Haven (4)
"What do you miss most about being human?" Angelique asked Martin with a sad tone in her voice. She had asked him this question many times before, with varying answers, and she always enjoyed hearing what he had to say about it. "I think that I miss eating most of all." She shot a confused look at him. "You can still eat," she said in a befuddled voice. "I know, but I don't need to. Every time that i try it, it doesn't feel right." Martin raised his palms upward indicating that he did not understand his answer very well either. "I never tried to eat after I changed. I suppose since I did not feel the need." The two of them slumped back against the wall they were sitting at and sighed. There was a long and shadowy silence. "I'm scared, Martin." He did not quite know what to say to her. "Of Mobius?" he asked. "Mostly." She turned her head to face him. "I'm afraid of dying." "You've never said anything about this before." "Mobius made me start thinking about it." Martin was not sure, but it looked as if Angelique's ashen skin had gone paler than usual. "But you told me that you thought you were safe from him . . ." "I know. He didn't seem interested in killing me, but the fear that he brought at his heels made me realize that I am not as immortal as I once thought myself to be." "Look, Vannon is gone, and you are probably the only vampire in Haven that has nothing to fear from Mobius. You have nothing to fear from death." "All that I know is that I am afraid of dying. There is no way of saying that there are no other vampires in Haven live Vannon, or that there is a vampire out there that has powers and anger as great as that of Mobius. I could die at any moment." "Not if I have anything to do with it," he said trying to sound as heroic as possible. Martin was somewhat disheartened by the giggling that suddenly issued from Angelique. She leaned toward him and put her head on his shoulder. "Thank-you, Martin. I needed a good laugh." * * * * * * * * Stephanie stood silent on the lawn of her home, watching the place go ablaze. There was not the feeling of loss that she had expected when she saw the familiar house slowly engulfed by the hellish luminescence. She could hear the sirens in the distance and she decided that she should leave before they arrived at the inferno that was once her lair. She ran until she had reached the heart of the city. There was a familiar burning in her stomach. She raised her face up toward the sky and sniffed the air like the animal that she now was. She could smell the human prey that she desired closest in the direction in front of her. She set off into the city streets following the spore of the human that was soon to die. She had broken into a run and was almost upon this foolish mortal that wandered the streets of the most dangerous city in the world by night. Just when she felt that she was nearing her prey, a hand caught her about the neck. Stephanie was pulled from the ground and turned around to see the most frightening thing she had ever seen. Mobius. She was sure of it. His noble head cocked to one side looking at the strange creature that was Stephanie. His great dark eyes narrowed in on her own and he frowned at her with what she normally would have considered fear. In a second that seemed intropically dead, and dropped her and was gone. Stephanie sat in the street amazed by what had just happened to her. She knew that Mobius could have killed her in an instant, but he did not, and she knew why. A dark and devilish plan began to form in the center of her mind. It would be her finest moment in the service of Haven, and it just might make her into what she considered normal. * * * * * * * * Sarah soared through the skies looking down at the street wanderers below her with desperate hunger. She had been waiting to feed, frightened of who might be waiting at her back in the one moment of a vampire's vulnerability. She saw her chance with a young woman that was walking quietly by herself down a back alley. She swooped low on the woman and landed with a loud thump behind her. The woman gasped and turned around with what looked like a can of mace in her hand. Sarah smiled at the woman and bowed her head slightly. The woman seemed relieved to see Sarah standing there. Sarah, however, was a little more nervous. Mace was something that vampires were not immune to. "I'm sorry," said Sarah. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I just took a wrong turn a few blocks back and I seem to be a bit lost." She smiled again at the woman and gave her an expression of apology. "Perhaps you could help me." "I don't have time for this." The woman's curtness was extremely irritating. "I'm in a hurry." Sarah wanted to kill this woman, but she usually liked to have a better reason than rudeness. "I just need directions to Howard Street." Sarah tried to pick up any stray thoughts from the woman, but her mind was closed off with fear. Sarah could wait no longer. She leapt at the woman with a raging howl issuing from her throat. The woman went down easily and did not scream as Sarah tore into her. When she felt the warm fluid rush into her mouth, she lost all control and began to swallow mad amounts of the lifeblood that issued from the woman's neck. Then, she felt a palm plant itself on her back. She swatted backward at this person that was attempting to interrupt her meal, but found that the arm that the palm was attached to was a strong as steel and had no intentions of releasing her. She pulled away desperately and turned on this intruder. He was enormous. She needed only to see the dark mane of hair and the piercing eyes to know who this person was. Sarah broke from her crouch and sprinted away from the man in front of her. She made her way into the streets where there were four or five people standing randomly at bus stops and vending machines. She did not take notice