Author's Note: Here's chapter 2 of my fic. Sorry it took a while to post. I've been kinda busy keeping up with the recent tragedy. Everyone and everything seems to be going haywire ever since that dreadful day, which leaves me little time to write. Well, my prayers are with the families and survivors! God bless!
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own anything remotely related to Digimon.
As another beautiful sunset lit up the evening sky with its vibrant colors, a certain creature of the night re-awakened to begin his nightly quest for blood. One of his favorite past times was to blend in with the crowd. It amused him that he could fool these mortals so easily and it also gave him the opportunity to select his victim. He casually walked through the throng of people, taking in every scent and sight that was offered to his preternatural senses. It wasn't until something caught his eye, did he stop in the continuously flowing crowd. He made his way over to a newsstand and smiled wickedly at the headline of one of the papers. He had always enjoyed admiring his own handiwork. He picked up the paper and began to read the article printed on the front page.
"Hey buddy, this isn't a library!" the shop owner sneered.
He gave the man a menacing look. It was only dusk and he had already come across his first victim for the night. The vampire licked his lips and was about to consider how he would go about this particular kill, when he noticed a small picture and headline at the bottom of the page.
Teenage Wolves to play sold out show.
The picture was of a blonde boy plucking a bass guitar and singing into a microphone, while his band played on in the background.
"Interesting." He hissed. He had always wanted to drink the blood of a rock star, and here he had four of them to choose from. There were other benefits to this as well, he mused, there would be hundreds of humans at this show, it would be like a buffet, he laughed.
The shop keeper gave him a strange look as he chuckled to himself, before he snatched the newspaper out of his hands.
"Either buy it, or get the hell outta here!" he snapped impatiently.
The vampire narrowed his eyes at the man and glanced around suspiciously. When he noticed that nobody was paying any attention, he lunged at the man, knocking him back behind the magazine booth. A slight groan escaped the man's lips as he penetrated his skin with his razor-sharp fangs. Moments later, he picked himself up and brushed the dirt from his coat, nonchalantly stepping back over the side of the booth, and continuing on his way.
Tai was a little nervous about picking Sora up for their date. After all, it was only the second time they'd be going out on an "official" date. He made Kari wait by Sora's mailbox, as he proceeded towards her front door. He rang the bell and tried to compose himself.
"Go get 'er tiger!" Kari cheered throwing her fist up in the air and waving it around.
"Pipe down!" Tai shouted, it was bad enough he had butterflies in his stomach, he didn't need any added embarrassment from his little sister.
Sora opened the door and greeted Tai with a cheerful hello. Tai gave her a dopey grin when she flashed her smile at him. That smile always seemed to melt his heart, and then he acted like a raving fool. Sora gave him a quick peck on the cheek and linked her arm with his.
"Tai's here Mom!" she shouted over her shoulder, "We'll be back before the curfew!"
"Alright sweety," her mother replied, "I love you! Be careful!!"
"We will!" Sora assured before shutting the door. She went to take a step forward, but noticed that Tai stood on the porch seeming unable to move.
"Are we going?" she asked a bit confused.
"Yeah," Tai said sheepishly, if only his legs would work, they felt like jell-o. It only took him a few seconds to muster up his courage and walk Sora down the driveway.
Kari folded her arms and giggled, "Aw, how cute."
Tai's face turned a bright red and he turned his head away trying to conceal it. Okay Tai, you're not a little kid anymore, you know how to act around girls, he mentally noted to himself. But Sora's not just any girl! She's…she's…well she's Sora, she's like some kind of angel on Earth. Tai knew how to act around girls, but he hadn't the slightest clue how to act around angels.
Kari slid up on the right side of her brother and whispered in his ear.
"Calm down, just relax."
"Thanks." Tai whispered back, glad that he could always count on his sis for moral support.
Takeru Takaishi struggled with one of the large speakers, as he tried to push it into place. He took a few short breathes of air and wiped the sweat from his brow while he leaned up against it.
"Man, I didn't think these things could be so heavy!" he exclaimed, watching his brother and one of his band mates carrying a large keyboard onto the stage.
"Just set it right here," Matt instructed as they both lowered the instrument to the ground.
"Whew! You aren't joking kid! I'm going to need a chiropractor after this one." He laughed, as he playfully wrapped his arm around his little brother's neck and plucked the white hat from his head, propping it up on his own. T.K. struggled to get free, but was unsuccessful until after Matt had mussed up his air. Only then did he release his grip.
