《Blood and Silver》


 Prologue

    The girl couldn¡¯t move a muscle. She couldn¡¯t scream. She couldn¡¯t even close her eyes. She had no choice but to witness the scene before her. Still as a statue, the girl watched as the man was beaten to a pulp.


    She didn¡¯t like the man. In fact, she absolutely despised him. For as long as she could remember, the man had taken advantage of her and soiled her purity. She wasn¡¯t alone either. Dozens of girls were soiled by the man and his friends. Most couldn¡¯t remember a time when they still retained their chastity. In it¡¯s place, they only remembered their master¡¯s twisted, fanged smile.


    Her day had started out just as any other would. She was chastised, beaten, and made an example of. Then she was forced to remove her undergarments. But then, without signal, a woman burst through the door. The girl wasn¡¯t too sure what happened afterwards since it happened so fast. Next thing she knew, the man was on the ground being beaten to a bloody pulp as the women all sat petrified in fear.


    But the girl stood still, not because she was afraid of the woman, but because she wanted to see the man¡¯s demise. Even as the man sat lifeless, each strike seemed like pure euphoria to the girl. The woman seemed to be enjoying it just as much. Both the girl and the woman smiled ever so wider with every strike to the man¡¯s body.


    The woman eventually stopped and began to walk away. But as she did, she noticed the girl. She was extremely frail looking and her skin was as pale, almost transparent. Her hair was black as night, cut short and messily. The girl was looking back at the woman with chocolate eyes. The girl saw scarlet red hair that flowed down to the waist. She saw beautiful pale skin as white as snow. She saw eyes that glowed bright with amber. And she saw a fanged smile.


    But those fangs did not scare the girl like the man¡¯s did. In fact, they comforted the girl. So the girl¡¯s smile did not cease. The woman took notice at how she smiled so eagerly. The woman spoke slowly and in a seductive tone.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡±


    The girl shook her head.


    ¡°That was amazing, miss¡± the girl exclaimed earnestly.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡± the girl nodded.


    The woman looked over at the man¡¯s dismembered corpse and back at the girl.


    ¡°Did that man do things to you?¡±


    ¡°All the time, miss¡± the girl nodded, ¡°I¡¯m really happy that he¡¯s dead now¡±.


    ¡°Well if he did bad things to you, then he should pay you back in some way. But since he¡¯s dead and I was the one to kill him, how about I give you something?¡±


    ¡°Well... in that case...¡±


    The girl thought of what she might want. She had only wanted freedom from that man, but she had that now. She could only think of one alternative, so she went ahead and said it.


    ¡°Miss?¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear?¡±


    ¡°Is there any way I can be like you one day?¡±


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t guarantee it,¡± the woman put her hand atop the girl¡¯s head, ¡°But there is a way that might work¡±


    The girl perked up upon hearing this.


    ¡°What do I have to do!?¡± She asked excitedly.


    ¡°You have to pay a simple yet steep price,¡± she rubbed the girl¡¯s head


    ¡°What do I have to pay?¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The woman¡¯s smile widened.


    ¡°You must pledge to serve me in life, death, and beyond. Only then can you become like me¡±.


    The girl hesitated for a moment. She had just won her freedom. She didn¡¯t want to give it up so easily. And yet, at the same time, she didn¡¯t know what to do with freedom. The only thing she really yearned for was to be like this woman.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    The woman was taken a little aback by the little girl¡¯s enthusiasm to give up her life, but it wasn¡¯t the first time she had seen something like this.


    ¡°Then, tell me your name, dear¡±


    ¡°My name is Nadia, miss¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice name, Nadia,¡± the woman continued to caress her fingers through Nadia¡¯s hair, ¡°My name is Natalia, Natalia Cruxius¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a beautiful name, miss,¡± Nadia¡¯s eyes gleamed, ¡°I won¡¯t forget it¡±.


    ¡°Now, Nadia,¡± Natalia¡¯s hand moved down to Nadia¡¯s cheek, ¡°I need you to say ¡®I, Nadia, pledge myself to Natalia Cruxius in life, death, and beyond¡±


    Nadia began to feel an anxiety build in her stomach. She was afraid of messing up the words. Even so, she pushed the nervousness down far into her stomach and out of her lungs. She closed her eyes and spoke.


    ¡°I, Nadia, pledge myself to Natalia Cruxius in life, death, and beyond¡±


    Nadia opened her eyes and saw a gentle smile on Natalia¡¯s face.


    ¡°Now then, Nadia, as my servant, you must now do all that I tell you. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, miss¡±


    ¡°Then, heed my command, and follow me¡±


    ?      ?       ?


    Nadia sat anxiously waiting in front of a mirror. She was wearing an ornate white dress. Since the man had been killed, many years had passed, and Nadia¡¯s face had matured. Her hair was still cut short, though it was fuller in volume and was much cleaner. Her skin had gained some color, and her body had become much more womanly. While her bust wasn¡¯t much to write home about, her rear was very shapely. She was not the same frail little girl anymore.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready for you, Nadia¡± said a playful voice from behind her. Nadia turned around to see her three bridesmaids.


    The one who had spoke was Sophie, a girl Nadia had met soon after meeting Natalia. She had golden blonde hair that reached to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a bright blue and her skin had a light tan. Nadia didn¡¯t like Sophie at first, but her playful nature grew on her, and they became best of friends. Beside her was Rikka, a reserved girl with purple hair, and Maria, a feisty, darkly tanned girl.


    ¡°Are you nervous, Nadia? Worried your dress isn¡¯t good enough for her?¡± Sophie teased.


    ¡°Just a little bit,¡± Nadia said candidly, ¡°but I¡¯m ready to go¡±


    As Nadia got up and began to walk out of the room, Sophie continued their conversation.


    ¡°I never would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d have a wedding before mine when we were growing up¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get married soon¡±


    ¡°You say that, but things haven¡¯t been going my way recently. Besides that though, I¡¯m really glad I get to be your head bridesmaid¡±


    ¡°So am I¡±


    As they finished their conversation, Nadia reached the door leading to the cathedral.


    ¡°Are you ready, Nadia?¡±


    Nadia took in a deep breath before replying.


    ¡°Yeah¡±


    Sophie stepped beside Nadia and reached out her elbow. Nadia took hold of the elbow as the organ began to play inside. The door began to open, and Sophie began to walk Nadia down the isle. Once they were through the door, Nadia could see the magnificent scene of the cathedral. The roof seemed nigh unreachable and had a soft light seeping through it¡¯s stained glass windows. The pews were all exquisitely designed with a dark brown wood. The isle was covered with a beautiful red rug leading to the altar.


    And upon the altar was the most beautiful sight of all. Natalia, the woman Nadia had pledged her life to all those years ago, stood at the altar awaiting her bride. She also wore a white dress, though the design was much different. Since the day Nadia had met her, she had not changed much. Her hair was still the same beautiful, deep red. Her eyes still burned bright with amber. Her skin was still as pale as snow. She smiled softly at Nadia as she approached.


    After Nadia reached the altar, the ceremony began. The preacher exclaimed to everyone the importance of the occasion. The two exchanged their vows. Nadia pledged, once again, to serve Natalia Cruxius in life, death and beyond. Then, the moment of truth came.


    ¡°Natalia Cruxius, you may now kiss the bride¡±


    Natalia smiled. Nadia closed her eyes, trying to brace herself for what was to come. Natalia began to lean in, inching closer and closer to Nadia. Any then...


    A blade pierced through Nadia¡¯s stomach. She coughed up blood and opened up her eyes. She saw that Natalia was the one holding the blade. Pain shot through her entire body. Then, just as she could get back to her senses, another blade pierced her in the back. She didn¡¯t see it, but she knew the blade must have been held by Sophie. Slowly, life began to fade away from Nadia.


    ¡°This is where my life ends¡± were Nadia¡¯s final thoughts as a living being.


    Then, nothingness. Nadia didn¡¯t feel the warm glow of heaven. She didn¡¯t feel the burning of hell¡¯s flames. She simply felt nothing. She didn¡¯t have a body, she didn¡¯t have a mind. She was simply nothing in a sea of nothing.


    But then, feeling began to return. It started at where her lips used to be. Then her mouth. Then her throat. It sread down to where her stomach was. Then, it began to spread throughout the rest of her body, until it reached her brain. Once it reached her brain, she began to think again. Then feeling returned to her eyes.


    She opened them to see the cathedral before her again. This time, however, she was laying on something, angled somewhat backwards. A large bowl of a red liquid was being poured into Nadia¡¯s mouth. It was tasteless at first, but eventually her sense of taste returned. When it did, she was met with a sweet, metallic flavor. As her sense of touch returned, she noticed that her stab wounds didn¡¯t hurt anymore. However, a certain spot on her neck stung.


    When Nadia came to, the bridesmaids helped her back up. She was laying on the stone tablet that was in the middle of the altar. When being helped up, Nadia noticed that the bridesmaid¡¯s forearms were covered with bandaging. She now stood before Natalia, who was covered in blood, acting like the earlier event had not happened.


    None of this, however, did not shock Nadia. In fact, she had expected all of this. Because this was no ordinary wedding ceremony.


    This was the ceremony of a vampire bride.


    First, Nadia had to be killed. Then, she was bitten on the neck by Natalia. After she had died and been bitten, she was laid on the stone tablet. The bridesmaids then spilt their blood into a bowl wich they used to pour it into Nadia¡¯s mouth. After that was over and they had revived Nadia, the final phase of the ceremony began.


    Natalia began to speak.


    ¡°Nadia, you have been through death, and through my will you have been brought back¡±


    Natalia gestured her arms upward.


    ¡°On this glorious day, you begin you life after life, reborn anew. You are no longer simply Nadia, dear bride¡±


    Natalia brought her arms down and gestured towards Nadia.


    ¡°You are now Nadia Cruxius, vampire of the great clan Cruxius. May you serve your name well¡±.

 Nadia鈥檚 Business

    In the year 2028, the world had seen it¡¯s first glimpse of peace in almost half a decade. Russia¡¯s government had fallen to rebels and their allies had already surrendered to enemy forces. Unlike the other world wars, a treaty was not needed to bring the fighting to an end.


    Even so, treaties were made. The United Nations was revised and given more authoritative power. Keeping secrets from other nations became near impossible. Countries had begun to work more closely together on what used to be considered purely domestic policies. The stage had been set for a truly globalized modern world.


    But just as the world began to get back on it¡¯s feet, it was met with a mysterious affliction. A small portion of the population had undergone a mysterious mutation seemingly overnight. Their skin lost all pigment, their canines grew around 33% larger, their senses became significantly sharper, and their physical strength increased to superhuman levels. On top of that, their telomeres became stagnant, rendering them immortal.


    But that was nothing compared to their biggest change. They were essentially invincible. If they were stabbed with a blade, it would fail to pierce through. If they were hit with blunt force, the object used to hit them would bounce off.


