Location Spotting
"Ronnie!" Kyle screams, his face lighting up the minute he sees me. He's outside, reading the newspaper from his porch, probably awaiting my arrival. He jumps up, and before I can even shut the door of my car he's scooping me into his arms and spinning me around.
"Hey Kyle! I missed you." I say, the truth really sinking in. God, I have missed him haven´t I!
"Me too," he says. "It´s nice to have some other company around!" His lips leap into a huge smile, and he finally sets me down.
I look at him, both of us contemplating the other. Kyle is strong for his age, an average male height but with a very beautiful body. He has copper-colored straight hair and matching bold, large eyes. I've known him since last summer, but with no doubt that summer was the best of my life. Spending every minute of the day with someone so similar to me made me happy for once. It made us both happy.
I am so much like him, and I know deep down that we both need each-other. We were both margined from society; both grew up alone, with no-one at school understanding us. We had friends, but they weren´t true friends, not like Kyle and I are now, and no-one at our schools really knew what had happened to us.
"So what's the problem you have here? Sounds like fun." I say.
James, Kyle´s father, who obviously heard Kyle's scream interrupts, taking the conversation from there as he gives me an awkward haven't-seen-you-in-ages hug.
"Well, we've got a minimum of five, possibly more bastards in town. People are disappearing like flies, and Kyle and I are getting the joy of finding their bodies dumped in the river," he says, coldly, and I remember they're fond of fishing.
James looks around me, and frowns, probably realising I've come alone.
"Your father not here?" he says. I shake my head, and his face drops. "No offence Ronnie, but I don't think we can even make it alive with you here," he says, quite loudly. I myself look around too, realising that James and Kyle are also on their own. We must've been the first hunters they contacted. They also live like me and dad, quite far from any company, enjoying the quiet and lonely lives of hunters, often packed with adventure and threats. I look back at Kyle, who is smiling down at me, and recognize that he too lost his mother to a vampire.
"Erm… my father… he's actually finishing a job with Jared. He planned on finishing today, so I guess he'll be here by tomorrow," I say, focusing back on James.
"Okay then," he breathes, relaxed.
"Anyway, you must be hungry, want a spot of lunch?" Kyle bumps in, being the most welcoming out of the two.
"I'm not really that hungry," I say, wiping the heat from my face. "It's broad daylight, I was hoping that we'd go and visit the nest. They should be asleep now…" I beg, batting my eyelashes and flirting with Kyle.
He smiles a broad smile, and gives in. He grabs my keys from my hand, and goes back into the house. When he comes back he's waving a gun, a wooden stake, and two silver chains (for protection in case) and comes to open the passenger door for me like a gentleman.
"Why thank-you sir," I giggle.
The journey takes less than ten minutes. The minute we leave Kyle's home in my car, we wander through a desert of nothing for seven minutes, and then, when I think the view couldn't get any dumber and boring we come to a small cabin, built at crossroads, and which the sun is standing directly above. Thank-you God! I jump out of the car, but suddenly come to a halt when I feel Kyle grab my hand tightly. He's leaning over my seat and preventing me from shutting the car door.
"What are you doing?" he questions me. "I've showed you the location, but we're staying outside, in the sunlight where they can't hurt us," he exclaims. "And also in the car where I can listen to the Black Keys!" The latter is a mutter but a smile creeps up at the end of my lips.
"Come on, don't be such a baby Kyle. They're asleep now! Besides, dad always says we need to know the strengths and weaknesses of the nest before we attack." I re-assure him, looking down as I feel him drop my hand. I smile at him, and he jumps out of the car, following me towards the cabin. He hands me the gun, and one of the chains, which I ironically wrap around my neck, loosely as if a scarf.
My heart beats loudly in my chest, as it always does whenever near danger. This however is not a danger that would ever keep me away, but one that brings adrenaline and a rush to my body, nourishing me and keeping me alive and ready.
We're outside the cabin now, knowing that the minute we open the door we are no longer safe in the sunlight, but as good as dead in the darkness. I smile back at him, and with my left hand, the one not holding the gun open the door.
The inside of the cabin is very dark, some sunlight reaching in but not strong enough as to harm them. On the floor, and amongst various other things sleep three vampires, two male and one female. Another man sleeps on a rocking chair. Four, I count. Not five. Four.
I turn around, admiring the great room. It is mainly empty, the walls clear, and apart from the exceeding number of alcohol bottles dispersed around the room there isn't much elsewhere to look at. Staring at Kyle I bring my index finger to my mouth, telling him to be quiet, knowing that if these vampires have been around for long, their senses will sense even the smallest thing. Then I bring up four fingers, indicating there are only four bodies.
Kyle confuses me when he brings two fingers up, and points behind me. I don't understand until when I turn around.
