Dealings with Lamias
Part Three
It only took them a few minutes before they were pulling up in front of Ann's apartment. Ann's head was pounding. She felt a rough hand grab hers and pull her up and out of the car. She thanked Blade quietly and stepped up to the door. She didn't notice much of anything as she climbed up the stairs, all she could concentrate on was the blood she knew was in her apartment.
When she got into her apartment, she moved right to the refrigerator. She heard Blade close the door behind her as she opened the freezer door. Blade watched her pull out a large glass filled with dark red blood. With her back turned to Blade, Ann took a long drink from the cold glass. Normally she would have waited for the blood to warm a little, but she didn't have a choice today.
The minute the blood hit her lips, Ann's headache began to subside. She felt the blood coating the back of her throat, the warmth dripping down, filling her up.
After she'd drunken a few ounces, she pulled the glass back from her lips and let out a content sigh. She set the glass down on the counter and wiped the blood from her lips. She turned around and leaned against the counter.
Blade stood infront of her, arms crossed again. Ann groaned and pushed past him. "Don't' give me that look Blade." He reached out and grabbed her arm as she pasted. She stared him in the eye, or at least what she figured was his eye, since he still wore those damn sunglasses. "It's not like I have a choice." At that, Blade let her go and she stepped back from him.
"Why not drink from a live source?" Blade asked her back as she turned away from him. She took the glass, now half empty and set it back in the freezer.
"I tried, but I couldn't do it for some reason. I kept seeing them, instead of the blood. Lucky for me, my father works at a hospital. Every once in awhile, he can sneak out a few pints of blood without a glance. If he didn't, I'd probably be dead now."
Ann turned back around and looked at her watch. "We'd better go. It's already been an hour." She walked over to the door and pulled it open, only then realizing Blade wasn't following her. He was still standing in the kitchen, arms still crossed. "Blade?"
He seemed to hear her this time. He dropped his arms to his sides and followed her out the door. Ann wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but she wasn't in the mood to think about it. She was still ruffled by the fact Jamie had acted so harshly towards her. If she was pissed that Ann had left home, then there was nothing for Ann to do about it. Leaving home had been the only choice for Ann at the time. Her mother was so suspicious from the beginning and there was no way her mum would understand.
They were back in the car, heading out to the gallows before either of them spoke again. "You're not a normal vampire, you know that right?" Blade asked as he stared straight ahead. Ann was a little startled by his voice. She'd been staring out the window, still thinking about Jamie.
"I know I'm not cold-blood like they are. The first time I tried to drink from someone, I just kept picturing this man, out home with his children or wife. I couldn't just see them as another drink." Ann sighed. "Maybe it's because I still lived with my family after it happened. I still saw them…" Ann trailed off. Then she laughed a little. "Or maybe I just suck at being a vampire, and everything that comes with it."
Ann turned back to the window. "I don't think you have much room to talk though, Blade. It's not like you're the normal vampire yourself."
She heard him give a small grunt, then he turned another corner and Ann felt the car pick up speed. Ann looked over at him and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." Blade remained silent. "Jesus Blade. You can't hold yourself so goddamn far above the rest of us," Ann spat at him.
At that, Blade turned to look at her for a few moments before he went back to the road. "What in the hell are you talking about?" His voice was freakishly calm. Ann stop herself from yelling back at him.
"The rumors that go around about you. Everyone says you think we're the scum of the earth, even though you came from that scum. How can you condemn those who are the most like you?"
"Because someone has to," came his blunt reply.
Ann continued to stare at him. "That's it?" she asked him. "That's all you're got for an answers?" He said nothing. "That's bullshit Blade, and you know it." She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. After a few moments of silence she spoke again. "I don't expect you to tell me everything about your life Blade, but I was hoping for something to make me understand. Something to help me understand anyways."
The rest of the ride was silent as they made their way to the gallows. When they finally pulled to a stop, they were almost out in the middle of no where. Their road at dead-ended into an old warehouse, just as Blade had said. The darkness added an creepy effect to the whole situation. A few sparse trees surrounded the warehouse, some shrubs and bushes were scattered around.
The warehouse itself appeared to be two stories from the outside. A few of the windows were busted out, probably by a few teens on a bet. One of the double doors was propped open, giving Ann a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Blade had already started towards the door. His strides were set with a purpose and Ann was suddenly very grateful for his presence.
Ann hurried and caught up with him, stepping up to his side just as they neared the door. Blade motioned for her to stay quiet. As he peered through the crack in the door, Ann checked her watch. They still had fifteen minutes until Vassili's deadline.
