Page 33

Story: The Gloaming

I had to laugh. “Is that what you think? A sanctuary?” The stuff vamps convinced themselves of never ceased to amaze me. “It’s a neutral zone for passing information, you idiot. She’d no more hide you in there than she’d hide me – not if it put her neck on the line.” I took a few slow steps toward her, keeping my sword steady. “Besides, this doesn’t look like her place to me.”

Frustration flashed across her face as I closed the space between us, and she snuck a glance at the girl. Apparently, it hadn’t occurred to her that setting up in the far corner meant she had further to go to get to the door.

“Who is she?” I asked.

“She’s here by choice. You can’t kill me for that.” Something like incredulity made its way into her voice.

“Right,” I replied flatly. “Because I need a reason.”

She took a step back, away from both me and the girl. Strange. She seemed more than ready to bolt despite her arrogance the last time we’d met. But on second look, I had to admit – something was off. Her hair was dirty and bedraggled, her previously immaculate manicure now chipped. In stretched-out tracksuit bottoms and a torn baby tee, she was barely recognisable as the polished vamp I’d fought before. Maybe shewas just having a crappy day, but my intuition disagreed – bad hair days didn’t normally come with a healthy dose of fear, and I couldn’t help but think there might be something more sinister behind the change in her.

It was a fairly small space, and a few steps toward her closed the gap between us. I raised the point of my sword up and under her chin in a single smooth movement, but she never shifted. The tip rested at her throat. I could kill her in moments – and still, she made no move to escape.

“What happened to you?” I asked, genuinely curious despite myself. “You look like shit.” Her answer wouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference to how dead she was going to be – but she hadn’t even attempted to come at me. And by now, my heightened senses were singing. I wanted her to fight. I needed it.

Her eyes flicked to the girl again, returning to stare at something behind me. A peculiar look of glazed contentment came across her face, but I didn’t buy it.

“It’s my night off,” she answered finally. Dreamily. “I’ve still got to eat, you know?”

Urgh. “She’s a kid. Not a bloody Happy Meal.”

A snort of laughter came from the shadows somewhere to my left, a movement where before there had only been darkness. A figure dragged himself upright from the floor, and into the flickering light from the fire. I’d guess he was maybe mid-thirties – or he had been when he was turned – and not exactly in his prime. From the smears of what was probably blood down the front of his faded blue hoodie to the oversized jeans and walletchain, he was the embodiment of a total waster.

“This Happy Meal was delivered to the door. Can’t go turning these things down.” He smirked, unsteady on his feet. If I didn’t know better I’d say he was stoned out of his nut, but I wasn’t sure vamps could even get high. Tom might know, though.

“This is the hunter girl you were on about?”

“Shut up, Will,” she snapped, apparently feeling a little more herself again.

“Doesn’t look like much,” he shrugged, moving closer and planting his feet. “Not sure how she got the drop on Michelle.” He crossed his arms across his chest, eyelids half lowered.

“I’ve never heardthatbefore.” I rolled my eyes. “Can I kill one of you at a time, please? Is that too much to ask?” I kept talking, but I was annoyed at my stupidity. I should have finished her quickly, but as usual, I was too damn nosy.

“Give it a shot.” He uncrossed his arms and dropped his body slightly, his knees bent in some semblance of a predator. “I mean, you already lost to our April once…”

“I showed mercy,” I flicked my sword downward to hover over the blonde’s heart, the blade poised. “But I was having a pretty shitty day.”

I thrust it forward, and her soft flesh broke all at once. As the tip hit muscle, I paused. It wasn’t enough to kill her yet, but it would seriously hurt. She gasped, choking as blood bubbled up between her lips.

“I’ll be taking the girl,” I nodded towards the deck chair.

“You can’t. We need her—” he started, his eyes on the swordas he backed away a little.

“Funny thing. I don’t really care what you need,Will.” I put as much of my revulsion into his name as I could muster. “Or who told you it wassafe. Solace’s so-called protection doesn’t extend to scum like you feeding on children. In fact, there’s no way I’d let you get away with that even in Seven.”

“None of us are safe anyway,” he muttered, looking around again. “Not with what’s out there—” He broke off abruptly, like he’d said too much.

I’d seen some truly disgusting, vile behaviour from vampires over the years – and while Will and April’s type weren’t the worst of it, they were pretty close to the bottom in my opinion. I’d truly never understand how anyone who used to be human could do what they were doing.

From my position, in the light of the fire, I could see bruises and bite marks on every exposed inch of the girl’s skin; some half-healed, some still oozing. She was nothing but a living, breathing food source – permanently on the brink between unconsciousness and waking, and too weak to fight or argue.

The blonde made a faint gurgling noise as she tried to speak. “You have to let her—”

My eyes still on the girl, I thrust the sword deeper into her chest, puncturing her heart and twisting the blade as I tugged the weapon back out. She collapsed to the ground, already behind me as I strode towards the teen, who had slid from her chair to the filthy floor, her breathing shallow. I felt the precise moment the blonde’s life flickered out in the back of my mind – a sense of relief; like a weight had been lifted.I shivered, and stood taller.

Will was quicker than I’d anticipated. Already closer to the girl than I was, he had no trouble grabbing her while I was still paces away. He yanked her roughly to her feet, carrying most of her weight with ease, and began to pull her towards the exit.

Before he got far, I seized the girl’s other arm, wrenching the pair of them around to swing my bloodied sword up between his legs. He baulked.