Chapter One - Sloane (Manhattan, NY)

Her past was almost as horrifying as what I had seen earlier that evening. The girl we were promised that would attract him was filled with pain though she came out as beautiful. She was gorgeous; both in looks and personality, from what her family had described her as. They said it was a miracle that she turned out so wonderful from such tragic experiences. But, from past experiences, I knew that was how it worked. When you suffer, you become stronger. You’re a survivor.

            Her name was Alexandria Rosalie Nicholson. She had decided to keep her original last name as a reminder of what she had lost. She was sixteen and born on Valentine’s Day. She loved to paint nature on anything she could get paint to stick to. They showed us her bedroom and all four walls were painted a landscape " something different for each season. Her ceiling was painted like the night sky. She also enjoyed interior decorating; the reason for why her bed was covered in vines. She sculpted objects, like the petite angel stature on the night stand. She had a waterfall and fish tank off to the side, next to a couch and small desk.  

            She truly had talent for nature. It amazed me that such a young girl could do these things.

            Her personality was no surprise to any of us when they explained it, almost like they were telling a story. She hardly talked to anyone unless she needed help or wanted to tell someone something important or funny. She was always smiling though, even if it was a sad smile. She would laugh rather than talk, but only quietly. Though through no words, she helped their family come closer together. Now they were broken again from hearing their loss.

            Telling the family of a disappearance or murder is the worst part of being a detective or police officer. We want to help them, comfort them but there is nothing we can say or do without giving false hope. When I told her family that she was missing, and of what had happen in that room, I wanted to tell them I would find her and bring her back to them. The mother screamed and cried out her name. The father stood still and held his wife, saying nothing. The other three children were crying, especially the oldest. I guessed he was about the girl’s age, maybe a bit older. I asked him if he were close with her and he nodded. He said they had similar pasts. The other two were twins, only about ten years old. They were also close with the girl.

            I tried to explain that we would do anything to help her and to bring her home safely but no words would make them believe it completely.

            “What kind of monster would do this?” Their father had asked. His voice was hollow; the liveliness sucked clean from his throat. I cringed at the word monster and looked at my partner. He had his eyes closed as he breathed deeply.

            “We need to tell them Sloane. The story on the news won’t be any easier than the truth,” He said quietly, opening his eyes again. I nodded in agreement, knowing that it would just make it worse if they believed it wasn’t as bad as it truly was.

            I asked the girl’s family to sit and they did. It took me a while to gather in the right words that would be enough for them to handle. It surely wasn’t going to be easy.

            I thought about starting it with how she was the acceptable mate for him but realized I had still not seen a picture of the girl. All I had known were the important characteristics that made him go for her. I asked the oldest if they had a picture of her and he immediately got up to get it. When he came back with a frame, I held out my hand for it. He handed it over and went back to sit with the twins. I observed every detail of her so that her appearance was imprinted in my mind.

            Alexandria was as beautiful as they had described her earlier. She was short, probably just hitting the five foot mark. She was slender and had slight curves but nothing extreme. Her skin was pale and fair with no blemishes in sight. Her hair was long, wavy and a bright copper red color. Her eyes were a silver-hazel, bright and full of life. Her lips were pink and somehow looked soft. She was indeed a perfect mate for him.

            “I must warn you that before I begin, you will find most of this story hard to believe,” I said firmly, glancing between them and the photo. “It will go against everything natural that you know of. But promise me that you will not interrupt me until I am finished.”

            They all nodded and I took that as a sign as to continue.

            “Alexandria is a beautiful girl. She has a lot of features that any man would want in a woman. But in her case, she has the complete attire to attract a certain type of man. Her looks are considered romantically enchanting in certain cultures, and with this…this man, it’s almost as if she calls to him. This man isn’t human, though, mind you. He is far from it. Mr.-“

            “Cardin.” The father answered. I nodded and went on again.         

            “Mr. Cardin, you had the right to call him a monster, because that is exactly what he is. This person is a cruel, sick b*****d that takes pleasure in killing. It’s a hobby; I guess that’s what you could call it. He does it for fun.

            “He’s also a lot stronger and faster than any human alive. His body is the only weapon he needs. He killed all of those people with just his hands and teeth. He didn’t need a knife, or a gun to do that all of that damage,” I said slowly. I kept watch of their emotions and reactions, scared they might just walk away.

            “What is he?” The oldest child asked. He sat very still, staring at his hands in his lap. He looked so alone and helpless. I wanted to get up and hug him but repressed the urge.

            “He’s a vampire,” My partner answered for me. His tone was flat and dead. He didn’t believe in dragging things out. I guess that’s why I love having him as a partner and a best friend. But sometimes, like with something like this, you can’t be blunt.

            “Really, George?” I shook my head as he shrugged.

