Chapter 10: A vampire's kiss

"Peter..."

"Don't! You could have let me become the destroyer of New York. After all you've done, after your evil plans, after your murders and tortures, how could you look into a mirror?" He raised his forefinger and noticed that it is slowly getting red.

"You were monsters. All of you." he stated.

"Does it change anything?" said Angela. "Does this change that I'm your mother?"

"It does change my thinking. About my parents. About the world. About everything I believe in and everything they believed in."

"Peter..." she sighed. He didn't really listen to her, just disappeared. "Peter!" she shouted. "No!"

She heard that someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" she stammered. She tried to look as confident as possible but this wasn't an easy task now.

There was no answer. Angela slowly stepped towards the door. And suddenly someone shot and broke in, with a pistol in his hand. As he saw Angela, he pointed the gun right at her chest. Angela was surprised that he didn't shoot her in the first minute but after she thought she saw through the situation, she squared her shoulders, looked into the man's brown eyes and said.

"Would you put that thing down? Our conversation would be much more comfortable."

But his hand didn't move. He just smiled.

"It's lovely, isn't it? You still rely on your ability, even in the last moment, Angela Petrelli? But it won't work if I'm around."

There was some accent in his voice, and as she heard her name, Angela became terrified. She'd heard this voice before. About a week ago. The man standing in front of her was Nicolai Starnov.

"What do you want from me?" she asked. Nicolai's smile grew wider.

"I want to know. To know how do you feel now that I gave a bit of liabilities back. And I even told you!" he laughed. Angela didn't say anything. "But you couldn't do anything. You couldn't and you can't do anything now. Face the truth: I've defeated you. I've killed your son, and I'll kill you, too. Where's that box, I ask?"

"You're too confident. My other son's still alive and he'll kill you."

"Sooner or later we'll meet. And possibly only one of us will walk away alive. But that's not today's business, Angela Petrelli. Good night. Greet my father!" He pulled the trigger and shot her. Nicolai stepped closer to her, to finish her at last. It was a pleasure for him.

"You know you did, Nicolai." she rattled before he shot two bullets in her head, too.

"Nicolai Starnov?" asked Bob.

Hiro nodded enthusiastically as he recognized the name.

"Then, Angela was right. And as well as you, Hiro. If he's alive and we can't find him, that means trouble. Big trouble."

"I don't care about your trouble!" shouted Kimiko. "You've lied to me! You've lied to the Nakamura family!" Her voice didn't turn lower as she looked at Hiro.

"You really lied to her?" asked Hiro.

Bob just shrugged.

"You don't understand." said Hiro to his sister. "If we didn't disappear, the world will be in terrible danger. Believe me, I've been in the future and none of us want to go on the way leading to it."

"Yet you trust a man who betrayed you."

"And who depends on me." Hiro answered.

"Excuse me" interrupted Bob "but as I knew your father you were not really smart that you've supposed I can't talk Japanese." He walked away from his desk and left the room, leaving them alone.

"Please, Kimiko, trust me. He needs me as well as I need him."

"Why? Why do you all leave me alone?"

"I've seen the future. In that future, we're both dead. Killed."

"What? Why?" She looked shocked.

"You're killed because you don't have abilities."

"And you?"

"I'm killed because I'm your brother. And because I love you as my sister, Kimiko."

Silence fell for a few moments.

"Go on." she sighed. "Do your business like your idiot friend, Ando."

"Ando?" asked Hiro. He was very surprised that he heard his name.

Suddenly, something landed behind Hiro with a bang. He turned back immediately: it was Peter Petrelli. Glowing in red, like Hiro saw him in front of the plaza.

"Hiro?" asked Peter as he looked up. "What are you doing here?"

"Peter Petrelli? Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"I don't know!" he jabbered. "So you have to stab me. Now! Where's your sword."

"Who's this?" asked Kimiko.

"I don't have it. I can't kill you. You're a good guy."

"Do it!" shouted Peter.

For a moment, chaos reigned. They didn't even hear the door swinging out. Bob stepped in and shot Peter in the chest. He collapsed but his glowing broke off.