    However, there were two exceptions to this rule. Whenever they were in direct sunlight, they lost their invincibility, and if they are touched by silver, even during night, their cells would begin to break down rapidly.


    On top of all that, there were two last, and extremely dangerous, changes. First, could only gain sustenance from the blood of non-mutated humans. And if they were deprived of sustenance, their minds would break and either send them into a mad, blood-craved frenzy or turn them into a vegetable. Second, if they were to bite a non-mutated human, there was a chance for them to become a mutant themselves.


    These mutated humans posed a major problem for the governments of the world. They were certainly inherently dangerous, and needed to be taken care of, but they were still humans. They couldn¡¯t just kill them or send them to a prison camp. They still had rights. A joint meeting was called between all member nations of the UN. They debated for an entire week to determine a solution for their complicated situation. Many potential solutions were introduced and debated upon.


    At the end of the debate, an unorthodox solution was chosen. All the member nations decided to mass deport the mutants to a single city in South Africa, Netempus. It was a large-scale social experiment in which the city and the technology in the city were modeled after an American city in the 1980¡¯s.


    There, they gave the mutants four simple rules. One, mutants must never allow themselves to go blood-starved. Two, mutants must never use people under government employment for sustenance. Three, mutants must never infect a human under the age of 18. Four, mutants may never reveal themselves as mutants to the public or put themselves in situations that would eventually lead to their identities being revealed.


    In exchange for following these rules, the government promised to look the other way when it came to the mutants killing certain people. However, for many of the more ambitious mutants, that final rule was a heavy burden. And it wasn¡¯t one they chose to bare for very long.


    ?            ?             ?


    ¡°Good morning, English speakers of the world, to the first day of the year twenty eighty-four. I¡¯m your host, Chris Degurechaff, and our first piece of news today is the development of a new technology that could change your everyday li-¡°


    The TV was shut off in the middle of Chris¡¯ sentence. The woman holding the remote scoffed.


    ¡°Why should I have to listen to news about technology when I¡¯m stuck a century in the damn past,¡± the woman grunted.


    The woman in question was a tall individual. Her muscles were well-toned and her skin was a mocha color. Her eyes were slanted and her head was populated with frizzy hair. She wore a simple get-up of a white tank-top and jeans, revealing her skin¡¯s ink.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The woman leaned back in her chair. She was inside a small liquor store in one of the shadier parts of town. The store was empty at the moment, and it had been for most of the day. This didn¡¯t bother the woman, however. In fact, she hoped for as few customers as possible.


    After a while, the door bell went off. The woman looked up to see that a woman had entered. She wore a pair of black skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and a pair of black gloves. Her skin was was white as snow and her eyes were the color of chocolate. Her black hair was cut just above her shoulders, and was dyed blonde at the edges. She wore a black headband in her hair to keep hair out of her face. The woman recognized her instantly.


    ¡°Miss Nadia, I didn¡¯t expect you to come by until the end of the week. What brings you here today?¡± The woman spoke with a forced clarity.


    ¡°You can drop the ¡®Miss¡¯, Alice,¡± Nadia said tersely, ¡°I¡¯m here to check on the goods¡±


    ¡°Of course, Nadia¡±


    Alice got up out of her chair and began to walk to a door at the back of the store. She opened it and gestured inside.


    ¡°Right this way¡±


    Nadia walked past Alice and into a dimly lit room. Alice followed her in and closed the door. But before she could turn around, she was pressed up against the wall face-first.


    ¡°Allow me to ask you a question, Alice,¡± Nadia said in a calm tone, ¡°Why am I pushing you up against the wall right now?¡±


    ¡°I- I have no idea¡± said Alice, struggling to move despite her significant size advantage.


    ¡°Well then let me give you a hint: your operation was passed onto my jurisdiction only a couple months ago¡±


    Nadia pressed down harder, and Alice began to struggle to breath.


    ¡°Need another hint?¡± said Nadia in the same calm tone, despite exerting enough force to nearly crush Alice to death, ¡°Then how about this: when I was made a Cruxius two years ago, it wasn¡¯t because of my bureaucratic skills. So I ask again, why am I doing this?¡±


    ¡°I... don¡¯t... know...¡± said Alice, who was gasping for air.


    ¡°My my, you really are a dense one, aren¡¯t you?¡± Nadia said somewhat playfully, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to tell you the whole story then¡±


    Nadia began to force Alice¡¯s head against the wall.


    ¡°When I was made a member of the Cruxius family¡¯s upper echelon, the objective I was given was simple: iron out all the kinks in our system. Anything that would potentially be a bother to Natalia, it was my job to get rid of it¡±


    ¡°What... does tha-¡° started Alice, but she was interrupted by Nadia pushing her hand harder into her back.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was finished,¡± said Nadia, slightly irritated, ¡°As I was saying, your operation being put under my jurisdiction was no different. It was only so that I could observe and iron out any kinks¡±


    Sweat began to roll down Alice¡¯s face.


    ¡°And what did I find when I observed your operation?¡± Nadia moved her face close to Alice¡¯s, ¡°I see that you¡¯re lying about how much your dealers kick up to you¡±


    Nadia moved her arm from Alice¡¯s back to grab her by the chin, keeping Alice¡¯s head pinned to the wall. Alice gasped for air, finally able to breath regularly.


    ¡°You see how that is a problem for me, right?¡± said Nadia as she moved in closer, ¡°And anything that¡¯s a problem for me, is a problem for Natalia. And anything that¡¯s a problem for Natalia,¡±


    Nadia pressed her forehead against Alice¡¯s and stared into her eyes.


    ¡°I get rid of¡±


    Alice¡¯s sweat began to roll down faster and her lip began to quiver. She looked into Nadia¡¯s eyes and saw pure blood thirst within.


    ¡°Luckily for you, I also recognized that your dealers trust you,¡± Nadia began to relax her grip on Alice, though she kept her pinned.


    ¡°And trust is as powerful as fear when controlling your lessers. Therefore, if we control you, we control all your dealers,¡± said Nadia as she tossed Alice onto the ground, ¡°So I¡¯ll give you a chance to apologize¡±


    Nadia walked to a nearby table and leaned on it, half standing and half sitting. She then reached into her jacket and pulled out a white rag. She threw the rag to Alice, who looked at it confused. Nadia then gestured one of her legs out. She shook her black boot in a circle.


    ¡°My boots have gotten dirty on the way, so clean them¡±


    Alice looked at the boot, confused, for a second, before looking back at the rag. She finally understood.


    ¡°O-Of course, Nadia¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s LADY Nadia, to you¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Nadia¡±


    Alice grabbed the rag and crawled over to Nadia on her hands and knees. She proceeded to lick the top of the boot with her tongue. She then wiped it down with the rag. Nadia turned her toes upwards.


    ¡°The bottom too¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Nadia¡±


    Alice nodded and began to lick the bottom of Nadia¡¯s boots, which were covered with dirt.


    ¡°Make sure you swallow every bit of the dirt¡±


    Alice winced as she tried to down the earth that came off the boot. She continued to lick the dirt off and swallow it, making sure not to drop a single spec like her life depended on it.


    ¡°Ohh, you¡¯re so cute when you prostrate yourself like a good little girl,¡± moaned Nadia, who was starting to get hot and bothered, ¡°Keep this up and I might just have to make you my bride,¡±


    Alice finally finished swallowing all the dirt on the bottom of the boot. She finished the job by wiping it down with the rag. Nadia pulled her foot back and put the other one forward.


    ¡°Now do this one¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Nadia¡±


    Alice began to lick the boot and wipe it down, just as she had with the last one. Nadia watched with a wicked smile as Alice struggled to swallow the dirt from the boot. When Alice finally finished cleaning the boots, Nadia put her foot under Alice¡¯s chin and raised Alice¡¯s head.


    ¡°Has that experience taught you your place, Alice?¡± said Nadia, smiling.


    ¡°Yes, Lady Nadia,¡± responded Alice.


    ¡°Can I trust that you¡¯ll kick up the proper amount next time your pay is due?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Nadia¡±


    Nadia kicked Alice, knocking her head to the side.


    ¡°Wrong, I can¡¯t,¡± said Nadia, ¡°You¡¯re not worthy of my trust. But I¡¯ll allow you to earn it if you pay up¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Nadia¡±


    Nadia got back onto her feet and walked away. She opened the door and, before walking out, looked back at Alice, who was still on her hands and knees.


    ¡°If you ever want to lick my boots again, I¡¯d be happy to oblige,¡± Nadia smiled widely, revealing her fangs, ¡°Seeing you submit is sooo much fun¡±


    Nadia walked out of the room and closed the door. Alice got up off of the ground and wiped the blood from her mouth. She sat still in the backroom for a while before finally muttering under her breath.


    ¡°Damn vampires¡±

 Beneath the Underworld

    Netempus was made as a social experiment to observe the psychological differences in people that lived with the same technology their entire lives and people who lived with the constantly changing technology of the modern age. The head of the experiment chose the nineteen eighties for the simple reason of nostalgia. However, the city was not built in an idealized way. The city made sure to encapsulate the good, the bad, and the ugly of the decade.


    In one of the ¡°bad¡± parts of the city, Nadia stepped out of Alice¡¯s liquor store. Although it was very early in the morning in the beginning of January, it was still quite warm. Even so, Nadia didn¡¯t take off her jacket. She walked down the street the store was on. The road was populated with the cars of people trying to get ahead the morning rush hour. After walking about a dozen blocks, she turned into an alleyway. The alley she had turned into was a maze between brick buildings. She traversed her way through this maze before coming to a sudden halt.


    She stood before a door with two red x¡¯s spray-painted on it. Nadia knocked on the door multiple times at seemingly random intervals. In truth, she was being extremely careful in how much time was between each knock. After she finished her knocking, the sound of locks being undone could be heard. After the locks were undone, the door swung open.


    The one opening the door was a young girl who looked no more than 12 years old. She had red hair tied up into pigtails and aqua eyes. Her skin was pale, but not nearly the snow white tone of Nadia¡¯s. She wore a frilly, pink lolita dress, a pair of pink high shoes, and a pair of thigh-high white socks. A look of recognition came across her face as she let Nadia in and closed the door.


    ¡°Welcome back, Lady Nadia¡±


    The girl bowed before Nadia. After doing so, her expression changed from serious to exited. She put both hands in front her chest, clenched in fists.


    ¡°Tell me, tell me, how did it go with that manager girl?¡±


    ¡°I made sure that she wouldn¡¯t keep too much to herself anymore,¡± said Nadia, smiling.


