Work Text:
The second victim in two days lay bloodless in the morgue. Male, Caucasian, early forties, with contusions on the arms and twin puncture marks on the neck. Connor took this all in with a keen eye.
“That’s unusual, isn’t it?” the mortician, Grady, said from Connor’s shoulder. “On the arms.”
Connor straightened. “It could be desperation. A vampire who hasn’t fed in a while. Or,” he added ominously, “a newborn.” It would explain the two victims in just as many days. Vampires were born starving. Without anyone to guide them, they could easily lose control. Examining the body, Connor could make out the indentations of fingers on the arms. This vampire had been rough, just like with the first victim and given the two were found in roughly the same area, the attacker of both could be the same.
“Thanks for the help,” Connor said. “I’ve seen all I need to see.”
“Sure thing.” Grady covered the body back up and slid it into its drawer. “You just catch the thing that did this. I could hardly to get to sleep last night after the first one.”
“That’s my job.” Connor smiled reassuringly. “And I always accomplish what I set out to do.”
A newly turned or starving vampire on the streets of Detroit? The sun was already setting. Perfect. It was time to get to work.
Jimmy’s Bar was the place to be if you wanted a stiff drink and the latest news off the street. It was also an unofficial gathering place for vampire hunters. So when Connor entered, he caught quite a few familiar faces. He ordered a beer just to have something to drink that wouldn’t dull his senses too much, but spent most of that time talking rather than drinking. Finding out the sort of stuff they didn’t print in the papers was a good way to catch a lead. In this case, he needed more to go on than just two bodies, drained of blood.
Nobody talked openly about it, but vampires had ingrained themselves into society, and they were everywhere. Word was they mostly fed enough to satisfy themselves but not enough to kill their victims. There were even rumors of some humans volunteering to give their blood. But what was given freely could just as easily be taken by force and vampires were faster and stronger than humans. It was only a matter of time before their bloodlust took over and erupted into pandemonium.
“Haven’t seen any new bodies on my end,” Roger told him. “Maybe they’re keeping their newbies in check. Course, that doesn’t account for those that went missing.”
“Missing?” This was the first Connor had heard of it.
“Oh, yeah. Mostly homeless folk. You know, the kind of people no one notices if they go missing.”
“Easier to keep a stock of fresh blood than take your chances with getting seen,” Connor said, tamping down on the disgust roiling in his gut. Was that what the vampires were up to? Taking people and turning them into cattle?
“They talk like they’re all about that,” another hunter, Martha, joined in. “Like they’re so enlightened. But we all know this truce of theirs is just a ruse. Get us to lower our guard, stop training hunters, and then they take the city. They’re practically immortal. They can wait however long it takes.”
“We shouldn’t give them the chance,” Connor said, still thinking about the people taken, locked up, given the bare minimum to survive just so they would bleed day after day for their captors, for years. This so-called “truce,” the pro-vampire movement, none of it mattered. Because vampires were monsters and deserved to be destroyed.
“Yeah. Our problem is we always wait too long. We wait for victims before going on the hunt, when we need to put pressure on them now,” Roger said. “Team up. Form an official unit and exterminate this threat once and for all.”
“You know I’m in,” Martha said immediately.
They were nothing but cattle. “People shouldn’t need to live in fear,” he said. “I’m in.”
Easier said than done, though. Connor held no delusions about what such an endeavor would entail. It would take years of relentless pursuit, of working together with hunters who were notorious for working alone. And there was a reason vampires had lasted as long as they had. What Roger was suggesting would become all-out war. Truth be told, he wished it didn’t have to come to that, but what other choice did they have? To continue to live with how they were currently doing things and let the vampires slaughter whoever they couldn’t save? That was hardly a choice at all. But still, it would take time. Time that the latest victims didn’t have.
“The people who’ve gone missing,” Connor interrupted Roger and Martha before they could delve deeper into their planning. “Do you know where they taken from?”
Roger gave him the area and it just so happened to be roughly the same place where his two victims had been found. Whether they were related or not, it was a place to investigate for sure.
It was also perfect hunting territory for a vampire. This side of town was host to dilapidated housing and rundown office buildings. Even as Connor drove slowly down the road, he noticed quite a few homeless people bundled up in nooks or at intersections. An abundance of food that no one would notice or care went missing, he thought bitterly.
He parked just a block away from where the first victim was found, and got out of the car. He knew he should have someone with him. Back up was safe, but it also meant he had someone else to worry about, someone else who might make a mistake and get themselves killed. At least when Connor hunted solo, he was the only one at risk. And besides, he could handle himself.
There were plenty of places for a vampire to hide out during the day, too many to investigate individually, so he started by questioning people in the streets, asking them if they’d seen anything odd, anyone out of place, anyone they’d only ever seen at night. He didn’t tell them he was hunting a vampire as most people still didn’t know or believe they existed, but presented himself as a private investigator looking to bag a killer the cops didn’t spend enough resources tracking down. That, at least, got him some attention. At least someone cared, they’re expressions said. Though overall, despite their willingness to cooperate, they could give him very little.
