London, she hadn't been there for years, she hadn't even given the city a thought since there seemed to be a lack of concentration of vampire caused deaths, meaning there were very few vampire for her to remove from the capital? Has D's new program disproved that, has the infestation taken such a deep route that there are no tracks to follow, she'd have to follow her nose until they uncovered something.
She rode her bike alone along the motorways, weaving in and out of the great beasts of machinery with elegance and ease. She felt like a natural born predator, on the hunt, at this point she should have gotten a car, she should have also started college, and should called Tristan. But all she could find the energy to care about was the hunt.
She took the most direct route to the oldest part of London she could think of, vampires like her father, loved history. With mer miles between her and All-Hallows-by-the-Tower, she could smell one, close. With complete disregard to traffic restrictions she led the black bike across the traffic filled road, narrowly dodging people, plants, and a massive red bus. The undead creature was waiting in an alley, watching, lurking. A body of men started flowing from a building a few doors down. It was magnificent, a great stone pointed dome, surrounded with slim pointed towers with speakers positioned to cry to the heavens, and the people below who feel it in themselves to listen. A few young men walked past the vampire not paying him any notice until he started to shout something, "Piss of back to your own country!" Alexa could see from across the street, most of the men shift in discomfort, but kept walking. Leaving one to turn and face the "Fascist! This is my country." Alexa had to leave her bike on the other side of the street, the guy was going to get himself killed. She dashed though the traffic, over cars and between them, the vampire had ducked backwards into the alley and was reaching for something. Why did he need a weapon? She leaped the last short distance and the young man followed the monster in, she could see the base ball bat now, and angled herself to land between the two, taking the full force of the bat. It shattered to splinters as it made contact with her shoulders. She didn't flinch, felt the wolf with her for the first time during a fight, sliding out a stake, turning to plunge the sharpened wooden point straight into the chest of the pale bald creature before her. It screeched in instant horror, as it turned to dust. Alexa brushed the dust off her bike gear, before she looked back to the brave innocent.
Bahman took a few minutes to digest the show before him, a woman clad in motorbike gear had appeared from nowhere to take a blow from a baseball bat being swung up to his face that could have killed him. He couldn't even see if she was paying attention through her helmet but he finally let out a, "Thank you so much for saving me." Had she stabbed the guy, he was a racist monster but, ashes? Ashes = Stake + Vampire. This wasn't real, she turned and finally noticed him. "It was nothing." She didn't lift the visor, was she a real life vampire slaying superhero? He had to get to know her. And thank her. "It was my life, is there anything I can do to help you? Anything at all I will do it." His savour sized him up, then started walking to the road. All he could do was follow, she was fascinating! Her movements fluid and powerful like a panther. She stopped at the pavement on the other side of the road, scanning the area from one spot. Then faced him. And drew her helmet off letting a long braid fall as her strong beautiful black features came into view, her eyes were pitch black and a hint of yellow. "Maybe you can." She stated.
Alexa couldn't fight it anymore she was starving, and now she'd lost her bike and all the possessions she'd brought with her. Her stomach growled angrily it would be the first thing she attended to. "Dinner it is!" The lanky pretty young man beamed at her, green eyes sparkling in interest, no fear at what had just occurred.
He watched her pat herself down, she could be exactly what he was looking for! He couldn't wait to ask her more about the VAMPIRE that attacked him. He needed to get somewhere to write this all down.
Alexa hadn't even remembered to pocket her phone and wallet, she had been living in the countryside too long. "Thanks, what did you have in mind?" The brave young man lead the way down the busy street, even though it was late the area was bustling. When she took off her helmet and had felt almost blinded, her werewolf vision so used to adjusting to the dark, most places were blaring their harsh artificial lights down the street, competing with each other to entice consumers in. Three of the same supermarket 'locals' lined the street in competition with each other and the many 'off licences'. Neon signs irradiating 'open' in blue and red lights at kebab, pizza, Chinese, and chicken shops. People milled, some casually, a few staggering around each other, and many others speed walking like they had blinkers to the rest of the world. He stood for a second outside the chicken shop about to gesture 'shall we go in', but must have seen the look on her face and wondered further along to a noodle bar.
Bahman followed the table usher waiter person, what were you supposed to call them? His savour stalked after him and sat across from the small table. In the more constant light he could see more clearly she was beautiful but in an un approachable scary way, yet she had followed him she looked young too, she must be under 20. How could he convince her to agree to his proposition? "My name's Bahman by the way, order anything my treat. Money isn't an object." She caught up the menu in one smooth movement. "May I get your name?" he had to ask after a minute or two. She pried her eyes away from the menu she had been reading like it was a great work of literature. "It's Alexa." She put down the menu and pointed to something. "I think I'd like a the 'Hungry Monk' it's been a while since I've eaten tofu. I hope they do it well." She looked off into the distance, out of the window perhaps, or was she reminiscing… about tofu? The waiter turned up when Bahman decided himself and saluted them him, he'd already eaten but a snack and a coffee wouldn't be a bad idea. "A 'Hungry Monk', mixed gyoza, and a coffee please." The waiter made to move then the woman sang "请给我喝茶." At him, smiling politely. Excellent! Bahman thought, as he listened no comprehending a word. "马上就来." The waiter replied and wrote an extra word before walking away. "What language was that?"
"Chinese." She looked at him blankly.
"But we're in a Korean noodle bar?"
