Chapter Two--- Hunter

I could feel something, out there in the dark. Hard years in hostile situations when Oz and I were on the force in L.A. had honed my sixth sense for trouble. I waited. The feeling didn't go away. The little hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. The only light came from the faint stars and the pale glow of strings of Christmas lights wrapped around the now useless light poles.

My senses were screaming at me to run. Run hard, fast and not quit until it was daylight and the thing out there was heaved back into whatever hellhole it'd crawled out of. I fought the feeling, wrestled it down into submission. I tried to keep my breathing even and the adrenaline from screaming through my blood. Maybe he'd get bored and lose interest. Yeah, right.

I knew what had to be out there--a vampire. You never run from vampires. They're smart, fast and bonus points, never need to breathe. I used my brain instead, casually working my way toward a pile of broken pallets on a loading dock . Just the right size for a stake, if you knew how to use one. And I did. I'd learned from the best, but she wasn't around to save me this time. Just me, up against the wall.

I could hear footsteps on the roof above, and a patter of loose tiles as he rushed toward me. He'd been waiting up there for me to make my move and now he was behind me. He wanted me to know he was up there, just for the fun of it. I thought I had an even chance and took it, lunging toward the wood pile. I wasn''t fast enough.

The hit came from behind. So quick I didn't have time to take a breath. I felt the wind whistle,and a rush of movement followed by the leaden thump of his boots colliding with my back. I felt my ribs cave from the force of the blow and then I was tumbling headlong in the wrong direction, away from the makeshift stakes and into the empty street.

I caught myself on a darkened streetlight, my shoes crunching on the broken glass surrounding the base. A few drops of blood oozed from my knuckles where I'd grazed them on the concrete. Half the streetlights were dark now. Briarcliff Road was going dark in front of me as I watched. One by one, the lights disappeared in a shower of hot glass and a flash of sparks. I was running out of luck.

My heart was tripping like a jackhammer. I knew he could hear my heart thudding out there where he waited for me in the blackness. The hunter was taking his time, drawing out the chase, tasting my fear. I didn't think he was some orphan fledge, ignorant of the Law. I doubted it was a rebellious minion playing games, either.

This was something Old and dangerous and wild. He didn't give a damn about the Accords, the Law or anything but the hunt and the blood. I caught a glimpse of something moving, then it was gone.
The vampire was just one more shadow in a wilderness of dark, wrapped in black leather wings, ghosting along behind me silent as an owl.

Suddenly I could see the dark outline of my apartment building just ahead. There was Kitty's Greek Superette and Abdullah's Ribs & Eggrolls, all decked out with ribbons and lights. I started inching my way toward the safety of my apartment, catching glimpses of movement out of the corner of my eye. I swung the valise by one hand, hoping to use its weight as a defense, still looking for something---anything--I could use as a weapon.

Where the Hell was the Slayer when you needed her?
Once I almost turned around, but I kept walking steadily. It was pitch black underneath the overhangs, the shops and restaurants closed and dark. Only the yellow glow from my apartments entryway gave me any sense of direction in the gloom.

The vamp had moved closer again, letting me see glimpses of him leaping from rooftop to black rooftop, the leather coat flapping around him. I heard him drop down behind me into the street. I picked up the pace for all the good it would do me, slipping my mostly useless revolver out of the shoulder holster. It wouldn't kill him, but it might slow him down long enough for me to get inside.

A trash can leaped under my feet out of nowhere, sending me sprawling to the pavement, then careening face first into a pile of damp cardboard boxes full of discards from the market next door to my building. My gun was behind me somewhere under the scattered contents of my valise.

I lay there, stunned for the moment, trying to dislodge my hands from a box of slimy lettuce. It felt like i'd cracked a couple of ribs and my hands were stinging. I rolled over in my stinking nest and took a deep breath. The pitch-black alley rang with silence, as though the night had taken a breath.
Silence.
Less than three feet away was my nemesis. I could see the ruby button of his cigarette sizzling in the inky blackness of the alley, then it spiraled toward my legs. Sparks exploded entirely too close to important points south and I batted at the smoldering fabric frantically.
I backed up against the wall and scrambled to my feet. If I was going to die, I didn't want to do it laying in a pile of moldy garbage with my balls toasted extra-crispy. I hoped Anyanka would miss me when I was dead, cos it sure didn't look like Mother Harris' little boy was gonna survive the night.

The alley was empty of evil vampires, apparently, and I was within fifty feet of the safe haven of the lobby. The menacing figure had gone, for whatever reason, and I was damned glad of it.
I felt sick and shaken to the depths of my soul, but I took the chance I was offered and bolted like a lunatic inside the lobby. Safe, at least for now. I slammed the glass door and looked outside.

Across the street was a figure, half hidden under the overhanging awning of Abdullah's. It was Spike, his silvery head incandescent in the remaining lamplight and the faint blue glow of Christmas lights on the wreath inside the restaurant window. He stood there for a what seemed like hours, still as only the dead can be.

He looked toward me and then turned on his heel, his head held high and disdainful. I blinked again and the figure was gone as though it had never existed.

It looked like the magic we'd done in Arashmahar was coming back to bite us on the ass with a vengeance.

tbc
Music: Break & Enter The Prodigy