• Chapter 1: A New Life


    She sat at her desk sorting through the endless mounds of paperwork that always seemed to find their way there, more freaks had turned up, and the recent vampire activity was alarming to say the least, but there wasn’t much she could do about it, not until the new recruits showed up. Jacob sighed when he saw her sitting at the desk, setting the silver tray on the corner of it and pouring her a cup of tea, putting her usual one lump of sugar in it before pouring his own. “Thank you Jacob.” She said simply as he set the saucer and cup in front of her, she picked it up and took a sip as she scanned one of the papers, then sighed as she put the paper down again.

    “More trouble I take it, Merrideth?” He asked, raising a brow as he took a sip from his own cup. Her irritated sigh was enough to confirm his beliefs.

    “These freaks won’t give it a rest, and we still don’t know who or what's behind it.” she said, putting the papers aside, it was her break, she would deal with them later, besides she only gave herself one break a day for her afternoon tea. “Have the new recruits arrived yet?” she inquired, looking up at him from her glasses, gloved hands folded under her chin. A shake of his head emitted another sigh from the current leader of the Supernatural Investigation and Extermination Bureau, the SIEB.

    “They are due to arrive in an hour or two, try to be patient.”

    “We don’t have time to be patient! Section Thirteen is still under repair, we lost more than half our men in the last onslaught, and the vampire scum have become more active. We need more troops Jacob!” Merrideth snapped, slamming a fist onto the table.
    “I know, I know. You shouldn’t worry so much though, this place will be up in no time, especially under your leadership.” he replied encouragingly, finishing his tea. She set her empty cup on the tray with a sigh, picking up more papers before the phone started to ring.

    “Thank you Jacob.” she said, and he nodded, taking his leave as she picked up the phone.

    “Merrideth Ontoro, Head of the Supernatural Investigation and Extermination Bureau, how can I help you?” she answered, her icy blue eyes widening slightly, “Yes, I understand. A unit will be sent immediately, I can assure you, the problem shall be taken care of.” she said, before hanging up the receiver. A familiar figure materialized through the wall. “You will not be going on this one Tepes.”

    “What a shame, I was hoping to have a bit of fun.” he grinned in a blood thirsty manner.

    “The newer recruits will handle this one, they need experience in the field.”

    “Should I not be going with them?”

    “No, Victoria will be leading the unit this time.” Merrideth said, lighting a cigarette. A small chuckle came from Tepes as he leaned against the wall.

    “You finally have a little faith in her I see.” her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked up at him from her glasses.

    “That decision was still foolishly made Tepes, I expect further ones to be avoided, I shouldn’t have to be a boarding house for your pets.”

    “Pets?” he arched a brow, “I would hardly call her a pet, it was her choice after all, and she has become a valuable asset to the Bureau.”

    “Nonetheless, you shouldn’t be so foolish, I wish for you to refrain from such actions in the future.”

    “I'll try my best,” he said simply, shrugging and looking at her in a way that had her most unconvinced, “have a nice day.” he added, before leaning through the wall and disappearing. She sighed, turning back to her mounds of paperwork.

    ********

    “Pay attention now,” Victoria’s voice snapped at the recruits, who straightened their postures, their guns leaning on their shoulders, listening to the briefing. “we have been assigned to the Rose Valley Community Park to look into a disturbance. Paranormal activities have been reported and it is believed that there is in fact a vampire in the general vicinity. Our orders are to seek out and eliminate all targets before more civilian casualties occur, understood?” she looked around at the nods, “Good, dismissed, we leave in ten minutes.” She watched as they left, feeling proud with herself.

    It had been a month since she had taken Tepe's blood, one month since she decided to become a true vampire, it was then that Merrideth had decided to bring her into the Bureau. She still didn’t fully comprehend her powers, but had gotten as far as being able to go through walls and regenerate, but that was the best she could do. She grabbed her pistol as well as her rifle, running out to the loading truck that would take them to the park.

    **********

    “Dang it Mackenzie come on!” Alesca shouted, pulling her friend along, who was silent with fear as the creatures chased behind them, hoping to feast on their flesh.

