Immortal Nights - Chapter 1
Bailey is a vampire hunter with a problem, she too is a vampire. the stakes are high and the fangs are out. Charlotte has the task of recruiting Bailey, she's the key. Bailey will have to choose. Immortality or a pulse?
1 - Bailey
The candle lit up the room and as it flickered I looked down at the sword my hands. I turned it over, studying the silver surface that was now covered with ruby red blood. I looked around at the scene, a dozen pale, dead bodies scattered on the warehouse floor. I walked around the room checking that they were all dead and that the stakes were firm in there chest. The eyes of the corpses had turned black, their bodies even more pale than usual and their veins clearly visible, leaving a maze of blue lines along the exposed flesh. I ran down the stairs and out the door before the vampire's backup reached the scene. Sure I could kill a small nest of newborns, but trained assassins? No way. I reached the large metal door and shoved it open welcoming the sunlight after being in a pitch black warehouse for over an hour (the fight had taken longer than I thought it would). I looked around at the cars parked nearby, looking out for any unusually dark tinting.
When I was sure it was safe to leave I ran towards the red VW waiting for me. Yanking open the door, I threw my sword into my black leather gym bag and put it on the floor of the car. "Is everything alright? No broken ribs? What about bites?" said the voice besides me, as I flopped into the passenger seat. I turned to face him, "have I ever been seriously hurt Cal?" I replied, hoping the answer would suffice. My leather jacket had been shredded and torn, but the cuts had not reached my skin. I was sore and I had a few mean bruises but I didn't want him to worry about me. He shrugged and leaned in to kiss me. I welcomed his lips on mine and it sent a tingle down my spine, it was cute how he was always worried about me. "Is that a better answer then?" I teased, while sitting back into my seat. Cal had a way of always making me feel safer and younger than I usually felt. Just seeing him could make me smile, with his devilish grin, and deep blue eyes that made me feel as if I were swimming in the ocean whenever I looked into them.
"No but it'll do for now," his eyes lingered on me for a while but suddenly shot to the cars mirror, "ah, we better leave, now!" he grabbed the wheel and headed for the exit. I followed where his gaze had just been. There was a black van with illegally dark tinted windows, no human could see through that, but vampires had no trouble seeing through the black tinting, nor did I. I never thought anything about it usually but when I mentioned it everyone gave me strange looks. No human was able to see, except me, it was really strange. Through the tinting I could see the driver, I recognized her immediately, as the scar was still on her face. It was Charlotte, the only vampire I had come into contact with, that I didn't (or rather couldn't) kill.
Usually vampires didn't scar at all, as the wounds healed nearly as quickly as when they were inflicted, but I had cut her with my silver dagger and silver was very effective against vampires. We rounded a corner and they were out of my sight. "I think that's the quickest any of their backup has arrived", I thought out loud. I looked at Cal, his knuckles were white as he gripped the wheel and his mouth was in a thin line. He had quite a temper, and sometimes it got the better of him, I knew that when he was in this mood he didn't want to talk. I looked out the window at the passing buildings, most were abandoned but there were a few occupied ones where people were living, it was a very dingy area, some would say it was a ghetto. Buildings were covered with various graffiti and the streets were scattered with drug dealers, the homeless and prostitutes. "They never told you, did they?" he mumbled.
"About what?" I asked turning to face him. His hands were more relaxed on the wheel now but a glint of anger still remained in his eyes.
"That wasn't just a normal pack of newbies, Bay, they were about to be sworn. There should've been at least three people in there fighting, not one."
"That can't be right! They wouldn't have sent me in alone", I stared at him, not believing what I was hearing. When newbie Vampires were sworn, they had to fully drain a person -if they didn't, they would slowly die and go mental -and then they would become even more dangerous. We turned onto a dirt road leading into the woods where I saw the large brick farmhouse. The farmhouse was beautiful, it was made of bricks and had a beautiful patio. It was surrounded by acres and acres of land and some other buildings. "Oh gosh", I cried as I stretched out my legs, "I really need a good bath, I'm really gonna hurt tomorrow". Cal parked the car in front of the house and took my hand in his. The dogs that had been lounging in the shade on the patio had gotten up and some headed for the car.
