Other Fan Fiction / Horror Fan Fiction ❯ Hunted ❯ Chatper 1 ( Chapter 1 )

The bell above the door rang cheerfully as I walked into my favorite coffee shop just as the sun's final rays disappeared, showing off the winter night sky. The warm atmosphere was a huge relief from the coldness outside.

 

“Ah, the usual, Danni?” the middle-aged man at the counter asked as I took my usual seat at the table in the far corner.

 

“Yes, please, Jake.” I answered, pulling off my heavy brown coat and setting it on the seat in front of me, allowing the warm air to thaw my frozen body.

 

Within seconds, books, papers, and folders decorated the small table as I set to work finishing the homework I was given earlier that day.

 

“So what is it tonight?” Jake asked as he approached the table. “Psych?”

 

I smiled up at the aging man. “No, math.”

 

Jake smiled, his small mustache twitching slightly, and set down my drink. “Well, there you go, just as you like it. Java chip frappuccino with no whipped cream. I don't know how you can have a cold drink with this weather.”

 

I grinned. “Well, what do you expect?”

 

He laughed. “Not much, really.”

 

I laughed with him. “Thanks, Jake.” I pulled out my wallet and paid for the drink.

 

“Thank you, I'll be back with your change.” Jake quickly returned with my change before leaving me to the peace I needed.

 

The bell rang throughout the next couple of hours, announcing the arrival of the normal customers that enjoy this little shop just as I do. Each one of them knew Jake personally and some even knew me, which is a miracle in itself. I'm a rather private person. Many people know my name and know of me, but very few have had the “privilege” of knowing me personally…at least that's what I've been told.

 

I had just closed away the last of my math work in my bag and was digging out my music theory homework when a few new customers came in. I had never seen them before, which is a shock in itself seeing that usually the same people visit this particular coffee shop. Most of the visitors go to the Barnes and Noble a couple blocks from here.

 

There were three of them. The first to enter was a teenage boy with beautiful brown eyes and a head decorated in red curls. His eyes swept through the café before landing on the table in front of me, which was the only open table furthest away from the door. He quietly led the other two towards the table. The second was tall, handsome, dark-haired and gray eyes with a built frame. He looked to be about late-twenties, early thirties and followed the teen without a sound. The last man was a medium height man with bright green eyes and brown hair and looked to be in his early twenties, about my age. He had a slightly built frame and searched the small café as he sat down. All three of them had rather pale skin, which really surprised me.

 

Within minutes, every single one of them had a hot mocha cappuccino in front of them, warming their hands frozen from the bitter cold outside.

 

“When's he supposed to be here?” the green-eyed man asked after sitting there in silence for a few moments.

 

The dark-haired one checked the clock hanging on the wall above the door. “Ten minutes.”

 

After a few minutes of more silence, the green-eyed man spoke again. “Jordan, what do you think he wants this time?”

 

The teen, Jordan, I guess, shook his head. “I have no idea.”

 

The three of them sat for a few moments in small conversation. I learned that the green-eyed man's name was Adrian and the dark-haired man was Nathan. Their conversation came to an abrupt stop as the three of them suddenly turned to look at the door. Not even a second later, another gentleman walked into the cafe. He was tall with curly red hair and brown eyes, dressed in a nice black suit. It was clearly evident that he and Jordan were somehow related, though he looked too young to be the boy's father. He confidently walked over to the table with these other men and softly sat down in an empty chair.

 

“What are you doing here, Damian?” Adrian asked.

 

This man, Damian, smiled at the other. “Is that how you address an old friend, Adrian?” He smiled a playful smile, looking at the three. “I should ask you the same.”

 

Jordan answered for the three of them. “Nikolas asked us to meet him here to `discuss important matters concerning the survival of both our races' at nine o'clock ,” he quoted.

 

Damian seemed to ponder this information for a moment, his lips slipping into a small frown. “That's exactly what he said to me,” he murmured. “I'm curious, now.”

 

The loyal bell chimed as the door swung open once again and the chilly wind that had picked up outside swept in. The man entering swiftly stepped inside and quickly closed the door, to the relief of all of us sitting in the café. He was tall, a little taller than Nathan, with long, black hair that hung down a little past his bright, green eyes. His skin was dark compared to the four in front of me.

