make everything function the way it was meant to. Those damn drugs were still in my system.
I knew this, not only because of my body's fervent desires to ascertain what threat these vampires were, but also because none of my memories had resurfaced yet. A pure bolt of terror ran through me at the thought that perhaps they never would. That Jonathan had done permanent damage and I would be alone and lost in this world forever.
That jolt of fear must have done it, because one of the vampires paused mid-stride and glanced towards where I was hidden. I knew he couldn't see me in the shadows, their eyesight is keen, but not that keen, they did need some form of ambient light to discern shapes. But he could sense me, smell me, feel me. I held my breath and willed the fear to recede. It didn't.
He said something to his companions and they all looked my way. The rest of the courtyard vanished, my world shrunk to just me and them. My heart rate climbed, not just out of fear, but because it knew I needed the boost in oxygen to choose to either fight or run. Adrenaline shot through me, making my limbs dance alive, my brain clearly focus and my body ready for action.
This was it. They may not have been Jonathan's vampires, I couldn't be sure, but I doubted they wouldn't know who I was and once they had me in their hands, they'd soon put two and two together and get Jonathan involved. Either way, Jonathan's or not, this was it.
I couldn't stay where I was hidden, I was just dinner waiting to be served. I knew I couldn't outrun them and part of me reluctantly acknowledged that, unarmed and so weak, I couldn't fight them either. There were four of them and only one of me. But, I could hope to keep them in the open and maybe, just maybe, one of the many humans still walking around the station courtyard would come to my aid or frighten them off. It was the only course of action left available to me. I was both out of luck and out of time.
I stood up, a little unsteadily and walked down the steps towards them. My whole body wanted to run, my mind kept repeating over and over and over again, run! But, my heart knew it was futile. To run would be to offer a chase to the hunters who faced me and that would lead to where? Somewhere dark and unlit, somewhere away from humans, somewhere fatal. I chose to face my death head on with the smallest of hopes that the venue I had chosen would save me.
Never show fear. Never give an inch. Always stay on guard.
I stopped right in the centre of the courtyard, bathed in light from lamps around the edge of the clearing, conscious of the human lives that surrounded me and the undead ones that faced off with me some six feet in front of where I stood. And I waited.
They weren't sure what to do. I could see them quickly assess the situation, taking in the light level, the humans and the fact that I obviously knew what they were. They seemed unsure, but hungry. Their eyes taking on hints of red, a glow that only softly gave their heritage away. No one walking past recognised them for the danger that they were, no one even glanced at the red they now sported in their eyes. Whether they were expending a little power to cloak us, I didn't know, but they were weighing up their options as if they had a choice.
They didn't, as far as I could see, too many humans, too many people to glaze if they gave themselves away, their only choice would be to move on and leave me. I was certain they would, I'd called their bluff and other than cause a major disclosure of their kind, they had no choice.
So, that's why I wasn't fully prepared. One of them sprang towards me, while another began to circle to my rear and the two remaining began to gather humans, capturing them in their glaze and misting the whole area from sight. It all happened so quickly, but not fast enough for me not to realise they knew who I was and I was worth the effort and risk of exposure to capture.
My body reacted intuitively, without thought or
I knew this, not only because of my body's fervent desires to ascertain what threat these vampires were, but also because none of my memories had resurfaced yet. A pure bolt of terror ran through me at the thought that perhaps they never would. That Jonathan had done permanent damage and I would be alone and lost in this world forever.
That jolt of fear must have done it, because one of the vampires paused mid-stride and glanced towards where I was hidden. I knew he couldn't see me in the shadows, their eyesight is keen, but not that keen, they did need some form of ambient light to discern shapes. But he could sense me, smell me, feel me. I held my breath and willed the fear to recede. It didn't.
He said something to his companions and they all looked my way. The rest of the courtyard vanished, my world shrunk to just me and them. My heart rate climbed, not just out of fear, but because it knew I needed the boost in oxygen to choose to either fight or run. Adrenaline shot through me, making my limbs dance alive, my brain clearly focus and my body ready for action.
This was it. They may not have been Jonathan's vampires, I couldn't be sure, but I doubted they wouldn't know who I was and once they had me in their hands, they'd soon put two and two together and get Jonathan involved. Either way, Jonathan's or not, this was it.
I couldn't stay where I was hidden, I was just dinner waiting to be served. I knew I couldn't outrun them and part of me reluctantly acknowledged that, unarmed and so weak, I couldn't fight them either. There were four of them and only one of me. But, I could hope to keep them in the open and maybe, just maybe, one of the many humans still walking around the station courtyard would come to my aid or frighten them off. It was the only course of action left available to me. I was both out of luck and out of time.
I stood up, a little unsteadily and walked down the steps towards them. My whole body wanted to run, my mind kept repeating over and over and over again, run! But, my heart knew it was futile. To run would be to offer a chase to the hunters who faced me and that would lead to where? Somewhere dark and unlit, somewhere away from humans, somewhere fatal. I chose to face my death head on with the smallest of hopes that the venue I had chosen would save me.
Never show fear. Never give an inch. Always stay on guard.
I stopped right in the centre of the courtyard, bathed in light from lamps around the edge of the clearing, conscious of the human lives that surrounded me and the undead ones that faced off with me some six feet in front of where I stood. And I waited.
They weren't sure what to do. I could see them quickly assess the situation, taking in the light level, the humans and the fact that I obviously knew what they were. They seemed unsure, but hungry. Their eyes taking on hints of red, a glow that only softly gave their heritage away. No one walking past recognised them for the danger that they were, no one even glanced at the red they now sported in their eyes. Whether they were expending a little power to cloak us, I didn't know, but they were weighing up their options as if they had a choice.
They didn't, as far as I could see, too many humans, too many people to glaze if they gave themselves away, their only choice would be to move on and leave me. I was certain they would, I'd called their bluff and other than cause a major disclosure of their kind, they had no choice.
So, that's why I wasn't fully prepared. One of them sprang towards me, while another began to circle to my rear and the two remaining began to gather humans, capturing them in their glaze and misting the whole area from sight. It all happened so quickly, but not fast enough for me not to realise they knew who I was and I was worth the effort and risk of exposure to capture.
My body reacted intuitively, without thought or
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