The Assassin

Chapter 2

Amelia looked down into the woman's face. Tears streaked down her cheeks, over the cuts and bruises that now adorned her face. Large fangs protruded from her mouth in a snarl. She had to admit that the woman put up quite a fight. After three broken bones, she had still refused to give up the location of her child. Instead of the usual annoyance she felt with uncooperative targets, Amelia couldn't help but admire her resilience.  

"Hey, Joseph, how many bones do you think I'll get to break before our little vampire decides to cooperate?" 

"I'm not sure. Why don't you keep going until she does? That might be fun to watch." 

Joseph stood on the far side of the room. He was another of Lazarus's obedient pets. His personality mirrored her father's greatly, but he lacked the cold reserve her father had. He towered over her and his muscles bulged. His complexion was dark and his eyes the same. He emitted a horrible aura, and Amelia hated him. 

She looked down at the vampire. She applied more pressure to her foot, causing another set of cracks in the woman's arm. Amelia didn't flinch nor react to the woman's screams, she couldn't allow herself to show any emotion. For both of their sakes. Instead, she forced a smile on her face, knowing that Joseph would expect that of her and enjoy it. Living up to her expectations, Joseph laughed. 

"Wonderful isn't it? The sound of bones cracking, the feel of being in control and knowing with a single action, you could take a life like," He snapped his fingers, "that." 

Amelia struggled not to shiver at his words. She kept a passive and somewhat, she hoped, bored look on her face. She ignored the fact that his words made her sick and instead, focused on trying to get the information she needed.  

"Where's Emily?" she tried once again, receiving the same venomous glare at her question. 

"You'll never find her, you know. Didn't you think we'd take precautions to ensure her safety? She's already long gone from here and you have no hope of ever finding her." 

"Don't you think we'll do anything to find your daughter? Even if that means killing every single one of your friends and family, one by one, until we find her. Now, tell me who's life is worth more, your daughter's or countless innocents' lives?" Amelia noted the shocked terror on her face with a bit of remorse when Joseph spoke up. 

"Don't bother with her." Joseph walked toward the woman, kneeling down next to her. Before she could even blink, his hand shot out and told hold of her throat. He smiled down at her enjoying her futile attempts at clawing his arm off. She was pitiful. Even being a vampire, she couldn't overpower him, a half-breed. All he had to do was snap her neck and she'd be dead, but then, Lazarus wouldn't be very happy with him. "Regardless of whether or not you tell us, we'll find her. Look at what has happened to your husband. Do you really want to end up lie that?" 

Joseph gestured over to a man crumpled on the floor, bleeding from several lacerations on his body. He lay face down and still except for his shallow breathing. They all knew he'd die soon from blood loss if he wasn't tended to, which was exactly what Joseph had wanted. He heard the woman whimper slightly. 

"Pathetic," he spat. "Brat wake up the man." 

"What?" 

"Wake him up! Let's see if he can handle the death of his wife." His smile was malicious. 

Amelia hesitated only a second before complying. Who was she to question him? She walked over to the man, hauling him up the collar of his shirt. He moaned in pain at the movement then grunted when she began slapping him to wake him up. His eyes flickered open for a second, before closing again.