 

He quickly walked over to the other four and pulled up a chair to the table. Jake approached the table, asking Damian and the new man what they would have.

 

“Whatever they're having,” Damian answered, coolly, gesturing to Jordan, Nathan, and Adrian.

 

Jake nodded before turning to the man. “And you?”

 

The man set his black coat on the open table next to them while looking at the list of drinks above the counter. “I'll have the French Vanilla cappuccino, please,” He replied, his soft, deep voice resounded through the room.

 

“Certainly,” Jake answered. “Your drinks will be here shortly.” With that, Jake left the table, flashing a warm smile at me while passing.

 

I quickly returned the smile before turning back to my homework, truly intent on actually trying to finish it. Easier said than done, right?

 

“Alright, Nikolas, why have you gathered us here in this little town?” Damian demanded asked, trying not to draw any attention from the few remaining customers.

 

Jake appeared with their drinks, delaying Nikolas's answer. Nikolas pulled out a twenty and a ten and paid for all five drinks. “Keep the change,” he murmured to Jake.

 

Jake thanked him before going back to the counter.

Nikolas took a long draft from his coffee before answering Damian's question. “Look, we can't find the heir.”

 

Damian snorted. “What do you mean you `can't find the heir'?”

 

“We can't find them!” he repeated, urgently. “For some reason, no one has been able to catch even the slightest whiff of their scent. We know they haven't been turned yet and we've checked almost everywhere.”

The four others took this into consideration.

 

“How does this affect us?” Nathan asked after a moment of silence.

 

Nikolas sighed. “If we do not find the heir within five months, my race loses control,” he replied.

 

“Loses control?” Adrian repeated. “What about the chip?”

 

Nikolas shook his head. “The chip is designed to work as long as there is someone either on the throne or in waiting. If we don't have an heir, the chip is useless and we lose control.” He took another sip from the cappuccino.

 

“What happened to Xyliene?” Jordan asked.

 

Xyliene? …No way… She passed away years ago, before my grandfather.

 

Nikolas grimaced at, what I guessed, a sudden memory. His voice dropped suddenly, as if in respect. “Xyliene was murdered by hunters three weeks ago.”

 

This information had a sudden, tremendous impact on the four. Nathan's body tensed as his jaw slightly dropped, Damian's coffee dropped from his hands, surprisingly landing upright, Adrian issued a quiet curse as his hand hit the table, and Jordan suddenly cradled his head in his hands, his shoulders slightly shaking.

 

Nikolas softly continued. “We found her body lying in a ditch not far from New Orleans . Her heart lay demolished next to her head while her body was drained of all blood with a bite on her neck.”

 

“B-But…how could that have happened?” Jordan asked, his head still in his hands, agony pouring from his voice. “She was the strongest being alive.”

 

“From what we figured, it was an ambush. They found her just as she was changing.” Nikolas paused for a moment before continuing. “The tests done on her showed that before they finally killed her, she had been brutally raped and drained of blood…by one of your kind…”

 

All heads snapped to look at Nikolas, no longer attempting to mask their shock.

 

This was becoming too much for me. Just listening to the man tell of this woman's terrible fate was forming pictures in my head, her mutilated body lying there in the dirt. I packed up what was left of my homework and stood, pulling on my coat. I grabbed the empty cup and wiped off the table, oblivious to the fact that Damian's piercing gaze was fixed on me.

 

Approaching the counter and tossing the cup into the trashcan, I pulled two dollars out of my pocket and handed them to Jake, forcing a smile.

 

“Have a good night, Danni,” he stated happily, smiling at me.

 

“You too,” I replied. “I'll see you soon.”

 

I quietly walked out of the cafe, onto the snow-covered streets. I swiftly walked over to my car, pulling out the keys from my bag. Unlocking it, I pulled the door open, and collapsed into the driver's seat. Pulling the door shut and revving the engine simultaneously, I started on my way home, the confusing conversation of the five men unwillingly replaying through my mind.