"Do I have to explain racial profiling to you?"
"Good point. Who are you? Why did you save me? How did you same me? What from?" He couldn't help himself anymore, she didn't seem to blink through his barrage of questions, taking it in her stride. Her black predatory eyes boring into him. Should he back off, she could surely kill him if stabbing someone in the heart in the evening was just an ordinary night, should he report her to the police instead? No he just needed her on his side then he'd have so much, and she shouldn't kill him.
This Bahman, was truly fearless, so much so there had to be more to him than what he was letting on. Could he be actually working for the vampire that 'assaulted' him? …Probably not, but he was asking all the wrong questions, or he could be like poor Sarah too trusting, but could she trust him? He didn't seem that old, but was unabashed about money and didn't seem to need to return home despite the time. What small talk could she use to gage his trust worthiness, otherwise she had to find someone to stay with. How had D done it, travelling with her as a child so many years with nothing but his winning smile and open heart? Even if she could remember those they'd stayed with, she didn't have a way to contact them. Or she admitted to herself, the confidence to turn up at a virtual stranger's home and ask for help. She should start with a few of his questions. "That was a vampire… I staked him in the heart with a sharpened piece of wood… I save people, that's my job I'm a vampire hunter."
"You're a vampire who hunts other vampires? Cool!"
"No no. Person who hunts vampires. Do I look like a vampire to you?"
"Is that a trick question? You're in full black leather, scarily serious, and you even look hungry."
"Point made. But please don't lump me together with them, these bike "leathers" are vegan and armoured. Mind I ask why are you so calm, someone just tried to kill you?"
"People have tried in the past. Not succeeded either." He smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, a light sadness was also creeping in at the edges as he tried to maintain it. She knew this wasn't necessarily the time to ask more. "Tell me about vampires." He changed the subject, a child like excitement returning.
"In a crowded restaurant?"
"This is London, and vampires? Everybody talks about vampires, have you been living under a rock?"
"What do you mean?" She seethed coolly as they received their drinks.
"The media is been obsessed with them for like the last two decades." He could give Paul a run for his money for inappropriate loudness.
"I'm not even two decades old."
"Good point, but you know what I mean people love vampire movies and stuff specially teenage girls like you."
"Do you think I'm going to go to googo eyes around the vampires, all by like that Bella, you're talking about Twilight right?"
"And many others."
"One just tried to kill you. They're dangerous monsters that have infested the world and kill thousands people for sustenance and pleasure. Even if you counted them as people they'd be psychopathic cannibals, with super-strength, night vision, and bodies that never break down because they're already dead. They gave up being a human so they could trade other peoples lives for their own, I don't even know I'm stating this this is obvious even in those media portrayals. They kill people." She had finally whipped the smile of his face.
"Wow that was a rant ermm." He took a long sip of his coffee in actual deep thought.
"Are you going to tell anybody?" She asked and graciously accepted their food, it smelled divine a perfect black bean and garlic sauce. After a few mouthfuls of silence between them she stood a break.
"Because throughout history there has been this mass hysteria whenever people find out. The mob could choose anybody to kill, anybody could accuse their neighbours, their friends, people more cite the witch-hunts but, looking for creatures that appear human, that does things to people, even if I were to go shout into the street and say a 5% of the people out here are pedophiles, don't quote me but that was a Dr Michael Seto thing, if people were to believe me they'd either search them out with extreme prejudice, or hire professionals like the police and resume their blissful ignorance. Myself and another hunters like me are like the police, here to function and work and save people from having to think about the vampires, having to protect themselves."
"So people did know?"
"And everybody needed to forget, forgive and forget, probably an unpopular opinion but humanity doesn't learn from history sometimes it does better to forget."
"You talk about a lot of history, are you a history student? Did you find a Dracula book, and start getting obsessed, and then decided to kill all vampires? Did you watch Buffy and thought that's me?"
"What's Buffy?" She was trying her hardest to be nice, but the boy was annoying her. Sure Sarah would talk about vampires and boys a lot but she could tune out.
"For someone who knows a lot about vampires you don't."
"Ohh you think I'm crazy? Good position. Thank you for the dinner, but I must be going, best of luck with the future."
"No wait, I think you're so interesting."
"Great."
"No I mean, I could use your help, could you please help me develop a video game?"
"Excuse me?"
"Could you be my muse, I need a source of inspiration for my next creation. The vampire genre is rife, but I don't think there's been someone like you as the base of one. Please do it as a favour? I can tell you need help, you're a biker without a bike, what happened there?" That caught her, he was far more observant than she'd had liked.
"I lost my bike saving you." She stated cooly, but stat back down, "Although I fI think I finally understand where you are coming from. If I tell you things and you make a work of fiction, you'll help me out?"
"Yes! A thousand yesses, I'll pay you, maybe track your bike down!"
"Track my bike down?"
"Yeah, I'm good with computers obviously."
"Fine, you've got a deal, but what I really need is a place to stay."
"Ah, why?"
"The bike had my wallet and phone and I only just arrived in this city."
"Which country are you from?"
"That's need to know."
"Yeah, no worries. But will teach you about London. Don't leave anything you want to keep anywhere."
"I will remember."
"Check!" He called, and another waitress walked over, then took his card, when she returned Alexa said "Muchas gracias." To her then turned with her tung stuck out at him. He'd though 20ish, nah, this was a teenager, this was going to be interesting. Hopefully in a good way.