Cries of a Love Bat

The first time Brendon said run, I thought he was joking. He didn't sound at all serious, so there was nothing to worry about what he had just whispered. Then Ryan said it a little louder, more demanding. I looked around at the other three, whom I couldn't see. Ryan repeated it, and I looked back at the two vampires, who were keeping a steady pace behind us - well me, the others were gone.

"Where'd they go?" I asked, turning back to see if they went ahead.

"Fuck it Emily, run!" Brendon ordered, shoving me forward so I stumbled. "Go!"

I steadied myself and looked back at the boys: Ryan was climbing a fire escape ladder to the top of a building, while Brendon took off down the alleyway of the side of the building.

Ryan growled loudly as shadows ran across the rooftop above. One jumped on the landing below him, hurrying up the ladder and reaching for Ryan's ankle.

"Ryan!" Brendon called from the darkness.

"Screw you Brendon," Ryan yelled. "I'm kind of busy."

By then Brendon stepped out from the shadow of the alley, his coat was off and he was loosening up the cuffs of his dress shirt. Ryan made it to another landing, reaching for the one vampire below him. He pulled him up by the collar, and down onto the metal floor. Ryan's competition got up and lunged, both of them throwing punches and leaning over the railing.

There were five of them, including the one Ryan was fighting. But as soon as I was able to count them all and not loose track, I lost site of them against the blackness.

"Ryland, didn't you say you were looking for a snack?" came a girl's voice behind me.

"She looks good Vicky-T," Ryland -apparently- said.

I spun around and stared at their dark figures. "Me?" I squeaked. "How can I look good? I'm covered in dead dust and dried blood. It's fairly unattractive if you ask me."

"Well," Vicky-T said softly, stepping forward so I could see her now, "you'll have to do."

Ryland followed her, grinning with his fangs pressing into his lips. "You smell good."

"How?" I stalled. "I'm wearing my friend's clothes, and he really doesn't believe in showering."

"If you get past the mark," Ryland explained, "get past its marking odor, you can smell your blood."

"Hmm, well ummm. Before we start this little party I really should tell the babysitters that I'm leaving..." I stuttered, before turning quickly and running behind me back to the building. I got a few feet before hitting someone else and knocking to the floor with a scream.

"Emily!" Ryan cried, holding someone down on the floor. Brendon was gone.

The person I ran into grabbed my arms and pulled me up. "Get up there and help Nate," he barked at Ryland and Vicky-T.

"But-" she began.

"Ahora! O no usted obtendrá ningún tarde!" It was hard to place his voice, especially since he was speaking Spanish. He sounded familiar, I just couldn't remember who he was. He pulled me into him, putting his arms around my back so I couldn’t move. “I believe we met before?”

“I-I don’t remember,” I looked up at him, his face covered by the shadow of his hood.

“Am I that forgettable?”

“I…” I looked past him, trying to see how Ryan was holding up. Apparently, it wasn’t going to well because when Ryland and Vicky-T got up to the platform Ryan couldn’t keep up. They pulled his head back and slammed it against the railing; his body went limp almost immediately as he slumped to the floor. “Ryan!” I screamed, not knowing what else to do.

The guy holding me looked back. “Victoria! What did you do?”

“I only knocked him out Gabe,” she snickered viciously. “Can we kill him now?”

Gabe – whom I know remembered, as the guy who was supposed to be in alliance with William – seemed to think about her request. “No…no ahora, pero pronto.” He leaned down when he finished, his breath creeping across my face.

“Let me go,” I whispered, trying to tug away.

“With so much I can gain?” Gabe laughed. “I don’t think so.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another shadow running across the rooftops. He stopped on the building before the one where Ryan was unconscious with the others. He jumped down, the shadows of the alley enveloping him before he came out. What was he Spiderman?

"Alex!” Vicky-T clapped her hands. “Tell Gabe we should kill Ross, and eat her.”

He shook his head, disapproving. “No,” he stated. “There’s no time. Urie ran off, I followed him…he got Beckett. They’re coming.”

Gabe hissed, his arms squeezing me tighter. “Alex, go up and keep Ryan out of reach.

Brendon’s probably aiming to get him back.”

He jabbed a finger in my direction. “What about her?”

He grinned wickedly. “I have Emily, she’s not going anywhere.”

Victoria went on complaining while Alex went up the ladder to accompany them. Ryland was asking Gabe about what the plan was, but I blocked it out. Everything blurred and I wasn’t listening; I didn’t want to. I heard a car pull up on our right, doors opening and slamming shut. At the same time on our left the sound of shoes scraping against the street neared us, and eventually it stopped.

“What a pleasant surprise, Beckett,” Gabe smirked. “Coming to fetch your toys?” He loosened his grip on me enough so that I was standing next to him – an arm locked around my shoulders – but facing the Dandies. Brendon and Pete were standing in the front with William, while eight others took place behind them.

“This isn’t a game, Saporta,” William clarified. “Let go of Emily.”

“We all know that isn’t going to happen,” Gabe grinned, his fangs sparkling. Will quickly grew his out as well. “You know what I’m capable of doing. Should we tear Ryan apart now?”

“Touch him and you die,” Brendon chocked.

“Move and they both will,” Gabe taunted back.

Brendon glared at him, his eyes small as he looked over to the fire escape. “Son of a bitch.”

“What do you want?” William asked, quickly cutting off what Gabe had to reply. “What would you give them back up for?”

“Power, control, territory,” Gabe listed. You could hear the demand in his voice, and compared to him William looked like the good guy.

“You’re not one to keep your word, Cobra,” William hissed.

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Emily?” he asked. “Look at your boy. Look how his fists are clenched, how tense he is, and yet he won’t move.” Pete opened his eyes to stare back at me. “And he’s crying! Possibly the toughest vampire in the world is crying. Have you ever seen him like this before?”

“Shut up,” I muttered, watching as the tears poured off Pete’s cheeks.

There was a regal air in Gabe’s voice as he went on. “How long has he been like this? How many times have the cries of a love bat been seen? How long has his pleads gone unnoticed?”

“Shut. Up.” I gritted my teeth.

“Does it bother you Emily?” Gabe went on. “Does it kill you to see him so helpless? The one that saved you isn’t all he seems now, is he?”

“Enough,” William cut in, his voice sharp. “Make this easy on yourself and your clan. Don’t make this an issue.”

Gabe scoffed, “Like it isn’t an issue already? I have the power over you, and you know it. Unless you give me what I want, I’ll keep Miss Shay. Give her time so we can get to know one another.”

Pete wasn’t hysterical, the tears were silent, but he rubbed them off with his sweatshirt sleeve to look behind us. “Guys go, we’ve go this.”

Gabe and I turned around to watch Andy remark sarcastically, “Clearly.”

“Learn to run hunters, you’re on our list next,” Vicky-T spoke up from her spot on the metal landing.

We turned back to William when they didn’t budge. “Give us Emily, and we won’t bother you again Saporta.”

“Very unlikely,” Gabe murmured.

It was again a slight twitch of William’s fingers that sent the Dandies behind him into action. Most of them ran up towards Ryan, led by Brendon. William and Pete, with the others, darted to us, and I heard the boys behind us take advantage of it too. William had a punch coming for Gabe’s face and Pete had his hands flying to my sides when Gabe decided just to leave. So we disappeared.