Leora turned a corner where there were no street lights and slammed the breaks upon seeing five individuals in the street. Four of them had their hoodies on and the bottom half of their faces covered. The middle one was a woman with pale skin and green eyes. Her delicate face was framed with red hair that wavered down past her shoulders. She wore dark jeans and a fitting black leather jacket.

One of the hooded figures threw a disk sized object that clamped onto the hood of the car. The car engine and the lights went off as if robbed of all energy. Leora tried to turn on the ignition but there only came a short lived guttering sound from the engine.

“Get out, outsider,” bellowed the woman.

The woman’s voice filled the air in an ethereal echo.

“Oh shit,” said Leora. She reached for her phone and texted Elijah but the text wouldn’t go through.

“Don’t let me repeat myself, outsider,” said the woman.

Leora looked up and saw fangs poking out of the woman’s red lips. “Shit,” she said. What was she to do? Fight them? Comply? What would Elijah want her to do?

“Get her out,” commanded the woman.

Like a dark blur, one of them was at the driver’s door and ripped the door off.

“What the fuck? Hey, I have to pay for that--” Leora felt a hand grab her from the back of her neck. She lifted her arms but they were quickly restrained. Next thing she knew someone pulled her out through the passenger side where that door was now missing.

“I had her,” said the one holding the driver’s door.

“Too slow,” said someone behind Leora in a hissing voice.

Leora couldn’t turn around as the hand had a tight grip on the back of her neck. She felt a shove for her to move forward toward the vampiress at someone who seems to be their leader.

“Walk, outsider,” hissed the voice behind her. “Maybe we’ll spare your legs.”

There came a chuckling from all of them except from the leader who was staring down Leora with narrowed green eyes.

Perhaps complying for now would be best, thought Leora. She walked toward their leader. When they stopped she felt the back of her knees kicked and she was now on her knees.

The leader addressed Leora. “Now, outsider, tell me what House you are from the EC? Aric could not pinpoint your scent.”

“Aric? Oh wait, are you Elizabeth?” said Leora, remembering the vampire she punched the other night.

“Are you for real?” chuckled Elizabeth humorlessly. “Or are you playing dumb so you won’t tell me who is the Master who sent you here.”

“I don’t have a Master nor do I belong to a House,” said Leora. “I was just minding my own business. Sorry. I punched Aric.” She wasn’t sorry.

Elizabeth pursed her lips and motioned to the one that had ripped the driver’s door off from the car, “I hate liars. Fedrick, if you please.”

Fedrick took out a water bottle and walked to Leora. He opened it carefully and then moved the bottle under Leora’s nostrils. Leora flinched away, feeling the inner canals of her nose burn.

“Now tell me the truth and I won’t have holy water run down your throat,” said Elizabeth sweetly.

“I already told you,” said Leora.

“Fine,” said Elizabeth. She looked up at the person holding Leora. “Janet, open her mouth.”

“With pleasure,” hissed Janet. She quickly moved her hand from the back of Leora’s neck to the chin. She easily opened Leora’s mouth. Then she inhaled deeply, taking in Leora’s scent. “Fresh meat. You’ve only walked this Earth as a vampire for what? Max a year? I pity you.”

“Now, last chance. Who sent you?” said Elizabeth, nodding to Fedrick.

Fedrick lifted the water bottle over Leora’s mouth in response.

Leora could struggle but it was pointless. Janet held her good and there was Fedrick. She was also getting weak due to her hunger pangs. So she decided to let them hurt her at this point.

“Defiant little bitch. Fine, let’s see how you scream,” said Elizabeth. “Do it,” she commanded Fedrick.

Then it landed. A black metal ball rolled to a stop next to Leora.

“Cover,” snarled Elizabeth. “Now!”

A flash of light exploded out of the metal ball. Leora could only see white light but she heard the screams and smell the burning of flesh. Then she felt something hard and metallic slammed into her right side of her face. Darkness consumed her, ironically.

