********************
"Do you remember actually being friends with any of them?"
"Only one. She stays safe. She was the only one nice to me."
"I think we can manage that."
"I thought we couldn't go into a church."
"It's not a real church. Just a gathering place for their little cult."
"How were you ever able to hang out with geeks like that?"
"I was young and stupid. I think they prey on people like that."
"Prey. Good choice of words. Let's go. I'm hungry."
---------------------------------------
Once again, it was Sunday night, and the college students of Lazarus Community Church were gathered for their usual Night of Worship.
As they rose their hands in devout and maniacal worship, their eyes closed no one notice the pairs of vibrant glowing eyes peering through the glass windows on the doors. As the praise music blared and the students only listened for the voice of their God, no one heard as all but the rear entrance was locked from the outside.
---------------------------------------
"What are we waiting for? They're right there and vulnerable."
"Hold on, it gets better. One they stop with this, they all sit down and start taking notes like brainwashed children. They'll be completely unprepared."
"Point well taken."
---------------------------------------
The music ended, and the pastor gave his opening prayer. When the lights did not come on, no one thought twice about it. Their light technician often got caught up in the music and missed his cue. Not one of the parishioners even considered that their light man was now slumped into a back corner, his neck snapped at a vicious angle.
Only the pastor, who was facing the back of the room, noticed the twelve strangers walk slowly but confidently into the room. "Newcomers," he thought to himself.
The twelve strode in, leaving one of them behind at the back. These few took different positions throughout the room, casually looking at those sitting and listening to the young speaker.
The eleven in the room all glanced back at their remaining member, who stood at the back of the room. She reached for the door lock and nodded to the rest of the group. With this cue, each of them grabbed the closest parishioner by the throat and held them close and threatening. The pastor, Jimmy Sayers, immediately stopped speaking as several screams arose from the congregation.
The stranger who stood closest to the stage pulled his hostage up with him as he climbed up to confront Jimmy.
"Young Sayers," he started. "You have among you many sheep. Mindless, vapid and judgmental sheep, much like this one." As he spoke, he shook the girl in his hands. The young woman, Michelle, quaked and screamed a silent cry.
"You and yours are responsible for warping the so-called Word of God," he continued with Michelle in tow. "You twist it so that is suites your purposes, but ignore it at your convenience."
Michelle looked off the stage to where her friend and former significant other, Bill, stood helpless and gawking. As she looked around the room, she saw nearly a hundred of shocked and scared people frozen in their places. Finally, her gaze fell on the figure standing by the now locked doors in the back of the room, and a look of recognition passed on her face. But the stranger tightened his grasp on her throat, and she failed to call the figure by name.
"Because of your inconsistencies, lies and blatant disregard for what you preach but don't live, your 'divine' law demands punishment. This is why we few are here." Gasps rose from the terrified parishioners and several whimpers sounded.
"And you can thank one of your own for bringing us here. One that you all had shunned because of minor differences. We were told of your mistreating natures and decided to act." He lifted his arm and picked Michelle up by the throat, her legs dangling at least six inches from the ground.
"Lazarus, prepare to be judged!" With that, the shocked community watched as the face of the stranger changed. His eyes, which had been dark brown before, brightened into an inhuman gold. His dangerous grin became more feral as his canine teeth lengthened and sharpened. The fingernails on his hand pointed into claws and dug into the neck of his hostage. And everything broke into chaos as he lowered his head and tore into Michelle's throat with his fangs.
Screams vibrated from the crowed as everyone panicked. The other strangers had taken their cue from their leader and has followed suit with their own hostages. People were running to the exits, rattling the doors, desperate to get out. When the leader was done with Michelle, he let her body slump to the floor and looked below the stage. The one known as Bill was trying to get to her body, but two other men, Lukas and Miguel, were holding him back for his own safety. The stranger smiled and jumped off the stage, approaching the three. Bill stopped moving as the stranger stood right before him, blood glistening on his teeth.
"You three are more guilty of the charges than anyone. The damage you have done has greatly surpassed any other. The one you hurt almost demanded your execution, beginning with..." His hand shot out and grabbed Bill by the throat. "...you."
The figure in the back of the room watched with a sly but carnivorous smile as the leader, who she called Nick, rake his talons across Bill's throat. Both Lukas and Miguel ran off as their friend collapsed, gasping and trying to hold onto his miserable life. Nick then moved onto the door slightly to his right.
Nick grabbed one of the women who were trying to get out. He pulled her close to him as he prepared for another kill, but as he readied his fangs, a hand grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Not her."
Nick turned and saw the figure who had moved almost spontaneously from the back of the room to his side. He released the girl and stepped back, grinning. Then, he swiftly moved onto his next target.
The girl, Hope, quickly rose her head and gasped. "Angela?"
"Hi Hope. No questions, ok? Just listen carefully." Then, without warning, Angela hit Hope in the head, knocking the girl out cold. This was her sign to the others that Hope was not to be killed. Angela carried her to the stage and just placed her there.
Some of the parishioners were wising up to realize what they were up against, and started to try to fight back. None of the chairs legs were wooden though, so their only weapon were crosses that they were hanging from their necks. They never realized though that their hands could be batted away, along with their defense.
A certain movement caught Angela's eye as a familiar flash of a brown pleather jacket ran across the room, trying to get out. She quickly ran in front of him, but her speed made it appear that she just appeared.
Lukas stopped in his tracks. "Angela! We gotta get out of here. These people are insane!" Then, he paused as a thought hit him. "When did you start coming to Lazarus again?"
Angela smile, and then with a growl, she pounced, knocking Lukas onto his back. She pinned his arms down with her knees, placed her hands on either side of his head, and lowered herself close to him, so that they were face to face.
"Come on Lukas. Don't tell me you didn't catch on when the slaughter started. Who else besides me would find vampires in the hick town and bring them to Lazarus?"
Lukas struggled to free himself, but he was no match against her strength. Angela tilted her head to the side and smiled. Lukas' face blanked in fear as her eyes faded into the feral gold.
"You could have prevented this Lukas," she continued. "It didn't have to be like this. If only you all would have looked past your own self-centered lives , you would have noticed the pain you all were inflicting. But it's too late now."
With that, she leaned down and kissed Lukas on the lips. She nipped him with the tips of her fangs as she pulled up. "Didn't want you to die without ever doing that." She then viciously dug her fangs into his neck, and his cry became incorporated into the clamor of those around him.
Nick looked around. Bodies were strewn everywhere. Many were drained and lay dead or dying. Some had their necks snapped and even more had limbs ripped from their sockets. The last remaining mortals were quickly caught, and the vampires were smug in their satiated natures.
As the last human dropped, the vampires all met in the center of the massacre. One look around, then they walked together to the back of the room. Three of them kicked at the back door, and their combined superhuman strength was enough to break the lock open. They all walked out, but paused as Angela glanced back at the still unconscious Hope and smile. Then, the vampires walked down the hall to the front door.
None of them noticed as the cowardly Miguel crawled his way from under the stage. He watched as they all left the room of worship, and he carefully stepped over the bodies as he moved to the back of the room to watch them leave through the front door. Miguel then turned around and headed toward the back door. He was three steps away when a strong arm shot itself from the janitor's closet and grabbed Miguel, pulling him sideways into the darkness. Miguel found himself facing his former friend and another shunned outsider, Mark.
"You didn't think I'd let Angela have all the fun, did ya?"
The last thing Miguel saw was Mark's mouth widening into a sharp and homicidal grin.