~O~

Shun stared at Sinclair, dumbfounded, and asked, "What do you mean we're not as safe as you thought? I thought this place was supposed to be a safe haven for us." Alice could hear the aggravation growing in the raven-haired teen's voice, and she didn't blame him.

To suddenly know that a safe place wasn't so safe, especially after going through so much to make it there, even agitated her in a way. Gillfrey spoke up and said flatly, "This place is supposed to be safe, but what I saw back there in that tunnel…" Shun, hands clenched into fists at his side, asked sternly, "What about it? Tell me why a bunch of dead Vampires is jeopardizing our safety."

Alice placed her hand on Shun's shoulder and whispered to him, "Calm down." She didn't blame him for being angry; they finally had had a moment to breathe, to relax, and now it had been ripped away once again. Gillfrey folded his arms over his chest and said, "Those Vampires…..They were all killed by Hunters…" Alice felt her eyes widen. Hunters?

"But you said humans and Hunters weren't allowed here. That's what was supposed to make this place safe for us," Shun said. Alice glanced back at the tunnel that housed the dead bodies and felt her stomach do a small flip. All those lives had been taken by Hunters, the same thing her ancestor had been. The same thing that flowed in her blood. Was she capable of doing damage like that?

It scared her to think she was. Gillfrey sighed heavily and told them, "That's what the Society set up in an agreement with the Hunters. No Hunter is supposed to set foot in a place designated by the Society as safe for Vampires. But I've seen my share of Hunter handiwork, so I know for a fact that what I saw back in that tunnel was caused by them. So, if that's the case, then it looks like the Hunters may have gone back on their agreement with the Society, and if that's the case, then we could be looking at another war."

Alice hugged her arms close to her chest, suddenly cold. They already were in one war, which was being fought against Zoran to keep him from destroying every living Vampire. Now, they might be going up against him and hundreds or thousands of Vampire Hunters. They didn't stand a chance, no matter which way you looked at it.

"So what do we do?" Shun asked, "It's daylight outside, so we can't leave now. And even if we leave at night, there are Hunters out there that we'll have to deal with." Sinclair rolled his shoulders, removing some of the tension that had started to build up, and said, "It'll be nightfall soon, and when that happens, I'll gather up the Clan members and report to them our findings. In the meantime, Alucard, do you mind patrolling the tunnels to keep an eye on things until then?"

Alucard bowed his head slightly to show that he accepted the task. Gillfrey spoke up and said, "I can get Carson to help patrol, too, if you want." Sinclair nodded and said, "The more eyes, the better." With that being said, Gillfrey left to go and find Carson.

Alucard also left to begin patrolling the tunnels that housed the sleeping Clan members. Shun sighed and sat down on one of the train tracks. "It's always something…..," he said under his breath, "The moment we think we're safe, something always happens and takes that security away…." Alice frowned and sat down beside him on the track.

"We'll get through it somehow…We always seem to," she said to him. Although, it didn't feel like her words gave him much reassurance. Sinclair stood beside Shun and told him, "She's right. We're a strong group, one with plenty of resolve to keep fighting, even when the odds are stacked against us. No matter what we're faced with, we'll stand against it head-on until the bitter end. That's how it's always been, and that's how it will always be."

Shun didn't say anything in response to that. Sinclair sighed and told them, "I'm going to call for a meeting the moment night comes, so be here when that happens." The Vampire Lord then walked towards the ladder and started up, his footing echoing off the metals rungs as he ascended. Now, the two of them were alone down at the bottom of the main terminal.

Alice rested her head on Shun's shoulder and said, "Sinclair's right. We'll all make it through this somehow." Shun sighed heavily and said, "I know, it's just…..I'm tired of running all the time. There always seems to be something after us, something that refuses to let us have a single moment to breathe." He tilted his head back and looked up at the extremely high ceiling.

"I just want things to go back to normal," he said quietly, but even as a whisper, his voice echoed off the walls, repeating what he had just said numerous times. Alice closed her eyes and sighed. "When have things ever been normal for us?" she asked. Looking back at their lives, even before the whole Vampire thing, things had never quite been 'normal,' not by a long shot.

"I know," he said, his voice heavy with fatigue, "but I'd just like to know for one day what a normal life would feel like." Alice opened her eyes and said, "I know what you mean." Their conversation died for a while after that, and the two of them sat in the deafening silence. Alice didn't mind it, though. Sometimes it was nice to just sit in the silence.

That way, she could let her thoughts wander in peace, and without interruption. Although, the only thought that was in her mind at the time, was her dream she had had, the one with her ancestor, Arthur. She decided to mention it to Shun, just to get it out of her system. "I did have a dream before I woke up earlier, though," she said, her words shattering the silence.