Altogether, he stayed in the area as the sun set and the shadows grew long. The late autumn chill bit his exposed skin. He pulled the hood of his jacket up and felt the tip of the stake stashed in his pocket, the gun loaded with silver rounds in his waistband. If the vampire maintained its pattern of the last two nights, it would strike again and this time he’d be waiting for it.
Hunching his shoulders, he affected the look of prey, someone tired and cold from a long day, someone not paying attention to their surroundings, someone alone and vulnerable. He presented himself as bait and walked through the heart of the vampire’s hunting ground. He could almost hear Hank’s voice in his head, telling him he was taking stupid and reckless risks. As if he had any right to talk. It was the risk Connor hadn’t taken that had killed him.
A preternatural stillness enveloped the area and Connor accelerated to a brisk pace, ears alert for the slightest disturbance, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up.
In the distance, a scream.
Connor broke into a run. He tore down East Canfield, his breaths steady as he pulled cold air into his lungs. He was in the wrong place. He was in the wrong place.
Years of marathon running and a high school career in field and track had kept Connor fit and lent him speed and he reached his destination in no time.
A figure crouched on the ground at the mouth of an alley, curled over the body of another.
Connor drew his gun, thumbed off the safety, and aimed. “Get away from them,” he snarled, aim unwavering. But when the figure looked up at him, moonlight catching the contours of his face, Connor almost dropped the gun from shock.
It was Markus. As in casual drinking buddy, volunteer at the soup kitchen, and man with the most captivating eyes Connor had ever seen, that Markus. And here he was, crouched over the latest victim, hands to the person’s throat. The killer. He was the killer? The vampire? Why did it have to be him?
Markus’ mouth worked, his eyes said something Connor couldn’t decipher, then finally he croaked out, “Please….I…help.” Not “it wasn’t me” or “you’re next.” Just “help.”
Markus’ hands were stained red where they pressed against the woman’s throat. Staunching the blood. His hands were the only bloodstained part of him.
Everything in Connor screamed at him to be wary but he latched onto the hope instead. Putting the safety back on and jamming the gun back into his pants, Connor went to his knees at the woman’s side. But a look at her too pale skin, her blue-ish lips, and seeking fingers that found no fluttering pulse proved his fear true. He was too late to save her. Always, always too late.
He couldn’t dwell on it now that it was done. More than anything, he needed to find her killer.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped at Markus. “What happened?”
“I was…the same thing as you, probably,” Markus said. “I heard the scream and came running.”
“How do I know that’s the truth?” Connor asked. “You don’t…”
“Know about vampires? Know about killing them, you mean.” His voice was grim. “I just…I wanted to help. But it looks like I wasn’t fast enough.”
Connor’s nails bit into the palms of his hands. He should have been here first. “Be glad you weren’t. It would have killed you in a heartbeat.”
Markus stood, holding his hands awkwardly like he didn’t want to get blood on his clothes. “I saw who did it.”
That got Connor’s attention. “Can you describe them?”
“I can do better than that,” Markus replied. “It was that girl on the news. Chloe Rivers.”
“Kamski’s girlfriend?” Connor didn’t care to keep up with celebrities but even he knew about Elijah Kamski, the local billionaire who was the CEO of some kind of pharmaceutical company. He’d been in the news lately as a person of interest in an ongoing missing persons investigation. Chloe’s, to be precise. But no evidence of his involvement was found so the cops had since turned to other leads. Though Connor knew about him for very different reasons. Apparently, he was trying to cure vampirism.
“I’m sure it was her,” Markus insisted. “I saw her over the body and when I shouted, she looked up. I saw her face. But then she ran. Maybe I should have gone after her but I had to see if the woman she attacked was okay. I guess I made the wrong decision.”
The downtrodden look on his face eased some of the tension in Connor’s shoulders. “There was nothing you could do. But if you’re right about who you saw, that means Chloe was probably taken by vampires. But that doesn’t fit the MO,” he murmured.
“The MO?”
Connor winced slightly. Markus wasn’t a hunter. He shouldn’t be telling him these things. “People have been going missing. But it’s mostly the homeless, people who live alone, people who won’t be missed. Chloe’s a high profile personality. If the vampires kidnapped and turned her, they’re getting bolder.”
“Then we need to stop whoever’s behind it,” Markus said.
“‘We’?” Connor raised an eyebrow.
“This is my city too,” Markus said simply. “So where do you suggest we start?”
Normally it would irk Connor for anyone to butt their way into his investigation like this, but for some reason, because it was Markus, he didn’t mind. “I think we need to pay Kamski a visit. Perhaps we can gain some insight into Chloe’s so-called disappearance.”
Kamski’s house was a modern affair on the bank of the Detroit River. As soon as Connor pulled up the driveway, he had a bad feeling about this place. He felt too isolated out here and way out of his comfort zone. When he turned the engine off, the silence was deafening.
“You okay?” Markus asked, seeing him hesitate.
“I’m fine.” Connor opened his door and got out, chiding himself for such ridiculous thoughts.
A young woman answered the door. Blond and blue-eyed, she could be staff or she could be Chloe’s sister. Or she could just be Kamski’s type. Possibly all three. She greeted them politely.
“My name’s Connor and this is Markus. We’re investigative reporters following up on Chloe’s disappearance. Does Mr. Kamski have a few minutes to answer some questions?”
