Chapter Three

Chapter Three

After a timeless period the darkness began to fade. Natalie blinked in blurry confusion and raised a hand to her throbbing head. Something had happened. It teased at the edges of her returning consciousness like a bad dream. Had there been a fight? She certainly felt sore, but… The Hunter! She struggled to get up as the room spun slowly around her.

"Easy, Natalie." An unfamiliar face swam into focus in front of her, followed by the smell of coffee. "Here. Drink this." A warm mug was pressed into her hands and she took it gratefully. It was strong and black, not her favorite, but it did serve to chase the last of the shadows away. Gentle hands helped her into a comfortable sitting position and she risked opening her eyes again.

Her rescuer was sitting on a low coffee table next to the couch she found herself on, his face a mixture of uneasiness and concern. His face was very pale under shaggy black hair, and there were dark stains on his faded t-shirt and jeans. He was slender and looked to be in his early to mid-twenties. He smiled tentatively.

"Better?"

"Umm." Her throat felt raw. She tried again. "Yes, much." She risked a quick glance around the room. Nice, upper-middle-class place. If it wasn't for the heavy curtains over the windows, it could have been any home on the west side. "Where am I?"

"Place belongs to a friend of mine. I didn't dare leave you at Nick's, or try to make it to the Raven before dawn." He tugged wryly at his own torn clothes. "And I wasn't in much shape to fend them off if another one showed up back at my place." He shrugged, and gnawed at one pale knuckle. "I didn't know what else to do, so I brought you here."

"You did great. I thought I was a goner." He shrugged again and looked away shyly. "Thank you, Jack."

He started. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess. You know who I am, and what's going on. Better I do, apparently." He nodded, then poured something into a dark glass and sipped slowly. "Are you okay?" Those were blood stains on his clothes, and a smear of something even nastier down one cheek.

"Yeah. I got lucky. But I really don't know much more than you do. It wasn't until I got to Nick's place that I realized what we're dealing with." He rubbed absently at his chest. "Talk about your narrow escapes."

"I don't understand. I thought that Hunters would work during the day, or at a distance. And I was under the distinct impression that they were human." Nat tucked her feet up under her and tried to get her bearings. None of this was making any sense. "Or at least alive."

He set his glass down and nodded. "They are. Hunters, I mean. But the thing that attacked you wasn't. I've read about them in books, but I've never seen one before. It's like finding out that the boogeyman is real."

"And any minute now you're going to tell me what it is." Natalie rubbed at the bandage on her neck and left shoulder. On top of everything else she had a killer headache, and it was really putting her nerves on edge.

Jack didn't seem to notice. "They're called revenants. The legend is that they were created to wipe out the vampire race." He nodded at her look of surprise. "Oh yeah. We prey on humanity, but you guys do pretty well against us, when you get worked up. The Spanish Inquisition. The Crusades. The witch burnings of the seventeenth century. This one, according to legend, is a lot older than any of those."

"So you're saying that a human did this? I don't know, Jack. The speed and strength of those things really says 'vampire' to me. As does their method of attack." She rubbed at her bandaged wound. The itching seemed to be getting worse.

"Well, that's part of the legend, too. Supposedly revenants are created using vampire blood. I'm sure the early Church thought it was pretty ironic, using our own blood against us."

"So they are like you."

"Please. I have much better personal hygiene. And vampires aren't dead, at least not like these guys are. They rot, as you may have noticed." He wiped at his cheek and grimaced. "Man, I could use a shower. Anyway, they're more like zombies than vampires. Lots of speed and strength, but they don't fly or have fangs, and I'd venture a guess that they don't feel pain. The one that attacked you sure didn't seem to, anyway. It would be nice if they were sensitive to sunlight, but I wouldn't bet the ranch on it."

"They sound pretty deadly. So why haven't I heard of them before? For that matter, why hadn't Nick?" Natalie shifted on the couch, trying to find a position that didn't set off her stiff and strained muscles.