    ¡°So how did you punish her?¡±


    ¡°My boots were dirty, so I had her clean them with her mouth,¡±


    ¡°Eeeh? You mean you didn¡¯t cut her?¡± said the girl, disappointedly, ¡°you¡¯re no fun sometimes, Nadia¡±


    ¡°Well, I did make her bleed from the mouth a bit after kicking her, if that¡¯s any condolence to you,¡±


    ¡°Only a little bit,¡± the girl pouted, ¡°I bet she would¡¯ve been way cuter if she had a cut or two on her face,¡±


    This girl that Nadia was speaking with was a twelve year old girl named Beatrix. While you might not be able to tell due to her chipper demeanor and cute appearance, she was a sociopath and a sadist. She had been assigned to door duty for the Cruxius family home a year ago. Since then, conversations like the one they were having became commonplace. Normally someone assigned to door duty would be severely punished for conversing with a Cruxius like this, but Beatrix was an exception.


    Beatrix was considered a prodigy. She was intelligent, deceptive, and knew how to mask her sociopathy. These were all crucial skills for a member of the Cruxius family. As such, she had already been chosen as a member of the Cruxius family, though she had to wait until she was 18. Her wedding date had already been chosen, as had her groom.


    ¡°Hey,¡± started Beatrix, putting back on her excited face, ¡°You know it¡¯s only two-thousand and three days until our wedding,¡±


    ¡°YOUR wedding,¡± corrected Nadia, ¡°it¡¯s not that big a deal for the groom,¡±


    ¡°You could at least act excited,¡± Beatrix began to pout again, ¡°besides, at this rate I¡¯ll be your first bride,¡±


    ¡°I doubt it, a lot can happen in six years,¡±


    Nadia had been assigned as Beatrix¡¯s groom because she was also a sadist. Additionally, Nadia and Beatrix were already pretty close since before Nadia became a Cruxius. When she was still fully human, awaiting her 18th birthday, Nadia would tell Beatrix stories of her killing people and torturing them, which they both enjoyed. Beatrix had become attached to Nadia during that time, which eventually led to their ¡°engagement¡±.


    ¡°Anyways,¡± said Beatrix, putting her serious face back on, ¡°Lady Natalia has called a family meeting. It will begin in an hour, and is being held in the chapel, per usual,¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling me, Beatrix,¡± said Nadia as she walked past the girl.


    After walking past Beatrix, Nadia traversed down a set of stairs. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she reached a hallway with two elevators. Nadia entered the left elevator, pressed a button, and began to descend. After waiting for about twenty seconds, the elevator stopped. Nadia stepped out into a large, well-lit room. The floor was made of stone tiles, with a red rug in the center of the floors. Ahead of where Nadia was standing was a large set of double doors flanked by two staircases. Both led straight up to an upper level. On each side of the upper level were hallways with many doors.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    This large room was the main hall of the Cruxius mansion. It was a large underground complex that housed most members of the Cruxius family. It had been built on millions of dollars, countless hours, and less than legal labor. Along with bedrooms, which were each extremely lavish, the mansion also housed a movie theater, a dining hall, servant¡¯s quarters, a brothel, and a chapel. However, the chapel wasn¡¯t used for prayer, but instead for marriages and family meetings.


    Nadia walked up the stairs and took a left. After doing so, she went down seven doors before entering one. As she entered the room, a voice came from inside.


    ¡°Lady Nadia, is that you?¡±


    Nadia closed the door behind her and looked to see a purple-haired woman tied to her bed wearing nothing but black lingerie and a blindfold. The woman was one of Nadia¡¯s former bridesmaids, Lisa.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think can wait much longer, Lady Nadia,¡± said Lisa as she rustled about, ¡°I need your treatment as soon as possible,¡±


    ¡°The only thing you need,¡± replied Nadia, ¡°is to be reminded of your place. I decide when to treat you,¡±


    Realizing she had an hour before the meeting, Nadia began to take off her shoes.


    ¡°Of course, Lady Nadia,¡± moaned Lisa, ¡°when you see it fit, please punish me and remind me of my place,¡±


    A smile crept across Nadia¡¯s face as she removed her jacket.


    ¡°That¡¯s much better, but you still need punishment,¡± said Nadia as she grabbed a whip off of the wall, cracking it, ¡°I hope you enjoy welts,¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for taking the time to teach a lowly wench like me her place, Lady Nadia,¡±


    Time for Nadia to kill off the next hour.


    ?            ?             ?


    ¡°Leaving already?¡± Moaned Lisa, now sitting naked and unbounded under the bed¡¯s covers.


    Nadia was putting her clothes back on as she said this.


    ¡°I got a meeting in ten minutes,¡± said Nadia, ¡°so I¡¯ll be gone for at least half an hour,¡±


    Nadia finished putting on her boots and got up. She walked to the door, opened it, and looked back at Lisa.


    ¡°I want you out of my bedroom by then¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± said Lisa, disappointed.


    Nadia left the room and headed back to the main hall. Once there, she went back down the steps and turned into the door between the stairs. Once she opened it, she came into a small hallway that led to another large set of double doors. On the sides of the hallway were more doors. Nadia headed straight on towards the set of double doors. She opened them and entered the chapel.


    The pews were populated with women dressed in a variety of clothing, most of them opting for dresses. This exclusively female population was no accident. It was something that stemmed from the origins of the Cruxius family. As with the other vampiric families, the Cruxius family was founded on an ideal. For example, the Dragomir family was founded as a religious cult. For the Cruxius family, their ideal is one that comes directly from it¡¯s founder, Natalia. That ideal is:


    Natalia liked being surrounded by beautiful women, and having those women accompany her at night.


    Nadia knew who all the people in the chapel were, but there was one particularly familiar face in the crowd. It belonged to to Sophie, who had become a Cruxius only a few months ago. Nadia¡¯s former bridesmaid smiled as she waved at her. Nadia gave a subtle wave back. Nadia went down several rows before sitting down in a pew near the front, all alone. She looked up to the altar where Natalia already stood. She had not changed in the slightest, though that was to be expected of a vampire.


    After about ten more minutes of waiting for everyone to arrive, Natalia began to speak.


    ¡°Welcome members of the Cruxius family,¡± spoke Natalia with an air of regality, ¡°I¡¯m well aware that many of you have things to do, so I¡¯ll begin the meeting now. Felicia, if you would take the stage,¡±


    A blonde woman wearing a purple dress stood up from her seat near the back of the chapel. She leisurely walked down the isle before she eventually reached the podium.


    ¡°Here is my report on the current state of the slave trade and our personal slaves:¡± started Felicia, ¡°Since the last meeting, our daily traffic has increased by an average of four men per day. The average psychological state of our personal slaves has become more docile. There have been less extreme psychological cases among slaves, and therefore less slaves made into food¡±


    ¡°You say extreme psychological cases have gone down, but I happen to recall a certain slave spilling the blood of one of our family members since the last meeting,¡± said one of the women in the crowd.


    ¡°While that uproar was certainly more extreme than any we¡¯ve had in the past, the actual number of outbreaks have decreased,¡± responded Felicia.


    Exchanges like this were common at these meetings. That was because the purpose of the exchanges were to share information amongst the family. Normally, only those who were head of a certain trade or a crucial part of the organization went up to the podium, while the rest of the family members asked questions and listened. This would go on until all of the members slated to speak did so.


    Felicia continued her report for a while before she finished and headed back to her seat. Natalia then called another family member to the podium. They came up and gave a report on drug dens before sitting back down. The meeting continued on like this. All the while, Nadia listened intensively to each and every report. For most members of the family, there were only a few reports that they needed to pay attention to. For Nadia, however, her duties required her to pay attention to all aspects of the organization.


    ¡°Nadia, please step up to the podium,¡± said Natalia an hour after the meeting began.


    Nadia got up from her seat and walked up towards the altar. When she reached it, she turned towards the crowd and immediately began her report.


    ¡°The overall state of security is as follows,¡± started Nadia, ¡°The increased amount of slave traffic has resulted in an understaffing in defense during trafficking. The drug plantations on the city outskirts have the same defenses, as the size of the plantations have not increased...¡±


    Nadia continued on about staffing for defense, resources for weaponry, the current supply of weaponry, potential cracks in patrols, etc, etc. She listed these things for almost every branch of the organization. Drug trafficking, brothels, extortion, human abduction, and many more branches of the Cruxius organization were brought up during her report. After the longest report of the day, Nadia had one final thing to say.


    ¡°Also, Sophie apparently has a crucial report to make regarding the defense of the Cruxius mansion,¡± said Nadia, looking at Natalia, ¡°so I would like her to give the report amongst everyone here¡±


    Natalia nodded her head, giving the ok to Nadia¡¯s request.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Nadia as she stepped down from the altar.


    Sophie got up from her seat and smiled widely as she walked up to the altar. Just like Nadia, Sophie wasted no time to begin speaking.


    ¡°So the other day I was looking at the blueprints for the mansion,¡± Sophie spoke in a childlike manner, ¡°and I found a really big problem in it,¡±


    A few faces in the crowd turned sour. New members of the family normally needed some time before truly integrating themselves, but Sophie was especially despised. Many Cruxius members took things especially serious, so they found it hard to swallow Sophie¡¯s chipper attitude.


    ¡°You see,¡± continued Sophie, ¡°because of the system used for artificial lighting in the chapel, using a small space outside of the chapel with lights throughout that is filtered through stained glass, and the fact that the exterior room is connected to the air ducts, it¡¯s possible for someone to interrupt one of our meetings by sneaking through the ducts and breaking through the windows¡±


    A look of confusion and distain spread across the crowd. It was a collective look of ¡°is this bitch serious?¡±


    ¡°Sophie,¡± spoke up Nadia, ¡°That problem has been brought not only by me, but also by the head of slave labor and the head of construction projects. Why do you bring it up again? Do you have a solution to propose?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Sophie said, ¡°Not exactly. In fact, I have no clue how to fix the problem,¡±


    ¡°HUH!? A woman in the crowd suddenly shot up, ¡°So why the hell did you bring it up then!?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± satrted Sophie, as she put her finger to her lips, contemplating, ¡°probably because I¡¯d feel bad if I didn¡¯t tell you it was being exploited right now,¡±


    Another look of confusion shot across the crowd. They began to look about. As they did, Nadia¡¯s ears perked up. She heard something. Footsteps. Many footsteps outside of the chapel. Nadia was just as confused as the rest of the crowd, until it finally clicked. Nadia turned to look at Sophie, eyes wide. Sophie¡¯s lips curved into a wicked smile, showing her fangs.


    Just then, two more sounds pierced Nadia¡¯s ears.


    Gunfire and glass shattering.

 Silver Rain

    In a small space of time, about a hundredth of a second, the superhuman hearing of the vampires in the chapel picked up on the distinct sound of a trigger being pulled. In that space of time, every one in the chapel immediately moved to get out of the line of fire. But of course, a hundredth of a second was not enough time, even for the superhuman vampires.


    Glass shattered across the floor of the chapel and bullets rained down upon it¡¯s inhabitants. Most of the bullets missed their marks, and many of the meeting¡¯s attendants had enough time to get out the line of fire. For the few who hadn¡¯t, their cells died from contact with the silver bullets. Though a single silver bullet couldn¡¯t kill them, even if it passed through the brain, the barrage of bullets were more than enough to immobilize them.


