Alice shook her head, "No. You know what you did to me? You betrayed me, and you broke my trust. "
She didn’t wait for Black Lotus’ reply and went on her way, carrying the folder containing the information about Elijah.
"What was that about?" She was welcomed with a question from Carl. Alice doesn’t even know why the man was still here when they were dismissed ages ago.
Alice rolled her eyes and went on her way, but the man blocked her way.
"An answer would be nice. Was it because of our mission earlier? "
"No. It’s none of your business. Now let me get through, or I’ll break a bone or two in your body. " One glare was enough for her teammate to make way. She went straight to her car and drove like hell back to her house.
The night was still young, and it was rare for her to go back this early because she usually joined in other departments' hunts, just for the chance to see and kill the vampire she was finding.
She flipped through the papers to try and find the man’s current whereabouts, but all she saw were old records the organization managed to dig up about Elijah.
"Damn it!" She threw the papers away in frustration. Her hands were trembling, and tears started to flow from her eyes. Alice had already trained herself to not show vulnerability, even to herself. It was her way of coping with everything that she had been through, both in her current and past lives.
Her past lives might just be memories, but they felt real. Every fear and every pain that she has been through in her past lives is real to her. They all happened, and she had to avenge them no matter what.
Alice cried her heart out. She cried for all of them who were killed without remorse, with nothing but fear in their minds.
The sound of her phone ringing woke her up. She groaned and almost threw her phone, but figured that it might be important since no one dared call her at this time without a life and death reason unless they wanted a proper beating.
She didn’t even look at the caller ID when she answered the phone, "Unless it’s important, drop this call or I will kill you." Alice’s voice is still groggy, probably because she cried herself to sleep. She can’t remember the last time she cried, but Alice is sure that she wouldn’t do it again.
"I heard you were looking for me."
Alice’s eyes widened, then became fierce and lifeless. She was gritting her teeth unconsciously. Her mood plummeting right after she woke up was the last thing she needed today.
"How did you get this number?" It was her first question. The only people who were supposed to know about her cellphone number were selected people in her organization. The information could be stolen or purposely leaked.
The laughter from the other line made Alice let out a sharp sigh. She was very close to killing him. If only she hadn’t hesitated on abandoning the mission, then she would have been happily waking up today with no fear that she'd get killed soon.
"Oh, don’t worry. Your organization is pretty loyal to you. Although, you need to remind those children to always bring that pesky flower with them. It was easy, very easy to manipulate their minds." Alice wasn’t surprised by what he said, but she was surprised by how worried she was right now.
This is why she prefers to be alone. Damn Black Lotus for giving her more worries than she already has in her fucked up life.
"I’ll make your death more painful than I already intend to if you hurt them." She threatened and was already thinking of more ways to end the vampire. Alice shouldn’t be saying this given that she was acting like she didn’t know the vampire, but her emotions are getting in the way.
She heard the vampire chuckle again, "You’re still the same, I see. Don’t worry, they all went back home safely, tucked in their blankets, and probably dreaming of slaying more of my kind. "
"And why would a vampire call a hunter at 7 a.m.? Unless they have a death wish, " She still feigned ignorance. No one in her team knows about her past life issues. The vampire surely didn’t get a lot of information from the other hunters, even if he tried to look into all of their memories.
There was a moment of silence from the other line, then a roar of laughter. Alice groaned and ended the call. She might want the vampire to be killed and it might be very anti-climatic, but she just can’t hear any of his voice early in the morning.
The vampire called again, but she put her phone in silent mode and went to eat breakfast before she combusted in anger.
--
"What the actual hell?" She exclaimed after seeing almost a hundred missed calls on her phone, all coming from the vampire that didn’t stop calling her till now. The phone vibrated again, flashing an unknown number on the screen.
She bit her lower lip in frustration. How she wanted to drive a bullet right into his brain, let him heal, then kill him over and over again, just like what he did to her.
"How dare you drop the call?!" The vampire exclaimed, sounding like a child sulking when it wasn’t even endearing to hear.
Alice rolled her eyes. She already imagined all possible scenarios before she killed him, but this... she never imagined this.
