Psst…I've started posting the third story, Salt of the Earth. Here's a sneak look at the Prologue you'll find there ^_^
Sneak Peak #2
She could hear the sound of her heart pounding in her chest and feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins. There wasn't a single part of her small body that wasn't violently aching. Her blonde hair was matted with blood but she wasn't entirely sure where it had come from. If she didn't act soon there was sure to be more. One of the assailants lunged forward at her, but she was quicker than he was and managed to dodge his attack, albeit slightly clumsily. She took advantage of his momentum and sent him flying into the wall that she had been leaning on. There was no time for any sense of victory yet as the second assailant recovered from the last blow she had delivered. The plodding of his boots alerted her to his whereabouts, allowing her to deliver a roundhouse kick successfully. Her foot connected with a sharp crack, and she was delighted in knowing that she had likely just broken his jaw. Unfortunately it didn't seem to slow him down at all. He returned the blow quickly, knocking her straight back into the first guy. The next moments were nothing but a blur as she felt herself tossed across the dark alley and crashed, inelegantly, into a dumpster. When she had first been cornered in the alley she had been confident that she could handle this fight; she may have even been looking forward to a good fight, if she was being honest. Now, that confidence was long gone and there was an intense sense of fear replacing it – she was likely going to die in this alley.
Despite this fear, she felt a smile involuntarily break out from behind the blood and dirt. She wiped blood off her lips with the back of her hand and supressed letting out a laugh. She figured she was losing her mind, but at the same time she was hoping that it made her more dangerous. Maybe she could win after all. With her resolve bolstered, she lunged forward at the two vampires, ready to do some real damage. Her collision with the dumpster had slowed her movements down, but she was not ready to give up quite yet.
"That all you got?" She taunted, spitting some blood out onto the ground.
The two vamps grinned as four more vampires came out of the shadows, surrounding her and blocking any chance of retreat.
"Sure, more can join the party, if you really need the help," she said, hoping that they couldn't hear her voice shaking.
There was a brief moment in which it seemed as though the entire alley paused. No one moved. With baited breath she waited for any flash of movement, but none seemed to come. It was worrisome at best; what were they waiting for? It did, however, allow her a chance to come up with some semblance of a plan for what she was going to do. She was severely outnumbered and absolutely exhausted. There didn't appear to be anything nearby that she could use as a weapon, nor did she have anything with her. If she made it out of this alive, she silently promised herself to never leave home without some sort of weapon to protect herself with. Based on current circumstances, fighting did not seem like a viable option. Retreat was also unlikely – the group of vampires had her completely surrounded. Vaulting over them required more strength than she had after her collision with the dumpster and was quickly ruled out as an option. Rolling under left her far too exposed unless she was able to create a distraction. It wouldn't be easy, but this was her best bet of getting out of here alive. Now all she needed to do was figure out how to scramble their attention.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of arrows landing with a resounding thud and two of the vampires across from her falling into a pile of dust. She didn't care who, or what, had delivered the two arrows. Right now, she saw an opening and she took it. Her hands lashed out at incredible speed and knocked the nearest vampire back. She still had no weapons and had no idea if the new addition to the tussle was friend or foe, but there was no way she was willing to stay back and find out; running was her best option. The small window of opportunity for her to escape was quickly snatched away from her as another vampire dropped down in front of her, blocking her last route of escape.
"Hey!" A voice called out from the shadows, "catch!"
From somewhere to her side, a stake was tossed towards her which she caught with ease. It was surprising how a simple wooden stake was enough to make her feel as though this fight was once again winnable. The vampire took a powerful swing towards the small blonde. She dodged it just in time, but was unable to avoid the follow up strike which caused her to stumble backwards. There was new blood trickling down her cheek and her recovery from the blow was a touch slow. When he lunged for her again, she moved to the side to let him sail past her. From behind, she drove the stake through his back and into his heart. She fell into the new pile of dust, entirely spent.