"They're just the stuff of legend, nowadays. The little I was able to dig up while you were out I found in some old manuscripts on legends of the early Church. Nothing very detailed, but I did get the impression that the Church put a stop to it in the fourth century or so. Apparently the procedure that makes a revenant involved more than a little black magic, something the Church frowns on almost as much as it does us. The last mention I found of one was in 315. After that, nothing."

"Until now." Natalie got up off the couch and started to pace. "So somehow someone found out about these things, and how to create them. Could that explain how so many elders were killed so quickly?"

"Oh yeah. If a Hunter brought two or three revenants with him, and timed his attack for when his victim would be asleep, even an elder wouldn't stand a chance."

"Clever. Gruesome, but clever. But making one of these things has to require a human being. I just can't see a Hunter being willing to sacrifice a fellow human like that."

"Then you don't know anything about Hunters. Natalie, they don't care about a little thing like collateral damage. All a Hunter cares about is killing vampires and anyone else who gets in his way. These are not the guys in the white hats." It was the strongest statement he'd made yet.

"Well, as a member of the feeding pool, I'm not so sure about that. But I guess I can see how someone could lose sight of everything but his goal. Especially if he'd lost someone close to him." Or close to her. Belatedly, Natalie remembered that Hunters were more than an intellectual argument at the moment. "Nick needs to know about this. He could be danger." She turned toward the phone, but Jack was there before she could lift the receiver.

"I already tried. He checked in with a friend of ours in New York, but hasn't been back yet. Piedro will pass on the message." He looked at her with concern. "Are you sure you're okay? You look kind of rocky."

"Well, it's been a really interesting day." She rubbed at her temples. "I won't deny that. Honestly, I'd love a big painkiller and about ten hours of sleep right now."

"Probably not a real good idea right now. Settle for a hot shower?"

###

"What is it?" Natalie came out of the bathroom, toweling the water from the ends of her hair. The shower had made her feel much better, but she still felt like something the cat had dragged in. Her blouse was a lost cause, but the t-shirt Jack had pulled from his oversized duffle bag fit well enough, though it was a little tighter than she was used to. Jack had looked up from his laptop when she entered the room and was now looking at her intently, an unreadable expression on his face. "See something green?" She shuddered. "Boy, how I wish that was just a joke."

Jack shook his head, a touch of red coloring his pale cheeks. "It's nothing." He averted his gaze, and turned back toward his laptop.

"Come on. Give." She sat down carefully on the couch, wincing as her muscles protested. "Ouch. I could use some good news. Or is it bad news?

"Jack?"

He swiveled back around to face her, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "It's nothing. It's just…I see what Nick sees in you. Oh, man." He ran a hand through his thick dark hair. "Didn't that come out wrong. I mean, I think I understand why Nick finds you so compelling. I couldn't figure it out, when he told me about you."

"Well, that certainly makes one of us." Natalie took a sip of lukewarm coffee. "Care to share? I could use a little flattery right now." She gestured at her bruised face ruefully. Looking in the mirror before her shower had easily been the worst thing to happen to her since waking up here.

Jack shrugged. "Okay, but just so you know, I'm really bad at this kind of thing. I tend to step on my own…tongue. I just meant that you're beautiful." He gestured awkwardly at his head. "Long hair. Beautiful skin. Curves. All that. But…"

"But?" Nat leaned forward on the couch, ignoring her body's faint protests. How often did you get a look at what a vampire found attractive? Especially if the vampire in question was a certain elusive Nick Knight?

"But it's more than that. After you've been around a while, you find out that pretty is like, well, like wrapping paper. It looks great. It brightens things up. But in the end it's just, um, paper. Decoration. It probably sounds trite, but the real treasure is what's inside." At her look he shrugged. "I told you I'm bad at stuff like this. Look. There are a lot of pretty women out there, okay? And with our gifts we can have one pretty much any time we want. But most of them are weak. Shallow. Airheads. You're not. You're smart, and, even better, you're strong."

