Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis: Genesis ❯ Chapter III ( Chapter 3 )

 

Chapter III

 

It had taken Lyrial and Alan both a moment to digest what the man at the door had just asked. Alan frowned and tried to push his female roommate back a little, away from the man who was obviously deranged.

“I-I beg your pardon?” Lyrial finally managed to squeak out. “Vampire?” She had to ask again, as if to double check and see if that indeed was what the stranger was asking about. The very notion of a frightening looking man coming to their apartment and asking about Vampires was disturbing to both Lyrial and Alan. However, when the leather-clad man nodded his head sharply, confirming the young college student's question, Alan shook his head.

“Look, I think you need to leave,” he said and shifted his hand on the door to grip the handle. He started to close the door, but the stranger moved with an inhuman swiftness, pressing his palm flat against the wood, preventing Alan from shutting it. His cruel cobalt eyes fixated on Lyrial who started to back away while tugging Alan's wrist. This man frightened her in an unnatural way.

“Tell me where he is hiding and you may yet be saved from his hunger for flesh,” The man said, keeping his penetrating stare on the girl who looked back in terror in confusion. Lyrial shook her head quickly from side to side, letting go of Alan to hug herself while still moving back.

“I don't know what you're talking about!” She cried and looked over her shoulder towards the other side of the apartment. Through the rectangular windows she could see the sun slipping behind the horizon. The entire day had been wasted in her unconscious state and the events of the morning had been bad enough, but now this stranger was here to antagonize their lives more.

“Get out of here, you freak! Leave her alone!” Alan growled at the stranger and tried once again to shut the door, shoving the other man in the chest with his free arm. Lyrial looked back in time to watch in horror as the stranger reached into his overcoat for his belt and pulled a handgun from the holster dangling there. She screamed as the hilt of the weapon came down on her roommate's skull.

“Alan!” She cried and made to move to him, but hesitated when the stranger pushed his way into the apartment, kicking Alan's body to the side and shutting the door behind him. His gaze once again fell on Lyrial and the girl paled with fear.

“Now, lost little lamb, where is the Vampire?” He asked and for the briefest of seconds, his cobalt eyes seemed to soften as he approached her. Lyrial shivered as the man ran the muzzle of the gun tenderly down the side of her cheek. “Has he already ensnared your mind to his will?” The question was gentle and sympathetic. Lyrial's alarmed brown eyes flitted quickly to Alan's body. He groaned but did not move. The click of a gun being cocked brought her swiftly from her worried daze.

“Please! Please! I don't know what you're talking about! Please—don't kill us!” She begged and closed her eyes tightly, wishing all this terror away. She jumped at feeling the cold and merciless iron of the gun against her temple. Her hands folded together in a gesture of prayer and she whispered, begging for the man with the gun to spare her life and the life of her flatmate. A surprised gasp and an animal like hiss startled Lyrial into opening her eyes. The silver haired stranger who she had rescued the day before was behind the man with the gun.

“Your fight is with me, Hunter,” He hissed, baring his sharp teeth against the man's ear. The silver haired stranger held long knife against the leather-clad intruder, pressing the blade dangerously against his tanned skin. “You should know better than to pick on little girls, Christian.” The tanned intruder growled back at the silver haired man and jabbed his elbow into his middle, causing him to stagger and allowing an escape.

The brunette pulled the trigger and fired at his attacker, but as soon as the bullet left the muzzle, the silver haired man was gone—disappeared into thin air and shadow it seemed. When the loud bang of the weapon being discharged had echoed through the small apartment, Lyrial had dropped to the floor, holding her hands over her ears. She began to crawl on her belly to be behind an arm chair. She sat up, protected by the piece of furniture and she glanced up at the window in front of her. It was dark outside but the moon had yet to rise.