Tied to a column towards the end of the room, and covered mainly by a shadow are two humans. They are covered in blood; their heads weak and dropping from the numerous feeding sessions displayed on their skin.
Something creeks. My head jumps away from the two humans, and my eyes rest on a person. A teenage-boy. Human? Vampire? He sees us, but does not attack, instead runs down a straight corridor, into a room. Kyle grabs me, pulling me efficiently towards the door. We turn, but it´s too late.
"Going somewhere humans?" A voice chuckles from the shadows. The spine tickling deep voice comes from the person standing in-front of the door, but I cannot see his face. The shadows house him and hide him from our simple sight. I turn to see the four vampires, woken, crouching and smiling darkly behind us. Kyle grabs my hand.
"Drop the stake, the gun and the chains, and chuck them all in that corner of the room," the demanding voice from the shadows continues. Fear runs through my veins as the horribly familiar but attractive voice sounds again. "Now."
Kyle clutches my hand harder. I assess the situation. If we drop the weapons, we´ll be helpless, and in even more danger than we are now.
"No." I bring myself to say. The man from the shadows laughs.
"Oh… she´s brave. And pretty," he says. "I´m keeping you."
Before I have time to think up a response, or to at least plunge my stake through his cold heart he´s grabbed me into the darkness with him, turning me around so that my back meets his front. I´m forced to drop Kyle´s hands and as I lean against the vampire, he knocks the gun out of my hand, as well as the stake and then his hands begin to unravel the chain from my neck. He´s hardly affected. A normal vampire would be in pain when in contact with silver, but he is able to continuously touch it, letting only acidic stings and hisses escape from his lips.
Everything my father has ever taught me rushes to my head. I begin to form a little fact-file, one word written all over it. Old. This vampire´s old. He´s been around for a long time and he´s powerful. My senses shut down, leaving me and submersing and flooding me in a river of fear and pain. Real fear and pain that I have not felt since the day my mother died. I try not to think of what he could do to us, but try to focus on tactics. Running away.
To my surprise, Kyle stands quietly in front of us, not even putting up a fight. I can hear him breathing, his breaths tired, quick, alarmed and fearful.
"Let me go!" I shout, trying to wrestle my way out of his arms. "Let me –"
He stops me, covering my mouth with one of his hands, so that I can no longer speak. "By the way, pretty tattoo," he whispers so that only I can hear, but at the same time, I try to decipher his words. I have no tattoos. Instead he pushes my head to a side so that he can caress the spot below and behind my ear. His touch sends jolts through my body, but I ignore this connection and continue to wrestle out of his touch.
"Human," the man speaks, now directly to Kyle. He pushes me forward, his arms still around me, one at my waist, the other at my neck now. "I want you to go back to your hunter-friends and give them this message. I do not plan on harming any of you, especially this beauty here," he says, tightening his grip around my neck. Kyle swallows with fear. The other vampires hiss.
"But… if you put up a fight, she´ll be the first to go," he pauses, but shortly continues. "You must leave town, and leave us to hunt. If you do this, you can have the female back. If not, well…" he begins to chuckle.
The others join him; one of them even begins to lick his lips with anticipation. Sweat begins to build up on me, until Kyle finally blinks. He looks up at me.
"How do I know you won´t hurt her whilst I´m gone?" He asks.
"What?" I burst, wrestling from the grip of my kidnapper. "You´re leaving me here?" Astonished, my mouth drops open at the surrender of my friend. He is weak, weaker than I have ever been. A new emotion bursts within me. Betrayal. "Fight Kyle. Stick to the Code. We risk our lives for others. We don't deal with or trust vampires." I mention, directly quoting the ´Hunter´s Code.´
I remember last summer, when both my dad and Kyle´s dad made us memorise all 120 codes in the book.
He ignores me, and the code. "How do I know you won´t hurt her?" He repeats, his voice firm, powerful and fierce.
"You don´t!" The man who had licked his lips before shouts; the others bursting out in fits of laughter. "She smells deliciously anyway, we´ll have her tonight."
"NO!" The powerful male behind me says, silencing the coven. I still, shivering under his touch and tone. "She is mine," he quietens down.
His?
No vampire has ever called me his. I know I should no longer feel fear. I should feel protection, but instead anger surfaces. Anger at all these supernatural beings.
"Yours?" I scream. "I am not anyone´s! I´m not some possession."
"Oh but you are… you are. You don´t even know it, but you so are. Mine."
He strengthens his hold on my neck, and I am forced to rest my head back on his chest. I can´t see Kyle anymore; his grip has me looking up above me, but when I whisper, it´s at him.
"Go," I say. "Go," I repeat, as he begins to move around me, towards the door.
"Wait," I hear his voice again. Kyle stills. "You have a car?" He asks and I glimpse Kyle nod in response. "Then take those humans with you – they are no longer of use."
