Vivienne

Chewing and swallowing the last vestiges of the heart, the feathered woman licked her fingers clear of the plasma that had coagulated.  Watching as the flock of vampires slowly stood and faced The Raven, she took a quick count of the troupe members in this first room. -At least fifteen.- her mind slowly told her.  Just about to take her first step into the conjoined rooms, the Raven’s ward called to her.  She clicked her talons hard enough to tear the cheap carpet away, once more allowing the tips to click in slow rhythm. -Click…Click…Click…Click-  “I see.”

The two words caused the younglings to hesitate and look between themselves.  A few wiped their mouths and started taking steps back into their leader's central room.  Taking charge of the young pack, one of the more senior members of the band started waving his fellow younglings to break their trance and circle around him. “She is one, we are many.  Let’s work tog-...” He stopped speaking the moment the clicking stopped and the black visage turned into mist.

The Raven floated her inky mist into the center of the room and gathered on the ceiling like a small tempest.  Watching as the vampires looked up at her unnatural and thunderous cloud she reformed her body, talons first and dropped into the mass of undead.   Her feet tore into a pair tearing them into bluish meat chunks as she landed.  Her hands reached out to grasp another two, bashing them until they too were nothing but blood soaked debris.  Quietly she sniffed each of the four corpses and shook her head.  Howling in rage from the scent of blood and their lost companions, the remaining pack all attacked The Raven.

Stepping out of the two bodies that she’d ripped and splattered into chunks moments before, the ancient vampire caught the first youngling as it sprang towards her.  Wickedly her claws tore the face from the vampire, removing its lower jaw and plucking out its eyes in a single swipe.  Sniffing the twitching vampire, she shook her head again and dropped it to the floor.  Taking a step forward the Raven crushed its skull, sending its brains between her toes. Relentlessly tearing the carpet to make sure her blood caked claws clicked on the cement floor, the predatory birdlike woman effortlessly shrugged off each wave of attackers as she moved through the room.  Claws flashed time and again, sending bits of bone and flesh rocketing into Drake’s main chamber.  Carefully sniffing each blast of crimson mist after every swing, The Raven kept shaking her head.  Upon reaching the last two young defenders, her claws swung upwards into their throats and held each one in the air, squirming like worms on a hook trying to escape.  Bringing the first to her nose, she breathed in deeply and once more shook her head.  Her fangs penetrated his neck and drained the corpse quickly turning it to dust.  Red eyes glaring and her fangs oozing with thick maroon blood, she quietly sniffed the last of the pack.  A tight growl rumbled in her chest the moment she registered Faye’s scent on the vampire. “You’re the one.”  She whispered into the terrified vampire's ear. “Where. Is. She?”  Lacking the ability to speak, the remaining young vampire merely pointed into Drake’s room.  Keeping her claw firmly in his throat, she dropped her arm and dragged the squirming undead with her into the adjoining room.

Drake sat uneasily on his tiny throne the moment the hotel went dead silent.  No clicking, no screaming, no sounds of his troupe partying or even bickering among themselves.  He motioned to one of his lieutenants and he just looked back to his leader, confused.

“Go out in the hallway and see what is going on.”

“Drake, stick to your god-damned plan, asshole.”  the sub-leader waited for a moment. “That thing is just out there and waiting for us.  You think it got quiet because the younglings won?  You are more stu..”  A snap from the band leader stopped the older vampire’s outburst.

Seconds of silence slipped by like an eternity before the first -Click- echoed from the hallway followed by the crunching noises of drywall and splintering wood from the unhinged doors.  The Raven’s slender and dark form appeared in the doorway just after the slight disturbances. 

-Click, Crunch..Click, Crunch-  The Raven took a couple more steps into the makeshift throne room.  Calmly, she raised the squirming vampire from the rubble and picked away the skin on his head until she saw the tiny hole in its skull.  Poking her claw through the natural little hole, she peeled away the bone in tiny bits until its thick crimson blood oozed down the sides of his head.   Glancing down at her captive that had just intensified his kicking and clawing, she dug the hand already in his throat just a little deeper and squeezed until the crack in his neck echoed in the chamber.  Moments later his feeble attacks stopped and the Raven looked back to Drake for a second.  “Where is she Drake?” The ancient one spoke calmly and picked more of her captive’s skull open, exposing its dead gray brain.