“Show yourself, damned creature!” The Hunter commanded, cocking the pistol once more. The animal hissing resounded in the flat and Lyrial looked around with wide eyes as the sound grew louder. The armed assailant's brows drew together in agitation and he spun suddenly, firing behind him in time to catch the silver haired man. The bullet flew like gossamer and found a home in the flesh of its target's shoulder. Shrieking in agony, the silver haired man bore his sharp teeth at the Hunter and his eyes began to change color.

No longer did they possess a tempting silver, but were a fierce crimson that hypnotized with their fury and deadly intent.

“I see you like not my silver ammunition, servant of darkness,” the Hunter said and cocked the weapon once more, preparing to fire. The injured combatant pressed the palm of one of his hands against the bleeding wound and hissed once more at the other male.

“You think your little toy is going to stop me, Christian?” He began to chuckle, a wicked smiling forming on his face as his powerful looking fangs poked rudely over his bottom lip. The Hunter fired again, putting another bullet his enemy.

“Do not speak my name, Vampire!” He commanded and took aim once more. Trembling from behind the armchair, Lyrial dared to peek out and witness the fight going on. Her doe-brown eyes fell worriedly on Alan's unconscious body once more, and her brows furrowed when her flatmate no longer stirred. Her heart skipped a beat and she let out a frightened squeal when the gun went off again. However, this time, the poisoning silver bullet had missed its target, burying itself into the plaster of the wall.

The Hunter was then attacked by his prey; the silver haired man gripped the Hunter's wrist and pushed his arm up. He then sank his sharp canine teeth into the bare flesh that peeked out between his leather gloves and the sleeve of his overcoat. A violent cry of rage came from the young man and he clawed at his attacker's face with his free hand. Taking the hiatus of gunfire as her chance, Lyrial crawled fervently on her belly towards the front door and Alan's body.

“Alan! Alan!” She whispered harshly, feeling the painful prick of frightened and grievous tears welling up in her soft brown eyes. The young girl grabbed hold of Alan's shoulders and shook him quickly, glancing up at the struggle between the Hunter and his prey; the prey seemed to be winning. Finally, Lyrial's braided flatmate groaned and his violet eyes fluttered opened for a moment before falling closed once more. Alan was alive but in no condition to move. A gentle seep of blood was staining his hair where the hilt of the gun had come down against his skull and Lyrial feared a concussion or worse.

The gun went off once more and Lyrial squealed, dropping down completely against the floor next to Alan's unconscious body. She hugged onto his arm, hiding her face against the fabric of his shirt. She whispered quietly to herself, closing her eyes tightly—she prayed that someone would save them, that somehow everything would turn out all right.

The sound of an animal-like shriek, followed by a pained cry for mercy caused Lyrial to sit up and look towards the struggle. There were strange burn marks on her silver haired friend's cheeks and chest as if he had been burned by something she did not see. Furious, the apparent Vampire yanked his fangs from the Hunter's wrist, spraying a small shower of blood across the carpet and the Hunter himself.

“I'm done playing with you, Christian. Run back to your brotherhood and tell them that Sano is back,” With this message, the injured stranger pushed the Hunter sharply, causing him to stagger backwards. His back hit the window of the living room and broke through the glass. His arms shot out to grip the sill, clinging so that he would not fall, but the stranger gave no such mercy. He followed through, cocking his fist back, and bringing it forward into the Hunter's chest. As the air left his lungs, he fell back wards, out of the window, and onto the street below. The sickening thud echoed in Lyrial's ears and she covered them, closing her eyes tightly, and began to cry.

Had all that really just happened? The Vampire looked down out of the window at the crooked body in the street below. Around the Hunter, a pool of blood began to grow, flowing from his cracked skull, and decorating the uncaring pavement with its luscious color.

“What a waste,” the silver haired man said and looked back at Lyrial and Alan. As the sound of his bare feet treading across the carpet grew louder, Lyrial opened her eyes quickly, screaming.

“Stay away from me! You! You just killed him!” Her terror was evident as she shook violently when the Vampire crouched to be eye-level with her.