“Certainly. Please come in and have a seat and I’ll let him know you’re here.” She held the door for them as they entered into the foyer. Connor’s gaze fell on a large portrait of Kamski that graced the wall.
“Can I get you two anything to drink?” she asked as she closed the door.
“No, thank you,” Markus said politely.
Connor was too busy taking in the nature of the space. What should have felt cozy was cold and what should have seemed homey was impersonal. The leather chairs, the artwork and sculptures, they were things to own rather than enjoy.
The woman disappeared through a door, leaving them to wait. Connor didn’t know what to do or say and an awkward silence grew between them. It shouldn’t have been. Awkward, that was. They’d known each other for several months, had talked over beers at the bar, but they had just been two guys then. Knowing that Markus knew about vampires, knew about him, well, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with that information.
Kamski made them wait long enough that Connor was pretty sure it was on purpose, by the time his assistant came back and invited them in to see him.
Like the foyer, the room where they met Kamski was devoid of the feeling of life, extravagant in its minimalism. And standing behind a high-backed chair by the window was Elijah Kamski, looking no more than just another art installation to gawk at.
“Mr. Kamski?” Connor didn’t want to waste any time. “We’re here about Chloe’s disappearance and were hoping you could answer a few questions.”
“Yes, yes. Investigative reporters, was it?” Kamski nodded. “You’ll have to forgive me, but I hadn’t anticipated such interest. If you’d care to show me ID? Unless, of course, you’re not journalists at all, but vampire hunters.”
Connor exchanged a quick glance with Markus. Given Kamski’s little side project, he should have expected this might happen.
“We’re investigating a series of disappearances that may be vampire-related, yes,” Connor said, deciding to keep Chloe’s vampirism to himself for now.
“And you think she may be one of the victims?” It was hard to tell whether the look on his face was almost disguised alarm or a very bad attempt to seem alarmed. Kamski didn’t strike him as the kind of guy to lose his cool easily.
“Possibly,” Connor said levelly. “Before she disappeared, do you know if she was in contact with anyone new? Or if there are certain places she frequented?”
“I hardly know every place she’s ever been or every person she’s spoken to,” Kamski said. “Like I told the police, I was unaware of any new acquaintances she might have and where she goes on her own is none of my business. Though she spent a lot of her time in my company. Nothing seemed strange. When she didn’t show up for our dinner date, I assumed she stood me up. However, I soon found out otherwise when I spoke with her parents. Perhaps you should pay them a visit.”
“Are you sure you haven’t noticed anything?” Markus asked. “You’re not leaving anything out, are you?”
Connor kept his expression carefully neutral.
“I didn’t have anything to do with it, if that’s what you’re suggesting,” Kamski said, turning a cold eye to Markus. “If she was taken by vampires, then she’s…she’s as good as dead, isn’t she?”
“Vampires often keep their victims alive for days or even weeks,” Connor said. “Giving up hope now would be premature.” Maybe if Kamski thought she could still be saved, he’d be more cooperative.
“Those monsters?” Kamski scoffed. “I’d be surprised if them taking Chloe wasn’t an attack against me. I am trying to cure their affliction, you know.”
“You can’t cure vampirism,” Markus said.
Kamski raised a smooth eyebrow. “And how would you know?”
“You’re not the first person who’s tried. And besides, maybe they don’t want to be cured.”
“Of course they don’t.” Kamski strode across the room and back. “Vampirism is a disease of the mind. It infects it like a parasite, makes its host crave blood. It will do all in its power to protect itself. The cure is for the person locked behind the bloodlust."
Connor was inclined to agree with Markus, though he had to admit a cure was tantalizing. “If the vampires knew about this, why kidnap Chloe? Why not go directly to you?”
“How should I know? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to figure out?” Kamski asked.
“We’re not going to get anything from him.” Markus stood up. He seemed stiff, as if he wanted nothing more than to get out of here. Connor couldn’t blame him; he felt the same.
“He’s right,” Kamski said. “You should focus on what matters. Keeping the streets safe at night for people like me.” And yet, he didn’t look worried at all. For all his talk of vampires being monsters in need of a cure, he didn’t seem afraid of them.
Connor left more confused and frustrated than when he’d arrived.
“He definitely knows more than he’s letting on,” Markus said.
“But we’re not going to get anything like this.” Connor had considered the possibility that Kamski himself might be a vampire, but finding proof would be a task for another day. He was sure reclusive enough and had Connor ever seen stand in direct sunlight? That was a mission he could file away for later.
“Where did you find the other victims?” Markus asked. “You said she killed one every night.”
“Each was found about a block apart, one by East Canfield and the other in the St. Joseph Church parking lot.” Connor said as they returned to his car. He got into the driver’s seat and stared through the windshield at Kamski’s place. He wondered what secrets he would find if he went looking. “I figure the vampire’s got a lair nearby. It won’t want to look far for prey.”
“There are plenty of places she could hole up in during the day,” Markus agreed.
Connor hummed. “It would take too long to search every one and if it keeps at its current pace…it could kill a lot of people before we stop it.”
“Right…” Markus sounded hesitant. “Don’t you think that’s weird? Vampires only need to feed every two to three days and even then, they don’t want to kill their victims and draw unwanted attention. A person sucked dry should last her a couple of weeks.