            “You’re all insane. There is no such thing as vampires, sir. They’re a creature out of books.” Mrs. Cardin said. She stared at the both of us like we were the ones who had kidnapped her child. I didn’t really blame her, though. I didn’t believe it at first either.

            George came over and sat on the arm of my chair, looking at them patiently. “Vampires are real Mrs. Cardin. They are more real then what they say is in the deepest part of the ocean. They live all over but this specific vampire came from its homeland, Romania.”

            “So we’re dealing with Dracula,” The oldest boy joked. It was pathetic sounding with no humor in his voice. I guess it was his way of dealing with the situation.

            “He’s a descendant of Vladimir Dracul, also known as Vlad the Impaler. His name is Sebastian Dracul, his choice to take on the horrific name. He’s young for being a vampire, which makes him less controllable. Granted, most vampires are not as… sadistic, if you will. He just choses to be how he is. He could be considered what you would call in today’s terms a spoiled brat. He gets what he wants, no matter what anyone else tells him. That’s why all those people died. They probably tried to stop him from taking her and he lost it.

            “Now, the reason why he wants Alexandria is for her to be his bride. She shows the traits of their version of a perfect princess, both in looks and personality. Her blood may also call to him, even lure him in. Either way, he is determined to have her as his queen.”

            Nothing was said. It was an eerie and awkward silence that made the explanation seem impossible to understand.

            “Will he hurt her?” One of the twins finally asked. They both had tears in their eyes but the one who had spoken had fear that resembled the young survivor at the murder scene. It crushed my insides to see that, but it was as if she knew how bad it really was, something hardly any one could understand.

            “I won’t lie to any of you,” I started out slowly, taking deep breaths, “but yes, it quite possible that he might. If she tries to resist him too much, or fight back, he could possibly do so. I doubt though he would risk it. He wasn’t the only one who chose her. If their councilmen had any say with her as queen, and they wanted her, they could kill him if he hurt her in any way. They are very simple but understanding people, and they will take out their ruler though. That’s why the United States government is working with the Romanians. They just don’t know how many he has killed and when they send the report, they might also join in on the assassination.”

            “Or they could do everything in their power to protect him…” The oldest boy whispered. My gaze focused on him with curiosity.

            “What’s your name kid?”

            “Daniel, sir.”

            I nodded in approval. “Nice, strong name. And how old are you Daniel?”

            “I’m seventeen,” He answered.

            “Well Daniel, tell me; was Alexandria a fighter?”

            He had to take a minute to think about the answer.

            “I never really saw her ever stand up for herself, but I imagine that she is, given what she has been through. You have to be a fighter when you lose your whole family,” He finally answered. I nodded once again, agreeing with him. She had to be strong, especially when she had no one to turn to.

            “Will you bring her home to us, detectives?” Mrs. Cardin asked, in between sobs.

            “We will do our best to, ma’am,” George answered with a slight nod. We both stood and shook the parents’ hands, leaving them our cards. Daniel showed us out to the door, letting in another local cop.

            “Sir-“

            “Sloane,” I corrected.  He nodded and continued.

            “Sloane, in your own opinion and please do not lie, do you think you’ll bring Alex home alive?” He asked quietly.  I looked at him for a few seconds, observing again. He must also be as strong as he described Alex, with him going through the same kind of past. I didn’t want to give him my answer but I didn’t have the strength to lie to him.

            “I honestly don’t know, Daniel. With what I’ve seen this man do to people, I believe only his own people can stop him now.”

            “Is there anything I can do to help?”

            “There is a few things, son.” George cut in before I could answer. I looked at him curiously, wondering what he would say. He ignored my glances and went on. “First, pray for her. Second, do not tell anyone about this. If word got out, the whole country, even world, would begin to panic. And thirdly, do you have a picture of her that we can carry?”

            Daniel nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out his own phone. He pushed a few keys then showed us what he had pulled up. It was a picture of them together, smiling as if nothing could be wrong in the world. “We took it two days ago. Can I send it to your phone, or an email?”

            George told him my number since his phone was an old outdated one. I felt the vibration in my back pocket, the notice that I had received the file. I pulled it out and saved the picture, taking a few seconds to gaze at it. It bothered me that such a young woman with a sad life could be put through so much more. It also made my heart flutter to see how beautiful she was.

            And to think, if he bit her before we could get to her, she would be even more beautiful. It was impossible.

            “Will you keep me informed about what happens, whether good or bad? She’s like a sister to me, a twin actually. It’s hard to be away from her and not know if she is ok or not.”

            His voice was sad and pleading, as were his eyes. They showed how young he really was, even if he did not act like it or not. I couldn’t seem to look away from him.

            “I promise, I will.” I answered. He shook my hand then went back inside his house leaving us in the dark on the porch.

            “I hate doing that,” I grumbled as we went down the steps. George chuckled humorlessly and was the first to get in the car.

