The night offered comfort that the daylight did not, it was hard to explain but after so many years of existence it felt like [i]home[/i], the dark. But the night also brought regret. She should have been there to protect Elizabeth, her dearest friend. It should have been her to fall. Luciana Warren held a lot of guilt over the death of her friend and clan leader. It led her to become isolated and withdrawn from the vampire community. Shoving her hands into the deep pockets of her long black coat, Luciana carried on. She’d wandered aimlessly around the city, hoping and praying for the day when her guilty conscience could be killed and buried. Her long red hair was tied into a messy bun and she wore a plain gray t-shirt and black pants. Her flats made little noise on the sidewalk save for the occasional scuff. Being a vampire had its perks—she got to live far longer than a human but that longevity also came with a price. She could make no lasting connections with anyone. They’d die or be killed eventually. She never aged, no wrinkle or liver spot was to hold her fears…but…she longed to age like everything else in the world. Luciana sighed softly and scanned the few people who scurried about, trying to get home before it got too dark. Her chocolate colored eyes focused in on the little details of the people that passed; that man that just passed her was talking to his spouse on the phone, that girl had finished eating at a restaurant. That old woman was worried that she’d be mugged. While those people found fear in the darkness she welcomed it with open arms. A noise, one that normally wasn’t heard around the streets, made it to her ears. Luciana had stepped up to try to keep Chronos together, but she was not Elizabeth. She did not have the same leadership abilities as her departed friend. One thing that did help was the willingness of another; Silas Gray. She’d known him for what felt like forever and it probably was forever. He’d stepped in and helped her but the role of a leader was far from filled. Luciana was a right hand man kid of gal, one that would faithfully follow orders. She wasn’t used to giving them and as a result Chronos was weakening. Oh her friend would have her hide if she knew how quickly their clan went downhill. Luciana peered around the corner, she recognized that vampire as one of her own. What surprised her more, however, was the girl he was holding. She did not look like Elizabeth but something, like big flashing arrows in Luciana’s mind pointed to that girl as being Elizabeth. --- Carter Gray, one of the many born into the profession of slaying vampires, had been given possibly the world’s most boring assignment: to patrol the city and report his findings. Carter was a man of action; he didn’t like to be a pretty ornament. Scratching his bearded chin he looked around the block he was on. He guessed that it was punishment for failing to exterminate a vampire a few weeks back. The vampire hadn’t done anything so Carter didn’t do anything. He grumbled something about ‘that damned old woman’ who had given him his assignment. Carter kicked a can as he walked, his eyes scanning around in the darkness for any signs of vampires. He found one, a large man. He could have fooled anyone else but not Carter. His father had drilled it into his head on how to distinguish [i]them[/i] from the civilians. Spotted on the man’s coat was a small symbol he understood was belonging to Chronos. It was the very ‘organization’ that had claimed the life of his sister some years back. Following the man and ignoring orders (again, he did that quite often) he followed the man. Carter felt fear grip his heart as he watched the man grab a woman and toss her into a wall, the deep laugh of the vampire made Carter’s blood boil. Well no he couldn’t get in trouble for saving this woman now could he? A smirk came to his face as he pulled out one of the few weapons that had gone unchanged for hundreds of years, a wooden stake. It was Carter’s preferred weapon only because it made him feel bad ass and it earned him a few scars on his arms, legs and torso. “Hey buddy…” he said making the vampire take his eyes from the woman long enough to allow Carter to approach him from behind. The vampire’s eyes widened as the stake pierced his heart. Carter was finally thankful that his father had trained him to run quietly. That old man had been a coot and Carter’s hero. There wasn’t a day that Carter found himself missing his dad. The deep laugh of the vampire surprised Carter, “She has risen again…” Carter covered his mouth as the man turned to a smoky grey ash, leaving more questions than answers. He knew of the death of the Chronons leader years ago, back when he had been a little boy. His father had been a celebrated hero that night. Carter looked at the girl, brushing his confusing thoughts aside “Are you alright? You didn’t get bit did you?” Carter could have missed a moment when she had been hurt by the vampire. Out of the corner of his eye he seen a figure disappear.