Chapter Eleven

Sariel Blaze looked at the big building in front of her with mild distrust. Who can blame her? A building that size fell on her just few hours ago. Did that happened just few hours ago?? She squeezed her eyes to prevent the bright light from causing her any more headaches, but it was useless.

The doctor looked at her like he could help… Have any Aspirin that is strong enough to hold vampiric metabolism enhanced with hellfire? Noooo? I didn't think so…

"You really should get a CT scan… Or an MRI! You might have a seriously damaged head…"

"My head is fine… Relax." She marched into the ER with sharp steps and gazed around. "Take me to the Fantastic Four."

The order was simple and the doctor could hear it even in the chaos of the ER. So many people injured and in lethal danger. Sariel still couldn't summon a cohesive memory from the day before but she was on a very good path. She remembered that she knows the attackers. They seemed so vaguely familiar. A screeching sound caught her attention.

It were the news with special footages from the last night. Sariel zoomed in the plasma TV and saw, what must have been the human forms of the attackers. Then it all came to her…

"Oh, hell no!!" she cursed and growled.

She could clearly see them. The Fallen Ones… No wonder she couldn't exactly keep up with them yesterday. Both her and the Rider thought there were securely closed in Hell. Fat chance, obviously. They escaped during that stupid hole opening thing.

The human faces of Astoreth, Belial and Belphegor stared at the camera just before it all went black. Whoever shot that image was no longer among the living. Sariel frowned. If they are here, then they will do anything to open it all again, so more of their buddies could come here. Wonderful, just bloody wonderful. She growled again.

Sariel turned around to see where is the doctor, but he obviously went away some time ago. Probably to help more cooperative patients. Good idea.

Sariel glared at the receptionist who just moved away from her desk in a search for a nurse. So Sariel moved toward the computer to check where is the team. After few seconds of searching through the files, she found that they are all held at the intensive care. Oh, bugger. She hoped they were alright. It would be hard to explain to the Council why did exactly the Fantastic Four get killed off for. Or why they didn't stand a chance against three seemingly harmless, yet disturbingly evil humans. Not to mention later explaining why she and hel flaming alter ego couldn't help out. Oh, this was giving her a headache.

The nurse was coming back and Sariel made herself scarce. She ran for the elevator and just went to the intensive care. Hopefully, they will all be fine.

Johnny Blaze stared at the giant orange rock in front of him. Johnny saw weird stuff in his life, but this was… Well, more unusual than his unusual. Where is that kid of his? And why do the two of this individuals look like they had just seen a ghost?

He snickered at himself. Yeah, Ghost Rider… Johnny came back swiftly and asked the previous question again. But still no answer. Now he started to worry.

The downtown is in a damn mess as those three left an ashy trail behind them. Few buildings were levelled with the ground while the other half was half scorched what from hellfire, what from normal Human Torch fire.

"Don't tell me, I came too late." he drawled out and watched the expression changing in their eyes.

"Mr. Blaze… We don't really know where your daughter is. The last time we saw her, she was thrown into the opposite building which later came toppling down…" the orange thing spoke and Johnny frowned.

"Huh?"

Okay… Not really good… If the Fallen got the upper hand on the Hell Rider, then they are in big trouble. But she can't be dead. Not possible. Riders are build to last. The Devil wouldn't give them this powers and allow them to burn out too fast. But then again, she never got her powers from the Devil. Sariel Blaze was different. Yeah, she was a freaking vampire. Stronger than normal human host for a Rider.

"Seriously? A building fell on her head?" Johnny asked just to be sure.

Then he heard a rumble behind him. The Ghost Rider almost blazed to flame as Johnny gazed toward the end of the hallway. It was a strange and yet so familiar presence. It warmed the air almost instantly and after that one ring, it filled the entire hallway.

There she was. In all her black glory. Same black, determined eyes, bordering cruelty and stubbornness with wavy ebony hair. Her facial features sharpened and the child's face was replaced with beauty of a young female vampire. She looked so much like her mother, but she had his hair, his lips and those hard and cold Rider's eyes. He smiled remembering the last time he saw her.

She was only fifteen. Running around with the rest of her kin, still not knowing what kind of power she possess. But she was still holding the alpha status among all of them. No, she wasn't royalty, neither was her mother, but the pack recognized the leader. Even if it was only a fifteen-year-old girl with obnoxious stubbornness and genuine liking of sarcasm and cynicism. It was in vampire's nature to recognize the born leader.