“Was he not about to do the same to you?” The question has startled the girl and slowly, her shaking died away as she dragged her gaze up to that of the Vampire's. Blood painted his lips and down his chin, giving him the appearance of a ferocious animal as compared to the seductive creature he had been mere hours before. The blood and the cruel ivory in his mouth reminded Lyrial that she was dealing with something that she knew nothing about.

As the brunette idly pondered what to do, keeping her hands on Alan's body, subconsciously staking the claim that her flatmate was not to be made into dinner, the Vampire looked down at the small wounds he'd sustained in the fight with the Hunter. He winced a little while digging his fingertips into the small burrow in his shoulder and pulled the silver bullet from his flesh. There was a small sizzling sound as the wound began to mend itself, closing up the gape of flesh and blood until not even a scar remained. Twice he did this until Lyrial finally managed to break her horrified and fascinated trance.

“He called you a Vampire…” Her eyes were now trained on the silver haired man's bloody mouth. He knew well why she was staring like a frightened animal and he casually let his tongue swipe at his bottom lip to retrieve more of sticky crimson clinging to his pallid skin.

“Is it something that you doubt?” He asked, allowing her to survey his appears with unabashed pride. Lyrial looked away, trying to understand. All that had happened slowly began to sink in when Alan stirred between the two of them. His violet eyes fluttered opened and focused hesitantly on Lyrial's confused face.

“My name is Sano…and that,” The bloodied man said and gestured towards the broken window where the cold night air sifted through in a quiet howling, a lingering reminder of the dead body now lying in the street, “is Christian; A Hunter, and a rather unpleasant individual at that.” Alan sat up and groaned, touching his head, and examining his fingertips which were coated lightly in a dried bronze color. Lyrial reached out and touched Alan's head and rubbed gently; the bleeding had stopped.

Mentally digesting what Sano had said, Lyrial helped Alan sit up. She hugged him gently, and Alan returned the gesture, though in a dazed way. His vision was still hazy as his flatmate got him to his feet and walked him to his room. She hurried to retrieve the first-aid box and began to treat the wound on the back of Alan's head. She wrapped a bandage around his skull gently and tied it off. Filially she rubbed his forehead and left a tender kiss there. Alan was blissfully unaware of the horrors that had just ensued in their small apartment. She would wait to tell him after he'd recovered. Lyrial hesitated a moment before patting Alan's jeans' pockets and retrieving his cell phone.

She stared down at the compact electronic device, worrying. A man had just been murdered in their apartment and her roommate could be suffering from a severe concussion. The only logical thing to do was to call the police and try to explain what had happened. She laughed in a breathy and exasperated way to herself.

“Officer, I can explain, really! I found a Vampire in an alley way and brought him home. Then a Vampire Hunter came along and they had an epic battle in my living room, ending with the Hunter being pushed out of the window…Yeah, that'll work,” She mumbled and shook her head, tapping her chin with the phone lightly. They would all either be arrested or escorted by strong men in white coats to an asylum. Neither sounded appealing to Lyrial, but what else was there left to do? Eventually someone would come asking about the gunshots, see the broken window, or discover Christian's twisted body in the street.

“What do I do?” She asked Alan's sleeping form before finally setting the cell phone on the nightstand beside his bed.

“You do nothing.” Lyrial looked over her shoulder and tensed at seeing Sano filling the doorway. His shadow fell on her, hiding her from the moonlight that now poured into the living room from the broken window. An angry frown set over the young girl's delicate features and she held tightly to Alan's hand.

“Nothing? You just killed someone in my apartment! You—You!” The silver haired Vampire leaned against the doorframe casually, letting some of the pale moonlight illuminate Lyrial's furious yet mesmerized face.

“Are you sure of that, Lyrial?” The girl became rigid and shivered as the Vampire said her name, and sprang lightly from the doorframe to walk towards her, his shadow one again engulfing her figure.