    As soon as the shots started ringing out, Sophie dashed away laughing. She leapt up through one of the windows and made her way out of the chapel. Nadia wanted to go after her, but she had more pressing matters at the moment. As soon as she found cover, she pulled a handgun out from her jacket. Using her superhuman hearing, which was extraordinary even by vampiric standards, she was able to ascertain the position of one of the gunmen. She put her hand over the pew she was hiding behind and shot dead between the eyes of the gunman.


    She waited for three seconds before hearing gunfire come from the same place she shot at. This confirmed to her the nature of the gunmen. They were vampires. Nadia put her gun back in it¡¯s holster and grabbed another one. She ejected the clip and checked the ammunition. After confirming it was loaded with eight silver bullets, she grabbed a machete made of silver from her jacket with her right hand. Without a second of hesitation, Nadia leapt over the pew and charged towards one of the gunmen.


    As she did, the other Cruxius members also confirmed that the enemy were vampires, and began to suppress enemy fire with silver bullets of their own. The gunman Nadia was charging at saw her. He turned his aim towards her, but before he had a chance to fire, one of Nadia¡¯s bullets pierced both his hands. He dropped his gun. Nadia then leapt up towards the gunman and promptly sliced his head off right under the chin. She landed on the metal platform he was standing on.


    Nadia immediately turned to her right and fired two bullets through the heads of a couple gunmen. Before they had a chance to regenerate, she sliced each of their heads off. Just then, a gunman from the other side of the chapel shot at her. A silver bullet ran through Nadia¡¯s abdomen. Pain shot up through her body. She quickly took cover behind a wall before another bullet could pierce her.


    As soon as her wound had healed, Nadia returned fire. Once again, a single bullet pierced through both of her target¡¯s hands. Right as the gunman dropped their gun, Nadia fired another bullet through their skull. Nadia then jumped back down to the chapel floor. At this point, the amount of enemy gunfire had massively decreased. However, there were still three more assailants standing, one of them wielding an automatic weapon. They caught sight of Nadia as she dashed to finish off the other gunman. Five silver rounds pierced through Nadia before the gunman was immobilized by a bullet right between the eyes.


    Nadia managed to stay standing and continued to charge the downed gunman. She leapt up through the window and prepared to slice off his head. But right before she could, he shot up and sent a bullet right through Nadia¡¯s brain.


    Everything went blank. Nadia¡¯s thoughts stopped completely. After a couple of seconds, they began again. As her sight returned, she saw that the gunman had taken her machete and was about to slice off her head. With a sweep of her foot, she managed to get him off balance and avoid the blade. Using the blade as leverage, Nadia hopped up and punched the gunman, dazing him. She then reached into her jacket and pulled out another silver weapon. With two slashes to the gunman¡¯s throat, his head was separated from his neck.


    Just then, the gunman with the automatic weapon began to spray upon the chapel once again. Two more Cruxius members were immobilized. At the same time, another gunman confronted Nadia directly. They aimed their rifle at her, but the silver blade Nadia was wielding pierced through their skull. Since it was lodged in their head, they were incapacitated indefinitely.


    As the gunman with the automatic weapon reloaded, Nadia made her move and charged her. The gunman finished reloading just as Nadia leapt up through the window. As the gunman took aim at the airborne Nadia, a silver bullet was sent through their skull by Nadia¡¯s handgun. Shortly after, she finished the job.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Nadia looked about to see if any gunman were still standing. After confirming the absence of any more gunmen, Nadia headed to the window that Sophie exited from. After checking the area just behind the window, Nadia found the air duct that Sophie had used to escape. Nadia called over three of the uninjured to help chase Sophie down. The four of them traversed through the air duct, which was just large enough to walk through with a slight crouch.


    The three that accompanied Nadia knew the Cruxius Mansion¡¯s blueprints by heart, the air ducts included. Nadia had also memorized them. They eventually split up to search for where Sophie had gone to. They all navigated through the labyrinth of air ducts with astounding speed. They had to traverse directly upwards at times and drop tremendous heights at others. Even so, they managed to cover all the ground they needed to.


    Eventually, Nadia came across a hole that was cut through the vent. Through the hole was a tunnel. Nadia went through the tunnel until it eventually reached the surface. Before she exited the tunnel, Nadia readied a handgun loaded with silver bullets and her machete. She looked through the exit, only to find and empty, abandoned warehouse. After searching around it, Nadia was unable to find anything.


    ?? ?


    The four that had searched for Sophie all returned to the chapel without a single lead as to where she went. Nadia was visibly frustrated when she returned. When they had returned, the chapel had already been cleared of the injured and only one person stood waiting in there.


    The woman was a vampire with silver hair braided behind her head. She was wearing a black pant suit and tie. Her chest was flat as a board and she wore no makeup whatsoever. She was somewhat taller than Nadia. This woman was Nadia¡¯s head assistant, Gabrielle.


    ¡°Lady Nadia,¡± she said in a business-like tone, ¡°Inspection of the assailants¡¯ corpses has revealed that they are in most likelihood members of another vampiric crime family, though there was nothing to indicate which family they belonged to,¡±


    ¡°You mean that they aren¡¯t government agents?¡± Asked Nadia.


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Gabrielle, ¡°As you probably noticed while fighting, their attire was varied, their equipment was much to be desired, and quite frankly, their abilities were poor,¡±


    Nadia touched her chin as she contemplated the implications of this. Even though she only became aware of Sophie¡¯s betrayal about an hour ago, during that time she had assumed Sophie sold them out to the government so that she could get out of the family. But if Sophie had left for another crime family, that meant she sold them out for a much less noble reason.


    Was she get promised a high position?Was she given some other offer she couldn¡¯t refuse? Or was there a much deeper reason she betrayed the Cruxius family? Nadia did not have the answers to those questions, and she feared the implications those answers may have.


    ¡°Well if she left for a rival gang,¡± said Nadia, coming back to reality, ¡°Then all we have to do is have our informants in rival territory keep a look out for her¡±


    Nadia looked back up towards Gabrielle.


    ¡°Go report your findings to Tatiana,¡± said Nadia, referring to the woman that oversaw informants, ¡°after that tell Natalia I need to meet with her,¡±


    ¡°At once, Lady Nadia,¡± replied Gabrielle, promptly heading out of the chapel.


    ¡°This is such a damn pain,¡± muttered Nadia.


    ?? ?


    ¡°You wanted to speak with me, Nadia?¡±


    Nadia was still sitting in the chapel when Natalia came to see her. Nadia nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get straight to the point,¡± she said, ¡°We need to prepare for a war with a rival family,¡±


    ¡°Which family?¡± Asked Natalia.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure at this point,¡± replied Nadia, ¡°all I know right now is that Sophie sold us out to another family, and they¡¯re going to take it as an opportunity to eliminate the competition,¡±


    ¡°In that case, how do you propose we take care of it?¡±


    ¡°You already know I want to take a proactive stance,¡± Nadia replied, ¡°I want to take the fight to them before they can take us out,¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s your approach to doing so going to be?¡±


    ¡°It depends on which gang we have to take down,¡± said Nadia, ¡°but the gist of it is to gather a small team to assassinate their top members and to takeover most of their operations,¡±


    ¡°What are you gonna do about Sophie?¡±


    ¡°For all we know she might go to another family and leak our secrets again, so she must be dealt with,¡±


    ¡°So how will you deal with it?¡±


    ¡°Simple,¡± replied Nadia, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to kill her myself,¡±


    A fanged smile crossed Nadia¡¯s face. Natalia could tell from that smile that Nadia didn¡¯t say that because she felt guilty. She didn¡¯t feel betrayed by Sophie. She didn¡¯t feel confused by her betrayal. In fact, she didn¡¯t seem to care. She just simply wanted to kill Sophie.


    ¡®What a scary girl,¡¯ thought Natalia.


    ¡°Well, in that case, I¡¯ll go ahead and make arrangements for that assassination team,¡± said Natalia, ¡°though it may not be adequate to your needs. Our two best assassins were both put out of commission during the shooting,¡±


    Nadia sighed.


    ¡°Figures,¡± she said, ¡°But that¡¯s not too big a deal. As long as they¡¯re vampires, I can turn them into more than adequate killers by the time they need to kill the family heads,¡±


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯m off,¡± said Natalia, ¡°By the way, we¡¯re executing a code crimson. Your assassination squad will meet up on the old Townsend Cable building rooftop,¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the heads up,¡± replied Nadia.


    Natalia turned around and walked out the chapel door. Nadia sat and contemplated silently for a while. She continued to theorize about what could¡¯ve brought Sophie to betray the Cruxius family. After struggling to think of any clues as to what family she sold them out to, Nadia finally gave up with a sigh.


    ¡°I hope Lisa disobeyed me and stayed in my room. I need a break from all this,¡±

 Code Crimson

    Whenever someone became an official member of the Cruxius family, they were required to get a home away from the Cruxius mansion. They were told to find one on their own and to not tell anyone, except a few trusted underlings, where it is. They were also required to keep their names out of any financial records related to their hideout. In doing so, they ensure that not even the highest ranking members of the family could possibly know everything about the whereabouts of the Cruxius family members.


    This was not done without reason. Natalia was always aware that someone may infiltrate her organization with the intent of discovering the location of it¡¯s hideout and telling that information to another gang. She was also aware that people¡¯s loyalties, especially in the criminal underworld, could be very fickle. So, she ensured that no one person could obtain the information needed to bring down the entire organization in one fell swoop.


    Code crimson is a security code ordering all family members, Natalia included, to evacuate the Cruxius mansion and head to their hideout. To keep in touch, a few trusted servants of the family members call them through their home phones. These phones are rigged with modern technology, smuggled into the city, to keep anyone from tracking the calls. This system is a lot less efficient than the organization¡¯s standard communication system. However, it ensures the family¡¯s safety.


    ?            ?             ?


    Nadia was back in her room at the Cruxius mansion, laying next to Lisa. Both women were naked and only had a blanket to cover themselves up. Nadia sat up, with only her lower half covered by the blanket, and had her arms crossed. Lisa nestled against Nadia, fully covered by the blanket. Lisa rubbed her hand up and down Nadia¡¯s thigh as the other one wrapped around her. Nadia paid no mind to the woman caressing her.


    ¡°Nadia,¡± moaned Lisa, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ahead and make me a vampire? That way we can enjoy ourselves like this for eternity,¡±


    Nadia did not give off any reaction.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Family rules,¡± replied Nadia, ¡°Besides, while you might be addicted to my company, I can get off just the same with a number of other women,¡±


    The reason Nadia couldn¡¯t turn Lisa into a vampire was because she wasn¡¯t fit to be a family member in the eyes of Natalia, the family head. To turn someone into a vampire, you needed approval from Natalia. If you did so without Natalia¡¯s permission, then you would be severely punished. The newly made vampire would also be killed. And Nadia wanted neither of those things to happen.