    “Oh my god, oh my god oh my god, what are those things?” Mackenzie shouted, as Alesca shoved her in front of her, her blond locks flying out behind her.

    “How am I supposed to know? Just move it!” Alesca hissed, screaming as one of them grabbed a hold of her ankle. She pulled her gun from its holder. “Eat this you freak!” she shouted, pulling the trigger, blowing gray goo that should have been brains out the back of its head. It slumped to the ground, the others trampling on it as her eyes widened and she heard Mackenzie scream and turned to see the red head being attacked by more of them. “Mackenzie!” she shouted, pulling the trigger again, shooting several of them before her clip emptied. They staggered towards her, like marionettes being moved by strings. Dry, gray skin clung to their bones and muscles, cracking in some places where coagulated blood oozed out. Their lips where gone, making them look like half rotted corpses that had risen from the grave, their eyes sunken and their nails yellow and pointed like claws. They looked as she had imagined zombies would.

    “Alesca, help me!” Mackenzie shouted, tears came to Alesca’s eyes, she couldn’t watch her friend die. She threw her gun at one of the creatures, plunging a fist at another, but it did no good. She watched as they piled on top of her friend, watched the blood start to sink into the ground as they began to eat her.

    “Mackenzie!” she shouted, one of them grabbed her arm and she ripped herself from its grip. “You freaks!” she shrieked, lunging at them with her fists, kicking and punching with no remorse, all in vain. She was shocked when a loud gunshot went off, the creature that had grabbed hold of her slumping to the ground.

    “Flank them!” Victoria shouted, red eyes blazing as she shot more of the creatures off the girl, before running to her. “Are you okay?”

    “What are those things?” she shouted, arms waving, then gasped, “Mackenzie!” She turned behind her, seeing Mackenzie walking towards her, but… She was all wrong. Her eyes were sunken black depths, her skin was gray and beginning to cling to her bones. “Mackenzie, it’s me, Alesca… Don’t you remember me?” she asked, taking a step towards her, Victoria pulled her back before the creature that had been her friend could get a hold of her.

    “She’s not your friend anymore, she’s become what we call a ghoul. The best you can offer her now is a quick death. Here, take this.” she said, giving the girl a gun loaded with silver bullets. Alesca trembled, storm gray eyes wide and sparkling with tears. “Here, I’ll do it.” Victoria said with a sigh, raising her pistol from her belt.

    “No!” Alesca shouted, “I’ll do it… She was… My friend after all.” she said, a tear trailing down her cheek as Victoria nodded sadly and ordered the rest of the unit to continue on towards the deeper part of the woods, her black hair trailing behind them as she followed them. Alesca looked at her friend with sad eyes, “I’m so sorry… Mackenzie…” she whispered, before pulling the trigger, watching her friend slump to the ground. She fell to her knees, her face in her hands as she cried, before looking up, a glare on her face as she picked up the gun. Her knuckles were white from the force at which she was clenching it. Whoever started this mess was going to pay, that much she vowed. She ran after Victoria, vengeance burning in her eyes.

    “You should leave, it isn’t safe here.” Victoria said, surprised to see that the girl had not fled. She loaded another clip into her pistol, quickly brushing away shoulder length strands of black hair from her face.

    “No, I’m going with you.” Alesca argued, her full lips pulled tight, determined.

    “What?” Victoria shrieked in surprise. “You can’t, it’s not safe!”

    “I don’t care. I’m going, whether you like it or not, unless you want to kill me to, you better let me go.” Alesca replied as she reloaded her gun with a click. Victoria looked at her then, really looked at her. A pair of black jeans, and a black tank top with a black leather coat, a gun holder, and a badge. She was a security guard, which meant she had some fighting experience, she was probably doing one of her rounds when the ghouls attacked. She sighed, she knew she shouldn’t do this but she felt bad for the girl.

    “Fine, but stay with me and do as I say.”

    “Fine. Can you tell me what’s going on now?” Alesca inquired, walking beside the taller woman.