Kyle doesn´t refuse, and does as he´s asked. He skips to the corner, releasing them from their ties. Each of them gets up, and with Kyle´s help make it through the room and out of the door, Kyle giving me a good-luck-I´ll-be-back-for-you stare. The door closes behind them and the little reassurance and protection I had felt moments ago rushes out of me and out the door as I realise I am all alone, in a room full of vampires.
"Wait," I ask, as I feel the male´s arms unwind through my body. He clasps my wrists with his hands that act like cuffs on mine. I still can´t see his face, but somehow I trust him more than the other four who have relaxed further out in the room.
"What?" He growls. Shivers run down my body, begging for Kyle´s return, though I know it´ll be a minimum of 24 hours before I see him again.
"Erm… there´s another human here. The man; I saw him – "
"Oh yes," he chuckles. "He´s under our control. He´s our protection during the day," he begins.
The man who had spoken before continues, "And our food source during the night!" He grins. "But, now I believe we have a more delicious substitution." He leaves my eyes, and instead looks above me, to the male still holding my wrists.
"Enough!" He shouts again, with a louder fierceness than before. "I meant it. I will be the only one to drink from her."
"What?" I scream, unable to stop the words before they rush out of my mouth. Fear runs up me, and I find myself doing something I have never done before. I beg. I beg a vampire for my life. "No, please! I swear… I swear they won´t come for you. Please," I choke, but it´s as my voice is silent in between the war going on in the room. I am interrupted by the same man again.
"Why are you to be the only one to drink from her?"
"Because I am the eldest and can control myself. I won´t kill her," he continues. "Now, let us all go back to bed. We will need the strength for tomorrow – I do not trust those humans," he continues. His word is lethal and with that, they all go back onto the floor, leaving the path clear for him.
He runs past me, tugging me along. I see only his naked back now in front of me, as his cold hand pulls me down the same corridor that human had gone down. I stumble behind him. The vampire is tall, with a smooth, pale skinned back. He has medium-long hair, in shades of light brown and blonde and wears nothing but black jeans that lay loosely from his hips, leaving him to look nothing less than a model.
He is remarkably beautiful.
There are so many emotions flying through me, that I am unable to feel. He pushes me through a door, and turns back round to close and lock it. I stand there, as he locks any chances of me escaping away. He moves away from me, to the farthest corner of the room and looks at me. Just looks at me and doesn´t speak.
I admire him. He really is beautiful. He has a smooth front; his chest is as pale as his back, but this time, full of scars from his human life – a story to tell. Further up, his face is even more outstanding. He has a firm jaw-line, and his hair flops just over his eyes. His eyes. They are a vibrant red, thirsty. Below, his lips are pulled apart, showing the smallest glimpse of his fangs. I jump back with fear, dropping my head, no longer wanting to admire his beauty but again falling into the darkness.
Suddenly he is right in front of me, each of his hands at each side of my face, holding it between them. With the tip of his fingers he brings my chin up. Staring deeply into his red eyes, he hushes my fear, and somehow, I do not feel preoccupied anymore. His left hand then descends down to my neck and just stops, my heartbeat accelerating under his touch.
"It´s not a tattoo, is it?" He asks patiently, staring at the mark below my ear lobe.
I understand what he meant now, when he mentioned it before. I glance down at his hand, but he gently pushes my head back, so that he can look at the mark again.
"No," I say. "I was… I was," I stutter, "born with it."
"It´s so beautiful," he says, smiling and transforming into another man. He is no longer a frightful being, or a demanding vampire, but an enchanted boy.
Something extraordinary then happens. He looks at my mark, and then his fingers slither from my neck to it. His fingers send further shocks within my body, causing my breath to halt and my eyes to close with pleasure at his soft touch. When I open my eyes I am ready. He touches the spot where my mark lays, causing his eyes to flash golden for a glimpse of a second. I blink and he looks back up at me, confirming everything I saw. He flashes his eyes golden for me again. He is beautiful, more beautiful than before, and then, his whole body glows a heavenly white, right there, right in front of me. He closes his eyes too, exhaling in and out deeply, touching my sign with one hand and bringing his other down to my heart.
I reach up to his face and touch his glow. Unable to register what has just happened I stand still - not wanting this moment of beauty to end - my mind a stranger to these occurrences.
"Do not be afraid," he whispers, opening his eyes again. "I meant it, when I said I wouldn't let anybody hurt you."
He opens his mouth, as if to speak again but this time, I see his fangs for what they really are. His hand move further down my neck. With one hand, he pushes my neck back, so that it is at an advantage to him, and with the other, removes it from my heart and clasps my mouth so that I cannot scream.
He then, slowly but painfully, sinks his fangs into my neck.