"What a waste of my time," Viktor growled to himself, dusting himself off, not a scratch on his body as he exited the men's washroom. Being dragged away by three supped up teenagers had put a dent in his pride, but when he was able to actually get himself free from their grip without exposing his Gift, he made quick work of them.
The school's men's bathroom might need a bit of a new paint job, what with all the new specks and flakes of blood on the floor and some on the walls, but all the same, what was done was done. Jolyne had made him out to be something he wasn't, and that had irked him something fierce.
Of course, because it took far too long to get all of the muscle heads to stay down long enough for him to leave, the time he had in Mr. Spencer's class was cut short, and now he had to wait either tomorrow or a chance encounter with Jolyne during the night to learn more about her.
Seeing as he had no reason to be at the school, he promptly left, ditching his final class. He had far more important things to do, and if he really needed an education his tutors back in England could do so for him in less time than this school ever could.
Walking away from the building, Viktor felt an overwhelming sense of anger. How dare someone so uncouth as that pompous little twat dare believe herself to be anything more than what she already was?
Jolyne Brooks was a vampire. All vampires, no matter their origin, were beasts of the night. Creatures who preyed on the innocent. Thusly it was his duty to exterminate them all. That was his and his brethren's mission on this globe. To end the lives of vampires and anything supernatural.
Vampires, The Lilim, and that new faction that was calling themselves the "Were Creatures guild". If it wasn't human, it was an abomination. Humans were Gods gift to the Earth, and anything that dared mock it deserved punishment. Plain and simple.
So not only was Jolyne Brooks a spit in the face of what made humans human, but she was condescending about it to.
So why not kill her now? Why wait for her to get stronger? If he was smart, he should just kill her.
However, several problems arose.
The first reason: Killing vampires in public would lead to questions. Questions that could not be answered without exposing the whole of it. That would lead to pandemonium and outrage.
The second reason: Jolyne was the daughter of a corporal in the RCMP, who happened to be a beloved figure in town. The police were aware of who he was, and knew he carried a bludgeoning and serrated weapon.
Should she be found dead with wounds matching his weapon, he would be hunted down. Not that it would be a problem as he could get his agent to force the charges to be dropped. However, there was a much bigger problem.
Jolyne was not the only vampire in Creston. She was one of, as far as The Helsing Organization knew, six. If anything, she would have to be saved for last unless outside circumstances saw fit.
The third reason: Attacking a vampire that you know nothing about was just plain stupidity. It was one of the leading causes of early vampire hunter deaths. While at a first glance she looked to be nothing special, there were many factors that played the deadliness of a vampire.
Factors that could cause massive problems in a prolonged fight.
The fourth and final reason was simple: He wanted a challenge.
Viktor was egotistical, and very self-aware of it If his vampire duel was not at least somewhat challenging, then it would be pointless to him. What good was a fight when it was a one-sided beatdown? At that point, it was just bullying. There was no glory, and there was no honour.
To put it bluntly: it would be cowardly.
Cowardice was not in the Van Helsing bloodline, and it never will be. Other vampire hunters, sure. They can be cowards all they want. But they did not have something to prove. If he had killed Jolyne Brooks the first night he arrived, then yes, he would have completed the requirements of his mission. But his victory would be hollow. Pointless. Bereft of any purpose.
His mother did not raise a coward.
He would prove himself, one way or another.
By the time Viktor returned to the Ramada Inn on foot, it was 3:35 PM. Checking in with the clerk and receiving his keys, he marched his way back up to his room, and upon checking to ensure that the coast was clear, and no one was listening, he dialed his mothers number.
It took a few rings for her to answer, but when she did, she did so with the tone of expectation.
"Viktor. What is your reason for calling."
"I have come to update you on the situation here in Creston, Mother."
"Make it quick, I was in a meeting with our investors."
Viktor frowned. "Forgive me, mother. However, I have confirmed that there is in fact one of Dracula's Knights within this town. Furthermore, there has been a spree of child murders directly linked to the vampire menace."
"And what does this have to do with your mission to slay a single vampire?" Veronica questioned as Viktor's frown turned into a scowl.
"I am having a hard time finding a vampire to slay."
"Why not the new spawn? She will be weak. Easy prey."
"And it is because that she is easy prey that I have no interest," Viktor retorted. Veronica grunted in disagreement.
"So you wish to make things harder for yourself? What a foolish boy; you should know better than anyone else that felling even a weak Vampire is a difficult task. Use your brain. Slay her now and get it over with."