"Oh yeah." Natalie laughed bitterly. "I'm strong, all right. Really wiped the floor with that thing tonight." The memory of its clammy hands and horrible stench made her shudder. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them Jack was kneeling in front of her, staring up at her earnestly. He had green eyes, she saw. Very intense green eyes.

"Physical strength is nothing. The strongest of you is weaker than the least of us. What I'm talking about is inner strength. The thing that keeps us going, and keeps us from becoming real monsters."

"Inner strength?"

"Yeah. You have that, Natalie. The strength to keep going, keep trying, even when it looks like all is lost. The strength not to give up on life. I knew it when I first saw you." He touched her hand lightly, then pulled away. "Standing in front of your car, scared to death, but holding that kitchen knife. You didn't scream. You didn't faint. You didn't even try to run. You stood your ground, and you defended yourself."

"For all the good it did me. If you hadn't come along, that thing would have killed me."

"Maybe. But there's always something out there that's tougher than us. A bigger guy. An older, more experienced vampire. The sun." He grinned fleetingly. "We haven't figured out a way to beat that one yet. My point is, it's not winning that's important. It's refusing to be beaten." Something flickered in his eyes and the next second he was across the room, hands in his pockets.

"Anyway, that's all I meant. Don't sell yourself short, Natalie."

"What do you mean?" Natalie was rubbing at the bandage on her neck and made herself stop. Scratching wouldn't help it heal any more quickly, even if it did itch like crazy.

"I think you know."

Did she? Nat wasn't sure. "Jack?"

"Leave any hot water? I'm going to grab a shower." Without another word her strange savior brushed by her and disappeared down the hall, bulky duffle bag carried easily over one thin shoulder. "I reset the alarm, so don't open any of the outside windows or doors, okay? If you hear anyone at the door, come get me." Not waiting for an answer, he shut the bathroom door, leaving Natalie to ponder what he'd said.

###

To her surprise the kitchen was fairly well stocked, and Natalie was able to make a filling (if not very satisfying) lunch of stale crackers and peanut butter, washing it down with more of the almost lethally-strong coffee. At least it would keep her awake; she'd been out for about three hours, by her estimate, and it didn't look like sleep was in the cards anytime soon. She was just finishing when she heard the bathroom door open.

"Natalie?"

"In here." Refilling her cup, Natalie walked back into the living room. Jack was toweling his hair, a mundane enough gesture in the middle of all this craziness that she had to smile.

"Share the joke?"

"It's nothing. I was just thinking how strange it is to see one of you doing something so…ordinary."

"When we should be skulking down dark alleys after young virgins, or sleeping in coffins?" He grinned. "Sorry to disappoint you. Though I'd kind of assumed that you and Nick," something on her face made him wave the idea away. "Forget it. Like I said, I suck at people skills. And not in a good way. Give me a computer and I'm a much happier guy. Which reminds me." He dropped the duffle bag on the couch and headed for his laptop. "I figured out how to trace our Hunter while you were in the shower. That's the good news. The bad news," he stopped as she gasped. "What is it?"

"Your back." He'd put on a white t-shirt after showering, and as he walked past her Natalie saw that the back of it was stained with streaks of bright red.

"Did I miss one?" He twisted around, trying to see his back, with little success. "Felt kind of sore back there."

"What happened? I mean, why haven't these healed already?" They were obviously fight injuries, but she'd seen Nick heal from serious wounds within minutes, not hours.

"Got me." He peeled the shirt off, wincing as it pulled free of the wounds on his back. "Some things, like wood and sunlight, take longer to heal for a few of us, but I've never had a problem." One arm was bandaged, as was a long narrow strip over his heart.

"And you weren't worried?" Natalie winced at the deep furrows running down both shoulders. They looked like they should hurt like hell. He shrugged and then flinched at the movement.

"Kind of low on my list right now. If I'm still alive next week and they haven't healed, I'll worry then."

