The following occurs in the year 3450

Chapter 4

December 12th 3450. It is daytime, a time when the vampire loses all power and the thirst for blood ceases to exist. It was at this time I prowled the streets of Manhattan where the snow is pouring lightly. I have descended upon the headquarters of The Eternal Rapier the night before to settle a debt with its leader Hutton Antaeus only to discover that someone had a debt to settle with me. According to Antaeus this figure would go to great lengths in order for me to pay this debt once and for all. Soon thoughts began to attack me. Who was this person? What is this debt that I must pay? Does this person really think that he has a chance against me?

I walked the sidewalks passing alley after alley. Street after street. Corner after corner. I walked until I came to this elementary school. I was about five feet away from the fences when a bell rang. School was over. The front doors of the school swung open and children began rushing out towards the front gate. There were children who stayed to play until their parents arrived. The parents of some arrived and embraced their children. There were many others who rushed towards school buses and some who talked and laughed while they walked their way home. Such a sight brought joy to me. I was immediately taken back to days when I was assistant head mistress at Whitewater Primary School. Those days were long gone but thank God, they seemed to have returned. I started to walk away until I heard a soft, high voice behind me say, "Mina!" I stopped dead in my tracks. That voice was too familiar to ignore. I turned around slowly and there I found her: Madeline Hudson. She was dressed in heavy winter clothing with a bright, smiling face. "Don't you remember me, Mina?" said Madeline. "It's me, Madeline!"

"Of course I remember you," I said. "How did you recognize me?"

"Well it looks like you wear the same coat all the time," said Madeline. "I told everybody about you."

"You what?"

"I told all my friends and all my teachers about what you did the other night. I told them that you jumped in front of a car and pulled me out of the way fast like a rabbit. I wanted everybody to meet you."

"And what have they said?"

"They didn't believe me."

"You should have never told anyone about me, Madeline."

"Why not, Mina? I can't forget about the nice you did. I almost died."

"Child, I am someone who prefers not to be known by these people. I must always be in the shadows and not have my identity exposed."

"What do you mean?"

"I have done unspeakable wrongs in the past. I have killed and I have helped others kill. I have not stopped killing and I won't stop killing and I tell you now that you are in great danger now that you have met me."

"You're a bad guy?"

"Yes. I have been killing for many years and I must you just recently I have killed an innocent man at Central Park West."

"Really?"

"Yes. I have no reason to lie to you, Madeline. I'm telling you all this for your own good.

Do you understand?" Madeline's once bright face had become humble and the smile had transformed into a disappointed frown. "Madeline, listen," I said as I kneeled down and placed my hands on her shoulder. "I cannot stop being what I am. It is in my nature."

"Will you ever stop?" said Madeline.

"No," I said after a slight pause. "Now you must promise me that you must not let anyone else know about me and never tell anyone that we met. Do you understand?" Madeline, still frowning, nodded her head. "Good. Now go. I'm sure your parents are waiting for you," I said. Madeline turned around and slowly she began walking away. She suddenly stopped and turned to me. "Mina," she said "even though you're a bad guy, I'll never forget the good thing you did for me. Bye Mina." With those words Madeline turned around and walked away never looking over her shoulder.

I stood there watching until I spotted a car hovering overhead and landing next to Madeline. As Madeline stepped in the door closed behind her automatically and hovered away. I stood in that spot thinking about what I have done. It was a very hard decision, but I had to tell her about my true nature. I could not lie to her, yet I could not bear the fact that she could have died at my hands if I had not contained the bloodlust. Madeline was something I wished I had in my former life. She was a sister I wished I had and the daughter I should have had after I had married Jonathon. Aches grew in my heart as I pondered on these thoughts. I then turned around and walked away.

