Chapter 9

I jerked awake, hissing and baring my fangs, the nightmare ebbing away into reality. I'd been dreaming, for the first time since I'd become a vampire, about dark tunnels and twisting corridors and something terrible lurking within them, stalking me. I remembered the cold fear, sensing the unknown evil drawing closer, and then a blinding flare of pain as the creature finally pounced, though I never saw its face. It was enough to wake me up, and upon reflection, I thought it was very strange. How did the dead dream, exactly? I'd have to ask Kanin about that.

Kanin. Rising, I grabbed my sword and hurried to his office, hoping I would see his calm, efficient form sitting behind the desk with a stack of documents, as always. The office was empty. Nor was there any note on the desk, telling me my assignments for the night. I prowled the halls, peering into every room, every corner I might've overlooked. Nothing. No sign of him anywhere. He was truly gone.

For a moment, I wondered if he had left on purpose, if last night, he'd had no intention of coming back. Had he gotten tired of his stubborn, moody, impossible student and decided it was time to be free of her? I shook my head. No, Kanin wasn't like that. He was cold, unsympathetic, jaded and sometimes scary as hell, but he was not a liar. If he wasn't here, then he was out there, somewhere. Was he hurt? Captured? Dead?

Stop that, I told myself. Just because Kanin wasn't in the hospital was no reason to panic. Maybe he was in the tunnels, setting up traps or alarms. Or maybe he was somewhere in the hospital still, in a room I hadn't checked or…

Wait. There was one more place I could look. At the bottom of the stairs, the red metal door groaned and swung open reluctantly as I pushed on it, revealing a long corridor. I caught a glimpse of a broken security cam-era mounted above the red door and another at the end of the hall. As I slipped into the hallway, the door groaned shut behind me, closing with a bang and plunging the narrow space into darkness.

My new vampire sight let me see even in pitch-blackness, however, and I made my way to the end of the hall, where another door was set firmly into the wall. It was stainless steel, barred from the outside and heavy enough to stop a train. It didn't have a normal handle or doorknob but a wheel set in the very center, rusty with age.

What were they keeping back here? I wondered, turning the wheel to the right. It spun reluctantly, then with a faint hiss, the door swung outward. Past the frame, I stepped into yet another dark, claustrophobic hallway. Only this time, large windows ran along the wall, looking into isolated rooms. Though some of the windows were smashed and broken, the glass was extremely thick, and more than a few were still intact. I looked closer, and a chill skittered down my spine.

Thick steel bars ran vertically across the windows, like cages. The doors on the rooms were the same thick, heavy metal, and they all locked from the outside. Within each room, the walls were white and crumbling, but I saw gouges in the tile, as if something had clawed at it, all the way down to the metal beneath.

"What the hell is this place?" I whispered.

My voice slithered into the room, unnaturally loud in the silence. The darkness seemed to reach for me, trying to draw me in. I could smell blood and pain and death, worked into the very walls, seeping from the cracks in the floor. Movement flickered at the corners of my eyes, faces peering out of the glass, ghostly images of things not there.

My skin crawled. Whatever had happened here, whatever secrets lay beyond those doors, it was something I didn't want to uncover. There was a thump on the stairwell, soft footsteps padding into the corridor. I shivered with relief.

"Kanin," I called, striding up to the thick metal door.

It was halfway shut, and I pushed it open.

"Where the hell have you been?"

And the vampire with the terrible smile grinned down at me.

"Hello, love," the vampire purred.

He was smiling as I backed away, drawing my blade as he eased into the room.

"What a surprise to run into you again" he said, with a large smile. "Some little wolfie has been lying to me."

I kept my blade between me and the vampire, circling with him as he prowled the edges of the room. His eyes weren't on me, however, but rather staring blankly at the walls and glass windows lining the hall.

"What are you doing here?" I growled, trying to control my fear. "How did you find this place?"

"Ahhhh..." the vampire breathed.

The air rasping through a windpipe that hadn't been used in years.

"That is a fine question, little wolf," he mused.

He reached out and put one pale claw against the glass, pressing his cheek against it. I noticed a splash of old, dry blood on his neck, as if something had slashed at him recently.

"Did you know these walls will talk to you?" he asked. "If you ask them. They'll tell you their secrets, though sometimes you have to beat it out of them, yes. Sometimes it was necessary."