“H-How do you know my name?” She asked and her legs tensed, ready to run from her place at Alan's side to the door and escape if necessary. Sano stopped when he was right in front of her and crouched down to look into her anxious eyes. His face was cleared of the blood it had once been so haphazardly been decorated with moments ago.

“Just because I slept during the day doesn't mean I became deaf during those hours as well,” Sano replied with a snide tone. The panic seemed to leave Lyrial and a little frown settled over her features and the girl became more comfortable in her discontent with the stranger. There was a moment of silence as the brunette reflected on her new options. It was clear that Sano could not stay in the apartment; his presence attracted violent visitors and that is something Lyrial and Alan could not afford.

“Sano, was it?” The Vampire nodded his head, watching the mortal girl's face with careful consideration. There was no dark hunger in his silver eyes, but instead a trace of an emotion that Lyrial found difficult to name. The look was reserved, yet kind; detached yet longing; pleading yet regretful.

“Before you throw me out,” Sano said, interrupting Lyrial's train of thought and silencing any further discussion of his eviction. “I want you to think about something.” The girl was reluctant but slowly nodded her head, glancing back at Alan to make sure her injured roommate was still breathing properly and had not slipped into a deeper and more permanent sleep.

“I'm listening,” She replied, resting her palm against Alan's cell phone, ready to call for help should the situations turn. Satisfied with the resignation, Sano stood and took a few steps back from Lyrial, touching his chin lightly in a pensive state.

“Had I not been here, you and your friend there would be dead right now. So I broke your window—a petty cost for that of your lives. Don't you think?” His delicate and well-groomed brows lifted in suggestion and Lyrial felt a distinct urge to do whatever the silver haired creature asked of her. Shaking her head lightly, allowing her curls to swing past her shoulders gently, she dismissed any thoughts of illusion.

“You killed that man, Sano. People will see the body in the street and that broken window. Police will come here. What am I supposed to tell them?” She asked, flipping open the little cellular device. Sano's leather bound hand extended and covered Lyrial's smaller tanner one. His skin was cold but she found a strange kind of warmth to them.

“You tell them nothing. No police will come,” Sano replied cryptically. Confused, Lyrial allowed the Vampire to close the cell phone and pry it from her fingers, setting it back on the nightstand.

“How can you be sure of that?—Nevermind. I do need to get Alan medical help though. He could have a concussion and it can't wait until morning,” She said firmly and stood up. She hurried across the room and grabbed one of Alan's hoodies and pulled it over her pajamas. Looking over her shoulder towards Sano, she frowned. He had saved their lives and yet it was his fault that they were in danger to begin with.

“Look—Thank you for saving us from that man. But I need you to be gone when we come back from the night clinic,” Lyrial said finally, waking Alan from his sleep. She whispered sweet motivational things to get the young man to open his violet eyes and sit up. He clutched his head as it throbbed in pain and he used Lyrial as a crutch to stand and wobble towards the door. Lyrial grabbed a set of keys and slipped them into the hoodie pocket, walking with Alan towards little foyer of the apartment.

“More will come, you know,” Lyrial stopped and looked over her shoulder at Sano who leaned casually against the doorframe of Alan's bedroom. When disbelief and hesitation filled Lyrial's eyes, Sano sighed and shook his head slowly, allowing a hollow chuckle to escape his throat.

“More will come,” He said again, emphasizing each word as if they were the paramount of their existences. “They will keep coming here, so don't you think it best that you keep me around? Think of me as a bodyguard. I'm sure you don't want your friend there to be attacked again because you decided to play good Samaritan.” Every word stung into Lyrial's heart which ached at the revelation that Alan was hurt because she brought Sano home in the first place. Defeated and armed with this new knowledge, Lyrial nodded her head in a jerky manner.

“Fine,” She mumbled and opened the door of the apartment. “You can stay.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metamorphosis: Genesis