This story is based off one I began back in 1999 before the vampire craze hit. This is about what they really are, not what they seem to be now, so please don't think this will be a retelling of Twilight, because it's nothing near that, and I hope this opening chapter will ensure you of that. This story may contain adult situations and is not intended for people under the age of 18. I neither own, nor claim identity to the world and characters owned by White Wolf and the World of Darkness or Vampire: The Masquerade. All people in the story are fictional, and any representation in real life is coincidental.
Alexander sighed as he lost ANOTHER game of Madden. He had been practising for what seemed liked forever, but he still got his ass handed to him daily when he played online.
Tired of hearing 12 year olds talk shit, he stripped the earpiece mic from his head and tossed it to the floor. Shutting off the PS3 with the controller, Xander stood up off the couch and sauntered over to the fridge to grab another beer. His roommate, Josh, always stocked it with tons of Bud Light, and while he didn't like piss beer, Xander still grabbed and opened one. Crap beer was better than no beer at all.
Xander flopped back down on the couch and began to flip through channels. Nothing interesting was on, and that made him even more annoyed.
"I pay a hundred bucks a month for cable, and I'm STILL getting fucked on content!", he grumbled.
A few moments later, he came across a music channel that showed ACTUAL music videos, and Xander stood up, stretched, and opened the sliding glass door that led to his balcony as the sounds of KISS followed him out. Xander lit up a cigarette, blew out a cloud of smoke and leaned on his balcony while gazing up at the stars. Orion stared back at him, and he chuckled softly as he thought about his missed opportunity.
Hours ago, Josh had invited him to a rave, and he had promised there would be a TON of dudes looking for fun there. DJ Irene was the headliner and she was Xander's favorite DJ, but he had just got home from working a 12 hour shft at work and really wanted to just chill.
"DUDE! COME ON!" Josh had exclaimed, "It's IRENE and you need to have some fun! You've been working too hard. Give yourself a break!"
Xander just shook his head and said, "I'm fine. Go have fun! I'm too tired to leave our place."
Xander and Josh were best friends from high school, so they decided to get an apartment together. Josh was a day trader, and very good at it. He had a sixth sense about what stocks would make money and which would fail miserably. At only 23, he was the most sought after stock broker in America, but he didn't let his success go to his head. He was probably worth millions, but he let himself share rent with Xander in a small, but nice, apartment in New York.
Xander was a manger at an electronics retailer. He made less money than Josh, but he was very good at his job and his teammates were not only happy with him, they were great at what they did, which led to quarterly bonuses for everyone involved.
Bascially speaking, both Josh and Xander were happy, successful and the epitome of American life.
They were both gay, but not really involved with anyone and especially not each other.
Not saying they weren't atracted to one another, but each knew they would be better friends than 'boyfriends', thus they made great roommates. Each had helped the other with lovers, ex-lovers, and 'friends'.
Backstory taken care of, Xander STILL was stuck
The KISS song ended around the same time Xander finished his cigarette and flicked the butt off the balcony as he continued softly singing 'Shout It Out Loud' to himself.
KISS was amoung his favourite bands, despite their being a bastion of heterosexuality, KISS had always dared to push limits and endorse the extreme. COME ON, with a band named the Knights In Satan's Service who dared to wear tight pants and makeup, how could you NOT love that? Xander smiled to himself as he remembered seeing them in concert a week or so ago and thinking how amazing their show was despite the fact they were all old men and had put on a very family friendly show compared to what he had ever seen.
Still humming their music, Xander sauntered back into the apartment and again flipped through the channels absentmindedly as he nursed his beer. Discouraged again with the lack of good or at least kind-of-interesting shows, he changed inputs and looked through what Netflix had to offer.
'I Accuse My Parents' from MST3K popped up in his queue, so he started watching it.
Blocks away, at Club Zinc, known for its cheap drinks and even 'cheaper' patrons, Josh was dancing merrily with Kaitlyn at the rave Xander stayed home for. So far, it had been a rousing success, and Josh was having a blast with his fag hag and the incredible number of people who showed. Granted, most were fucked out of their minds on X and had no clue where they were, but the vibe was GREAT and everyone was friends, which was refreshing to see at any club.
Kaitlyn had decided to stay sober -- which meant she was only drinking and not rolling -- and Josh was the DD, so while she was a bit tipsy, she was still in control of her emotions enough to enjoy with Josh, the stupid people around them. Of which, there was no shortage. A moment ago, they had wandered in search of a friend and stumbled into a room of people too far gone -- a guy getting a handjob from another guy as he was fingering some chick while making out with her.