We'll see if this worked, thought Sylar. Of course, he didn't expect Claire to chat with him, but he saw it possible that she'll come after him. Alone or not, it didn't really matter. Who can stop him now? Despite this he was alone, he couldn't do anything. He didn't have a clue, a guide where to go or what to do now. And sitting and waiting wasn't his favorite pastime. So, he began to become his own instruction: he bought some canvas and paint began to paint.

After hours, he woke up to see what he has done. There were many pictures in front if him, each of them with a number in its corner.

In the first, there was Claire struggling like someone was holding her in a stranglehold.

In the second, there dusty, black, Rastafarian holding a board like the taxi drivers at the airports. On the board there was only one word: Parkman.

In the third, Bennet was standing in a coat in front of a huge, red building.

In the fourth, there were two figures. One was Peter and the other one was a mid-aged, brown-haired man wearing a hat and a brown leather jacket. They were sitting at a table and the other man was drinking coffee.

In the fifth, a girl was standing and holding out her fist. Behind her, he could see Suresh badly injured, his clothes full of blood.

In the sixth, there was a small, black kid with curly hair. He was surrounded by many columns of green and blue numbers and a figure similar to a dragon's skull, also formed by these numbers.

In the seventh, he saw himself lying on a table, with two holes in his head and one in his chest.

In the eighth, there was New York again, turned to a smoking wasteland.

In the ninth, there was Peter, seemingly unconscious with lots of thin plastic tubes, like the ones in hospitals, coming out of his body.

In the tenth, there was that Japanese guy, Hiro looking on his cell phone. But Sylar couldn't see what was in the phone.

And, most importantly, he didn't understand what did these pictures mean.

Luck didn't follow Ann and Maya. They found Rios' residence burnt down and, as Ann had said before, they looked for any clues in several morgues. The seen things didn't comfort Maya, although they didn't find anything extraordinary. Ann didn't speak Spanish, so Maya had to negotiate with all the doctors. And she simply wasn't used to see corpses all day long. They've visited more than ten that day, and Maya was disgusted and harassed by all that happened that day. She didn't think that being a Company agent was so annoying. She stepped in with discomfort as she didn't want to see any more dead. In fact, haven't she seen enough?

She rang but no one answered. Ann pulled her gun and they broke in. There was silence and darkness, but still no people. Ann looked around carefully at every corner. And as they reached a greater room, where the corpses were stored normally, they found him. They immediately recognized Rios, who was looking around in the corpses that were on the ground. He was playing with a cigarette-lighter, igniting and causing the flames to erupt out of it.

Ann had clear sight on him and pulled the trigger. The gun banged and he fell on the ground, behind a gurney. She started to approach Rios but she told Maya to stay put and not to enter the room. As she reached the gurney, she realized that he wasn't there. And then, a huge hole appeared in the floor under her in one simple moment. She fell in it, and moreover, she dropped the gun, too.

Rios was behind her, he was hiding behind a corpse container and his arm was bleeding. He looked into Ann's eyes and stepped towards her. She tried to grab her gun, but it was too far and the hole was very deep. He reached her and kissed her.

Maya was terrified again. Ann's skin became lined and black as his lips toucher hers. She jumped out of her temporary shelter. She was definitely mad. Her eyes began blackening.

"Stop!" she shouted.

Rios was rattling as he felt the poison in his body. He started collapsing. Maya took one step. And then, suddenly she felt like someone grabbed her head and pushed dashed it to the nearby wall. She fell unconscious.

Reginald Rios stood up. The woman in front of him was almost dead and his ability was recharged for a short time. He would wanted to suck out the energy from both of them, but he was bleeding heavily and he didn't have much time because someone surely heard the shot and called the police. And he didn't have enough power to face a police squad. So he left as quickly as he could. He had to find a doctor, and fast.

Sitting on the front seat of a car hasn't been causing joy for Micah for a long time. He was nervous. They did bad things, they were caught but released. But why? And who were these people? He thought about asking it, but in this situation he thought it wasn't the best idea. He expected them to talk but they didn't. The Japanese guy, named Ando, drove them home without a word.

