Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Creatures of the Night ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

Creatures of the Night

Chapter Five

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer - I don't own Pokemon, nor do I claim to. Characters belong to their creators, I'm just borrowing them for my own fun.

Author's Notes - Well, it's been a while since I've updated this. I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been busy with life and other fics. I no longer have a weekly updating schedule, so I don't know when the next update will be. I had writer's block with this chapter, anyway…even though I have this whole fic roughly planned out. This chapter also ended up being a lot longer than intended, but that's besides the point. Also, I want to say this is not, and I repeat, not a May/Ash fic. Ash sees May as his little sister, which I clearly state in this chapter. Also, yes, there is mentions of past Melody/Ash romance in this chapter. What, did you think Ash never had a lover before? :P Anyway, next chapter - Misty finally shows up (And so I can start the Misty/Ash romance!). In fact, I'll give you three guesses who screams in the last few sentences of this chapter. If you get in right, then you get a cookie…but not a real one, lol. Anyway, see you next update! Enjoy this chapter!

Other Notes - AU. Rated R for dark and sexual themes, blood, violence and all that good stuff. Can't have a vampire fic without it, now can I? Future Ash/Misty romance. Besides that, Jessie/James, hints of May/Gary, maybe others later on.

Summary - During the day, Celadon City is full of people and pokemon alike. At night, they aren't the only ones roaming the streets.

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May was sitting at home, her feet propped up on her desk as she leaned back in her chair, resting her head comfortably and enjoying the silence. Since the guys had left, all the bickering and heavy atmosphere had disappeared and, while she should have probably been doing work, she felt the need to relax. She hadn't slept for two nights, after all, and she had had to put up with both Gary and Ash constantly at each other's throats the night before. With the guys out on their mission and Pikachu in Ash's room asleep, no one could see her slack off. She deserved this quiet time!

The door slammed open, despite it being locked, and May smelled the charred wood before she could even register what was happening. Swinging her chair around, she looked over the desk to get a better look at the door. Pikachu was standing in the doorway, having obviously shocked the lock off the door, and he was waving his arms back and forth at something that May could not see.

Puzzled, May blinked. "Pikachu? But aren't you…" she trailed off, looking at the closed door to Ash's room. She could have sworn she had seen Pikachu scamper off into that room earlier, mad because Ash refused to take the electric mouse with him. How did he get out in the hallway of the apartment building?

There was a groan as a hand appeared on the doorway, and Ash stumbled into the room as Gary followed after him. May immediately took in the blood on her perfectly white door and what was dropping off of Ash onto her nice hardwood floor. She immediately got to her feet, slightly angry that her quiet time had been ruined, and even more angry that her apartment was being dirtied. That anger soon dissipated, however, as she looked at Ash's face.

"Ash!" She cried, running towards him and bending down to get a better look at him, "What happened to your face?"

Gary closed to door, careful of the hot doorknob. It fell off once the door slammed shut, and all he could do was shrug and leave it. There was no fixing it now, anyway. May would have to get it fixed, and quite possibly get a new door as well.

"Was attacked by…some old friends," Ash gritted out through clenched teeth, his eyes half closed as blood continued to seep into them. He lifted a hand to rub the dark substance out of his eyes but May caught his arm, shaking her head.

"Don't rub it! It'll only make it worse!" She scolded him, leading him over to the couch by the arm she was holding onto. Sitting him down, she quickly went to retrieve the first aid kit, making sure to tell Gary to make sure Ash stayed still.

Gary sat in the chair across from Ash, studying the vampire carefully. Finally, he opened his mouth to say, "It looks awful. You'll be scarred for life, man. Not that your face looked good before, because it was really a horrible sight…but now you'll scare away even the chicks who like the ugly guys! You're doomed, Ashy boy…doomed."

If Ash could have, he would have rolled his eyes. Like I have time for girls, anyway!

May returned shortly afterwards, carrying his trusty first aid kit and a wet cloth. Laying the kit next to Ash, she bent down and gazed at the mess that was Ash's face. She scrunched up her nose a little before saying, "Those gashes are pretty deep." She hesitated, "This may hurt a bit.."

