Heart of Ashes

When the Hunter Becomes the Hunted

"Caine!" Evelyn was shouting from somewhere above, "Caine, wake up!"

He cracked his eyes open and saw Evelyn's face, "What now?"

"Come and watch this," by her tone, it was not a request, it was an order.

He checked the clock on the bedside table - two p.m - and got up. Why had she woken him? He felt a hand grip his wrist and he was being dragged down the stairs. Morwenna was sitting on.the couch with a steaming mug of some hot beverage. The smell wafted up his nose and he recognised it as coffee. He was pushed onto the couch and instructed to look at the television. The news was on and the words "The Vampire of London" lingered in big white letters in the bottom left corner of the screen. He arched an eyebrow and listened as the news reporter read the story:

"Early, this morning the body of eighteen year old Denise Hopper was found in the common grounds across from the popular Club Fino. The victim had two circular wounds on her throat and is said to have been insanguinated. Nobody witnessed the crime, there was no evidence left at the crime scene and the killer - appropriately named The Vampire of London - is still at large."

Evelyn turned the television off, "What was that about?"

Caine faced her, "I don't know, no sensible vampire would've made such a stupid mistake it must have been a..." realisation hit, "damn."

"Damn?" Morwenna and Evelyn chorused.

Caine ran up the stairs to his bedroom. He quickly pulled a shirt and shoes on along with his coat and his hat. The girls had followed him.

"What's going on?" Morwenna asked, her confusion present on her face.

"Yeah, what happened?" Evelyn pushed.

"I need a car," Caine said.

Morwenna held her car keys out, "What do you need..."

He grabbed them, "Thank you."

He stormed past them in beeline for the staircase. He raced down the stairs, taking them two at a time and flung himself out the front door. Evelyn was close behind him. He unlocked Morwenna's car and jumped behind the wheel. Both girls got in the back.

"Out," he said.

"Nuh uh," Evelyn retorted.

Morwenna crossed her arms, "My car."

Caine rolled his eyes and pulled out of the driveway. He swung the car around to speed off in the direction of the guesthouse.

***

The door burst open and Caine entered with two women Donovan hadn't met before. They were human.
Donovan smiled.

"Lunch?" he inquired.

"Lay a finger on either of them and I will cut it off and feed it to my raven!" Caine hissed.

Donovan's eyes widened, "And why are you so grumpy?"

"Because you're a bloody idiot!" Caine spat, "Did you know that your kill is all over the news?"

Donovan didn't but he wasn't surprised, "No, I didn't. That's pretty impressive."

"Impressive?" Caine's eyes were bright red fires, "Impressive? Is that what you call it? Impressive?"

Donovan shrugged, he didn't like where this was going. Caine had the expression of an angry parent on his face.

"Well, Donovan, you know what's also impressive?"

Donovan didn't dare respond.

"A hunter's ability to kill a vampire and now, because of your act of stupidity, the city will be crawling with them. They're probably looking for you now."

"Well you didn't tell me..."

I told you they were a risk we should avoid at all costs which means keeping a low profile and not announcing our presence to the world."

"Come on Caine," Donovan was feeling brave, "we're the immortal undead, you said so, there's nothing more powerful than us on Earth."

"No but do you know what a vampire slayer is?"

Donovan blinked, "Umm... duh. They kill vampires."

Caine's hand collided with his head so hard he smashed into the wall, "No you foolish boy! A vampire slayer is a person who has dedicated their life to the eradication of vampires and, in doing so, got blessed with inhuman strength - to match that of their opponents - and magic! Thus making them the immortal living which means that, though they are easier to kill than us, they are just as deadly."

Donovan acknowledged where the panic station was and ran towards it, "You didn't tell me that!"

"I did tell you about them and I thought you'd apply your common sense to deduce that, if you do something like leave a body in the middle of a public place with an obvious wound, you'd attract them."

One of the women - seemingly goth - that had followed him in piped up, "Common sense these days, dear Caine, is a rare form of intelligence that only one in twenty people possess."

Donovan took great offence, "Who asked you, zombie queen?"

His bold spark was quickly put out by Caine's icy glare, "It would seem that Morwenna is right, Donnovan, for I see no sign of it in you. Come on."

Caine's hand rested on the back of his neck and he was steered out of the room, down to the reception where Caine handed in the key and paid the bill. He was then "guided" out, shoved into the backseat of a car and told to lie down on the floor to prevent being burned by the sun or being seen by anyone who might be interested in cutting off his head.