Chapter two - The Chase
The key clicked in the lock, the door opened and Lexa stepped over the threshold, leaving the dimly lit, cold, stone stairway behind. Inside, a flickering light spawned from the television - which was positioned on a make-shift table of wood and concrete blocks - acting as the only light source. Beryl was asleep, curled up on the couch with the remote still in her hand.
Lexa moved onwards silently, slipping her coat backwards over her shoulders and down her arms, where she caught it and laid it over the back of a stool at the breakfast bar. She sat down next to her sleeping companion and stole the remote from her hand; Beryl stirred but remained slumbering.
For a while, Lexa flicked through the channels, but nothing of interest caught her eye until she came upon the end of some nature show discussing the re-introduction of wolves to Scotland. The credits rolled and the news followed. The anchor-woman's voice spoke indifferently of politics, accidents, new scientific breakthroughs and something which grabbed all of Lexa's attention and glued it to the talking box in front of her.
"Local nightclub and bar, Solaris, was raided this evening by persons unknown who appeared to possess superior abilities. They got away before police reached the scene. It is thought that this gang is on some kind of enhancing drug and should not be approached under any circumstances. If you have any knowledge of this incident or see anyone who looks suspicious in the area, please contact the police immediately."
Lexa bit her lip. Her body had gone ridged and her mind was racing. Superior abilities - that could only mean the Night world, but what would they want with Solaris. There had been no evidence that anything had been taken, so what would they be doing and why so publicly? The Night world was the biggest underground association in the world, made up of vampires, dark witches and shapeshifters. And they wouldn't risk exposure for nothing.
Footsteps broke through her train of thought, moving slowly and carefully, like a cat stalking a mouse. And whoever it was, they knew what they were doing. There was a faint smell of rosemary, though it was hidden deeply under a heavy, stale smell which seemed oddly familiar. It was similar to that of her apartment, her clothes. And Solaris.
A shadow moved, visible through the crack under the door.
And Lexa was moving. She leapt up, snatching a vase in one hand and a book in the other as she went. The door burst open. What happened next, Lexa would only remember as a blur. Beryl sat up instantly, jolted awake by the sound of cracking wood. The figure in the doorway - now lit up by the light from the television - was clearly male and attractive with dirty blonde hair and a look of utter determination. A vampire.
Lexa didn't hesitate. She sent the vase soaring towards the intruder while the book headed in the opposite direction, breaking through the window and flying over the balcony before falling to the ground below. The vampire, however, raised his arm to block the vase, which struck his just below his elbow, showering him with shards of glass. Now they had their chance. Lexa grabbed Beryl around the waist, whom hadn't moved since she'd been woken and leaped through the window. Together they landed on the balcony, situated forty-two metres from the ground. Beryl managed an awkward cry as she was lifted off the ground and into the air.
"Run!" Lexa shouted, pushing beryl towards the fire escape. "Go!" Her friend wasn't about to argue and began to clumsily make her way down the metal staircase, with Lexa on her heals. Gritting her teeth, she cursed herself for living on the fourteenth floor; Lexa had never been good with heights. Behind them, the vampire had already recovered and was climbing out the window after them. It wouldn't be until later that Lexa even wondered why.
They were moving too slow. Beryl was only human and even with her own enhanced abilities, Lexa was no match for this guy. He had skill, training; Lexa only had her instincts and a basic knowledge of self defence. As they rounded a corner on the stairs, he jumped down from the level above, landing directly in front of Beryl, snarling. Above his left eye was bleeding.
Beryl screamed. She tired to back up but crashed straight into Lexa, who was knocked back. Then, with the survival instincts of any cornered animal, she lashed out in defence. It was clumsy and imprecise, but that might have been its advantage because it resulted with the vampire slow to react to such a random and amateur attack. He cried out as her hard, pointed boots struck his shin and sharp nails scratched at his face. Lexa took this opportunity to ram his nose into the railing before another kick from Beryl sent him tumbling down the stairs.