Ash hissed as May dabbed at his face with the wet cloth, and when she pulled away in surprise he closed his eyes. It hurt, to say the least - though Ash knew that it wouldn't last long. Though he hadn't said anything to Gary's comment, he knew that despite what the other man thought, his face would return to normal once it healed. They probably wouldn't even leave a scar. The perks of being one of the undead.

"Maybe you should do this yourself." May admitted, handing him the washcloth and helping him off of the couch. She walked him to the bathroom, switching on the light and turning on the faucet in the bathroom sink. "I'm afraid I might cause more pain then you're already in."

Ash nodded, looking in the mirror with one eye opened. Wow, is that what I really look like now? He frowned. He didn't even recognize himself. Dipping the cloth into the cool running water, he proceeded to clean his cuts on his own. May left him, closing the door to give him more privacy.

Turning to Gary, the girl winced. "Must have been bad, huh?"

Gary looked at her silently, nodding once before he looked away. "Yeah."

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The rest of the night had passed very slowly, and quietly at that. Ash had emerged from the bathroom about an hour later, looking a bit better but still looking like he had seen better days. He'd grabbed a bag of blood from the fridge and, after May had insisted upon heating it up for him, he took it into his room to drink quietly. He wanted to rest and regain his strength. May had let him go, giving Pikachu a look that said 'watch him carefully'. Gary had ended up staying the night because May had insisted upon it, loaning him one of the spare bedrooms that weren't being used. He'd finally accepted and, growing quite tired himself, he'd gone to bed for the night.

Now, early the next morning, May was still sitting up at her computer, staring at the screen with unfocused eyes. She'd managed to get a bit of work done, but not enough to be able to translate another letter from the scrolls. With a sigh of frustration she finally got up, grabbing her ever present coffee mug as she headed to the kitchen to refill it.

"It's only nine in the morning," she mumbled to herself as she caught the time off the microwave as she passed it. She hit the switch to turn on the coffee maker so that it would make her some new hot liquid to drink rather than the old cold stuff that was left there. That done, she sighed and leaned backwards against the kitchen counter waiting for the pot to warm.

This is going to be a long day, she decided, staring out the kitchen window. The sun was up outside, shining in through the half open blinds and casting shadows on the kitchen table. If she knew if Ash was getting up at any time today, she would have ventured over to close the blinds - but she had no idea when he would finally wake up and come out of his room. Poor guy.

Gary had told her what had happened the night before, though his story was missing a few details. Details such as who the two vampires were and why they seemed to know Ash. May frowned - perhaps they were friends of Ash's? He had called them 'old friends' the night before - but then, why did they attack him? May puzzled over this, though she knew she would never ask Ash. Whatever Ash did in his past, whoever he knew, it wasn't any of May's business. If Ash felt she needed to know, then he would tell her.

A figure appeared in the doorway next to her, startling her and almost making her drop the mug that she was holding. She saw Gary standing there, his arms raised above his head as he yawned and stretched.

"You're up early."

Gary run a hand through his hair, which seemed to magically pop back into place, and peered at May. "I don't sleep often, and when I do, it's only for a few hours."

May's mouth opened to form a 'o' before she turned to click off the coffee maker, taking down a new mug for Gary. Behind her, he sat down at the table, trying to fix his lopsided clothes that he had slept in the night before.

"Did you sleep well, then?" May asked, busying herself with pouring the coffee.

"Of course," May turned in time to see him wink at her, "I had such a lovely lady just in the next room, how could I not have had a good sleep?"

May blushed, putting a mug of coffee down in front of Gary. She was used to his flirting - he usually did it whenever he was around because it seemed to annoy Ash - but no matter how much she tried to ignore it, she couldn't help but smile. Living with Ash wasn't exactly all that fun, and though she loved living here, she lacked a personal life. There were only a few times when she could go out and enjoy herself, sit back and relax and meet new people…and never in her life had these people been interested in her. Gary's comments made her feel good inside - pretty, special, and wanted.

"Do you think Ashy boy kicked the bucket overnight?" His voice came through her sunny thoughts and she frowned at the man before her. Of course, she was only deluding herself if she thought Gary was the guy for her. He could be nice and charming at times, but otherwise he was an arrogant prick.