of them as she leapt into the air and took flight. It never occurred to her that her escape was futile. Mobius could have caught her in a second and would probably kill her without a second thought. She glided gracefully through the night sky until she saw where Martin and Angelique were sitting outside of a department store. Sarah landed with less accuracy than usual, nearly colliding with Angelique who was now standing. "He is following me, I think. We've got to get to the old hall." Martin and Angelique said nothing, but they followed Sarah without question. It was not long before the trio had reached the old hall. The doors were crowded with fledgling and master alike with no differentiation between them. All of their minds were seething with terror. All of them united in fear. Jenny was standing just beside the huge double doors with a completely expressionless face. Sarah rushed to her. "What has happened?" she asked in a quick and tired voice. "Mobius has come. The count so far is ten fledglings and Jim." She was suddenly filled with regret. She knew that if she had stayed with him that he may still be alive. She also knew that is was more likely that they would both be dead as well. "Come," said Martin. "We've got to get inside." The four of them rushed inside, crowding with the others at the stage on the far side of the building. not a word was spoken as they all waited for Mobius to come. The thought was concrete in all of their minds. Mobius could be destroyed if they all attacked him, and they could wait him out in the old hall for as long as it took. It was a slim chance that a vampire of his power could be destroyed at all, but surely he could not kill them all before he was injured to the point of retreat. "Where is Vancour?" some anonymous vampire shouted to the rest of the crowd. "He was killed earlier tonight," came a reply from an equally anonymous voice. Sarah turned her gaze accusingly at Jenny. "I didn't know. Sorry." Sarah ignored this comment and focused her attention, once again, on the door. A tense silence broke over the room as the two doors slowly parted and the dark figure of Mobius strode serenely through them. He was truly a being to be feared. He stood at least a foot taller than anyone in the room. His dark mane of hair flowed behind him on an imperceptible wind, and he stepped into the building with the grace of a tiger on the prowl. His eyes scanned everyone in the room. He had no expression on his face except for quiet curiosity. It was the kind of look that a wild animal gives you while trying to decide which part of you to eat first. No one but this monster among monsters moved. There was not a soul in the room that was not twisted with a paralyzing fear. Sarah, surprisingly, stepped forth from the throng of frightened monsters and faced off with this dark god. He stared down at her with interest, as did everyone in the room. An amused smile crossed his face for a moment just before he struck her down. She landed some four feet away, unconscious with a wide red gash across her cheek. Martin's hold on Angelique's arm was broken as she broke from the crowd and leapt at Mobius with a hellish and extremely uncharacteristic fire in her eyes. She landed on his torso, wrapping her legs tight about his waist and clawing at his chest and face. With a slow, fluid movement, Mobius pushed her to the ground. He knelt down over her and studied her with curiosity. It was clear what he was thinking. It was the same thing that everyone in the old hall was thinking. Angelique had been the safest one in Haven and she had put herself in harm's way either in bravery or foolishness. "I should not have to do this," he said. "You should not have asked for death." He whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear. Martin started to rush forward, but there was no cause. "There will be no death in this place tonight," came a voice from the back of the old hall. "Unless, of course, you include your own." There was a unanimous gasp as Stephanie stepped from the shadows outside. No one in the room knew what to make of this strange confidence that she carried with her. "Let her go." Her voice was commanding, and her face was hardened with anger. "There are laws against such things here." The room was in mass confusion as Mobius stood and motioned for Angelique to move back to the crowd. He turned on the Shadow that had interrupted his kill. Angelique ran back to Martin and clung to him strongly. "You do not belong here." The words came slow and torturously from the mouth of Mobius. It was evident that he was not used to speaking. "These are not your people." "No, they are not my people anymore. Like you, they are my prey, not yours." She moved toward him with a dangerous look in her eyes. "I cannot allow you to harm them." Mobius let out a gutteral growl and rushed at her. She moved aside, easily dodging his attack. In an act of rage he landed his fist into the concrete floor of the old hall, cracking it deeply. Again he rushed at Stephanie with nothing but pure death in his eyes. This time she did not move. Her arm moved like a blur and slashed across his face leaving three crimson fissures that stretched from brow to jaw. He backed away in surprise. It was apparent that it had been aeons since this being had been injured in such a manner. Everyone in the room stared at Mobius in awe. With such an elder vampire, the wounds should have closed almost instantaneously, but they did not. Stephanie took this opportunity to leap upon him. With reptilian agility she climbed from his chest to his back and sank her fangs deep into his throat. He let out a groan of pan and his face contorted into a mask of shocked fear. He tried vehemently to swat this woman from his back, but to no avail did his attack bring him. Stephanie's arms intertwined around his own in an intricate way bringing him to