Fan Fiction ❯ Alex Night: Vampire Hunter Extrodinare ❯ The Seal of Day Saga: Chapter Eight: The Bitter End ( Chapter 10 )

Alex Night: Vampire Hunter Extrodinare

The Seal of Day Saga: The Bitter End

By: Jennifer L. Bratcher

Pandemonium raged. Gun shots split ghouls' heads completely in half in a splatter of black gore and ichor. Forest managed to stagger up and jump Quinn. She shoved him to the ground, lying on top, instinctively placing herself in danger before him.

He looked up at her and gently reached up to touch one of her fangs. Her eyes widened as the tooth began to throb and pulse with a life of it's own. More gun shots rang out as a familar voice started to laugh.

Soon, there were no more ghouls and no more shots fired. Forest slowly rose up to see Kristopher smiling at her beautificaly.She looked up for the sniper, knowing that he had to have one somewhere. She saw trees dotting the graveyard and the high fence, but there was no movement.

She looked down to see Alex naked and curled in pain. Forest could smell the rich, powerful Lupine blood even at this distance, calling to her almost. Kristopher dangled the Seal of Day out on his fingers.

"No," Quinn sneered, moving closer.

Kristopher chuckled, "So, you're the little dhampile that Forest has been fucking."

"Go to Hell," Forest snarled, itching to have her .44 back in her hands. The sniper's rifle had to be an automatic to do this kind of damage at a far range. Right now, her body wasn't in any condition to fight.

Kristopher looked her over and said, "A waist, Forest. You could of been one of us, you know. The Assassin. Has a lovely ring, doesn' it?"

"Don't go all poetic on me, Destroyer," Forest snarled, knowing she could do nothing.

Kristopher knelt down and lifted Alex's still form up. The halfling's pale, blood splattered chest moved up and down irraticaly, signaling she was still alive. Alex moaned patheticaly, her long raven hair falling around her.

Forest looked around for Minerva, noting that she had ran.

Minerva was either going to have a good explanation for doing this or Forest was going to behead her herself.

Kristopher's grin smiled as he leered, "It's intresting to see you so out of control, my dear. You've lost everything and there's nothing you can do if you do not want to see either half-breeds injured."

"Wanna bet?" a familar voice replied.

Forest gasped. She almost had forgoten what Aaron Blackthorn had looked like, how darkly beautiful he was. He was floating in his aura of scarlet fire, his black hair whipping around him and his eyes now golden and glowing. He lifted his arm at Kristopher and calmly demanded, "Let the girl go."

Quinn snapped, "Who the hell is he?" There was something like jelousy in the depths of his dark blue eyes. If it had been an other situation she would of thought it ironic, but right now she felt sorry for her lover with Aaron glowing and untouchable.

Kristopher sneered, "Who the hell are you?"

Aaron smirked and flicked his arm. Kristopher went flying while Alex simply slumped onto the ground. Forest shouted, "Someone you don't wanna fuck with!"

"What is he?" Quinn asked, looking suddenly nervous.

Forest swallowed and answered, "Mostly faerie."

"What else?" he whispered, taking a step closer to her.

Forest flicked her hair out of her eyes and answered, "You wouldn't belive me if I told you." Still, I'm wondering how Alex talked him out of his self-emposed exile?

******

Minerva watched the crimson flamed aura of the the beautiful man before her. The power around him was thick and touchable, but it wasn't enough to save Alex or Quinn from the sniper. She watched as Kristopher placed the Seal around his neck and sneered, "Well, if you try that again I'll have my friend take out the two half breeds before you could blast me away again, boy. You're going to let me leave quietly and there's nothing you can do about it."

Alex's breaths were getting more shallow by the moment. She was dying. That much silver going through her system . . .

Minerva knew that Forest was going to kill her. She had signed her death warent when she had brought Quinn into all of this. She didn't know that Jennifer was going to go that far.

All she wanted was to gain some of her humanity back.

And look where it got me, she realized as she started to run at Alex. She heard Forest curse briefly as Kristopher shouted to kill her, but Minerva ignored it all. She scooped Alex into her hands and sprinted, using her senses to guide her.

She heard gun shots ring out into the shoutes and swears, but miraciously, each shot missed. She lept over the brick fence and continued to run until she saw Forest's `67 Camaro parked a scant twenty feet away.