Then, at the house he saw something amazing. Something he couldn't believe. His mother was sitting in front of the door, crying. As getting out of the car was safe, he jumped out of it and ran to her. She smiled but she looked sad at the same time. They hugged each other passionately. They haven't met for a long time.

"I was so worried." whispered Niki.

"You?" asked Micah surprised. "You supposed to be dead."

"I was saved. It was a miracle."

"How?" asked he. He could hear the two men slowly coming after him but they didn't say anything.

"Two boys found me. One of them could heal me. It was painful but I recovered."

"You didn't blow up?" he asked. He looked like he still couldn't believe what's happening.

"Probably I didn't. I had many burnt scars but they're gone now."

He looked on her arm, touched it, fondled it. Then he hugged her mother again and he started crying.

"I thought I had lost you."

"You can't get rid of me." whispered Niki, making both of them remember D.L.

"Can he do something about Dad?"

"The boy who cured me?" Micah nodded. "No, he can't. He's dead."

He took a deep breath and asked another question.

"What about your secret?" he whispered.

"She's gone. Under control."

"Sure?"

Niki didn't say a word, just nodded.

"Looks like we've misunderstood each other." interrupted Nathan. "We thought you were dead."

"I almost was, Mr. Petrelli." answered Niki.

"Call me Nathan." he said, but she didn't respond anything. She just looked at Ando and greeted him with a small nod.

"What's your business with my son?" she asked.

"I only brought him home. I'm returning a favor."

"For who?" she asked viciously but Micah calmed him down.

"For a company."

"A company?" asked Niki. "What did they promise to you?"

"They didn't make promises. They gave me a way back to life. I was cured like you."

"How?" asked Micah.

"I don't know. But speaking about this boy genius here, he tried to use his abilities for bad things."

"What?" asked Niki and she jumped up.

"They broke into a police office."

"You're lying!" she said and punched him in the face and made him bleed.

"Mom!" shouted Micah. "We did."

She slowly turned back to her son.

"We did. It was Monica's idea but I agreed with her. She was attacked and she wanted to find some white guy who hired a gang and organized a fight. Monica just missed death by an inch."

"Yet you shouldn't have done this."

"I know." he stated, staring down on the ground. "They brought us out of prison."

Niki was shocked by the word and stared at Ando who was aiding Nathan. The latter's nose was bleeding heavily.

"You, partners?" she asked and Ando nodded.

"What do you want from us?" asked she again.

"We don't want anything from you and your son." said Nathan weakly. "Our assignment is to bring Monica in and nothing else."

"Why?" asked Niki but suddenly Nathan's cell phone rang.

"Dad" began Claire "I have something important to tell you."

"I know, sweetheart." replied Noah. "My partner informed me about your conversation with Sylar."

"He did?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes. He's also ordered to protect you. But he couldn't tell me everything. So you must tell me everything you've said to him and anything that could gave him hidden information of your whereabout."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she argued.

"He told me he won't get really close to you. In fact, he isn't doing his best but he does what's the most important."

"Well, he didn't. And I didn't say anything to that psychopath. I put down the phone in the moment I realized that it was him. Because he called me from West's phone." You know who's him, don't you?"

"Yes, I do." he answered. Then, his memory wasn't erased, thought she. The Company's getting really sloppy. "If you didn't tell him anything, we'll stay put."

"Dad, there's one more thing."

"What else?" he asked.

"I'll try out for cheer leading. And I don't forget that you've lied to me. This is the first part of the payback." she stated and ran up into her room.

Noah decided not to go after her. In fact, he had lied for her even in the last few moments.

Christian was waiting for Matt at the airport and escorted him to a safe place where they could talk about this incident.

"Should I know you?" asked Matt. "I worked here about half a year ago and I don't remember you."

"No, you shouldn't." answered Christian as he closed the door. Matt started getting scared. "I know, I didn't choose the safest and the most peaceful way to get you here. I'm sorry. I won't lie. In fact, I couldn't, could I?"

"So?" asked Matt and started reading his mind. He looked for informations about Janice. This guy didn't lie about her. She was really kidnapped but his real goal was not finding her. He suddenly heard a word in his mind.

