Chapter 11: Double Massacre

Kaileena immediately forgot the argument and ran to the door, almost knocking the vampire to the side. Within a matter of seconds, she had thrown on her leather coat, grabbed her sword and strapped it to her body. Picking up a set of silver stakes and daggers, she burst through the entrance to her apartment and sprinted to the edge of the floor she was on. She moved so fast it seemed her clothing and weapons had magnetically attracted themselves to her and the dhampir had simply flown out the door. An entertaining notion, but not one he could play with at the moment. From the sound of that scream, another murder was being committed. And this time, the dhampir had been in his presence. Perhaps the woman hadn’t committed those murders. But then why the mark on her wrist? He frowned in puzzlement. It made no sense to him at all.

Another scream. There was no time to ponder the mystery. This was the perfect opportunity to catch the culprit and find who was committing these crimes. Without a second thought, he drew a clip from his pocket, jacked the round into the chamber and ran down the stairs after the Hunter. He just made the third staircase when he saw the woman vault the railing and drop to the lobby several floors below her. Cursing his distraction, he gripped the railing and vaulted over it, plunging to the ground floor. Absorbing the impact with his feet, he landed in a crouch and swiftly rose to his feet. He glanced towards the sound of footsteps and saw a flash of black leather disappear around the corner. He glanced up at the sign above. The word Basement was printed next to an arrow leading downwards. Wasting no more time, he followed after Kaileena. And what he saw at the bottom of the stairs shocked him.

 

Blood splattered the floor and the walls, the fresh coppery scent enough to drive him to insanity. He shook himself out of the trance that usually followed the Thirst. If this had such a profound effect on him, then how would the dhampir react to the scent of fresh blood? The screams had stopped, leaving the basement in eerie silence. There was no sign of the dhampir either.

“Kaileena?” The name was called barely above a whisper. He knew the woman would be able to hear him. Besides, it was best not to draw attention to himself with a potential killer on the loose. He followed the bloody trail, his ears pricked for anything out of the ordinary. He turned the corner and beheld the horrific sight of two women slaughtered like animals upon the ground. The head and the heart were missing, just like the other murder victims. This was clearly the same killer. Still, he saw no sign of the dhampir.

“Where the hell are you?” he hissed.

His call was answered by a blur of shadow and a sharp pain slicing across his face. He fell upon the corpses, the flesh grinding to a pulp under his weight. He scrambled to his feet and pointed his pistol at the darkness. He whirled around in a circle, trying to find whatever had attacked him. Blood trickled down his face and onto his jacket. He would worry about the state of his clothes later. Something was down here, and whatever it was, it was clearly not human.

 

The light in the basement suddenly went out, leaving him momentarily blind in the dark. He swore colourfully under his breath. Even vampires suffered from night-blindness, but only for the first thirty seconds of darkness. But from the looks of the bodies he’d discovered, thirty seconds would be the difference between life and death. A low rattling sound echoed through the basement. It sounded strangely like laughter. A loud crash diverted his attention and a large weight collided into his body with great force, pinning him to the bloody floor. His gun flew out of his hand and clattered to the ground three feet away. He grappled with the thing in the darkness. His sight was nearly adjusted to the dark but it would seem the thing on top of him was part of the shadows themselves. Its flesh slipped and slid under his grip, giving the vampire the impression that he was trying to grab onto a mound of jelly. He could feel its scorching breath on his face, the fetid stench of rotting meat and viscera enough to make him gag. He tried to push it off of him, but it wouldn’t budge an inch.

“S**t!” Vincent curled one of his hands into a fist and pummelled at the thing, not caring to think about the feeling of its flesh sinking and springing back into place. A loud screech and the weight disappeared. He rolled to his feet quickly and searched the darkness for his gun. A glimmer of silver to his left. It was his only chance. The thing growled at him and he could hear its claws scratching at the ground. It was now or never. With every ounce of strength he could muster, he made a dive for the gun. He landed with a loud thud on the floor and snatched up the gun. The muzzle flashed and he caught a brief glimpse of the thing in front of him as the shot struck it. It appeared to be some kind of feline, all rippling muscle and sinew with no ears and a bladed tail. It screeched in pain and he kept firing at the creature. With a burst of speed, it leaped into the air and swiped at the vampire’s arm. He roared in pain and rolled to his feet, firing the last round into the creature. But it didn’t go down. Guns were ineffective against this thing!

