Welcome to another installment of A Vampire’s Vengeance! When last we spent time with our resident vampires, Edgar had turned the chase on its heels, and the two flew across the city in tail of the Beings, only to lose them at the last second. You can read Part XXXIII here. Did they lose the Beings? Let’s find out →
Edgar looked around once more for any sign of the Beings, but they were gone, leaving him to guess they had ducked into the building from which the drones were released, the building they faced at the end of the walkway. He turned his toward Isabelle, and with a nod the two were on the move. They reached the end of the walkway, turned in the direction they last saw the Beings, and began looking for a way into the building.
Isabelle amped up her senses. She was still riding on the high of having fed on fresh human blood; there was great difference between drinking from the stores they held in the Column and drinking direct from the source. Every detail on the street was crisp, including the smells, and while the Beings carried a particularly nauseating scent, the entire area was drenched in it, making it impossible to determine by small where the pair had gone. It was strong enough to overpower the scent of the human as well. Without sight or scent, she was dependent on her hearing.
The outer walls of the building were lined edge to edge with more screens for running advertising with a solid layer of concrete behind them to support their frames and the heavy damage-resistant panels designed to protect them. Isabelle pushed her hearing to its maximum capacity to cut through the layers to try to listen for any movement inside; she imagined Edgar was doing the same. The effort was worthwhile in confirming the Beings were inside, though she could not locate their exact position. Their steps echoed within, leaving her to assume the building was gutted of everything save what was necessary to keep the building erect. She eased her effort. It would be easier to track them once they were inside.
Downtown was once ablaze with light at all hours. Isabelle had only made the trip a handful of times, but each time was an assault on her senses. Tramways and autocars would carry you into the metropolis and climb to the upper levels. She recalled how the buildings seemed to shift as advertisements scrolled along the outside of each floor, and how the walkways were lined with pop up stands selling trinkets and savory foods. The humans found a feast waiting for them; she found a feast in the humans, if only her handlers had let her loose. To this all dead and silent, void of light and sound, was nothing short of eerie.
The two vampires turned the corner at the end of the building and found a mantrap revolving door still in motion. Edgar dove in without hesitation, leaving Isabelle to wait for the next gap to open before she could enter safely. They popped out on the other side into an empty floor, a floor stripped bare of carpet and walls save the structural posts. Drywall and plaster was piled high throughout the space, obstacles around which Isabelle and Edgar needed to navigate to find the stair. Isabelle could hear the Beings with some clarity, still in retreat, albeit several floors down. She determined the stairwell couldn't be far based on how well she heard them.
True enough, the two vampires came upon the stairwell after moving around a few piles while angling toward the wall on one side. The metal doors had been thrown open with such force, they were caught in the supporting walls. Isabelle and Edgar began traversing the stair, attempting to run as light and fast as was reasonable, in an effort to close the gap. They were conscious, however, of attracting attention. For all they knew, they were heading right into a nest of Beings. Treading with caution was imperative.
Continued after the break
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A traveling merchant finds himself in quite the predicament when he manages to win a duel, leading him down a dark path. A tale from the Odds ‘n’ Endings Boutique.
The Beings held no such concern. They plowed down the stairs, and for every step Isabelle and Edgar took, it seemed they took two. Wherever it was they were heading--home or otherwise--Edgar decided they were in a hurry to get there. To be out after dark must be anathema to their kind, though why was nothing more than speculation. Their capabilities did not seem to be hampered, from what Edgar recalled of their chase. He returned his focus to the stairs; if this was indeed their base of operations, he would find answers there to the many questions he carried. Or so he hoped.
The sounds of the Beings drifted away to nothing, leaving Isabelle and Edgar in a state of consideration. Did the Beings reach the bottom and run off some way? If so, this would put them underground with little ways to turn. There was no opening or closing of any doors, so either the doors to the floor were stuck open as above, or the Beings reached the bottom where it was likely there were no doors. If they sequestered in a sub-level, Edgar doubted the whole of the hive was here. However, if they had dismounted the stair before reaching the bottom, then he and Isabelle would be at pains to determine which floor they exited onto. No sense in worrying about it now; they remained several floors above the point the steps drifted off. With less concern in being heard, the two vampires quickened their pace.
They soon reached the levels where it was possible the Beings could have exited. The doors were thrown open on every floor at these depths, leaving the vampires to understand each sub-level was just as likely as any other on which the Beings could have exited. They slowed their pace and expanded their awareness, raising the sensitivity of their hearing to catch any sign of the retreating Beings. They moved in this fashion until they reached the bottom floor.
Edgar stopped at the base of the stair and removed his helmet. He watched as Isabelle did the same. The two looked at each other, then turned with an involuntary retch, as most severest of nauseating smells struck their nostrils. They each regained their composure and replaced their helmets, which muted the evil smell but did not dispense of it entirely.
They glanced around the empty sub-level. The entire space was free of debris, with the exception of one large spot in the center. There, a giant mound of some unknown material seemed to erupt from the ground. They approached the mound with caution; though their preternatural sight allowed them to see the mound clearly, they failed to determine the substance of its make. It did not appear to made of any rubbish they found in the upper floor. No plaster or drywall. No concrete, steel, or wood. Upon closer inspection, the found it to be some live substance, slick and bubbling. Edgar was loathe to touch it as they arrived at the mound, but found no other option: embedded in the membranous substance was a tunnel. It appeared the Beings disappeared inside.
Isabelle shook her head. Edgar nodded in agreement, then shrugged. What else were they going to do? Walk away? He turned to the entrance and stepped down into the filmy tunnel. Isabelle followed, still shaking her head.
I don’t know, seems super suspicious to go chasing alien creatures down an alien well. Isabelle and Edgar may be vampires, but they remain clueless as to what they are truly up against. So, perhaps not the wisest decision? But we have already seen Edgar at his most reckless—well, most reckless so far—and it seems this may be more in line with his character than not. I suppose there is only one way to find out if this is the case, as well as what happens with the vampires in this nest of aliens: come back next week!
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