"Well, at least let me bandage these. Can't have you leaking all over the place, can we?" He nodded, and she came back in a moment with the last of the bandages she'd seen in the bathroom. His offhand comment about surviving the week bothered her, and she had to force her hands to stop trembling as she cleaned and dressed the deep furrows. Both of them were still in danger, something that she'd been trying very hard to keep off of her mind. The idea of one of those things touching her again was enough to make her gorge rise. And then there was Nick. Nick, who was still under the assumption that they were facing a single—and mortal—killer. She could almost imagine him hurt like this, or worse. Hurt, and calling to her. She gestured for him to join her on the couch.

"You said you had good news and bad news." Natalie ruthlessly put a sock on her all-too-vivid imagination and concentrated on the task at hand. The wounds didn't look infected, but they were deep. Lacking proper sutures, and not sure of how they might interfere with vampire healing anyway, she settled for twisting up a dozen butterfly tapes to hold the wound edges closed.

"Well, the good news is that I figured out how to trace his on-line movements. The bad news is that he's a lot better at this than I'd have expected, and that he's not a local boy. I didn't get a chance to trace him all the way back, but he's somewhere in the States, that's for sure."

"Mmm." Nat tried to listen, but more and more she was focused on the blood that coated her fingers while she worked. It smelled strong in her nose, making it hard to think clearly. Which was strange, considering how much she blood she was exposed to daily as a forensic examiner. Her stomach growled, reminding her that all she'd had since eight the night before was a handful of crackers and peanut butter. Focus, Natalie. Focus.

"…he routed the messages through six different subnets and four ISPs on three continents. Not bad, for a—"

"Mortal?" Natalie finished icily. The events of the past few hours suddenly came crashing down on her, and she ran a hand through her tangled hair impatiently. Why were they wasting time here? Nick needed her, she was sure of it. She could almost feel him calling to her. Action was what was called for, not more talk.

"Um, 'Amateur,' actually. If he was someone working in the field, I'd recognize his signature."

Pulling her attention back to the vampire hacker in front of her, Natalie saw that he had swiveled around to face her, and was now looking at her in concern. Taking a deep breath, she forced her hand away from the bandages on her shoulder, which had come loose. She set both hands calmly in her lap and tried to at least look calm.

"Sorry. Guess this is just getting to me."

"No problem. I'm feeling a little fried myself. I can't believe I didn't see this coming. The hacker, I mean. I—" He broke off and stared at her fixedly. At her neck. Damn. She'd been sitting next to a vampire—an injured vampire—with an open wound on her neck. How could she have been so stupid? Scooting away from him, Natalie started to reach for her exposed wound, only to realize that her hand was already there, tugging at the loosened bandage.

"What?" she snapped at him, irritation quickly blending with her initial spurt of fear. He didn't reply. Instead, the slender vampire reached out to her, his hand going unerringly to her exposed neck. A nearly overwhelming desire to prevent this loathsome creature from touching her caused Natalie to jerk away from his hand. At the same time, her rational mind was asking her what in the world was wrong with her. Jack was Nick's friend, had saved her life just last night. In her sudden confusion Nat didn't even see the blur of movement as Jack reached for her again. A single cool finger brushed the edge of the exposed wound and then pulled back, the tip now coated with her blood.

Her disgust momentarily forgotten, Natalie quickly scooted to the other end of the couch. The shy, gentle man she'd first met was gone. The vampire who now sat across from her held her eyes effortlessly with his own as he slowly brought his finger to his lips. Slowly his tongue reached out to taste the blood there...

Then he winced and turned his head to spit it out in disgust. With that her momentary paralysis left her, and Nat jumped up off the couch with a start. Her annoyance that he would so frighten her quickly bled into anger, backed by the insistence that Nick was calling for her, that she needed to leave. Now. She hadn't gotten more than a few steps when strong, cool hands grasped her by the arms.

"Nat. Wait. Listen to me." She didn't quite struggle as the vampire turned her to face him. They were about the same height, and the eyes that met hers were filled with concern and ...guilt?

"This is my fault. I should have realized, should have known this would happen. Natalie..." he trailed off, and some of her impatience got past her control.

"What?! What are you talking about? Let me go!" She twisted in earnest this time, but to no avail. He was a lot stronger than he looked.

