Author's note: I own no characters associated with Marvel or any other previously published source. However, the characters featured in this chapter were devised by me, a little party mix of crossovers personified.
PS – A couple of reviewer responses at the end! :-)
Chapter Six:
In the darkest embraces of the night, creatures of unspeakable power roamed freely throughout the city. The normally busy streets of Chicago were unnaturally quiet, and the harsh street lights shone down onto empty sidewalks. The most shops and restaurants were closed, and the metal gates protecting the storefronts creaked eerily in the night wind.
Any pedestrians unlucky enough to be venturing home at this late hour were bundled against the cold, hooded and moving quickly like dark ghosts along the otherwise abandoned paths that cut around the city's tall dark buildings.
In one narrow alley, a vampire stood in the shadows and waited for his prey. He had watched her all night as she ventured from the inner city back towards her home. She took the same course every night, so she had not been difficult to track, to learn her patterns and nightly routine.
The young woman had stopped at an 'all-night' convenience store, but the undead predator was patient, and knew his opportunity to attack would come very soon.
His eyes were icy blue, glinting like glass in the dim light. He seemed rather young, no older than thirty, but was two decades older than the age he appeared. Most of the time, he was able to use his young façade as a way to get close to his victims, earn their trust before he was able to find a private spot to feed.
However, he knew better than to directly approach this intended victim. She was clever in the ways of his kind. One only needed to observe how casually and confidently she walked down the dark city streets to know that she may be more than she seems.
After a few moments, the store's door opened and a small jingling bell signaled the young woman's presence again on the street. She was smiling, waving farewell to some familiar person within, and began to walk towards the hidden danger waiting for her in the next alley.
Her red hair blew freely from underneath her baseball cap, and she walked, almost in a march, down the sidewalk. She was humming, some light happy tune and did not seem to be at all aware of the vampire's vicious glare. A large book bag was hanging around her body by a wide strap, and bounced heavily against her lower back as she walked.
The vampire grinned, his upper row of sharp teeth glowing unnaturally white as he moved closer to the light. The girl was burdened and oblivious to his presence. She would be easy to surprise, and she would have difficulty running…
The young woman stepped in and out of white circles shining from the street lamps, and moved past the vampire's alley. The creature regarded her with wild anticipation, but…let her take a few more steps…
In a blur of shadows cast by the vampire's long black coat, he lunged at the girl, teeth barred, ready to tear into the soft flesh of her neck. The vampire became an inhuman rush of power, moving with incredible speed and an uncanny grace, his steps light and virtually silent. The scent of the girl's blood drew out the most primal force from within and he loomed behind her, reaching for her with strong cold hands.
Before he could touch her, the young woman ducked and spun to her right. Before the vampire could react, she swung her heavy pack from around her body and clobbered him in the head. The vampire cried out in pain from the unexpected defense, as he slammed into the wall of the nearest building with a hollow thud.
"Ow!" he yelled, grasping his bleeding temple and sliding to the ground, "Jesus Christ, Becca! Take it easy!"
Rebecca Malloy took a few steps toward the fallen vampire and smirked smugly.
"That's what you get for sneakin' up on somebody like that!" she scolded, her voice filled with too much amusement to be serious.
Sebastian Malloy looked up at her with annoyance and sighed. Rebecca chuckled and held out a hand to help him stand. He tilted his head from side to side experimentally, wincing slightly and then dusted off his coat and pants. The wound on his head was already fading, his unnatural blood being drawn back into his body.
"So," he began with a nonchalant tone, "How long did you know I was there?"
"Since I left the Library," she said sarcastically, not buying the indifference in his voice.
Sebastian glared at her but smirked.
"There's no way," he said with contempt, "I was hidden three blocks away."
"Well, yeah," she said, "But you always hide three blocks away. You need to get a new system, Bas. If you were still stalkin' people for real, you'd have starved to death by now."
Sebastian scowled, almost comically, and touched the sharp tips of his teeth with his tongue. He had actually deprived himself from feeding tonight, the shipment of cow's blood from the meat market still on ice in his personal refrigerator. He was hoping the instinct to feed would help him move faster, attack more effectively, so that he could keep his overconfident niece on her toes. Unfortunately for him (but actually to his great relief), Rebecca had paced him, even in his blood lust, and defended herself quite well against a much stronger assailant.
They continued along the road towards their home, strolling side by side in pleasant company. The similarity in their features was unmistakable, and their kinship obvious by their mannerisms. The vampire's blue eyes were now softer, almost identical to both Rebecca and her brother. His hair was dark brown, trimmed short now, but would be shaggy again by the following night.
