The Strain: Bloodline

Cassandra Setrakian ran as fast as her legs would allow her, her heart threatening to explode painfully through her chest, despite the adrenaline coursing helpfully throughout her body. She could hear them pursuing her – the Strigoi – and she was in no doubt that if she looked back, she'd see Eichorst and his band of merry vampires, not far enough behind.

It was hard running for your life, but also trying not to endanger other people's, and in the city that never sleeps, there was rarely a lifeless corner. Instinct told her to head for the main streets and the light, but Cassandra forced herself to turn down a nearby side alley. She ran until she met unhelpful fencing, her doe-like orbs darting left and right, as she desperately tried to find an alternative route.

She spotted a ladder hanging off a fire escape. That could work.

"Cassie! Cassie wait up!"

She froze. Terror turning her blood to ice. No. No, no, no, no.

"Adam! What the hell are you doing?!" She growled angrily, the fire escape momentarily forgotten. "I told you to go!"

He ran to a breathless stop beside her, the oxygen in his lungs leaving him in ragged gasps. He shook his head. "I left you before, I won't do it again." He took a moment to regain his composure. "What the hell are those things? They just started attacking people outside the Precinct."

"They're fricken' vampires, Adam! This is what I've been trying to tell you! Why is it that..." She stopped, her voice trailing off. Her mouth had gone very dry. "Adam... what's that on your cheek?"

Just below his eye, was a small, insignificant red line. Easy enough to be mistaken for a cat scratch. Instinctively Adam touched it with his finger.

"Oh that. It's nothing, I'm fine. One of those things just caught it." He grimaced at the memory. "Was like some kind of frog's tongue, or something." He must have caught her expression, or the small strangled moan she tried to suppress, but his face was suddenly very serious. "It is nothing, right?" He asked, subconsciously scratching his cheek. "It's just a scratch?"

"Yes, Cassandra, please do inform Detective Valentine of his new destiny. I'm sure he will be enlightened to hear."

Cassie turned. Eichorst and his friends had finally caught up. She shivered, five to their two, was not a ratio Cassandra found comforting.

Eichorst stopped not fifteen foot from where they stood. Holding up his hand to stop the advancement of the lesser Strigoi at his feet. He smiled, his intense beetle-like gaze shifting tauntingly between Cassandra and Adam. The latter of which moved protectively in front of her, smoothly removing his gun from his holster.

"On your knees. Hands on your head." He ordered Eichorst, squaring his stance.

Sighing, the German ignored him and turned back to Cassie.

"A spirited one, isn't he? The Master will be pleased to add him to his ranks."

"Shut up." Cassie spat, her heart-break and rage bubbling vengefully beneath the surface of her fear.

"Come now, Mäuschen." Eichorst said softly, clearly enjoying himself. "He is not much of a loss, surely? You know how he has been lying to you."

At his words, Adam made to lunge forward, but Cassie grabbed his arm, worried he would spark the battle she was trying to avoid.

She knew their time together was numbered. Soon the virus would take hold, and he would no longer be Adam Valentine, just another Strigoi, but that didn't mean they couldn't get out of there alive.

"What do you want?" She snapped at Eichorst, her gaze flickering briefly to the eager looking vampires at his side.

He lifted his chin. "You have been granted a great honour, Cassandra Setrakian. The Master wishes for me to bring you before him. He is intrigued by the route your transformation has taken."

"I'll bet he is." She replied, suddenly feeling more than a little smug. "Didn't quite work out how you both planned, did it?"

Eichorst didn't reply straight away, and she was certain she'd had hit a nerve, but his smile soon returned, unsettling her to the core as it always did.

"Plans can be changed." He replied cryptically, his gaze suddenly shifting towards Adam. "You do not look so well, Detective Valentine. Perhaps you should sit down?"

Cassie regarded Adam herself then, and Eichorst was right, he didn't look good. She remembered her Zayde telling her that the transformation was different for everyone. Some people it took days, others mere hours, to her horror, it didn't look like Adam would fall into that first category.

"Adam?"

"Don't listen to him, Cassie, I'm fine." He murmured, but she could see the effort it was taking for him to keep his gun up. The beads of sweat pouring eagerly from his temple.

It wouldn't be long.

"You will come with me now, yes?"

Eichorst, he was talking again, and behind her back, Cassandra subtly fingered her gun.

"No." She said firmly, tearing her eyes away from Adam's paling features. She looked firmly toward Eichorst. "I will not."

Suddenly, at Eichorst's side, one of the Strigoi apparently had had enough of their pleasantries, and violently sprung forward. Luckily for Cassie, her reflexes hadn't dulled, and it's violent lunge was met with the silver from her gun. The bullet hit it square between the eyes, and it fell to the ground.

Eichorst sighed. "Their discipline isn't yet all it should be, but, how else are children to learn?" He said thoughtfully, his hand ghosting over the head of one Strigoi crouched at his feet. "Do you learn from your mistakes, Cassandra?"

Before she could reply, voices trailed through from the mouth of the alley. A group dressed in darks, and armed with what looked to be guns and crowbars, came running down.

"There's more down here! Come on!"

Gun fire began to fly, and Eichorst and his goons where forced to deal with the new threat. Cassie wasted no time, she grabbed Adam's arm.

"Adam the fire escape, we can get over." She pulled, but he didn't move. "Adam, come on, we have to go."

He turned, but she really wished he hadn't. His eyes, they were already so dark. "You go." He croaked, throwing her hand off his arm. He collapsed to his knees. "Cassie...go."

She looked at him, then to her right. Eichorst had already dispatched most of the new arrivals, she had seconds to make a decision. Tears stroked her cheeks, it was painfully clear what had to be done.

No. It's not fair. Why doe it have to be me?

"Close your eyes." She whispered, sobs aching to escape her throat.

Adam understood. Even if he didn't understand what was happening, he knew enough to understand what was coming.

He regarded her brokenly for a moment, and then did as she said. "It's okay, Cassie. Don't be afraid. It'll be okay."

Cassandra doubted anything was ever going to be okay again.

"I love you." She levelled the gun at his head. "Forgive me."

The shot numbed her as she fired, the sound reverberating off the walls of the alley. Eichorst turned, snapping the neck of the last of the new group. He grinned once he saw what Cassandra had done, no doubt knowing the agony it would have caused her to do it.

That grin was all she needed to bring reality, and self-preservation crashing back down. She ran for the fire escape, pulling herself up the ladder, just as a stray Strigoi came crashing passed her.

Not daring to look back, she ran.

R&R!

Hey guys! Not many of you, but I hope those who are reading are enjoying this story?

Lemme know, please. Is there anything you want to see happpen? Characters you want to appear? Let me know, and I can work it in as much as it will fit with the story I've planned out.

Take care xx