There were two things that Forest collected: weapons and cars. She wouldn't miss this one, Minerva figured as she picked the lock and shoved Alex's bleeding body into the passenger's side. She reached below the steering wheel and yanked the wires with a savage grin.

The engine roared to life as she touched the wires together. She smirked as she shifted the car into drive and peeled away. Alex looked over at her, her normally brilliant blue eyes dull with pain. Minerva promised, "I'm going to get you to a hospital."

"No," Alex choked, blood bubbling at her lips in an enticing way. Minerva shifted uncomfortably, suddenly more aware of the fact that she hadn't fed tonight and that Alex was bleeding her powerful blood all over Forest's expansive leather interior.

Minerva kept her eyes on the road as she played with the clutch. She replied, "Yes, I am. You're dying Alex, all that silver in your system."

"Bullets went through," she managed, leaning forward so Minerva could see the gaping holes in her back. If she had been a true Lupine, werewolf or fledgling vampire the bullets would of dug themselves deep into her flesh and started to poision her system. Hell, she would of been dead a few moments ago, but she wasn't healing. The bullet wounds matched a human's. Either way, Alex was going to die if she didn't do anything.

And she had already fucked up tonight.

******

Amanda Wallace sipped on her cup of coffee idily. She had done her slave work tonight and could go home. She smiled softly as she ran her fingers through her long, curly hair. She was going to call Brandon and apologize.

She was causing him a good amount of frustration, and part of it was from her fear, but there was something else. Something else that would start to show itself but would dive back under the surface as soon as one of them pulled away. She knew that there was a charge between them. Anyone with a lick of psychic ability could feel it between them.

Still, she wasn't prepaired for the person who wisked into the ER, holding a bloody, nude form in her arms. Amanda moved first, digging her cross out, ready to use it on the vampire. The vampire's bright, light, green eyes found hers as she said, "Help me."

Amanda found her voice and screamed, "I need a gurney!"

The vampire stated, "She's not human. She's a half-breed. Lupine. The bullets were silver and I'm pretty sure that they went through."

Amanda was automaticaly alert when she heard the mention of Lupine. She moved the long, silky, black hair from the girl's face. She gasped as she saw a feminine verson of Brandon winching in pain. "Oh, God," she murmered as she took a step back.

The vampire placed the body in her arms. The girl moaned softly as Amanda struggled with the weight. The vampire said, "Her cousin's Brandon Night. Call him." With that, she turned and started to flee.

Amanda managed to gently lay the girl onto the gurney as the nurse rolled it out, calling for the resident on duty. She started to run after the vampire, yelling, "Wait, who are you? What happened?" The vampire was long gone though.

Amanda's hands clinched at her side as she rushed back into the hospital. She followed as Dr. Ross joined the nurses. Dr. Ross snapped, "Okay, get me fifty units of eppy IV push, stat! We've gotta stop this bleeding. Then, after we get this girl patched up, we're going to need to do a rape kit."

"No," Amanda replied, rushing up, "She's not fully human. She probably transformed."

Ross looked her over and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"She's half Lupine, Doctor. She probably transformed before she got shot," Amanda answered, reaching out and touching the bleeding wound.

Contact.

Bare skin against bare skin. No barriers. Pain, hurt, anguish. Betrayal.

There was no time. Quinn, he's Brandon's friend. Forest . . . Sad, but she's a leech. Minerva? Why?

The Seal of Day . . . I've gotta get Aaron to it.

Funny, it hurts a lot.

I almost forgot what it was liked to be shot. It hurts. And the blood, so much blood. Hell, I'm dying.

Funny again, the whole death thing.

I hunt the undead and now I'm dying. Fucked up.

I didn't even get my chance at revenge. He's still out there, the fucker. Ironic in a sick and twisted sort of way. Still, I fought, didn't I?

Amanda whispered, "And you still need to fight, Alex." She knew the girl's name. She saw the focus of all that anger, that hatred. Still, there was more. She was Brandon's relative, through and through. They shared that same nobility, that goodness, except Alex didn't think she had it in her.

She leaned closer and stated, "Alex, they need you. Brandon needs you. Fight it."