Sariel Blaze, his flesh and blood walked toward him, just stopping her predator stride to grab something from the nurse's station. Her black eyes snapped in his direction without even searching the hallway for him.

Johnny caught a faint glint of surprise, delight, wonder, anger and annoyance. Then it was all gone as fast as it came. That annoying emotionless mask which served so great to all the other vampires. To her it was only annoyed and cold cruelty mask.

"What are you doing here?" she sighed, popping one of the pills from a vial. "If you are here, then we are all fucked up!"

Johnny Blaze couldn't help but smirk at her. Yep, that's his kid.

The moment Sariel stepped out of the elevator, something hit her. She tried to ignore it, because it was just emphasising the pain in her head, but she was failing at ignoring today. Fine then. She walked toward the nurse's station to get some painkillers when a familiar scent of leather, motor oil and ash overwhelmed her. It vaguely smelled like home to her and she knew only one person who smells like home to her. That person she last saw when she was fifteen. And that was more than ten years ago.

Her head snapped in his direction and she finally laid her eyes upon him. Johnny Blaze. The same black hair and stormy blue eyes, which held more guilt and regret than she ever saw in a person's eyes. But then again, he always looked guilty and regretful in her presence. Which annoyed her to no end. She didn't want his pity.

"What are you doing here?" she sighed as she took those few happy pills named Vicodin. "If you are here, we are all fucked."

Which was a truth. And seriously. Fallen Ones and two Riders in one town? Never good!

Sariel chewed on her Vicodin happily and gazed upon Ben and Reed, already checking their states. They looked fine. But where are Sue and Johnny?

"Ben, Reed?" she moved toward them, expertly avoiding her father, but still feeling his eyes on her.

"They are stable. No worry, they are both strong." Ben smiled.

"Good." She nodded still avoiding her own father and moving toward he glass to see Sue.

"What's the damage?" Reed asked.

"Couple of buildings levelled to the ground, a lot of injured people, possible quite a lot of dead too… Army, police, firemen, doctors… Everybody are out there. Searching for survivors." She spoke in a cold voice, trying to detach herself from the images and memories.

She should have been prepared. She should have known those bastards were ready for any loophole… She should have known they will attack.

"It's not your fault, Sariel. Nobody knew it was possible. Those are the Fallen ones." Johnny spoke and she frowned.

What is he doing now? Mind reading? She popped another pill and Reed gave her a glass of water. She silently took it and gulped the cold substance in one sip. She was annoyed, the Rider inside her was annoyed… Now, there was one more Rider and he looked un-annoyed. Was that even a word?

"I know. You can't always get what you want. The Stones said it, you don't have to repeat it." she bit out in a harsh voice and gazed at the Human Torch sleeping in the bed.

He looked like he would recuperate soon. Hopefully, that would be the case. So did Sue. This shouldn't have happened.

"Okay… So what's the plan? We hunt them down and send their sorry asses back to that pit hole?" Sariel moved toward the wall and leaned on it crossing her arms across her chest. "You better have a bloody good plan if you already decided to oblige us with your presence."

Sariel raised an eyebrow in question and stared at her father. That smirk playing on his lips… Bloody hell, how much she hated it. That smug appearance maybe worked for all the horde of fans screaming his name in huge arenas while he entertained them with flashy motorcycle stunts, but not for her.

"I'll take that as a no." she bit out after five seconds of waiting. "Reed, Ben… Would you two please stay here until the Storm siblings wake up. Then all of you go back to the Baxter Building. That is if it is still standing… Put protections on the building. Ask dr. Salomon how to do it. He'll help."

Reed and Ben nodded their heads, not wanting to interfere with her plan.

"Where are you going?" Reed asked her and she smirked.

"The Riders are going hunting!" she proclaimed and Johnny Blaze nodded his head in agreement.

Sariel didn't feel comfortable leaving the Fantastic Four unguarded, especially since the Fallen Ones now knew who and what they were, but it was necessary.

A/N: Okay... You wanted family issues, then you'll get family issues. Just be aware of the fact that Sariel and her daddy dearest didn't spend too much time together so there will be drama...

Thanks for reading! Reviews are more than welcome!!