Blood Lus†

†he Fallou†

Brad and the others pulled on their coats, before leaving. He gave Bit a kiss, promising him some fun when they returned. He smiled widely and returned the kiss.

"Happy hunting." He joked, waving goodbye.

The four Vampires stole through the tunnels quickly, erupting into the dark night. They quietly spotted their prey in an alleyway and attacked quickly. They began to drink their fill and heard footsteps approaching.

"Hunter Clan. We meet again." The leader of the group growled. Brad stood, wiping the blood from his lips and snarling back.

"Polta…"

The three others stood behind him, growling and baring their fangs and glowing eyes.

"Pierce, Stoller, Vega." The man who'd been called 'Polta' said to the others in warning.

"What do you want? This is our side of town. You're out of line." Brad cautioned as Polta laughed, the moonlight glinting off his glasses.

"We're not out of line, not anymore. We're here to eliminate you. Our new boss gave us permission, and that gives us access to your hunting ground, and that means we can kill anyone, anywhere, anytime we want." He jeered. "Now, prepare to die, again that is!"

Polta charged and Brad met the challenge, the other Vampires joining the fray.

The Vampires tore at each other with feral viciousness. Brad crouched, holding his ribs as Polta cackled and pulled him up by the collar of his trench-coat, delivering another savage blow.

"By now, your little Bit is toast."

"What?" He groaned, wincing at the sharp pain in his side, coughing up a trace of blood as Polta laughed again.

"Heh. The Backdraft will most definitely have him by now."

"What?!" Brad snarled, ignoring the screaming throb of his ribs, pushing the other Vampire to the ground.

"You heard me." He scoffed as Brad pressed down on his throat.

"You fuck!" he seethed, his fangs gleaming in the dim light, pushing harder.

"Hey! Hey! Break it up!!" He looked up, spotting two militant officers running down the alley.

"Hunters retreat!"

"Shadows withdraw!"

The Hunter Clan ran back through the subway lines and to the lair.

"Bit!?" Brad yelled for him but there was no answer. The lair was trashes and raided, furniture upturned, throw rugs torn away. "Bit!!" he called again be nothing still. He clenched his fists in anger as Naomi and Leena both touched his arm.

"Brad…" Naomi said softly as he pulled away.

"No!" He yelled, running to their bedroom. Lír and Makita looked up at him mournfully with their big golden eyes, licking each other's wounds. He knelt and rested his hands lightly on their head. "What happened here?" He whispered, knowing they could not answer him. He growled at the twinge in the back of his mind as his disciples entered the room.

"She's calling us, Brad," Naomi told him as the other two nodded.

"Yeah." He closed his eyes and concentrated on the twinge. When he reopened them they were in another dimension, one that consisted of a sole being, them and blackness. The being was a young woman, with transparent pale skin, long flowing ashen hair and a long flowing gown of the same hue. Her eyes were hollow black voids, her lips black.

"We meet again, Hunter Clan." she said, barely moving her lips.

"Where is he?" Brad demanded. "You told us to protect him. Where is he?"

She swirled around them.

"He is alive."

"Where is he!?" Brad yelled as Naomi hushed him, placing her arms around his shoulders.

"Where did they take Bit?" She asked the form.

"The Backdraft headquarters…you can still save him."

"Where is it?"

"I will show you, you will know."
"Why did they take him? What did he ever do?" He asked into Naomi's shoulder, his voice trembling slightly.

"He has something they want." she answered simply.

"What does he have?"

"An item he stole; He possesses it no more. 'It' is a serum that has the power to create Vampires by the masses when administered."

"Where is it! We can trade it for Bit!" Leena said as Jack shook his head and spoke.

"Creates Vampires? How is it made?"

"Quite easily. It's boiled down Vampire blood and organs with their ground up bones."

"What?!" He shook his head again. "Leena, we may very well be walking into our own death if we hand that over!"

"It's Brad's decision." Naomi said as the brunette, who had drawn away from her, deliberated.

"Where is the serum hidden?" he said after a moment.

"With you."

"Eh?" Said Jack as the form fluttered.

"Under a fairy tale guise."

The four pondered slightly, Leena with a determined look on her face, and a finger pressed to her lips.

"I got it! The Cross!" She shot up her hand, smiling triumphantly. "the one he tried to use on us way back when!"

The spirit nodded gracefully and Naomi scratched gently behind Leena's ear.

"Now go to him Hunter Clan."

Brad blinked a few times, realizing they were back in the Lair. He tried to picture where he'd thrown it…/The corner!/ He dashed over and noticed a rotted away hole in the wooden boards; peering in her saw a glint of silver. Leena knelt by the hole and snaked her hand through, grabbing it's chain. Brad barely touched it, sickened by it's very presence, as he laid it in a rag, shoving it into the pocket of his black coat.

