Waking Up Dead
Ketti:Hullo. Yes, gasp, an update. It's kind of short, sorry. And there's a new cameo of me. XD For those interested; look at my profile for a handy dandy little guide to my insanity. I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with this story right now, my original idea got lost, but I'll figure something out. I think. Eh... Well, I at least know that this story's not going to end without Alucard getting involved somehow. I'll make JuJu help. *shifty eyes*
"Ya know, bro, I know we said we could keep her if she didn't sell… but I didn't think she'd return like this."
"Not interested anymore, Jan? And here I thought she was your type."
"Well, yeah, fuckin' duh, bro. But I ain't interested in a bitch I can't control. You know that."
"Then shut up and help me get the next cage auction together, or the Lady will have our heads for underselling her chattel."
"Pff, bitch can have my head any day."
"Do you ever think of anything other than sex?"
"Not really, no."
"Why am I not surprised?"
Seras woke very slowly, feeling like death warmed over as she moaned, clutching at her head. Cracking open her eyes blearily, it took her a moment to realize she was in a cage. Something felt off but for the life of her she couldn't pinpoint it with her skull throbbing like a drum.
"Where am I?"
"Oh, you're awake?" A female voice purred from her right, and Seras turned her head to observe a pale girl with white hair lounging on the wall next to her, bangs covering her right eye. "Well, you're in luck. See, I just happened to be passing through," she bared her teeth in a grin, and Seras noted the fangs, but felt too wretched to fully react just yet, "I do so love taking walks through Jan's little menagerie, and you caught my eye."
Seras frowned, feeling uneasy, and she forced herself unsteadily to her knees, feeling off balance, she reached for the bars, only for the strange girl to call out a warning; "Don't!"
It was too late, Seras' fingers brushed the metal and she screamed as her flesh literally burned on contact, smoke rising from her skin.
"Shit. Shit shit shit shit. Now they'll notice for sure, damnit, and I was hoping for a clean… Look!" The girl shouted, reaching through the bars to fist her hand in Seras' shirt collar, "I'm going to get you out of here, but you need to shut up now."
Seras crammed her fist into her mouth to stifle her shrieks, staring wide eyed up at the female and trembling. The argent haired woman grimaced as she kicked the bars, once, twice, and with a third smash of her booted heel, the corner of the cage ripped itself free. Not hesitating, she reached in and yanked Seras out by the back of her shirt, dragging the stunned and nearly useless girl through the room of empty cages towards the back wall. Behind them there was a commotion at the door, it sounded like bodies throwing themselves at it to break it down, presumably it was locked from the inside or barred somehow. Seras felt completely overwhelmed by it all, but knew she had a better chance with this stranger than wherever the hell this place was.
There was no door on the back wall! Seras dug in her heels, but her rescuer snarled and yanked harder, literally pulling the blonde off her feet and into the wall, which gave slowly, like taffy. With a final tug the two women were free and running like bats out of hell. Seras' bare feet caught on some glass and she hissed at the pain, and yelped in surprise as she was abruptly pulled up onto the other's back. "Damnit, don't leave them a blood trail!"
Seras wanted to make a snappy come back, but felt too miserable with her pounding skull and the fast pace of everything that was happening, she just whimpered and closed her eyes, feeling wretched. The air around them changed, and the blonde cracked an eye open to find they were running through the sewers now, the trickle of blood down her foot slowing until it halted altogether. This appeared to be some sort of signal, for there was a dizzying swirl of blackness, in which Seras clamped her eyes shut once more, before the rush of fresh air on her face startled her into looking, and gasping in awe at the sight of the city lights below them. They were perched on top of one of the taller old brick buildings, and Seras was dropped quite unceremoniously onto the roof, landing on her bum with a grunt.
"We'll be safe for now, I think. I just wish I could see the look on Luke's face…" the wicked laughter made Seras feel a bit uncomfortable, but she shrugged it off, the girl had rescued her after all. "Well, since they'll know it was me, I guess we're partners in crime for the time being, eh? Well, maybe not so much crime seeing as they're the ones in the trafficking business. I'm Neekz, by the way, newbie."
