Lycanthrope

Chapter 3

It was dark outside when the meeting finished and after I had settled a suspiciously quiet Edwick into his room, I felt a worsening feeling well up in my gut. Knowing by experience that instinct should not be ignored, I hid myself behind a corner and waited.

Sure enough, but a few minutes later Edwick remerged from his room; he looked pale, his eyes lingering on my door as his head swivelled around to check the corridor. He walked over to the elevator. This was completely against protocol, before leaving a secured area the client must always report to their guard.

The bad feeling grew twisting into an ominous throb.

I waited until the elevator called ground floor and the metal doors closed before running over to the staircase and racing down the steps. My best bet was on following him stealthily from there. He could, after all, be going to meet up with one of his 'lady friends'; I didnt want to push it, with Edwick being someone of high standing he could get me into a lot of trouble with just a simple complaint, it'd be best to silently chaperone him.

I stuck close to him but far enough to remain undetected as he led me through the winding streets. My suspicions rose further and lips thinned with worry when the clean and neat streets turned into the dark alley ways and florescent lights of the, bluntly dubbed, 'bad side' of the city. Not the kind of place a chancellor, in his clean-cut, velvet lined suit would be seen wandering through.

Suddenly, Edwick stopped. Literally in the middle of an empty street, how anti-climatic. I was about to stand up from the crate I had hid behind, when the same pale man from the meeting appeared and approached Edwick with a hauntingly effortless walk.

"You have considered my proposal, yes?" the vampire spoke with a thick accent I couldn't quite place.

"I will speak to Von. Are they really that big of a threat, can we not negotiate peace?" Edwick replied, I got the feeling I shouldn't be here, but to move would give away my position.

The vampire hissed sharply, mouth suddenly full of pertruding pointed teeth, bent to be inches away from Edwicks face, "Lycans have always been a threat, the beasts don't understand the meaning of peace. If we leave them much longer they will be the cause of another bloody war." His voice grew more snake like and venomous as he spoke, I saw Edwick gulp. "Take it this way, by refusing our so gracious help then you are second- handedly murdering your own armies. Utter slaughter. Edwick, their lives are in your hands, just think about that."

The man extended his white skeletal hand towards Edwick. It was like watching someone make a deal with the devil, you wanted to run in and tell them to refuse, but are also frozen by the enchanting words and fear for yourself.

Just as Edwick extended his hand to meet the other, the vampire's head whipped around to my hiding spot. He hissed, making poor Edwick jump a foot back.

"Come out, I can here your heart beating." he rasped. I took a step out and met his crimson eyes. "How much did you hear?"

I tried to pick my words carefully, experience telling me to speak submissively - "As much as you wanted me to hear."

He chuckled, "Well isn't that nice, a good dog of the military." His smile was sickeningly sweet, "Shame it's still too much." a sadistic lilt caught his tongue, he snapped his fingers. Simultaneously a horde of glowing red eyed vampires appeared behind him. "Kill her."

They swarmed me like ants would a sugar cube, I had hardly anytime to pull out my knives before they were on me. I cut one down and two more replaced it, like in that old legend of the hydra.

Distantly I could hear the vampire closing the deal with Edwick then leaving- that betrayer! He hadn't even tried to help before he buggered off.

When they landed their first hit on me , it was cheap; at least six came at me from all sides, another jumped in and grabbed my hair flinging me to the side. Something broke- didn't know if it was me or the wall but it hurt. Their eyes grew a bright red, and a few black dots clouded my eyes for a minute as trickle of warm metallic blood dribbled down my chin. They had been trained, not to a great standard but taught all the same.

From my hunched position, I threw a knife aiming straight between a vampires eyes, it flailed its arms and made odd gurgling noises until it disintegrated into dust.The vampires looked at me uneasily, hesitancy now dictating their movements. 

I felt my own blood lust rise and drew my gun, something inside me feeding on their new-found vulnerability and my adrenaline stating to course through my veins. Just as I was about to charge, two figures flew into the horde- flinging vampires out of the way like a demolition ball, leaving only a trail of dust and blood in their wake.

They were so fast, I couldn't even make out their faces, whoever they were I was jealous of their battle prowess.
I felt weak. As if my legs would give out any second, I must've hit my head really hard, I could see stars. How very careless of me to be injured at a time like this.

I stood stiff as a rock in astonishment as the two figures made quick work of the vampires.

Now and then I'd see a flash of teeth and claws and hear the thunderous snarls and growls as they moved in a blur, I would've- should've helped but I was entranced, hypnotised by the fluid way they moved.

I couldn't remember when the wall behind me became a brace to keep me upright. But somewhere along the lines the fight had stopped too.

The two figures panted amongst the piles of ashes, their eyes glowing a bright silver. It was only when I noted the glowing colour that I realised they were directed at me.