    “Well, those creatures back there were ghouls. I'm Victoria by the way.” She added suddenly. “Whenever a vampire bites someone, they release toxins into their blood stream the toxins that are release depends on the type of vampire. Sometimes the toxins have no effect, sometimes they induce delirium and hysteria, sometimes they help to quicken the flow of blood, and sometimes they have an adverse affect like the one we're seeing here. In this case, the toxin mutates the body of the victim causing it to undergo a quick rate of decay. It shuts down the heart and most parts of the brain, but allows the body to continue to move and do as the vampire commands. Are you with me so far?” Alesca seemed somewhat skeptical, but nodded. “Good. Now, each of the ghouls originally created by the vampire have the same toxins in their saliva, but only the original ones. This means that if another person is bitten by one of these original ghouls, they too will become a ghoul. However, if the person bitten by the original ghoul bites someone, that person will not turn into a ghoul. The toxin becomes less prominent as it is passed down, unless the person is afflicted with something, a cold or some sort of disease, it will have no affect.” Victoria explained as quickly as she could, sucking in breaths of air between sentences.

    “So, you're saying that these things are 'ghouls' and that 'vampires' actually exist? Are you crazy?” Alesca shrieked. Victoria groaned.

    “Look, I know it's a lot to take in, but I don't have time to baby you. You have all the proof you need right in front of you. Now you can either help me, or leave. My job is to track down and kill this vampire before it attacks and infects someone else.” She spun away from Alesca then, following the rest of her unit towards a large fountain in the middle of the park. She stood there for a few moments, before grim determination settled in once more and she tightened her grip on her pistol, following the brunette. Whether it was real or not, it was happening. There would be plenty of time to criticize things after she got the b*****d responsible for Mackenzie's death.

    “Come on, move it!” Victoria shouted. “The vampire's got to be around here somewhere, track it down!” She commanded as various men garbed in black spread out around the perimeter of the park. Their combat boots thudding on the circle of pavement around the fountain. Alesca came running down one of the paved paths through the grass, her golden locks settling at her thighs and her bangs falling into her eyes.

    “I have a bad feeling about this...” She said quietly, looking around the area, her gun at the ready. Victoria stood beside her, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the trees. Alesca could feel a pit opening in her stomach. She felt as if something terrible was going to happen. Her body, her very instincts told her to run, but her training as an officer and her iron will held her in place. Victoria's gun fired beside her. She spun around in time to see a white blur speed past her. She turned to follow it, clenching her teeth in determination. By the time the figure stopped moving, it was standing on top of the fountain, paying no heed to the one booted foot it had in the water.

    “Well well well, what have we here? ” The man chuckled, oily black hair falling into his yellow eyes. His face was gaunt, his skin clinging to high cheek bones and yet, he had a startling beauty about him that almost made her gasp. His skin was like porcelain, and his body lithe and thinly muscled but something about him whispered of death. His movements were swift and graceful, and like a great jungle cat, he was in front of Alesca before she knew it. His face was mere centimeters from hers. His breath was sickly sweet with the smell of decay and she almost gagged, fighting back the bile that rose in her throat as she pressed her finger to the trigger and shot him square in the chest, twice. He reeled back with a shrieked, his fingers curved into claws as he swiped at her, regaining his balance and letting out a feral hiss. Victoria stepped in front of her, firing her riffle into the man's torso, but missing her mark and cursing when the vampire suddenly slapped the riffle from her grip and lunged.

    “Curse it!” Victoria shouted as she was pressed into the ground by the man's greater weight. Both of her hands were on his chest, forcing his head away from her as he tried to bite and claw at her frantically. She was relieved, however, when she heard the sound of her riffle being cocked. “The head, aim for the head!” She shrieked as two shots were fired and the man spun from her to hiss at the black clad woman holding the gun, but not before violently tossing her into the fountain, cracking it at the base and breaking a few of her ribs. Alesca tried to fire again, but the gun didn't shoot. He grinned.