Shun glanced over at her and said, "I thought you said you hadn't had a nightmare." She shook her head and told him, "I didn't. It was just a dream, but it was the contents of the dream that have me concerned about, well, me." Shun tilted his head to the side, obviously confused by what she meant. Alice removed her head from his shoulder and faced him.

"I had another dream about Arthur….All I saw was him hunting and killing Vampires, nothing of any major significance like the last few dreams I've had about him," she explained. Shun nodded and asked, "Alright, I get that, but why does that have you concerned?"

Alice found her gaze drifting to the tunnel-turned-tomb and said, "It has me worried, since Arthur's blood is in my veins, if I'm capable of doing the same thing that those Hunters did in that tunnel…" Shun was silent for a moment as he carefully thought over her words in his mind. When he was certain of his answer, he took her chin in his hands and brought her gaze up to meet his.

"I know you wouldn't do something like that, Alice. Just because his blood is in your veins, doesn't mean that determines who you are in your heart. That's for you to decide on your own, not your ancestor. Besides, anyone is capable of killing, but what separates many killers from one another, is their reasons for taking a life in the first place…..Just remember that there's a big difference between a killer, and a murderer, and what those Hunters did make them murderers. You're not like them, and as long as you have a say in the matter, you'll never be like them."

Alice felt her lips curve up into a small smile. Shun's words had eased some of the worry that had formed inside of her, and at that moment, she had never been more thankful to have him there by her side. He had been there for her since everything got turned upside in her world, and he never once complained about having to support her, especially on more than one occasion.

"You're right," she said through her smile, "I guess I was just over-thinking my dream." Shun grinned and said, "Hey, I'd rather be with somebody who over-thinks rather than not think at all." Alice couldn't help but laugh. It amazed her how at ease she could feel when with Shun, no matter the current circumstances. He reached out and pulled her close to him, and she rested her head back on his shoulder.

As she sat there, she wished she could freeze this moment and hold onto it forever, because she knew that with all that was about to happen, there was no guarantee that they'd have another moment like this again anytime soon. Up above, Clan members started to stir from their slumber, and that was when Alice realized that night had fallen. "Sinclair will host his meeting soon," Shun stated.

Alice nodded reluctantly. She didn't want the meeting to happen; she just wanted to sit there with Shun, undisturbed. But this was their life, and there was no such thing as a prolonged, peaceful moment in time for them. The two of them stood up from where they sat on the train tracks, and when they did, something caught Alice's eye.

She turned and looked down the tunnel that doubled as a tomb, and saw two red orbs flash in the darkness, then vanish as quickly as they had appeared. She felt her blood run cold. That color of red was the same color as the eyes of the mysterious figure that had been back on the roof in the City. "Alice? Are you okay?" Shun asked. His voice snapped her back into focus.

"I….I thought I saw somebody in the tunnel," she said, never once taking her gaze away from the dark abyss. Shun turned around and looked at the tunnel. "I don't see anything," he said. Alice nodded slowly and told him, "Well, I did say I thought I saw something…It was probably just a trick of the shadows." Shun nodded and took her hand in his.

"Yeah, that's probably all it was. Come on, we better hurry and make Sinclair's meeting," he said and pulled her along towards the ladder. She followed suit, but kept glancing back at the tunnel. Alice knew what she saw, she knew she had seen something. Whether it was the same figure she had seen back in the City, that was up for debate, but there had been somebody there, and they had been watching her. Knowing this, Alice couldn't shake the chill that had permeated her body.

"Are you cold?" Shun asked her. Alice glanced down at the hand he was holding and noticed she was trembling. "Yeah, a little bit. It is rather cool this far down in the tunnels," she lied. Shun seemed to think about this for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement.

"I guess you're right about that," he said nonchalantly. They started up the ladder, Shun in front and Alice following behind. They climbed until they reached the floor that they and the other Clan members had claimed as their own. The two of them stood among their fellow Clan mates, listening to whispers and mutters rising from the crowd as they asked why an emergency meeting was being called.

Alice thought about telling them, but decided against it; it was Sinclair's job to address his Clan, not hers. So, she and Shun silently waited for Sinclair to show up and start the meeting. But all while she waited, her eyes kept drifting down to that tunnel, searching for two glowing, red eyes.


Oh, look, more rain. I'm tired of rain. It's already hot enough where I live, and the rain only adds onto the humidity. Ugh. I want to live somewhere colder. Like Canada. Yeah, Canada sounds nice. Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, so please read and leave a review on the way out. ~Copperpelt~