Finding My Way

Chapter 6

"Zero! We have to go here! The sundaes in this shop are the best!" Without waiting for a response, I tug on Zero's free arm, practically dragging him into the shop. Yori runs ahead of me, opening the door for us and darts in, grabbing a table. The headmaster sent Zero and me on a delivering errand in the village and Yori decided to tag along so that she could "get some shopping in." I say that because she really just wanted to get a sundae, but we couldn't tell Zero that because he would find a way to avoid coming with us.

"I would rather have gone for some ramen," Zero grumbles, but he comes quietly, to our immense satisfaction and relief.

We order three large sundaes and sit waiting for them to arrive, chatting happily about school. Well, Yori and I chat, Zero just sits with us and seems to only be half-listening. The waitress arrives and sets our sundaes down. Once she places the last one in front of Zero, she looks at him and gasps.

"Are you from the Night Class at Cross Academy?" she asks, lowering the tray so that it rests against her body and is supported by her two hands at the bottom. "You are, aren't you? You don't look like the rest of the students."

Zero grabs the package the headmaster asked us to deliver and stands. "I'm leaving," he says, brushing past the waitress, and marches out the door.

Yori and I look at each other. "Oh no," I say. "I'm going to go after him."

"I'll come with you," Yori says, laying down some money on the table. The waitress watches us go, looking surprised and hurt by Zero's reaction. I don't have time to offer her more than an apologetic smile before Yori and I run out the door after Zero. Except he isn't waiting outside. We look around and quickly spot the package discarded on the ground to the left. Wordlessly, we both begin to run, past the package and down the alleyway that Zero probably disappeared into.

"I...wonder...what...happened," Yori yells between breaths as we run. We slow to a walk as we look around the alleyway. No sign of Zero so far.

We turn around a bend in the alleyway and come upon a little boy standing in a courtyard, looking lost.

"Are you all right, little boy?" I ask approaching the boy as Yori followed closely behind me. The child turns around, but the hat on his head shadows his face. "It's going to be okay," I say, reaching my hand out to touch his shoulder. But, before my hand makes it there, he grabs my hand and yanks it towards his face. His face looks up at mine and I see the most inhuman expression on it. A beast in human form. His eyes glow red and shine with a look of ferocity and greed. His little mouth grins predatorily and I see fangs extend. A vampire. A Level E vampire to be exact.

Yori screams with horror. "Yori, run!" I shriek, yanking my hand away and wielding my Artemis Rod. "Go! I'll follow you!" Yori takes off down the alley with me hot on her footsteps. Before we can get too far, a woman steps out into the path. Yori wavers and then decides to keep going and yells, "Excuse me!" to the woman.

"Yori, stop!" I cry out. I had suddenly noticed the red gleam of the woman's eyes and her glinting fangs. I silently position Yori against the wall to our left and move to stand in front of her with Artemis at the ready. The vampire woman and child—I assume she's the mother—stand several feet away on either side of us. "Yori, this might not be the best time for you to find out, but these two creatures are vampires. Level E vampires, if I'm not mistaken." I raise Artemis in front of me and yell, sounding braver than I felt, "Come no closer, vampires! I have been trained with this anti-vampire weapon."

Ignoring my words, the woman lunges towards me and I hit her as hard as I can over the head. She falls to the ground and remains there, stunned. I know she won't stay that way for long, but I turn my attention towards the little boy. I don't see him at all, but then I spot movement in my periphery. Before I can do more than hold Artemis in front of me with my two hands, he is crouching on top of Artemis, leering at me. I try to swing him off, but he maintains his grip.