    “You forgot to reload it.” He chuckled, before his smile turned into an ugly sneer and he lunged at her, slamming her head back into the pavement where blood began to pool beneath her. She fought off the dizziness, managing to pull the pistol Victoria had given her from her belt. The vampire had different plans in mind however. He slashed at her wrist, nearly severing it from her arm and she bit back a shriek of pain as she dropped the gun. “Most people would be unconscious by now, how unlucky for you!” He cackled at her, “You will not be spared a painful death!” He shrieked, leaning down to tear into her throat and meeting instead her other hand... And a pistol.
    “Go to Hell.” She said simply, before she fired. Four bullets embedded themselves into his brain, and he reeled away from her, falling to the ground in a momentary state of paralysis as other guns suddenly joined in, holding him in that state. Long enough for a katanna to slice through his neck, severing his head. Victoria moved over the vampire's corpse to kneel beside Alesca, the scent of fresh blood rising to her nostrils and forcing her to back away several feet, lest she should drink the poor girl dry of what remaining life blood she had left. Alesca let her arm fall then, darkness creeping at the edges of her vision. She felt light headed and dizzy, even sleepy but to fall asleep now would be to die. She could feel the warmth of her blood pooling around her, could feel the pain of broken ribs in her chest as breathing suddenly became excruciating.

    “Medic! Someone get the medic!” Victoria screamed, trying desperately to ignore the scent of blood in the air. Alesca frowned.

    “I d-don't n-need a m-m-medic!” Alesca hissed stubbornly, forcing herself to sit up and ignoring the sudden reeling feeling that came from it. A man knelt beside her, but she shoved him away. “D-don't t-t-touch me.”

    “But you need help.” The man said, leaning over towards her and grabbing her arm gently, only to be met it the face by the fist of her non injured arm. He reeled backwards, clutching his nose. He knew for sure that it would have been broken had the blood loss not sapped at her strength. “Jesus Christ woman! I'm just trying to help!”

    “I d-don't need h-help!” She snapped, slumping over on her side, the darkness trying to close in but stubbornly fighting it off. “I'm... Fine...”

    “You're dying.” A new voice, a smooth, dark voice spoke. She looked up at him, catching the sight of long black hair dancing in the wind and red, glittering eyes the color of a ruby looking down at her from a pointed face that seemed as if it had been carved from alabaster stone. He had an immortal beauty about him, an attractiveness that was unexplainable. Handsome did not do him justice. And it annoyed her. He knelt beside her and his movements were fluid, like a dark hunting cat. She imagined his muscles rippling under the fabric of his long sleeved, white silk shirt when he reached out to touch her cheek. She wanted to slap his hand away, but couldn't find the strength. He smiled.

    “Would you like to come with me?” He asked then, the smile gone from his face and replaced by a more serious demeanor.

    “W-what?” She stammered, taken aback by his question. Perhaps she hadn't heard it right...

    “Would you like to come with me?” He repeated. “I know you do not want to die. Think quickly, Alesca, your blood will not last forever.”

    “W-What k-kind of a question is t-that?” She croaked, becoming more languid by the second as her eyelids became heavy.

    “A simple one. Do you wish to come with me and live or...” He didn't get to finish his sentence. In her will to live, she shoved her stubbornness aside. She was only twenty three, she didn't want to die.

    “Yes...” She spoke softly, barely even audibly. He allowed a small smile to flitter across his lips then, gingerly lifting her into his arms. He held her in his lap, cradled her close to his body. She could feel the soft silk of his shirt against his pain, then felt the searing pain as he bit into her throat. Relax, she heard his voice speak in her mind, the pain will ebb. Slowly, she felt it begin to seep away. Felt a sudden warmth embrace her. It was a strange sensation, an odd nurturing feeling combined with that of pure bliss. She didn't want it to end. He pulled away from her after a few moments, being careful as not to let any blood drip from his mouth.

    “Remember, it was your choice... Kitten.” He smirked at her, before biting into his wrist just as the darkness closed in around her and she fell into the dark void of unconsciousness.

    **********

    The following evening found Alesca in strange surroundings. As soon as she opened her eyes, she knew she was in some sort of enclosed space. She could see the black and red of the satin sheets beneath her, their scent reminding her of something... No, someone. It was a good scent, a pleasant one, bordering on the edge of sensuous. It seemed that with very little sway, it could cross that edge and intoxicate the senses. The only thing keeping her from panicking was the scent. She placed her hands on the solid lid of the enclosure, pushing, but finding that it wouldn’t budge. Despite her efforts, her mind begin to panic.