"Sorry, not just yet. We're gonna have a little talk with Dave", he let go of my hand and reached for my bag. I wouldn't usually let him carry my stuff but I wasn't in the mood to argue, my whole body was starting to ache and I really didn't want to carry it. I followed Cal into the farmhouse, giving the dogs a scratch between the ears as I passed, and into the kitchen. Sarah was in the kitchen preparing dinner and she sent me a smile as I walked past. "Hey Sarah, Dave home?" Cal asked grabbing a bottle of water, which he threw to me.
"Yeah should be in his office, he's been in there all afternoon doing paperwork", she said while chopping a carrot, "and you kids better be at dinner tonight, I'm making a gorgeous baked dinner", she exclaimed, "there will only be a few of you, some have gone out to the Capital.
"Wouldn't miss it, I'm starved!" I called behind me as I followed Cal into the hallway. As I walked through the house I couldn't help looking at the old photos on the wall. The photos had always fascinated me. There were photos of my ancestors and the old farmhouse, which had been burned down years ago in an 'accidental' fire. I had never really met any of my family, my mom died when she had given birth to me and my father had been murdered one night walking home from work by a gang of hungry vampires. There were no pictures of my parents on the wall, and I was always wondering why. I had been living with uncle Dave since I was seven but I only found out he was a vampire slayer at the age of 10, and I had decided to train to join him, so I could get revenge for my dad .We reached the end of the hallway and Cal rapped on the polished oak door. "You may enter", came the reply. Cal turned the brass handle and opened the door.
No matter how many times I had been in Dave's office, it never stopped leaving me breathless. The soft plush carpet was a color of deep purple and the walls a nice cream, decorated with antique swords and even an old whip with a silver tip that had belonged to his great grandfather. The furniture was beautifully designed and then there was the massive bookshelf full of old books and diaries of ancestors. I loved grabbing one off the shelf and just reading it in front of the fire, all of our ancestors lives and secrets written down for me to discover, the thought made me want to grab one right now. "Please, take a seat children", Dave said as he looked up from the papers lying on his desk. Even for a man in his late forties he still looked only thirty. He had dark brown hair and his forehead was only just starting to get a few slight wrinkles, I had even seen some girls in their late twenties check him out a few times, but he never noticed them he only had eyes for Sarah his apparent soulmate. "I'm guessing you took care of that nest Bailey?" he asked, his British accent flooding the room.
Everyone called a group of vampires a nest. It was just something we did, though I wasn't sure if it was the correct term. He leaned back into his seat, putting his hands behind his head. I just nodded, taking another gulp of my water. "Very well," he turned to Cal, "though I'm sensing that's not why you're here to see me".
"You bet it's not Dave", Cal practically growled, "Why the hell did you send her in alone? They were about to be sworn! Do you know how dangerous that mission was?" he exclaimed. His hands were in fists so I grabbed the one nearest to me in case his anger got the better of him and he decided to give Dave one hell of a black eye. Though I wasn't worried about Dave, more about Cal, if Cal even went to punch Dave, he would have Cal in a headlock in a flash. Dave had been fighting Vampires all his life and he had a pretty long life for a vampire slayer. Vampire slayers rarely lived past thirty, as going around trying to kill supernaturally strong and fast beings was quite a dangerous career choice." Of course I knew they were about to be sworn, I am no idiot. I just thought Bailey had enough skill and expertise to complete the mission", he glanced over at me, "and she did...she can handle herself Caleb. There was only four in the warehouse, she has killed more before".
"Yes I know," Cal was starting to sound defeated and I knew he would soon give up. No one wanted to make Dave angry, he was a nice guy we were lucky to have him as our leader and not some mean control freak.