A large vial of holy water splattered against the Raven’s form causing the vampire on her claw to hiss and burn, while at the same time running harmlessly down her own form. “Thank you, I sometimes enjoy my meals..cooked.”  She raised the helpless vampire to her lips, suctioning the blood and brains from its skull before throwing the husk with blinding speed in the direction the holy water came from.

Changing quickly to his gaseous form and back again, the lieutenant avoided being smashed in the face by the rocketing body.  He nodded to Drake and the other three older vampires in the room and followed his leader’s command.  The sub-leader sprang low, feet leading his attack with the aim of knocking the small bird-woman from her taloned feet.  Coordinating their attack, the other three lept into action at the same time, one aiming for her head, the other two for her arms.

Flying towards his target, the vampire aiming for the Raven’s head heard a heavy twang and felt the sting of heavy wood pierce his chest, causing him to thud on the floor.  Two of the other three hesitated and it cost them all.  Still sliding for her legs, the first attacker realized too late the folly of his attack.  He watched as she raised her razor-like talon just as his leg was about to sweep her leg.  Quickly trying to avoid what was about to happen, his hands dug into the cement floor trying to stop his momentum.  A blur of motion and the talon stomped down, crushing the lieutenant's leg and stopping his attack.  The other two still intent on grappling The Raven’s arms were quickly grabbed by the face and smashed into each other before they could react.  Brains and blood rained over the blue-black feather covered suit The Raven wore. “Holy water?  That is a weapon of a true believer, Drake.”  She lifts one of the two shaking vampiric bodies in her palm, draining the sub-leader until his dust sprinkles like pepper to the floor. “Did you honestly think water blessed..”  She sniffs her outfit and shakes her head. “..by a Christian priest would do anything?” One hand now free, she casually reaches through the other lieutenant’s ribcage and pulls his heart from his chest, dropping the undead corpse on the floor. “Silly boy, I predate the coming of this..Yahweh.”

Looking down at the last remaining sub-leader, The Raven caught the glimpse of black and pink hair from the corner where it attacked from. -Faye!- Vivienne’s mind raced as she dropped her fanatical illusion of the raven.  Quickly snapping her fingers she motioned to her ward. “Cas..Casey, see if she…”

“On it, Viv.”  The auburn ward ran over to the woman half buried in rubble. “She’s breathing, Vivienne.”  Casey started yanking the debris away in the effort to unpin the Korean woman.

Pulling her mask free, Vivienne’s blue eyes started glowing with a blood and fire mixture. “You.”  She knelt down and sniffed the air, confirming Faye’s blood scent emanating from the struggling vampire captured under her foot.

Seizing the chance to strike Vivienne, Drake sprinted across the room with his thick wooden makeshift stake held high.  Vivienne felt the air move and yanked the last lieutenant from the floor holding him up as a shield from the incoming attack.  Drake watched in disbelief as the stake impaled his last remaining ally, and left him completely alone.

Rage finally boiled over in Vivienne, removing her calm exterior.  Starting with an ominous and primal growl that echoed in the small chamber, the mental block holding the visceral aspect of her vampiric nature broke free of its cage.-Discarded and forgotten.  Look at her.- 

She cast a wild look to the rubble as another whiff of Faye’s blood flooded her senses.  She pounced on the last of Drake’s lieutenants, hungrily feasting without any forethought of her demeanor.  Clawing his body to shreds, the beast controlling the ancient vampire dismissed the blood springing from his undead corpse, in favor of every meaty organ that it could consume.  Crawling around to keep her secondary prey in her vision, Vivienne kept breaking pieces off, crunching his bones as she dug her face into the corpse, pulling apart tendon by tendon, slurping vein and artery alike. -Feed. Consume. Destroy.-  The ancient vampire felt and heard the beast taunt and pressed for her to relinquish control.  Crushing the stake to remove it from her meal, her claws plucked the last organ from the quivering corpse.  Squeezing the tender meat, the blood within, streamed through the air.  Plasma crimson rain poured down the vampiress body, and combined with the bone and scraps of intestine stuck to her face, removed the near angelic look she once had. -Yes, use me.- Her beast urged and purred deep within her, pleased.

Drake watched as the horror before him scratched the cement under her talons. “C-c-can…I-I …Just want to t-t-talk.”  He replayed the scene in his head from years past, where The Raven acted tactful and made it a clear warning.  He knew this was much different.  No longer a warning, this was retribution.  Turning to look at the ward clearing off the body he begged. “P-please..Help me..”