"Hey!?" T.K. smiled, "Give that back! Only I look good in that hat!"
"That's okay squirt, I don't need a hat to make me look good, that comes naturally." He smirked.
"Oh please!" T.K. rolled his eyes, Matt was simply a pain to be around when he got into moments like these.
Matt only shrugged and jumped down from the stage. He ran the length of the auditorium until he was at the highest and farthest point of the complex.
"Give me a sound check Teek!!!" he hollered to his brother. T.K. slowly strode up to the mic and tapped it with his fingers a few times.
"Testing…testing 1..2..3.." he said nervously. Despite the lack of an audience, he still felt jittery about being up on stage.
"Come on bro!! You can do better than that!!!" Matt shouted as he sprinted to the other side of the auditorium.
T.K. looked around for a few seconds, checking both the side doors and the main ones. No one seemed to be around, except for Matt and the members of his band.
"Are you ready to rock!!!" T.K. screamed into the mic.
"Yeah!!!" Matt grinned, throwing his fists into the air. "I can't hear you!!!" he hollered back, racing to the opposite side of the building.
"I said…Are you ready to roccckkkk!!!" T.K. yelled at the top of his lungs. This time his voice echoed throughout the auditorium.
"ALRIGHT!!" Matt hollered throwing his hands up over his head and clapping. T.K. whirled around when he heard three more sets of clapping. He had expected it to be coming from Matt's band, but instead, he stared mortified at Sora, Tai, and Kari all standing behind him.
T.K. shrank back in humiliation, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree.
"Don't be embarrassed," Kari soothed, "That was really great!" she chirped, giving him a big smile.
T.K. gave her an awkward sideways smirk.
"So where's everybody else?" T.K. questioned, rubbing the back of his neck. He still felt a tad bit uncomfortable.
"Joe and Izzy couldn't make it, they're both studying." Tai replied.
"Studying?!? On a Saturday?" T.K. grimaced.
"Well, you know those two." Kari grinned.
"Yeah, I know 'em, but I'll never understand them." he said shaking his head.
At that moment, Matt came running back down the center aisle of the music hall. His face and shirt covered in sweat. He swept a few stray locks of sweat soaked hair out of his face as he rested his hands on his knees and panted.
"Glad…you…guys..could…make ..it." he managed in between breathes.
"Well, Sora and I are going to find some good seats before the show starts." Tai announced.
"Great," was all Matt could say, as he hopped back up onto the stage and collapsed on the floor. He lay on his back staring up at his friends.
"Just a little tired," he commented.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group of teenagers, two incandescent eyes stared down at them from the catwalk above the arena.
"Hmmm…" he pondered shifting his gaze from one child to the next. "That one will do nicely," he said, his eyes gleaming intently on Matt. "Such raw, unbridled energy. It should not be wasted on him." He growled under his breath.
"And for dessert…" he hesitated, "I rather like that young girl." He decided, raising his eyebrow towards Sora. The vampire slowly rubbed his hands together, happily anticipating the remainder of the night.
While Kari watched T.K. and Matt set up the rest of the stage, Tai and Sora made their way up to some of the higher seats.
"These are perfect right here!" Sora chimed, pointing at a row of seats directly in the middle of the auditorium. "Not only we'll we have surround sound, but we'll be able to get a perfect view of the band!" she smiled.
Sora made her way to the seats with Tai in tow. She sat down and put her feet up on the seats in the row below them. Tai made himself comfortable in the seat next to her. After a moment or two, Tai casually slipped his hand into hers. She sighed and leaned up against him, burying her face into his shoulder. That's when his confidence returned, and he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. The two remained in their silent bliss merely watching the people on stage arrange the instruments and the sound system.
Outside the concert hall, later on that evening, the vampire was picking off excited teens one by one. Each time he drank from an unsuspecting victim, his thirst grew all the more rampant. Yearning to taste the blood of his special chosen victims.
Once he had quenched his blood lust for the time being, he perched himself upon the roof of the complex. Eagerly waiting for the moment his prey would appear. He patiently waited for an hour and a half, while the concertgoers exited the building and dispersed onto the streets.
Matt and T.K. loaded the last of the sound system, into the back of his drummer's truck, and then slammed the tailgate shut. The older blonde signaled to the driver that they were all done and the vehicle sputtered away.
"Awesome concert Matt!" Tai shouted from the doorway of the auditorium.
"Thanks!" he replied, wiping his hands on his jeans.