"And what makes you think that you have the right to yell at me?!" She exclaimed with the same intensity. Somehow, she prefers the image of the vampire in her memories of her past lives.
The woman heard mumbling from the other line. She couldn’t figure out the words, but she is already annoyed with it.
He sighed, "I was supposed to invite you out, but you dropped the call. That was rude. " Elijah complained.
Alice was simply flabbergasted with what she was hearing. She didn’t know if this was a tactic to distract her or if she was just fearing the wrong vampire.
"I can still hear you breathe, you know. I assume you already ate, so... how about lunch? You’re probably busy later, hunting vampires and all. " He sounded bright and hopeful. It creeps her out more than Karina admitting to her that she has a crush on Art.
By his words, he seemed to be a day walker. There is truth to the tale that vampires cannot walk under the sun. Most vampires can’t without bursting into flames. They are, but older vampires with purer blood could withstand the sun. It was the most vexing aspect of vampires; they grew more powerful as they aged. That is why hunters do everything they can to eliminate the new ones while slowly killing the older ones, who have been roaming the earth for far too long.
"And what makes you think that I would come with you?" She finally spoke. Alice didn’t expect this kind of conversation with a vampire, but here she is, riding on for the chance to kill him.
He hummed, "Well, you’re a vampire hunter, and I’m a vampire. It’s a perfect combination. "
Alice didn’t know what got into her, but the vampire made her agree to have lunch with him. She wasn’t expecting much, given that he probably meant Alice as his lunch, but the man gave him the address of a famous 5-star restaurant.
Alice could see desire in Elijah’s eyes, and she wanted to gouge his eyes out for that. He grinned innocently as the woman took her seat, wearing a straight face. "Why are you doing this?" She didn’t beat around the bush, but the man ignored her and called for the waiter. She looked at him dead in the eye when he asked what he wanted to eat, but Elijah simply shrugged and ordered himself. "I also ordered for you. Don’t worry, I have an exquisite palette. " His eyes went straight to her neck. It glimmered crimson for a split second. Alice glared at him after the waiter left. The restaurant is spacious, and every table has its own section, so the people could have the privacy that Alice used to interrogate him. "Let’s cut this crap. Tell me, why are you doing this? Do you really have a death wish? " She was more than willing to kill the vampire if there was one. The vampire shrugged, "You were the one trying to find me. Shouldn’t I be the one who’s asking you why? " He threw back t
Elijah felt a sudden gust of wind inside his house. He didn’t pay much attention to it until someone tried to attack him. He was faster and didn’t break a sweat, catching the culprit by the neck.He grinned upon seeing his blood servant grinning at him despite being strangled. The younger vampire, in the body of a rather skinny teenager, struggled with his strong hold. Elijah is starting to regret saving the child."Who told you to sneak up on me?" His eyes glimmered in the dark. The sun is still up, and any sun seeping inside is dangerous for vampires that can’t withstand the sun.The younger vampire hissed, "And who told you to go after her when you said she was a hunter in this life?" Allen complained as his master let go of him. His eyes were still glowing in anger, not because of the pain but because of his master's being careless for the nth time.Elijah clicked his tongue, "Aren’t I the master here? Why are you the one scolding me? " He complained and sat on the couch. His eyes
Alice checked her things before leaving the headquarters. The moon was already up, and she decided to go for a hunt. Hunters usually never do hunts alone, but mostly with three people or at least a partner. But Alice is always an exception. She had a bad history of leaving her partners and going on her own way until Black Lotus just let her be instead of being everyone’s source of stress. "Block my way again, and I will break a rib or two." Carl didn’t flinch and kept using his over six foot frame to block the way. He was worried about what was happening to Alice, and so were the other people in their team. The woman rolled her eyes and walked to the side, but Carl blocked her again. She glared at the man and then punched him. Carl managed to catch her hand, but the woman was fast enough to make a counterattack. He ended up on the ground writhing in pain, holding his crotch. "I told you not to block my way. I’m not in a good mood." She picked up her bag and left. She passed Art on
Allen gasped in pain. His master took out the bullet in his chest with a swift move. He catches his breath while his body does its thing to survive. He was healing slowly, but he was out of danger."I’m sorry." He promptly apologized and shivered, knowing that the man was dangerously furious right now.He gasped for the second time. The older vampire took him by the neck, his hands digging their way into his flesh. The blood servant helplessly tried to inhale air."You could have died, you idiot! You weren’t supposed to die before me. " Elijah’s eyes were glowing with anger. Allen didn’t budge, knowing that the vampire was just angry because of his rash actions.Elijah’s hold on him slowly loosened. He collapsed on the couch beside his blood servant. He didn’t intend on hurting him further when he was already injured, but Allen had been with him for more than 200 years. He was his only family, and the thought of him dying scared the hell out of him.The blood servant was still heaving.