Slamming her mug down on the table hard enough that it startled Gary, May closed her eyes as she sighed. She'd been worried about Ash all night, wondering if he was going to be okay or if perhaps he needed something. Maybe it would be best if she went and checked on him now, since it was well past morning and though Ash needed the sleep, he definitely needed to be checked on.

Gary watched her as she left the table, wondering if it had been something he'd said. With a shrug he went back to drinking his coffee alone.

Picking up the first aid kit on her way, she held it close to her as she stopped outside Ash's door uncertainly. What if Ash was fine, asleep and resting from his wounds? Would he be mad at her for waking him up? She knew that if she were to open the door and wake him then she would feel bad for doing so. But there was still the chance that he was lying in there suffering…

With her lips settled into a firm determined line, May reached her free hand up and knocked before she quietly turned the door knob to open the door. Peeking inside she found the room to be dark, and careful of the sunlight in the living room, she squeezed in through the small crack between the door and shut the door behind her, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Ash?" She whispered after a moment, realizing her sight wasn't going to get any better than it already was. She took a step from where she stood, bumping into something in the dark. "Damn it! Do you always have to have it so dark in here?" She wondered out loud.

"Its part of being a vampire, the darkness," a voice answered her question dryly, startling May as a lamp flickered on. Ash was sitting up in bed, his hand still out to the lamp on his bed stand as he watched her, his eyes reflecting an eerie reddish orange, almost like a cat, in the dim light. May blushed at being caught, turning her eyes away from him when she realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. Her eyes landed on Pikachu, who was curled up next to his master. Slowly, after a moment, she returned her gaze to his face.

"You're looking a lot better," she told him - it was true, he was. His healing abilities were incredible! Most of his face was already healed, only dark red scars could be seen in the light of the room. "The scratches are almost gone."

He smirked knowingly at her. "Told you they wouldn't last long. They'll probably be gone by night fall."

May nodded, walking across the room to take a seat on the side of his bed. She laid the first aid kit down next to her, "I won't be needing this anymore." She looked up at him and gave him a light smile, "I was worried about you all last night. Did you have much trouble sleeping with the pain?"

Ash sat up further, the sheet slipping down his chest. Beside him, Pikachu kicked out in his sleep before growling and cuddling into a small yellow ball. "Not much. I was pretty tired. As soon as I closed my eyes I was gone."

"Did I wake you?" May asked suddenly, worried that she had. He shook his head.

"No, I was lying here staring at the ceiling when you came in." He told her, and she felt relieved. "Is Gary still here?"

"Yes, he spent the night," May replied. "I refused to let him drive home after the events of last night."

"I figured as much," Ash replied, amusement hinted in his voice. "He isn't bothering you too much, is he?"

May poked him roughly in the knee, careful of his injuries. With a grin on her face she said, "You tell me. I know that you can hear everything that goes on, everything that's said in this apartment."

Ash grinned in return, his fangs flashing in the dim light, though not in a threatening way. May was unfazed by this, not one bit afraid of the vampire before her. "You can tell him that I'm alright, and that I haven't 'kicked the bucket' just yet."

May laughed, reaching out to pet the sleeping Pikachu. The small electric mouse rolled over, cooing when she scratched his stomach. "Good to hear, I'm sure he'll love that news." There was a moment of silence, the only sound coming from May's long fingers as she scratched at Pikachu's short soft fur. "I should probably be getting back now." She reached for the first aid, "You need your rest."

Ash didn't think he really needed much more sleep, but he decided that it probably would be better if he got more rest. He settled back down in bed as May stood, and he gave her a thankful look.

"I'll see you in a few hours," May told him, heading for the door, "And don't make any plans for tonight! No more gun fights or other lethal activities! We're having a nice night tonight, taking a break from all the hard work, got it?"

Ash rolled his eyes at her stern look. "Whatever."

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Night had come slowly that day, or so it seemed like to May. She spent most of the day chatting with Gary, who was his usual arrogant and ass of a self, and working on translating the scrolls. The hours dragged by so slow that May had grown impatient and snappy throughout the day, though Gary was oblivious to anything but himself. When Ash had finally emerged from his room at sunset, May had been very grateful. It gave her something to do and someone intelligent to talk to, and, jumping up from her favorite chair as soon as she saw him, she offered to make him 'breakfast'.