***

The UV light bomb had receded when Josephine lifted up Leora onto her shoulder. She started to run, taking advantage of the chaos she created. She shot at the forehead of a vampire wriggling in pain before jumping over it and making her way to her motorcycle.

“Really?”’ drawled a voice in her earpiece. “You didn’t have to kill that vampire.”

“Sorry, Telera, I couldn’t help it. Old habit to kill vampires,” Josephine replied. She placed Leora on the motorcycle’s seat and let the vampire slump over the fuel tank.

“Don’t drop her,” said Telera from the earpiece.

“Please,” said Josephine. She mounted on the motorcycle’s seat. “She’s light as a feather!”

“Did the bomb hurt her in any way?” said Telera.

Josephine reached and touched Leora cheek. She rubbed her thumb. “Zilch. Like I said sunblock is a myth,” said Josephine before driving off.

“New vampire type?” said Telera.

“No way,” chuckled Josephine. “There’s got to be a trick she has. Maybe magic but I didn’t sense any.”

“Hmm, the weres would throw a fit if vampires started roaming the daylight too. We may have another war on our hands,” said Telera.

“Like I care about that,” said Josephine. “Let the Order deal with that.”

Josephine drove out of the city and headed towards the Golden Gate. She was careful to not stay in the light for so long on the streets and there were a few times she had to go off ramp from the freeway to hide from cops. Afterall, she did have a body hanging over her motorcycle.

She slowed down when she reached her destination. A large bridge that, in her opinion, was more orange than golden was sparkling in that city lights kind of glow in the background. She passed a large carved sign that said, “Golden Gate Park,” and went onto a hidden pathway she had created a year ago.

“Room prepped?” she said out loud.

“Yup, just don’t over do it? She seemed nice,” said Telera. “And she saved you.”

“No, she helped me. I would’ve taken care of that vampire anyways,” clarified Josephine when she went down a concrete tunnel.

“Uh huh,” said Telera. “You’re not invincible, Josephine.”

Josephine didn’t answer. She just smiled. At least she was as close to invincible as God permitted.

Soon she reached a metal door where she parked the motorcycle. The metal door automatically opened and she entered it with Leora hanging over her shoulder.

***

Her fellow vampires were in a disarray of chaos. As the white smoke dissipated like drifting clouds she finally saw them. Her mouth held tight as she watched some of them crying out, clawing at their faces while others were on the ground in spasm. Was this the state they were in?

Zea pulled down her binoculars from the window that she stood behind. The city lights danced across her skin in such a way that her skin and hair became one with the color momentarily. “You told them to bring masks, yes?”

“No. I didn’t expect another hunter,” came a voice from Zea’s phone that was strapped to the side of her hips . “I have the med team in route.”

“Those hunters never come alone,” sighed Zea. Then she muttered under her breath a series of curses. Then she pulled up her binoculars and searched for her target. “Are you alright at least?”

“I am not there. Just an illusion.” Then came a big sigh. “Look at them. They are just...just not ready.”

“Are you losing hope?” asked Zea.

“Please,” snorted the voice. “Who do you think I am? We just need to train them better--”

“Lady Elizabeth, there’s an urgent call. It’s from Agent Robert.” came another voice from the phone.

“Go take the call. I’ll take care of this,” said Zea.

“Be safe and try not to harm the daywalking vampire too much. Fuck up that hunter though.”

“I have a drone tracking them.” Zea finally spotted her target who was on the ground covering his face as he rocked back and forth.

“Why am I not surprised.” The call ended.

Zea turned around and tossed her binocular to an opened duffle back. How many would they lose today? She didn’t let herself rummage on that thought.

She turned to her weapons that laid across a coffee table that had a missing leg but was held up by a stack of dusty books and magazines. She read the spine of one. Her eyes softened for a second before she gathered her weapons and the duffle bag.

Then she was gone and a small breeze entered the room through the window despite it not being a windy night.