"Ah, and while I would agree with you, I have a hunch that she is the one."
Veronica went silent for what felt like a few minutes, when in reality it was only a few seconds. Intrigue filled her tone as she spoke. "…Are you certain?"
"Not yet. That is why I am waiting," Viktor continued, as he looked out of his balcony window. "It would be hard to assume that she is the one if I do not see her in action. Hence why killing her prematurely would be pointless."
"But what is it that makes you so certain that she is the one?"
"Her masters reaction to my threatening of her," Viktor replied, stepping out onto the cramped balcony, leaning over the metal railing as he overlooked the nearby McDonalds. He watched as Jolyne and a few friends piled out of a truck to enter the building. "Tell me, mother. Have you ever seen or heard of a master vampire caring for their spawn even in the slightest?"
"No. I cannot say that I have…. It is irregular behaviour. I understand now your suspicion. However, I must urge you to find a vampire and kill it. The more time you spend in Creston, the more you are exposed and the more the vampires can learn of your tricks. Do not take overly long, my son. You may be our only hope."
And with that, Veronica hung up the call, leaving Viktor to put his phone away. Narrowing his eyes, he drew back into the hotel room, closing the balcony door and sitting on the edge of his bed. It would be best for him to get some rest until the evening. That way, his energy would be conserved for the hunt.
He had a prospect in mind, but first, he was going to need to do some scouting….
***
A study sessions at McDonalds was not how Jolyne had been expecting to spend her evening, but all the same, she had to admit that she was glad that she had. It was actually kind of crazy just how much it was that she had got done in that single sitting.
Maybe it was because she was doing it with friends? Or maybe she just felt like getting work done. Whatever the reason was, she had a feeling that she was totally going to ace that math quiz tomorrow.
By the time everyone packed up their things and they the building, it was 10:30 pm. Jolyne choose to walk because they were going to go to the bar and use fake IDs to get drinks. Jolyne wanted no part in that. When she got into town, her father had texted her asking where she had been.
Jolyne had told him that she was on her way home, and that she was walking. Her father wasn't a fan of the idea given recent events, but he relented after she showed him the pocket knife she had been carrying.
Her father might have been a cop, but he knew the importance of self defense. Better to be safe than sorry.
She had hoped that her walk home would be uneventful, but as she passed by the Napa Autobody and Parts, Jolyne couldn't help but feel anxious as a burning desire in the back of her mind told her one thing.
To feed.
It was the third day into her life as a vampire, and while she did have some of that strange tasting blood from that Hilbert guy, it was not nearly enough, and she was running on fumes. Instinct told her to hunt, morality told her to spare someone and just go find Hilbert. Maybe he could give her more blood?
"I doubt it. Not for free, at least. And I'm broke," Jolyne thought, sighing. Whatever money she had she spent it at McDonalds. Even though she didn't need to eat human food, it would have been weird if she didn't. People would have asked questions, especially since she didn't eat at lunch. "Guess I have no choice."
And so, reluctantly, Jolyne began to keep an eye out for a potential victim. Someone who was easy. Someone who she could pin down with ease or disarm quick enough to get a quick bite. She felt wrong for thinking that way, but her brain immediately corrected itself. Like an animal ready to hunt, she had gone from docile awareness to predator.
She could feel her blood circulate faster, her heart pumping harder, and her eyesight sharpened to a dramatic extent. She could see up to a dozen feet away, and an itchy feeling radiated across her teeth.
Slinking into the shadows of a nearby alley, she waited, like an ambush predator keeping low to avoid visibility.
And that was when she saw who she deemed to be her first true prey.
It was someone from the nearby college, or at least they looked to be that old—easily in their 20s. They were lanky, wore thick framed glasses, a pullover and a pair of pants with runners. He was heading in the same direction as her neighbourhood, and he was coming her way.
It would be easy.
It would be simple.
It would be delicious.
With bated breath, she waited. Seconds felt like hours as he continued his walk toward the entrance of the alley she resided in.
One step.
Two step.
Three.
With each step made her heart thunder with anticipation, and when he finally crossed that threshold….
Her whole body lunged forward, arms wide like a claw from a claw machine as she scooped him by the waist. The man let out a startled shout, but no one was around to hear it. At this time of night during the fall season, everyone was indoors watching a scary movie, so it was perfect timing on her part.
Dragging the poor man into the alley, he fought back, elbowing and thrashing, trying to get Jolyne to let go, but with her newfound inhuman strength, she was able to ignore what would have usually been painful, debilitating blows to the kidney and stomach.
