Disclaimers: The characters I do not own are not being used to gain any profit. Heck, even the one I do own isn't getting me anything but plot advancement! All copyrighted names, characters, and perhaps even themes/ideas are the sole property of their respective owners. Me? I have a puppy-dog, whom you cannot have.
Warnings: violence, blood & guts, bad language
Sin City
Prologue-ish Ch. 1
It was a dark night. Cloudy, yet not raining. Humid. The kind of night that keeps a person awake, when all they want is to fall down into the depths of sleep, exhausted.
On this muggy night, a paunchy man ran down a dark alley, trying desperately to escape.
But if there was one thing Heero could do well, it was to keep up with his prey. He always succeeded.
He was, after all, a vampire.
Breathing heavily, the man slowed a bit, looking over his shoulder. Seeing nothing, he brought himself to a full stop, bending over and thrusting his hands against his knees, gasping for breath. Ahead, he could see the glow of streetlights, and the figures of hookers, their johns and the many crack heads were dim shadows across the street. Surely now he was safe! The assassin would dare not try to kill him this close to so many witnesses!
Yes, he was sure it was an assassin. After the tricks he'd pulled, there was no doubt various bosses would be after his head. But he hadn't expected such a quick reaction! It had only come down that same day!
Heaving in one more breath, he straightened, intending to finish his flight to a populated area, where he would be, if not safe, then at least in the presence of witnesses so he could take the bastard down with him. The cops did have their uses, after all. But before he could take even his first step, he heard a frosty voice behind him.
"Going somewhere?"
His eyes bulged in fright, but before he could utter a sound, a sharp prick at his neck paralyzed him, and before even a moment had passed, everything went dark.
Mission accomplished. The fat, ugly, lying man was soon to be fully dead.
Now to reap the reward.
Hungrily, Heero drank the blood pouring freely from the two freshly acquired puncture wounds in the man's neck, courtesy his own sharp canine teeth. Certainly not the tastiest of blood - the man was too old and too fat for his blood to be considered 'really good.' Still, blood was blood, and Heero hadn't fed in days. Greedily, he drank, oblivious to all going on in the street ahead.
Until he heard a soft exhalation of breath, the sound one makes after holding it for a while. Coming from close by.
Far too close.
Abruptly, Heero looked up, dropping the dead man simultaneously. Not twenty feet away, a slim figure stood, bright eyes opened wide, mouth turned into an 'o' of terror. A witness! Never before had Heero encountered witnesses to his nocturnal hunts.
Never before had he been caught!
A low growl rose from his throat. It was an uncontrolled reaction, yet served as a catalyst to the situation. The figure turned tail and ran.
Unwilling to let this witness go free to proclaim such a sight to anyone, let alone those who could bring trouble back upon him, Heero followed.
'Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!' The litany fluttered itself through his head as Duo ran. What a crappy situation! Why the hell had he gone down that alley to proposition the panting man, anyway?! Now he had a murderer on his trail! As if things hadn't already been bad enough!
It had been a long, uneventful and ill-profiting night. None of his usuals had turned up, and the few johns who'd approached didn't want much. He had just been planning to head home when the sound of running footsteps reached him from the alley. Never one to waste an opportunity, he sauntered down toward the sound of breathing. He had hoped he wouldn't be interrupting a session already in progress.
What he'd interrupted wasn't anything like what he'd been expecting! Now, he simply wanted to get away, preferably with his life and body intact, go home, and forget about what he just saw. Quickly!
Life, however, seldom turns out the way we plan.
Duo had just managed a few steps away from the ugly scene when he was grabbed roughly from behind and hauled around. He found himself staring into pale blue eyes, cold in both color and demeanor. He was too scared, witless as it was, to notice anything else. Yet he was simply held there, staring into those mysterious eyes, as his captor stared into his own.
A long moment dragged out, with neither figure making a move nor sound. Doomed not to last, the silence was shattered when Duo finally opened his mouth to speak.
"I-"
He didn't finish. As an earlier growl had caused action, now this simple syllable did the same. Those eyes vanished, and a sharp prick to his neck resonated throughout his thoughts. Just as the world faded from view, he felt whatever had stabbed him withdraw, followed by a heavy thump to the back of his head. Now, all went black.