Silent Angel Crashes Through the Sky

I wanted to hit something.

That's all I want to do right now because I had a bad dream and because I woke up late which put me in a place to see someone familiar. I was in Chicago. The streets were rather crowded, and that put me in a bad mood, too. I would have to be quiet and invisible. Not two things that I was good at.

As I paced the sidewalk, dodging rude businessmen and glued-at-the-hands couples, I saw the black clouds in the distance coming closer. Behind them, the sun shone orange and pink, shining and showing off the windows of tall buildings. I heard a siren off in the distance and I pulled my hoodie closer around my shoulders.

I hoped that the city would quiet down a bit. It was near impossible to hunt in these conditions. The only other option would be to go to a bar and troll. Ha.

...I wish I was joking.

So, by about 10:00, it was clear that the streets weren't going to get anywhere near quiet. The clouds were overhead, blocking the stars and the light of the moon. The wind was blowing harshly, and I could smell the coming rain.

I realized that I would have to go to bars to find the vampires. They liked to hang out in the back and drink Stargazer, and they liked to find helpless humans, men or women, to use. I had done this a couple times before, but I never really liked it. I felt like I was being used and abused. I also felt weak for falling for most of their tricks. Their typical charm to make you weak at the knees and giggle like a little girl petting a puppy... a sexy puppy.

When it came to the sexual side of vampires, I was just like any other girl.

I didn't like that.

It was a small club called Cascade. It was popular enough. I wasn't much of a fan of the big clubs with huge dance floors and huge dickheads only there to grope and insult people like me. I had been to Cascade once before and I remember seeing two groups of vampires in the back as soon as I walked in the door. Got rid of both of them by the end of the night.

The ceiling fan clicked as it turned, faster than I could count. The floor was sticky and my shoes made a snapping sound every time I picked them up. I discretely glanced to the back of the bar where the booths were. They were empty. I sighed, but continued to the stools next to the bar counter.

The bartender nodded to me, and I nodded back, biting my lip.

"Rum and Coke, please." He fixed me my drink and I nursed it. The booths were empty, but the bar was anything but. The seats were filled, and there were couples dancing in the middle of the room to the jukebox. The room had a warm feel. People were talking loudly and shouting at the football game on the TV.

It was a while until the first vampire stepped in. The room got notably colder. His eyes seemed to fix on me right away. He had a spark in his eyes that gave me butterflies. He started to walk towards me so I turned back around and ordered another drink. He sat next to me right as I took a long swig of the bittersweet alcohol. I felt the cold radiate from his body like an air conditioner. I shivered quietly, tightening my grip on my glass.

"What's your name, Hun?" I almost rolled my eyes as I turned to him. I licked my dry lips.

"You talking to me?" He smirked and nodded slowly. "My name's Danielle." I never gave them my real name, in case they knew who 'Clark' was because of my brother. He laughed lightly, grinning.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl." I smiled coolly, resisting the urge to gag. His dark eyes pierced mine.

"What's your name?" I figured I would ask.

"My name's Ryan. It's a pleasure to meet you." Suddenly, I realized something. I had seen him from somewhere.

He was the independent from last night.

My mind was suddenly racing, and I didn't realize that I was staring at him until he broke the silence.

"Want to step outside?" His eyes were such a deep brown- not even black, like most vampires- but they were so hypnotic. I nodded. I slapped down a twenty on the counter for my drinks. My feet made the same snapping sound on the floor. He opened the door for me, and I stepped ahead of him. We walked down the street until I turned to him and he put a hand on my shoulder. We made eye contact again. "What's your name?" I frowned.

"Clark..." I gasped quickly and held up a hand to my mouth. "I mean!" He smirked.

"You're bad at this game." I blinked a couple times and shook my head. "You are one of the most obvious hunters I've ever met! So disappointing." I growled.

"Shut up!" I fished for the stake in my bag, and let the strap fall off my shoulder and onto the sidewalk. I held it in front of me. "Tell me what you're all planning! I saw you last night." He laughed.

"Look, Hun, how old are you? A little over twenty? You're young. Give this up and be a normal human. Don't waste your life trying to control something that's completely out of your hands." He shook his head at me and looked into my eyes with... pity or sympathy. I couldn't tell.

"Oh, stop it. I didn't choose this... I mean, I did, but, I didn't. Never assume. Assume makes an ass out of you and me." He sighed.

"Last night, huh?" I nodded. "Really, Hun, you don't want to get involved in this. I recommend that you leave this town. Leave this state. Because trouble's coming, and you aren't going to be able to stop it. Not you and not anybody else. You can try, but you will fail. Get out while you still can."

"You wouldn't understand, bloodsucker." He grit his teeth with a snarl. "You'll never understand because you're a murderer. You're dead. You might be an independent, but you're no different than the rest. You're a threat and you're no good. We're going to get rid of you. Maybe not today, tomorrow, or even next week. But hunters willget rid of vampires for good." He glared back at me and shook his head, keeping eye contact.

"You call me a murderer. You tell me not to assume. But, what about you, Clark? Just because I drink blood- just because I'm a vampire- that doesn't mean I've killed." My glare faltered for a second.

"What?"

"I have never killed a human being. Even in my first weeks of being a vampire. I have never killed anyone. Most independents don't. You should know that." I rolled my eyes.

"If you don't kill then why are you-"

"Why am I working with the Dandies?" He laughed darkly. "Honey, you don't know anything." I let my glare subside.

Honey. He sounds like....

"What do you mean?" He shook his head again.

"I can't tell you. It would compromise everything I've worked for." He paused and smirked. "But, you can ask Pete." I suddenly felt cold.

"How do you-" He laughed again.

"Clark, my name is Ryan Ross. Go talk to your brother." Suddenly it felt as though time froze. I froze and Ryan froze. I let my mouth fall open. I felt tears prickling my eyes as he turned to walk away. "The sun is coming up soon. You better hurry." He called over his shoulder, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"R-Ryan?" I heard him laugh one last time.