He straightened and turned to me, his eyes empty black holes in his smiling face.

"Where's Kanin?" he asked in a patient, understanding voice. "Tell me now, and save me the trouble of pulling off your fingers."

"He's not here," I said.

The vampire didn't look surprised.

"Not back yet then?" he grinned. "I must've hit him harder than I thought. Very well, we can wait for him. I have all the time in the world."

"What did you do to him?" I snarled.

He chewed a fingernail, ran a tongue along his thin lips, and smiled at me.

"Have you ever filleted a fish?" he asked.

"What?" I growled. "What the hell are you talking about?"

God, this freak was creeping me out.

"No? It's quite easy." he stated.

There was a flash of metal, and the vampire was suddenly holding a thin, bright blade. I jumped; he was so quick I hadn't even seen his hand move.

"The trick is to start skinning them as soon as you pull them out of the water, before they have a chance to die," the vamp smiled. "You just slip the knife beneath the flesh and pull…"

I watched as he demonstrated with the blade, making a long, slow cut in the air.

"… and the skin peels right off," he finished.

He looked me in the eye, and his grin stretched wider, showing fangs.

"That's what I did to Kanin's last little fish," he said happily. "He screamed, oh, did he scream. It was glorious."

He waggled the knife at me.

"I wonder if you will be so obliging?" he said, more to himself than to me.

My arms shook, making the sword tremble, and I squeezed the hilt to stop them. I could barely move, frozen with a terror unlike any I'd known before. An image came to mind before I could stop it: a body hanging from the ceiling, raw muscles exposed to the air as it writhed and screamed in agony. I slammed that thought away before I was sick.

"Why… why do you hate him so much?" I asked, mostly to keep him talking, to buy myself some time.

My voice wavered, making me furious with myself. Dammit, I could not show fear in front of this psycho. I bit my cheek, tasting blood, and that was enough to rouse the demon inside. My next words were stronger.

"Why do you want to kill him?" I added.

"I don't want to kill him," the vampire explained.

He sounded surprised, which was odd. But from the short time that I've known this vampire I could tell he was a missing a few tools from the tool shed.

"That would be too good for Kanin," he chuckled, shaking his bald head. "Surely he's told you. What he is? What he's done? No? Always keeping your spawn in the dark, hmm, old friend? They don't even know why they must suffer for you."

He moved toward me, and I jerked backward, muscles tightening, but the vampire only crossed the room, running his fingers down one of the metal doors. He was no longer smiling, his face as empty as a blank sheet, making him a thousand times more terrible.

"I remember," he mused, his voice a cold whisper in the darkness. "I can't ever get it out of my head. The screams. The blood on the walls. Watching everyone around me turn into those things."

He shivered, curling his lips back, and suddenly his resemblance to the creatures in the ruins was unmistakable.

"They stuck me with the same needles," he muttered, "pumped the same sickness into me. But I never turned. I've always wondered about that. Why I never turned."

My eyes flickered to the exit, judging the distance between me and the heavy metal door. Not enough time. Psycho vamp was probably just as fast as Kanin, which meant he was much faster than me. I'd have to buy myself more time, a few seconds at least. Keeping one hand on the sword, I slowly reached down, into my jeans, and closed my fingers around the familiar handle of my knife. Pulling it out slowly, flicking open the tiny blade, I cupped it in my palm, hiding it from view.

"But I know now," psycho vamp said, as he turned, and that awful grin was back on his face. "I know why I was spared. To punish the one responsible for our pain. Every scream, every drop of blood, every strip of flesh and shattered bone, I will revisit upon him tenfold. He will know the pain, and fear and despair of every life within these walls. I will scour the earth of his blood, I will raze his lineage from existence. And only when his screams and the screams of his offspring replace the ones in my mind, when I can no longer see their faces and hear their cries of anguish, only then will I grant him leave of this world."

"You're a freaking psychopath," I said, but he only chuckled.

"I don't expect you to understand, little wolf. I expect you only to sing. Sing for me, sing for Kanin, and make it a glorious song."

