***

When Leora came too she groaned. Her head throbbed but she couldn’t move her arms to cradle her head. Then her stomach started to growl and she could feel her fangs grow a little longer.

She looked around and realized she was chained to a chair with a spotlight on her. She checked her throat and it felt fine. Elizabeth didn’t pour holy water down her throat.

“You’re awake,” said an electronically deepened voice from an intercom somewhere.

Leora scrunched up her eyebrows. “Why did you change your voice? You didn’t like how you sound?”

“We saved you, Leora, from House Eagle,” said the voice. “We’d like to ask you some questions.”

“The fuck? So I get kidnapped twice,” said Leora. She leaned back into her seat and slumped. “Tell me who you are and what the hell you want with me.”

“We’re friends and we just want answers. Provided you give the truth,” said the voice.

“How can you tell? I told Elizabeth the truth and she wanted to pour holy water down my throat,” said Leora. She tested the chains and felt a slight sting if she yanked it too hard. “Blessed?”

“Correct. We will be the judge of what is truth or not,” said the voice. “Hungry?”

Leora growled. “Oh, so you going to torture me that way.”

She heard the sound of a door opening and closing. Then heard a whizzing sound. Leora turned to the sound and watched a truck toy rolled up to her feet. Attached to the top of the truck toy was a bowl of blood.

Leora started to salivate but she maintained her composure.

“A peace offering,” said the voice. “Before our questions.”

“Are you expecting me to suck in the blood through the air?” snorted Leora.

There was a click and the top of the toy car popped up and extended up. The bowl was now at the same level as Leora’s mouth.

“That is pretty cool,” said Leora. She moved her head forward and using her tongue and lower jaw, was able to clasped the lid of the bowl. She tilted the bowl toward her. In a few gulps she finished the bowl.

“Now, how are you able to stand the light?” said the voice.

Leora licked her lips clean of any remaining blood. It was enough to satisfy her hunger and she wouldn’t need another drink for a few more days. She turned attention to her second kidnapper. She had no idea who they might be as the room she was in had some sort of odor masking their scent.

“Perhaps, we should clarify. Why doesn’t sunlight burn you?”

“Because I wasn’t cursed,” shrugged Leora.

There was a pause.

“How were you not cursed?” said the voice. “God made sure any who turned away from them would not feel their touch.”

“Oh, that was a dead give away. I think I know who you guys are. You guys hunters?” said Leora. “Explains the blessed chains.”

There was another pause.

“Answer ours first then we’ll answer yours,” said the voice.

“The answer is the same. I wasn’t curse. It’s really that simple,” said Leora. “Now are you guys hunters? I don’t know why I am even asking that. I am like one hundred percent you all are.”

There was a quick moment of silence. Then came a growl from the intercom.

“Hey, uh, not hunters?” Leora didn’t think hunters growled like that. It was very animal like. Like a dog.

There was some rumblings like chairs or tables being thrown. Then came a barrage of gunshots coming through the intercom. Finally, an unfiltered voice came out of the intercom but sounded distant.

“Goddamn! I’ll take care of them. You go get Leora before they do!”

Leora wanted to hear that voice again. It was vaguely familiar. Whomever they were, it sounded like they were having trouble. She tested her chains again and she still could not break it.

“Of all my luck,” she snorted. This time she slumped back more than usual to the point her chair tipped back over. “Fuck!”

Bang!

Leora fell back so hard that it broke the chair. Apparently the chair she was on was wooden. She stifled a moan and closed her eyes tight. Was fate laughing at her again?

After a short struggle and lots of wiggling, she was able to stand up. She was also able to have her chained arms in front of her. “Now where’s the door?”

She looked down at the toy truck and turned to where she first heard it. Her eyes had a slight glow and she could see a door through the darkness where the light did not touch. “And there it is.”

Leora went up to the door and with one quick kick the metal door popped out. A flood of light spilled into the room. She took a step out and peered down a hallway. On one end she met eye to eye one of Elizabeth’s henchmen she recognized.

“Hey, Aric,” she called out.

A large claw snatched Aric before he could react.

“Ah, I go that way then,” said Leora and went down the hallway opposite to where Aric was.

She heard, presumingly Aric’s, screaming as she turned a corner. She stopped at a t-section when a body flew across the hallway. Sizzling green energy dissipated in the air.

“Get out of my way!” shouted Elijah.

“Yo, it’s me,” said Leora.

Elijah came rushing out of the hallway from where that body flew from. He stopped in front of Leora. He looked at her up and down.

“Don’t give me that look. The chains are blessed, ok,” said Leora. “Now get them off of me!”

Elijah, shaking his head, flicked a bolt of energy that broke the chains.

“C’mon, this way before the vampires catch up,” he said. He motioned with his athame for Leora to follow.

“How did you find me?” said Leora, rubbing her arms. She was sure she had left her phone in his car.

“I got your text. Found the car but you were gone. Then I got attacked by some vamps and figured they captured you. So I made one confess where you were,” said Elijah.

Leora raised an eyebrow and wondered what he meant by ‘made one confess.’

“Talk later. We have vampires, a werewolf and a hunter after us,” said Elijah.

“I knew it!” said Leora, feeling validated that the second kidnapper was a hunter. Hmm, but I could’ve sworn there was more than one and a werewolf? she thought.