Connor cast Markus a sideways glance. “You seem to know a lot about vampires for someone who’s not a hunter.”
Markus sat back in his seat. “I do my research.”
Connor tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, his mind’s gears turning fruitlessly.
“There’s an old parking garage near there,” Markus said after a beat. “It doesn’t get used that much anymore so it’s quiet. It’s big, plenty of space to hide in. It would make a perfect lair.”
“Good. Meet me there noon tomorrow then and we can kill it while it sleeps.” Connor turned the key in the ignition and the engine rumbled to life.
“Just like that?” Markus asked. “You don’t want to talk to her? Ask her why she’s doing this?”
Connor didn’t look at him as he said, “Vampires can’t be reasoned with,” and pulled out of the driveway.
The drive to drop off Markus was thankfully short and quiet.
The next day dawned cloudless and cold and Connor wasted no time in getting his gear together and heading for the site. As he drove, he found himself hoping Markus wouldn’t show up. It wasn’t that he didn’t like hanging out with him, it was just…weird having him know this secret part of him that he didn’t tell just anybody. The fact that Markus wasn’t freaked out by it all should have been a good thing, one major hurdle over and done with. Only Markus wasn’t a hunter. The community was pretty close-knit so Connor was sure he would have heard by now if he was. And knowing the vampire lore was different than hunting them. Connor just didn’t want Markus to get hurt.
As expected, Markus was waiting for him on the ground level of the parking garage. Leaning against an old, black Charger, he was bundled up in a long coat and hat, gloved hands tucked beneath his armpits. Anyone else, Connor figured, would have given up and gone home after the first dead body.
Despite himself, Connor’s lip twitched into a faint smile which he quickly tamped down on as he parked and got out of the car.
“I still think we should try talking,” Markus said. “Maybe we could help her.”
“No one can help it,” Connor said as he grabbed his gear from the trunk. “Not even Kamski and his so-called cure.” Slamming the trunk, Connor turned to face him. “You’re going to stay behind me and let me handle this, got it? This isn’t an investigation anymore; it’s a hunt.”
“Whatever you say,” Markus replied.
Connor pressed his lips together. This was probably a mistake letting Markus get involved. But there was no undoing it, so he just had to hope Markus was sensible under pressure and wouldn’t do anything stupid. Even a vampire in the middle of the day, lethargic from feasting , could be a dangerous foe.
So Connor led the way deeper into the parking garage and away from the comforting sunlight. It was eerie how quiet it was, how still. There were a few cars here, some with broken windows, one with a dented fender. Occasional squares of light cast on the concrete from openings in the top level far above them. Ahead, the ramp led down into the basement level, the shadows beckoning. Connor didn’t look back as he headed into the lair, for that’s what he was certain this was.
What little light filtered in down here was hardly a comfort, the shadows deep and full, more most-likely abandoned cars parked erratically throughout. A green exit signed glowed in the dimness and concrete barriers obscured sections of the garage. Without communicating, Markus started to drift off a little ways, but a quick, cautious glance showed Connor he was just trying to get a better position so no one could sneak up on them. But with cars and support pillars being the ideal hiding spots, they made quick work of the level, Connor peering into cars and finding nothing but a few blankets and trash. This place had once probably been a chosen shelter until the vampire had moved in. Connor wondered how many of the victims had lived down here.
There was a security office next to the stairwell. Closed off, dark. The vampire would want to feel safe and protected. He could check this out and if it yielded nothing, he’d move on to another level. He wouldn’t rest until he did a sweep of the entire place and if it wasn’t here, he’d move onto the next likely place. And the next. He wouldn’t rest until he succeeded.
Markus edged in behind him as he approached the door, gripping one of his freshly hewn hawthorn stakes. His heart beat a steady rhythm, adrenaline heightening his awareness. He’d done this plenty of times but it was no less terrifying with experience. All it took was one slipup and the hunter would become the hunted. He couldn’t afford not to be a little afraid.
Gently, Connor gripped the doorknob, turned, and pushed. The door opened into darkness and…
And nothing. As Connor blinked in the gloom he took in the small space–a bare desk, worn-out office chair, trash and newspapers stuffed into corners, a heap of blankets in the middle of the floor–but there was no sleeping vampire. His shoulders relaxed a little.
And then Markus shouted, “Look out!” and before Connor could register that anything was wrong, he shoved him and Connor went sprawling on the pavement, the stake shooting from his hand to clatter across the ground. He rolled and got to his feet just in time to see a flurry of movement as the vampire Chloe crashed into Markus.
Connor jumped up and grabbed his stake. Adrenaline pumped through him as he turned. But the vampire was already sprinting away. Connor ran to Markus.
“Are you okay? Did it bite you?” He searched for signs of bleeding but found none.
“I’m alright.” Markus waved him away as he climbed to his feet, shaken but unhurt.
Connor bolted after the vampire. It was no longer attempting to be quiet, the slap of its bare feet echoing in the cavernous space. It was still fast though. Faster than a human. Shit. Connor should have been more aware, he should have seen this coming. If not for Markus, it would have taken him out before he had a chance to fight back. But why was it active in the middle of the day, anyway?