Both shook their heads and laughed and departed back to the dance floor.
Josh was throwing his best moves around hoping to attract the attention of the hot guys in the room, and since Kaitlyn was doing the same thing, they soon attracted a crowd of men and women. The two of them smiled before Josh stripped off his shirt, grabbed the glow sticks of a raver next to him and motioned for everyone to get back. Since Kaitlyn knew what was going to happen, she pushed everyone back and yelled above the din, "Wait for it, this is AWESOME!!!"
As the crowd melted back, and Kaitlyn winked her assurance to Josh he wouldn't hit anyone, he began dancing and stringing.
He started somewhat slow, using the shoelaces the sticks were attached to make them seem to float in the air like ghostly apparitions. As the music began to pulse and grow faster, so did his movements. What were faint ghosts a moment ago turned into streams of dragonfire -- brilliant streams of green and blue that caressed the blackness before being overtaken by reds and yellows. As the song became more intense, his dance became that much more intricate; the lights flashed faster than the eye could follow, and even the sober ones would have sworn they were under the influence of something as Josh' dance with his acouterments seemed to fill the room with a brilliance that defied the mind's eye.
And then the song ended and it was done. Josh, panting and reorienting himself, looked around to much applause and a bunch of dudes and chicks surging for his attention. Josh enjoyed the attention and smiled, but as he looked around, he notice Kaitlyn was missing in that crowd.. Suddenly more alert than he had been all night, he glanced nervously around trying to find her. The next song started up and the lights began to strobe, but all were annoying distractions to what he was trying to find.
This wasn't like her. She wouldn't leave, even if it was with a guy, without letting him know. It was their code, and they both lived by and had practised it for years. Josh ignored his suitors and pushed through the crowd trying to find Kaitlyn.
Fifteen minutes later, he still hadn't found her and was beside himself.
"How could I have done this?" he asked himself, "How did I lose her. She's my responsibility."
Josh was about to leave when he heard a woman's scream. Granted, most women there were screaming like crazy, but this one carried the air of urgency and danger none of the rest did. He looked toward the source and saw Kait being dragged out a side door by three tough looking thug guys.
Adrenaline and anger pulsed through Josh' veins as he tried to dive through the thrashing bodies between himself and the door she went through. It boiled within him, and he called on a strength he had ignored for years to thrust himself towards the exit.
As he burst through the door, he could see that Kait had broken away from the men who had held her captive and was running helter skelter through the streets crying and screaming like crazy with them in close pursuit. As his anger overwhelmed him, the skies above strangely began to mirror his mood as the once clear sky was invaded by storm clouds.
"NOOOO!" Josh yelled before starting off at a full spring after them.
Xander sipped his beer in between laughing over the movie. He still felt a twinge of longing for not going with Josh to the rave, but he still had fun, so whatever.
The movie ended before Xander realized it, so he grabbed his iPod, put on some music, and again walked outside for a smoke.
It was a very overcast night; the moon barely dared to show itself amid the threatening clouds that were gathering. What little light peeked through strangely cast a shadow over the streets and buildings -- almost as if the light was in league with the darkness in painting the landscape with its eerie glow.
Xander turned and flicked out his cigarette, but as he did so, he heard a 'buzz' through his headphones. He shook his head and tapped his earphone, and it went away. Thinking nothing of it, he went inside and slid the glass door closed.
Kait was running wildly, not caring about where she went, just so long as she got away from the men chasing her. She had been screaming for help, but as she was starting to become short of breath from her exertions, she stopped because she knew she had to save her strength to keep running.
Miles seemed to have passed, but as she dared a glance behind her, she noticed she had only run a few blocks from the club and her assailants were,sadly,not far behind her.
Gritting her teeth, and calling on her old skills of being top in her high school track team, Kait sprinted forward with increased speed, and started to outpace those behind her.
Risking another look back, she was pleased to see she was gaining at a rapid pace. Laughing out of joy and terror, the sound was cut short in her throat as she saw a motorcycle speed past the people behind her and they cheered it and its rider on.
"Oh SHIT!" she exclaimed as she tried to put in another burst of speed, but knew it wouldn't help with someone on a bike. Still running at top speed, she glanced back and saw the biker swerve to miss a parked car, and as its headlight turned away from her, she took the moment to take the side alley to her left. She still ran like a bat out of hell down there, avoiding trash and cars until she came across a dumpster and fell behind it, panting and gasping for breath.