"FBI."

"I simply could not imagine" began Christian "how could a man like you become a star detective in the other end of the country. You couldn't pass your exam in LA. Yet, you get a hot case in New York, and even pull your boss into something beyond legal. That raises my suspicion. I'm a very suspicious man, you know."

Matt tried to tackle him but he was faster. He jumped away, pulled a gun and shot Matt in the leg. Slowly, everything got darker and darker around him.

The yelling of the strong, black boy got quieter slowly. This didn't bother Samuel. This was what he wanted. Soon, all of his resistance will be nothing. He looked in his wallet, to see who he was. He took it a long time ago. Hype Wilson. What an idiot name was that? He rattled and looked up, directly in Samuel's eyes. His eyes were red. No wonder, thought Samuel. He was tortured well. He grabbed Hype's head, as he began to scream again, for this time, just because of the fear.

"Do you hear me?" asked Samuel. Hype nodded.

"You don't want any more, do you?"

"No." he rattled.

"If you don't, you'll do me a favor." He curtly nodded again.

"I want a gang war." He could see the wondering and the hate in Hype's eyes but he couldn't say anything or move.

"No, man." he spat. Samuel dropped his head and it fell down on the ground.

"You know what I am capable of, Hype." he whispered. "So, I have to tell you that you'll do this for me and my family. Whether you want it or not. I want to see you all dead. You must pay."

Hype rattled something but it wasn't understandable. Samuel touched his forehead again and he started yelling.

"Is this all we have?" asked Mohinder, looking at the syringe held by Wang.

"So far, that's all I could invent."

Mohinder looked back to his microscope. He was frustrated.

"We haven't even modified the structure of the Shanti virus really."he stated. "That's your wonderful ability? We've been working for weeks..."

"Before us, it took years." interrupted Wang.

"I didn't finish my sentence. All I want to say is: we don't have any significant results. And that makes me nervous and doubtful."

"Did you know that at some people, nervousness stimulates the brain functions?"

"That's not the point!" shouted Mohinder. He picked up the first object near him – a pen –, grabbed it and slammed it to the ground.

"We can't even check if we had anything." he said sadly.

"Formerly, you had the chance."

"And I don't regret that I hadn't used the virus. I couldn't even watch a criminal, a murderer dying from something that I had created."

"You didn't say you're a pacifist." said Wang surprised and she smiled. "Having evolution all around me, that's what you say. And you say you can't kill someone, even a murder. Then, what about Sylar?"

"That's a totally different story." he said.

"Tell me. We have time."

"No, we don't." argued Mohinder.

"Because" whispered Wang" a criminal will be delivered here and we can test her – if we want to. But after this conversation, I doubt it."

"Should I show that I have a heart of stone?" he asked.

Suddenly, Mohinder's phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Dr. Suresh, I'm Kamala. Do you remember me?"

Of course, he remembered.

"How do you know my name?" he asked. He didn't remember if he told that.

"That's not vital. I'm in Albuquerque."

"What?" That was not a coincidence, he knew that. Somehow, the girl found out where he was. But how?

"I'm at the airport. Could you pick me up, please? I have to talk to you. Urgently."

Mohinder paused for a moment. This was ridiculous.

"Yes, I'll be there in 10 minutes." he answered.

He hasn't had this feeling for a long time. Since Sylar started working, started his former passion, fixing watches, he learned that he could count on nobody. His mother was maybe his last reason but he realized that she had slipped out of his life long before she died. But now, this was strange. It was weird. It made him scare. His ten paintings were now packed but he couldn't get them out of his mind. The seventh one, mostly. But the scariest thing wasn't that. It was the paintings' complete senselessness. He couldn't put the pieces together.

He needed help and he hardly forgot how to ask for that, from who. He called the first number that came in his mind.

"Marie? It's me, Gabriel. Where are you?" he heard his voice and it just raised his fears. It was desperate.

"I'm on a train back to home. To New York. Why?"

"We must talk."

"Why? I don't understand you."

"Neither do I. Do you know the Kirby Plaza building?"

"Yes, I do."

"We'll meet in front of it. In two hours."