    ¡°Nadia, you bully me too much,¡± pouted Lisa.


    She nestled up closer to Nadia.


    ¡°But that¡¯s what I love about you,¡±


    ¡°Your masochism can really be a pain sometimes,¡± replied Nadia.


    Nadia¡¯s relationship with Lisa was complicated. For Nadia, it was simply a sexual arrangement. Nadia was a sadist and Lisa was a masochist. So to Nadia, it was as simple as fulfilling each other¡¯s desires. But Lisa wanted it to be more than that. Ever since before Nadia had become a Cruxius, Lisa had adored and looked up to Nadia. Despite that, she couldn¡¯t say she knew that much about Nadia, except her behavior in bed. She was also aware that Nadia only wanted pleasure, but in an way, Lisa was only more attracted to Nadia because of that.


    A knock came from Nadia¡¯s door.


    ¡°Lady Nadia,¡± spoke a female voice, ¡°I have news to bring¡±.


    ¡°Enter,¡± replied Nadia.


    The door swung open and the woman the voice belonged to entered the room. She was a petite woman with sky blue hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were the same sky blue color. She wore a black and white maid outfit with thigh-high white socks. She bowed to Nadia before speaking.


    ¡°The sun has gone down Lady Nadia,¡± she said in high-pitched yet monotone voice, ¡°You may now leave at your discretion,¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Nadia, ¡°You May now leave,¡±


    ¡°At once, Lady Nadia,¡±


    The woman left the room closing the door behind her.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that the code crimson let me have the whole day with you,¡± pouted Lisa, ¡°But I hate to see you go away. The day isn¡¯t long enough,¡±


    Nadia pushed Lisa off of her and got up to get dressed. Lisa got one last feel of Nadia¡¯s rear before she left the bed.


    Nadia had stayed at the Cruxius mansion the entire day, even after the code crimson was issued, so that she could leave after sundown. While most of the family members were able to get to their hideouts in the daylight, if Nadia were to attempt it, it would be a death sentence.


    Nadia was already notoriously dangerous, making her a target for rival crime families. This meant stepping out into the sunlight, where she could be more easily killed, was extremely dangerous. But now that the Cruxius family was being actively targeted, stepping out in public during daytime was a death sentence. So, she waited for it to be nighttime, where she could potentially survive a sudden attack from a rival organization, before heading to her hideout.


    ¡°Rikka, I¡¯m heading out,¡± said Nadia, having finished dressing.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t stay here unless you want to be killed in a second attack,¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    With those words, Nadia left the room.


    ?            ?             ?


    As Nadia approached the front entrance of the Cruxius mansion, she saw that Beatrix was still on door guard duty. Beatrix was wearing the same outfit as before. Nadia, on the other hand, was now wearing a black hoodie. She wore the hood up so that she could hide her signature black/blonde haircut. She was also carrying a black backpack.


    ¡°Heading out, Nadia?¡± The girl inquired.


    ¡°Yeah¡±


    ¡°Stay safe then,¡± Beatrix smiled, ¡°can¡¯t have my groom die before the wedding, now can we?¡±


    ¡°You stay safe too, Beatrix¡±


    Beatrix opened the door for Nadia. She then put on her serious face and bowed.


    ¡°Take care, Lady Nadia¡±


    ¡°Likewise¡±


    After their small exchange, Nadia exited the door. As she stepped back into the alleyway, Beatrix shit the door behind Nadia. After stopping briefly to take a deep breath of the ¡°fresh¡± air, Nadia began to traverse through the maze of alleyways once again. As she walked, she took notice of all the boarded up windows and alley cats looking for food in the garbage left lying around.


    The reason these alleyways were in this state was because they were the remnants of the largest (and most expensive) refugee camp in the world. During the war of the early twenty-first century, while most of Netempus was still under construction, there was a lot of Africa that had become a war zone. Refugees fled south towards the country of South Africa. The government at the time was willing to accept the refugees, and built a massive refugee camp consisting of brick buildings. They called this place the ¡°World Projects¡±, given their resemblance to the projects built in certain areas of the urban United States and the fact it was the biggest complex of free housing in the world.


    However, it did not stay populated forever. Due to a mix of factors, including the end of the war, a boom in South Africa¡¯s industry and need for workers, and a huge improvement in construction technology, the world projects became abandoned. Or at least, it was officially abandoned. In truth, the huge complex of buildings with only small alleys in between them attracted the attention of the homeless.


    There are potentially thousands that live in the abandoned buildings without paying a dime in rent. The alleys also caught the attention of Natalia, who decided to make the entrance to her underground headquarters here. Additionally, the residents of the abandoned world projects were often easily forgotten by society. As such, it became a perfect source of food for the vampiric members of the Cruxius family.


    After traversing almost a mile of alleyways, Nadia finally reached one of the streets of Netempus. It was one of the larger ones, with cars densely populating it. Nadia stood on the sidewalk and waited. After about fifteen minutes, she had found what she was looking for. A yellow car with a logo that read ¡°taxi¡± atop it. Nadia waved towards the driver, who pulled over to pick her up. Nadia entered the back seat of the cab. As she did, she noticed the driver eyeing her rear.


    ¡°Where to miss?¡± The cab driver asked after Nadia had entered the taxi.


    The driver was a man who appeared in his forties. His hair was brown with strands of grey sprinkled throughout. One could see the top of his head through his combed over hair. He spoke with a gravely voice.


    Nadia told the man an address and the man began to drive, though slowly at first due to traffic. After a while, however, the taxi turned off of the main street and began to drive down less populated roads. As the next half-hour in the taxi passed, not once did Nadia look outside the window to observe the passing scenery. She already knew every little detail about the buildings she passed. That was because she had taken this same route hundreds of times. Instead, she carefully observed the man¡¯s gaze in the rear-view mirror. As she observed it, she had determined that it was a lustful gaze, and not one of a more hostile origin.


    ¡°I see you glaring, mister,¡± spoke Nadia, staring at the man through the rear-view.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind though. If I¡¯m being totally honest,¡± said Nadia as she raised her hoodie and shirt to reveal her underwear, ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling pretty lonely as of late,¡±


    A grin spread across the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say, Miss?¡±


    The drive continued on in silence until the cab came to a stop right next to the entrance of an underground parking garage. The driver looked back at Nadia.


    ¡°You sure this is the place, Miss?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nadia nodded.


    The cab drove into the parking garage. There were no vehicles there except for a single broken down black van. The cab driver parked the car and turned the engine off.


    ¡°Mind if I join you back there?¡± Asked the driver, grinning.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± replied Nadia.


    The driver exited the cab and re-entered through the back door. Nadia turned around to have her legs facing the driver, beckoning him with a finger wag. The driver closed the door behind him and mounted atop Nadia. He reached his hand in to grope her breasts, but before he could realize what had happened, his head was slammed against the seat of the car. The driver lost consciousness and fell limp like a puppet whose strings had been cut.


    Nadia carried the cab driver out of the taxi. She was able to hold the man¡¯s weight without a problem. After closing the taxi¡¯s door, she carried the man over to the broken down van. As she carried the man on one shoulder, Nadia opened the sliding door of the van.


    Inside the van was a small, office-like setup. There was a filing cabinet, a desk, and a chair. Additionally, there was a dentist¡¯s chair rigged with straps used to bind someone to it. Next to it was an IV machine used for blood transfusions. The floor of the van was covered with a black rug. The walls were lined with a wide variety of firearms and ammunition. The van was lit by a single lightbulb, which Nadia had turned on with a switch to the left of the entrance.


    ¡°I¡¯m home,¡± said Nadia to no one in particular.


    Nadia entered the van and closed the door behind her. After doing so she propped the man up onto the dentist chair. She strapped him in, and then stuck and IV needle into him. Blood began to flow through the IV tube and into the bags. Nadia observed the blood to try and determine it¡¯s quality. As she expected, the man wasn¡¯t exactly healthy, but his blood would suffice to keep her from starving.


    After beginning her dinner preparations, Nadia turned around to sit at her desk. Atop it were a deck of cards, a mug with pens and pencils within, and a landline phone. The landline, however, was connected to a machine with an antenna upon it. This machine was a modern piece of technology which turned landline phones into wireless ones. Additionally, it had security measures to ensure you could not be tracked while using the phone. This piece of technology was banned within Netempus. However, the Cruxius family was able to smuggle it into the city.


    Nadia picked up the phone and dialed a number into it. After listening to a ringing tone for about three seconds, the person on the other side picked up.


    ¡°What do you need?¡± replied a female voice.


    ¡°I just picked up some groceries,¡± replied Nadia, ¡°Send someone over to help bring them in,¡±


    This was code for that Nadia had kidnapped someone near her hideout and needed someone to get rid of their car.


    ¡°Right away,¡± replied the woman.


    The reason that neither person used names and that they spoke in code was that someone might have been listening, namely the South African police force. While they wouldn¡¯t be traced, they could still accidentally leak information about the Cruxius family if they weren¡¯t careful. Therefore, Nadia made sure to never use names when talking to her servants over the phone and always used code-phrases.


    After finishing her call, Nadia picked up the deck of cards.


    ¡°Now to pass the time until Natalia gets my team together,¡± she said to nobody in particular, once again.


    And with that, Nadia began playing game after game of solitaire to pass the time.


    ?            ?             ?


    In a dark, dimly lit room sat a man. He was sitting in a dark-brown leather lounge chair. Beneath his feet was an animal pelt rug covering a floor made of a dark wood. The light in the room came from a nearby fireplace. It¡¯s fires lit up the words upon the book the man was holding. Upon the walls of the room were paintings of a religious nature and a wooden cross.


    The man himself was pale-skinned, though the structure of his skull suggested his skin tone should be much darker. His eyes were sunken and his head was barren of hair. His eyes were the color of chocolate. The lower half of his face was covered by a thick, black beard. The man wore a black suit and tie. Upon the chest of his suit was a golden pin in the shape of the Christian cross.


    As he sat in the room, reading a book, he heard the door to his left begin to open. He looked over to see a woman with golden blonde hair enter the room. He recognized her.


    ¡°How did it go, Sophie?¡± The man inquired the man in a voice as smooth as spider¡¯s silk.


    ¡°Not as well as I hoped,¡± replied Sophie, ¡°We weren¡¯t able to kill any of them to my knowledge, but we succeeded in getting them to enact a code crimson¡±


    ¡°No offense, but I didn¡¯t expect much out of that group. That result is more than acceptable¡±


    The man stood up and faced Sophie.


    ¡°Besides, whatever happened was God¡¯s will,¡± the man proclaimed, ¡°I am more than certain that we will discover this result to have been truly in our best interests,¡±


    ¡°Of course it will¡±


    ¡°Even so, we must discuss this in detail to ensure we enact God¡¯s will to the fullest,¡±


    The man sat back down in his chair and pointed to a seat in front of him.