Now what? he thought irritably.

A sudden flash of blinding white light. The creature screeched in pain and shielded its eyes with one of its claws. A silver arc limned through the air and split the thing in two. It fell in a shower of gore and bloody mist at the feet of its slayer. Vincent strained his eyes to see who had just saved him from the jaws of utter oblivion. The basement light flickered on again, revealing the dhampir who was standing by the circuit board with her blade out. Her eyes gazed at the creature in distaste, the scent of rotting meat making its way to her nostrils.

 

“Half-breed!”

Kaileena glanced at the vampire lord. “It seems you had a little trouble here.”

“Where the hell did you go?” hissed Vincent. “You left me to fight this thing all by myself! Are you trying to nullify our agreement by getting me killed?”

“Firstly, I wasn’t sure if you were following. Secondly, I was on the trail of a killer and couldn’t stop so I could be at your beck and call. And thirdly, I thought you would be able to handle something like this on your own. You ARE a member of the Dracului, are you not?”

“Spare me the lecture, half-breed.” The vampire lord brushed off the ground up flesh that had landed on his clothing when he fell. He shook his head to clear it, the haze of pain drifting away. Kaileena walked over to the vampire and held out her hand to him. Vincent blinked at the proffered hand and looked up at her before glaring at her. “I don’t need you to hold my hand.”

“The floor is slick with blood. If you attempt to get up on your own, you will only fall on your a*s again. We have to keep the crime scene as uncontaminated as possible. Also, there are two bodies here. Which means there may be more than one killer. We need to work together if we are going to find out who or what is killing these women.”

The vampire brushed her hand away and made to rise to his feet. She grabbed his arm, her grip strong and firm and, to the vampire’s surprise, conveying urgency. He stared at the dhampir whose eyes were fixed onto his.

“My Lord, please. You have to trust me on this.”

Vincent felt his eyes were going to bulge out of their sockets. Was the infamous Vampire Hunter asking for him to trust her?! Since when did his trust matter to her? He was a vampire and she was a hybrid. Both were at odds with each other genetically and racially. And to solidify that hatred even further, she was a Vampire Hunter. She made a living slaughtering his kind. But when he thought about it, Kaileena was a strange case. Everything he thought he knew about dhampirs was completely contradicted by this woman’s thoughts and actions. And after what happened that morning, almost all his preconceptions had been thrown out the window. Also, she had saved his life, when she could have easily let him die. It may have been because he was her only lead to Elizabeth Bathory, but somehow he didn’t think so. As much as he hated to admit it, he owed her one. Vincent sighed and wrapped his long fingers around her arm. Kaileena pulled him to his feet, steadying him on the bloody floor before letting go. The vampire lord glanced at the thing’s carcass, remembering its fetid breath.

 

“So, what is this thing?”

“It’s a Bastera.”

“A what?”

“A hybrid demon created from injecting the DNA of a chimera into a temple cat. The combined genes of both the initial demon and the cat’s holy powers of guardianship meld together to create a twisted aberration that uses the cover of darkness to hunt its prey.” Kaileena kicked the carcass lightly. “This process is designed to corrupt the initial host’s powers and warp them to heighten its speed, agility and strength. They are also extremely intelligent.” A slight frown etched her brow. “But one of these hasn’t been seen in over three thousand years. Not since the era of Hatshepsut’s reign.”

“What does that mean?”

“Either someone has recreated the process or it’s possible they’ve resurrected fossilized remains.”

“Fossilized?”

“There have been reports from old archaeological digs that Bastera remains have been located in several tombs around the world. My guess is they were imported as gifts for rulers and trained as guardian beasts. It’s not entirely incorrect but just a theory.”

“So someone has resurrected them?” Vincent kneaded his left temple with his fingers in frustration. This case was getting more and more confusing. “Who in their right mind would want these things alive?”

Kaileena knelt next to the carcass, her eyes narrowed as she turned over the left half to reveal the demon’s split face. On the forehead of the creature was the foreboding crest that had been found on the other victims. “It would appear that there is some truth to those files you brought with you.”

