A Parallel Journey

[Evangeline Carter]

James didn’t let his grasp on the girl fall slack, lip curling in disgust as he held her flush to his cold body. “Look at her fight, Jasmine,” he grunted as MariAnne struggled. “At least we have that to list in her credentials.” There was a slender market for vampire slayers, after all. Feeding on the hunters was more of a thrill for some of the more twisted specimens.

Jasmine looked on, glaring at MariAnne balefully as she rubbed her healing jugular. “Maybe you should let Simon teach her a lesson or two,” she rasped. “That kinky little snake’s had his eye on her. He might kill a little of her spirit.” She spat the last word to the floor.

“Indeed,” The male vampire administered a fierce shove to MariAnne, propelling the girl in the direction of the cement wall. Her condition was less of a concern, now. “Come on, little slayer. Fight me some more.”



Do it!” Snapped David, spitting blood contemptuously to Bruce’s feet. “Do it you ugly b#$%#^&, I dare you!” He’d cut the inside of his mouth in the scuffle, but Bolt had managed nothing else.

“Wait!” Bolt stood up from the snow, staggering as his neck slowly regained a healthy shape. “Don’t kill him, Bruce. James will want to see him.” The vampire was loyal to James before any other in the coven. “We know him.” He shot a venomous look at David, who hadn’t yet recognized him. The slayer twisted in Bruce’s grip, barking a maddened laugh at the vampire.

You all look the same to me by now, nasty $%&#@.

[Kale Allerion]

Bruce clenched his hands tighter around the deceitful slayer's trench coat. The vampire gritted his teeth as he fought the temptation to bash the human's head against a nearby tree.

At length, Bruce threw David back into the snow, then immediately picked him up again by the collar of his shirt before the slayer had a chance to make a run for it. "Fine," he growled in response to Bolt. "Let's go." And he started back toward the house.


Upon locking the last of the windows in the upstairs portion of the house, Simon hastened toward the door to the basement, salivating and breathing heavily. He knew his presence was probably not necessary at this time, but he did not care. The girl's blood had been spilled, he knew - the scent was more intense than ever before.

No sooner than the vampire had lifted his hand to turn the knob of the door to the basement did Simon's sensitive ears pick up Jasmine's suggestion. Stunned, Simon reeled back away from the door for a few seconds, eyes like pale blue saucers.

Did she really say that?

Finally convinced he wasn't merely hearing things, a wide, terrifying smile broke onto his moon-white complexion. He flung the door wide open and jumped the stairs.



MariAnne let out a cry as the back of her head crashed against the hard concrete. Pained as she was, adrenaline and fear enabled her to jump to her feet immediately upon hearing Jasmine's recommendation of Simon. Pure terror radiating from her features, the slayeress bolted past the two vampires tore ahead straight through the darkness.

Can't let him get me, can't let him get me, can't let him get me, every fiber of her being seemed to echo.

Her escape was only short-lived, though. Her human eyes strained through the blackness, but couldn't detect Simon before it was too late. Soon she felt the vampire's claws cut into the flesh of her upper arm as he grabbed her roughly and pulled her to his side.

MariAnne screamed, thrashing about wildly against Simon's grip. Blood flowed from the wound the vampire had inflicted. Simon chuckled sickly as his head leaned steadily closer to the bleeding arm.

Not again!

Adrenaline kicking in once again, MariAnne sent her foot crashing into Simon's gut. The vampire let out a curse as he reeled backward. Angry and terrified, she landed another blow, this time to his head, before turning to flee.

Yes, she knew that she was running toward James and Jasmine, who were no lesser evils than Simon - what other choice did she have, after all?

She also knew Simon was getting up to catch her again.

Furthermore, she knew the house was locked and there was no escape.

At least she was running, though. She wasn't being held down or locked up, but could fight back when attacked. That small, trivial fact kept her tearing breathlessly and painfully down the corridor as she pondered her fate and how she'd combat it.

[Evangeline Carter]

James was ready for her. Crouched on the floor, he watched her approach, muscles taut. When the girl was within his range, he launched, vaulting for her in a furious bolt of muscle and claws. His immediate concern was to slam the girl to the ground where she belonged.

"Get in here, Simon!" This was Jasmine's voice. She watched as James treated the girl none to delicately. She'd mounted her crossed arms upon her chest.



David wasn't going to go on without taking advantage of the close proximity. From his position, to fight was difficult, but got his hands around, digging for the vampire's eyes.

[Kale Allerion]

OOC: That last sentence made me nostalgic for "Midsummer"!
Hermia: How low am I, you painted maypole? Speak! How low am I? I am not yet so low that my nails cannot reach into thine eyes!"

BIC: Bruce saw the slayer's hands reaching toward his eyes and lowered him roughly to the ground.

