Part 4: Prologue, Part 4

The sound of metal scraping metal broke the silence, and once again Jack was all business.

Jack leaned over the chainlink gate, and watched closely. He then turned, and looked at me appraisingly.

'Sneak past. Not a problem.' I scratched at my chin absently, wondering if I'd ever have to shave again. 'Oh, except where I'm supposed to be sneaking to.'

'Got it'. Jack disappeared from view again, and I cautiously opened the gate, making as little sound as possible. Slowly...slowly...

I let out a curse as the gate squeaked slightly as it opened, but the dishevelled guy pacing by the front of the warehouse appeared not to notice. He continued to pace, muttering to himself, as I carefully crept forward.

I made a dash for the gutted car, peering through the hole where the windshield used to be, watching the lookout closely. He was walking back towards the wall, and so I used the opportunity to half-crawl towards the crates by the main door. Closer now, I could see that the guard was wounded, bleeding from several deep looking gashes. Although it might've put a man down, the vampire merely grimaced with pain as he limped back and forth, waiting for the wounds to knit together.

As the guard stood, swaying slightly, I snuck towards the warehouse door, which was luckily unlocked. Just as I was wondering where Jack would be, I saw that once again he was right in front of me, waiting expectantly. How does he do that?, I thought in irritation.

'C'mon Jack, enough with the pep talk. I've been like this for maybe three hours now? And I spent most of those paralysed with a block of fucking wood in my chest.'

I gave Jack a look that spoke volumes. It detailed in specific diatribe just how ridiculous the idea of someone not knowing they were a vampire was. The craving for the blood of man, the significant sunburn, the fact that being shot a few times had about the same effect as having rocks thrown at you. What's that? A vampire? Why, I thought that it was the multi-vitamins!

He sprawled to the ground, groaning, trying to stand back up, clawing at his ruined eyes with one hand. I did as Jack said. Picked up the tyre iron, raised it above my head, brang it down with all my supernatural fucking strength. I did what Jack said. Put it out of it's misery.

I stood gasping, thinking. It was amazing, how naturally it had come to me. Kill or be killed. That was my world now. If I didn't get them, I knew they were going to get me. The moment passed, and I walked back inside to see Jack.

'Got it.' I may have made short work of a wounded vampire, but I knew I wouldn't be a match for two or three, especially if they were in good shape. I opened the door and came into a room with a metal grate. I pulled it out, and climbed down the ladder, feeling the oil making my foot slip. Managing to avoid falling and making noise, I opened the door at the bottom of the shaft.

Lurking in the gloom was another vampire. He wasn't paying attention to the door, facing off absently into one corner. Didn't know why, didn't care. The predator instinct kicked in again, and I felt my body take over, my mind handing over control with a benevolent flourish. I moved into the gloom, moving as a cat hunting a mouse...

...the neck snapped easily in my grip, the body disintegrating as it fell to the floor. I stood calmly, barely phased as Jack's voice reverberated around me.

With that, Jack turned and climbed back up the ladder. I turned and continued through to the next room.

There were two guards positioned there, and these ones were alert. Two tough looking guys, weapons at the ready, eyes on both doors.
What to do...what to do...
No way I could fight them. If there was some way I could distract them, get around without them noticing me. I felt the need pull at me, a feeling of force between my eyes, almost as if I was developing a migraine. At once, the feeling pushed through my head, and dissipated. I stood in puzzlement, wondering what had happened, until I noticed both guards seemed to be in a trance, looking down at their feet. I moved forward cautiously, looking at their empty features. Hesitating, I reached out to touch one. He didn't respond.
I can't keep being this lucky...

Carrying on through the rooms, I met Jack, a look of good-natured annoyance on his face.

'Fair enough', I shrugged, scratching at the back of my head. 'So, we avoid them and head on out? Don't want to draw attention to the big mean bloodsuckers, right?'

He wants me to kill humans now?
'Uh...thanks, Jack.'

'That really something I have to worry about?'

'Got it, see y'later.' Jack walked back the way he'd came, and I hit the switch for the elevator. As I rose back up to ground level, I wondered idly whether I'd feel bad, killing people.

That feeling abruptly ended as the doors opened. A gangbanger ran forward, pistol in hand. Without a pause, he aimed and shot me in the chest. I looked down at my now ruined shirt, at the bullethole that took off one of the buttons, right next to the circle of machinegun fire from the Sabbat lackeys before. For some reason, this annoyed me more than that.
'What the-', the bandana wearing prick gave a startled shout, looking at me as I took a step forward.
'Being turned into a vampire, shit happens.'
I took another step forward, not caring how melodramatic I sounded.
'Getting involved in a supernatural fucking gangwar, sure, I can see how that might happen.'
The man took another step back, trying to reload his pistol with shaking hands.
'But some jumped up little shit taking shots at me with a pea-shooter, not even saying hello first? There's only so much shit I can take.'

I unloaded the entire six-shooter into the man's head, watching him fall down, twitching on the ground, brain and blood mixing in a small pile by his head.
'You probably only needed the one', I cheerfully told the body. Then I let out a little laugh, and went to find his friends.

Several bodies later and Jack opened the side entrance, and cooly looked over the scene.
'All done?' I asked, handing over the .38.

Jack took the gun back, gave me a friendly slap across the shoulders, and laughed.

'Is it always like this? Attack and counter-attack?'

Yeah...sounds EXACTLY like high school...

'So, what happens no-' I broke off the question as a loud horn was hear outside. Jack turned his head and looked out the window, eyes narrowing.

'Watch out kid, for now you're on you're own. Tonight's stuff, that was child's play. The politics...it's the politics that will get you killed.'

With those words of wisdom, or maybe impending doom, Jack left as silently as he came. I stalked off to the waiting cab, bristling, thinking over the events of the past few hours. Things sucked, and I had this terrible feeling it was all about to get a lot worse.