[IC] The Soul is Eternal

[Jealous Angel D]

The setting sun had once meant something. It had once been a signal, the start of another day of war. She had once lived for the night. The shadows had been her home. It was a time that was hers - a time of conquest and victory. But such a life was far from her now. It had been twenty-one years since her world d been torn asunder and her life had been torn from her.

Life now was far from what it had been. She had spent most of her day hauled up in a library, passing time among books and sitting at a computer. For a time she had even met up with a group of classmates, trying to piece together and finish a group project. The rest had been spent putting together a long winded essay. It was times like this that she found school to be a waste. Citations and research were tedious things. However, she had made a decision to make something of her human existence. So if she had to spend her time locked up among books that remembered history a bit differently than she did, then so be it.

The last rays of the sun slipped below the horizon when Elizabeth finally immerged from the library. It was far later than she would have liked. Her trek to her apartment wasn’t too far. However, there was too much to do with her day to let the hours of sleep pass by. Walking down the street, the shadows grew more abundant as the darkness of night began to spread. While she no longer lived for the night, the darkness was an old friend.

A chill down her spine stopped her in her tracks. Slowly she turned on her heels, jumping in surprise as she came face to face with a vampire. White coated her vision as her head slammed into the concrete of a nearby wall. Desperately she shook her head as she tried to regain her vision and orient herself with the world. Since the day she had become Elizabeth Wright, she had never expected to be attacked by a vampire. Perhaps today was one of those days where she should have just never climbed out of bed.

---

The Order was chaotic.

That very thought was enough to make the man smirk as he wandered through the halls of the high-rise building. It was early in the night, the start of the day as it were. The building was usually calm, the front of a business simple enough to hide the truth that was underneath. The only time the guise seemed to crack was at night when women and men rushed here and there. For as much chaos that the Order tried to contain, one wouldn’t expect anything different. He had been a part of this world for a while, but there were still things that baffled him.

“Mark, you’re needed in the field,” the raspy voice of an older woman called to him.

The man turned to face the woman who had addressed him. Her lips were pressed in a thin line, gray hair poking out from the tight bun it was wrapped up in. Within her frail hands she held an envelope out to him.

Mark offered her a smile before reaching out to retrieve the item, “Thanks, Mrs. Bowman.” The older woman gave a quick nod, before leaving the man behind. He glanced down at the envelope before letting out a small sigh. “Never a dull moment around here… maybe I should go rogue.”

[Sunflower]

The night offered comfort that the daylight did not, it was hard to explain but after so many years of existence it felt like home, 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 them 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.

[Jealous Angel D]

Her mind was crowded with too many thoughts. Desperately she tried to gather the thoughts together, organize them to make sense of the situation. It had all happened to quickly. Not only that, but too many improbable things had happened. The vampire – he had carried the mark of Chronos. In all honesty she hadn’t expected the clan to survive, and above all she had never expected to become a victim. What in the world was going on? But that was not the only problem she had. In the haze of her vision, she had seen her savior slay the creature.

Hearing the question, she ignored it as she tried to stable herself against the wall. Lifting her left hand, she brushed it against the back of her skull. A frown marred her face as she felt the warmth of her blood coat her fingers and pain shot out from the injury. A long string of curses escaped her lips as she stared through the darkness to the blood on her hand. If she was a target of vampires, bleeding all the way home would not be a wise choice.

Balling her hand in a fist, she glanced up at the vampire hunter. “I’m fine,” she snapped her answer before she tried to move away from the wall. However, she didn’t get too far, the motion causing her world to spin. Steadying her hand against the wall, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was moments like this that she cursed the fact that her body was that of a human – it was much too fragile. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that the vampire hunter had not disappeared. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at the man, “If you’re waiting around for a ‘thank you’, you’re not going to get one.”

---

Many still considered him inexperienced. He was young for a vampire hunter. Then again, it was difficult to actually gain much experience in the field. It was one thing that he had been told when he had been brought into the Order. The life expectancy of a hunter in the field was low. So while the politics of the organization or the world ever bothered him, he had decided that he was thankful to have the support of a group behind him. He could disobey the rules, go hunting vampires on his own – go on his own rampage and vendetta. However, in the Order there were people he could trust. If he ever got in a jam, he had people who could help him. The Order had slowly become his family, a system on which he could trust.

Perhaps this is what gave him courage as he left the building. Blending in with society while on a mission was always a challenge. After all, it was difficult to hide the necessary weapons under a t-shirt and jeans. Therefore, it often included a large coat – even in the warmest of weathers. Luckily, this night he didn’t look completely out of the ordinary. Perhaps he looked like he walked on the darker side of life, but that wasn’t a false assumption.
Stopping at the corner of the street, he stood under the light of a lamppost as he observed the humans who wandered the street. Any of them could become a target. Vampires had no morals, they would go after whoever they deemed worthy enough to become his food. But that wasn’t his concern right now. What Mark needed to do was find some information, which mean either eavesdropping on some strange conversations or finding a vampire willing enough to… talk.

[Sunflower]

Luciana could remember the night that she had failed one of the only people that she had ever trusted. It hurt to remember but it fueled her desire to apologize. Taking out her cellphone, an outdated dinosaur compared to the others that people had, she dialed an all too familiar number. “Silas...”She said, leaning against the brick wall of an apartment complex, “I think I’ve finally found her.”

“Good,” there was a deep chuckle on the other end of the phone; in the twenty-one years that they had ruled together they had formed a very strong bond, one that bordered between love and the need for physical satisfaction. They weren’t a match made in heaven nor could they ever be that perfect. There were just too many things about them that didn’t click but it worked. It kept them both sane. “Keep an eye on her, Lucy; we can’t lose her this time. I’ll see you when you get home. Bye,” Silas said before hanging up and leaving Luciana alone once more. The red head knew of the man called Carter Gray; they’d met before on strained terms. He still had the scars to prove it.