Newbie? Seras was confused, and made a note to ask about that later, "I'm Seras. Thanks, by the way."
"Seras… You don't mean the missing cop? Shit. Do you even know what happened to you?" Neekz questioned, and Seras frowned, pursing her lips. "Well, they abducted me off a roof top and sold me to some Lady Morphine or something, who had this… kink about blood." Seras couldn't accept the vampire thing, it must have been a dream, or hallucination, with the way her head felt, she probably had a concussion.
Neekz slapped a palm to her face and groaned, "Fuck, I knew you were a newbie, but not that new. Damnit, I didn't sign up for this…"
Seras huffed, arms crossing over her chest, and looked about to say something when the other held up her hand to shush her, "No, look, you don't know anything about what you are now, do you? Of course not. Ugh! Karma's such a bitch. Okay," she crouched down in front of the blonde and pulled her upper lip back to show her fangs, "I'm a vampire, you're a vampire, we drink blood. That sick freak that bought you is a vampire, and you must've gotten a good shot in-" Seras smirked, "I bit her," and Neekz nodded, "-which she didn't account for. You're a fledgling without a Master, and that makes it twice as hard. I was like you, yanno? I survived, with help, so I guess the wheel's turned for me to do my part."
Seras groaned as she realized that, no, it wasn't a dream. This was really happening. She couldn't deal with this. "I just want to go home…"
Simon Davies and Eddie Kalvosh were skulking around the warehouse district, looking for any signs of the trafficking ring. They didn't know for certain it was there, but Simon had a hunch that if they looked, they might find some clues.
"Eddie, we'll find her, I swear it." Simon reassured his partner, a grim look in his eyes. They'd get their Kitten back, even… even if it was only to bury her body next to her parents.
Eddie gave him an uncertain smile before nodding and peering around the corner, they were dressed in plain clothes, and had their guns concealed by their coats. Simon looked up, but say no sign of surveillance and he frowned. Were they on the wrong track?
No, wait, there was a flicker of movement at the corner of his eye, and he turned his head just slightly to see a door closing. Perfect. "Eddie, call the chief, and ask him for a report on who owns these warehouses and what they claim is inside. I think we may have just found a lead."
One fit of near hysteria later found Seras in Neekz's apartment, and the stunned girl watched numbly as the other woman – no, the other vampire – rummaged in her dresser for clothes that would fit. "This is the smallest thing I've got, so here, go take a shower, you look like hell."
Numbly, Seras nodded and picked up the men's button up shirt she was offered. A shower sounded really good just then. Maybe she'd wake up and find this was all a nightmare? She missed Eddie, and Simon, and longed to be woken up at 4am for a donut run.
Fifteen minutes later, a more presentable looking blonde shuffled out of the bathroom, the too large shirt showing the jagged scars on her neck, it looked like someone had taken some sort of two pronged garden tool to her; they curved from her jugular down, and it was a miracle she hadn't died. Or maybe not a miracle… She grimaced, then winced as her new sharper teeth nicked her lower lip. She felt exhausted.
"Hey, can I call my friends? Tell them I'm okay?"
Neekz stared at her, a frown forming, "Seras, you realize… you're a vampire? You don't age, you're not even human, and as far as human instruments can tell you don't even have a heartbeat. As cruel as this sounds, your friends in the police are better off thinking you dead."
The blonde felt outraged, but it was distant, as if echoing from a tunnel, and the numbness kept a firm hold of her. "Oh." Her shoulder slumped and she collapsed onto the couch, curling up into a ball of misery.
Neekz grunted and tossed a blanket over the pitiful lump of fledgling taking up her couch, making sure the black out curtains were secured. She had a feeling the little blonde would come out of her shell shock sooner or later, and that she'd be quite the spit fire. "Oh goody." She was looking ever so forward to it.
Fingering her collar, the elder vampiress eyed the girl with pity, knowing that if she couldn't find someone willing to take her in, they'd be stuck together. And Neekz was a horrible teacher. "Can't bloody well teach something I never learned myself." That's what happened when your Sire abandoned you, learning everything second hand, and no elbow or knee pads on the crash course tour of being an undead.
"Barrels of fun."