Slamming the man down to the ground with her whole body, Jolyne sat on top of him, a predatory glint in her eyes and her face like an unmoving, unflinching mask.
From the mans perspective, a high school girl was perched atop him, and it made him feel all kinds of weird.
"H-Hey! What the fuck!?"
The man thrashed underneath her, bucking like a wild animal trying to break from an ironclad hold, only, Jolyne was using the palm of her right hand to keep him down. No matter how hard he shifted, attempted to rise up, or kick, he didn't budge. It felt… good to have this kind of power over someone.
She felt… powerful.
Powerful, and very, very hungry.
When her lips parted revealing her fangs, the man's eyes widened as Jolyne grabbed him by the lower half of his face, forcing his head back and exposing the man's neck. The man screamed, albeit it was muffled by her hand, and with zero hesitation, Jolyne struck at the man's neck, her jaws clamping down on his jugular.
Sweet, sweet blood splashed against the back of her throat like a refreshing drink on a warm summers evening. Yet, with that pleasant feeling came a whole load of other, strange feelings.
It felt good.
Too good.
Her back arched as a wave of unimaginable pleasure and satisfaction overtook her. A fuzzy feeling flooded her chest as she felt goosebumps break across her arms. The more she drank, the better she felt, and the better she felt, the more she wanted to drink. Like an endless feedback loop playing over and over.
Second by second, the man's life began to slowly dissipate. He grabbed at her, trying to pry her off, but it did not work. He gasped, trying to call out for help, but that help never came.
He scratched, clawed, and shoved.
Nothing happened.
Nothing worked.
And so Jolyne continued to drink.
It was only after Jolyne had drank four pints of his blood and for the man to go unconscious that clarity took over, and she realized what it was she was doing. Snapping away from the man's neck, she got off and away from him, wiping blood from her lips frantically as panic flooded her.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Fuck, what am I gonna do? He's totally gonna remember my face, shit…!" Jolyne sputtered, panicking as a hand clasped her shoulder. Spinning around, Jolyne immediately clocked the person who grabbed her shoulders face, causing them to stumble back.
"Holy shit, fuck! Relax, kid, Jesus! It's me!" The new yet somewhat familiar voice of Hilbert rang out through the alleyway as Jolyne stared at Him in disbelief. Not because he was here, but because she had punched him and broke his nose.
Unlike the last time they had seen one another, Hilbert was wearing a regular outfit rather than whatever the hell he was wearing the last time—a basic white long sleeve t-shirt and black sweats. Her only question was why he was wearing socks and sandals, but that wasn't quite important right now.
"Hilbert?"
"Yeah… my fault for not saying anything. But hot damn, for a newbie, you pack quite the punch…" Hilbert said as he cracked his nose back in place. Hilbert looked over to Jolyne, then to the man on the floor, a look of understanding flashing over his face. "Ah. Lemme guess, first hunt?"
"What should I do, I mean, he's bound to remember my face, right?" Jolyne said, panicked as Hilbert scoffed.
"No, don't worry about it. You remember when you were bit? How your memory was all fuzzy?" Hilbert said as Jolyne nodded. "Yeah, so basically, that. He won't remember your face. The most he'll remember is getting dragged into an alleyway and blacking out afterward."
"B-but I remembered what happened to me."
"Yeah, because you turned. Did you plan on turning that guy into a vampire?"
"I can do that?" Jolyne asked, confused. Hilbert blinked, before sighing.
"Duh. Of course you can. Any vampire can turn another human into a vampire. All it takes is biting a victim and injecting a tiny amount of your own blood through your canine teeth into the victim. You didn't do that, did you?"
"No. I didn't even know I could until now."
"Well there ya go. He won't remember a thing," Hilbert said as Jolyne let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank heavens…." Jolyne glanced back over at the unconscious man, wincing, before looking back at Hilbert. "Uh… you wanna walk and talk?"
"Sure. I got nothing else better to do," Hilbert said as the two walked away from the alley. "So, what brings you over to my neck of the woods anyway?"
"Your neck of the woods?"
"Did your master seriously not tell you about territories?" Hilbert said, chuckling. Jolyne looked at him sort of cross-eyed, which cemented his suspicion. "Oh. He really didn't. Damn. Um…. Well, I guess now it lies on me to. Great… That old fart can't do anything right, can he…."