I watched as the psycho vamp turned toward me fully, fingering his blade and smiling. He lunged at me, coming in fast and catching me off guard, even though I was expecting it. I swung the katana at him one-handed, aiming for his neck, but he slithered aside, stepped within my guard and slammed me into the wall. My head struck the glass, and I felt something crack beneath me, either my head or the glass itself. Before I could react, a cold, dead hand clamped around my sword arm, threatening to snap it, and the point of a blade pierced my jaw.

"Now, little wolf," the vamp whispered. "Sing for me."

I growled at the vampire pressed his lean body against mine. I tried throwing him off, but it was like steel cables, pinning me to the wall. I bared my fangs in his face. For some reason, I got the urge to look at the door away. When I did though, I couldn't believe what I saw. Allie was standing there, her eyes, just as wide as they were the last time I saw them. This time though fear shone in them as bright as day. What was she doing here?

"Pidge," I heard her whisper.

The psycho must have heard her too, but before he could turn around to see who it was I made my move.

"Sing yourself," I hissed.

I thrust my free hand up, jamming the pocket knife into one crazy black eye. Psycho vamp screamed and reeled away, clutching his face. I sprang from the wall and rushed for the door, for Allie, but I hadn't taken three steps when the vampire's scream turned into a chilling roar of fury. The sound made my hair stand on end. Fear made me quick. I reached the exit, grabbed Allie, as gently as I could by the wrist. I lunged through the opening, pulling her with me, dropping my blade and her wrist, before spinning around to push the heavy door shut.

I saw psycho vamp racing toward me, his face a mask of rage, fangs bared, eyes bloody and murderous. I pushed as hard as I could against the door, feeling something beside me. I opened my eyes and Allie was beside me. She was using everything she had to help me with the door. I shoved hard on the door again. It groaned as it swung shut, and I wrenched the wheel to the left, sealing it tight as a thunderous boom echoed from the other side.

Looking over at Allie, I saw she was panting pretty hard. She was also trembling with fear and exhaustion. Even my arms were shaking, as I grabbed my katana and backed away from the door. It was strange; I felt my heart should be pounding a mile a minute, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps, exactly like Allie's was. But of course, there was none of that. Only the slight tremble in my arms and legs showed how very close I had come to death again.

Another hollow boom against the steel door made me wince. How long would it be before psycho vamp got out? Could he get out? If he did, he would be coming for me, no question about it. I had to put as much distance between me and murderous psycho vamp as I could.

I grabbed Allie's hand and took another step back, turned to flee, and ran into a body in the hallway.

"Kanin!" I exclaimed.

I nearly fainted with relief, putting out my arms to steady him. Kanin staggered back a step, leaning heavily against the wall. He looked even paler than usual, and his shirt was stained with dried blood. His own. Allie let out a silent squeak, but I ignored her.

"You're hurt!" I said.

"I'm alright," he stated.

He waved me off.

"It's old," he mumbled. "I've already fed, so don't worry about me. Did Sarren come down here?"

His yes scanned the hallway, narrowing to slits. It was like he already knew what happened a few minutes ago.

"Sarren?" I asked. "You mean psycho vamp with the messed-up face? Yeah. Yeah, he did."

There was more pride in my voice, than there should have been, as I jerked my thumb toward the steel door. Another thud echoed down the hallway, followed by a desperate screech.

"Friend of yours, Kanin?" I asked. "He seemed very interested in peeling my skin off."

"You're lucky to be alive," Kanin muttered

He shook his head, and I thought I heard the faintest note of admiration in his voice.

"He surprised me last night," he continued. "I didn't think he would find me here so soon."

"Are you alright?" I asked concerned.

He was about to say something and then he saw Allie.

"What's she doing here?" he asked in bewilderment.

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. He shook himself, pushing off the wall.

"We don't have time for this," he decided.

He glanced at Allie, who still hadn't said anything, and then back at the door.

"We have to get out of here," he continued, staggering away. "Hurry. There's not much time."

"You think Smiley can get out of there?" Allie finally said, looking back at the door.

"Really?" I asked, as I glanced back at the door as well. "It's like two feet of solid steel."

"No, Pigeon," Kanin looked back at Allie and I, his face darkening. "Your other friend went to the authorities this evening. He told them two unauthorized vampires are hanging around the old hospital grounds. The Prince's men are coming. We have to move now."

I stared at him in horror, hardly believing what I'd just heard and then looked at Allie. She nodded.