Black Lotus looked at Alice with curious eyes. She didn’t know if she should ask or not, but Alice beat her into it. "If you want to say something, then do it already." Alice gave her report and sat down. She preferred to be out, but she needed to talk to her mentor. She heaved a sigh while thinking that Alice would never change. She taught her to be stronger, but the woman was already strong enough even before they met. She would have survived without her in any case. "You looked hammered, and so did Karina and Arianne. When I said to train your team, I didn’t say to give the kid a hangover. " She pointed this out with a sarcastic smile. Alice crossed her arms, leaning her back against the chair in a lazy manner. "It wasn’t my fault, okay? I went there alone, trying to drink my misery away, but those pesky people planted a tracking device, which wasn’t so obvious by the way," She rolled her eyes, "So yeah, it wasn’t my fault." Black Lotus imitated her annoyed look and answered,
Alice woke up in an unknown place. She was alarmed at first, but the serenity of the place made her heart at peace. It was odd, because she shouldn’t be here. She doesn’t even know where she is! The woman walked around, looking for anything that looked familiar, but all she saw were trees and more trees. The sun was brightly up and surprisingly irritating to her a bit. It wasn’t exactly hot, but she didn’t feel comfortable walking around either, especially since she was barefoot. "Why am I walking around without shoes on?" She asked herself, slowly gaining some consciousness of where she was and what was happening. She tried to find a huge shade to hide herself from the sun. She struggled to recall which of her previous lives she was in, but she was certain she hadn't seen this one yet. "At least this wasn’t a nightmare." She sat on the ground, not minding the dirt getting on her dress. She hugged her knees. Alice had never felt this comfortable in a dream before. It was serene, b
The streaks of wind hit her as she speed towards the location where the signal was sent. Her heart was pounding fast and loud. It was emotions she hasn't felt in a while, back when she still let herself to care about others. "Alice, where are you?" It was Carl’s voice from the ear piece. It was automatically connected to all members after someone sends the distress signal. She could hear engines from the background. The others are probably on their way too. Hopefully, they could still see Arianne alive. "I’m on my way." She avoided the question and sped up. If vampires get to her, then they must hurry. Alice bit her lower lip in anguish. She shouldn’t have gone this far if she knew that something like this would happen. Out of all days, why it has to be today that someone in her team needed help. She arrived at the location and everyone was already crowded at one side. Karina looked at her with worry in her eyes. She handed Alice Arianne’s phone, which remained on the page of the
Alice didn’t even lift her head. She was busy loading bullets into her gun. "First of all, I didn’t force anyone in here. Second, we won’t turn this vehicle back just because you yelled at us. "She lifted her head and looked at Black Lotus with a straight face, "You made me this group’s leader despite knowing my impulses. Now let me protect my group. "Clarisse heaved a sigh, "Fine. But please be careful. The backup is already on its way. " She would have gone herself too, but she was currently out of the country. She left for a day, and something bad had already happened."Thank you." Alice answered. The screen turned off automatically after Black Lotus ended the video call.The van stopped close to a desolate building."We’re here."A man finally opened up after Karina banged on the door three times with the actual intention of breaking it."What the hell—" He stopped cursing as soon as she saw the woman.Karina put on her best smile and acted relieved, "Oh my god, I’m so sorry that