Lucyfer
Said you'd die for me, well -- there's the ground
The train slowed as it reached the station of Chicago, and the blonde woman couldn’t help the smile that came to her lips as she tilted her head towards the window. No reflection was there to greet her, but there was also no one to notice the oddity. It was a late train. Passengers were few. No one was even questioning the fact she had red eyes.
Not to mention airplanes were far more attractive.
Airplanes had just been too expensive for the woman. ‘Hardly a dime now.’ That would change soon.
She took in a deep breath of the new air, and leaned back into her seat. ‘Freedom.’ After too many years under her sire’s rule, she’d managed to escape. Goodbye Oregon, Goodbye clinical lab, hello Chicago!
The voice of some friendly stewardess welcomed them all into Union Station, and she took her bags easily from above her, not struggling at all under the weight even if she looked fragile. At 5’2”, with the build many had compared to a doll, she certainly didn’t look like carrying her ridiculously heavy black bag would be easy, but it was.
Being a vampire had some perks.
‘And some cons.’ She thought as she began to mingle with the humans out in the station. The blood was alluring, and her eyes moved over various individuals before she forced herself to stop breathing. It would be easier not to attack them, if she wasn’t breathing in their scent. ‘All right. This is supposed to be simple. I should be able to find where other vampires are, and figure out safe lodging, and safe places to hunt.’
Except, of course, her sire had never taught her how to live on her own. When she stepped out of union station and into the night, she wasn’t sure what direction to head. She hadn’t planned this escape perfectly, and things were not as obvious as they had been while in Oregon. Admittedly, she’d been engulfed in vampire society, and grown up there—what was abnormal came as second nature, once she learned to recognize it.
Here, she didn’t even know what was normal in Chicago. There was no money for a cab, though she contemplated a bus for a while as she watched individuals catching buses outside the station.
Her frown drew attention, “Excuse me?” She looked over to the human who spoke, “Are you lost?”
“One way of putting it,” she said, “I’ve never been to Chicago before. I’m…well,” she considered. In Oregon, vampires hung around campuses. Apparently drunk girls were easy to feed from.
That was how she’d been caught, too, all those years ago. One too many drinks, and then ripped from her future as a journalist, “I’m looking for the campus. I have a friend in the dormitory.”
“You’ll want to catch a yellow bus,” he motioned to the marquees on the buses, “All yellows go by campus. Costs a dollar a ride.”
“Thank you!” She had a dollar, somewhere. She sought one and then stepped forward to be closer to the sign. He followed her, and at her look, he shrugged.
“I’m meeting some friends at a bar that way,” he said.
She merely nodded and accepted it. Naturally, they began to chat, “Who’s your friend?”
She made up a name on the spot, “Anne. She’s studying programming. Wants to make video games. Are you a student?”
He shook his head, “Nah, just a townie,” he said, “I have a few friends going, though,” and he began to talk about them. They boarded the same bus, he texted his friends, and they got off at the same stop. His friends were there waiting for them, an interesting bunch in leather jackets that the woman couldn’t help but admire. All she had was an old denim jacket, which she wore over a black camisole. It wasn’t half as cool. It wasn’t even the same shade of blue as her jeans, but at least her tennis shoes matched her camisole.
“Which dorm is your friend staying at?” One asked her. “I could probably show it to ya.”
“Um,” she blanked. She didn’t know any of the dorm names. “It started with a G, I think….”
“The RGG?”
She gave an agreeable nod, “Yes.”
“I live there,” he said, “I can show you the way.”
Their friendliness was enough reason to be wary, but she allowed it and pretended to text her friend. They had walked onto campus by then, but this area wasn’t populated at all by students milling about. It was while she was doing that, though, that she noticed the quick movements of one.
Instinct took over and she moved her bag between her and what was obviously a wooden stake. It got stuck in the bag.
Adrianna Belton dropped her bag and stepped back, looking at the three men and one woman with fury in her red eyes. “What the hell!”
The one who had seen her at the bus stop put a hand on his hip, “It’s obvious what you are, and we have enough of a problem with your ilk here, preying on the students.” The woman among them took out her own stake. “It’s sickening.”
Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She hadn’t exactly fought in her life, either, but she understood the idea that vampires were naturally stronger and faster than humans.
Still, the vampire didn’t want to fight. She didn’t want to kill. “You really have me mistaken. I’m—” But the woman seemed pretty intent on killing her. She had to dodge the stake. The force of the woman’s attempt did nail her shoulder rather hard, and the stake broke off with the woman’s attempt.