The chase led Connor back to the ramp, leading up. He was in pretty good shape but his legs still burned a little as he took the slope, its winding contour causing him to lose track of the vampire. The sounds of its movements bounced around so that when the slope leveled out, he couldn’t tell which direction it had gone. Fortunately, there weren’t many good hiding spaces here. He slowed and cast his gaze around. After the basement level, the squares of penetrating sunlight were blinding, making the shadows around the edges of the garage seem even deeper. It wouldn’t need to hide behind anything so long as he couldn’t see anything in them. He listened for the sounds of breathing, tensed and on full alert. He peered behind a column, then edged toward the wall where a hollowed out car sat on naked rims.
No movement inside it or around it, no sounds that Connor could hear. He turned his attention away from it, thought he caught a distant echo, and then the vampire slammed into him full force, punching the air from his chest.
His shoulder cracked against the concrete and he huffed something that would have been a yell if he’d had any breath for it. He managed to keep his grip on the stake this time and swung it in an arc. A hand gripped his bicep, limiting his motion. Fangs gleamed and hungry–no, starving–eyes glared wildly down at him. Still without breath to call out, Connor heaved and tried to buck the vampire off. The stake landed a glancing blow to its shoulder, scraping the surface of its skin, and it howled. Not like a human, but like a wild animal. A primordial scream of pain and fear. It lurched off of Connor, clasping a hand to the wound. It was barely bleeding, hardly more than a scratch, but hawthorn was a potent wood and toxic to vampires.
Connor scrambled up, still fighting to get his breath back.
“Please,” the vampire–Chloe, it used to be Chloe–said. “I’m so hungry. Please.”
Footsteps echoed somewhere behind Connor. Fucking finally. Where had he–
The vampire bolted.
Connor took a step after it, two, then a hand around his arm stopped him.
“Wait,” Markus said. “We’re going about this wrong.”
He should’ve known Markus wouldn’t have the stomach for this. “Get off.” he yanked his arm out of Markus’ grasp and lurched away when Markus went to grab him again. Forgetting about back up, he sprinted after the vampire.
“Wait!” Markus called but Connor ignored him.
The ramps to the other levels were behind them and Connor was gaining. There would be no escape. Chloe ran straight through a patch of sunlight, too quick for it to be fatal. Connor sped through it moments later. She ran around a car. He vaulted over its hood, skidded across and fell into step on the other side. His heart was pounding, the stake solid in his fist, his quarry right in front of him, and the end of the parking garage was dead ahead. He had it. The hunt was as good as finished.
He expected it to stop at the last edge of darkness and plead with him for its life or maybe attack him one last time out of desperation.
Instead, it ran full speed out into the blinding day. For a brief moment, time stilled and its pale skin seemed almost porcelain in the light. It half-turned back as if to retreat, but Connor’s presence rooted it to the spot. Its blue eyes were wide and terrified. Its lips parted, forming the shape of words Connor could not decipher. And then it burst into flames.
Bright light and rolling heat slammed into Connor and he threw an arm up to shield his face as the flames engulfed the vampire, turning it into a pillar of fire. And how it screamed. It was a raw, deep-throated cry that tore at him, made him want to cover his ears if only he wasn’t too busy shielding his face. The scent of charred meat mingled with smoke and he gagged.
The scream went on and on until it didn’t anymore and the pillar crumbled in on itself, losing the shape it had so carefully held together, falling into ash and still-burning embers.
Connor stared at the remains of his quarry, and no thoughts came to him. That had been a girl screaming, not a monster. No, no, he couldn’t think like that. The hunt was over. He should feel proud, like a hero. Instead, he felt sick.
He took a few steps toward it, his hands to his face and unable to mask the lingering stench. When he pulled his hands away, they were pale with ash, flakes of it pressed into the fabric of his sleeves. He wiped them down the sides of his pants but the ash only smeared. His pants were covered in ash too, and his shoes, and probably his face. He needed to get out of here. Needed to take a shower and pull himself together. This was a victory, so why didn’t it feel like one?
Markus was standing at the edge of the parking garage and suddenly it was easier with someone to be angry at.
“I almost had it. That would’ve been a clean kill if you hadn’t stopped me.”
To Markus’ credit, he looked deeply uncomfortable, his gaze settled just past Connor’s shoulder. Some vindictive part of Connor was glad to see him disturbed, that maybe now he’d realize this wasn’t some game.
“I…” Markus’ voice trailed off and he closed his eyes for a moment as if to settle his nerves. “I thought she could be reasoned with. That if we could just talk to her…”
“It can’t be reasoned with. It’s a fucking vampire!”
“She was starving,” Markus retorted. “She was scared. Maybe if she got help instead of–”
“Help?” This was beyond him. He thought Markus was a little crazy before but this? “Vampires are monsters and as long as I live, I’ll make sure every last one of them gets what it deserves.”
“So that’s it? You’ll spend a lifetime killing them?” Markus’ features hardened. “What did they do to you?”
How dare he? He had no right. “They don’t need to do anything to me. They’re killers. I’m only doing what’s necessary.”
Markus hadn’t moved from his place in the shadow of the parking garage. “So you’re some kind of savior, are you?”