The wounds started to heal.

******

Aaron floated, awash in his own dark power. "She took her," he sneered, focusing on where Minerva Celestine had ran, focusing on Alex's pain and blood.

Forest stood there, all torn and tattered, still managing to look proud and elegant. Despite how much she would adapt, her pride and grace would never change. She asked, "We going to go after her?"

"No. They'll go after the girl, I'll go after Alex," Aaron answered quietly, rising up.

Forest called back, "Can you afford to use that much power?"

Aaron only snorted.

Alex was in danger, and not even on her own accord. This was their fault. Immortals mixing children in their games. No matter how strong and beautiful the child was.

Aaron flew after the car, the bright crimson flame aura intensifying around him. Let the vampire deal with the vampires.

******

Blood. Pain. Tainting. Fire. Guns. Bullets. Death. Dying. A never ending cycle. It hurts. He's not even coming back after me!

You killed my family! Come back after me! Kill me! Don't leave me like this!

Please! I'm so tired of all of this fighting! Tired of the death, the killing, the false bravado. I can't do this, please, help me!

I didn't do anything to you!

Mommy, Daddy! Come back! Don't leave me like this!

Don't look at me with those cold, cold eyes. Inhuman eyes.

Not wolf eyes. Not human eyes. Something inbetween . . .

I don't bare the Night name like I should.

Can you make this misery stop?

The pain. The horrid, horrible pain. It would be so easily to fall into it.

"Then where would you go?"

Anywhere's better than here.

"People need you, depend on you. Your cousin and who's the beautiful man?"

Aaron?

"Aaron. That's a pretty name. He's very handsome. I think I'm jealous."

Who are you?

"Why don't you open your eyes to look at me, Alex?"

How do you know who I am?

"Your mind. I didn't mean to pry, but you look so much like him . . ."

Like Brandon?

"Yes, like Brandon. Please, open your eyes. You're healed. I promise that it won't hurt."

Everything hurts. Everything wants to hurt me.

"No, it doesn't. Please, open your eyes. I won't hurt you."

It took every ounce of her strength to do so, but Alex opened her eyes to find a beautiful young woman with long, curly garnet colored hair looking down at her with big, dark green eyes. Alex also noted that she had some of Brandon's smell on her. Is this the human that's got Brandon's knickers in a twist?Alex thought as she managed to sit up, realizing that she was lying down on a bed.

Alex pushed her hair out of her face and asked, "Are you Brandon's healer?"

"Well, yeah, I guess you could call me that, but I prefer Amanda," she chuckled, handing Alex a glass of water. Alex gulped it down, noting that her mouth was dry.

Alex looked at the beautiful redhead as she sat down. She had to admit that Amanda was perhaps the most beautiful girl that she'd ever seen, and she had vampires to compair to. There was also something else about Amanda, a gentle peace. She knew why Brandon was so enchanced with her.

Amanda looked her over and said, "You're the reason that Brandon was afraid to get close. Now I'm afraid to get close." She chuckled, "Funny in an ironic sort of way, isn't it?"

Brandon didn't want to have a half-breed. He didn't want a child like Alex. Alex clutched the blanket around her. She retorted, "Yeah, why would anyone want someone like me."

"Pretty easily, actualy," Aaron's voice retorted as he stood in the doorway, his raven hair sufficantly mussed.

Alex stood up, noting the hospital gown she was in. She asked, "What happened?"

"Minerva brought you here and tailed it. She needs help, Alex, but she's going to need to find her peace herself. I told Forest and Quinn to get back with the girl," Aaron answered, shrugging.

Amanda gasped and stood up, putting the chair behind her. She crossed herself and watched Aaron frightfuly. Alex asked, "What? What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Amanda answered in a shaking voice.

Aaron replied, "I won't hurt either of you. I'm not like my father or grandfather, or father before him. I swear it. I just want to help."

"Then we've gotta find this bastard before he gets Amber!" Alex cried out as she started to run towards the hospital room's door.

Amanda placed a hand infront of Alex and asked, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Out," Alex replied, grabbing the wooden chair Amanda had been sitting on. She snapped it over her leg, taking a shard the size of her arm with her. She palmed the makeshift stake and answered, "Vampire hunting."