"That's why I came here," she said. "To warn you about Stick. He wanted me to go with him, but I couldn't."

"No," I said, as Kanin turned away, walked back down the hall. "You're wrong. You both are. Stick wouldn't do that to me. That's the one rule everyone understands. We don't sell each other out to the bloodsuckers, no matter what."

"You are a bloodsucker now," Kanin's voice echoed back, dull and weary. "And it doesn't matter. Someone tipped them off, and they're on their way. If they catch us here, they'll kill us. We have to get out of the city."

He glanced back down at Allie. I still held her hand in mine. I could tell by the way she held mine tightly in hers, she didn't want to let me go.

"Your sister," Kanin murmured, "will have to come with us. She's in big trouble for coming to help us. If they find her here, she's as good as dead."

"We're leaving?" I hurried after him, feeling my stomach twist. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know," he growled.

Kanin suddenly slammed a fist into the wall, making Allie and I jump.

"Dammit," he growled, bowing his head. "Dammit, I was so close. If I only had a little more time…"

He smashed his fist into the wall again, leaving a gaping hole, and I shifted uncomfortably, making sure that Allie was behind me. It occurred to me that whatever he'd been looking for, whatever he had been researching all this time, was lost. Either he hadn't found it, or it wasn't here in the first place. Weeks of searching, reading endless files and documents, all for nothing in the end. And then everything – the research, the hospital rooms, the crazy vampire with a vendetta against Kanin – clicked into place. And I felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner.

"It was you," I gasped.

I stared at the hunched figure against the wall. And I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw his shoulders flinch, just a little, at the words. Allie looked back and forth from me and Kanin. She didn't understand what was going one.

"You were the vampire," I mumbled, "the Master, that sold out the other vampires for a cure to Red Lung. You were the one working with the scientists. And this place…"

I glanced back at the steel door.

"… this was where it all happened," I continued. "That was what Smiley was talking about. The experiments, the screaming. You're the one responsible for the rabids!"

Kanin straightened, though he didn't look at me.

"That vampire is gone," he said in the coldest voice I'd ever heard. "He was foolish and idealistic, and his faith in mankind was horrendously misplaced. It would've been better had he let the virus run its course. Some humans would have survived, they always survive. And if our kind had starved, if vampires all went extinct, maybe that would have been preferable to this."

He looked at me.

"But then," he said thoughtfully, "maybe you wouldn't have been born."

"What?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"Pigeon…" he paused. "I knew… you mother… your birth mother…"

"What–" I stopped.

Everything made since now. Why he wanted to know if he knew me the first time we had met in the tunnels. Why he wanted to know how old I was and my name. He was the missing link in my life. If it hadn't been for him then I would have never been born.

I was silent, not knowing what to say. I thought I would hate him; this was the vampire whose actions had created something horrible, who was responsible for the spread of the rabids, who had inadvertently caused the enslavement of the entire human race and he was my father. But even in my darkest, angriest moments, I could not match the depth of loathing I heard in Kanin's voice, the absolute hatred for the vampire who had doomed both species, and the desperate need to make things right.

"Let's go," he finally said, starting forward again. "We have to keep moving. I'm sorry I can't tell you more right now. Take nothing you don't need, we'll want to travel light, and we have only a few hours to clear the wall and get out of the ruins."

"I'm good to go," I said, holding up my sword and Allie's wrist.

She had staid quiet the whole-time Kanin and I talked. I don't know if she knew what was being said or not, but she knew to ask questions later when our lives weren't in danger.

"I don't have anything except this and her," I stated.

It was kind of sad, really. I'd lived in a place for twenty-three years and had nothing to show for it but a sword, the clothes on my back and the girl standing beside me. And the clothes and sword weren't even mine. For a second, I wished could get something for Allie, some keep-sake of her mom's, something to remember her bye, but the vampires had taken even that.

And then it really hit me. I was leaving. I was leaving the only place I'd ever known, the place that had been home my entire life. And what I hated the most, I was taking Allie with me. Don't get me wrong I loved her, but I was taking her where… I didn't know.