“Yes!” Connor shouted. “I’ll kill as many as it takes to save everyone.” His voice died down a little as he added, “I’m trying to save you too.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t bother.”
Something clicked unpleasantly into place. Connor and Markus were standing about ten feet apart. “If you care so much, then why don’t you come out here and get a good look for yourself?”
Markus blinked and glanced away. “I think I’ve seen enough.”
Connor swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “Then don’t look. Just…come out here. Please.”
Markus didn’t say anything but the disappointment that filled his eyes told Connor everything.
“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” he said, too low for Markus to hear him from that distance. If he were human.
“You going to kill me too?” Markus asked in a level voice.
He should. Markus was…he was a vampire. Everything Connor had thought he was was a lie. “You’ve been using me? Is this some kind of joke? Fool a vampire hunter for a laugh? Do you play with your food before you eat it?” His tone was laced with bitterness.
“Connor, that’s not…that’s not why I chose to join you, okay? I wanted to know what was going on same as you. Vampires don’t feed that often; you know that. Something was wrong with her.”
“Well now it’s dead so the only one you should be worrying about is yourself.” Markus was at a disadvantage. All Connor needed to do was get him into the sun and he was dead. Problem solved. So then why couldn’t he move?
Markus still kept standing there, staring at him sadly. He could run away. Why wasn’t he running away?
“If we find out what happened to her, maybe we can save more people,” Markus pleaded. “What about the others who went missing? I want to solve this just as much as you do.”
“Get away from me,” Connor snapped even though he was protected by the sunlight and Markus had not moved.
“We’re not the monsters you think we are.”
“I said stay away!” Connor was shaking. “If I ever see you again, I will kill you.” He couldn’t bear to look at him anymore so he turned and stormed off, not giving Markus a chance to tell him any more lies. His car was still in the garage but he couldn’t chance going back in there now. He’d come back for it later and just take a taxi to where he wanted to go.
But where did he need to go? Not home, that was for sure. Jimmy’s? No, he didn’t think he could stand to be around a bunch of rowdy hunters right now. There was that Kiesling, which he hadn’t been to in a while, except…
“Do you always drink alone?”
“Only when I don’t have company.”
Connor squeezed his eyes shut.
“I’m Markus, by the way.”
Goddamnit. His eyes snapped open. No, he couldn’t go there or anywhere Markus might find him after sunset.
This investigation wasn’t over. Markus was right; he still had to find out what had happened to the other missing people. And he was pretty sure Kamski hadn’t told him everything. He would go there for more answers, be more forceful this time. His excuse for the visit would be that he had found Chloe. Kamski deserved to know her fate, at least. The image of her burning, the words falling from her lips, words he could almost catch… He shook his head.
With that settled, he hailed a taxi and used the ride over to regain his composure and clean the ash from his skin.
“To what do I owe this pleasure? Again.” If Kamski was surprised to see Connor again so soon, he didn’t show it. He had the air of a man holding all the cards and Connor was instantly reminded of why he hadn’t wanted to stay long in the first place.
Connor wasn’t interested in playing games so he cut right to the point. “I found Chloe and I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but she died today.” She had been a person once. They all had been.
“No…” Kamski’s gaze searched his as if looking for the lie and then he turned away. To hide his grief or lack of it? “How did…?”
“She was a vampire, Mr. Kamski,” Connor said. That was answer enough.
Kamski was clutching the back of the armchair, his nails digging in the only sign of his distress. “So that’s it, then? Job well done? You may go now.”
“That’s not all, actually.” Connor tried to keep his voice firm. “Do you know how she might have come into contact with any vampires?”
“I told you before that I don’t.”
“Please, Mr. Kamski. I think whoever turned her is a serious threat. She was starving and no amount of blood would sate her hunger. If there are more like her, it could cause chaos.”
“And I told you, I know nothing,” Kamski said through gritted teeth. “Vampires have always plagued our world. They could be anyone. We already live in chaos.”
Connor thought about Markus refusing to step into the sun and his promise to kill every vampire. An impossible task, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t try.
“She said something to me before she died,” Connor said. “She wanted me to tell you…she was sorry.” The words on her lips just as she’d been about to go up into flames. A whisper only now falling into place. “Sorry for what?”
Kamski tapped a long finger against the chair back. “For running away, I imagine. Tell me, did she suffer?”
“It was the sunlight,” Connor said. “So yes, but it was quick.”
“I…see.” Was it just his imagination or did Kamski seem disappointed. “I think I need to return to my experiments. Things might have turned out differently if…maybe I could have saved her. No matter, I’ve made some adjustments and now that you’re here, you can help with them.”
With the cure? “Mr. Kamski, I can’t. I have to–”
A hand grabbed Connor by the head and before he could fight back, the prick of a needle went into his neck. He gasped and tore at the hand holding him but it was strong. And Kamski just stood there, staring.
He tried to fight it but it was like a heavy weight was bearing down on him. He felt light-headed and…and strangely relaxed. His spike of fear seemed distant, alarm shrinking into the distance. And then he was on the floor, sinking into it, sinking down into cool blackness.
Connor woke slowly and struggled to open his eyes. He couldn’t quite feel his body, like he was caught in a dream. Light seeped in under his eyelids.