"Bailey has her exams coming up, these missions are the perfect practice. They will also put in a good word for her, adding more marks to her overall score, you have them soon too if I remember correctly", Dave stood up and walked to the bookshelf and started to search through the books, "ah, here we are", he pulled out two books. One was a thick blue book that looked like a massive dictionary, and the other was a small brown leather diary. He handed the dictionary look alike to Cal and the diary to me. "Now, I want you to study those, they will help with the exams". I looked down at my tiny book. The pages felt loose under the cover and the leather was wearing in places. Cal was definitely going to hate this. He wasn't a reading type of a guy. He'd rather be in the gym or surfing at Bondi. I was going to hear some complaining tonight, and probably some begging for us to swap books, but I wouldn't cave, I loved the old books. "That is all, see you at dinner," and with that he opened the door for us to leave.
***
"This is delicious," I exclaimed taking another bite of my chicken. Sarah had made a feast, it wasn't as much as she usually made when she had to feed all of us, but with some in the Capital she had made something more gourmet. "Thanks, Bay!" she beamed. Sarah was like a mother to all of us, especially to me since I had never had a family. As soon as I had set foot in the foot into the house nine years ago, she had taken me under her wing and treated me like her own daughter. Sarah and Dave had never had any children, it's not like they didn't want their own children. Sarah just couldn't. It was quite sad to see someone who would make the most perfect mother be rejected that gift, and we all knew that she treated us like her own as we were the closest thing she would get to having her own actual children. Well, us and the animals anyway. "How did the mission go Bay?" asked Jamie. Jamie had been living here for as long as I could remember, she was my closest friend, and so close we were basically sisters.
"It went well, all dead", I yawned. I was so tired! "Though, we nearly had a run-in with their backup". They all stared at me except for Cal, who kept on shoving food in his mouth, as usual. I hated that most boys could eat anything and everything and not gain any weight, life was so unfair. "Well, I think we all know why, hey Dave?" Cal's sarcasm broke the silence. Dave decided to ignore the comment and just stood up and excused himself saying that he had to make a phone call. We all ate in silence for what felt like an eternity.
I tried to hear some of Dave's conversation but it was no use, his office was totally soundproof. I stood up and took my plate to the sink, looking out the window and at the shadows made by the trees and the hills. It made me relax a little, watching the dogs walking around and listening for any predators. I heard a small growl coming from one of the dogs and I swear I saw something running across the field, but it was gone in a flash. It must've been a shadow, nothing could get past the dogs and I was exhausted, it was probably just my mind playing tricks on me. So I excused myself and went to have a nice soak in the bath.
The candle lit up the room and as it flickered I looked down at the sword my hands. I turned it over, studying the silver surface that was now covered with ruby red blood. I looked around at the scene, a dozen pale, dead bodies scattered on the warehouse floor. I walked around the room checking that they were all dead and that the stakes were firm in there chest. The eyes of the corpses had turned black, their bodies even more pale than usual and their veins clearly visible, leaving a maze of blue lines along the exposed flesh. I ran down the stairs and out the door before the vampire's backup reached the scene. Sure I could kill a small nest of newborns, but trained assassins? No way. I reached the large metal door and shoved it open welcoming the sunlight after being in a pitch black warehouse for over an hour (the fight had taken longer than I thought it would). I looked around at the cars parked nearby, looking out for any unusually dark tinting.
When I was sure it was safe to leave I ran towards the red VW waiting for me. Yanking open the door, I threw my sword into my black leather gym bag and put it on the floor of the car. "Is everything alright? No broken ribs? What about bites?" said the voice besides me, as I flopped into the passenger seat. I turned to face him, "have I ever been seriously hurt Cal?" I replied, hoping the answer would suffice. My leather jacket had been shredded and torn, but the cuts had not reached my skin. I was sore and I had a few mean bruises but I didn't want him to worry about me. He shrugged and leaned in to kiss me. I welcomed his lips on mine and it sent a tingle down my spine, it was cute how he was always worried about me. "Is that a better answer then?" I teased, while sitting back into my seat. Cal had a way of always making me feel safer and younger than I usually felt. Just seeing him could make me smile, with his devilish grin, and deep blue eyes that made me feel as if I were swimming in the ocean whenever I looked into them.
