Crimson † Chess (Vlad Dracula)

Amsterdam (3)

Just at the border, Gabriel called her mom but could only leave a voicemail. Her mom would go nuts when she heard the message. Just maybe it would be enough to create a buzz of European law enforcement.

"Mom, I love you and Dad! I'm so scared!! I'm running from a serial killer. I don't know his name! He may call you as he is a very bad person and has Sheri's phone. He told me to run while he killed all my friends! I am no longer in England. Pray he doesn't find me. I love you all so much!"

The girl stretched and got off the train. It took longer but she was switching trains in an attempt to make it harder to track her down. The girl had plenty of currency so she didn't leave much of a paper trail as she used a cousin's name who looked a lot like her.

The cousin loaned her passport to Gabriel saying she had a bad feeling. When Annibelle got bad feelings you listened to them and took her advice. That was what the visit to the French bank was about.

Gabriel ate a late lunch, bought food to eat on the way and got on her new train. It was a private car just not a sleeping one. She dug a spare shoelace out of her bag and tied it to the door and her wrist. If someone tried to get in they would wake her. As her coat for a pillow, her head rested on the large window. She fell asleep to the sound of the train.

The girl slept until her stop in Brussels, Belgium. She found a reasonable hostel style hotel and crashed. Gabriel waited her turn to use the bathroom and took a very fast shower. The girl changed her clothes and ate some of her travel food. The beer tasted good and calmed her a little until she noticed several texts and two missed phone calls from 'Sheri'.

Gabriel closed her eyes for a moment and pinched her nose. She decided to listen to the messages. How creepy where the messages going to be for her from 583 year old undead stalker?

"Good morning draga mea, what a delightful surprise to find you off on an adventure. Did your rabbit hole slip you out of England? Do you think you will be safe in the French countryside? You're not...I will find you."

Then the next call was when she had gone to sleep headed to Brussels. This time Vali was irritated with her and let it slip in his voice and use of words.

"Evening little cottontail, you should not have involved your family. They may be safe for now but anyone who cares to give you shelter pays dearly. No matter Paris, being the city of love, is quite beautiful in the summer unlike long ago. You would look beautiful under the lights of the Tour de Eiffel. Must be going as I have pretty throats to rip open..."

Gabriel sighed but her parents bought her time. Maybe it was enough for now?

The college girl pulled her small tablet out and searched the international news. Then on the English news there was a blurb about five female American college tourists missing and feared kidnapped or dead though no bodies had been found. They were last seen downtown London. Damn Kazıklı bey! The cops didn't have the location being the club.

A new text came through. Fine, she would read her texts but not look at the photos.

KB: a beautiful English sunrise but not as beautiful as you. (Photo attached)

KB: oh how your friends had enjoyed themselves as only a vampire can do with such stamina (photo attached)

KB: how fragile humans are to vampires but I should think you might be tougher, little fighter.(photo attached)

KB: Tour de Eiffel (photo attached) as you probably went through in the day.

Now a couple texts came from her mom.

MS: baby! Your father contacted the London police and the U.S. embassy.

MS: We love you so much. Your father says you need to get a different phone and then contact only us with it.

A little over two hours and Gabriel stepped off the train. The sights and sounds of the city rushed her senses. Her first order of business was a burn phone. After some inquiries, she purchased a burn phone. Gabriel put in emergency contact numbers, saved the vampire messages and pulled her memory card.

The college girl entered a cafe and sat at a small table. She listened in on conversations and heard a young couple were going to head out for Austria in their new red BMW sedan. Gabriel got back up and left. After about ten minutes she found the car and slid the phone underneath then used a shoelace to tie it down. If Lord blood sucker got a Renfield to ping the phone it was headed to Austria.

Gabriel was exhausted and beyond hungry. She went to an expensive hotel. The front desk person gave her a hard time at first then became more agreeable when Gabriel showed her passport. The girl ordered steak then started a hot bath.

Twenty minutes into bath her food came. Gabriel put a robe on and checked to make sure it was her food. She let the man in but noticed a tattoo that belonged to a clan of gypsies. 'Fuck' she thought but smiled and gave him a good tip. Kazıklı bey and his gypsies that were loyal to him. Of course one would be here but she figured the bad area of the city would too.

Gabriel sighed and checked the steak. It looked untampered with where the potato could easily be and forget the desert as would be the perfect thing and the first thing to drug. Damn!

The chocolate mousse looked good too.

Nope not worth it. She had to stay ahead and get to Denmark to catch a plane to Moscow. Then Gabriel would head to Japan. The Vampire would figure west so she would go east.

The girl ate and dressed at the same time. As she dug through her bag, a piece of chalk came out of her bag.

Yes!

Her cousin Annibelle had packed so she could do protection or Dutch hex signs. It could be used to inscribe Angelic script on doors, ceilings etc. That piece of chalk could be the game changer she needed.

-Meanwhile in Austria-

Vali aka Vlad arrogantly walked into a high end hotel in the city of Vienna. Gabriel had good taste but how did she get the money to afford staying here? The Impaler placed his right arm on the check in desk and waited, tapping his fingers.

"Good evening Sir Draganu, how may I help you?"

"I need the room number for an American girl by the name of Gabriel Steiger."

The front desk manager checked his computer. "I'm very sorry but she is not booked here. What does she look like?"

Vali showed a photo from his phone. "I will check if she is a guest or checked out."

About ten minutes later the manager came back and shook nervously. "She is not booked at any hotel such as our rating. I had calls made. What more can I do to find her?"

The Shadow King let a low frustrated growl out and the manger cringed. "Worm crawl back to your filth, you did your job."

Vali walked outside and was getting ready to call his contact who supposedly had accurately 'pinged' her phone at this location, when a call from Amsterdam showed on the screen.

"It's Silvanus I'm pretty sure your girl is here in Amsterdam. I just served her a steak dinner. She colored her hair and is dressing different from your last photo."

"I have always been able to count on you Silvanus and your family. How does she seem?"

"Exhausted and on edge. She almost didn't let me in and I think she saw my tattoo. I have my younger brother watching her room door on surveillance. I'll know when she leaves her room at anytime," Silvanus said confidently on the phone.

"I'll be there soon. Her phone says she's in Vienna when Pierre tracked it. How is that?" Vali hinted Pierre was going to be a snack.

"Your Gabriel is smart. She probably staked a spot and found a couple going to Vienna. The girl placed her phone on the car somewhere. It's in the car garage just not her," Silvanus remarked.

"Get me the name she is traveling under now and report back. I will make it quite worth you and your brother's time. One thing though, not one scratch better be on her. I want her whole and in one beautiful piece. I have special plans for her."

"Of course my Lord."

The healthy man does not torture others. Generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers."Carl Jung~Gideon (Criminal Minds)