    ¡°Take a seat, dear¡±


    ¡°All right, Absalom,¡± answered Sophie as she sat in the chair.


    ¡°Now, now. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could refrain from calling me by my name,¡± said Absalom.


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer that my daughter call me father¡±

 Unexpected Visitors

    Absalom Dragomir, head of the Dragomir crime family. A name well known throughout the criminal underworld, though most cannot associate a face with it. Depending on who you asked, the name¡¯s owner was either a tyrant or a visionary. His organization was one of the youngest in Netempus, yet it had grown with astounding speed. In a short time, Absalom became one of the most feared family heads in the city. Many attributed this to Absalom¡¯s charismatic yet brutal nature.


    Sitting across from this man was Sophie Dragomir, formerly Sophie Cruxius. Between the two stood an ornate coffee table. A marble statuette depicting a man kissing another on the cheek acted as the table¡¯s centerpiece. Next to it sat two glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniel¡¯s. One glass was half-full while the other sat empty. Absalom took a sip of whiskey before sitting his glass back down.


    ¡°Do tell,¡± said Absalom, breaking the silence, ¡°Why exactly is taking the Cruxius family down so difficult?¡±


    ¡°Because of their emergency system,¡± responded Sophie, proceeding to explain the ¡°code crimson¡± system. Absalom stroked his beard as he listened.


    ¡°I see. In that case, what do you plan to do?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°I was able to locate the hideouts of a few Cruxius members in my time there,¡± responded Sophie. She listed off the names of the Cruxius members she knew the location of.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± exclaimed Absalom, ¡°I can feel the situation leaning ever so closer in our favor¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it¡±


    A cat¡¯s grin spread across Sophie¡¯s face. Seeing it reminded Absalom of something that didn¡¯t sit right with him.


    ¡°Sophie, dear,¡± began Absalom, ¡°When you left us all those years ago, you did so of your own conviction,¡±


    Absalom picked up his glass and began to swirl it. The sound of ice tapping against the glass pierced through the room¡¯s silence.


    ¡°When you found a new home, they welcomed you open arms. They gave you money, power, even new blood¡±


    He stopped swirling the glass and stared into Sophie¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Yet you threw that family away for your old one¡±


    She continued to smile.


    ¡°What of it?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t come back for me, for this building, or because you felt nostalgic¡± said Absalom.


    ¡°You came back because we had something you wanted¡±


    His accusatory stare came to a deadlock against Sophie¡¯s nonchalant expression.


    ¡°Is it really so hard to believe that I just wanted to see my dear father again?¡± asked Sophie. Absalom¡¯s expression remained unwavering.


    ¡°Though if I had to say what a perk of coming back was,¡± she said, ¡°It would probably be that you have much greater ambition than the Cruxius family ever had¡±


    ¡°I see. Then you truly are my daughter¡±. Absalom pointed towards the coffee table¡¯s centerpiece.


    ¡°Do you know why I chose this a the centerpiece for this table?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I do,¡±


    ¡°I chose it because it reminds me that betrayal can come from anyone, in the form of the simplest of actions,¡±


    Absalom took a sip of whiskey.


    ¡°If you wish to associate yourself with me, at least understand that much¡±


    ¡°Noted¡±


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Shortly afterwards, Absalom dismissed her. As he sat alone, he pondered the conversation. He knew there were deeper ambitions influencing Sophie. The fact that she chose her words carefully was plain to see. But in a way, it comforted Absalom, for he had done the same his entire life.


    ¡°She truly is my daughter¡±


    ?            ?             ?


    A few days had passed since Nadia took residence in the van. The taxi had already been removed from the parking garage. Atop the desk inside the van was a game of solitaire. Nadia was next to the man she had kidnapped, making preparations for her dinner. The man was conscious, but he dared not struggle. In a few short days, his expressions had grown despondent.


    Nadia had a set of tubes connected to both of her fangs. The tubes conjoined and led to a can with a biohazard sign roughly sketched onto it. After setting this device up, Nadia began to drink the bagged blood through a straw. As she did, a clear liquid began to flow down into the can. This liquid was known as vampiric essence. It was the byproduct of the blood drinking process. It consisted of parts of blood that were filtered out mixed with some of Nadia¡¯s own DNA. If enough of it entered a human¡¯s bloodstream, they would become a vampire.


    Once Nadia had finished her meal, she removed the device from her canines. She then disconnected the device from the can. Nadia threw away the bag the blood had been in and set the can and the tubes in the bottom drawer of her filing cabinet. She then headed back to play a few more games of solitaire. After a while, Nadia¡¯s phone began to ring.


    ¡°Lady Nadia, I gave urgent news,¡± was the first thing she heard when she answered the phone. The voice belonged to Kayla, one of Nadia¡¯s servants tasked with communication. Her voice had signs of distress.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been unable to contact a number of other Cruxius members¡±. Kayla proceeded to name the members she was unable to contact.


    ¡°I was contacted by one of Felicia¡¯s communication agents,¡± she added, ¡°They had found her dead in her own hideout¡±. A frightening possibility came to Nadia¡¯s mind.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t sure, but it¡¯s possible that all the other¡ª¡°


    ¡°No,¡± interrupted Nadia, ¡°I am absolutely certain that everyone you¡¯ve named have already been attacked. In fact, I know who all is going to be targeted next¡±. Nadia was able to say this because she knew the connection all of those Cruxius members and Sophie: she contacted all of them through the same servant. It was also the servant that Nadia contacted her through.


    ¡°Kayla, I need you to tell Mia, Emily, and Ava that Sophie is aware of their hideout¡¯s location. After you¡¯re done with that I need you to the other servants that I am moving the location of my hideout. I¡¯ll call you once I find a new one. I¡¯m counting on you¡±


    ¡°Right away, Lady Nadia¡±


    As soon as Kayla hung up, Nadia picked up her bag and began packing things. Among other things, she put the phone, the wireless device, her deck of cards, her eating equipment¡ªexcept for the IV machine¡ªfirearms, and ammunition into her bag. After she finished packing, Nadia took a silenced handgun off the wall. Without a second of hesitation, she executed the man she had kidnapped. She put the gun back on the wall.


    The last thing Nadia picked up before leaving was a brown, square package with an electrical timer rigged to it, some wires, and an electric scale. She took these things and her bag and headed out the door. Before she closed the door behind her, Nadia hooked the wires up to the scale and the package¡¯s ¡°timer¡±. She then closed the door, wedging the scale where the door closed. She also left the package inside the van.


    After setting that up, Nadia began to run. She knew she couldn¡¯t stay in one place for too long. Luckily for her, it was the middle of night, so she had plenty of time to find temporary shelter. Even so, Nadia dared not stop for a moment. Time was of the essence. When she exited the parking garage, she immediately turned into the nearest alleyway. Nadia reached the other side of the alley in a few seconds. The street she came to was sparsely, so she was able to cross without hesitation. Nadia continued to go through alleyways and cross streets, nearing closer to her destination .


    ?            ?             ?


    ¡°Everyone good to go?¡± Asked a man in the front seat of a van. He was speaking to several people in the back of the van.


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re good to go, dumbass!¡± one of them retorted, ¡°Who do you take us for!?¡±. They were all wearing identical clothing and carried automatic firearms. The clothing itself consisted of black pants, black hoodies, bandanna¡¯s to cover their faces, and pitch-black shades. The two in the front seats of the van were dressed the same. The only variety amongst them was the tone of their skin.


    The van was in good condition and had a white paint job. It was currently driving down a zig-zagging path, avoiding the city¡¯s main roads. It was followed by three identical vans, each carrying more identically dressed and armed men. After driving down their complicated path for a while, the vans split up, each taking another complex path. However, while they had split up, they ended up at the same destination: a desolate underground parking garage.


    The three vans entered the parking garage simultaneously. They parked in a formation surrounding yet another van, this one black and broken down. As soon as the vans parked, their doors swung open and their inhabitants opened fire. They all aimed for the back section of the van. Every single one of the gunmen unloaded an entire thirty-round clip. Once they had done that, someone got out the front seat of one of the white vans.


    ¡°Marcus! Rubio! On me!¡± the man ordered. Two people from the same van exited and took a place beside him. The man, Chris, gestured his left hand out.


    ¡°Rubio, the silver grenade¡± he ordered. The man to his left, Rubio, grabbed a cylindrical grenade from his waist and handed it to Chris. The three of them then approached the van. Rubio and Marcus reloaded their firearms. At the same time, Chris readied to open the door. Chris looked at Rubio and Marcus to confirm that they were ready. Both of them nodded back. Chris pulled the grenade¡¯s pin and swung the sliding door open. But as he did, he heard an unnecessary, yet distinctive, beep. Before the three of them could begin to process what had happened, Nadia had successfully delivered we present.


    Chris, Rubio, and Marcus were killed instantly. The explosion sent shrapnel from Nadia¡¯s van all over the parking garage. A few unlucky souls were fatally wounded by it. A few more were critically injured by it. The shock of the blast was able to knock most of the hitmen off their feet. However, most of the hitmen were able to escape unscathed.


    ¡°She would be able to survive an explosion like that!¡± shouted one of the hitmen, ¡°Everyone, reload!¡±. Everyone obliged, and loaded their firearms with their second (and last) clip of ammunition. They all trained their aim on the area of the explosion, waiting for the smoke to clear. But once it did, they saw nothing but the van¡¯s remains.


    ¡°Damn that bitch!¡± exclaimed one of the hitmen, ¡°we need to split up and find her ASAP!¡±. Everyone hurried back into their vans. All of the vans drove off to find Nadia, except one. That one was used to transport the casualties.


    All the hitmen frantically searched for Nadia, fearing that they may never find her. They wouldn¡¯t be reacting this way if it they had lost sight of anyone else. But Sophie set Nadia as the highest priority target.


    ?            ?             ?


    Nadia had not exerted herself any extreme amount, yet she felt exhausted from her run. She had traversed half across the Cruxius family¡¯s territory trying to get away from the hitmen. She had not stopped for even the slightest moment. Normally, Nadia would simply hail a taxi for a trip this long, but she knew she couldn¡¯t afford to stand still for even the slightest moment.


    But even though she had gone on foot, Nadia managed to make it to her destination in only two hours.


    She had made it back to the world projects.

 The Reaper鈥檚 Residence

    In all religions, death is in some way incorporated as part of it. These religions usually have a diety who¡¯s sole purpose revolves around death. This is no surprise, as death is an inevitability that resides over us all. Similarly, in most cultures, the dead are respected and treated with care, often more so than the living. They make sure that a place of eternal rest is a suitable one. Such is human nature.


    However, in the maze of brick that is the world projects, this seems to have been turned on it¡¯s head. The slum¡¯s inhabitants have, just like other cultures, have grown to believe in an agent of death. However, theirs is much different than any other. In the world projects, the agent of death does not simply guide the souls of the departed to the next life, nor is it merely a cultural legend.