He couldn’t remember what happened. He couldn’t…Connor blinked, the light obscuring the room, until the surface of a ceiling coalesced above him. He was lying on something cold and hard and when he tried to move his arms, steel cuffs clanked around his wrists. He turned his head and saw that he was in some kind of lab with pristine white walls and metal tables, some of which had medical equipment.
Out of the corner of the room loomed Elijah Kamski and it all came back to him.
God. He’d been so, incredibly stupid.
“I am sorry about this, but you did kill my best subject,” Kamski said. “How are you feeling? Still a little groggy, I imagine, but it’ll pass.”
Connor leveled his most hateful glare at him and tried to will his body back to full wakefulness. “You’re the vampire who’s been abducting people,” he growled.
Kamski had the gall to laugh, a lifeless sound. “Me? A vampire? Of course not. Though…they are fascinating creatures, aren’t they?” He moved out of sight and Connor heard something tapping on metal. He strained to raise his head and not let Kamski out of his sight. He passed by a metal door with a small glass window, idly rapping on it with his knuckles. A muffled thud responded from the other side.
The missing victims? Maybe he wasn’t too late. “Then why are you doing this?” He kept his gaze fixed on Kamski and tried twisting his wrists out of the handcuffs but they were too tight. He was only getting out of here with a key, unless he wanted to lose a hand.
“To find a cure, of course,” Kamski said, turning his back on the door. Another thud came from behind it but he didn’t even flinch. “I need test subjects and unfortunately, vampires look after their own. But these people? They won’t be missed. Dose them with vampire venom and I can have as many subjects as I need.”
“These people didn’t volunteer. You kidnapped them.”
Kamski shrugged. He moved over to one of the counters. Connor tried to follow him with his gaze but his motion was limited and he lost sight of him. Another thump behind the door set his heart racing. He wasn’t going to get out of this.
Kamski returned to view, a needle in hand.
“Don’t do this,” Connor said, unable to keep the shaking from his voice. “Please. Don’t do this.”
“I’m sorry but you only have yourself to blame,” Kamski replied. “Chloe was my best subject, but you’ll do as a replacement. And I certainly couldn’t have you spoil the little set up I have here. I admit, I admire your tenacity and determination and we both know it would have only been a matter of time before you figured it all out. But look at it this way. Your sacrifice will pave the way for a cure and isn’t that what you wanted? Or no, wait. You want to ‘kill every vampire,’ is that right? A shame.” He leaned over Connor, the needle so close to his face, he couldn’t focus on it. “I’ve never caught a hunter before. It’s exciting. I so look forward to studying you. A hunter turned vampire? Don’t you just love the irony?”
Connor strained at the handcuffs in answer. Even though it was futile, even though he was alone and Kamski had full control. He’d never imagined this was how he went out. He always thought that if he died, it would be a quick death during a fight. And if a vampire ever did get him, he would kill himself before he turned. Instead, he was going to be locked up, experimented on, he was going to be a fucking lab rat.
“I’m going to need you to hold still.” Kamski put a hand to the side of his head, tilting it to keep his neck exposed.
“Get off me!” Connor thrashed as much as he was able. He wasn’t going to become a monster. He wasn’t like them! Their human faces drained of empathy, of compassion, everything that made them what they were, gone.
Not like poor Cole. Because Connor hadn’t realized he’d been bitten, because he’d thought everything was okay.
Connor’s heart beat wildly as he relived that memory in a handful of seconds. The door opening onto destruction, glass crushed into the carpet, the chairs askew in the kitchen. And on the floor, Hank, bleeding with his throat torn out, Cole crouched like a vulture over him. All Connor could do was put a bullet between the kid’s eyes.
The prick of a needle broke Connor’s skin and he cried out in desperation, in fear.
And a door across the room burst open with the crunch of breaking hinges.
The needle retracted. Connor strained to see what was happening. Caught a blur of movement that sent Kamski crashing against the metal counter. The clatter of instruments as they fell to the floor.
“Connor!” A hand touched him and he flinched, but then he saw that it was Markus. What was he doing here?
“I knew we couldn’t trust him,” Markus said, eyes roving over him. “Are you okay? A key, where’s the key?” He moved out of Connor’s sight again and Connor stiffened. He kept expecting to feel the needle in his neck again, the stinging plunge of the vampire venom as it entered him.
There was the sound of rifling and then Markus was back, jamming a key into the cuff around his right wrist. It clicked open and Markus undid the left cuff. Connor just stared at him, looking for a glint of fang, a flash of eyes turning red.
“Why did you follow me?”
Markus dipped his head. “I understand why you can’t trust me. But I had to make sure you were safe.”
Connor slowly sat up. He didn’t know what to think. Markus was a vampire. Everything in him told him he should hate him. And yet…Markus had saved him. Kamski was lying on the floor, out cold. That didn’t seem like the sort of thing that a monster would do. It seemed to him the real monster here was Kamski.
“The victims!” Connor exclaimed. He hastily slid off the table and to the door across the room just as another heavy thunk resounded behind it. “I need the key.”
Markus sorted through the keys on the ring and handed them over, his best guess on top. “We should be prepared for…not the best.”
Connor inserted the key into the lock and it turned.