Casey turned away from Faye for a moment and saw how her mistress looked.  Her crystal blue eyes, replaced with a void like intensity that radiated from the deep maroon ring almost pulsing from her hungry glare. “Vivienne?” Casey squeaked and caught herself after registering the horror her mistress had become.  Unable to bear the idea that the woman crouched and covered in body parts was who she devoted herself to, the ward thought only of her mission. -Nothing else matters, just Faye.-  She pulled Faye’s body clear of the clutter on the floor right when the music of her Iphone changed to a soft piano rendition of the very song she’d accidentally thought of.  

Soft and soothing, the dulcet tones plucked at Vivienne’s ears.  Listening as the tempo picked up and the music reached her heart, Vivienne knew the song.  She could hear the words singing in her dark mind, bringing her back, slowly closing the cage. -Nothing else matters.  She matters.  Faye, matters.-

Watching the ancient vampire closely, Drake knew that the gorgeous French woman before him was in the middle of battling the empty space that all of their brethren had.  Blinking and shaking his head, Drake cleared the heated thoughts of running his maroon stained hands through her long black hair and over her well shaped hips.  -Her eyes, Drake.  She is deadly and frozen.-  Two things happened once his mind cleared.  First the singer grabbed a small remote and pressed its black button, causing the building to shake hard enough that more of the walls collapsed under the stress.  Next, the band leader ripped part of his ‘throne’ and raised his arm to impale Vivienne..

-Twang!-

Barely audible and a second too late, Drake registered the sound of Casey’s crossbow and turned just in time to feel the bolt penetrate his heart.  The powerless vampire dropped the stake he possessed, and it clattered harmlessly on the floor.

Vivienne turned to look at her ward, “Thank you Casey.”  She blinks her dazzling blue eyes then continues, “We will discuss this later, my ward.  Right now we are against the clock.”  Turning to Drake, Vivienne click-walks to the frozen leader. “You are all that is left of your precious troupe, Drake.”  Removing the jewelry that she’d taken from Ken she drops the trinkets one at a time on the floor making her point. “I warned you years ago not to look for me, that I hold my own council.” 

“Viv, I have her free and this looks really bad.  I don’t know what to do.” Casey muttered just before she witnessed her mistress bolt over in a blur.

“We have to get her out of here now, Casey.”  Vivienne looks up to her ward, her blue eyes forming tears of blood from the corners. “W..”  her voice crumbled and her lip quivered uncontrollably. “..We have to leave now. I..”  She scoops Fay into her arms, her bloody tears streaking down her ashen cheeks. “Faye, N..no, we haven’t had the chan..chance yet.  Hang on, please.”  Vivienne felt the Korean woman shift in her arms and let out a weak groan.  Leaning down, the ancient one gave the woman she’d fallen in love with a smeared and bloody kiss then looked up at Drake. “You.”

Bolting over to Drake, Vivienne shifted Fay in her arms to cradle the woman, then punched into the vampire's spine, squeezing it and breaking it like a crab shell.  Feeling him go limp in her arms she looked to Casey fast. “I have to get Faye home and this building is coming down.  Let’s get out of here.”

“You go, I have an idea.”

“Casey?”

“Viv, trust me.  You get Faye home, save her.  I will be fine.”  Casey hung the keys to the sedan on one of Vivienne’s fingers. “I promise.  I have an idea.”

Quickly sniffing the air and feeling the rising heat on her talons, Vivienne didn’t take the time to argue with her ward.  Spinning on her heels, the vampiress raced in a blue blur for the stairs and onto the roof, carrying Faye and dragging Drake by his broken spine.  Bursting the metal door off its hinges, Vivienne felt the winter air once more on her face, and blowing her long onyx hair.   

Two small hops and she was looking down over the edge of the fifteen story building as it burned.  Noting the far off sound of sirens, Vivienne didn’t take the time to analyze the situation and jumped from the roof.  The leap vaulted the vampire far enough that she cleared the building and landed with a hard thump, causing the asphalt to crack and spindle outwards like spider webs.  Racing to the car, Vivienne placed Faye in the back seat and tossed Drake across the driver's side and into the passenger seat, before speeding off into the distance.