Fate/Blood Reign

Chapter 4 - Vampire in Newcastle

"Where do you think you're going, trash?" the lady in red asked as she slowly followed the informant who had helped the late Erle Berzinsky. "You can't run away from me."

He was running up the stairs of the abandoned wooden apartment building. He was looking for a place to hide and arm himself. Meanwhile Archer could clearly hear the man's movements and, even without seeing him, she knew exactly where he was going. She could've stopped him, but she enjoyed playing the part of the cat chasing the mouse.

"You want to hide, trash? You're right to do so. You should be afraid of me, especially after you betrayed my Master's trust. It's too late to ask for forgiveness now. You'll die here." She stopped. She couldn't hear him running anymore. "So, you finally managed to find a hiding place, huh? Well done. This will make the hunt even more amusing."

She was still on the second floor of the building, while he was in a bedroom of an apartment on the fourth floor. He was clutching an old hunting rifle and was standing still, near the door, trying to control his breathing. The sweat dripping from his forehead made his eyes uncomfortable, his legs ached from the effort, and his heart pounded with terror, but he was ready to shoot—he was ready to fight for his life.

He could hear her footsteps. She was getting closer, but he didn't know exactly where she was. At first, he thought she was in the same apartment as him, then he realized she was in another one. She kept walking, but she had stopped talking. He couldn't tell if she was listening to him or trying to. The situation was unnerving, and he was slowly losing patience. He wanted to kill her right away, but he was afraid. He didn't know who she was, but he was scared of her and he felt stupid for being afraid of a woman.

A woman.

She wasn't a woman like the others. He didn't know her, but it was enough for him to meet her gaze for a few moments to understand that she was something else. Something more terrifying. A monster. A demon. The Devil.

He turned for a moment to look at the window. He thought about jumping out to save his skin. It was a stupid, suicidal thought, but at that moment, with that person chasing him, it seemed like the smartest thing to do.

He sighed. He wanted to cry, but he sighed too hard. He realized it too late and immediately turned back to the door. He moved away a little. He could no longer hear any footsteps. He remained completely silent and moved a little closer to the door. He heard a slight creaking. It could have been anything, but for him it was definitely her, listening to him on the other side of the door. He heard another, louder creak. His heart leapt into his throat. He was sure, more than ever, that she was there. Right there. She was waiting for him.

It was a matter of life and death. Only the first to strike would survive. He had the gun. He had the balls. Then he got the courage and shouted, kicking down the door,

"Die, witch!"

She was in front of him. He shot, but she immediately grabbed the barrel of the gun and moved it to the side. He tried to shake the weapon to force her to let go, but she was much stronger than him.

"Hello, trash," she said with an amused smile, "ready to perish, then?"

Archer easily disarmed him and used that gun to pierce his heart. Agonizing pain filled the man's body as he tried to fight back in vain. She pushed the man against the wall; the barrel of the gun went through him. He screamed at the top of his lungs and she covered his mouth, then ran her finger over the gun to taste the blood. When she tried it, she spat it immediately, in disgust, directly on his face.

"Ugh! You taste like shit..."

Angrily, she broke his neck and walked away as if she were an unsatisfied customer after a terrible dinner at a restaurant.