"Natalie. Nat! Listen to me! You were bit by a revenant. It's ...making you sick, Natalie. Can you understand me?"

Sick. Oh, God. Involuntarily she flashed back to the night before, to the creature who had sunk its rotting teeth deep into her shoulder. Infection. That must be what was causing her weird mood swings and the fever which now seemed to grip her. Oh God, his mouth! His dirty, rotting mouth... Faintly, she tried to explain.

"Infection. I need, need to sterilize the wound. Alcohol, no of course you don't have any. Aftershave?" Mercifully he released her, following quietly behind her as she staggered drunkenly toward the bathroom.

"Nat, I don't think--" He was trying to tell her something, but it could wait. First she had to cleanse the wound, get the taint of that awful creature off of her. No rubbing alcohol, no aftershave...what? Think, Natalie! Miraculously, she found a bottle of Listerine under the sink. 'Kills germs', eh? Hands trembling, she unscrewed the top and doused her inflamed neck and shoulder liberally. The sharp pain was amazing, but even through it she could feel the taint flowing through her veins.

"It's not working," she whispered, her face paling to match Jack's own in the bathroom mirror. Gently he slipped an arm around her shoulders and guided her out of the small bathroom.

"No. The taint's already inside you, Natalie. I doubt that any mortal medicine can help you now." She sat obediently in the chair he led her to and waited passively while he refilled her coffee cup. He waited quietly while she sipped the black liquid, trying to stop the trembling that was sloshing the coffee to and fro in her cup. After a few minutes she finished the cup and set it down carefully. Taking a deep breath she looked up at him.

"So what do we do now?"

"I have no idea." The uncertainty on his face made that much evident.

"You don't know? Oh, come on, Jack. You guys are supposed to be 'supernatural' experts." Taking a deep breath, Natalie forced herself to calm down. He didn't say there isn't a cure. Keep a lid on it, Natasha.

"Me?" Jack grinned ruefully. "I'm not even an expert at being supernatural. You want expert, go talk to the old guys. I'm just a socially-inept hacker who happens to have fangs."

His wry self-deprecation took the last of the wind out of her sails. "I don't believe that," she said gently. "And neither does Nick."

"Yeah, well... it doesn't matter right now. I think the first thing we've got to do is see about soaking you in some good old fashioned holy water."

"Holy water?" Nat asked doubtfully.

"It's sort of like chicken soup. Probably will help, can't hurt. You got a better idea?" He stood up and frowned, his head tilted to one side.

"Guess not. It should be dark any time, and then we can--" Natalie stopped with a gasp as Jack suddenly turned and launched himself at her. A second later she was crashing face first into the couch, a loud shattering sound filling her ears. Glass shards fell like rain. She felt his weight rest briefly against her and then he was gone.

Shoving herself off of the couch, Natalie spun around to see him silhouetted against the dim light flooding in through the smashed front window. He wasn't facing her, but rather the two figures slowly climbing to their feet inside the room.

"Natalie, get out of here!" His voice held the low rumble she'd heard in Nick's voice on more than one occasion, and she was very glad that rumble wasn't directed at her. The two men who had apparently crashed through the window were back lit, but the stench of them was all too familiar. The taller of the two was sneering at Jack.

"Time for a rematch, vampire."

Backing away, Natalie felt a mixture of emotions swirl though her. The biggest—though not by much—was a powerful urge to strike back at the things that terrified her so badly. She had no idea where the knife she'd used before was, but there were several likely candidates in the kitchen. She started to back up toward the kitchen door, and nearly missed the sudden whoosh of movement from the second man.

"Miss us, Renfield?" He stopped within arm's reach. His face was a horror, made worse by the mad intelligence shining in his milky eyes. He reaches for her with bony, green-tinged hands.

"Oh God." Lunging backward, Natalie knocked over a lamp and fell awkwardly to the floor. Scrambling to her feet, Nat began to back away slowly even as the taint in her blood called insistently for her to join them...

End of Chapter Three