Falling

Chapter Two

"You go right, I'll go left."

Jack murmured orders to Britt as they crept around the abandoned supermarket. They had been sent out for patrol that morning, looking for evidence of unauthorized take downs that would indicate cult activity. So far, all they had come up with was one newborn vampire feeding on a cat. After beheading and burning it, they called it in and kept moving. They had not seen any sign of life since.
Jack hated patrol. Hated it. It was his least favorite part of working for the Halo Network. Besides paperwork, it was the most boring task he faced during the day. He much prefered the take downs and special operations when they attack clans of vampires or hordes of demons. However, ever since he got promoted to Unit 1 Task Force Leader, he found himself out on patrol more often than not. Britt seemed to enjoy it more. He'd smile happily when he read the team schedule and found it was his turn to go out hunting for monsters to kill. He liked the anticipation more than the main event. Sometimes, when they were off duty, he'd even go out on a patrol of his own. Out on patrol with Jack, he'd have a chipper attitude and would talk a mile a minute, eyes constantly scanning for movement. Britt would ramble on and on about useless things, annoying Jack to no end. But Jack was grateful at least for the company, especially Britt's. Jack and Britt had met each other shortly after The Last Night, the night when everything went wrong.

A young boy walked in the street, trying to avoid frantic passer-bys as they raced throughout town to get away from the ungodly creatures that had started emerging from the shadows. They drove fanatically, not caring as they hit people and creatures, spewing their insides on the pavement. The boy watched as a monster with sharp fangs grabbed a young blond woman, ripped her throat out with just his teeth, and began to drink. Frightened and alone, the boy ducked into an alley between Mr. McGrogery's Thrift Shop and the Chinese food place. Noticing a dumpster, he quickly ran to get inside. Suddenly, he was being pushed and manhandled into a corner by some unseen force. The boy looked up and realized he was peering into frightened eyes. The eyes belonged to another boy, a little older than himself. The boy, realizing that the intruder to his secluded hide out was not a threat, relaxed and let go.

"Sorry. You scared me," The older boy explained. The younger just stared at him. "I'm Britt," The older boy volunteered.
He was met with a blank stare. "Do you have a family somewhere? Somewhere to hide?" No response, but for the slight shake of the head. No, he had no family. He'd had one this afternoon, but they were gone now.

"Do you have a name?" The young boy hesitated and then whispered softly, "Jack."

Britt put his arm around Jack, and assuredly spoke, "Don't worry Jack. My Dad will find us. He'll come for us and take us somewhere safe, and you can come stay with us."

Jack nodded, and prayed silently that Britt's father would come fast.

He never did.

Jack shook off the memory. They'd lived in that dumpster for a week. It still gave him nightmares. They never learned what happened to Britt's father exactly, but they heard some rumor about a werewolf ripping the heads from men's shoulders in the location where he was last seen. Neither one of them had wanted to think about it. They continued through the store, keeping and eye out for any sudden movements or unexplained sounds. Britt was in the freezer section, while Jack walked through rows of rotting produce. For a split second, Jack thought he heard the squeak of a shoe on the linoleum floor. Pausing, he swung his eyes around to the noise. Turning his head slowly he looked across the tomatoes that had long since turned to dust. A man, his mouth covered on blood and his clothes torn to shreds, stood opposite Jack. He towered about five inches above Jack, and was twice his size. Well, Jack thought. This is gonna hurt.

The vampire lunged. Jack jumped out of the way, and pulled the stake he carried in his jacket from its secure holster. Once regaining his balance, the creature turned and lunged again, knocking into Jack and sending them both tumbling. Unfazed, however, Jack threw his arm up in a swift upward motion, driving the stake straight into the vampire's heart. The creature left out a loud moan as his skin began to crumble like sand falling from formation. He continued to crumble until he was a small pile of dust, identical to the tomatoes. Jack stood, heaving from his exertion of energy, and brushed himself off. He did not expect the sudden force that slammed into him from behind. The stake flew from his hand and went sliding across the floor, just out of his reach. A voice whispered from the crushing weight that was positioned on his back.

"You shouldn't have killed my friend.."Jack gasped as the sharp pinch of fangs broke the sensitive skin beneath his ear. He felt a hand run its way down his spine and to the edge of his pants, hesitating only slightly before plunging beneath. His vision blurred as the blood from his artery was drained ounce by ounce. A violent mixture of emotions, sadness, regret, fear, anger, violation, sped through his mind. Suddenly, the weight was gone. He felt himself being hoisted up into a sitting position, smooth, small hands brushing over his face, shoulders, and wound. He flinched.

"Shh. It's alright," a soft voice spoke. "It's over now. You're gonna be okay..." The voice trailed off as darkness consumed Jack's mind.