The streets were even emptier now, save for a few stragglers.

As she was walking, Luciana bumped into someone; her attention was diverted to the phone in her hands as she typed away. It was a quick and simple message to Silas.

Without apologizing the woman carried on, she did however, grumble slightly.

Stupid mortal.

---

“I don’t expect a thank you.” Carter said as he made a movement to catch her. He noticed the blood on her hand and his eyes widened ever so slightly. “Come on,” Carter didn’t want to stick around to see how many of those blood suckers would show up. Taking a small bundle of gauze from one of his coat pockets and held it to the wound. He helped her walk, half-dragging her through the streets as he made a bee-line towards his home away from home.

Carter, like a few of the Order members, had a small apartment away from the Order itself. Sort of like a safe haven when he wanted peace and quiet.

Here it was safe. Here it was very, very messy. It was a miracle that he found the couch to set the blonde woman onto while he made sure that he still had supplies there. Carter wasn’t the least bit worried about the mess, the vampires were on his mind; to be more specific the words that the vampire he had slain rang in his mind like an angry bee on steroids.

She has risen again!

‘She’ could mean anyone but to the Chronos they still held hope that their leader would return to them. Carter remembered his dad telling him the stories of the female vampire and her right hand. ”Vermin. They are the most dangerous and must be killed.

[Jealous Angel D]

Whether she wanted it or not, he was offering her help. A part of her was grateful, for she didn't have the coordination to make it through the city. But the situation was just bizarre. On the way through the streets, she had expected their final destination to be a hospital. As they made their way into an apartment, it was easy to conclude that this was possibly even his own home - or at least where he decided to sleep when he wasn't working. The very act of the man puzzled her. Who in their right mind dragged a complete stranger to their home?

Her body remained tense, even as she lay upon the couch. Memories that she had tried to ignore for the past 21 years tried to crawl their way to the surface of her mind. The last time she had encountered a hunter, she had been the target. The thought spurred anger - which would not benefit her in this situation. She had already been cross with him for saving her life. The very act of refusing to save him had probably already broken the social norms she was supposed to be living by. Perhaps the affects of shock could be the explanation - a rather pathetic explanation.

But left alone on the couch, she was allowed to think. The vampire had spoken something before he had turned to dust. She hadn't heard it too well though, not with the pounding in her head. However, she had caught the words "risen again". Which led her on a long path that had her wandering in circles. If the vampire had been talking about her, then why had he bashed her skull against the concrete? Perhaps he had just warned the hunter that Chronos had risen again? Under who's command had it risen?

When the vampire hunter returned, she had one question for him, "What was that thing that attacked me?"

---

Mark had been lost in thought. He was unsure how he was supposed.to get his task done. It wasn't like he was just going to run into the perfect target. Or at least that seemed most logical. Fate had a different plan in mind as his shoulder collided with someone's. He offered an apology but received none in return.

Turning around he stared after the woman who had paid him no mind. His eyes narrowed as he examined her. Slowly he began to follow her, trying to keep enough distance so that he wouldn't be noticed. Mark couldn't believe his luck and began to question whether or not it actually was. There were a few vampires that he knew about but never thought he'd meet. They were on the list of names and faces to know. In fact he had been taught to call upon assistance when encountering such vampires.

But he couldn't let this opportunity go. He was following an infamous vampire, or maybe he had miss identified her an was he was wasting his time following an innocent human. So he was crazy, but curiosity drove him on.

[Sunflower]

Carter sighed and sat heavily on the old leather couch, “A vampire.” He was used to people calling him crazy but seriously would a normal human turn to ash if stabbed with an over grown toothpick? Hell no. Vampires did exist; people were just too ignorant to understand that they were not at the top of the food chain. They were a food source. “Not the sparkly fuckers that people think about nowadays, the real ones. Kinda like Dracula—gonna suck your blood and not marry you.” Well there were a few cases of vampire-human relations but those were overlooked for the most part and not glamorized like Hollywood made them.

“Did you see anything strange or out of the ordinary? Like a man or woman behaving oddly; fidgeting, staring at someone like they were a hunk of steak…that sort of thing?”

Carter would be called a disgrace for not taking any of this seriously; well he did but his language spoke otherwise. Carter was more laid back than most, giving an impression that maybe he was this sort of underdog with noting going for him other than a quick death. But when it came to his work the higher ups were pleased that he met every deadline or dealt with the situation appropriately. As Carter waited for her answer he took off his t-shirt to reveal a simple wife beater underneath and he kicked off his boots before going into the small kitchen, barely big enough for one, and made them tea. The man wasn’t crazy about coffee so tea was his go to for a bit of energy.

He wondered if he should let someone in on the secret?

He'd have to keep an eye on the girl, there was something about her that didn't sit right with his gut instinct.

---

Luciana had perfected the act of appearing to be human; she had lived long enough to do it. She walked to a nearby park and chose a bench to sit and read at. Luciana rarely had a moment to herself anymore and she cherished the silence. Silas was going to meet her soon at her small rented home further from the center of the city so she had time to kill. Her book was an old dog eared copy of her favorite book “Of mice and men” by John Steinbeck. She liked the easy read that it was and that at one point she had lived in a similar situation to George and Lennie.

Luciana flipped the page and smiled softly. The book wasn’t the happiest in the world but she enjoyed it. The life that she lived was very similar to that of the transient workers of the Great Depression. All too often she would have to move when hunters caught wind of her, to them she was a dangerous entity that needed to be destroyed. She guessed that they were right but to her this life of taking her food by force was all that she knew. Humans did the same so why was she the one being hunted for it? She knew that there was a man following her but Luciana hoped he was fooled by her false act.