Ash, slightly confused as May pushed past him into the kitchen, shrugged off her moodiness as something to do with Gary, who was still babbling on as he watched television. Walking past Gary, he turned off the television, ignoring Gary's protest, and turned to the videophone. Sitting down in front of it, he stared at the buttons before he remembered May's voice in his head.

"Speed dial, Ash. Get with the ages."

With a snort, Ash pushed the button that he had seen May last push, wondering if that single button really would dial all of the numbers that he wanted to dial. Sure enough, a few minutes later Professor Oak's face popped up on the screen.

"Ash, nice to be hearing from you again," the old man said before he suddenly stopped, leaning in to the screen and studying Ash's marred face. "What happened to your face?"

"The lead was false. It was an ambush…"

The Professor frowned. "I see. I take it didn't go too well?"

"Two of Geovanni's minions were waiting for us." Ash filled him in, "They had guns and there was a fight…I had one of them cornered and the fight was pretty much over, that was, until they called upon a Pokemon of theirs. It was a Meowth, I believe. It clawed me right across the face and I couldn't see a thing." Ash looked down, his expression troubled, "If it weren't for Pikachu and Gary, then I probably wouldn't be here now."

A hand suddenly slapped him on the back, and Ash winced as he remembered Gary was still in the room. "That's right Ashy boy! You're nothing without me!" Gary then leaned over her shoulder, that arrogant smirk ever present as he waved at Oak, "Hey Gramps!"

"Gary, you're still there?" Oak asked, looking puzzled, "I thought for sure you'd be on your way home by now."

"May couldn't resist my good charms," Gary replied, straightening as he studied his finger nails, "She practically begged me to stay the night."

"I did not!" May shouted indignantly from somewhere in the kitchen, and Ash snorted.

"May didn't want Gary going home after what happened last night," Ash told Oak, ignoring Gary's glare.

"Ah, that explains it."

"But don't worry, he'll be heading home soon," Ash shot the other man a look over his shoulder, which Gary sneered at in response.

May emerged from the kitchen then, carrying a mug full of dark liquid. She put it in front of Ash, who took it and raised the mug to his lips, drinking his fill of the warm blood. He ignored Gary's fake gag and exclaimed 'That's sick, dude!'. The old man gave him a scolding, and Gary quieted, crossing his arms and moving away to sit back on the couch.

"I'm sorry the lead turned out to be a fake," Oak replied to Ash. "I'm glad that you came out on top, though. I'll keep an open ear in hopes that I'll find another lead, but there's never a guarantee that it will bring you to the right place." At this Ash nodded, and the old man continued, "Until then, keep trying to translate those scrolls, and hopefully they will give us a clue as to what's going on."

"Yes sir," Ash retorted as Oak said his goodbyes and the screen went blank. "Well, that's over with," he turned his chair so that he was sideways and facing the other two. "All we can do now is sit back and relax, work on the scrolls and wait for more leads."

May nodded and there was a moment of silence between. She walked over to the windows, looking out over the dark city as a cool breeze came in through an open window. The city below was beautiful at night, signs and buildings lighting up in different colors. From where she stood, she could practically see the whole city, its lights mesmerizing her.

I haven't been out on the town in so long, she sighed, shifting her weight as she leaned against the window pane. Ever since I started hanging around with this bunch… A wicked smile suddenly crossed her lips, and she looked over her shoulder at the two men. "Hey, Ash…" she started in her nicest voice, "Since we can't do much right now, and I'm tired of sitting at the computer all day…can we go out?"

Ash raised a brow, looking slightly lost. "Out?"

"Yeah, you know…" she pointed out the window, "Out. We can go out and enjoy the night for once and forget our worries."

Ash silently crossed his arms, his expression never changing. "Why would I want to do that?"

Hearing Ash's disapproval, Gary was on his feet in a second, standing in front of May with her hands in his. "That sounds like a great idea! I know this great club…"

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a second!" Ash was standing as well now, eyes narrowed. "No way!"

"Aw, come on Ash!" May pleaded, giving him her famous puppy eyes. "I've never once asked for a night off to enjoy myself! Why can't we go out this one night and have fun?"

"I don't do fun." He replied dryly, looking as if he wouldn't budge.