What lay beyond the Wall, beyond the ruins, I had no idea. From what Kanin told me, I knew there were other vampire cities, scattered about the wilderness, but I had no idea where any of them were located. Kanin always seemed reluctant to talk about his travels, about the world outside, so it rarely came up. Were there humans out there, scorning vampire protection, living free? Or was the world beyond a wasteland of dead buildings and forests teeming with rabids and other horrors? I guessed I would find out, because Kanin was giving me no time to consider.

"Hurry," he snapped. "Get the girl on your back it will be faster that way."

He helped Allie get on my back and we were off. We jogged to the elevator shaft. This would be the last time we used it.

"Get up there now," he ordered. "They're probably almost here."

I scurried up the dark tube, with Allie tight grip around my neck and waist, and came out in the hospital ruins, stepping aside so Kanin could follow me up. Around us, the blackened remains stood silent, but across the empty lot, slithering like the wind through the grass, I could hear footsteps. Lots of footsteps. Coming this way. And then, over the tops of the grass and weeds, I saw them.

Vampires.

A whole lot of them, their skin pale under the glowing moon, moving in tandem over the lot. Surrounding and flanking them were several human guards carrying very large weapons-assault rifles. The vampires looked unarmed, but the sheer number of them, gliding noiselessly through the weeds like an army of corpses, made me bite my lip until I tasted blood.

Kanin gripped my shoulder, and I glanced up at him, trying to hide my fear. He pressed a finger to his lips and pointed silently into the city. We slipped away into the darkness, as voices and the steady march of footsteps drew closer to our location.

Allie still staid quiet as Kanin and I ran. She buried her head into my shoulder blades and it hit me just now, the warmth I felt at my back. I felt her heart beating rapidly against my back. It took all my self-control and more to not stop right here, and take that warmth in. I shook my head ignoring her.

As we ran I realized I'd never run so fast in my life, or death, for that matter. It was a good thing too, because Kanin was relentless, leading us through the city, down side streets, into alleyways, under and through old buildings on the verge of collapse. It was a good thing I never got winded or tired anymore, running along behind Kanin and carrying a human on my back, as we fled the army at our backs.

Frighteningly, our pursuers didn't get tired, either, and had apparently called in reinforcements once they discovered we were on the run. Vehicles and armored trucks scoured the once empty streets, bright spotlights piercing the darkness, armed guards ready to open fire at anything that moved. All humans had wisely moved indoors; not even the gangs were roaming the alleyways tonight. A citywide manhunt, where even the vampires were out in the open, in large numbers, was cause enough for the bravest thug to stay off the street.

The streets rapidly became too dangerous for us to cross, but Kanin wasn't planning on staying aboveground for long and took us into the undercity as quickly as he could. Prying up a manhole cover, he motioned me down the hole, and I dropped into the belly of the city without hesitation. I landed as gently as I could so I couldn't hurt Allie. I was worried we were going to get her killed before we got to safety.

"We can't slow down," Kanin cautioned after he'd landed noiselessly beside me. "They'll be searching the tunnels, as well. Perhaps even more extensively than the streets. But at least down here we'll be out of the open, away from the trucks."

I nodded.

"Where to now?" I asked.

"We head for the ruins," he stated. "Past the edge of the city, they probably won't follow us."

I felt my stomach clench at the thought of going into the ruins, and the rabids that waited there, in the place that I'd died. But I squashed down my fear. It was either face the threat of rabids, who might kill us, or stay here and wait for the Prince's men, who definitely would. Between the two, I'd rather have a fighting chance.

"Not much night left, Kanin," I stated.

I felt the hours slip away from us. He gave a curt nod.

"Then we'll have to pick up the pace," he retorted.

We did, running madly through the tunnels, hearing the echo of voices around and above us. They were waiting for us at the edge of the old city.

The ruins were crawling with soldiers and guards, more than I'd seen before in my life. Whether through testament to Kanin's infamy or Prince Salazar's hatred, we had barely come out of the tunnels when there was a shout in the darkness and machine-gun fire ricocheted around us, sparking off the pavement and walls. We f led, ducking through overgrown lots and between buildings, but the alert was sounded, and they all knew we were here. Gunfire and shouts echoed from all directions. A trio of snarling dogs came at us and Kanin had to cut them down before we could move on.

"This way," Kanin hissed, ducking around an old brick building half covered in vines. "We're not far from the city limits now. See those trees?"

He pointed over the rooftops to where a blanket of leaves crowded the horizon.

