Vampire Sunrise

City of Lights

Once outside the magical wards, my senses came back to life, and the sounds of the night changed dramatically. Inside the compound, a quiet breeze and the intoxicating smells from food were all that registered. Outside, I heard footsteps down backstreets, scuffling sounds, and cries.

Sirens sounded from police cars and emergency vehicles on almost every road we crossed. The smells were also very different from the coven compound; here, I smelled fear pheromones lingering in the air mixed with blood, sex, and raw vamp scents. Of all the smells, the vampire scent was most potent.

We took a left and backtracked to where our morning started with the colorful display of smoke, and sweet honeysuckle smells, but the scene was much different tonight. The Royal was empty, no lights, and the garage doors were bent and looked forced open.

Whoever was here either had to leave in a hurry or didn't leave at all. I walked a little closer to the Royal, just outside the front door, "Come out, come out wherever you are," I taunted aloud to anybody inside.

I couldn't smell anyone; the air was too mixed with scents for any precise information, and since I heard multiple heartbeats in the vicinity, I couldn't be sure if one was inside.

I walked in and saw everything ruined. The beautiful bartop where Taylor said I consumed a whole "zombie apocalypse" due to drinking so many zombies was cracked down the middle. Barstools were twisted and broken into glossy wooden shards. Most of the cozy booth seats had their padding ripped out, and almost all the tabletops were either missing or splintered. I did, however, smell faint traces of burnt magic in the air.

Witches must have fought the vampires. I didn't see any dead bodies, so the patrons could be at one of the hospitals or escaped somehow. I didn't want to think about option three, where vampires took prisoners.

Traces of blood were visible, so the vampires must have ambushed the Royal in a frenzy. Jewelry, cloaks, and various clothing items were also scattered, along with broken glasses and plates. The TV behind the bar dangled from the wall by its power cord.

I knew the coven houses were safe, but any witch or child of a witch out tonight would most likely be injured, kidnaped, or dead.

"No one is in the Royal," Angel whispered into my mind. She walked around unseen, scoping out the place.

"Let's walk to Jackson Square; it's just south of us," I said.

Angel and I walked about two blocks when I heard a faint cry. "Stop for a second, Angel; I think there's someone in trouble down this alley." The alley looked large enough for two cars to squeezy by each other.

We continued for a few seconds; then, I heard what sounded like a man in trouble. We needed to check out the situation; the only problem was my outfit. I didn't need to be in a blue peasant top and sandals tonight.

I focused and said, "Shroud me in Darkness." When I spoke, the words were in English but came out in demonic, "Pannus Tenebris." The words were translated in mid-speech.

A slight haze surrounded me and came to rest on the surface of my human clothing and changed what I wore. Dark leather-like material replaced my prior casual attire. It wasn't black exactly; it seemed to absorb the light. This look was much better. I looked similar to how Angel looked in the bar. When Angel saw me change, that prompted her to do the same. She spoke, and her usual demonic outfit came to be.

Rain fell as we continued down the ally. I heard the man's pleas getting louder with every step. We came to an opening in the alley, with a loading dock and truck turnaround area, where I saw a man was being corralled.

The man was barefooted; he had taken his boots off and shoved his hands inside, using them as fighting gloves, primitive weapons of sorts. He had on blue jeans and a button-up shirt with two long bloody rips down the front; his feet were also bleeding. The man was panicking and waving his boot-covered hands frantically, trying to fend off his three attackers.