    All she could think of was getting out of it. She’d never liked closed spaces, seeing as she was claustrophobic, now was no exception. She pushed harder, but to no avail, this time using her legs in an attempt to add to her strength. Clenching her teeth, her eyes wide. She couldn’t breathe, she knew she couldn’t. She would use up all the air and suffocate! No matter how much she told herself that it wouldn’t happen, her mind just kept on with the notion. The notion that had terrified her as a child when her brother had locked her in a closet as a practical joke. She felt as if a weight was sitting on her chest, and she’d do whatever she could to get out. Her eyes widened as she slammed her fists into it. She refused to scream, no matter how much she wanted to, she wouldn't scream. Her arms fell back to her sides in defeat, her breathing labored now and her eyes as wide as a deer caught in headlights. She couldn’t get out. Stay calm, stay calm, don’t scream! You’ll be fine, you won’t die, things like that don’t happen in closets and wherever the hell you are now! Her mind screamed at her, demanded that she be reasonable in her time of panic. The fact that she wasn’t sure where she was, didn’t instill much confidence in her attempts to calm herself.

    Relax, a familiar voice brushed against her mind, enveloping her in comfort and easing her muscles. Releasing the knot in her chest. Nothing can harm you here. She let out a breath of relief and abruptly sat up as the lid was removed, taking in her surroundings. It was dark, but strangely, she could see everything as if it were broad daylight. The ceiling was stone, the walls, stone, the floor, a dark burgundy carpet as if she were in some sort of castle or mansion. There wasn’t much, just the odd coffin like bed she was in, a wooden table, a soft looking, comfy chair pressed up against the wall opposite of the one the bed was against. Then she noticed him. He was sitting leisurely in the chair with the black velvet cushions. One leg was thrown over one of the arms of the chair, the other resting over the edge of it in a normal fashion. He had one arm thrown over the back of the chair, the other resting in his lap. Silky black hair fell into his ruby eyes, standing out in stark contrast against his skin. The sight of him nearly took her breath away, but she didn't let it. Not this time.

    “Who are you?” She almost snapped, annoyed at the smug look he gave her. He grinned, chuckling softly.

    “I think you'll find that you already know that answer to that one, Kitten.” he replied coolly, his red eyes never straying from hers.

    “Tepes…” the reply had been easy. It just rolled out of her mouth, no intentional thought behind it. He was right, she did already know it. The realization as to how she had known, had just begun to sink in. “You’re a vampire.” It was a statement, not a question. As he'd said, asking is pointless. Especially when she already knew the answer. He merely smiled in amusement. She caught on quickly, but he had expected no less.

    “Was it that obvious?” he inquired in mere amusement. The smile never left his face. She ignored the question, identifying it as something that was intended to gently insult her intelligence. Of course it was obvious, but it was something she’d needed to say out loud to confirm with herself. Whether or not he replied to it would’ve made little difference to her.

    “I take it I’m like you now?” she asked, a tingle running up her spine as she remembered being held in his arms as he drank from her neck. All the feelings rushed back to her now, assaulting her senses. She shook it off; it wasn’t decent to be thinking of such things, even if they HAD actually happened.. Especially when they had the effect on her that they did. “And don't call me Kitten.” She added, or more like snapped at him.

    His laugh startled her, bringing her back from her thoughts as he replied to her words. “You may never be 'like me' exactly.” He smirked. “No one can be 'like me', but yes, you are a vampire. And as for the nickname... Well, I rather like it. Don't you, Kitten?” Her eyes snapped into a glare. She knew he was just doing it to goad her, and the fact that it was working made her all the more furious.

    “I have a name you know.” she snapped irritably, only causing his grin to widen.

    “Alesca Zoe Harterson, night security guard for the Rose Valley Park. Parents deceased, a brother named Daniel Jacob Harterson who has no kids and a wife by the name of Vanessa Rose Pierce. Daniel is an author, and his wife is a school teacher at Rose Valley High School.” he stated, as her mouth nearly fell open and her eyes widened. How could he know so much about her family? The answer hit her immediately.