"If we can get into the forest," he began, "we'll be able to lose–"

A roar of gunfire erupted from a line of cars in front of us, making little explosions of blood erupt from Kanin's chest, and he jerked back with a painful hiss. I cried out in terror. Allie screamed, her arms tightening around my neck tighter. If I was human she would have killed me by now.

Staggering away, Kanin turned and dived through the window of the old building, shattering the glass and dropping from sight. Ducking bullets, I scrambled through after him.

"Kanin!" I screamed.

The interior of the building smelled of oil, grease and rust, and the skeletons of several cars sat on the cement floor as I jumped to my feet, glancing around wildly. The vampire lay a few feet from the window, surrounded by broken chips of glass. I dropped beside him, putting Allie down, but not letting go of her hand, as he pushed himself to his knees. He was grimacing, teeth clenched tightly together, his fangs smeared with blood. Blood also spattered his clothes, fresh stains against the old ones, and pooled from holes in his chest and stomach, the gunshot wounds he had taken head-on.

As Allie and I watched, horrified and fascinated at the same time, he dug his thumb and two fingers into the holes, clenching his jaw. He pulled out three lead slugs, dropping them to the pavement with a clink. The gaping wounds sealed, though the blood on his shirt, chest and hands remained.

Kanin shuddered, slumping against the wall. Voices echoed around us, men shouting, calling for backup. Through the window, the sky against the horizon was a dark blue, and a faint orange glow signaled the approach of the sun.

"Pigeon," Kanin's voice was soft.

I barely heard it against the backdrop of shouting and gunfire.

"Our time together has come to an end," he said, breathlessly. "This is where we have to part. I'm sorry, I couldn't tell you more about your mother and I."

"You keep saying that," I muttered, but I still don't understand."

He didn't say anything, but more of this words sank in, and they scared me more than the people after us did.

"Wait, what?" I stared at him wide-eyed. Are you crazy? Screw that! I'm not leaving you."

"I've brought you as far as I can," he sighed.

Kanin's eyes were glassy; I realized he was probably starving, after taking those shots to the chest. But he still tried to speak calmly. I knew that the only food source, who was the closest was Allie. I pushed her behind me, letting my fangs come out. If I had to fight him to keep Allie safe, then I would. Even if it was my teacher… who could be someone else entirely.

"You know almost everything you need to survive," he said. "There's just one more thing I have to tell you."

A bullet ricocheted off a car, sparking in the shadows. I flinched, as Allie buried her face into my back again. Kanin didn't seem to notice.

"One last skill every vampire should know," he went on in a near whisper. "When you're caught outside with no shelter, you can burrow deep into the earth to escape the sun. It's something we do instinctively. It's also how the rabids sleep during the day, so be careful, because they're known for appearing right under your feet. You have to find a strip of natural earth, not rock or cement, and you must cover yourself completely. Do you understand? You might need it very, very soon.

"And your friend can sleep in tree's. It might have been a long time since I was human, but I know that's the safest place to go. There is a backpack over there. I packed it for you, but I'm sure your sister will need it. There's blankets and a couple pairs of clothes. I'm sure they're fit the both of you."

I shook my head, barely listening to him, as the shouts and wild barking drew even closer. I felt Allie get up and make her way to where Kanin had said the backpack. She made her way back to me when she found it.

"Kanin," I began, feeling my eyes start to burn, "I can't! I can't leave you here to die."

"Don't underestimate me, girl," Kanin replied with the faintest of smiles. "I've lived a long, long time. You think this is the worst situation I've encountered?"

The smile got bigger, more evil, before he became serious again.

"You, however," he said silkily. "You will not survive this. Not now, not as you are. So you go out there, and you live, and get stronger. And someday down the road, we might meet again. Think of your sister."

A howl of discovery, and a hail of gunfire peppered the wall, as we ducked down even farther. Kanin snarled, fangs springing to light, the glassy look in his eyes getting brighter. He looked at me and curled his lip.

"Go!" he ordered. "Head for the forest. I'll keep them busy for a while yet."

A bullet hit the wall, spraying us with grit, and he growled,

"Go!" he yelled. "Leave me."

"Kanin–"

He roared, his face turning demonic, the first real glimpse of what he could become, and I shrank back in terror.