His expression changed and he smiled at her proudly, "That was a good move, though. You were able to use that bag as a pretty powerful weapon."
Rebecca grinned, "Try lugging four or five of my textbooks home with you every night, and you realize that there really isn't any difference between having them in my backpack and carrying around a pillowcase full of cinderblocks."
Sebastian chuckled, "I thought you liked the pillowcase of cinderblocks I got you for Christmas?"
"Yeah, but it just didn't match the purse full of Mace you got me the year before," she shot back, "Jeez, Bas, why don't you go pick on Sid for a while. Isn't he due for a little 'Vampire-Self-Defense' lesson?"
"He can take care of himself," Sebastian replied, a little too quickly, "You know Sid's a lot less of a target for the nasties out there than you are. Plus, he doesn't spend most of his time alone, or around at the Underground's clubs, or with…"
"Or hanging out with a bunch of loser outcasts and demons, right?" Rebecca finished bitterly, and looked up at him with a smirk, "Present company excepted, of course…"
Sebastian sighed, "Bec, you know I don't have anything against your friends. They may be a bunch of loser demons, but at least I know they're all on the level with you, trustworthy…as much as they can be. Hell, you can learn more about the Underground from them in one night than a year with the Council. But, it's still dangerous…even if they do have respect for you…"
"You mean, fear…don't you?" she asked quietly, giving him a sad smile, "They're all scared of me a little bit."
"And when they realize you're not going to just incinerate them for being what they are, they form that respect," Sebastian emphasized to his niece, "That respect makes it easier to be your friend…"
Rebecca laughed, "And here I thought it was my angry, sarcastic personality they all liked."
"Well, that too," Sebastian said quickly and nudged her playfully in the arm.
They walked along quietly for a while, and Sebastian debated whether or not to ask her what he had actually come to talk to her about. He looked down as he walked, and took a deep breath before continuing.
"Sid said you had another nightmare the other night," he said quickly and he saw Rebecca tense, though she did not slow her walking.
"It was nothing," she replied, "Just a dream…I don't even remember what it was about…"
"You're not lying to me, are you, Rebecca Charlene Malloy?" Sebastian said sarcastically, but with a serious undertone. Rebecca rolled her eyes and sighed.
"I don't lie, Bas," she said, and smirked, "Liars are schmucks…"
Sebastian nodded, and smiled. That had been one of his father's, her grandfather's, favorite sayings.
"I know," he said, "But…it got out of control though, right?"
Rebecca ground her teeth. She hated when he skated questions around what he really wanted to know.
"No," she said firmly, "It didn't."
Not that time, she thought to herself, but did not say it aloud.
"The wall had some singes," she admitted, "But it stopped before I'd even woken up the whole way."
Sebastian nodded as she spoke, knowing she was telling him the truth, but still concerned about her. It did not escape his attention that she was rubbing her arms as she spoke, where the lines of fading scars ran from downward from her inner elbow.
"Just…" he began, and she looked up at him firmly, "Just…let me know if it starts to get bad. I just…"
"Worry," she finished for him with a grin and he nodded sheepishly.
Sebastian Malloy had raised his niece and nephew since they were fifteen, right after their grandparents, his own mother and father, had passed away. Before then, he had been what he was, a vicious killing machine, lost of all cares of his former life. But, when he learned of the twins, duty to his family overruled any other path his life had started on when he had been made into a vampire. So, if he was a little protective of his niece and nephew, it was only because he wanted to give them something better than the trauma of their past.
Rebecca wrapped on arm through Sebastian's and leaned her head against his shoulder. He nudged her again, affectionately, and she grinned.
"I can take care of myself, too, you know," she said defiantly, and Sebastian laughed.
"Yeah, I know," he said, "It's just that 'maternal' voice inside of me, I guess. Just wants to nag you every now and then."
"Hey, Mother's Day is in a few months," Rebecca teased innocently, "You gotta earn your gift!"
"You got it," Sebastian said, and then scowled, "But, no more bras, ok?"
***
To Reviewer Sayra Louise: Oh, yep, she jinxed herself good. :-) And, she's not gonna knock on wood before the fun begins…
To Reviewer The Fire Dancer: Daily updates are tough, but I luckily haven't been cursed with writer's block lately (ah! knocking on wood!). Thanks for reading on…
To Reviewer Arain Rowan: Grammar sux. I would be lost without speelchek. Hey, I'm distracting you from homework! Excellent. Homework sux, too.