    “Where’d you get my file?” she hissed, glaring. She didn’t like people prying, if they wanted to know something about her, they should come to her. His chuckle startled her slightly. She hadn’t expected it, but she had a feeling she’d be getting a lot of things from him that she didn’t expect. She watched as he stood, walking towards the door.

    “Are you coming or not?” he asked, not even looking back at her. She clenched her teeth and glared, fists clenched at her side. Who was he to treat her this way? The arrogant b*****d, he didn’t even answer her question! Her quick to rise temper flamed at his sudden change in subject, but began to simmer down a little as he walked out of the door and turned. Disappearing from view. She didn’t know where she was, she had no choice but to follow him. She sighed, walking from the room. Her pace just fast enough so that he was in her sight. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing she’d run to catch up to him. She didn’t want to play a part in his mere amusement.

    **********

    Merrideth was sitting at her desk when they walked in. She opened her eyes, looking at them through her glasses, gloved hands folded under her chin. At the sight of Alesca, they set into a glare. Tepes, for once, had used the door though, which left her less annoyed than she would have been otherwise. “Old habits die hard I see.” she commented, as his lips set into a frown. “You are making it a bad habit Tepes, even if it was her decision which, it probably was. You didn’t follow orders.”

    “She shows much promise.” He stated coolly. Alesca looked up at him, her anger melting away as she suddenly realized that he did have a bit of pride in her. Though why it mattered to her at all was beyond her reasoning.

    “I told you, this bureau wont be a boarding house for your pets.” Merrideth glared at him. He merely grinned.

    “I can assure you, she will be the last. Besides, as a well trained security guard, you don’t need to do much training with her.” She sighed, lighting a ciggarette and bringing it to her lips before looking at him again with a sort of resolve shining in her blue eyes.

    “I won’t need to do any training with her. You will be teaching her everything she needs to know. She’s going to be working in Section Thirteen, with you.” she informed him, smirking. He didn't offer much argument, merely narrowed his eyes at her.

    “Need I remind you that I could kill you at any moment?” He spook calmly, dangerously. She merely grinned.

    “And need I remind you that I've plenty of bullets as well as blades at my disposal should you attempt to do so.” He chuckled then.

    “Then it's decided. I'll have to dodge a lot of bullets... Too much effort for blood that probably tastes bad.” He grinned, but Merrideth seemed unshaken by the playful insult. It was apparent that the two of them often sparred with words.

    She turned her attention to Alesca then, standing and extending a hand after placing her cigarette in the ash tray on her desk. “Welcome to the Supernatural Investigation and Extermination Bureau, Miss Harterson. I am the head of this Bureau, Merrideth Ontoro.” She managed a slight smile then, as Alesca hesitantly shook her hand. “I must inform you, now that you are no longer human, you will have to live here in the Bureau. Do not fret though, it is more comfortable than it sounds. Now if you'll excuse me, I've more paperwork to do. Tepes will take you to your room.” She said before sitting back down in her chair and proceeding to file through papers. Alesca simply muttered 'thanks' before following him out the door, peeved that she hadn't said anything during the entire conversation.

    **********

    She thought about the intimidating, sophisticated woman behind the desk as she walked down the hall at Tepes side. It was like they hadn’t even acknowledged her standing there! She snorted. She didn’t like it when people talked about her like she wasn’t even there, and what was this Bureau thing anyway? What the hell were they talking about? Tepes had a lot of explaining to do, that was for sure, but she had a feeling he was the type that would explain things when he felt like it... And even then, he probably wouldn’t explain them thoroughly. That would just be too easy, but she might as well give it a shot right? “Hey, aren’t you going to tell me what THAT was all about?” She inquired, looking up at him. The strides she was taking to keep beside him were straining her, but she refused to fall behind even a step. He didn’t even acknowledge that she’d said anything, the jerk, he just kept walking! She sighed, “Right…” she muttered, rolling her eyes. He was going to frequently annoy her, she could tell. All she had to do now, was keep the score. Tepes, zero, her, zero. Let the games begin…She spoke silently to herself. She would win, she vowed, she was too sore of a loser not to.