Alex looked at Aaron and asked, "Any way we could catch him?"

"Well, if you're willing to walk through the Wilder World again," Aaron answered with a grin.

Alex smirked and walked over to him. She wrapped both arms around his neck and clinched her eyes shut. She grumbled, "Just hurry up and get it over with."

She heard his deep, throaty chuckle before they were gone. She just hoped that she wouldn't puke this time.

******

Minerva stood at the Standsford Airport with her bags slung across her shoulders. She bought a first class ticket to anywhere that would land before daybreak. She found out that anywhere happened to be Boston. Then from Boston she would run again.

She had crossed to many lines and if Quinn ever found her, she was dead. And she wouldn't be able to defend herself. She would let him kill her, and he didn't see that.

He would never see that.

She sighed as she began to board the jet.

******

The first bullet ricochet off the wall and lodged itself into Brandon's TV. Brandon snarled softly as he clutched his sword as more bullets pounded into his house. Ami tried to fire back, but there were too many gunshots from all around.

Chris immediately covered Amber with his larger body at the first shot. Brandon could sense and smell the vampires all around his house, watching, waiting. A bellowing voice came over a MegaPhone, "Give us the Chosen and we'll let you live."

"Fuck you!" Chris shouted, slowly starting to rise to get his scythe.

More bullets shot through the house. Brandon ducked as one whizzed past his shoulder. He looked to where it had lodged itself in the wall. The silver gleamed in the light. "Oh, just damned great," he grumbled as he ducked.

Ami asked, "Brandon, you could finish all of them, can't you?"

"They're using silver ammo, Ami, I can't do shit," Brandon shouted back over the loud gunfire.

Chris stood up and over turned Brandon's sofa over Amber as a shield. The tiny blond peered out with her huge, golden eyes. Chris spun his scythe as the bullets fired all around him. He shouted, "They won't hurt me."

With that, he walked out of the cabin, shouting, "The Angel of Death will send you to Hell!"

Ami's eyes widened as he did. Brandon smirked as the gunfire slowed down to a minimum. He replied, "Told you so."

******

Chris was fast. He was strong. He was good. Still, the vampires outnumbered him eight to one.

But Chris wasn't half elf for nothing.

He spun his scythe and cried his battle cry as he started to carve a path of blood. The gleaming scythe blade severed the heads of two vampires in one clean, reverse stroke. He pivoted on one foot and leaned back, stabbing a vampire with the blade. He shifted up with his weight, causing the vampire to scream as the blade cleaved up his body, finaly with a shift, severing his head. Chris spun the gore encrusted weapon again, pausing to wipe blood off of his face with his left hand.

The Destroyer smiled at him, his crismon eyes flashing as his fangs gleamed. He said, "Where's the girl?"

"In there where you're not invited," Chris replied as he artfuly spun the scythe.

The Destroyer opened up his palm, causing a chain to dangle. On that chain, gleaming like a suspended sun, was the Seal of Day. Chris cursed softly as the vampire laughed, "Yes, my boy, I have it."

Chris sneered, "Not for long, Dead Boy." He charged, bringing the blade up to strike.

He didn't see the slender vampire until it was too late.

The black clad vampire aimed his pistol at him and fired five times without blinking. Somehow, Chris managed to dodge two of the bullets, another clipped him in the shoulder, but the fourth and fifth landed themselves in his chest.

His eyes widened as he felt something hot and fowl spread through his system. He fell to his knees, realizing that the bullets were iron. He gasped for air as he leaned on his scythe.

The vampire looked down at him with silvery-blue eyes from under a head of dark red hair. The pistol leveled at his head as he asked in a soft voice, "Do you want me to finish him?"

"Yes, Joshua," the Destroyer answered viciously, smiling.

Joshua lowered the pistol and stated, "This wasn't part of our contract."

"Fine, I'll pay you extra . . ." the Destroyer began as a bellowing howl cut through his words.

Chris turned around to see Brandon and Ami rushing out into the frey, Ami armed with a wooden bokken and Brandon with his sword. Ami could stake vampires with ease with the wooden sword and Brandon started to behead. Behind them, was a small, golden figure.

Amber.

Chris opened his mouth to scream at her, but the Destroyer was too quick. He had the little girl in his arms before he could make any sound. The Destroyer smiled as he held out the Seal.