"Come on, you need this!" May shrugged off Gary, moving towards Ash, "All you do is sit around and mope, and when you're not moping you're off almost getting yourself killed! You could use a break just as much as I do!"

Ash gave her a cross look, "I'm fine with my way of living."

"Please?" May tried again, "I don't think I've ever seen you go out without some kind of mission!"

"I don't like city life," he replied, "And I especially don't like hanging around people."

May put her hands on her hips. "You hang around with me!"

"You're different," was his reply, and he winced as her eyes narrowed. "Fine! I'll go…but I won't enjoy it!"

May leapt at him, looking quite happy. "Thank you!" She buried her head in his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck. He sighed, rolling his eyes as he uncrossed his arms.

He was such a sucker when it came to girls, especially May, who was like the younger sister he never had.

With a squeal of delight May let go of him, running in the direction of her room. "I'm going to change!"

Ash sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. He knew that he was going to regret this.

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The club was hot, despite it being very chilly outside. This was mainly due to the large population of humans dancing to the overly loud music on the dance floor, the smell of sweat and alcohol heavy in the air. The place was dimly lit, the stage where a local band was playing and the bar across the way from it the only sources of light in the whole crowded place.

In the dark corner of the club, sitting at the end of the bar with a shot of vodka in his hand, Ash watched the moving bodies on the dance floor, his face set in grim fascination. He'd never been one to mingle with humans, not since he'd been killed at Geovanni's hand. Sure, he'd walked as if he were one of them many a night after that, but he had been on the prowl for food at the time. Ash felt a thrilling shiver go up his spine and his eyes narrowed, shaking the feeling off. No, the past was the past, and once he had changed his ways, he had tried hard to stay away from the humans around him.

But May had been different, he mused, looking down at his shot glass. Lifting it to his lips he drank it back, feeling it burn on the way down. He sometimes still ate and drank human food, though it had little effect on him. Waving at the bar tender, he signaled that he wanted a refill.

May had been the first human to ever search out him. It had always been him in the past, searching for someone to play and eat with. It had been quite strange when she had showed up, knowing who and what he was and still not fearing him one bit. He'd been intrigued by her, and as the days past and her insistence grew, he'd decided that she wasn't that bad for a human and he started to enjoy her company. It had been a long time since he had had a conversation with anyone, and May sure liked to talk.

Staring across the dance floor, he watched as May danced to whatever song was on - it had a fast beat, though he couldn't quite catch the lyrics - her hips swinging and her arms in the air as she moved her feet with the crowd. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and for once, Ash realized that she had been right. Back before she had invited him into her home, before they had met…she had probably been just another normal teenage girl who loved to do things like this. But her new job had taken up most of her time since then, and she rarely ever got to go out.

His lips set in a grim line, Ash looked down at his now full shot glass of vodka. Maybe he shouldn't have been so tough on May. She was only a young woman, after all…and he always kept her busy with things that should have only concerned him. The scrolls, for example - she worked day and night on those, even though she didn't really need to, and she never took a break.

This must be the first time she's been out in years, Ash realized, swirling the liquid in his glass around before taking it back. He promised there and then that he wouldn't be so hard on the girl, that he would insist upon her having more of a social life from now on.

He looked back at the dancing people as the bar tender refilled his glass again, his eyes searching out May and Gary. Gary was dancing with May now, one hand on her waist and the other in the air as he moved his body with hers to the music. May, though sometimes annoyed with the man, didn't seem to mind for she had a large grin on her face. It grew wider as they turned and she saw Ash sitting at the bar. Letting go of Gary, she pranced over to the raven haired vampire.

"Come on, Ash!" she tried to grab him by the arm, "Let's dance!"

Ash looked up at the young woman that he'd come to consider his younger sister, though she would grow old and he would forever stay the same, he mused. "No thanks. I never was one to dance."

"You can learn!" She laughed, tugging at his leather duster's sleeve.

He shook his head, giving her a pointed look with a small amused smile. "Vampires don't dance."

May pouted with a 'hmph!' before turning back to the crowd. "Suit yourself!" she replied, and she disappeared back into the moving crowd.

There was a small silence before, "That was a lie, you know. I know plenty of vampires who dance."