    Whenever the dead are left alone for a certain amount of time, their entire being, mind and body, disappear. They are taken by the world project¡¯s agent of death. The agent is both feared and revered. The slum¡¯s residents are aware that there must be a logical explanation to all this. However, they have yet to discover the truth behind why the reaper does not settle for just the soul in the world projects.


    ?            ?             ?


    Nadia traversed the World Project¡¯s alleyways once more. She moved frantically, hoping to find a place to lay low until she could set up another permanent hideout. She scaled up upon scaffolding and even ran atop rooftops as she searched. All the while, a strange feeling exhaustion afflicted Nadia, despite the fact she should not feel exhaustion as a vampire. Realizing it must be a product of her panic, Nadia decided to stop in an alley and calm herself down.


    However, just as her panic began to fade, it quickly returned. Instead of Nadia¡¯s exhaustion beginning to dull as she calmed down, the opposite happened¡ªthe exhaustion sharpened. The truth quickly dawned upon her. She had been in contact with something made of silver, and in her panic, Nadia had not realized it. But even though she had realized this, she did not know where the object was. Nadia began to feel around her body, trying to find where the object was. When she began to search her backside, Nadia took off her backpack.


    As soon as she had done so, Nadia felt a sharp pain come from her lower back. She suddenly tossed off her backpack out of pain. The cause of the pain remained in Nadia¡¯s back. She reached for it, attempting to remove it, but Nadia¡¯s fingers were unable to grip the thin object. It was entirely made of silver. Unable to remove the object, Nadia picked up her backpack and began to walk through the alleyways. Instead of searching for a temporary shelter, she was now searching for a member of the Cruxius family or one of the servants. Nadia knew how difficult it would be, but she had no other choice. If she didn¡¯t find someone that could remove the silver needle, she would fall unconscious indefinitely.


    As she searched, Nadia¡¯s body began to lose strength. Her exhaustion grew exponentially. It continued to weigh down upon Nadia until her legs failed to carry her any longer. Even as her legs failed her, Nadia continued to crawl, hoping to come across someone who could help. Her eyes grew heavy. Her consciousness began to fade. Memories of Nadia¡¯s wedding rushed through her mind. Her entire body had fallen limp. Right before her eyes closed shut, Nadia saw a pair of boots next to her.


    ?            ?             ?


    ¡°No!!! Please don¡¯t do this!¡±


    ¡°Please!!! We¡¯ll do anything!¡±


    These screams and pleads came from several men that were bound to wooden poles in the middle of an abandoned warehouse. Surrounding them were several people in hooded red robes that hid their faces. Some of the figures nearest to the bound men carried large torches. At the forefront of these figures was Absalom, who was wearing a red priest¡¯s robe.


    ¡°Such indecency to plead for your life even when you¡¯ve admitted to your sin,¡± said Absalom.


    ¡°How is messing up one job a sin!?¡± exclaimed one of the men.


    ¡°Need I seriously remind you once again?¡± said Absalom, ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. You see, my will is the will of God, and to betray my will is to betray His will. And betraying God¡¯s will is a sin¡±


    ¡°But haven¡¯t you given lighter punishments than this for failing a job before?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have, but it is paramount that the Cruxius family is exterminated,¡± replied Absalom, ¡°And Nadia is an especially important target. Therefore, this failure is a sin of much greater consequence¡±


    ¡°But we can make it up! Can¡¯t we at least attempt to repent!?¡± exclaimed one of the men.


    ¡°But don¡¯t you see? You are being given a chance to repent,¡± replied Absalom, ¡°What do you think those torches are for?¡±


    ¡°But if we¡¯re sinners, won¡¯t we be going to hell? Is there a reason to kill us so terribly as earthly punishment?¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m not burning you as punishment, I¡¯m making sure you can properly adjust to hell¡¯s flames,¡± replied Absalom, ¡°In fact, you could say this is mercy¡±


    ¡°This is an outrage! Would you do this to one of your own, you vampire!?¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°No I wouldn¡¯t,¡± replied Absalom, ¡°because God holds us in a different light than humans. He made us to be above humans¡±


    ¡°Damn you!¡±


    ¡°Let the burning begin!¡±


    At Absalom¡¯s command, the robed figures carrying torches set fire to the poles that the men were bound to. The fire spread to the men and burnt them alive. As they burnt, screams permeated throughout the building. Absalom turnt back towards all the figures.


    ¡°Let this serve as an example of the fate that faces humans that sin¡± he said as he gestured his arms upwards. After waiting for the men to take their last breaths, Absalom made his way through the crowd and exited the building. Waiting outside for him was his daughter, Sophie.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re still fond of public demonstrations, father,¡± she said as he exited the building, ¡°I don¡¯t wish to dwell on what¡¯s already been done, but don¡¯t you think that some of their last words had some merit?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but they are¡ªor were¡ªnothing more than humans,¡± replied Absalom without hesitation, ¡°I have no need to consider their arguments, no matter how valid¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± said Sophie, ¡°I think I may have forgotten just how deeply your beliefs ran in the time I was away¡±


    ¡°Has it now? Well I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be reminded of it quite often, especially with the business we¡¯re now tending to¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± replied Sophie, ¡°But, on the topic of those men, don¡¯t you believe you could¡¯ve kept them alive and used fear to ensure they furthered your interests? I mean, dead men are no use to anyone, especially if you burn their body and make their blood undrinkable¡±


    ¡°I beg to differ, Sophie. By killing them in such a way, I¡¯ve instilled fear into every human into that room. Now I use that fear you suggested I use on a few men on a greater number of men¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, father¡±


    ¡°Why, Sophie, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re upset that I killed those humans, are you?¡± asked Absalom, moving closer to his daughter.


    ¡°Of course not, father,¡± answered Sophie, ¡°I was simply unsure if your choice was the most beneficial for the family¡±


    ¡°And have those unassured thoughts been quelled, daughter of mine?¡±


    ¡°Of course, father,¡± answered Sophie with a smile, ¡°As you have told me, you sacrificed a handful of servants to further your grasp over a larger number of servants. That is most certainly the greatest gain we could hop for¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m glad you see it like that,¡± replied Absalom, ¡°Now, let us go. We have work ahead of us¡±


    ¡°Lead the way, father¡±


    ?            ?             ?


    When Nadia awoke, she was in an unfamiliar environment. The lighting was dim, and it was nighttime, so she couldn¡¯t tell exactly what was in the room. She could, however, make out the shape of an IV machine, a chair, and a person sitting in it. She could roughly make out their face, which appeared female. The woman had sky blue hair with a full volume that flowed down her back. She wore dark clothes whose details Nadia couldn¡¯t make out in the dim lighting.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± the woman said in a soft voice. Her face had a smile upon it that radiated a sense of hospitality and familiarity, despite the fact that Nadia had never met a woman anything like this before. Nadia¡¯s gaze lingered upon the woman for a short time before she realized that she was waiting for a response.


    ¡°Where is this place?¡± asked Nadia.


    ¡°The world projects,¡± answered the stranger.


    ¡°Is there anyone here other than you?¡± questioned Nadia.


    ¡°No, I live on my own,¡± said the woman, ¡°In fact, you¡¯re the first company I¡¯ve had in a while¡±.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± said Nadia as she looked over to the IV machine, ¡°Then I guess you don¡¯t use that for medical operations. Also, you somehow brought me back from hibernation, meaning...¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered the woman as she opened her mouth, revealing a set of enlarged canines, ¡°I am a mutant like you¡±


    ¡°Mutant?¡± said Nadia confusedly.


    ¡°Wait, are you new to being one? If that¡¯s the case, then I should explain that ¡®mutant¡¯ is the term used for your condition¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant by that,¡± said Nadia, ¡°If you call this condition being a mutant, then that must mean...¡±


    ¡°Mean what?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your last name?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± exclaimed the woman confusedly, ¡°It¡¯s uh... Stone. My name¡¯s Elizabeth Stone. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not a member of a family?¡±


    ¡°No, like I said, I live alone¡±


    ¡°Then why did you bring me here?¡±


    ¡°Well obviously I couldn¡¯t leave someone lying near-dead on the floor, especially when I know I¡¯m one of the people that know how to help you¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that,¡± snapped Nadia, ¡°we both know nobody¡¯s stupid enough to take in a vampire without at least knowing who their family is first¡±


    ¡°Vampire? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap, I know there¡¯s probably someone waiting just around the corner with a knife with my name on it¡±


    ¡°A knife? Wait, slow down real quick¡±


    ¡°Are you sure playing dumb is your best option right now?¡± said Nadia as she got up from her bed, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware of what I¡¯m capable of¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re capable of?¡± said Elizabeth, panicked. She got up from her chair and began to put her hands in front of her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be getting out of bed,¡± said Elizabeth.


    ¡°You¡¯re seriously going to keep up the act, huh?¡± said Nadia, ¡°Well in that case, let me show you just how dangerous I can-¡°


    Before she could finish her sentence, strength suddenly left Nadia¡¯s legs. She began to fall to the ground, but Elizabeth caught her. When she did, Nadia uncharacteristically grasped onto the woman¡¯s shoulders for support.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± said Elizabeth, worriedly. She was holding Nadia¡¯s head to her bosom. Elizabeth¡¯s well developed bust cushioned Nadia¡¯s fall.


    ¡°Are you really not with the Dragomirs?¡± asked Nadia, ignoring Elizabeth¡¯s question.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± replied Elizabeth as she helped Nadia back over to the bed, ¡°but based on the things you said earlier, it seems you need more than just physical rest¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± replied Nadia as she laid back down.


    ¡°So what was that you said about vampires earlier?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the people I¡¯m normally around call people like us¡±


    ¡°Is that so? And what about what you said about family?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but, essentially, there¡¯s some bad blood between my family and another one¡±


    ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    ¡°There have been attempts on my family¡¯s lives¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Elizabeth, ¡°that must have been hard on you¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so,¡± said Nadia, ¡°You do believe me right? I mean, you¡¯re not acting like you¡¯re accepting all this while thinking I¡¯m crazy, are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± said Elizabeth, ¡°I¡¯ve actually been through quite a bit myself. In fact, it would probably make your story seem a bit tame¡±


    ¡°Could you share it, then?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± started Elizabeth uncertainly, ¡°sure, though I can¡¯t tell you everything. Instead, would you be fine with me confessing to you?¡±


    ¡°Confessing to me?¡± said Nadia, taken aback.