"No but it'll do for now," his eyes lingered on me for a while but suddenly shot to the cars mirror, "ah, we better leave, now!" he grabbed the wheel and headed for the exit. I followed where his gaze had just been. There was a black van with illegally dark tinted windows, no human could see through that, but vampires had no trouble seeing through the black tinting, nor did I. I never thought anything about it usually but when I mentioned it everyone gave me strange looks. No human was able to see, except me, it was really strange. Through the tinting I could see the driver, I recognized her immediately, as the scar was still on her face. It was Charlotte, the only vampire I had come into contact with, that I didn't (or rather couldn't) kill.
Usually vampires didn't scar at all, as the wounds healed nearly as quickly as when they were inflicted, but I had cut her with my silver dagger and silver was very effective against vampires. We rounded a corner and they were out of my sight. "I think that's the quickest any of their backup has arrived", I thought out loud. I looked at Cal, his knuckles were white as he gripped the wheel and his mouth was in a thin line. He had quite a temper, and sometimes it got the better of him, I knew that when he was in this mood he didn't want to talk. I looked out the window at the passing buildings, most were abandoned but there were a few occupied ones where people were living, it was a very dingy area, some would say it was a ghetto. Buildings were covered with various graffiti and the streets were scattered with drug dealers, the homeless and prostitutes. "They never told you, did they?" he mumbled.
"About what?" I asked turning to face him. His hands were more relaxed on the wheel now but a glint of anger still remained in his eyes.
"That wasn't just a normal pack of newbies, Bay, they were about to be sworn. There should've been at least three people in there fighting, not one."
"That can't be right! They wouldn't have sent me in alone", I stared at him, not believing what I was hearing. When newbie Vampires were sworn, they had to fully drain a person -if they didn't, they would slowly die and go mental -and then they would become even more dangerous. We turned onto a dirt road leading into the woods where I saw the large brick farmhouse. The farmhouse was beautiful, it was made of bricks and had a beautiful patio. It was surrounded by acres and acres of land and some other buildings. "Oh gosh", I cried as I stretched out my legs, "I really need a good bath, I'm really gonna hurt tomorrow". Cal parked the car in front of the house and took my hand in his. The dogs that had been lounging in the shade on the patio had gotten up and some headed for the car.
"Sorry, not just yet. We're gonna have a little talk with Dave", he let go of my hand and reached for my bag. I wouldn't usually let him carry my stuff but I wasn't in the mood to argue, my whole body was starting to ache and I really didn't want to carry it. I followed Cal into the farmhouse, giving the dogs a scratch between the ears as I passed, and into the kitchen. Sarah was in the kitchen preparing dinner and she sent me a smile as I walked past. "Hey Sarah, Dave home?" Cal asked grabbing a bottle of water, which he threw to me.
"Yeah should be in his office, he's been in there all afternoon doing paperwork", she said while chopping a carrot, "and you kids better be at dinner tonight, I'm making a gorgeous baked dinner", she exclaimed, "there will only be a few of you, some have gone out to the Capital.
"Wouldn't miss it, I'm starved!" I called behind me as I followed Cal into the hallway. As I walked through the house I couldn't help looking at the old photos on the wall. The photos had always fascinated me. There were photos of my ancestors and the old farmhouse, which had been burned down years ago in an 'accidental' fire. I had never really met any of my family, my mom died when she had given birth to me and my father had been murdered one night walking home from work by a gang of hungry vampires. There were no pictures of my parents on the wall, and I was always wondering why. I had been living with uncle Dave since I was seven but I only found out he was a vampire slayer at the age of 10, and I had decided to train to join him, so I could get revenge for my dad .We reached the end of the hallway and Cal rapped on the polished oak door. "You may enter", came the reply. Cal turned the brass handle and opened the door.
No matter how many times I had been in Dave's office, it never stopped leaving me breathless. The soft plush carpet was a color of deep purple and the walls a nice cream, decorated with antique swords and even an old whip with a silver tip that had belonged to his great grandfather. The furniture was beautifully designed and then there was the massive bookshelf full of old books and diaries of ancestors. I loved grabbing one off the shelf and just reading it in front of the fire, all of our ancestors lives and secrets written down for me to discover, the thought made me want to grab one right now. "Please, take a seat children", Dave said as he looked up from the papers lying on his desk. Even for a man in his late forties he still looked only thirty. He had dark brown hair and his forehead was only just starting to get a few slight wrinkles, I had even seen some girls in their late twenties check him out a few times, but he never noticed them he only had eyes for Sarah his apparent soulmate. "I'm guessing you took care of that nest Bailey?" he asked, his British accent flooding the room.