            “Its part of the job, Sloane. You never get used to it but you’ll learn to handle it. You’re young so it won’t be as hard as it is for most. How did you get this job anyways? You’re like twenty, right?”

            “My dad let me get in with the Marines when I was sixteen and when I was nineteen, I decided it wasn’t for me but being a detective was an option. Since I had the training as a Marine and I passed all of the psych tests, I got a good recommendation to get in with the Feds.”

            “Was your dad part of the Marines?”

            “Nah, he was in with the Navy Seals, though he was just as tough,” I sighed, looking out the window. The dark shadows on the ground seemed to crawl by us as we sat in the car. George started it up and the roar of the engine was the only sound in that moment.

            “Did he approve of the change?”

            “I don’t think he really cared, George. He just wanted me to do what I wanted, whether it was a good choice or not.”

            As the car started moving, I kept thinking about Alex and where she was at right now. Was he hurting her? Did she know just how much danger she was in? Was she even alive still? It was painful thinking about why he had really chosen her. He was going to use her for power, for her blood, and other reasons I couldn’t bring myself to think of. It made me angry that the Romanians weren’t doing more since it would take them only hours to finish him off. But, like their head councilman had said, they do not act on feelings.

            Feelings, my a*s. There is a girl out there being forced to have her life taken away!

            “You cannot help her if you wallow in the negative side of her case, Sloane. It will only distract you from getting you’re job down. Right now, Alex needs you to be focused on bringing her home, not worrying about a possible funeral that may or may not happen.”          

            George’s voice broke my chain of thought, having me flinch. I looked over at him in the dark, wondering how he knew.

            “Wouldn’t you want someone being positive for you in a situation like this if you were in her place?” He asked reasonably.

            “I’d want someone to come and kick his a*s for doing that to me,” I muttered. George nodded, a bit amused.

            “I’m sure she would want something more than a fight, but alright, it’s a start. As you get more… assimilated to the job, you’ll learn to stop the negativity and put yourself in the victim’s shoes. Soon enough, you’ll become more connected with the victim and see their side; the positives.”

            “Can you do that, George?” I asked him. I wondered how long he could have possibly been on the job. He was older, I know that. Probably in his late forties, maybe early fifties.

            “I’ve learned to do some of it, but at times, I find myself in your place, just feeling hopeless.” He answered with deep thought.

            “How long have you been on the job?”

            “With the Feds, about thirty years, give or take a few for breaks with injuries. Before that, I used to work for Brooklyn’s SVU squad for about ten years.”

            “What does SVU stand for, George?” I was sort of surprised that I had never heard of it before. Was it only something they had in New York?

            “Special Victims Unit: AKA sex crimes unit. They mainly handle rapes and cases that involve children and the elderly. It takes a special person to work there and I wasn’t one of them. If I had stayed another day in that, I would have lost my mind. I couldn’t believe I lasted ten years without cracking.”

            “I think I would have had trouble not going trigger happy on each of the damn b******s. You’re better than me, I’ll give you that. I wouldn’t have lasted a day but in that day, none of them would have made it to the lock up,” I whistled lowly afterwards. I knew I wouldn’t last in that. Murder I could handle but seeing a child who had been abused, they would need a machine gun to take me down.

            “Wait, that’s forty years, George. How old are you?”

            “I’m going to be sixty two in late August. And I’m still good as new…minus the few bones that have been broken,” He chuckled. I just stared at him. Man, I was off by at least ten years.

            “You don’t look it, George.”

            “That’s what the job does to you. You can’t grow as old when you have so much to handle. To me, it slows down the process. Others, it makes you older than you already are.”

            “I hope it doesn’t for me.” I muttered, which made him laugh.

            “You’ll see in time kid. It starts to show after five years on the job.”

            It was silent again in the car as he drove. It was raining slightly; the rain drops hitting the windshield with little to no sound. There were no other cars on the street so our headlights were the only bright light in the area. It was strange to see Manhattan almost empty, but then again it was past midnight and we weren’t in the main part of the city. But still, it never got this empty.

            “Where do you think she is, George?” I finally asked. It kept bugging me to not know where he had her.

            “Well Sloane, she could be anywhere. She could be right here in Manhattan, which I doubt. She could be somewhere down south, maybe in the Carolinas or Georgia. She could be out in the plains, or over in the Rockies. Hell, she could be in Europe by now. We don’t know yet because we don’t know much personally of the sick b*****d. We’ll find out though, soon.”

            I hope he is right…for Alex’s sake.

Author's Note

Review, please

Reviews

[Alaska]

A few mistakes here and there as far as sentence structure, but it didn't detract that much from the story, which is aan accomplishment, believe me! I like your characters, though I suggest really playing with the voices of each character. You can really capture someones personality with how they speak, manerisms, and all that. I'm hooked though, I hope you're still working on this!!!!