With the staircase now blocked, Lexa used her fist to break through the nearest window and pulled Beryl inside. They raced through the dark apartment to the door which Lexa threw herself against, breaking right through it. They stood for a moment in the stone corridor as Lexa recovered and they tried to decide where to run next.
As Beryl turned towards the stairs, Lexa grabbed her wrist to stop her. "No, we can't go down. We have to go up. The roof!" Beryl didn't look confident in the plan. Where was there to run once they got to the roof? But going down, they'd run straight into the vampire so they had to go up. So Beryl trusted and followed Lexa to the door marked 'Roof Access' without a word of complaint.
After bursting through the last door and out into the cold, night air, Lexa stopped. She closed the door and leaned against it, while furiously darting her eyes around for some means of escape.
"Let's hide," Beryl suggested, between struggled gasps for air.
"No, he'll find us," Lexa told her. "We have to get down."
"You said to go up."
"Yes…" She stared at her friend with hard eyes, "and now we have to go down." Then, a dull rumble approached and both Lexa and Beryl looked up to see a helicopter approaching fast.
"Maybe not…" Beryl said, staring up in amazement as the flying vehicle descended closer and closer to where they stood. Lexa was unable to speak. The force the spinning blades sent waves of air rushing towards them, making it extremely difficult to stand. A hand extended and a voice cried, "Get in! Hurry!"
Beryl didn't hesitate, but Lexa was unsure of getting into a helicopter which just appeared out of nowhere, it seemed. However, she didn't have much of a choice and if the risk got her off this rooftop, it would have to be worth it. And she wasn't leaving Beryl alone. She grasped the hand and pulled herself up as the helicopter rose again, leaving the building behind. Lexa had to hold on with all her strength so not to be sucked out.
Soon she was strapped in and for the first time in what seemed like ages, she could almost fully relax. Meanwhile, Beryl was energetically thanking the group of strangers who had just picked them up. Three young women, about the same age as herself. Firstly, the one who had pulled Lexa in was dressed fully in a black jumpsuit with beautiful, long, black hair and Lexa recognised the animalistic gleam in her eye; another shapeshifter. Beside her sat a grinning face, surrounded by strawberry curls, as energetic as Beryl as she dismissed the girl's thanks as nothing. Lexa assumed she was a witch. And in the pilot's seat - wearing a headset and looking extremely focused on steering the helicopter - a vampire with shoulder length brown hair. An unusual group, but none of them felt like an enemy. Lexa let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you alright?" Asked the shapeshifter, who appeared to be the leader of this small team. Until now, Lexa hadn't thought about it.
"I'm fine, thanks," Beryl replied.
Lexa glanced down at her right fist; it was bleeding. The shapeshifter followed her gaze. "I'll get you a bandage for that." She reached down under the seat and produced a first aid kit, which she handed to Lexa.
"Umm…thanks. Uhh…" Lexa began cleaning glass from her wound while trying to ask about these strange young women and why they'd helped Beryl and herself. She shook her head, searching for the right words. "Uhhh…so, umm…"
The witch giggled. "Well, firstly, I'm Winnie. This is Keller," she nodded to the shapeshifter beside her, who smiled, "and that's Nissa." Nissa, the vampire, merely turned and nodded. "And we were following him. Sorry we couldn't help you sooner, but you seemed to be doing pretty well without out help." She grinned. It appeared they had witnessed some of the fight which had occurred out on the fire escape. "We work for Circle Daybreak."
Lexa nodded. Circle Daybreak was an association made up of humans and Nightworlders who wanted to live in harmony with the rest of the world. Otherwise called 'the good guys'.
Beryl was looking very confused. "Circle what? Who are they?" She asked, leaning forwards, desperate for answers. "And who on earth was that guy?"
Keller gave Lexa a look that told her that she was willing to lie for her if that was what Lexa wanted. But after everything they'd gone through, Beryl deserved to finally know the truth. Lexa prayed she'd take it well. She took a deep breath and begun.
