======================
"I told you, I'm not that kind of girl!" Barbara screamed at Mark. "I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole!"
The alley they were in was completely deserted except for the lurking shadows, which in themselves were creepy. At this hour, Mark knew he was totally safe in confronting Barbara like this.
"Come on, Babs," a smarmy smile appeared on his face. "We both know you're lying on two counts. One: you have the worst reputation at the university. Two: I've noticed you watching me in the lecture hall. You're just dying to get a piece of this." He grabbed the crotch of his pants. "I'll double my offer. One hundred dollars."
"I said no!" She was getting frantic now. If Mark decided to get violent, she would not be able to defend herself, and there was no one around to hear a struggle. Barbara looked around to see if there was anything she could throw or hit Mark with. Nothing was around but the dumpster she was now backed against.
Mark was getting angry. The school whore was turning him down. He would not allow this to happen. "Will this change your mind?" he asked as he pulled a switchblade knife from his pants' pocket. Barbara's heart jumped into her throat. "Well?" he demanded.
"I...I...uh.." Barbara was too scared to speak.
Mark lost it. "If not, I'll finish you now!!"
Barbara had been right. No one heard her scream in terror and pain.
======================
Red and blue lights reflected crimson and purple off of the pool of blood beside the blond girl lying dead in the alley. The black and white units had responded to the call ten minutes before Nick. Now, forensics was taking care of the body, and Nick stayed off to the side while questioning to the man who had called it in. The gentleman's German shepherd looked quite impatient and pulled on the leash.
"So, you didn't actually hear anything happening?" the detective asked, his notebook open to a fresh page.
"No, I was walking Krieger down the block when his ears perked up, and he mad dashed over to this alley. At first, I didn't see what could have been bothering him, But then I noticed a lady's bag crammed behind the dumpster. I looked behind it and found her. Krieger must have smelled the blood." He reached down to pet the dog. "He used to be a police dog, you know. He got too old though. Apparently, he hasn't lost his touch. Anyway, as soon as I found the body, I ran to the nearest payphone and called you guys."
Nick nodded and flipped shut his notebook. "Thank you, Mr. Anderson. We'll get in touch with you if we need you. If you remember anything else, don't hesitate to call us. Ask for Detective Knight."
Mr. Anderson nodded and pulled on the leash. Together, he and the dog walked through the police barricade and started back home.
Nick walked over to where Natalie was standing, making sure to walk far enough away from the body as to avoid any unwanted reactions. He had been a little edgy lately, and this was not what he needed to control himself.
Despite his attempts, he could feel the tips of his fangs dig into his lower lip. Nick bowed his head and closed his eyes, hoping no one was watching him. He blocked his mind to everything, trying to regain control of his vampire nature.
"Nick, are you okay?" Natalie's voice snapped him back to reality. "You look a little pale, even for you."
When Nick gazed up at her, the feral yellow glow still presented itself in his eyes. Nat quickly looked around to see who was watching.
"Nick, are you crazy?" she turned back to him.
"I can't stop it, Nat," he growled under his breath.
"Well, try to," she demanded. "Feel lucky Tracy isn't here to see you like this. I swear, she's been seeing vampires under every rock."
Nick scowled and walked further away from the crime site. Natalie followed him. By the time they had reached the Caddy, Nick had managed to change his eyes back to normal blue and to retract his fangs.
The Caddy was parked under one of the only streetlamps in the area. Nick had focused on it to regain his composure, but only now did he truly look at it. The pole was covered with flyers, but one caught his attention. The first line drew his gaze:
Attention denizens of the night! Are you afraid of
being alone for the rest of eternity? Or do you have
an opinion on how we should live our existence?
Join The Dark Angels. Meetings at midnight.
Nick ripped the flyer off the pole. The address was at the bottom, and it fell dangerously close to home.
"What is that?" He had forgotten that Natalie was beside him. He handed her the paper. As she read it, her eyes widened.
"Nick, you don't think...?"
"Yeah, I do. Someone from the Community has an idea, and I don't think it's a good one."
======================
Mark ran into his dorm building and slammed shut the door. He instantly regretted it because it left a bloody handprint where he had touched it. He shot up the stairs and into his room. Another print that he would have to clean up. First, he would have to wash his hands.
He ran into the bathroom and turned on the faucet, quietly thanking God that his roommate, Ryan, was not at home. He threw his hands under the running water.
"I did it," he thought to himself. "I actually killed someone. All by myself. Just me and--" Mark suddenly felt as if his heart had stopped. The knife. He patted at his pockets. Nothing.
"I dropped it," Mark said as he flashed back to his flee of terror. He remembered stabbing the slut, taking off, and then hearing the click of something small falling to the pavement.
"I have to get it back, or they'll know I failed."
======================
"She was a student at the university." Natalie was back at the body, finishing the pre-autopsy inspection. "Her ID says her name was Barbara Baker. Approximate time of death: an hour ago. She was stabbed in the midchest, and then her throat was slashed. Rough job, someone was in a hurry."
Nick still stood away from the body, but he was not worried about keeping control. Instead, he was using his vampire senses to try to find something to help him find the killer. He glanced around and caught sight of something small beside the wall, fifty feet away from the perimeter of the crime scene. He walked over and picked up the object. The switchblade was covered with blood, but Nick barely noticed. He was staring at the engraving on the hilt. In Gothic letters popped out the words "Dark Angels."