Vincent’s eyes flew to the dhampir and he quickly knelt next to the carcass. He saw the crest and glanced at her. “It’s the same mark.”

“Yes.” Kaileena’s eyes darkened and she rose to her feet. Flicking the gore off her blade, she returned the sword to its sheath. “It looks like I still have some work to do.” She crossed to a large metal door and pressed her hand against it. It was sealed shut but there was blood on the handle. “Someone used this to get through here and sealed it so no one could follow.”

“That creature’s master maybe?”

“Maybe. But that passage leads to the industrial sector of London. It’s an open area so there is no point going there now with the sun up.”

“So we return when dusk falls.”

Kaileena nodded. She glanced at him. “But first, we need to process this crime scene.”

Vincent nodded in agreement. “Very well, I’ll contact the precinct.”

“Should I stay out of the way?” Her tone was sarcastic as she addressed this question. Vincent glanced at the dhampir, glaring at her slightly.

“Aren’t you over that yet?”

“You try being kicked in the gut and see how you feel afterwards,” she snapped. Vincent blinked. For some reason, he felt hurt at the way the woman lashed out at him. Maybe it was the events that had occurred down here, but he was starting to feel empathy for the Hunter and her biased treatment. He suddenly remembered the fight that had occurred upstairs and suddenly felt extremely guilty. He had judged her quite harshly and had accused her on nothing more than a bigoted whim. He didn’t know why, but he felt his entire perspective of her change. Even though she was a hybrid that was hated by both vampires and mortals, she didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. Not after she had already done so much to help in this case, albeit forcibly. The Vampire Hunter shook her head in disgust. She turned on her heel and brushed past him “I’m going back upstairs to clean up. Get someone else to determine the cause of death.”

“Kaileena, wait!”

The dhampir turned around to glare at him. “What is it?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Kaileena blinked. “Excuse me?”

The vampire lord shook his head. “I should never have accused you of these murders. It was nothing more than an act of bigotry. I realise that now. I was wrong.”

The dhampir stared in blank astonishment. Was he actually apologising to her? Him. A vampire. A member of the Dracului was apologising to the very thing he was meant to despise above all else! She suddenly felt confused. She’d always thought this man was just like every other vampire she’d encountered. Bigoted, hateful and uncaring of what he did to others or who he was hurting. It would seem that even she could be wrong sometimes. She sighed and regarded the vampire gently.

“I guess we’re both to blame here.” She shook her head. The vampire lord lowered his gaze, not sure what to do now. Kaileena ran a hand through her hair and looked at him. “Let me clean up and I’ll come back down. It will take a while for the syndicate to get here and they will need directions to the building.”

Vincent blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected that at all. He nodded. “All right.” The dhampir nodded in return and started back up the stairs. She paused briefly then glanced at the vampire.

“You won’t be able to get back home in this light. You can stay in my apartment until dusk. We can discuss our operation until then.” With that, she turned on her heel and glided up the stairs, leaving the befuddled vampire frozen in surprise. He shook his head to clear the shock of her kindness aside before pulling out his cell phone. He checked to see if it had been damaged during the fight with the Bastera and murmured in satisfaction. At least vampire technology was durable to an extent. He punched in the number for the syndicate and raised the phone to his ear. A dull tone and a click ensued.

 

“London Blood Syndicate.” A gruff male voice sounded out.

“Mezrich.”

“Oh, it’s you, Vincent. What can we do for you this time?”

“I need the team down here as soon as possible. It’s another one. This time a double homicide.”

“What?!”

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

“You better be bullshitting!”

“I assure you this is not a joke. Now get your men out here.”
“We’re on our way. Hold down the fort until we get there.”
“Understood.”

“A double murder….” The Inspector sounded worried. “That would mean-“
“Yes, they’re getting more aggressive. Which means more bodies.”

“We got to get this sicko off the streets ASAP! Have you found any leads to the killer?”

“None. There was a creature here when we arrived on the scene. We were attacked but the creature was neutralised.”

“We? Who else is with you?”

“The Vampire Hunter.”

“You brought that half-breed to a crime scene?” Mezrich’s voice was edged with hatred. “How do you know she didn’t commit the other murders?” Vincent winced. It was the same tone he had used when he first met her.