"Right, so. Territories," Hilbert said, clapping his hands. "Kinda of an honour system thing. Gets a little watery when you involve dozens of us, but when there are only seven, it makes things a little easier." Hilbert began as he cleared his throat. "Let's take by The Ramada Inn all the way to Devon Street. That area is the hunting grounds of some guy named Waller. A real old head—older than that bishop. Been around since before the town was even founded."
"Then, from Valleyview Drive off of Selkirk Drive, all the way to Regina Street and including Schikurski Park is where a vampire going by Rocky hunts, though no one's heard from Rocky in a few years. Personally, I think he moved and someone took his place," Hilbert said as Jolyne crossed her arms as they stopped near an intersection on Pine Street.
"Okay, what about yours?"
"I have from Murdoch, Alder, and Hillside Street down to RBC. Bishop Higgins has whatever is past the RBC down to the Youth Center. Everything else is free game, as the other vampires haven't bothered to draw up territory."
"So… I hunted on your territory," Jolyne said as Hilbert hummed.
"Yes. You did. But I'll let it slide since you didn't know about territories. If there ever is a next time, I'm not gonna be so nice. A vampires territory is like their home. You take what's theirs, and they might take something more permanent from you. Think castle doctrine in The United States."
"Gotcha, it won't happen again, I promise!" Jolyne apologized as Hilbert chuckled.
"Don't sweat it kid. Look, how about this? Since I like you, I'll give you permission to hunt on my territory. The only thing I ask from ya is not to kill the people you hunt. Can't keep an ecosystem alive if you're killing it, right?" Hilbert said, prompting Jolyne to smile.
"Really? I mean, thanks… I just…." Jolyne paused as they stopped in front of the Shoppers Drug Mart. "I'm still getting used to it, you know. I don't know if I have it in me to… ya know…"
"I get it. Still used to being human," Hilbert said, sympathy in his tone. "I get it. More than you know…" As Hilbert said that, he rolled up his left sleeve and on his arm there was a number. 19887. "I haven't been "human" since I got this number."
"What is it…?"
"I… Don't like talking about it. But… 1940, Poland. I was… shit, I might've been 20 years old? I think? I can't remember clearly. But my father was Jewish, which made me a Jew by blood. The Nazis happened. We were rounded up, sent to Warshau, my parents were killed. One day, the guards let in another batch. Amongst them was a vampire who only cooperated because they saw the place as a glorified pig pen they could use to feed on… You can guess what happened next."
"You turned…. Then what?" Jolyne asked as a nostalgic gleam took up Hilbert's eyes, a slight smirk spreading across his visage.
"I killed them all," Hilbert replied, before quickly correcting himself. "The Germans, I mean. Every Nazi I saw, I tore them to pieces. Gunfire didn't matter to me because I could regenerate through it. I had the power to stop something awful from happening, and that was exactly what I did. I joined an armed resistance after that, and when The Allies came knocking, we helped drive the Nazis out of Poland."
"It was all to avenge my parents. They were good people. I loved them deeply, and when I saw them get shot in the head by a guard on a random day, I was livid. But I couldn't do anything back then. So I made up for it."
"I know it's ironic. I'm a blood sucking vampire. I prey on the innocent, but I never kill. I never will kill. Not unless I have to. I vowed my parents that much…"
Jolyne stared at Hilbert as he rolled down his sleeve. She didn't know why, but… she felt awful. Hilbert looked at her, confused. "Are you… are you crying?"
"Huh..?" Jolyne said, only to realize that she was. She sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I… I don't know why I started crying. I just—"
"No, it's fine," Hilbert interjected. "I just didn't expect you to cry. You must be pretty empathetic to cry at a strangers story," Hilbert said, a faint smile on his face.
"My Mom always said I was an empath, but I think its more just me having a heart."
"Heh, yeah. I guess so."
For a few minutes, the two stood in silence, looking up at the sky. The stars were shining bright, and there was very little clouds. The moon was overhead, its opalescent light radiating throughout the inky darkness above.
On nights like these, Jolyne had always felt an overwhelming sense of calm. She didn't know why, but since she was a little girl, the sight of the moon always put her at ease. Her parents always thought it was creepy when she was growing up, but to her, it always felt like that it was trying to talk to her. Trying to tell her something.
But what that something was, Jolyne never knew. All that she knew was that she liked the moon, and the moon seemingly liked her.
And that was all there was to it.
It was also as she stared up at the moon, that a thought arose. Her parents, for as much as she loved them, weren't the best around. Her Dad was so busy with work nowadays he was never really around, and her mother was beyond petty.