"Go!" he ordered again. "Or so help me, I will tear your heart out myself!"

I bit back a sob. Turning, I crawled across the floor and slipped through a broken window on the far wall, half expecting a bullet in the spine at any second. As soon as Allie was through the window, I pulled her onto my back in one swift motion, and started running. I didn't look back.

Kanin's howl rose into the air, a chilling sound of defiance and rage, followed by a frantic burst of gunfire and a desperate scream. Reaching the edge of the lot, I fled into the ruins, hot bloody tears streaming down my face, blinding me. I ran until the sounds of battle faded behind me, until I left the ruins and entered the forest, until the lightening sky forced my limbs to a sluggish crawl.

Finally, Allie jumped off my back as I collapsed, snarling and crying, at the roots of several old trees. Dawn was seconds away from touching the earth and turning me into a fiery inferno. Half blinded by red tears, I buried my fingers in the cool, damp ground, scraping away dirt and leaves, wondering if I could really burrow fast enough to escape the sun. It was hot, so very hot. I scraped faster, frantic, wondering if smoke really was rising from my skin.

The earth rippled and seemed to melt beneath me, swallowing me up. I dropped into a black hole, cold dirt settling around me like a cocoon, and the heat vanished immediately, leaving Allie behind me. Cool, blessed darkness flooded in, and then there was nothing.

When I woke again, the world was quiet. I looked around and finally found Allie sitting in a tree sleeping. The backpack that Kanin had pack for me, she was using as a pillow, a blanket was wrapped around her shoulders and another one wrapped around her legs. I didn't know how she got up there. All I knew was that we were alone.

Shaking free the dirt that clung to my hair and clothes, I gazed around, listening for gunfire, for any signs of life in the darkness. Nothing moved except the leaves, rustling in the trees above me. Through the branches, the sky blazed with stars.

Allie soon woke up and I told her to stay where she was. I was going to go have a look around. She didn't say anything, just nodded her head.

Kanin was gone. I searched the area halfheartedly, back-tracking toward the edge of the ruins, but I knew finding him was impossible. If he was dead, there would be nothing left behind but ash. I did stumble across a couple of human corpses, torn apart and savaged by what looked like a vicious beast. One of them still clutched an assault rifle in one bloody hand. I examined it, but the gun was empty, the rounds spent, and it was too useless and awkward to take with us.

Only when I was certain that Allie and I were truly alone, did I wonder what we would do next. Damn you, Kanin, I thought, trying to stifle the fear, the uncertainty, threatening to smother me. Where could I go now? What was I going to do? I didn't dare go back to the city; the Prince would certainly have me killed for my association with the vampire world's Most Wanted. But whatever lay beyond the ruins was a mystery. What was out there, really? Another vampire city, perhaps. But maybe not. Maybe it was all wilderness, as far as the eye could see. Maybe nothing existed out there but rabids, crawling over everything, killing any human they came across. But I wasn't human anymore. And I wasn't as afraid of them as I once was. I was part of their world now, part of the darkness.

Then I remembered I still had Allie to think about. I couldn't really take her with me. Could I? The rabid would surely kill her if they got a chance. Could I really protect from what's out there. What if I got hungry? Then I was the one that would be a danger to her.

But what else could I do? She couldn't go back because she was associated with me and like I said before I was associated with the vampire world's Most Wanted. I had no choice but to take her with me.

Just because I wasn't human anymore did mean that I was still scared. I hated the thought of leaving home and the relative safety of the city. I also hated the thought of taking Allie somewhere dangerous. But there was a part of me that was a tiny bit excited, as well. Maybe everything in my short miserable life had led up to this. Allie and I was outside the walls. We were far from vampire influence. True, I was dead, and she wasn't but there was a strange freedom in that. Everything in my other life was gone, everything but her. I had nothing to go back to.

Go out there, and live, and get stronger.

"All right then, Kanin," I muttered. "Guess I'll just have to take Allie, and we'll have to go see what's out there."

Turning, with Allie by my side, I gazed through the trees, back toward the ruins and the city, sparing one last look at the lights of my old home. Then, with nothing but my sword, the clothes on my back and my sister at my side, I put New Covington behind us and stepped forward, into the wilderness. And I didn't stop until I was certain I would see nothing but trees if we looked back.