They left the hallway they were in and were in another one

“Almost out of here. Turn,” barked Elijah after a few doors down in the new hallway.

After rounding a corner, they then went through a door and up a flight of stairs. Finally, they reached a door marked ‘Exit’. Once through that they were out in the open of the Golden Gate Park.

“Car is not far. Hurry so I cast a spell to erase our scent while they’re still fighting each other,” said Elijah.

“You’re too slow,” said Leora and picked the young man up with ease. “Point the way.”

“Uh, about a quarter mile that way,” said Elijah, pointing westward. It felt awkward that the shorter woman was cradling him like a baby.

Leora dashed so fast that Elijah could only grab hold of her. In perhaps about fifteen seconds they were at the car. The vampire winced as she noted the driver’s and the passenger’s door were missing.

“Are you seriously that fast? Why do you even need a car?” said Elijah as he pushed himself down and away from the shorter woman.

“I may be a vampire but I can’t run all day,” said Leora.

“Whatever, let’s get in the car and get to my place. Fuck this,” said Elijah. He pulled out his key and started the car. He limped a little.

Leora, feeling a bit guilty that perhaps this is all her fault, entered the car in the passenger side.

They sped off and while driving, Elijah chanted a spell. Leora was wise enough to stay quiet throughout the trip. When they reached home, they silently made their way to the apartment. Once inside, Elijah plopped down on a nearby sofa and Leora did the same on a loveseat across from the young man.

“So, uh, you think your insurance is going to cover the doors?” asked Leora meekly.

“What the hell,” roared Elijah. “Worrying about my car is the least of your problems!”

“Hey hey, I thought you said you mind wiped that vampire,” defended Leora.

“I did. I dunno why he wasn’t wiped,” snapped Elijah. “Besides, I wouldn’t need to do it in the first place if you hadn’t blown your cover. Now House Eagle knows your presence. And that hunter! Where the hell that hunter came from? Then there was the werewolf who probably was spying on House Eagle. Holy fuck!”

Leora looked down. Deep down, she knew it was her fault. She felt bad and didn’t know what to say next.

After a moment, Elijah spoke. “You alright though?”

“Yeah, a slight throbbing on my right side of my face. Nothing I can’t deal with. You? You were kinda limping,” said Leora quitely.

“Yeah, I somewhat twisted my left ankle but it’s good now.” Elijah let out a sigh. “Tell me what happened.”

Leora started when she got off work and closed up the Golden Arches. She recalled about Elizabeth’s questioning and the second kidnapper--whom she was now sure was a hunter.

“And the rest you already know,” finished Leora.

Elijah rubbed his chin. “You never asked why the hunter knew your name?”

Leora shrugged. “I figured the hunter read my name off my tag.” She pointed to the silver plastic over her heart where her name was transcribed in capital letters.

“But you said the voice sounded familiar?”

“Yeah, I am still trying to process the voice I heard over the intercom,” said Leora. “I think it was female? Maybe male?” Some male humans can have pretty girly voices if she recalled the singing competition shows she watched every week.

“That only increases my suspicion. I think there is someone you know who is a hunter. I think it is your boss,” said Elijah.

“No way! That guy? I don’t think he can lift a box of frozen patties let alone me,” said Leora.

“Yes, you’re right. The hunter, what I could see, was taller than me,” said Elijah.

“Then no way Jones. He is shorter than me and I am shorter than you. What else?”

“Sorry, it was an all out battle. When I came, House Eagle was already battling the werewolf and the hunter. I just snuck around and tazed a few vampires along the way to get to you,” said Elijah. “I still think the hunter is someone you know because they asked about the sunlight. So I am thinking it is someone you met in the day time?”

“I meet lots of people in the daytime. I take people’s order as part of my job,” said Leora matter-of-factly. “I don’t do anything vampire like in the daytime anyways. So who knows?”

“Fuck the hunter. Let’s deal with House Eagle,” said Elijah.

“What about the werewolf? Fuck it too?” said Leora.

“The werewolf goes hand in hand with House Eagle. Like, vampires and werewolves hate each other and constantly trying to nerf one another,” said Elijah. “We witches usually stay out of their battles. Speaking of which, I think you need not go to work for a while. Maybe laying low for and, hopefully, they will forget.”

“Yeah, but I really can’t. I just got this job and don’t we need to pay rent to your mom?” pointed out Leora. She flopped onto a pillow and buried her face into it.

“Dammit, you’re right. How about don’t do night shift?” said Elijah.

“I can get Jones to agree. He’s not that strong willed,” said Leora. She would use her vampiric hypnosis if she has to. “What about the hunter?”

“Hunters don’t like to make a big scene. The U.S. government already warned them after the incident in New York in the nineties. A group of hunters was hunting in the subways and caused a cave in. Lots of people died,” said Elijah, recalling what he learned in history class during his high school.

“I totally didn’t read that in wikipedia,” said Leora.

“When it comes to us--witches, werewolves, vampires and what not--stick to my books. It’s far more accurate than what’s on the internet. I know we witches put the wrong information online just to make sure noisy people stay out of our business. I figured the others do the same too,” said Elijah.

“Fine, I’ll stick to a day schedule and come here before the sun goes down,” said Leora.

“Alright, now I just have to figure out how to tell my mom about my car,” said Elijah.

Leora groaned into the pillow. Whatever it is, she was sure she will have to pay for it.