Disoriented and desperate, she looked around for SOMEONE. Glancing up, she saw a man smoking a cigarette on his balcomy, "HELP ME!" she screamed out, but he didn't hear for some reason, as he tossed out his smoke and turned back inside.
"HELP, HELP, HELP!" she screamed again and again,to no response. She started to cry before she heard the rumble of a motorcycle turn towards the alley she was hiding in.
Xander took out his headphones as he flipped off lights and the tv and went to bed.
Another night alone in bed for him. He smirked as he surmised how he figured Josh's night ended up -- dancing like a whore at the club and going home with some hot-ass dude he met there. Not that HE had never done that, just that he was jealous he hadn't just given in and gone.
"I'm sure Josh is fucking the shit out of a dude and having the time of his life," Josh thought sleepily.
And with that, he rolled over and was lost into the land of dreams.
Josh sprinted like a runner in the Olympics as he raced towards Kait and the people chasing her. He was at a loss since he couldn't focus, but he still was catching up. He heard her scream like a knife through the dark into his heart, and he pressed faster and harder. He smiled as he began to catch up, but then he heard the motorcycle behind him roar and pass him. Barely catching a glance, he knew the biker was after her, so he redoubled his efforts in his chase.
"They CAN'T have her!" rang through his head as he focused and ran harder. He saw the bike swerve and her run into the alley.
The gang ran past the alley, and he stopped to take a breath and relax for a moment before she decided to cry out. Al that, the gang and the biker flipped back around and descended on the alley.
"Shit," he muttered, "We're fucked now."
Xander was asleep, but he heard a scream, which roused him. Rubbing his eyes, he staggered to the window to see what was going on. What met his eyes defied understanding.
Kait huddled behind the dumpster as the gang and biker surged down the alley. She glanced behind her to see only a brick wall.
"SHIT!" she muttered, why did she take such a dead end.
She shivered as her choice of words drove home the point that she might die here.
"Here, kitty, kitty kitty," one of the men in the alley taunted, "Come to daddy."
His words were met with guffaws and sounds of chains and weapons being readied
Kait felt in her jacket for at LEAST the pepper spray she normally carried, but was pissed to learn she lost it at the club.
Hyperventilating, she was about to try to run as a tattooed hand reached around, grabbed her ankle, and dragged her into the open as she screamed.
Josh had watched the gang all flow into the alley before he reached it and shouldered up to the corner as he tried to watch what was taking place. He couldn't get involved if she could get away by herself, but he couldn't let her come to harm. He saw the dumpster and the wall at the end and cursed under his breath since he KNEW where she had to be. His fears were realized as one of the punks reached for and grabbed her, drawing her into the open.
She screamed and kicked, but it was all for naught as he pretty much picked her up by the legs and threw her into the other wall. She hit with a 'crunch' and collapsed in silence.
"We got her, boss," said the punk as the man on the bike unstraddled it and walked next to her.
He looked down, stroked her hair, gently almost, before saying, muffled by his helmet, "Yeah, we do. Take her back. And take care of her, or you KNOW what will happen!" while glaring at the punk.
"We ... we know, boss," the punk replied, "she'll be fine, we'll make sure."
The rider nodded, got back on his bike, and whisked back out of the alley and back down the street.
Josh held his breath and scooted into the wall as much as possible hoping he'd go unnoticed, and as the rider sped past without looking, he let it go. One threat gone, now he only had to focus on the gang members left.
They were busy talking shit about the biker and also the unconscious woman left in the care as they brutally lifted her up and began walking out of the alley.
Josh took a moment, collected himself, and stood out in the open while yelling, "LET HER GO!"
The thugs were surprised at his intrusion, but then began to laugh as they saw this lone man call them out.
"Dude, this faggot is trying to be the Lone Ranger!" one joked.
"No, no, he's Batman, just without all the fancy gear!" another guffawed.
The one carrying the body of Kait simply shrugged and asked, "So what YOU gonna do, little boy? There are a bunch of us and one of you."
Josh simply smiled and said, "You have NO idea what I can do, and SHE is mine, so I give you the choice to let her go or face the consequences. It's up to you guys, so what do you say?"
Two of the gang pulled out guns.
"I'm down," they said in unison.
Josh smiled and said, "I hoped you'd say that."
Xander stood, dumbfounded, at the window as he watched the drama unfold beneath him. There was a gang war going on. One of them, in the rear, was holding a young woman who was evidently passed out, while the rest advanced on a man striding towards them from the mouth of the alley.
Xander noticed some of the gang members had guns drawn, and he muttered, "Oh, shit," as he fumbled for his cell phone next to his bed in order to call 911, but as he tried to do so, the man who was facing off against the gang members looked up and somehow seemed to see Xander in his room and a booming voice rang through his head saying NO!
