5
Seras used a pay phone to dial Walter's room at the hospital. She hoped he wasn't asleep yet.
"Hello?" he answered.
Seras sighed with relief. "Walter, it's me. I talked to Sir Integra."
"What was her decision?"
"She won't run."
"I was afraid of that. I hoped she would see reason."
"What should I do now?"
"You must find a way to get her out of that prison."
"Against her will? You've got to be kidding? How am I supposed to do that?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something, Officer Victoria."
"Thanks a lot, Walter."
6
In a city where everything closes at six o'clock, it's not very fun to be a night-owl. Amon kept having that thought as he and Robin walked back from the theater district. The only show they could afford to see was a production of "Laura." It wasn't bad, even though they had both guessed who the murderer was during the first act. Their hotel was several blocks away from the theater so they had decided to walk there and back. Amon preferred walking to riding the bus. It was a nice night, chilly but not too cold. He could tell that spring was coming. They were passing an old block of dark buildings. Amon was admiring the architecture when a sound caught his ear. It sounded like somebody crying. A few dozen yards ahead, a figure stood against a brick wall. It was a young girl with long dark hair. Amon could tell that there was something unusual about her. As they drew closer, a familiar scent made Amon stop. The scent of death. Was it coming from that girl? That was impossible. And yet…
"Robin, stop," he said. She had gotten closer to the girl, not noticing that he wasn't beside her. She stopped and turned halfway around when she heard him. The moment she was distracted, the dead thing took its opportunity. It sprang at her, fangs bared. Amon was moving before he knew it. He pushed Robin out of the way with one hand and drew his gun with the other. He only brought the gun barrel up to the creature's belly before he fired. It was knocked back a few paces but it didn't fall. A wide grin spread across its face as the small blood stain spread across its blouse.
"Robin," Amon commanded.
She hardly had time to pull her glasses from her pocket before the vampire pounced again. Amon dodged aside.
"Robin," he said again, louder this time.
She had gotten her glasses on by then and blasted the vampire with her fire. The creature collapsed to the concrete and turned completely to dust. Amon and Robin stood there watching the slight breeze blow the dust around on the ground. Amon was still a little confused. Why hadn't the smell of death gone away? Was there more than one vampire there? A footstep behind him made him turn and aim his gun. He found his weapon pointing straight at the face of another young girl. This one had short orange hair and big red eyes. She also had her hands up.
"That was pretty impressive," she said, her voice quavering. She gave a little nervous laugh.
Amon didn't move. "You're one of them," he said.
"It's okay. I already ate tonight," the girl said as if that would make him feel better. "I've got a… um… proposition for you."
Amon would have felt a lot better if he had shot her, but Robin moved forward and gave him a look. He lowered his gun but he didn't holster it yet. He wasn't taking any chances.
Story notes:
Six o'clock - The time when many establishments in London close. This includes banks, tourist attractions, and stores.
Theater district - London is a big theater town, rivaling Broadway.
"Laura" - This is actually a real play. It's a convoluted murder mystery set entirely inside the victim's apartment.