——†——

They moved stealthily through the tunnels, emerging in the industrial district where the warehouse was. They crept up the dumpsters and peered into the windows.

"Look." Jack pointed to four Vampires sulk in angrily, licking their wounds. Brad pressed his ear to the glass.

"So! Have you completed your mission?" The leader, a tall, graying man asked as they knelt respectfully.

"The Militia arrived before we finished; they got away."

"What!? You fools! Why do I put up with this incompetence?!"

"Maybe if you actually fed us, like you promised to. Pierce growled as the man glared at her.

"You." He reached to strike her but Polta growled in warning and stood in front of her.

"Touch one of my clan and I tear your throat out. You know I can and will, too. The Shadows are not like the Hunters, we do not fear to kill. We take pride in what we are." He snarled and he backed off.

"Commander Aultile! The kid doesn't have the serum." Called an approaching, youthful soldier.

"What?!" he boomed.

"We searched! We can't find it…but I found a pretty nice Rolex." The guard smiled, holding it up.

"You imbecile!" He roared as Bit struggled against his captors.

"You're gonna fucking regret this! The Hunters will fucking tear you apart!" He yelled as the guards held tighter.

"Where's the cross, kid?" Aultile growled.

"What cross? I'm not catholic!"

"The one you stole from us."

"I dunno." He lied as the man fumed. "I didn't steal any cross from you."

"Kill him, now." Several sentry went to aim as Brad broke through the window and landed in a shower of glass, the others following his lead.

"Don't touch him." He snarled as Aultile chuckled.

"Why?"
"Because. We have the cross." He told him as the man cackled in disbelief. Brad pulled out the cross from his pocket and dangled it by the chain. Aultile stopped and motioned for the men to lower their weapons.

"Shadows. Do you know what this is?" Naomi asked as Pierce growled. "Do you Polta?"

"No." he answered gruffly.

"It contains a serum that creates Vampires."

"So? The more the better!" he laughed as Jack bared his fangs.

"Your hunting ground is barren enough, Shadow Clan, think if there were more Vampires roaming around. Do you even know how it's made?" Polta shook his head standoffishly.

"It's produced by boiling down Vampire blood and organs and ground up bones." Leena told them truthfully and Naomi pushed the hair from her eyes.

"Now, here, there is only about enough to transform ten humans…so, think what four more might do. He ordered you all to bring us in, did he not? What makes you think that you're any safer than we would be? Hm?"

Polta turned to Aultile furiously.

"You…" He hissed as the human backed up.

"They lie! They're your enemies! You believe them? You fools--"

"That won't work." Polta growled as the rest hissed and bared their fangs. "Shadows!--"

"No!" Brad stopped them. "Give us Bit, now."

"Give us The Cross."

"You are in no position to be negotiating."

"Neither are you, Hunter." he waved for the sentry again.

"Okay, okay. Just don't hurt him." Brad said, holding it out. "Let go of Bit, and I'll give you The Cross."

"Fine." He gave a cold smile and paused. "On second thought," He waved his hand and they fired; the golden haired teen crumpled to the ground.

Eight Vampires hissed and growled; Naomi grabbed The Cross and threw it to the ground, smashing it beneath her heavy boot. Out dribbled a milky, reddish-silver, shimmering liquid. Leena smeared it across the flooring.

"N-no!" Aultile yelled watching this and Brad ran past him to Bit.

Brad called to him, cradling him in his arms. He groaned in pain, trembling slightly. The Vampire looked at the wound; fatal. He stared at Bit's blood coating him, the usually irresistible smell was making him nauseous. /I can save him….but….he'll hate me./ He struggled with himself, holding him tighter, feeling his shallow, laboured breaths against his neck. /He'll hate me for sure, but I can't watch him die, not like this, not now!/ Brad slowly tilted Bit's chin up and to the side, then closed his mouth around his throat, feeling the blood rush across his tongue, bringing back his urge to be sick.

Naomi pounced on Aultile who let out a yell. He tried to run from the female Vampire but she had him pinned down within seconds. Her fangs tore into his throat as he let out a final scream, Leena biting at him as well . Jack bolted after the fleeing soldiers with The Shadow Clan.

[ e n d C h a p † e r F o u r : † o b e C o n † i n u e d . . .]

Hey! Naomi here, I'm majorly pissed. I got /another/ flame. Unfortunately the fool left a signed review. Nya ha ha. No, I'm not evil. *smirk* Here you go, cliffhanger. Gomen ne. I'm too tired to finish up, no to mention there's like a hole in the next chappy.

Bai bai!

Naomi Hun†er