Blade pushed the door open slowly, Ann followed behind him. No surprise to Ann, the inside of the warehouse was a wreck. Rusty chains hung from a few rafters, remains of the warehouse's dirty past. Almost every surface was covered in a thick layer of dust. The whole place was covered in shadow. The darkness outside seemed to be multiplied in the warehouse.
Their footsteps echoed throughout the space. Ann was more alert then she'd ever been. She was finally using her vampiric senses. She could make out the outline of a door at the end of the warehouse, she could smell the dust and odors of decay all around her, and she could hear a faint breathing from behind them.
Ann whipped around and saw a man standing to the side of the door. She began to take a step towards him, but Blade was there first. The man hissed and stepped out of the shadow. His fangs sparkled in the darkness, though it had no effect on Blade, who pulled out a familiar sword. Blade moved in front of the man, took one long swipe and the man was gone, turned to dust. Ann backed away from Blade as he placed the sword in the sheath on his back.
"Blade, you are constantly a pain in my ass," came a smooth voice from behind the two. They both turned to find Vassili standing a few paces away, Jamie wasn't with him.
"Where's my sister?" Ann asked in the toughest voice she could muster.
Vassili smiled. "She in the back, but I wanted to make a proposition to you first Ann. Jamie told me about you, how you were changed."
Ann eyed Vassili suspiciously. "So?"
Ann could feel Blade tensing behind her. She knew this wasn't his style. If it had just been him, then Vassili would be gone by now, a pile of dust to match the one now sitting next to the front door. Ann wasn't sure if listening to Vassili was the best thing to do at the moment, but until she saw Jamie, it was her only choice.
"Well, you've already been damned Ann. I know that's why you want Jamie." He grinned at her. "You want to save her."
Ann crossed her arms and said nothing. "So Ann, here's the deal. It's quite simple, you for her." With his last statement, a man stepped out of the door in the back of the warehouse. Ann watched him approached and noticed he was holding someone. Ann felt her heart sink when she saw Jamie laying in the man's arms.
"Jesus," Ann whispered. She began to take a step towards her sister, but Blade's arm landed on her shoulder and kept her still. "What in the hell did you do to her you sick bastard?"
Ann's reaction caused Vassili to laugh. "Oh, nothing really. Don't worry so much, Ann. She'll wake up in a few hours and be as good as new."
The man came to a stop behind Vassili. Ann stared at her sister's lifeless form, draped across his arms. She watched Jamie's chest rising and falling slowly. Ann gave a small sigh of relief and looked back to Vassili. "Me for her? That's it? You'll let her go, without a fight?"
Vassili nodded his head, the grin still plastered to his face. Ann dropped her arms to her sides and lowered her head. She knew it wasn't really a choice. She looked up and nodded her head. "Fine. Deal." At her words, she heard Blade give a small grunt. She didn't really care about him, or Vassili, just as long as Jamie was safe.
Vassili gave a small laugh. "Wonderful!" He turned and nodded to the man holding Jamie. The guy stepped around Vassili and laid Jamie on the ground in front of Ann.
Ann dropped to her knees and grabbed Jamie's hand. "Jamie. Come on Jamie," she whispered to her sister. Jamie remained still. Ann cursed Vassili silently. She stood up and turned to Blade. "Get her out of here."
Blade made no move. Ann cursed under her breath and stepped up in front of him. "Blade. Take Jamie away from her. Take her to my apartment. Take her to a hospital. Take her anywhere but here, ok?"
"This is stupid, Ann," Blade said suddenly. Ann continued to stare at him. "You can't trust Vassili."
"You don't think I know that?" Ann asked him. "I don't have a choice."
Blade stood silent for a moment, then nodded his head. At that, he bent down and picked Jamie up, then turned and walked out of the warehouse.
As the door closed behind the two, Ann turned back to Vassili. His sidekick had left, leaving Vassili standing alone. He had his normal grin on his face. "So Ann, Jamie has told me a lot about you. She told me about your whole family actually." He began circling her as he spoke. Ann watched him from the corner of her eye. When he disappeared behind her back, she fought the urge to turn.
"Jamie never knew when to keep her mouth shut." Vassili laughed at that. Ann felt him place his hand on her shoulder. Ann tensed, but stood still. Ann wasn't sure how far away Blade was yet, and she didn't want to risk Jamie's life.
Vassili's hand ran over her shoulder, up the side of her neck, and then he cupped her chin, turning her face towards his. "Shit," he laughed. "You have the same bloody eyes as Jamie."
Ann pulled her face out of his grasp and stepped back. "What did you tell Jamie?"