Everything she did, there was always some kind of backhanded remark snuck in. Every time she did good, her mother always tried to bring her down to her level. If she succeeded in anything massive, her mother would make it seem less important than it was. If she failed or got a low score, her mother would mock her.
Nothing Jolyne ever did made her mother happy. Except for going to church. That was it.
But all the same, Jolyne loved her mother.
So why did her mother constantly spite her?
"Well, I better get going," Hilbert said, walking past Jolyne, snapping her out of her thoughts as he headed back the way they came. "I've gotta do some rounds."
"Rounds?"
"Yeah. I sell blood. People buy it off me at night and I gotta meet up with a customer. It's not just vampires I sell to, you know? The blood I get is from a third party. Dunno who. They use a human to get it to me. But it's whatever." As Hilbert said that, he waved at her, shouting "See ya" before disappearing around the corner of the RBC. When he left, Jolyne turned and continued on her walk back home.
It was late, though, and she was worried that her mother would be angry at her. That was a possibility. And she wasn't looking forward to it.
By the time she got there, it was 11:30 pm, and when she stepped through the door, her mother was waiting for her, sitting at the table, an unimpressed look on her face. "Jolyne."
"O-Oh! Hi, mom. Uh, Sorry I'm late. I—"
"Do you know what time it is?"
"Uh… 11:30? It says on the oven—"
"Do not get smart with me, girl," Susan said, her tone sharp. "What have I told you? Not to stay up past 11. Yet here you are, coming home thirty minutes late, doing God knows what out there."
"What is that supposed to mean."
"What do you think it means, Jolyne?" Susan quipped, looking at her incredulously. "I mean, I can't control what you do. But there is a limit I am willing to take. This rebellious behaviour had better end come the start of next year."
"What are you talking about? I was late coming home the one time, give me a break."
"You know good and well that is not what I meant," Susan barked, standing up from the table. As she did, Jolyne walked over to the table to stand across from her, meeting her at eye level.
"Then what are you talking about. Make sense, Mother. You can't keep just saying vague crap and expect me to know."
"Oh for… the way you dress! All the skin you expose, the LGBT crap, the pornography I found under your bed when I was cleaning your room! The sex toys! You are better than that, and I know you are."
"You went through my stuff?! I told you to stay out!"
"Well, I'll have you know I threw it all out," Susan said as Jolyne stared at her, furious, her right eye twitching slightly.
"You WHAT?! I spent my money on that stuff and you think you get to just throw it out?!"
"My house. My rules. End of story, Jolyne."
Jolyne stared at her mother. It took a few seconds for her to wrap around all of what she had said. She kept her building anger from bubbling over. The last thing she needed to do was get overtly angry. So, instead of lashing out, Jolyne breathed in, then exhaled, before she leveled a neutral look at her mother.
"Is it in the garage where we store all the garbage until Dad takes it to the dump," Jolyne asked. Her mother narrowed her eyes.
"Even if it was, you are not allowed to get it. This is your punishment for—"
"What is going on out here," Her fathers voice called out from hallway. When he stepped out, he was only in his boxers. Groggily, he looked at Jolyne, before looking over at Susan. "Oh, you're home."
"Yeah, I ran a little late studying," Jolyne said as her father grunted, turning to look at Susan.
"What's the argument about?"
"She's past curfew!"
"And she was studying. So what?"
"And you're just going to believe her?!"
"Should I not?" Her father asked, blinking a few times, annoyance in his voice. "When was the last time she's ever acted out aside from not going to church? If she stayed up later than normal to study, I don't see what the issue is. Now can you two can it? I'm trying to sleep and I have to be up early."
"So I can go grab all of my stuff she threw out then?" Jolyne asked as her Father went to say something, stopped, then slowly turned to look at Susan, before frowning.
"Are you stupid?"
"Excuse—"
"No. You know what? Don't answer that. You went into her room and threw out all of her things just because she stayed up a little bit later than normal?" Her father pointed out as her mother sputtered. He shook his head before looking over to Jolyne and gestured to the garage. "Go get it. You're lucky, 'cause I was gonna off load all of the garbage at the dump tomorrow morning. But after you're done putting everything back get to bed."
"Yes sir."
With that her father grunted before going back to her parents bedroom. Susan just stared. That was all she did. She stared at Jolyne then back at where her father once stood, before storming off in frustration, rambling under her breath.
It wasn't long after that when Jolyne found the trash bags that had her things in them and hauled them back up into her room. Unpacking everything didn't take long, but it was still annoying that it had to be done anyway.
After it was all said and done, Jolyne got back into bed, and tried to get some sleep.