Rebirth

Chapter 2

Gabriel saw Lucien round the corner, not a second after 3 am. He had a slight sad look in his eyes that Gabriel couldn't place. He didn't look as if he'd eaten, and that surprised Gabriel, considering how much he was pestered by Lucien to take care of himself. Gabriel shrugged off his concerns, knowing that he would feel awkward asking him anyway. Lucien had a way of connecting with people that Gabriel had never understood, and that he secretly longed to have. How was it, Gabriel had always wondered, that he could simply strike up a conversation with anyone? It baffled him, but it didn't matter now.

The men looked at each other and silently began walking back the way they came. Unlike the walk here, this silence wasn't peaceful- rather, it felt thick and uncomfortable. Gabriel looked at Lucien many times, but was never able to identify the expression on his face. Was it sadness? Or an emotion too complex to give a simple name? Gabriel, in his undead youth, had not yet mastered the art of reading people as his older counter part had.

Lucien was never a silent person, in life or death, my the thoughts circling around his mind stifled any words that might have broken the atmosphere around them. Folina... the name keep repeating itself. It was a name he wanted to forget, yet he never could. His Folina, a memory that haunted him. He glanced at Gabriel, who almost looked frustrated. He could relate to that frustration- Gabriel knew nothing of Folina, and so Lucien had no one to confide in about the rush of emotions he was feeling right now. And the silence didn't help. The streets were empty and quiet, and the humid bayou air was their only companion on this night. Lucien kept his head down, letting his melancholy slide over him in waves, while Gabriel simply walked along.

Suddenly, Lucien was struck with a strong feeling of dread. He abruptly stopped, and looked up. There was nothing, no one, in the streets, save him and Gabriel. Gabriel stopped soon after Lucien, and looked at him, puzzled.

He asked, "Lucien? You okay?" Lucien didn't look at him, only ominously responding in a whisper, "Something isn't right..." The way his voice was full of apprehension sent chills down Gabriel's spine. Lucien turned his head, hearing a slight shuffling that wasn't Gabriel. Again he whispered, "Something is here..."

Gabriel was confused and concerned. He had never seen Lucien in such an alarmed state. He knew something had to be wrong- very wrong. Yet he didn't know how. He was under the impression that they, the only 2 vampires in existence, were the strongest beings on this Earth. He knew nothing of the existence of any other creatures, vampire or not. And neither did Lucien- they were 2 beings in their own bubble of the world. But if Lucien, having existed for hundreds of years and being as strong as he is, was alarmed, whatever he sensed must have been extremely dangerous. Gabriel readied his mind for whatever was about to happen. In his time alive, he had been in many fistfights and back alley brawls, but he had never fought as a vampire. His violent side was a little excited- nothing made the blood rush through your veins like a fight, and his new vampirian skills did nothing but heighten that rush.

In a split second, 2 figures appeared in a black blur and Gabriel felt a pair of hands struggling for his own. He jerked them away, but it was too late. He was bound by a paralyzing force- his arms and legs were frozen in place. His head was facing Lucien, who was struggling against the other figure, who Gabriel could see was a woman. She was decently tall, with long black hair. He wondered at first, was she a vampire? She certainly had the build for it, but when she turned he saw that her skin didn't have the distinct paleness that every vampire had- in fact, he looked to be African or Hispanic by the pigment in her skin.

She was fighting violently against Lucien, who was trying to grab her wrists, but she moved so fast that Gabriel could barely keep track of what was going on. Finally, Lucien let out a scream as the woman won their scuffle. Unlike Gabriel, Lucien wasn't paralyzed, but instead the woman was behind him holding a massive scimitar sword right at his neck. One wrong move and the blade would go right through his skin. Although Gabriel was young, he knew a few things about vampires, and one is that while they could never die of natural causes, they aren't completely invincible. A sword through the neck may or may not kill you, depending on the severity of the wound, but it would hurt like hell regardless. An inconceivable thought passed through Gabriel's mind- Lucien could die in this fight. The thought made his heart skip a beat. his own life had meant nothing to him- but Lucien was the only one he had left in this world. He couldn't lose him. As determined as he was to help Lucien, he was powerless- he couldn't fight this magic force binding him. He cried out for Lucien, and Lucien looked at him with a painful look in his eyes that brought Gabriel to the brink of tears. Gabriel could tell that Lucien had just had the same thought, and his eyes conveyed