The brunette woman cursed at the broken stake, as she was left holding just the bottom of it.
Not to mention airplanes were far more attractive.
Airplanes had just been too expensive for the woman. ‘Hardly a dime now.’ That would change soon.
She took in a deep breath of the new air, and leaned back into her seat. ‘Freedom.’ After too many years under her sire’s rule, she’d managed to escape. Goodbye Oregon, Goodbye clinical lab, hello Chicago!
The voice of some friendly stewardess welcomed them all into Union Station, and she took her bags easily from above her, not struggling at all under the weight even if she looked fragile. At 5’2”, with the build many had compared to a doll, she certainly didn’t look like carrying her ridiculously heavy black bag would be easy, but it was.
Being a vampire had some perks.
‘And some cons.’ She thought as she began to mingle with the humans out in the station. The blood was alluring, and her eyes moved over various individuals before she forced herself to stop breathing. It would be easier not to attack them, if she wasn’t breathing in their scent. ‘All right. This is supposed to be simple. I should be able to find where other vampires are, and figure out safe lodging, and safe places to hunt.’
Except, of course, her sire had never taught her how to live on her own. When she stepped out of union station and into the night, she wasn’t sure what direction to head. She hadn’t planned this escape perfectly, and things were not as obvious as they had been while in Oregon. Admittedly, she’d been engulfed in vampire society, and grown up there—what was abnormal came as second nature, once she learned to recognize it.
Here, she didn’t even know what was normal in Chicago. There was no money for a cab, though she contemplated a bus for a while as she watched individuals catching buses outside the station.
Her frown drew attention, “Excuse me?” She looked over to the human who spoke, “Are you lost?”
“One way of putting it,” she said, “I’ve never been to Chicago before. I’m…well,” she considered. In Oregon, vampires hung around campuses. Apparently drunk girls were easy to feed from.
That was how she’d been caught, too, all those years ago. One too many drinks, and then ripped from her future as a journalist, “I’m looking for the campus. I have a friend in the dormitory.”
“You’ll want to catch a yellow bus,” he motioned to the marquees on the buses, “All yellows go by campus. Costs a dollar a ride.”
“Thank you!” She had a dollar, somewhere. She sought one and then stepped forward to be closer to the sign. He followed her, and at her look, he shrugged.
“I’m meeting some friends at a bar that way,” he said.
She merely nodded and accepted it. Naturally, they began to chat, “Who’s your friend?”
She made up a name on the spot, “Anne. She’s studying programming. Wants to make video games. Are you a student?”
He shook his head, “Nah, just a townie,” he said, “I have a few friends going, though,” and he began to talk about them. They boarded the same bus, he texted his friends, and they got off at the same stop. His friends were there waiting for them, an interesting bunch in leather jackets that the woman couldn’t help but admire. All she had was an old denim jacket, which she wore over a black camisole. It wasn’t half as cool. It wasn’t even the same shade of blue as her jeans, but at least her tennis shoes matched her camisole.
“Which dorm is your friend staying at?” One asked her. “I could probably show it to ya.”
“Um,” she blanked. She didn’t know any of the dorm names. “It started with a G, I think….”
“The RGG?”
She gave an agreeable nod, “Yes.”
“I live there,” he said, “I can show you the way.”
Their friendliness was enough reason to be wary, but she allowed it and pretended to text her friend. They had walked onto campus by then, but this area wasn’t populated at all by students milling about. It was while she was doing that, though, that she noticed the quick movements of one.
Instinct took over and she moved her bag between her and what was obviously a wooden stake. It got stuck in the bag.
Adrianna Belton dropped her bag and stepped back, looking at the three men and one woman with fury in her red eyes. “What the hell!”
The one who had seen her at the bus stop put a hand on his hip, “It’s obvious what you are, and we have enough of a problem with your ilk here, preying on the students.” The woman among them took out her own stake. “It’s sickening.”
Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She hadn’t exactly fought in her life, either, but she understood the idea that vampires were naturally stronger and faster than humans.
Still, the vampire didn’t want to fight. She didn’t want to kill. “You really have me mistaken. I’m—” But the woman seemed pretty intent on killing her. She had to dodge the stake. The force of the woman’s attempt did nail her shoulder rather hard, and the stake broke off with the woman’s attempt.
The brunette woman cursed at the broken stake, as she was left holding just the bottom of it.
