[center][color=lavender][h2][b]Vertigo[/b][/h2][/color][/center]
[hr][sup][color=silver]In the Middle of the Night[/color][/sup]

Flashing red and blue lights illuminated a shattered windowpane that belonged to a small convenience store. Outside a flustered worker made large gestures between the broken window and the two dazed men currently being read their Miranda rights.

"-but just as I'm about to hand over the cash this chick bursts in! She's got on a lace mask that covered the top half of her face. I thought I was about to be double-robbed. The ugly one," he said as he gestured towards the blonde man ducking his head as he was shoved into a cruiser, "turned the gun towards her and just as he's about to pull the trigger the chick snaps her fingers." He snapped his finger as a demonstration, accidentally startling the officer.

"These guys [i]flip out[/i] asking what happened to the lights and acting like they couldn't see. Ugly misses the girl and shoots the window. He starts whipping the gun around but the girl is right there whipping out a baton and whacks it out of his hand before he could shoot again. I dive for the phone while they're distracted and as I'm giving my address I hear this loud crashing sound." He gestured with both hands towards the scattered pieces of glass on the sidewalk. 

"When I stand up, I see that the window is completely broken, those assholes are laying outside the store, and the chick is still standing. I think she pushed them out of the window!"

The officer skeptically looked at the broken glass. His brows furrowed before he turned to the clerk. "So, you're saying that a masked woman blinded the robbers, unarmed them, and threw them out of the window?"

The man nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh. She was a little below 6 feet and was wearing all black." He watched the police officer take note of this. "The lace was black too."

[hr]

Eli slowed to a stop as the flashing lights no longer lit the sky behind her. She was drunk with exhaustion, and was about to consider an Uber home when she noticed two steps up ahead. She gratefully sat down, resting her back against the door behind her. Loud club music drifted through it, and muted voices could be heard between the loud thumps of the stereos.

[i]Five minutes, Eli. After five minutes you'll walk yourself straight home to your bed.[/i] She thought to herself. Her eyes slowly shut, deciding to just listen to the music as she rested. She'd just been about to fall asleep when footsteps could be heard approaching the door alongside the voice of a man and a woman. Eli shoved herself to her feet, stumbling every other step as she moved to hide behind a dumpster.

Moments later, she heard the door open. The woman was laughing, obviously a little too intoxicated. The man's voice sounded clear and sober as he murmured something into her ear. Soon after, the two could be heard kissing. Eli rolled her eyes, pivoting on her foot as she prepared to quietly make her way out of the alley.

"You're gonna like hangin' with us," the man said as the woman stopped to catch her breath. "You're gonna help us find more pretty girls just like you."

Eli stopped moving just as she reached the other side of the dumpster, peeking around the dumpster to check if the two lovers were distracted. The man was leaning in to kiss her neck, his hands gripping her albeit rather tightly. Just as Eli was about to make her getaway, the man emitted a loud hiss. As Eli turned her head back to the two, the woman screamed, her pain echoing in the alley.

Adrenaline instantly flooded her system as the scream rattled Eli's bones. She'd never heard someone scream like that before, and it seemed as if all of the color was draining from the woman's face. She was dying, and Eli couldn't allow that to happen.

[color=lavender]"Let her go!"[/color] She shouted to the man as she walked straight towards him. She reached for her baton, but froze as the man turned his head. The whites of his eyes were an intense crimson, and he released another hiss through bloody fangs. "[i]Oh look[/i], I've found your first meal," he purred to the pale woman in his hands before he let her slump to the ground. Before Eli could make the first move, the man lunged towards her.

It happened quickly. Eli first removed the man's perception of light completely, and he hissed as his hands grasped at nothing but air. He inhaled deeply and grinned, turning to face the exact position Eli had shifted to. "You're a tricky catch. I bet you'd do well workin' for us. I'll let my partner decide once we get you girls home." He lunged again, and this time as Eli ducked to the side he turned as well. In instant she felt his vice-like grip on her arms, and the air was forced from her lungs as he pinned her against the wall.

Her focus on him instantly vanished and the man regained his sight. Eli looked right into the eyes of the vampire, the realization dawning on her. Without a warning, the limit of her abilities reached it's peak. Her body slackened, and she muttered one word as her vision faded to black. 

[color=lavender]"[b]Vampire[/b]"[/color]

[hr][sup][color=silver]One Recharge Later[/color][/sup]

Eli's eyes slowly opened to a dimly lit room. She was laying on a couch facing the cushions, and it smelt of iron and death. Behind her she could hear someone writhing in agony. A man's voice sounded nearby. "I don't know, man. She's definitely got the looks, and if she can do what you say she can she'd double the amount of girls we'd get." The man seemed to be thinking hard. "I just knows she's gonna be a bitch to train."

As the vampires continued to argue, probably about what to do with her, Eli remained in her "sleeping" position while her eyes scanned what she could see through the lace in such a dark room. She turned her eyes to see a thick, black curtain covering what she assumed was a window. [i]Well... I guess I'll have to hope that sunlight does burn a vampire's skin.[/i] She thought just in time to hear the men reach a conclusion. "Whatever, man. Do what you want. If she starts causin' problems, we'll just get rid of her." The other man spoke and she recognized his voice. It was the one from the alley. "Don't you worry about that, X. She won't be the first bitch I've broken." She could hear him stepping towards her. "Anyways, it looks like the one from the club isn't going to make it."

Eli clenched her jaw. She was not about to find out what these vampires were doing with women firsthand. When it sounded like the vampire was in front of the couch, she shot up and grabbed the curtain with both hands. She tugged with all of her might, ripping the curtain from it's place. Sunlight poured into the room, and Eli realized that she had missed work this morning. She was at least thankful that it was daylight, and she turned to see the vampire's skin begin to boil. He let out an enraged cry. "Uuugghh! You fuckin' bitch!"

Satisfied that her theory was right, she looked to see the other vampire calling for backup. She saw another window across the room and ran for it. She had to step to the side to avoid the inflamed arms reaching her way. With a small jump she was able to grab the curtain's rail and she used her weight to rip it off of it's mount. The room was filled with more sunlight, and the unscathed vampire stepped back to avoid the light. "Alright, [i]cunt[/i], you know there's only one way out of here now, and that's going to happen as soon as my buddies get up here. Step out of the light and I'll even let it happen quickly. We're under protection of the 6th Street Blood Cult, and if you make it out of here alive they will find you."

Eli frowned and ripped the curtain off of the rail, brandishing the latter like a weapon. [color=lavender]"That girl is dying because of you two, and I'm feeling a lot stronger than I was when I met your blistering friend here. Let's see how you and your buddies do and we'll go from there."[/color] She quipped, her eyes glinting in the sunlight from beneath the lace. She seemed confident on the outside, but inside she wondered if she really could take on a group of vampires. She remained in the light, gathering any courage and energy she could as she waited for his first move.