Ash whirled around, startled by the feminine voice that had whispered in his ear. His eyes widened as he stared at the woman standing behind him, who smiled in return as she realized his shock as he looked her over.

She stood with one hand on her hips, a white top on that clung tight to her figure and didn't leave much to the imagination. It curved down in the front, showing most of her breasts before it tied in the front with a black bow. The shirt ended just before her hips, showing creamy skin, and her black jeans hung low and clung to her legs. She wore matching black sandals on her feet, her toenails painted red to match her painted finger nails. Her hair was long and a bright auburn color, divided low in the back so that she looked like she had her hair in pig tails, though they were much too big to be considered that. Her face was pretty, and sparkling light blue eyes stared back into his dark ones in amusement.

"Melody," he breathed, blinking as he looked up at her face.

"The one and only," she winked, taking a seat next to him. He turned so that he could look at her, still in shock at seeing her. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked, waving a hand to catch the bar tender's attention. Once she had ordered, he replied.

"A few centuries."

She took a sip of her bloody mary, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "Last time I saw you, you were creating havoc in the Orange Islands region." She laughed, "I was there for a short while, if you remember. I saw the things you did," her smiled faded somewhat as she looked at him, "though you know I never approved of it."

"Melody, I -" Ash stared at her, his expression pained. He finally looked down at his drink, the memories haunting him. "I've changed since then."

"Oh?" She gave him a curious glance, taking another sip of her drink.

"I've changed," he started, not look up at her, "I'm not the same person I used to be."

"That's for sure," she replied, her eyes dancing about the room and landing on May, "I knew that you liked to play with your food, but the look on your face when that chick is around…"

"That's May," Ash said absently, swishing the contents of his glass around, "She's the family that I never had."

"Really?" Melody looked intrigued now, her head tilted as she tried to catch his gaze.

"I've given up my old ways," Ash informed her, finally drinking the contents of his glass. How many had that been now, three…four? He'd lost count since he'd arrived. "I've left behind my past, including our old friends Jessie and James."

"Word on the street is that you busted them up pretty bad last night," said Melody, her voice lowering, "Is this true?"

"Yes." Again, Ash refused to look at her, "I've turned against them all. My one goal now is to destroy Geovanni for ruining my life…for making me the blood thirsty creature that I once was, and still am."

Melody laid a hand on his shoulder and he finally look up at her. She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm glad you finally came to, Ash. I tried to tell you for years that what you were doing was bad…and that one day you might regret doing what you had done."

"I should have listened to you," he admitted, "But I was crazy back then…I'd lost my family, everyone I'd ever loved…it was all torn away from me, and I'd been given this incredible strength. I felt invincible, and half the time I didn't even realize what I was doing." He shook his head, "I did some terrible things…and I'm still regretting them."

There was a small silence before her looked up at her. "I'm sorry Melody, for everything I did. To those people…to you…"

Melody flinched, but her gaze didn't waver.

"I killed you, made you one of us," Ash said bitterly, looking away again. "You stood by my side through everything, even though I killed your family and ripped you from your human life. I'm…I'm sorry, I really am. You must hate me…I'm okay with that, as long as you know that I'm sorry."

Melody suddenly put her arm around him, letting her head rest between the crook of his neck. In a whispery voice she replied, "I could never hate you, Ash….not after everything we've shared. But I can never love you as I did in the past."

He looked down at her, smiling gently as he laid his chin on her head and wrapped his arms around her. "That's fine with me. I'm happy knowing that you don't hate me for the past. I hope to atone for all my wrong doings of the past."

She pulled away, smiling up at him. "I'm glad. If you ever need any help, just call me."

"I will," he nodded, drinking the last of his vodka.

"See you around?" she asked hopefully, obviously about to leave.

"See you around," he confirmed, watching as she disappeared into the darkness, leaving her half empty bloody mary and a wad of cash on the counter.

He was about to order a refill of his drink when his vampiric senses picked up something outside, a faint sound that he could just barely hear over the loud music of the club. He listened carefully, picking some cash out of his pocket as he stood.

A loud scream pieced his senses, and he realized he wasn't imagining things.

Throwing the money down he ran in the direction of the exit, his hand moving to the gun at his side.

To Be Continued…