It was about 4:35 in the afternoon when I took refuge in an abandoned apartment building. I broke down an old wooden door that led to an empty hallway. I walked the old, rickety stairs until I reached the nineth floor. I walked down the old hallway until I arrived at a door that was slightly opened. I pushed the door open and walked into an abandoned apartment. The floors were dusty and bore holes; the windows were broken and were boarded with wooden boards and the paint was peeling off the termite infested walls. I sat down and the floor and stared at the shit hole I arrived in. I then began to think about what had transpired moments before. I had just rejected the one potential friend I had outside the Catholic Church. When I had first met Madeline she neither screamed nor detested my appearance. She accepted me as a friend not as a foul beast. Loneliness began taking its toll as the silence of the abandoned apartment complex seemed to have grown louder each passing minute. I removed my trench coat and laid back against the planks on the floor. I found myself gazing at the cobwebs and holes in the ceiling. For some reason this sight was a reflection of how I viewed myself: an unclean, hollow, frigid temple that was slowly withering away with time. I rolled up the sleeve on my right arm and stared at my chalky, pale skin. I then took The Final Dawn, held the blade short and drove it deep within my arm. The moment the blade entered my flesh, I began to bleed profusely. I then began passing the blade up my arm and blood began flowing uncontrollably. I kept cutting until I reached the base of my shoulder. Afterwards I laid my head against the floor and looked at my right. My arm was still bleeding profusely. As I watched my arm my vision began to blur. After what seemed like ten minutes I suddenly blacked out.

I came to and realized that was it was dark. I sat up and discovered that it was now early dusk. I then looked at my arm. The long wound was now healed and my blood had retuned in my veins. I took The Final Dawn and pressed on the sword as I began to slowly get up from the floor. I put on my trench coat and walked towards the window and looked down. I climbed on the window pane and jumped off. I fell nine stories down and landed flat on my feet. I straightened myself up and looked for potential onlookers. I took comfort in the fact that no one noticed what happened moments ago. I then turned to my left and walked away. As I walked the sidewalks I thought of Madeline once more. This little girl seemed to be the only one that could fill the void in my life. She was my god. I did not want her to be raised in the folly of the human race. Yet, I did not want her to live this dark, unclean life that I lived. I pondered on these thoughts until I head a faint meow at my right. The sound stopped me dead in my tracks and the moment I stopped the meows grew numerous and louder. I turned to my right, looked down and saw a small kitten hiding between the trashcans. I have always had a great fondness of cats ever since I was a child. As I lived this life I have realized that the cat and I have striking similarities. We both are quiet and humble, we both have a fondness of heights and when cornered we strike at blinding speed. I stretched forth both my arms reaching for the kitten. The frightened animal made two steps backwards as I approached it closer. I held the brown and white bicolor kitten under its two front legs and examined it carefully. It was a male no more than three months old. It was heartbreaking that someone would abandon such a small creature that had barely seen a year. Once the kitten was in my hands I sensed that the kitten felt safe in my care. I held the kitten close to my body hoping that it would feel the warmth it deserved but I was reminded that my undead body was colder than the wretched weather. I looked around for any signs of prying human eyes. There was no one. I then looked up to the top of one the apartment buildings and in a single bound I jumped to the roof. Once I reached the roof I started jumping from rooftop to rooftop taking myself further and further towards lower Manhattan.