Vassili laughed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Oh, nothing to bad. Just that you'd gone against your father. That you were drinking from live sources. She didn't believe it at first, but I changed her mind," Vassili said with a smirk.
Ann swallowed thickly and clenched her fist. "Goddamn you Vassili."
"Oh, come on Ann. Call me Jared. We're going to be together a lot now." Vassili leered at her. His eyes roamed over her body. "I must say, you are a very attractive woman."
Ann couldn't stand it anymore. She lashed out her foot. Vassili was not expecting her retaliation. Her foot connected with the side of his head. Ann continued her spin and landed another kick into his stomach. Vassili was on his knees in a matter of seconds.
Ann stepped back from him. Vassili was taking a few shaky breaths as he climbed back to his feet. Ann felt a burst of adrenaline rush through her body. She dropped down and swiped her leg under Vassili's, bringing him down to the ground for a second time.
Vassili was ready for her this time though. The minute he hit the ground, he was up again. He grabbed her arm and brought it behind her. He pinned it against her back and wrapped his other arm around her stomach. Ann felt the bone in her arm closing in on the breaking point and she squirmed to get away from him.
"Stop moving or I'll break it!" Vassili shouted as he pulled even more on her arm. Ann let out a gasp and stood still. About a million thoughts were racing through her mind. "Damn Ann," Vassili laughed. He was still trying to catch his breath. "You are definitely the more spirited sister." With that, Vassili snapped her arm and Ann dropped to her knees. A groan escaped her lips and she cradled her broken arm. Bright lights flashed before her eyes and she tried desperately to keep herself from blanking out.
She heard Vassili laugh from above her. Ann looked up at him through her tears. She was pissed at him, but more so at herself for crying. She sucked in a breath and stood up. It would take her a few hours to heal her arm, and she didn't have that kind of time. Her legs were pretty shaky, but they held her up.
Vassili stood in front of her, grinning like a fool. "Now, are you ready to come with me?"
Ann glared at him, then she spit in his face. His grin disappeared instantly. Ann heard him growl with anger, then he was on her again. They both fell to the ground, Vassili on top of Ann. Her arm was pinned between the two and Ann cried out in pain.
Vassili's hands snaked their way to her throat. He squeezed just tight enough to cause Ann to quit moving. Her eyes were wide as she watched him above her. Only one of her arms were free. She mustered all the strength she could and punched Vassili in the side of his head.
It was enough to caught him off guard and his grip on her neck lessened. She took a deep breath of air, then pushed Vassili off her. He had his hand pressed against the side of his head. She was happy to see some blood on the collar of his shirt.
Before he could regain all his senses, Ann kicked him again. Her foot landed right into his side, under his arm, then again into his stomach. She didn't stop. She lost control of what she was doing, all that mattered to her was that this was the man that had hurt Jamie, turned Jamie against her and that had broken her arm.
By the time Ann was completely out of breath, Vassili was on the ground, beaten and broken. Blood now poured down the side of his head and it trailed down the edge of his mouth. His eye was blackened and swollen shut. This wasn't the man from Lamia. This man was pathetic, he was nothing.
Ann stepped back from Vassili and bent over half way, supporting herself with her hand on a knee. Her breathing was pretty shallow, but she had a hold of it. She cleared her throat and straightened herself. "You will leave my sister alone. You will leave my family alone," she said slowly. "I don't ever want to see you in L.A. again Vassili. I don't care where you go, as long as it's away from here."
With that, Ann turned away from him and walked out of the warehouse. She heard him lay his head back down on the ground. She thought he might have finally passed out, but she didn't really care. As she pushed the door open she was hit by the coolness of the night. She glanced down at her watch and saw she had about an hour before dawn.
Suddenly, Blade's black-as-midnight car rolled to a stop in front of her. He climbed out of the drivers seat and took a few steps towards her. She smiled at him and nodded her head. Then she looked into the car. "Where's my sister?"
"She's in the back, still out cold though." Blade nodded his head towards the warehouse. "Vassili still in there?"
Ann nodded her head and moved towards the car. She turned and leaned against the hood. She watched Blade disappear into the warehouse. She waited for a few minutes, then lowered her head. She listened for the crunch of Blade's footsteps as he returned. She knew better then to ask any questions as they both climbed into his car.
****Notes****
Pretty long part, I know. It's all action-packed goodness though. I'm hoping everyone will be able to realize what happened to Vassili. I didn't really want to explain it. See when Blade gets pissed at someone, they don't have very long to live. Blade was pissed at Vassili. Can you make the connection now? Anyways, next chapter is the last chapter. I know, this story is pretty short, but whatcha gonna do? [Disclaimer? Oh yeah. I think I saw him up at the front of the line.]