Two in one day, lucky you!
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Reviews are always gleefully welcome! I love to hear what you have to say! All thoughts on future progression are also wonderfully welcome!
Tom followed Hal to the destination he had chosen; a club on the rough – well rougher, though Hal with a sniff part of town.
It was loud. It was loud and noisy, smelly and disgusting. People kept bumping into them and Tom was just a hair's width away from leaving or he'd lose it.
Hal was scanning the room. It was full to bodies moving, but the club was also full of mirrors. Not good for a vampire, but no one here was looking very hard at reflections or would notice a gap if they did chance to see a reflection.
Hal smiled, this place as perfect. Everyone was drunk, throwing themselves around, faces were blurred and it was dark. His eyes narrowed as he looked up at the ceiling where a round mirror hung above the dance floor. A group of girls were gyrating, a swarm of men around them. Hal dismissed it. No, you never go for groups. He looked around.
'Found any yet?' Tom shouted into his ear for the fifth time. Hal flinched as his ears rang, frowned. 'Not yet.' He said tersely. He took a breath. He was going about this wrong. He shouldn't think about looking for a vampire. He should think about what a vampire would be looking for.
Tom bobbed around him, his head was darting this way and that. At least he was finding it just as unpleasant as Hal was.
In truth, Tom was finding it worse. He had always avoided clubs, he had been in them once or twice but only with McNair when they were hunting, so it was a quick in and out. He looked at his watch. They had been here for almost an hour and nothing. He'd tried to see if he could sense vampires. But there was nothing. He couldn't even tell the difference between men and women in here.
Another person pushed passed him. He growled. And above all that, he had to put up with this trail of girls brushing close by him as they eyed up the oblivious Hal.
When the fifth girl just happened to squeeze herself between the two, spill a bit of her drink and lean in for a giggly 'sorry' in Hal's directing Tom almost lost it: 'Don be sorry, just go around,' he made a wide sweeping gesture around his other side where there was plenty of space. 'Go around.' He mouthed as he took hold of her arm and gave her a small shove.
Hal had looked at him and frowned not understanding what he was doing, the girl gave a small drunken protest, glared, grimaced and tottered away.
Tom was about to explain when Hal stiffened. 'There.' He said, nodding towards the bar.
Tom turned around, grabbing for the stake he'd tucked into the back of his trousers. Hal snatched at his hand and pulled him closer. 'Not in here you fool. Wait.' Tom stopped, he looked at Hal who seemed to bore down on him and nodded.
They both turned to watch and waited.
There in the corner was a small, slightly plump brunette girl in a too loose black non-descript dress. She had her back to them as she nervously guzzled down a drink that had just been bought for her. The buyer was standing profile to Tom and Hal, a tall man in a long leather jacket and messy dark blonde hair. He kept scratching at his stubble which was patchy in places. A newly turned, Hal guessed. Still can't handle a razer or deal with his appearance through touch. He looked at the clothes. Less than five years old. The man leaned in to whisper into the short haired girl's ear. She bowed her head in laughter as his eyes flicked down to her shoulder and he wetted his lips. Too young to prolong the game, it won't be long.
He could imagine what he was saying, he could picture what to do so she felt flattered and relaxed, but kept drinking. Full of wonder and confidence that she had been picked out from the crowd by this mysterious man tonight, a seemingly ordinary night where she had half wanted to not bother coming out. How lucky she was that she had.
His eye twitched. He was staring too much. He looked around. He needed to see where they would go.
'I'm going to go out there.' He pointed to a fire door. 'It leads to the alley, that's where they'll go.'
Tom looked bewildered at where he pointed by nodded. 'Alright, I'll stay ere. Just in case.' He said.
Hal looked at his friend. Tom had a new energy, he was swinging his shoulders ready for the fight to come as excitement and adrenaline picking up his mood. Hal nodded, looking back once more at the pair, the vampire had his hand on her leg, yes, it was close now.
He nodded and started to weave through the crowd towards the door.
He waited in the alley, hidden by another doorway that led to a cheap Italian restaurant's kitchen. He waited and held his breath, the thump thump of the music seeming to replace the thumping of his pulse.
They came out together; the girl hanging off his arm, wobbling forward, totally unaware that her suitor was staring blatantly at her neck, not her eyes.
Hal had not moved, his mouth half open as he watched what was happening in front of him. The deep kiss that brought her up into his arms, how the vampire turned her around to ram her up against the wall leading to gasp in surprise, but she wouldn't protest at the uncomfortable force, she didn't want the guy to lose interest. Hal could see the vampire's profile again, then she shifted and he moved to the side, another deep kiss as his hand moved up to her neck, his fingers feeling out the deep jugular artery located deep down.
Hal subconsciously gripped the brick wall, him fingers digging into the cement; he didn't dare breathe.
Then he saw the flash of black – or more the familiar reaction to it; drawing back for a second so she could see the monster's face, opening mouth wide so the extended fangs were on glorious display, at the same time one hand wrapping around her mouth before she screamed, descending down.
A loud burst of noise, the fire doors opening and Tom coming out bewildered, looking left then right, then lunging at the vampire, pulling him off.
Hal had snapped out of it, shaken his head and leapt forward, grabbing the girl and thrusting her away 'Don't just stand there, Run.' He shouted at her before turning back and joining the attack.
It was over too quickly. Both Hal and Tom looked at each other and thought the same thing before ash had even settled on the floor.
Tom searched his friends face in the weak light from a street lamp at the end of the alley. Their hearts were pumping but their breath was measured; in the end all it had taken was a swift grab at the back of the vampire's shoulders from Hal and Tom ramming the stake home. Over in less than a minute.
'Is that it Hal?' Asked Tom, blinking. 'Can we go home now? Are we gonna be alright?'
It was a pleading question and it broken Hal's heart to hear it.
Hal shook his head and tried to smile. He reached out to his young friend. 'No Tom. Now we can find another.'
Tom blinked. 'Really? I thought you said one would be enough.'
'I wanted to make sure you were ready,' lied Hal. 'We're human now Tom; they're stronger than us now. Don't worry. I know where to find more in there.'
Tom paused, looking at Hal, he then nodded, put the stake behind his belt again and walked back towards the club door.
Hal watched him go. 'I'll just get rid of the clothes.' He said.
'Aright mate. Good to see ya mad cleanin habits coming back! Bagsie my room next!' Grinned Tom
'I never did and never will venture in there Tom.' Hal said trying to sound jovial as he watched Tom reenter the club.
Hal swallowed hard as the door closed. He was shaking as he turned around and looked at the ash covered clothes. His feet dragged on the ground as he got close to them, crouched down and picked them up.
He turned to the dumpster that was positions against the wall, opened the lid and placed the items into the darkened interior.
He let the lid close, bringing his two hands on the edge, bent his head and leaned against them, not daring to breathe, not wanting to think.
Hal's mouth was dry. Why had he paused? Why had he just stood there and watched? He knew every move that the vampire would make, it was textbook beginner, but he couldn't bring himself to intrude, he'd just needed to see one more second…
He could have kicked the vampire off her as soon as they were out. All this nonsense to Tom about not being ready to fight a vampire in their new human forms, they could have taken him easily together. Hal could have taken that idiotic excuse for a vampire while dealing with a raging hangover for Chris' sake.
Hal wanted to answer the question, but the thought of the only possible reason so terrified him now he couldn't even form the words to himself.
Hal opened his eyes, took one slow, deep, calming breath and pushed himself off the dumpster. He looked around the empty alley and started walking back into the club.