Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Two Years Ago

     The bar was called The Abyss; it was dilettante yet overly crowded. It was a haven for all those wannabe vampires who thought the cliche would get them laid. It was also the perfect hunting ground for the real thing. The bar was dimly lit except for black lights and strobe effects; there were hints of acid green, hot pink, and an icy blue dancing all around on the floor. Trance music blared through the five-foot speakers surrounding the dancers and the swirling lights; Kaleb cringed as the sound of the god awful music was piercing his ears. He couldn’t stand the stuff and yet here he was.

     Kaleb had waited for an hour just to get in even though he could have bypassed all the posers if he wanted to but he was hunting. He sat at the bar pounding down a shot of twelve year old scotch like it was going out of style, waiting for someone he did not quite know of yet. He could sense that they were out there; just couldn’t pin point them.

     A thin, well fit woman touched his shoulder breaking his dazed state.

     "I'm sorry what was that?"

     The woman, too ditsy to feel insulted, smiled at him and laughed lightly. She was a brunette with jade green eyes. She was wearing a black skin tight dress that barely covered her thighs. Kaleb spent the better part of his time in the bar attempting to have a conversation with the woman and the other part trying to drown her out with whiskey.

     "I said, do you come here often?"

     "No. Never."

     The bar tender, which was an average height man with a bit of muscle and a buzzed type haircut, one you would see on a military solider started to walk over.

     “You want me to just leave you the bottle Kaleb?”

     “Yea that works for me Luke. Just put it on my tab.”

     Kaleb grinned as the woman had finally put everything together. She got up, slapping Kaleb in the face as she walked away.

     "You have quite the way with women don't you?"

     Luke reached over and grabbed a bottle of Glenlivet and placed it next to Kaleb’s empty shot glass. Kaleb was wearing a fitted black deep V-neck shirt with a pair of dark washed jeans. He took a glance at the dance floor and saw a large group of people, dressed in all black, it looks like a God damn emo convention, Kaleb thought to himself while watching them all grinding on one another.

     "Why do you even put on these events? They're so awful."

     "They bring in the customers. In this economy you gotta make money anyway you can."

     "Sellout."

     Kaleb turned back to the crowd. He knew within that group there was a predator stalking its prey, but what the predator was unaware of was that they were being hunted as well. For weeks the local newspaper headlines ran stories about people who went mysteriously missing after they had last been seen on the same street the bar was on and this was as good a place as any to start looking; seemed like a haven for the oddly disturbed. The most recent victim was a girl in her early 20s. She was an average height girl with light brown hair and very beautiful. It’s a shame someone so young can just cease to exist, her spark extinguished.

     As Kaleb was watching the floor he saw a thin shorthaired blonde wearing a tight lacy black lingerie outfit with a hint of pink in it approaching him out of the corner of his eye. Her features were something he had rarely seen before, she had the most perfect curves, and she was absolutely breath taking. As she came closer her perfume filled his nostrils, burning them.

     “I haven’t seen you around here before, you new to town?”

     As she parted her ruby lips Kaleb saw what were obviously fake over extended canines. She leaned against the bar pushing out her bust.

        “I’m sorry lady, posers just aren’t my thing,” he replied in a snarky tone.

        The woman bent over revealing more of her already displayed cleavage.

     “I’ll make it worth your while sweetie.” She winked at him.

     Kaleb ignored her unwillingness to give up and continued to scour the crowd, causing the blonde woman to become growlingly pissed at the invitation he turned down and stomped off back to the dance floor with the clicking of her heels fading away with the ghastly music. The bar tender came back over to Kaleb.

     “If you’re not into these types of girls why do you always come here?”

        “I like the company.” Sarcasm filled Kaleb’s voice as he laughed. He downed another shot while Luke partook and enjoyed one himself, snickering.

 

                        *    *    *

       

     The night was dragging on and the guests were slowly starting to leave. That’s when he noticed an average looking man walking out with a blonde bombshell, the same one that had approached him earlier. He just knew there wasn’t something right with her. She carried herself in an elegant way, so full of pride, and so full of desire. Her perfume had began to fade and her scent became noticeable. He smelled the air and picked up exactly what she was.

     Kaleb grabbed his black corduroy blazer off of the stool next to him and headed for the door, fighting through the crowd to reach it. When he was outside he nodded to the bouncer; it was his way of saying, have a good night. The fall nights in New York City got cold and crisp; he could see his breath and wasted no time putting on his blazer, pulling the collar up to avoid the sting of the cold air on his neck.

He looked up and down both sides of the street. He couldn’t see or even find the blond haired woman or pick up a hint of her scent.

     As Kaleb was about to give up he noticed the woman halfway down the street heading towards Central Park. He ran with haste to the other side of the road almost getting hit by a taxi cab; the drivers were maniacs although it would not have hurt him much if the erratic man did hit him. The cabi stuck his head out the window and started to scream at Kaleb in an overly irritated voice. He smirked and flipped off the cabi running toward the woman. As Kaleb followed the woman and her clueless date he tried to act casual and keep a safe distance, smelling his scent again would possibly set her off before he could get close enough to them.        

     They had been walking for blocks until the two turned, heading into the park, almost disappearing from his sight thanks to half the light posts being out, how convenient. Kaleb knew that wasn’t good and he needed to hurry, but he had to keep his cool, he was too close to get caught now. They walked the concrete walkway which than led to a dirt path with Kaleb on their heels.

It was too dark for Kaleb to see them, but he could hear their small talk about jobs, places they’ve been, what kind of food they like; the normal things people discuss on a first date. He became so bored with having to listen to that man drone on about himself over and over that he almost considered just letting the little vamp have her snack, but finally the talking stopped.

Kaleb heard a shriek and bolted towards the couple. When he arrived he found the blonde girl leaning over the now dead man feasting on his neck as the blood caught in his throat causing him to drown in the thick red mess. He was too late to save the man, but not too late to catch the beast.

     Kaleb leaped at the blonde woman and tackled her to the ground. The woman lifted up her foot and kicked Kaleb in the chest and he flew a few feet causing him to smash into a tree. Kaleb fought to regain his stance just as he noticed the woman was charging him; flaunting her fangs. As she connected with him, Kaleb spun the woman, throwing her against the tree. He pulled out a butterfly knife that was hidden in his jacket, flipped it open in one solid swing and stabbed her in the right shoulder to keep her pined to the bark, her face filled with horror. “So they weren’t fake after all… I must be getting a little rusty,” he said winded, staring at her teeth.

        “I knew there was something odd about you. Who are you,” she asked, blood dripping out of her mouth in a scowling voice. She snapped towards Kaleb’s neck as he took a step back just in time.

        Kaleb took a minute to catch his breath and then looked up at the woman with a smirk on his face. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard of me. I’m very popular with your species.” There was something rewarding in his eyes when he said that, almost as if he was proud to be known by the vampires.

        The woman focused her icy blue eyes on his face; his unique shade of green eyes, his thin jaw line. She couldn’t quite place the face at first but then it came to her. She had seen that face before but not on this man, on someone else. Her eyes slowly filled with terror.

     “You’re... You’re the Dhampir."