“She was present at the time the murders occurred. They were conducted in the basement of the building she lives in.” Mezrich made to interject but the vampire became more forceful. “She could have let me die, Mezrich. But she saved my life. I have no reason to suspect her in these murders.”

Mezrich was silent for a brief time. “You’re positive that she didn’t do this?”
“Without a shadow of a doubt.” Vincent was surprised at how firmly he said this. But he couldn’t second guess himself. Mezrich sighed.

“All right. We’ll write her off the suspect list, then. But you better keep a close watch on her, Vincent. She may have saved your life but she’s still a Vampire Hunter. And a dhampir. Their breed can’t be trusted. “

“I know, Mezrich. How soon can your men get here?”

“We’re on the main highway now. We know the area so we won’t be too long. Just make sure to have the dhampir present when we get there.”

“Understood. I’ll speak with you later.” With that, he terminated the connection. He heard the dhampir’s footsteps and turned to see Kaileena return in a fresh outfit, her blood-spattered coat open and fluttering in the wind of her gait.

“Aren’t you going to clean up?” she asked.

“The syndicate is on their way. I won’t have time to.”

Kaileena nodded and knelt next to the bodies, beginning her examination. “Do you think the Circle actually exists?”

Vincent shook his head. “Until today, I would have said no. But I have my doubts about this.”

“Me too.” She glanced at him. “We’ll find out tonight. If we can find this Circle, we’ll find our killer.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I can’t explain it but all we’ve been witnessing is connected somehow.”

The vampire lord leaned against the wall, not caring blood was soaking into his coat. “I feel the same. But we won’t be sure until we go through that door.”

“Yeah, it will give us more time to prepare as well. We don’t want a trigger-happy vampire in the same situation.”

Vincent glared at the dhampir, wondering if that had been directed to him. But he was very surprised to see her shoulders shaking. Was she crying? No. A few seconds later, the dhampir was in a fit of laughter. The vampire blinked in surprise as he stared at the giggling Hunter. It was as though all the coldness and anger she usually exhibited melted away for an instant, revealing a tender and kind young woman who’d been deprived of joy and happiness. The laughter soon died down and the dhampir smiled at the vampire for the first time. 

“You’re really a strange case, my Lord,” she remarked. “But it’s not a bad thing.”

“You’re a strange one, too.”

Kaileena frowned. Vincent smiled genuinely and she felt her heart skip. He really was a gorgeous man.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you laugh.”

Kaileena smiled awkwardly and shook her head. “I’m not very good at it. These days I can’t even pretend I’m having fun. Not anymore….” The smile faded and she lowered her head. “It’s like I’ve forgotten how.”

The vampire lord regarded the woman with a modicum of pity. She shook herself out of it and returned to her examination. “The syndicate will be here any minute. You’d better wait outside for them to arrive, my Lord.”

Vincent shook his head. “They know we’re down here. Besides there is something I need to address to you.”

Kaileena frowned, wondering if she was going to be rebuked again. The vampire lord ran a bloody hand through his hair and looked her in eyes.

“Only address me formally around others. When we’re alone or away from crowds, I want you to call me by name.”

Kaileena blinked. “But a servant should never call her master by first-name terms.”

“Well, this master is ordering you to call him by name when we are alone.” He glared at her mockingly. “Is that clear?”

The dhampir looked as though a truck had hit her. Perhaps there was something to like in this vampire after all. She shook her head and bowed as low as her crouched position would allow.

“Yes….Vincent.”

The vampire nodded. “Very good. I’ll be by the stairs so they can’t pull you away from your examination of the bodies. Look sharp.”

“Right.” Kaileena acknowledged him with a nod and frowned as he turned away from her. What had just happened? What changed his attitude towards her? And why didn’t she hate the guy? She shook her head and returned to her task, lost in her own tangle of confused thoughts.

It would seem we’re going to find more than the killer’s patterns change in this case. I wonder what else is in store for us. Maybe this case is the link I’ve been searching for. The link that will lead me to the source of this. Her memories surfaced and her eyes took on a crimson glare.

Elizabeth…This all started with her. All the nightmares, the horrors and tragedies. 

She pressed her hand against her wrist. And in the dim basement light, her face became a devilish one.