    ¡°No, not like that,¡± said Elizabeth with a giggle, ¡°I mean like you would to a priest. I¡¯m saying that I¡¯ll tell you my sins¡±


    ¡°Why would you confess them to me?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you¡¯re the first company I¡¯ve had in a while¡±


    ¡°Well then, I guess it¡¯s fine¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Elizabeth as she took a deep breath, ¡°I have been robbing graves for food¡±


    ¡°For food? You mean... you get blood from corpses?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡± said Elizabeth, ¡°You see, I don¡¯t want to make anyone else into a mutant, or as you say, a vampire. It¡¯s such a burden in life, you know? But I also don¡¯t want to kill or kidnap anyone so I can survive¡±


    ¡°So you rob graves?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Elizabeth, ¡°You see, the recently departed can still give me nutrition from their blood just as well as someone who¡¯s alive. So I go around the world projects looking for someone who¡¯s recently passed and take their body while they are unattended to¡±


    ¡°Wait does that mean you¡¯re that ¡®Reaper¡¯ I¡¯ve heard rumors about?¡± asked Nadia.


    ¡°Yes, I am¡± said Elizabeth, ¡°And honestly, every time I see anything related to the grim reaper or death I begin to feel guilty¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve gone as far as to defile the bodies of the dead just so I can sustain my life,¡± said Elizabeth, beginning to tear up, ¡°Respect for the departed is one of the most sacred things to people, yet I¡¯m willing to selfishly throw that away for survival¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth, what are you talking about?¡± said Nadia, reaching her hand out on top of Elizabeth¡¯s, ¡°I¡¯ve seen people, even ones in my own family, do much worse things for sustenance. If anyone should feel guilty, it definitely shouldn¡¯t be you¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do¡±


    Elizabeth wipes away the tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Elizabeth, ¡°Can you tell me what your name is?¡±


    ¡°Nadia. Nadia Cruxius¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a kind person, Nadia¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do¡±


    Well you¡¯re wrong, Nadia thought to herself.


    I¡¯m anything but kind.

 Weakened and Reliant

    A couple of days passed as Nadia recovered in bed. During that period, Elizabeth would periodically bring blood for her guest to drink. As time passed and Nadia fed more, her night vision began to return to her. When it did, she began to see that the room she was in was nothing like she had expected. When she had heard that the place was in the world projects, she had assumed this place would be run-down like almost everywhere else in that area of the city. But in reality, this place was the absolute opposite. The furniture in the room will as of comparable quality to that in the Cruxius mansion.


    ¡°Elizabeth, did you pick up the bag I had with me?¡± Asked Nadia when she finally gained the strength to get out of bed.


    ¡°You mean the one that the needle was in?¡± replied Elizabeth, ¡°It¡¯s just over their,¡± she said, pointing to the foot of a dresser in the room.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Nadia as she got up to sit on the side of the bed. She lingered there as Elizabeth left the room and began to contemplate her options. Nadia still needed to find a place to hideout until the current situation with the other family passed. There was an option right in front of her, however she was hesitant to take it. But it didn¡¯t take long for Nadia to overcome this hesitation and get up. She opened up her bag and grabbed the phone and the machine that connected to it. Nadia set it up on the nightstand next to the bed and dialed in a number. After ringing for only a few moments, Kayla picked up.


    ¡°Kayla, send someone with supplies to set up the new hideout. Tell them that an IV machine won¡¯t be necessary¡±


    ¡°Understood, Lady Nadia,¡± replied Kayla as she promptly hung the phone up. Nadia then headed back to her bag and grabbed some clothes out of it. After changing into the new set of clothes, she left the room. As she did, she realized that while she could walk now, she still felt pain with each step. Nadia was, however, more than prepared to deal with the pain.


    When she stepped through the door, she was met with a room that was just as finely decorated as the bedroom. In the middle of the room was a coffee table and a couch next to it. Sitting in this couch cross-legged was Elizabeth, who looked at Nadia as she left the room.


    ¡°On your feet already?¡± said Elizabeth with a slight tone of disappointment, ¡°I guess you¡¯ll be heading off now that you don¡¯t need me?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± said Nadia, ¡°I¡¯ve been in need of a place to stay, so if you wouldn¡¯t mind-¡°


    ¡°I would be more than happy for you to stay!¡± exclaimed Elizabeth, nearly jumping from her seat, ¡°but are you sure you want to stay here? With me?¡±


    ¡°The place needs a few things, but I called  someone that can bring things here,¡± replied Nadia, half-answering her blue-haired host.


    ¡°Wait, someone else is going to be coming?¡± said Elizabeth, the excitement in her voice suddenly leaving, ¡°can¡¯t you bring the stuff yourself?¡±


    ¡°Why? Is there a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I just don¡¯t want many people knowing about this place¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Well you see...¡± said Elizabeth, her eyes drifting to the ground, ¡°it¡¯s a long story¡±


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then why don¡¯t you come with me to help bring my stuff over? I¡¯m meeting them half the ways here anyways¡±


    ¡±That should be alright, but how far away from here will we be going?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, but once I¡¯m able to get my bearings I can tell you¡± said Nadia.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go with you¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ?            ?             ?


    When Nadia exited the building via a metallic door, she found that it led onto metal scaffolding at the side of a brick building. The exit was three stories up from the ground. Nadia stepped out onto the scaffolding, Elizabeth following suit.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± said Nadia as soon as Elizabeth closed the door behind her, as she began to race up the stairs of the fire exit. Elizabeth did as her guest had said and stayed only a few steps behind her. They soon reached the roof of the building of Elizabeth¡¯s residence. When they did, Nadia began to look about with her hand over her eyes, a gesture that was normally used to block out the sunlight, though in this case it was merely habitual. Eventually, her eyes fell upon a particular landmark¡ªa billboard that a soda company that had, in vain, tried to advertise with in the world projects during days long passed. This billboard was one of a kind, and as such, seeing it told Nadia exactly where in the world projects she was. She looked about for a short time longer to confirm where she next needed to go.


    ¡°There,¡± said Nadia, pointing to a nondescript brick building whose only discernible characteristic was the use of purple as a color secondary to the brick red, ¡°I¡¯m meeting them in that building¡±


    ¡°The one with purple?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± affirmed Nadia, who, without any warning, began to run towards the edge of the rooftop.


    ¡°Wait, Nadia-!¡± started Elizabeth, though she was too late to stop Nadia from leaping to a nearby rooftop. Elizabeth realized what would happen as soon as Nadia began running, though it took the pain in her legs at the moment of her jump to make Nadia herself realize it. As she soared through the air, both Nadia and Elizabeth could tell her trajectory was too low.


    Nadia instinctively put her hands out as she flew towards the wall of the other building. Right as she made contact with it, Nadia was able to grab onto the edge of the roof. She hadn¡¯t fell. Her grip, however, was uneasy.


    ¡°Hold on, Nadia!¡± said Elizabeth as she did as Nadia attempted, and landed atop the rooftop feet first. She immediately turned around and lent a hand to Nadia, who still hadn¡¯t gotten a good grip on the roof.


    ¡°Here,¡± said Elizabeth. She was, however, turned away by Nadia, who shook her head and continued to struggle upwards. After about fifteen seconds of doing so, Nadia managed to get herself on top of the rooftop.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should do that again,¡± said Elizabeth with earnest worry.


    ¡°I have no choice, going down into the streets isn¡¯t an option,¡± replied Nadia, who readied herself for another jump. But just as she started her sprint, Nadia¡¯s hand had been grabbed and she was pulled back. Before she could react, her legs had been swept off the ground and she laid within the arms of Elizabeth.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have to carry you across the rooftops,¡± said Elizabeth.


    ¡°E-excuse me!?¡± said Nadia bashfully, forcing her way back onto her own two feet, ¡°Why is that your first solution!?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to waste time if you keep messing up jumps like that,¡± said Elizabeth, ¡°also, if you fail badly enough, you may end up in the street, which is the reason you¡¯re up here¡±


    ¡°Well that doesn¡¯t mean you have to carry me like that!¡± said Nadia, trying to hide her emotion aside from anger.


    ¡°Then what do you suggest as an alternative?¡±


    ¡°Well, I could...¡± started Nadia, her voice trailing off.


    ¡°See? There¡¯s no other option, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, still...¡± started Nadia as she glanced away from Elizabeth.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it,¡± said Nadia, submitting.


    As soon as she gave her consent, Nadia was once again picked up off her feet.


    ¡°Hang on tight,¡± said Elizabeth to Nadia, who obliged. Elizabeth took a couple steps back and lowered her stance before going into an inhumanly fast sprint. After only half a dozen steps or so, Elizabeth reached the other end of the rooftop and leapt off it, easily reaching the rooftop across from the gap. As soon as she landed, she went off into another sprint and leapt to another rooftop.


    Elizabeth continued to do this for the next several minutes. As she did, Nadia felt something that she seldom felt; Nadia felt small. Mainly, she felt vulnerable and defenseless, something she hadn¡¯t felt since before her days with the Cruxius family. Her lingering injuries had rendered her inadequate for the physical feats she often performed. As such, Nadia now could not perform these tasks alone, and needed to rely on Elizabeth. She held mixed feelings about this. On one hand she felt pride in her own independence, and as such, was hesitant to accept Elizabeth¡¯s helping hand. On the other hand, however, there was still a part of Nadia that wished to let go of her ego and allow herself to rely on others.


    However, there was another sense of feeling small that this situation evoked from Nadia, a feeling of inadequacy. This stemmed from a place mere inches away from Nadia¡¯s face: Elizabeth¡¯s bosom. The Cruxius family was not short of well-endowed women, as Natalia enjoyed surrounding herself with women of a wide array of assets. This blue-haired woman that carried Nadia, however, put to shame even the Cruxius women that built their entire portfolio in the chest area. However, these ¡°investments¡± that bounced in front of Nadia¡¯s face did not evoke jealousy alone. Instead, it brought forth an emotion that Nadia was not entirely unfamiliar with, but was ultimately alien to her.


    ¡°Calm down, Nadia,¡± the Cruxius had thought to herself, ¡°you don¡¯t even know if she¡¯s down for girls. I mean, she¡¯s probably just lonely, looking for a friend to keep her company. She definitely wouldn¡¯t be letting me stay if she knew the truth, right? Hell, what do I see in her anyways? I mean, yeah, she¡¯s smoking hot and all, but so is almost everyone back at Cruxius. So why her, Nadia? Why now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± said Elizabeth, interrupting Nadia¡¯s thoughts and letting her back down on her feet. Once back on her feet, Nadia did a stretch with her arms in the air before she spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be meeting them two floors down from here,¡± said Nadia, her earlier bashfulness nowhere to be seen, ¡°We¡¯ll probably end up talking about a lot of personal stuff before we start hauling the stuff, so I¡¯d like you to stay here until further notice¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± replied Elizabeth. After hearing that, Nadia immediately turned to go into the building via a door on the roof.


    ¡°Nadia, I changed my mind from earlier¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± said Nadia, stopping in her tracks and looking back at Elizabeth.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to carry you and the stuff back on my own, so I¡¯ll let the other person carry the stuff back to my place¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± replied Nadia, turning away before she did so. The reason for this¡ªeven though it was impossible due to her lack of blood and vampirism¡ªwas to hide her bashful expression from the blue-haired woman.


    ¡°No, seriously Nadia, why now?¡± she thought to herself once again.