Chapter Ten

James

The girl was proving more difficult to track down than I had thought. True she left a trail of dead humans, once vampires, and even a couple who were in hospital psychiatric wards, but she seemed to be following no set path. She wandered the countryside with no discernable pattern and every time I thought I was getting close she had gone by the time I arrived.

Her trail was more difficult to follow because she knew I was a tracker and was taking steps to hide her scent which was becoming more difficult to recognize too. Maybe the amount of human blood she had ingested or the venom we had pumped into her had altered her body chemistry. Whatever was doing it I had a problem picking it out from other scents, it was so faint as if being shielded as it was by water or other, stronger scents.

My master had called once to ask for an update and I had decided not to mention the corpses she had left behind, that would only annoy him more but I could tell he was impatient and I would soon be forced to admit that I hadn't been able to close in on her. She seemed to be making it her business to track down vampires and kill them. Was I on her list of vampires to kill or did she even have a list? I thought she was probably just killing any vampires she came across. It was stupid to think she might be hunting them down and executing them, she was a mere girl after all.

Bella

I had done just enough to get myself a motel room although the manager looked at me suspiciously until I showed him I had the money. He made it quite clear that working girls were not welcome although it took me a while to get the gist of what he was saying. I think that probably reassured him more than any words could have. I took the key and forced myself to walk slowly to my room which was upstairs at the far end of the block.

Once inside I locked the door again and allowed myself to relax a little before checking out the bathroom and the softness of the bed. This was like a fairytale to me, a place of my own with running water, hot water, and even a kettle and mini fridge.

I felt awful but before allowing myself to sleep I first made use of the bathroom, luxuriating in a hot shower and the scent of soap and shampoo. The water ran almost black from my hair and I cringed, getting the tangles out would prove a Herculean task but that could wait. I dried myself looking down at the skinny body with ribs showing and the numerous cuts and scars from my blood letting. These stung like crazy and some were weeping again so I ripped up a shirt I had stolen and wrapped the pieces as makeshift bandages around the worst then leaving the towel wrapped around the mess on my head I crashed out on the bed and slept properly for the first time since escaping from Diablo.

When I woke up I was disorientated again, my fever was peaking and my throat so sore I could hardly manage cold water from the bathroom tap so I just flopped back on the bed and slept again this time though my sleep was full of dreams and nightmares. I was a little girl playing in a garden with my parents one minute then watching a man being ripped apart by newborns the next. This disjointed movie played over and over in my head until I finally woke again, still exhausted but cooler, my fever had finally run its course.

For two more days, I slept mostly, waking only to drink cold water and watch from my window half expecting to see Diablo at any moment. I knew I couldn't stay here too long, it wouldn't be safe but I couldn't make myself pack up and leave.

Instead, I tried to do something with my hair which was a nightmare. I had grabbed combs, a brush, and scissors when I stole the toiletries but even so it was a struggle. When the last of the tangles finally gave up the fight my scalp hurt and my wrist was aching. Looking in the mirror I decided it would have to do. I looked presentable enough although the cut was a little ragged.

Once I felt strong enough and hungry enough I plucked up the courage to visit the diner across the street. It was nerve racking although no one seemed to take any notice of me except the server who showed me to a table and handed me the menu while filling a glass with water. I looked at all the items on the menu a little overwhelmed and then chose something simple I recognised straight away burger and fries. Looking around it struck me that although this was a new experience for me it was mundane for my fellow diners. I had been robbed of all these experiences as well as being tortured for years and my bitterness towards the vampires grew even stronger.

Refusing to allow that to spoil this new experience I pushed the thought away and worked hard on fitting in. I was unused to the cutlery having only been allowed a spoon and a fork by my captors but I managed well enough and copied the truck driver at the next table wiping ,my mouth with a napkin when I finished.

The food had tasted wonderful although my shrunken stomach was protesting at its new and unexpected burden. After paying I walked slowly back to my room checking my surroundings carefully, I had been here too long, it was time to move on before Diablo caught up with me. There were just too many empty pages in my notebook yet.

I decided before I left that I would allow myself a couple of days after each kill to make sure I never became the savage I was turning into before I rented the room. It was still a wrench leaving the comfort and warmth of the motel but I had a task and it was time to get back to it.

I travelled for over a week before hunting again, just to get away from the area I had holidayed in! It didn't take long to scent a vampire in the area and I set myself up as bait in a clearing in the woods, an injured hiker, what vampire could resist such prey?

Certainly not this one but he wasn't alone and I had a fight on my hands to cope with the two of them but by smearing my blood on his lips I made sure the caustic effect of it would hit him almost immediately and once he started to scream his mate was distracted giving me ample time to make sure she too felt the effects but this time I took aim and spat into her face but not before I felt the fingers on my left-hand crunch in her grip. Still, two broken fingers was a small price to pay under the circumstances but it did teach me a lesson. In future I would be more careful, I would make sure I knew how many opponents I was going to be facing and make more sure of other bodily fluids which didn't necessitate physical contact although that gave me the most satisfaction. The craziest thing of all was that the more vampires I killed the more I wanted to kill and the more it fed my rage against them in general and Diablo in particular.

James

Things were becoming serious as the trail of dead and dying vampires became longer, she was even taking on and beating couples somehow. I had procrastinated as much as I could but now I would have to come clean. My master had ordered me to furnish him with a full report on my efforts to track down the bitch and her activities. I think he ,may have heard some rumors and thought they might be connected with her.

The conversation was not pleasant, he was not willing to hear what I had to report even though I had first-hand experience of her lethal abilities.

"She is dangerous, too dangerous to be allowed to live, she's killed more than twenty nomads already."

"Because you have failed to recover her James. What have you been doing all this time?"

"Searching of course but what do I do if I find her? How do I keep her safe? How do I keep us safe for that matter? She is just too lethal to live."

"

Are you telling me that you cannot find her or that you are too afraid to find her?"

I wanted to scream, it was like talking to an idiot!

"If it's the latter then say so, James. I think I will be forced to approach someone else to find the girl. After all, we cannot afford to have dead bodies scattered about the countryside. If however another is able to find her then I can only deduce that you were dragging your heels for fear and I cannot have a coward serving me."

I was furious, call me a coward you fucker? But I was scared too, of the new threat which implied, that if I couldn't find the girl then I was dispensable. Would he send someone to kill me? I wanted to believe I was too valuable to him but in all honesty, I had no idea and that thought only served to fuel my fear of him.

I just want to point out that I am unable to read any of the reviews you have kindly written but FF has a problem. I have complained but so far the problem has not been resolved. Please do not stop writing them as I promise I will read every one as soon as I am able. Love Jules xx