Author's Note: Finally positive reviews! And to answer a minor question in the review. You are slightly wrong, but that will be revealed in time (review for Small World).
Shadow sighed. He hadn't found a patrol he could kill in over a month. Just a few days after he'd killed the Los Angeles patrol all patrols had doubled in size, even he couldn't take on a twenty strong patrol. Not all at once at least. On the bright side noone was denying he'd survived any more.
Which was why he was currently watching the world go by, crouched on a rooftop. A number of humans had been turning up dead in this area and the patrols were getting agitated, especially when two days ago a shapeshifter had also been found dead. Like the other victims it too had been drained completely of blood bringing the body count up to twelve in five days.
Technically humans didn't have rights any more, a select trusted few were given minor priveleges, former vampire hunters were being given amnesty for their perceived crimes and encouraged to join the patrols to try and reassure the hapless humans, providing of course that they hadn't been too successful at their previous jobs. However despite this the powers that be within the Night World had made some attempts to protect their investment. Humans were now seen as either private property or the property of the state, any crime against a privately owned human and the nightworlder would have the owner to answer to whilst the price of killing a human belonging to the state was imprisonment and a heavy fine, kill more than five and there was the same penalty as killing a fellow nightworlder. Death.
For the past two days since the murders had been brought to his attention by a member of Circle Daybreak who thought it might require his 'gentle touch' Shadow had been working with a local patrol under the pretence of being a freelance ex-vampire slayer, thus giving him permission to carry his weapons in public and smoothly insinuating himself into the case which he had quickly taken charge of.
He had quickly cut the local patrol down to six people excluding himself. The other fourteen had been told to patrol as normal – he was pretty sure they were safe from the Shadow despite their protests – twenty patrollers were simply too many to coordinate fast enough to stop the culprits escaping.
Shadow couldn't help being amused with how quickly and how willingly the patrollers, having never had to track down one of their kind before, had handed nearly complete control of the investigation over to him.
It hadn't taken Shadow long too figure out where they were most likely choosing their victims, his personal prediction was four vamps working together, one to scout for victims, one to grab them, one to watch the patrols and a leader of some sort. Doubtless the shapeshifter had interrupted them mid-hunt, more than likely at least one was injured from that fight.
He waited silently and unseen, his muscles aching slightly where he hadn't moved in so long, just waiting, part of the scenery, unnoticed. Finally he spotted what he was looking for. He picked up the radio, pressed the button and spoke.
"I've found the next victim."
Quietly he followed her swiftly dropping off the roof into an adjoining alley, his eyes gazing into the shadows for the vampire who was no doubt following her. He examined the victim carefully, she walked quite confidently unfazed it seemed by the fact her world had been turned upside down almost a year ago. She was about his own age, the same as the other victims which with the exception of the shapeshifter had all been female. There was something familiar about the way she walked but he couldn't quite place it, it was as though he'd seen that same gait hundreds of times before. Shadow shook his head, refocusing his mind on the keeping the girl in sight. He knew the other vampire was bound to have picked her by now, he sincerely hoped all four would attack on this one. If they didn't he would have no choice – he would have to let her die then track whoever made the kill back to wherever the four were holed up. On the bright side he would then be able to kill them all and simply wait for the patrol to home in on his signal and secure the area.
The teenager turned into an alley. Shadow experienced a brief surge of doubt, if he followed too late he might lose her or miss when the vampire grabbed her but if he followed too soon it would be obvious to both the girl and the vampire that he was following her; he scanned for the vamp again briefly but still couldn't place eyes on him. He should have laid eyes upon the vamp by now but something was just screaming it him that any moment the vampire would strike. He glanced around again before entering the alley.
Something stabbed at his gut, on instinct he drove his hand down deflecting the blade; his other hand already reaching for his own wooden tanto. He brought the blade up in a rising arc to sever his attacker's throat. He stopped the attack just as the sharpened wood met skin as he felt wood touch his own neck, doubtless the weapon was just as sharp as his own. Evidently they'd been holding a blade in their other hand. Shadow could have wept, he must be getting rusty to be almost killed by a mere rogue vampire.
It was only now the two fighters actually took the time to look at each other.
Shadow's eyes widened. "You?"
Author's Note: Short I know but I thought this deserved a cliffhanger moment. As always R&R if possible.