"I don't think so," the vampire said, not releasing David but putting a larger distance between the two. This human was infuriating him, and if he tried anything else during the journey to the house, Bruce was sure he'd lose his cool and there'd be one less slayer to worry about before the night was over.



Had she been able to sense James' presence half a second sooner, MariAnne might have had a chance to dodge the vampire's assault.

One moment, she was running.

The next, something struck her hard and sent her flying.

Only seconds later she was on the ground.

It was then that she realized she could fight no more. Her heart still pleaded her to get up one more time, but every bone in the slayeress' body cried its protest. The pain in her head was sharp and piercing - in a different setting, she might have worried about a concussion. The rest of her body was broken and bruised from the fall.

It wasn't long before Simon reached the scene. Still recovering from MariAnne's attack, he strode angrily toward where the girl lay. His eyes smoldered, and for a moment he looked ready to snatch the girl to her feet and drain every last drop of the miserable pretender's life-substance. Seeing James and Jasmine keeping guard, however, he thought better of it. He stopped in his tracks, took a moment to get himself under control, and continued his walk toward the scene.

"Having some trouble?" he asked, hands trembling from adrenaline and raw bloodlust. Breathe, he instructed himself, taking a slow, cleansing breath. "Can...I be of some assistance?" Say yes, or I'll explode!

[Evangeline Carter]

Ooc: Ah Midsummer. That just made my day.

Bic: James looked on with disgust. “Take her to a room and get her out of my sight. We have to get the rest of the stock and move them to the swap site.” He turned his back on MariAnne, effectively passing judgment on the girl. As far as he was concerned, he was deaf to what Simon did to her. Jasmine made no argument. She glared at MariAnne, face twisted with antipathy.

“Put some restraints on the little wench, Simon, when you’re done with her,” she turned to leave with James, muttering out, “Or before…”

“And then go and get the transport ready,” James called over his shoulder, heading for the rooms where the rest of their products were kept.



David did not let the fight end, regaining his senses from the shock of the incidents. He twisted again, twining his leg around Bruce’s knee and locking them there, throwing an elbow behind him and into the vampire’s gut. At the same time his free hand plucked the switch-blade from its hiding place on his person, and snapping it into Bolt’s calf. The vampire gave a vicious squall, leaping to one side and spouting obscenities.

[Kale Allerion]

Bruce stumbled backward a pace or two in response to the slayer's blow. He had not been expecting it, and he ached slightly from where the elbow had struck him.

He must be a very stupid human, the vampire observed, regaining his balance and stalking toward David. Bruce sent a granite fist flying in the direction of his face, attempting to knock the foolish human into the snow. Hopefully he learns his place in the world before the end of the night.

There was little that disgusted Bruce more than humans who thought themselves superior to vampires.



MariAnne's heart was the only part of her that seemed to be fully functioning. It pounded against her rib cage at a frenzied rate, as if it desired to break free of its hold, leave her aching body behind, and continue the fight against the vampires.

The rest of her body, however, pleaded the beaten slayeress to remain where she was - lying on the cold cement, weak and broken. Cringing beneath Simon's gaze.

No sooner than she'd realized she could fight no more did Simon lift MariAnne roughly to her feet. Chuckling insanely, he grabbed her by either shoulder and shoved her through the door to her cell and forced her against the wall.

Unable to speak, MariAnne shook her head wildly as one of Simon's hands went toward the doorknob, prepared to seal her in. Panicked, she tried to worm her way out of the vampire's grip, but Simon responded with another rough shove to the wall as he slammed the massive door behind him.



"You never quit, do you?" Simon asked, grinning wryly. His strong hands gripped the girl by the shoulders again and shoved her onto the cot. He approached her, blue eyes like fire and fangs flashing in the dim light. "Not so strong anymore, are you?!"

The girl froze as Simon pinned her to the thin mattress. Her emerald eyes were wide with terror and tears trickled from them as she stared at Simon's terrible ivory face. "That's right," he hissed. "That's a good girl."

Simon's frigid hand pushed MariAnne's wild curls away from her face. The girl's mouth opened wide in a blood-curdling scream as his fangs sank deep into her flesh.

[Evangeline Carter]

David steeled himself for pain, all the while feinting back. He knew well he was no match for superhuman speed. The blow would have broken his nose if not for pure luck and the body’s will to avoid pain. Instead it scored across his cheek, nicking the skin open and promising a jolly good shiner in the days to follow -- were he to live that long. A single gem of blood issued from the gash, growing fat as it glistened there below eye. Bolt, fuming for the knife to the leg, was behind to follow Bruce’s blow with a stiff elbow to the back of the head.

Dazed, the man staggered, blinking hard through a haze as his instinct pulled his leg into a tense and then kicked out straight behind him. The kick was the strongest blow his body was capable of delivering, a fact which reflected in the paces it knocked Bold back, having caught him in the lower gut.



