Crimson Tears

Chapter Six

Reane

   They drove to a hotel finding only a few options. The only one they could agree upon offered one room with double beds. After dropping their things off, for the next few hours they went by foot, exploring the harsher part of the City where Miguel recommended they go. Neither talked about what happened at Miguel's house, choosing to focus on why they were here. The worse they got from the streets was cautious stairs.

   "You smell that." Reane looked around, pointing across the street. "Its blood." She moved swiftly, beating all the cars before they passed the intersection.

   Cynthia followed, cutting across the street. Reane walked a half a block further and stopped as Cynthia caught up. "It's fresh."

   "Yep," Reane agreed and went into the ally between one building that was an old video store, and a market corner store. The alley was narrow and dark. It smelled like urine and a variety of foul odors. They walked several feet into the darkness, before Reane stopped. Her hybrid eyes lit the darkness.

   She moved fast, snatching someone by the shirt and slamming them into the building. The vampire tried to clamp his fangs into Reane's neck, her scent confusing him. He smelled as dirty as this alley, clothes ragged and two sizes to big. By how he was acting, the vampire was unaware of what she was, only scenting she wasn't completely vampire.

   Using her strength, Reane put her hand around his neck, extended her fangs and snarled. "Stop it," she said, forcing him to look into her eyes.

   The vampire tried to fight back but noticed her fangs. He froze, head tilted as if inspecting her fangs. The vampire probably thought he was losing his mind, not understanding what she was. He couldn't be no more than a few weeks old vampire. He was already experiencing the bloodlust. Attempting to help him control his vampire was too late. He was beyond repair. It was a sad reality.

   Cynthia walked up, letting Reane handle the vampire alone. "Who turned you?" Cynthia asked, ready to end this interrogation.

   The vampire looked from Cynthia to Reane, unsure who to respond to. His confusion was evident. "I..." he shook his head.

   A human at the end of the alley walked by and it was like a shark at the first scent of blood in the water. The vampire head darted toward the humans laughing nearby and tried to shove Reane aside and attack.

   Reane's hold stayed firm. "Who turned you?" Reane asked, not in a gentle tone.

   "I don't know," he sneered. He wasn't looking at them, only toward where he last heard humans. That's all he could think about. Feeding from a humans vein. A vampire under bloodlust had no control. No limit. They killed every time. So learning humans were also disappearing made things more interesting. "I woke up different." He groaned as if in pain, but stared up at Reane with pleading eyes like an addict. "I'm sorry. I just so hungry."

   Reane nodded. "I know." There was sadness in her eyes for this vampire. He had family and friends once. A life. Someone had turned him against his will and left him to lose control. Without a sire to guide a newly turned vampire, it was rare to see a vampire make it through their first bloodlust. Reane's mom, Kaliska said she even went through one. That's how uncle Jake's best friend Simeon became a vampire.

   Fortunately, Reane vampire half was not as strong as her werewolf half. She didn't experience bloodlust. Not that it could not happen. Reane imagined not drinking blood for too long could put her into a dangerous position. There was a time or two when she was younger forgetting to drink blood. Over a month rolling by and she accidentally bit one of her pack members during a make out session. Tasting her blood aroused and hungered her. But instead, Reane ran off drinking a whole liter of blood before feeling under control.