“Step away,” Kamski ordered. Connor turned to stare at him. He’d half-picked himself up and had a gun trained on Connor.
Connor stilled and narrowed his eyes. There was no way he could get the gun in time and no cover between him and Kamski. And he harbored no doubts about Kamski’s willingness to shoot, either. After what he’d been about to do to Connor, shooting him was no less extreme.
“It’s over, Kamski,” Markus said. “You can’t shoot both of us and whoever you don’t shoot will get to you before you can aim again.” Calm words but not exactly the optimism Connor would have liked.
There was another thud against the door and the door swung wide, smashing into Connor’s back. He lurched. The gun went off. The breath rushed through him.
Connor hit the floor and rolled. He pulled his legs under him and pushed up with his forearms–his heart racing, his blood pounding but not pouring. There wasn’t any pain; he was not shot. The bullet had gone over his head.
And now Kamski’s victims were free. They were…they were no longer human. Connor had failed to save them. They were newborn and they were starving.
“Stay back!” Kamski shouted, waving the gun as if unsure which one to aim at. There were too many of them, half a dozen. He fired the gun. It struck home in a vampire’s chest, emitting a spray of blood. But it was only a regular bullet and it was not enough.
As the vampires fell on Kamski and his screams filled the room, Connor looked away.
“Come on.” Markus grabbed him and pulled him roughly to his feet. Connor opened his mouth to protest, but Markus ploughed on. “You need to get out of here before they pick up your scent.”
That threat was enough for Connor to let Markus drag him up the stairs and back through Kamski’s home. Markus grabbed an umbrella from the stand by the front door to shield himself and they didn’t stop until they reached Connor’s car in the driveway. He was so rattled, it took him a second to remember that he’d left it at the parking garage. Had Markus hot-wired his car?
“Go. Quickly,” Markus said.
It didn’t feel right to run. He was a vampire hunter and while he’d failed to save the victims, there was a whole nest of vampires now below them. And yet… “What will you do?”
“They’re my kind now,” Markus said, an edge of protectiveness to his tone that suggested should Connor come for them, he’d regret it.
He would take them away, the people Connor had failed to save. And Connor…damn it. He opened the car door and slid into the driver’s seat. This was all sorts of wrong. If he was half the hunter he’d aspired to be, he’d take out Markus and every vampire Kamski had made. He would…he…
Knuckles white on the steering wheel, Connor shut the door and started the ignition. And then he drove. And he didn’t look back.
A week passed and found Connor at the Kiesling, nursing a beer until it grew warm in his hands. The ambiance was chill and quiet, only a few other customers in there. He thought about how lively Jimmy’s Bar would be this time of night, full of jovial vampire hunters. They’d be planning their next move and how to exterminate vampires once and for all. For some reason, Connor was glad to be excluded from that gathering tonight. And if they wondered where he was, well, that wasn’t his problem.
Someone slid into the seat next to him and Connor found himself looking at Markus. The bartender took his drink order and then left and Connor realized just how empty the bar really was. It felt like it was only the two of them now.
“You can’t keep them safe forever,” Connor said. “Those newborn vampires are a threat to the city.”
“They’re settling in,” Markus replied as the bartender came back with a beer. “With the right guidance, you won’t need to worry about them.”
“The right guidance?”
Markus tapped a finger idly on the side of his glass. “Vampires aren’t the monsters you think we are. We have rules. And those that break the rules are punished.” He looked up at Connor, his mismatched eyes beseeching. “You’re not the only one trying to keep this city safe.”
Connor averted his gaze, examining the wood grain of the bar top. “This is the only life I have. You can’t expect me to stop because you say.”
“I’m not telling you to. I’m just saying it’s not all black and white.”
The sight of Hank and Cole was forever ingrained in his memory. “I don’t know if I can believe that.”
Markus placed a hand on Connor’s and Connor looked up. They’d met at this bar months ago, gotten to know each other. Connor had, well…okay, he thought he’d liked Markus. As in like like. And yet despite the fact he put his life on the line nearly every night, he’d been too afraid to ask him out. It seemed silly now.
“Maybe…it’s something to work on,” Markus said. “This city will always need vampire hunters; too many of us break vampire law and kill humans and get away with it. But what we need is a hunter who knows that’s not all we are. Just…just think about it, okay?”
He finished his drink and stood. Connor hadn’t even tried his. Even though it had been a week, what happened at Kamski’s still haunted him. He was so close to becoming Kamski’s next victim. If it weren’t for Markus, he’d be a vampire now, just a guinea pig for Kamski’s sick experiments.
“Thank you,” Connor said, stopping Markus before he could leave. “For saving me. I won’t lie. This is going to take time. What I’ve seen and done…what the vampires have done, that’s never going to go away.” He took a deep breath. “But maybe we can see each other again. Just to talk. Somewhere else. You can make your argument and I…I’ll listen.” There, he did it. Sort of.
Markus smiled. “I’d like that.”
Warmth blossomed in Connor’s chest despite everything and he returned to his drink as Markus left. It felt like a new door had opened before him and he wasn’t entirely sure what to do once he went through it. There was still plenty of work to do. He had humans to protect and, ugh, the extermination squad to deal with.
But when that future got here, he didn’t have to step into it alone.