James didn’t blink at the sound of the girl’s peril. He was elbow deep in the business of getting the rest of the slaves in restraints for the shift. Most of their merchandise had been broken in by now, giving him their limbs willingly to be bound in the plastic ties. So much better was this route than the alternative. The wisp of a girl he was currently binding flinched when she heard MariAnne’s plight. Likely she was remembering her own past experiences.


ooc: Sorry. I wasn't quite sure what to do about MariAnne. I love how it's playing out, though. Paul's a creepy, creepy character. Sorry if David's a little overpowering. I just thought it was unrealistic for him to go down without a fight.

[Kale Allerion]

OOC: No apologies necessary! I'm sorry for taking so long to post. But...who's Paul? O_o

BIC : Finally Simon stood. He stared at the young woman, a twisted sparkle in his eyes, smiling as she whimpered.

"You'll live," he said, matter-of-fact. He took a few steps toward the door and turned his back toward her. "Knowing your fate, however, I can almost promise that later you'll wish I'd been a little less generous than I was."

Simon had found it excruciatingly difficult not to drain MariAnne's entire body, but somehow he found the self-control to keep her alive...and human. He'd even healed the wound in her neck, along with the head injuries she'd acquired during the previous fight. He knew with her small frame she was likely to pass out from the blood loss, and his superiors wouldn't want the girl going into a coma.

The vampire took one last look at the young woman, fought back the urge to bite in one more time, then walked out into the corridor, slamming the door behind him. After bolting the door, he strode toward the room where the restraints were kept, a triumphant grin on his face.



Am I even alive anymore?

For all MariAnne knew, she'd nothing short of died and been sent to Hell. Everything had gone wrong, and now the slayeress seemed to be subject to an eternity of torture.

She shut her eyes, feeling the tears come as she recalled what Simon had put her through. Even as Simon drained her blood, MariAnne had tried wriggling her way off the bed. Only once, though, as he'd responded with a sharp, granite-fisted blow to her face, only augmenting the abuse her body had suffered. Everywhere hurt.

Worse than the pain, though, was the overwhelming weakness. She felt so very tired, as if an unseen force was pinning her soul down. Her eyelids dropped every few seconds, but fear of the vampires caused her to yank them open again soon after.

Where is David?!

The question first was asked out of anger. He was supposed to be close by, ready to act if things went wrong.

But she soon remembered that Bruce and Bolt were looking for him. A chill ran up and down her spine.

Oh, no...where is David?

Moments after uttering this thought, she passed out.


Bruce rubbed his head. His hair had cushioned some of the blow, the slayer's elbow had caused a sharp pain.

Entirely fed up, the vampire took a long run and tackled David, knocking him into the snow. His claws elongated and he held them in front of the slayer's face as a warning. It was all he could do to keep from slitting the man's throat, but he knew better.

[Evangeline Carter]

ooc: Oops. I mean Simon. I must have been thinking about Paul Simon, the fantastic singer.

And Paul's also the name of Jame's old leader, in an older game.

bic: David glared into Bruce’s face, baring his teeth in disgust for the close vicinity, and spat at him, effectively transferring what blood was left in his mouth from the split lip into the vampire’s eyes. He had no intention of backing down -- he’d been at the job long enough to look past a set of claws -- but Bolt’s voice stopped the man short. The vampire had dropped his ready-stance, positioning himself casually behind Bruce and looking down on David dismissively.

“You know they’re not being quite so delicate with your friend, Harlem. Fighting’s only going to give us more incentive to drink, and you know we won’t drink your blood.” He could smell the rankness of David’s disease from just the nick on the slayer’s cheek. “I’ll bet the rest back at the house have already had their share of her blood. Do you really want to make us thirstier?”

The guilt did it well enough. David’s fight fell from his limbs, though he clearly still harbored a vicious desire to jam a stake through Bruce’s ribs. He’d gotten the girl in deep. Getting them angry would only cause more trouble.

[Kale Allerion]

Thankful for Bolt's intervention, Bruce yanked David to his feet once again, all the while blinking blood and saliva out of his eye.

"Walk," he ordered, pushing the slayer in the direction of the house.



Simon re-entered MariAnne's cell and saw her lying on her cot, motionless. He took a step backward, panicked.

Did I go too far? he wondered to himself, worried that the girl had died. Surely I couldn't have gone too far!

The vampire stepped into the cell and pressed two fingers to her neck. At length, he felt a faint pulse. He sighed in relief.

Like I told her before - she'll live.

Careful not to wake her up, Simon slipped the restraints onto MariAnne's limp wrists, then hurried out the door and away from the temptation. He had work to do. James was waiting for him to prepare the transport.

OOC: Speaking of which, what IS the transport? A van? A truck? Bus?