Kari glanced down at her watch, "Come on Tai, we gotta get Sora home. It's nine o'clock right now. Mom will kill us if we're home late!" she explained.
"See you guys later!" T.K. waved good-bye, as the three parted from the group and headed up the street.
Matt took a look at his watch as well, "So when's Mom supposed to be here?" he asked.
"Oh, she should be by in a few minutes. I told her the concert would let out earlier than expected." His brother replied. Matt picked up his guitar case and the two brothers made their way to the front of the music hall. T.K. leaned back against the building while his brother stood underneath the glow of the streetlight directly in front of him.
The streets were virtually empty, an excellent time to attack, thought the vampire. This attack would have to be done with stealth, but not too fast. He wanted time to savor the warm, youthful blood of the blonde rock star. The dark creature ran his tongue along the outline of his deadly fangs and nimbly positioned himself to pounce. The entire time, Matt had been facing the street, when he turned to face his brother the vampire sprang into action.
Matt looked on in horror as a pair of outstretched hands came hurtling towards him. He raised his arms to shield himself, but was slammed backwards as his head made contact with the streetlight pole, producing a gut-wrenching cracking sound. Matt stood dazed for a few seconds and his vision blurred. He could feel the ice-cold hands pinning his arms behind his back.
"MATT!!" his brother cried, but it sounded so distant. He shook his head, attempting to clear it of the now present ringing noise, and after a few moments he had regained his senses. Matt panicked and tried desperately to struggle out of his captor's hold, but it seemed as though the more he retaliated, the tighter his assailant's grip became.
T.K. lunged at his brother's attacker, but with one swipe of his hand, he managed to send the boy sprawling back into the wall. T.K. fell to the floor after making impact with the wall, and did not move.
A deafening moan escaped Matt's lips as the vampire sank his teeth into the flesh around the blonde boy's neck. This sound awakened T.K. and he stared wide-eyed at the scene playing before him.
"NO!" he cried, hoisting himself up to a standing position. He glanced around frantically for a weapon, finding only his brother's guitar. He grabbed the instrument case with both hands and gripped it by the neck. The vampire was so enthralled with his latest victim, he scarcely noticed T.K. rise back to his feet.
The wiry young boy took one tremendous swing at the creature that had latched itself onto Matt's neck. The base of the instrument hit him squarely in the face, sending the vampire reeling backwards, his pointy teeth tearing into the flesh even more as he staggered back. T.K. watched as his brother immediately collapsed to his knees, clutching his neck with one hand and the back of his head with the other.
The vampire was considerably peeved now, and he gave T.K. a malevolent glare. The young boy's grip began to tighten around the instrument case, as the vampire edged his way closer to the blonde. Matt's blood dripped from the corners of his mouth and he lapped at it with his serpent-like tongue.
T.K.'s lower jaw began to quiver in fear as the creature approached him. At that pivotal moment, the vampire turned his head and a demonic hiss erupted from his throat. A pair of headlights had blinded him, as Yamato's father screeched to a halt beside the curb. He leaned over and thrust the passenger side door open.
"Get in!!!" he ordered, beckoning to his youngest son with his free hand, all the while keeping an eye on the vampire.
T.K. wasted no time; he slipped his arms underneath his brother's and lifted him into the vehicle, using the back seat door to brace himself. When his brother was safely in the passenger seat, he dove into the back seat and leaned out of the car, reaching for the door, and firmly grasped it in his hand. His father peeled out of the parking spot, just as he was slamming the door shut.
Now the vampire was more in a rage than ever. He clenched his fists and his eyes boiled a blood red.
"Oh, you won't get away that easily!" he whispered.
With his supernatural capabilities, he picked up a burst of speed and sprinted after the car. T.K. looked at his brother anxiously, who seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness every few seconds. Blood was oozing out of the fresh wound in his neck; it had already soaked into the top half of his shirt and was now spreading to the car seat. A large welt had also started to present itself on the back of Matt's head. His father looked on in worry, while trying to concentrate on the road. He reached over to the glove box and popped it open retrieving a small first aid kit from it. He tossed it back to T.K.
"Here, find some gauze and keep it pressed over that wound." He instructed his younger son.
"Okay Dad," T.K. readily agreed. He gave his father a troubled look while fishing through the kit for some gauze.
"What is it?" his father queried, eyeing him from the rearview mirror.
"Is…is Matt going to be okay?" he barely squeaked, half afraid to find out the answer.