Everyone called a group of vampires a nest. It was just something we did, though I wasn't sure if it was the correct term. He leaned back into his seat, putting his hands behind his head. I just nodded, taking another gulp of my water. "Very well," he turned to Cal, "though I'm sensing that's not why you're here to see me".
"You bet it's not Dave", Cal practically growled, "Why the hell did you send her in alone? They were about to be sworn! Do you know how dangerous that mission was?" he exclaimed. His hands were in fists so I grabbed the one nearest to me in case his anger got the better of him and he decided to give Dave one hell of a black eye. Though I wasn't worried about Dave, more about Cal, if Cal even went to punch Dave, he would have Cal in a headlock in a flash. Dave had been fighting Vampires all his life and he had a pretty long life for a vampire slayer. Vampire slayers rarely lived past thirty, as going around trying to kill supernaturally strong and fast beings was quite a dangerous career choice." Of course I knew they were about to be sworn, I am no idiot. I just thought Bailey had enough skill and expertise to complete the mission", he glanced over at me, "and she did...she can handle herself Caleb. There was only four in the warehouse, she has killed more before".
"Yes I know," Cal was starting to sound defeated and I knew he would soon give up. No one wanted to make Dave angry, he was a nice guy we were lucky to have him as our leader and not some mean control freak.
"Bailey has her exams coming up, these missions are the perfect practice. They will also put in a good word for her, adding more marks to her overall score, you have them soon too if I remember correctly", Dave stood up and walked to the bookshelf and started to search through the books, "ah, here we are", he pulled out two books. One was a thick blue book that looked like a massive dictionary, and the other was a small brown leather diary. He handed the dictionary look alike to Cal and the diary to me. "Now, I want you to study those, they will help with the exams". I looked down at my tiny book. The pages felt loose under the cover and the leather was wearing in places. Cal was definitely going to hate this. He wasn't a reading type of a guy. He'd rather be in the gym or surfing at Bondi. I was going to hear some complaining tonight, and probably some begging for us to swap books, but I wouldn't cave, I loved the old books. "That is all, see you at dinner," and with that he opened the door for us to leave.
***
"This is delicious," I exclaimed taking another bite of my chicken. Sarah had made a feast, it wasn't as much as she usually made when she had to feed all of us, but with some in the Capital she had made something more gourmet. "Thanks, Bay!" she beamed. Sarah was like a mother to all of us, especially to me since I had never had a family. As soon as I had set foot in the foot into the house nine years ago, she had taken me under her wing and treated me like her own daughter. Sarah and Dave had never had any children, it's not like they didn't want their own children. Sarah just couldn't. It was quite sad to see someone who would make the most perfect mother be rejected that gift, and we all knew that she treated us like her own as we were the closest thing she would get to having her own actual children. Well, us and the animals anyway. "How did the mission go Bay?" asked Jamie. Jamie had been living here for as long as I could remember, she was my closest friend, and so close we were basically sisters.
"It went well, all dead", I yawned. I was so tired! "Though, we nearly had a run-in with their backup". They all stared at me except for Cal, who kept on shoving food in his mouth, as usual. I hated that most boys could eat anything and everything and not gain any weight, life was so unfair. "Well, I think we all know why, hey Dave?" Cal's sarcasm broke the silence. Dave decided to ignore the comment and just stood up and excused himself saying that he had to make a phone call. We all ate in silence for what felt like an eternity.
I tried to hear some of Dave's conversation but it was no use, his office was totally soundproof. I stood up and took my plate to the sink, looking out the window and at the shadows made by the trees and the hills. It made me relax a little, watching the dogs walking around and listening for any predators. I heard a small growl coming from one of the dogs and I swear I saw something running across the field, but it was gone in a flash. It must've been a shadow, nothing could get past the dogs and I was exhausted, it was probably just my mind playing tricks on me. So I excused myself and went to have a nice soak in the bath.
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