding under her roommate's bed or anything. Feeling foolish, Kerry turned the light on in Nelle's bedroom and gave it a once-over. It looked safe enough.

Kerry walked into the room, standing in the middle of it and wondering where there was to hide. She leaned over, balancing on one leg, and quickly checked under the bed. Nothing. God, she was such a baby. Quickly, she crossed the room and stood in front of the closet. Her heart-rate was accelerating again at the thought of flinging open the door to the unknown. She knew there were no murderous rapists hiding in Nelle's closet, just like there hadn't been any in hers. Bracing herself, Kerry slid the door open with a jerk of her wrist.

An emotionless face of a girl a bit older than herself stared back. Kerry gasped, her breath entering her lungs choppily as she went cold with fright. The girl smiled, showing a glint of fang.

Kerry screamed, the sound piercing through her the paralyzing fear. OhGodohGodohGodohGod. The vampire lunged out of the closet, intent on shutting her up. Kerry just reacted, working on instinct more than bravery or skill. The point of the almost-useless knife in her hand pierced through the girl's neck. It stopped her for merely a second, as the attacker felt her neck and pulled out the blade with a vicious yank. Kerry used that time to flee, already slamming Nelle's door behind her as she practically dove into the bathroom. She knew she wouldn't have time to make it towards the front door. The vampire was already in the hallway by the time Kerry managed to lock the flimsy bathroom door.

"Come on out, Kerry," the female vampire called sweetly. She knew her name, Kerry realized, making it impossible for her to deny that the attack was meant for her and just not some freak random coincidence.

Trembling, she clutched at her heart, wishing she could stop the noise, but thankful it was still beating. Her breath was coming in pants. She was going to die, here in the bathroom. She was cornered, and there was no way out. Kerry fell to her knees on the cold hard tiles, barely noticing the bruising jar she gave them. Flinging open the cupboard under the sink, she pulled out a basket of cleaning supplies. She was a resourceful girl, surely she could find a weapon to use through the panic addling her brain.

"Kerry!" Pounding came on the wall of the room she was huddled into, and for a second she thought she was surrounded. Then, she realized it was Nathaniel in the next apartment. "Are you ok?"

"Help!" She screamed, "Nate!"

The vampire on the other side of the door was shaking the panel of wood so violently, Kerry thought she was going to tear the whole thing off the hinges. She knew for a fact the door wasn't going to remain a barrier for much longer. Most likely, the vampire would just twist the doorknob violently enough that the lock would break. Instead, the hunter thrust her hand through the wood door, splinters digging deep bloody grooves into the feminine forearm.

Kerry screamed again, hoping she was waking up everyone in the apartment building. Maybe one of them would come help her. Human psychology being what it was, it was very doubtful any of them would even lift a finger. As she was screeching her terror, the vampire curled her arm around, dripping obscenely on the blue shower matt, and reached for the lock on the door to open it from the inside. Kerry snatched the bottle of peroxide from the supplies she had grabbed from under the sink and fumbled with the cap. She managed to twist it off, her numb fingers hindering her movements, and the cover bounced to the floor. At least it was off the bottle, she mused, as she ignored the fact she dropped it. With quaking hands, she emptied the bottle over the vampire's arm, hoping it stung the self-inflicted wounds enough to pause the attack. Maybe Nathaniel could find a way to help her, if she could just fend off this murderous vampire long enough.

The woman outside the bathroom howled in pain, yanking her arm out the opening.

The pounding in Kerry's ears became more pronounced. No, wait, that was someone at the front door. Her sense of relief was short-lived, however, when she realized she had both locked and chained the entrance. She was doomed. Nathaniel would never be able to get passed the safety chain.

"You're dead," the vampire hissed, now out for personal retribution instead of a methodical ordered assassination. Kerry wondered if this was Tim's boss. She was dead, she realized, the situation becoming more and more hopeless as it went on. She didn't even have any handy tricks ready when her attacker just broke the lock of the door like Kerry had predicted she would in the first place. The vampire had been toying with her, trying to maximize Kerry's fear. It had worked.

The bathroom door opened, almost in slow motion. Kerry groped behind her, knocking over the tray full of cleaners and bathroom supplies she had at her disposal. The various bottled clattered to the floor just as the female vampire took a menacing step into the room. Kerry whimpered, not able to see clearly through the tears of horror welling in her eyes. She wanted to beg for her life, but all that emerged from her lips was a helpless whine.

The vampire's grin was feral, promising a painful death. In that moment, it looked less than human, and yet so much more. The vampire reached for her with the undamaged arm. Kerry felt that strange and mysterious hiss bubble up from her lungs and spring forward through teeth bared like a threatened animal. Her assailant paused for one precious second, frowning and cocking her head to the right. Kerry closed her eyes, spraying wildly for the eyes with a bottle of hairspray as she ducked her head and tried to dive passed the killer in the doorway. The vampire let her get out of the bathroom, probably more out of sport than Kerry's own attack. Kerry found herself falling towards the floor in the hallway. She put out her arms, trying to brace herself as she landed. The vampire was immediately on her back, pulling her long brown hair up painfully. Scalp screaming in agony, Kerry saw lights pass before her eyes. This was her final moment, she knew, as the vampire prepared to rip her neck out and feast on her blood. She always thought her first vampire bite would come in a completely different situation.

An unearthly scream echoed through the apartment. Kerry didn't realize it wasn't coming from her until the weight off her back was gone and she was blessedly able to breathe again. She turned her head to the side, just lying on the carpet in a daze. Her blood was pounding through her body, but she couldn't summon the will to do much more than rest there. She felt an overwhelming sense of safety, despite the fact she didn't know where her attacker went, or who had saved her. She didn't know if she had just traded one hell for another. All she knew was that it felt over, and that was good enough for her at the moment.

A cold hand touched her shoulder, running over the curve until the palm was braced enough around the bone to turn her over. Kerry felt boneless as she flipped to her back, staring up at the light blaring on the ceiling. She didn't really understand what was happening. How was she still alive?

"Hey, Kerry."

.:grins:.

How many of you are squeeing right now?