"As long as we get him to the hospital, he should be fine." His dad reassured.
T.K. only nodded and produced a large wad of gauze from the plastic container. He grabbed some antibiotic ointment and spread it across the cottony fabric before placing it over his brother's wound. Matt flinched in pain at the touch, but slowly relaxed his muscles after a few seconds.
While T.K. was preoccupied with his brother's condition, his father glanced back into the rearview mirror and cursed.
"Shit!"
"What's wrong Dad?" T.K. inquired, looking up from his present task. His eyes widened in utter disbelief at the site in the rearview mirror. He glanced back over his shoulder to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The vampire was quickly closing in on the small car, on foot!
Masaharu looked down at the speedometer, this was impossible, he thought. He gently applied more pressure to the accelerator and the car pulled forward. He checked back in the mirror again, and nearly released the steering wheel. Whatever it was, was still behind them and closing in fast, even though they were reaching speeds of up to 50mph.
A loud thud on the roof of the car surprised the two conscious passengers. T.K. looked up to see the imprint of a fist embedded in the roof of the car.
"Uh oh," he murmured. More loud thuds brought more fist indentations, until Masaharu finally swerved the car to the left, sending the creature flying off into the street. He skidded and finally rolled to a stop about thirty feet away.
Mr. Ishida didn't even hesitate before slamming his foot down on the accelerator; the back tires spun leaving a cloud of white smoke in their wake. Luckily for them, the streets were pretty much abandoned due to the recent curfew and they were making excellent time en route to the hospital, despite their mishap with the vampire.
"Do you think that was the thing that killed those two people last night Dad?" T.K. asked, still holding the compress over Matt's wound.
"I'd bet on it." his father replied.
"Do you really think it's a vampire?" he asked tentatively.
"Son, I've seen a lot of strange things in this world. Up until the point you and your brother went to the digital world, I had decided that they were all just my imagination getting the better of me…but now…" he hesitated, "…now I'm willing to believe anything."
T.K. bit his lower lip and looked at his dad fearfully. Masaharu jumped back in his seat, when a large figure landed on the hood of his car. He slammed on the brakes, sending the vehicle into a spin, until it finally collided with a fire hydrant and lurched to a halt. Water shot up from the busted hydrant, creating a geyser effect that showered the front end of the car in the clear, cool liquid. The vampire, who was now drenched, punched his fist through the windshield, shattering it completely. He started to reach in, when the sight of something dangling on the rearview mirror caught his eye. He immediately jerked his hand back, and hissed at the small object. It was Mr. Ishida's crucifix. The creature leapt from the wrecked vehicle and disappeared into the darkness.
T.K. sighed in relief, as he reached up and wrapped his hand around the crucifix. He rubbed it in his palm gently, and then let it drop back into place.
"At least some of those Hollywood superstitions are true." He commented, watching as the water rained down onto the hood of the car. Both he and his father turned to face Matt when they heard a soft groan coming from his direction.
His eyes fluttered open and he immediately shot up from his seat in panic. He winced as his quick movement brought a new sensation of pain to his already tender wound. T.K. placed his hand on Matt's chest and gently pushed him back into his seat.
"Calm down Matt, it's okay." He said soothingly. Matt gazed up into his little brother's eyes, and opened his mouth to say something when a terrible scream pierced the night air. T.K. and Mr. Ishida both jerked their heads in the direction of the scream.
"S-Sora…" Matt murmured before the darkness once again engulfed him and he slid back down in the car seat.
"Matt!?" T.K. cried hysterically, one minute his brother was awake and fine, and the next…
"Calm down son," his father reassured, breaking his wild train of thought. "Look, he's still breathing, but we must get him to a hospital."
"But Sora?!" T.K. began, "…and Tai…and…" he paused for a moment, an overwhelming sense of worry boring into his heart, "…and Kari." He said in a hushed whisper. T.K. glanced down at his brother, than back at his dad.
His father said nothing, and turned the key in the ignition. The car rattled to life. It was a little worse for the wear, but at least that crash had not busted the radiator. He put it into Reverse and backed away from the gushing fire hydrant, then lined himself parallel with the street, threw it into gear and sped off down the road.
Alright, figured this was as good a place as any to stop. Well, now that I got my Matt/Tk moment out of the way *sighs* lol, the rest of the story should center on Tai and Sora, but there are a few others involved. I think this may be longer than I had originally anticipated. Anywho, R+R!