Amber looked at Chris with her wide, golden eyes in her beautiful face, then Brandon and Ami. The Destroyer chuckled as he grew his fingernails into claws, placing the Seal around Amber's neck as he prepaired to cut her. Amber clinched her eyes tightly and looked away.

Right as this was going on, Chris felt a familar chill down his spine. He managed to dig out the two bullets with his fingers, cursing loudly as he did as the chill intensified.

One never forgot the fell of the demonic, no matter how many times they faced it.

Except this wasn't purely demonic, more like a taint . . .

The Seal shattered around Amber's throat. Amber cried out as the vampire dropped her. She fell to her knees as the brillant shards fell around her in a golden shimmer. The Destroyer spun around and shouted, "Who dares!?"

******

Alex could see Brandon's grin in the semi-darkness and Ami Li's look of amazement. Aaron lowered his smoking hand and Alex held the stake in her hand. She tilted up her head and snapped, "Alex Night, Vampire Hunter Extrodinare, dares, leech!"

"Brandon Night, Ronin, in line for the Alpha Male," Brandon echoed, spinning his sword.

Chris managed to his feet, smiling as his bullet wounds healed. The good thing about being a half breed was that they recovered from the weaknesses a lot sooner than their pure breed counterparts. He spun his scythe and snorted, "The Angel of Death."

Aaron's body lit up in his crimson flame aura as he answered, "Something beyond your comprehension."

Kristopher screamed, "Kill them!"

The left over vampires charged, but Alex, Brandon, and Chris were ready. Alex smirked as she got up close and personal, using the wooden stake. As she arose from falling ashes of one vamp, she met a pair of familar silvery blue eyes.

She froze.

That's when the door was burst down. I screamed when I saw the tall, slender man dressed all in black. He had dark russet hair that fell into his face and icy, silvery-blue eyes. He held a big machine gun in his hands. He didn't smell right either and I could feel his power beating down on me like a jackhammer.

It was a face forever burned into her memory. She trembled as she looked at him, from the tip of his dark red head to the combat boots. She sniffed at the air and realized it didn't smell like the fiend that killed her parents and shot her.

But he sure as hell could of been a twin, except his hair was red and not brownish.

His silvery-blue eyes widened with recognizition as he looked at her. Then they filled with something akin to guilt. "I'm sorry," he whispered, dropping his gun to the ground.

Alex lifted the stake up and shouted, "Who the hell are you! Do you know who I am?"

"Regretably, yes," he answered in a soft voice.

Alex asked, "Do you know who did it? Do you?"

"Yes. I won't do anything if you try to kill me," he answered with a sort of tragic sorrow.

Alex's hand shook as she raised the stake. She licked her lips and realized that he threw his arms out to the side and closed his eyes. "Dammit," she cursed, letting the stake fall to the ground, "Fuck. Go, you son of a bitch, go."

His eyes widened as he said, "I'm Joshua Hunters." With that, he ran, fading into the shadows.

She turned around, still shaking. It wasn't the fiend who killed her parents, but he was related to the monster. Somehow.

Aaron asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, what happened to the Destroyer?" she asked, looking around at the various piles of ashes.

Brandon snorted, "Rabbited."

"Seal's destroyed though," Chris chirped cheerfuly before turning doubtful eyes on Aaron.

Alex smiled wearily, "Then I guess we've finished this little quest then."

Two Nights Later

Alex chewed on her pencil. Four pages of her sketchpad were filled with different

drawings of Aaron with little things written beside them like, that grin of his, what is he, and why? Another three pages were filled with drawings of Joshua Hunters comparing to the vampire who killed her family.

Loud, techno music pulsed through the Raven as Aurora asked, "So, what now?"

"I'm not sure. I think I'm going to find this Joshua Hunters guy," Alex answered, tapping her pencil against the notebook.

Gabriel asked, "What happened?"

"The Destroyer and Jennifer ran. Brandon and I tried tracking them, but their trails went cold at the Louisville Air Port," Alex answered, looking into the Shadow's violet eyes.

Aurora asked, "What about that Aaron guy?"

"Probably back to his retreat in the Wilder World," Alex answered, knowing that she was going to miss him.