It takes just five minutes for me to arrive at my location: an abandoned steel mill which was another place where I had refuge. The main complex of the steel mill was where I would further my swordsmanship and where I had little to no rest. The silence of this place was deafening. I spent night after night being crushed by the weight of loneliness. However, this night was different. A cat was in my company. Thank God for His Creations. I was not adequately equipped to care for this young animal. All I had was a small piece of a loaf of bread. I sat in a corner with the kitten at my left and gave it the bread that could not sustain my life. In about ten minutes the kitten was finished with the loaf. I soon began to worry for that loaf was all that I had to feed it. I watched the kitten as it began to walk away aimlessly. I crawled after it in an attempt to save it from certain danger it may face walking all by itself. The kitten then stopped and began nibbling on something it had found in a corner. As I approached closer I discovered that it was a dead mouse. I was immediately reminded of the circumstances surrounding that dead mouse. I was at the steel mill earlier that day and out of sheer boredom I began target practicing on mice with a few darts I had in my possession. This particular mouse was unfortunate. The kitten tried with great effort to pull the limp mouse from the dart the mouse was impaled with. In razor sharp clarity I could hear the flesh of the mouse tearing away from the dart. The kitten was finally successful in separating the mouse from the dart and began chewing on the mouse's tough skin. I watched carefully and I sensed that the kitten felt whole as it sustaining itself on the life of another creature. When I found him the loneliness and helplessness struck me with great force. Once the kitten found the mouse all those insecurities I had sensed in him were gone immediately. Suddenly I thought of Madeline Hudson. I felt that she and I were destined to live through the centuries. Madeline could never be safe in the care of her parents. In fact, she could never be safe in this world. I wanted to be Madeline's ultimate protector. Her life was too precious for me to ignore. The very thought that Madeline could be dead the next day horrified me. I thought that only in my care she would be safe. I continued to stare at the kitten devouring the mouse. I then thought about the similarities between me and this animal. Our days begin with loneliness and insecurities but when we find the one thing that could sustain us we are helpless no more. Slowly the bloodlust was coming back. No! I will not allow it. I soon returned to my thoughts about Madeline. I carelessly thought that the only way I can assure Madeline was safe was for me to be her master. How could I accomplish that? Her blood. Give Madeline the dark gift. I suddenly came back to my senses. No! Not Madeline! She is far too young and her human life is far too precious to throw away. I will not create a child vampire. However, I began to think that in order to ensure that no other vampire would touch her I must reach to her first. No! No child Madeline's age must endure centuries of meaningless living. But I would teach her to live that life. No! I cannot take a vampire trapped inside a child's body under my wing. The more I dwelled on these thoughts the stronger the bloodlust became. When I had noticed this I tried to fight it as hard as I could. I soon began taking small steps towards the exit. It was as if I had no control over my legs. The bloodlust suddenly took over at full strength and in a quarter of a second I dashed out of the abandoned saw mill leaving the kitten behind. I reached outside and in single bound I began jumping away from the steel mill all the way towards Manhattan.

In approximately five seconds I made it all the way towards the suburban area where Madeline lived, suddenly there came a voice inside my head that was different from all the other voices I have heard. "No! Stop! Don't do this! STOP!!" It was my conscience. It screamed for me to stop my advance towards Madeline's house. But then I caught the scent of Madeline ten feet away from her house. My voice screamed even louder begging me to stop, but I would no listen. Lord, please forgive me. I approached closer, but then I spotted police cars hovering over Madeline's house. I then hid myself in a tree and tried to listen to whatever voice I could hear inside the house. Why are the police here? What happened? In razor sharp clarity I heard the cries of a woman as she explained to the police of the events that had transpired that day. "It was about 9 o'clock when I told Madeline to get ready for school in the morning," said the woman. "I had her brush her teeth and take a bath before she went to bed. She would call me to read her a bedtime story from inside her bedroom. Tonight she was very quiet; I thought she was asleep already. When I went to check on her she was not in her bed. She was gone! Me and my husband searched all over the house for her and we even called our neighbors but nobody saw her."

"How long was your daughter missing?" said a male voice.

"An hour ago," said another male.

"Were the bedroom windows locked?" said a third male.

"Yes, officer," said the woman.

"Were the doors locked?" said the first male.

"Yes."

"Was any window of your house opened?" said another officer.

"I think the living room window was opened," said the male.

"So you last had contact with your daughter about approximately ten minutes before you noticed that she was missing. Is that correct, ma'am?"

"Yes, officer."

"Did you get the impression that someone broke into her bedroom, ma'am?"

"Not to my knowledge, officer. I could remember, though, that her window was closed."

"Did you notice anyone breaking into your house?"

"No, officer."

"Sir, ma'am, all I could say is that your daughter's been kidnapped." With those words I heard the uncontrollable sobs of the mother. "Don't worry, ma'am. We're doing everything we can to find your daughter. We have the best team that could crack this case," said the officer.

After hearing what had transpired, I was in a state of shock. In an instant the bloodlust was gone. Madeline was kidnapped? Who could have done such a thing? On this night my exact fears had come to past. Madeline was not safe in the care of her parents. I immediately blamed myself for Madeline's disappearance. I wanted to be her protector but I failed her when she needed me. I began to hate myself for turning her away when she offered me her friendship. I did not have faith in the police to find Madeline. I owed my life to this child. It was my duty to find her.