(Cont.)

Finally, the time had come for them to exert their power over change. Freeing the vampires was just one step that would lead to peace among the different creatures of the planet earth. Not all of them were valued or accepted, yet, but the Reformers would soon change that reality. Fifty major cities, a hundred Reformers in all, simultaneously finding and rescuing as many vampires as possible. The clan of the undead would soon be reunited. Daniel felt confident that his choice had been the right one.

All living beings deserved a life - vampires were no exception in David’s mind. He reached the bus station just in time to step onto the waiting transportation. He claimed an empty seat in the far back, he let his gaze drift out the window towards the cemetery where his latest charity case would be gasping fresh air, hungering for life blood.

There was no guilt over the fact that an innocent might die that night. Daniel was firm believer in Fate. If it was meant to happen then nothing would be able to prevent it. Everything happened for a reason, the man was certain of this ultimate truth.

He let his eyes close, leaning his head back against the seat. He could feel eyes on him, the other passengers curiosity drawing them to the man with the spiked red hair, black leather coat and ragged, fingerless gloves. In stark contrast of this grunge, punk look were the softened expression on his angelic face. No piercing or tattoos marred the delicate, almost feminine features that had garnered him hundreds of stares over the long years of his life.

The drizzle outside turned into a downpour as Daniel relaxed even further, slumping down in the seat, his coat hugged tight around his body. His pale pink mouth fell into a thin line as he tried to remember the address of his next target. He had made the mistake of forgetting his little black book that morning. A soft sigh escaped from between his lips. He would need to buy another shovel.

****

Trevor Snow choked on his own dry tongue. He tried to swallow, tried desperately to breath air into his lungs, but something was very wrong. Scared brown eyes widened at the feeling of vertigo that swept over him, blurring his vision into a twisted image of a claustrophobic grave. He screamed in fear and jerked upright in the coffin.

“Help!” He yelled, his lungs finally filling with crisp air.

No one responded to his cry and he did not wait to find out why. Fear pumped through his body, his heart speeding up to match the adrenaline flowing through his veins. He stood up, unsteady on legs that felt like they had never been used. He felt his stomach rebel and then he gagged, unable to expel contents that no longer existed.

The taste of garlic in his mouth made him heave again and again. Cold, stiff fingers clawed into the dirt sides of the grave as Trevor pulled himself painfully out of the pit. He lay panting on the ground above, unwilling to look around himself for several long minutes.

A downpour of rain left him choking again, this time on cold water from the heavens. The young man’s jaw worked automatically as he swallowed the liquid. His body craved liquid. His eyebrows drew together in confusion. Not water though. Something else, something thick and heavy and full of life. His gasps came in shorter bursts.

****

Natalia Drummer walked as quickly as she dared in four inch heels over rainy cement. She held an umbrella covered in cartoon cats and dogs over her head. Long, wavy red hair fell over her shivering shoulders. It had been a long day at work and the dancer wanted nothing more than to get out of the weather. Her jacket had been stolen during break and she was left with barely anything to cover her pristine form. A tight, golden leather dress hugged her body, pushing her breasts upwards and affording no heat. She hunched her shoulders, keeping her head down.

The cemetery off to her right gave her even more of an incentive to walk the three blocks to her apartment as fast as possible. She glanced over her shoulder towards the main gates of the graveyard and relaxed a fraction to see that they were still safely padlocked from the outside. She had a fear of ghosts that had been instilled over years of watching Stephen King movies with her late boyfriend. He had been into the “Goth” scene and she had humored his strange idiosyncrasies. At least, until he had brought out the leather binding straps. She saw enough freaks at her work.

A dancer was the formal title she used to introduce herself to new acquaintances, but stripper was the street term.

Natalia felt someone watching her which was not unusual considering her get-up, but it made her hurry a little faster all the same. She was practically jogging in heels meant for nothing beyond a brisk walk. Her eyes grew wide with fear and she forced herself to remain calm. She gripped her house keys in one hand, ready to fight if it came to that. She took a deep, steadying breath and tried to resist the urge to glance over her shoulder again.

Footsteps sounded behind her, she tensed.

****

Daniel H. Harris had found his next subject.

A folding shovel had cost an extra fifteen dollars, but it was money well spent. He went to work digging up the grave - a time consuming and exhausting effort that would reap a giant reward. Another vampire would be freed onto a world that should have never shunned or forgotten the majestic creatures. Once human they had been turned into something beautiful and immortal. David sweated, muscles aching after his previous job.

One more grave and then he would call it a night and go home to his fish and plants. Not a relationship man, David had been waiting for love to come to him. So far it had been a lonely life. He had no one beyond a distant cousin whom he never spoke to and the Reformers. They had been like a second family to him and now he did their work religiously.

He had six feet and two minutes to go.

****

Trevor shadowed the woman, his thirst and hunger growing by the second. He wanted to taste her blood. It felt so strange and yet so right. He shook his head, ran a hand through his brown hair and at last gave into the compulsion.

He was surprised at how good it felt, how easy it had been to kill. The initial spring that had felled her left him wondering at his own super-human abilities, but Trevor gave it little thought after his first bite had allowed him access to the crimson life that flowed inside her veins. The woman had tasted so beautiful and kind. He could sense her character through her lifeblood. It gave him goose bumps.