Xander stopped moving as the voice drilled into him and kept him from acting. Unable to interact, he was stuck there watching the scene of horror that unfoled beneath him.
Josh saw the gangmembers simultaneously pull the trigger on their guns. He saw the bullets burst forth towards him in unison. He smiled as he danced to the left, onto the wall, and using his momentum, lept over them. They both fired again, and he jumped a good 10 feet above them as he flew towards his would-be killers. He landed, right next to them, grabbed the still red hot barrels of the guns, bent them in half, and then, with both hands, snapped both their necks. They fell to the street without a sound.
The last one who was holding Kait, smirked, and set her lifeless body down.
"You're fast, but what you got for me?" he taunted as he cracked his knuckles
"You've seen what I can do!"
The man merely laughed and said, "Yes, but what can I do?"
Josh lunged forward, but the man lashed out and slapped Josh.
Josh flew back as if he had been hit by a cement block instead of just a fist.
Josh stumbled back to his feet just as the man got to him and kicked him in the ribs. A horrible SNAP filled the air as Josh' ribs snapped and broke in 10 places.
Josh was nearly blind with pain he hadn't felt in forever, as he tried to crawl to a wall so he could get in a standing position. Before he could get there, his opponent grabbed his shirt, lifted him up off his feet, and slammed him into the wall with enough force to crack the bricks. He then started punching him without abandon, each hit, indenting him further into the brick.
As much as it hurt, Josh was more amazed this person could inflict so much damage on him, but as the barrage continued and he began to spit up more blood, and the world turned hazy, he nearly resigned himself to his fate. As he was about to give in, he heard a cry of pain and hatred that didn't actually come from him, and as he looked up with the last of his strength, he saw Xander, of ALL people, bash his assailant's head in with a flashlight.
Xander couldn't believe what he saw ... Josh, like an animal, was destroying the gang members beneath him. Well, destroying might be a bad way to describe it ... it was like a nuclear bomb going off ... everyone who stood before him was simply dead ... gone ... just vanished in a haze of blood.and gore. Xander couldn't even THINK until Josh was struck down by the man who had been holding the girl who he thought was Kait. Suddenly, Xander was shook free of his trance and could move again. He watched in horror as Josh was beaten again and again by the gang leader.
"Help me ..." he heard weakly in his mind.
"What the FUCK?" he thought weakly.
Shaking the cobwebs out, Xander looked aound for a weapon, all of the sudden feeling strong and empowered. He saw the MagLite he kept next to his bed. Grabbing it with a trembling hand, he threw open the window, pushed out the screen, and stepped onto the fire escape outside his window.
The scene below was only playing out a few stories above where he was, but he felt steeled and ready to jump off a building.
Scared out of his mind and with a thought not of his own, he leaped from the fire escape to the alley, three stories below.
Not knowing how he realized it, he bent his knees, rolled into his landing and ended up silently behind the man beating the shit out of Josh.
As he kicked Josh one last time, Xander drew back the MagLite and hit him in the back of his head with all the strength he had, and then some.
The man crumpled under the blow and fell dead.
Xander, suddenly in his own state of mind, dropped the flashlight and stumbled over to the crushed body of Josh.
Dropping to his knees, Xander reached under Josh's destroyed corpse and feebly reached for his neck to feel a pulse, and when he felt none, he began crying, "OH MY GOD, JOSH!!! NO! NO! YOU CAN'T BE DEAD!!!!!"
Xander began to weep with a power that rocked his soul, "OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD ... NOOOOOOOO!"
Without warning, Josh opened his eyes and coughed.
Xander nearly dropped him and cried out, "Oh my God, Josh, you're ... ALIVE!"
Josh simply shook his head and whispered, so softly, "No, I'm not."
"What?" Xander blubbed, crying, "But you're talking to me,"
"I'm not alive," Josh continued before lunging up and latching on Xander's neck, biting deep and greedily sucking the blood from the wound.
Xander was too surprised to even react, but as Josh drank away his life, he began to feel woozy, and happy ... as if, all of life's problems were melting away. Everything was fine.
With a 'thunk', Josh let Xander's body flop to the pavement. Josh felt refreshed and ready to run a marathon.
He stood up and stretched and breathed deeply the night's air.
Feeling reborn, he looked around and happened to glance at the ground. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Xander dead on the cement.
"Oh my God! What have I DONE?!" he screamed.
That is part 1. Feedback is welcome at ender2155@gmail.com