"Gabriel, I'm not a psychiatrist."

"No, you're majoring in Philosophy and I know that. Believe me, that's why I called you."

There was a short pause.

"Make that three hours. I won't be in New York in two hours. Goodbye." And she put down the phone immediately.

Sylar sighed. Things were just starting getting more complicated. He grabbed his paintings and flew into the skies.

"I didn't expect you to be here." said Claire when she saw Nicholas the day after Sylar called her, at the same place.

"Why?" he asked. He looked calm.

"You're just like the Company. Sloppy, sloppy and sloppy again. My dad said you would try to keep yourself away from me. He said you've told this to him."

He sighed.

"There are a few things I can't control."

"About what?" asked Claire.

For a long moment, he looked in her eyes.

"Can we take a walk?" he asked. Claire nodded. He just looked at the grass and began.

"How can you act like this?" he asked. "How can you admit that you're totally normal?"

"It's not easy." she answered. "There were messy things around me, and I don't like mess."

"Yeah, I know but..." he sighed again. "Maybe it's because of your ability. If you hide it properly, no one can notice it really. Am I right?"

"Yes, you are but why are you saying this? Why is it so difficult to believe? I don't want to be a superstar. I don't want to fall ten stories every day. I don't want to be a circus animal."

"You can't harm anyone!" he shouted. "Did you want to know that? That's the difference between you and me."

"What do you mean?" asked she surprised.

"When I discovered this, this unbelievable thing in my throat, in my veins, I couldn't control it. I've done bad things. Very bad things, in fact. I hurt people. I hurt people with the words I said in their names. I was even expelled but that was just the last thing. And then I met you. My first assignment. And other things have gone out of my control."

"I still don't understand."

"You're so innocent, so harmless. I grew up in a messy situation and you can't imagine what have I felt when I met you. Even the first time I saw you. I know I shouldn't say this, especially after yesterday. But I've fallen in love with you. And there's nothing that can save me."

Claire was shocked because of this confession. She couldn't say even a word. They were simply staring at each other, for a long time.

Peter didn't know the time when he wake up. His watch was not on his arm, yet a tube was in it and he was lying in a bed . But he knew he didn't need that. His gunshot wound was healed completely, he couldn't even see the scar of it. After a few minutes, Bob opened the door of his room.

"I see you're in good trim, Bob. Maybe you didn't forget the old days. The murders, the tortures." hissed Peter.

"I don't have much time so I begin with the most vital things, Peter. Nathan is alive."

"What?!" shouted he. That was impossible. Nathan was carried away by an ambulance but at that time, his body was cold and his heart stopped. Peter was a nurse, he knew that. "He couldn't survive that shot. He didn't!"

"He actually did and I know where he is."

"Where? When can I see him?" he asked.

"He's on his way and you'll meet each other as soon as possible. But I have a lot of things to do. Maybe you could help me." whispered Bob.

"Not now." answered Peter and Bob left. He sat up. He had to think. Nathan was alive, and that was shocking. Positively, of course but it definitely was. He wished if he could speak to him. To tell him how sorry he was, how angry he was about his parents and how insecure was he. And most of all, how much he loved Nathan.

Nathan's body juddered as he woke up. He looked up and realized he was in a hospital bed. His nose was fixed in some plastic mask. Ando was sitting next to him.

"What happened?" asked Nathan and he was surprised about the weakness of his voice.

"You lost much blood." he answered. "I brought you here."

"Where is Peter?"

"Who?

"Peter. My brother. Peter Petrelli."

"There's no one else here." said Ando and spread his arms out.

"Don't fool me. I heard his voice. He said he loved me. Don't think I can be fooled so easy!"

Sometimes, it just happens. It just comes. The dead come out of their graves, driven out of themselves, forgetting all the things that they have done in their lives. They don't seek answers, they don't need any. They just seek the warmth and the feelings of people. We don't know what makes them to follow that way. If it is their destiny or just the unlucky signs of the stars. But the worst thing is that anyone of us can become one of them. Some say, life doesn't end with death. It just begins with it. For the vampires, our parasites, our deepest fears and enemies, this sentence is true.