Aurora asked, "And Minerva?"

"Gone. I don't know where and I'm not going to look. She'll come back when she needs to," Forest answered from behind Alex.

Alex turned around and smirked. She held out her hand and the two shook. Alex quirked an eyebrow as she teased, "And somehow you've become Law Unto Herself. I still don't see it."

"You will, kid, don't worry," Forest replied with a smirk.

Gabriel asked, "And the Seal?"

"Just some pretty shards scattered through Brandon's yard," Forest answered as she perched herself onto a stool.

Alex asked her, "Where's Brandon?"

"Oh, out with his girlfriend, getting the 4-1-1 about you and Quinn needed some time to himself," Forest explained as she tapped her nails on the bar.

Aurora asked, "What now?"

"I dunno. I guess I'll go looking for this Hunters guy," Alex answered with a shrug.

Forest warned, "Alex, this guy's like me. Dangerous but he still has a sense of honor. Just be careful."

******

"Thanks for protecting me," Amber chirped as she leaned over and kissed Chris on his cheek.

Chris grinned and leaned down to give her a proper kiss when she stopped him with a hand on his chest. He stared down into her huge, golden eyes and felt his heart melt. There was nothing there except a fondness that one would find in a friend.

He backed away and asked, "So, there's not a chance, is there?"

"I'm sorry, Chris, really, but I don't need you in my life like that," Amber sighed, tucking strands behind her ears.

He gave a sheepish grin as he replied, "Well, there's some really great guy out there for you, probably."

"Yeah, and besides, you'd get board with me too easily. You need someone who can keep you on your toes, not be pretty and sweet," Amber explained gently, patting his shoulder akwardly.

He looked down at her hand there and nodded. He replied, "Maybe I wanted you."

"Sorry, Chris, but I can't give you that. Besides, I couldn't handle your life," Amber said, stepping away from him.

Chris smiled sadly as he backed away as well. There was a simple truth in her words, but he did care about her. He said, "Well, Amber, I hope you find Mr. Perfect."

"And I hope you can find your Bitch from Hell," she replied with a giggle. With that, she waved and joined a cluster of friends.

Chris sighed as he made his way to the Raven's bar. He sat down beside Aurora and sighed. Aurora patted his head, ruffling his hair. She said, "You could do better than that blond bimbo."

Chris smiled up at her and quipped, "I thought you didn't like me."

"No, it's him I don't like," Aurora replied as she pointed to Gabriel.

Alex said, "Sorry it didn't work out with Amber."

"Amber's a sweet girl, Chris, but I don't think she's for you," Forest advised as she crossed her mile long legs.

Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but Chris glared at him. He stood up and held out his hand to Aurora. He asked, "You wanna dance?"

Aurora grinned and took his hand. He lifted her from her chair as she said, "Better than sitting beside Shadow Bastard."

"Another new nickname I have to tell Quinn," Forest said with amusement as Chris led Aurora out to the dance floor with a grin.

The Destroyer and Jennifer's still alive, but then again, they're hard to kill. The main thing is that the Seal of Day is destroyed, probably being craped out by some mouse or something right now. No vampire is going to walk out in the daylight.

I'm finding myself wondering about Aaron at the strangest moments. Sometimes while combing my hair, wondering if he liked it, sometimes while getting dressed, and whenever I look at a rose. I'm half hopeing that I'll get to see him, then I remember how annoying he is.

I stayed a few days in Louisville, taking a break from getting shot and killing vamps. I let the SPF take care of that. I learned some intresting things from Forest and also that not all vampires are horrid monsters. If it wasn't for the way she smelled or the fact she didn't cast a reflection, I'd think she was human. I'm sort of proud to call her my friend.

Besides, she's Law Unto Herself, so she doesn't count as a vampire.

And now I have a clue. Joshua Hunters. It's not much to go on, but those eyes are almost the exact double of the ones that I saw when I was six. I actualy have a focus instead of mindless killing now.

I just don't know where to go right now.

Alex Night, Vampire Hunter Extrodinare

The End of the Seal of Day Saga!

I hoped you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. This is not the end of Alex Night. She will be back, don't worry, but she deserves a break, doesn't she? Besides, the next tale will not feature vampires, but the Fey.