stillness, and eventually it sent him sinking to the floor. Stephanie pulled the blood from him with a passion that no vampire has ever known. When she was finished, the man lay in a heap on the floor. Stephanie rolled away from the man like a lover moving away after climax. She lay on her back, breathing long, hard breaths. Her eyes rolled back behind half-closed lids, and her blood-stained tongue lolled from her mouth in an almost comical fashion. All of the vampires in the old hall crowded around her in concern. Before the eyes of every vampire in Haven, Stephanie began to undergo a change of the most extraordinary kind. Her hair regained its original luster, and her skin reformed to its former glow and tone. Everyone backed away in awe. Many of them did not know what was happening to her. The others knew exactly what was going on. Stephanie had become a vampire once again. Her eyes opened slowly and a smile spread across her face. Sarah knelt down beside her and helped her to her feet. "Remember this day, fledglings," Sarah began. "This night will soon become a legend. Haven has been set under its own rule. Stephanie has saved us from ourselves." A kind of melancholy happiness was about her. "Some of our best were lost though, and tonight we will celebrate the freedom that everyone has gained in life and death." * * * * * * * * Two hours later the old hall was filled with merriment and rejoicing. The vampires greeted and spoke to one another without reserve. Martin sat silent in a corner alone. Sarah was across the room talking to some of the fledglings, telling them about the lycanthropes and the war and how she, herself, had helped end the battle. Out of the corner of her eye Sarah saw the lonely vampire that she had sired out of pity and mistake. She stopped short in her story and promised to return to the group of fledglings when she had finished talking to Martin. She strode across the room with her usual beauty and grace. "Hello, Martin." Her voice was understanding even though she did not yet know what was wrong. "I don't think that I can live like this much longer." His voice was wrought with anguish. "It isn't working for me." "I think that there would be some that would be sad to see you go." "Only Angelique." "Do you not consider me your friend?" she asked in truly hurt tone. "Of course I do, but I have been nothing more than a burden to you." He sighed and looked at her, and she knew that he was telling the truth. "Yes you have, and I shall miss that if it is gone." "I think that I would be best to leave Haven." "Why would you want to leave Haven?" She was not sure that she understood what he was talking about. "I will never be comfortable with what I am, and this city is only filled with others like me. I can never live here in peace with myself, or anyone else." "You have made your decision, then?" Sarah knew his answer before he said anything, and her face showed her despair. "I have." With that he rose from his chair and embraced her with loving arms. After all that he had been through in his unlife, he knew that he owed this woman everything that he was, and for that he was grateful. Martin said his good-byes without a great amount of awkwardness, but Angelique was nowhere to be found. After he had made his way out of sight of the old hall, he heard a voice calling after him. "Martin, wait!" He turned to see Angelique running up to meet him. "Take me with you." She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I can't take you with me now. This journey is mine, and I have to go by myself. But I'll be back. I could not leave you here forever alone." "How can I bear this place without you?" "This is no time for arguments, Angelique." Martin did not quite know how to explain to her that he had to go. "Indeed, this is no time for words of any kind." Her words were faint and somber. Angelique moved toward him slowly as if to try to make the moment last as long as she could. She wanted to tell him not to go. She wanted to make him stay with her in Haven. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him. She said nothing. There was nothing that she could say to him. There were no words that could have changed his mind, and some part of her knew that he had to go, no matter how dearly she wanted him to stay. She embraced him gently, and sobbed on his chest. he had not wanted to endure this moment, but he knew that there was no way to avoid it now that it had come. When she moved away from him again there was a pained smile on her face, but Martin could see that it was a smile that she had to fight to keep. He found that he could not walk away from her, and he knew that something had to be done. Their relationship was one that he had never fully understood, and this moment confused him more than anything he had ever encountered in his vampire life. He moved toward her cautiously. She was confused at first when she saw him wince in pain. He bowed his head to hers and lay his lips gently over her own. Martin had never done this before, and she was battling for the proper emotion in this moment of torment and bliss. As he moved away again, Angelique realized exactly what he had done. The all but forgotten taste of blood lingered on her lips and tongue. He had parted the city with this final gesture of love and promise. In this simple action he had given her his word that he would see her again. This sharing meant that they were now one, and she knew that he would, someday, come back for her. This may not have been all that she had wanted or hoped for, but it was a gesture that left implications of that word that even vampires sometimes take for granted. Forever. ACT II “When we are young, wandering the face of the Earth, wondering what our dreams might be worth, learning that we're only immortal; For a limited time.” --Dreamline - Rush
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