Red.

Chapter 2

When Lynn wakes, she finds herself in the same room as before.
It wasn't a dream...
A shiver runs through her body. She fells well enough to sit up at least, but the pain springs up, and she clutches her chest. When Lynn pulls her hand away, a thin layer of blood was smeared on her palm. She closes her eyes and turns her head toward the ceiling. Penn was gone, and she is alone in her room. She sighs as the door opens, and a visitor silently comes in.
"You must be feeling better," a woman's voice says.
She startles Lynn, and she jumps, leaving her wincing in pain.
"Sorry," the woman says. "I've grown used to how easily I can sneak up on people."
Lynn only nods subtlety.
The woman moves to sit in the chair and says,
"How are you feeling? Do you feel any pain?"
"Just a little bit," Lynn says sarcastically.
The corners of the woman's mouth perks up slightly.
"You are able to move, so the pain must not be too bad. Here, take these."
She hands Lynn a mass of small pills, and she eyes them suspiciously.
Well, I'm already on the verge of dying. What else could possibly go wrong?
She swallows them all at once, almost choking. The woman hands Lynn a glass of water and she drinks it quickly.
"Are you hungry?" the woman asks.
"I think," Lynn says.
Truth was, she wasn't sure how she felt at the moment. She simply felt. She couldn't tell if she was hungry or thirsty, awake or tired. All she knew was that her heart still beat, against all odds.
"Who are you?" Lynn asks, her senses coming back.
"Amelia," she says. "I believe you've already met Penn."
"Yeah," Lynn says. "Oh, he mentioned you, and a guy named Zen... Or something like that..."
Amelia chuckles softly.
"You mean Zander. You might meet him soon enough. For now though, how about we start by taking care of that appetite?"
She unfolds a wheelchair and helps Lynn into it. Amelia rolls Lynn out the door, leading to a long hallway. It has a few windows that light shines through, but the grey walls makes the area feel rather bleak.
"Where are we going?" Lynn asks.
"To the dining room," Amelia answers. "If Zander's back in from last night, you should get to see him too."
At the end of the hallway are large, dark-colored wooden double doors. Amelia swings them open with ease, and wheels Lynn into a small dining room. The walls are the same grey as every other room Lynn has seen so far, and a large wooden table sits in the middle of the room, the same color as the doors. It feels somewhat claustrophobic, and cramped. A mix of paintings and portraits adorns the walls. Their eyes seem to follow Lynn as Amelia wheels her up to a spot at the table. Long benches line the sides of the table, all in the same color brown. Penn sits farther down the table. He grins at Lynn and she gives him a silent nod. A large slice of pizza sits on a plate. Lynn picks up the slice and bites into it. Amelia sits next to Penn, and starts to eat as well.
A thought occurs to Lynn.
"Why are you being so open when you've basically told me that what you do is illegal?"
They give her a questioning look, before Amelia asks,
"Where do you think your father works?"
She thinks for a moment.
"Not sure if I'm completely honest," Lynn says, blushing slightly. "All I know is that he moves around a lot... Doesn't come home often."
"Your father is a councilor for the organization we're a part of," Amelia says. "He requested that we inform you of our presence; said you could be trusted."
Lynn's head started to swarm. Her father protects the world from vampires? All those times he was away... He must have been on some sort of mission. All the times he's been absent from her life, he's been here, saving others' lives. She feels angry... Yet more satisfied with the fact that at least he was doing something worthwhile. Still, the idea that her father kills vampires... Haunts her. Amelia seems to notice her silence.
"You're safe here with us... And so long as you keep this under wraps, you'll always have a place here."
She wonders what they would do if she did tell someone, and decides that it would probably not be worth it to try her luck.
"Your organization hunts vampires?" Lynn asks curiously.
"Yes," Penn confirms. "At least, the ones who cause trouble."
"Like Garret..."
Lynn bites her lip while thinking.
"Tell me more about your organization. I want to know as much as you can tell me."
"Our organization is called the Venandi," Amelia says. "Each major city has a small team that monitors vampire activity and takes care of any that become a problem."
"By... Killing them," Lynn mumbles.
"Each team is independent, but there is a central council that provides overall guidance," Amelia continues. "They make the rules and travel around to make sure they're followed."
"What's generally frowned upon?" Lynn asks.
"Assaulting or killing your teammate, as well as anyone else's teammates you come across usually doesn't end well," Penn says calmly. "Killing or attacking innocents is out of the question, and disobeying a direct order from the council is not a good idea either."
"So basically, don't try to kill anyone and do what you're told?" Lynn asks sarcastically.
Penn simply shrugs and nods.
"Is there only one team for New York?" Lynn asks.
"Yeah," Amelia says.
"And... Only three people in said team?" Lynn questions.
"Yep," Penn says.
"This is not an efficient system..." Lynn concludes. "How do you cover that much ground?"
"Truth be told, we usually don't," Amelia says. "We usually only handle the major cases that come in."
"How do you come across cases?" Lynn wonders aloud.
"We have an informant that's a high rank in the NYPD," Penn responds. "He usually points us in the right direction, and sometimes handles the smaller cases that we get."
"He also helps us cover up our operation," Amelia says. "Leads a clean-up crew and messes with the data so no one knew what happened."
"How did you get me here without me dying along the way?" Lynn inquires.
"We have access to ambulances around the city," Amelia replies. "They also help cover up medical records when necessary."
"Believe it or not, it's fairly easy to make sure we're not discovered," Penn says. "Even if word did get out, I doubt anyone would think too much of us."
Amelia and Penn continues to tell Lynn of the history of the Venandi, and shows her around the building. It's small and cramped, and has the same grey walls throughout. As they were walking back to the dining room, a dark voice called to them.
"It seems our patient is doing better."
The man comes into the light, allowing Lynn to see him better. He has short, jet black hair that is greying slightly, and is cleanly shaven. His eyes sparkle blue in the darkness, and he is extremely tall. He wears all black, and carries a dark demeanor.
"Hello Zander," Penn says. "Yes, she seems to be doing a great deal better."
"Good," Zander says. "That means you two can leave her long enough for an urgent mission."
"What's going on?" Amelia says.
"A group of them have been hiding out in some alleyways in Harlem, preying on drunk tourists," Zander replies. "We should get over there and see if we can track them down."
Penn and Amelia nod, and together they follow Zander to the end of the hallway and out the door, leaving Lynn with the house to herself.