Twisted Tale

[Jealous]

This was a chance to get away from it all. To let go of the burdens that plagued her everyday decisions. Here no one would care if Josephine Robshaw ate toast or a donut for breakfast. No one would whine about how charitable she was while also complaining she wasn't doing enough. There were always two sides and opinions to an issue, and somehow with power she was supposed to just find the answers and make it so. She wasn't God – though she sure wasn't human either. Luckily evolution had helped her in that sense. Vampires had mutated, grown stronger and more adapt to life since stories that had been written about them long ago. It was why she was able to hide away her secret. That and it helped that there was little record actually kept about her little country and its royal lineage. It was why it was finally her turn to continue the story and find someone to take back at mom.

The idea make Josie cringe. Was it not obvious how much she loved to just watch others? She didn't need love herself. It had been centuries and at times it had been lonely, but she was fine. The princess didn't need anything – besides a vacation. Which is what she was going to make this be. A vacation before she had to return home and find a way to sort things out with her family.

The cab rolled to a stop at the curbside outside the simple little coffee shop. All she wanted to do was enjoy the quiet tranquility of human life. She wanted to watch people who walked in and out of the coffee shop, enjoying the simple day that was had hand. There was no one to tell her she couldn't waste her time so that's what Josie was going to do.

 

[Chris_Reaper]

The two dark figures stood silent, patiently watching as the Princess entered the coffee shop. They had surveillance equipment set up and one of the men began to unpack a high powered sniper rifle. A few floors up, the old abandoned building was a perfect cover for this most diabolic of missions, for the only thing on the menu today, was assassination. One of the figures smiled wide, his sharp fangs glistening in the fading daylight. Both assassins were covered from head to toe in black trench coats, pants and boots.

"Just as soon as the bitch steps out onto the sidewalk, one clean head shot." said the sniper as he peered out through his scope.

Than from behind the pair, a loud sound is heard, like a piece of metal dropping on the concrete floor. Both of them whirl around only to catch sight of what seemed to be a homeless man, stumbling on the ground.

"Well what have we here." says the second man.

Jericho looked from beneath his tattered hoodie, barely able to suppress his smirk "Oh I'm sorry, I was just passing through." he says in a weak and pathetic tone.

The sniper smiles evilly as he licks he lips "Oh no trouble bub, we were due for a late afternoon snack anyway."

"I'll just be on my way." says Jericho.

"Oh no need to rush off there, why don't you stay for a meal..." says the other man, viciously baring his fangs revealing both assassins to be vampires.

He grabs Jericho by the arm, but Jeri elegantly maneuvers and savagely twists the vampire's arm, deforming it out of shape. The vampire screams in pain as his partner begins his own attack. Jericho throws off his hood, to reveal his Rune Of Allah tattoo in the middle of his forehead.

"You are one of the Mehmet Hunters..."says one of the bloodsuckers in a frightened whisper.

"You get the gold star for today." says Jericho before he unleashes a barrage of small throwing daggers, which he hurls at one of the vampires, the weapons slicing through the creatures throat and stomach. The blood drinker doubles over coughing up blood. The vampire with the twisted arm tries to launch another attack but is swiftly met with a devastating uppercut from Jericho, which knocks several of the monster's teeth out causing him to cry out. The Vampire Hunter gives him no time to recover, flips behind his quarry and violently snaps the vampire's neck resulting in the creature dropping to the ground like a stone.

"You mongrels just never seem to learn, do you?" says Jericho as he casually walks over to the other vampire, who is still staggering on the ground from Jericho's previous throwing dagger attack.

The hunter lifts the wounded creature off of the ground "I'm going to ask you once animal. Why were you sent to assassinate Princess Josephine?"

"How did you find us?" stammers the vampire.

"You did hear me when I said I was only going to ask once right?" says Jericho as he buries one of his knees into the monster's stomach causing it to cough up more blood "I'm really not known for my patience."

"I never tell you a damn thing!" says the vampire and spits on one of Jericho's boots.

The hunter simply shakes his head, wraps a metal wire around the creature's neck and attaches one of the ends of the wire to an overhead pipe "You ever heard the expression hang ten?" he says as he smashes the vampire through a back window. The monster falls a few feet before he is decapitated by the metal noose Jericho had affixed to it's neck. The body and the head go tumbling into the alleyway below.

Jeri dusts himself off before he looks out the window the snipers were using as a vantage point directly overhead of the coffee shop "Guess I'll have to use a more direct approach." he says as he makes his way down onto the street in front of the coffee shop.

 

[Jealous]

It was so rejuvenating being among such simplicity. The smell of the coffee was a warm embrace Josie revelled in for far more time than she needed to. The worries and the stress of the day melted away. There was no war within the small space. Sure some of the customers were obviously having a not so great day. But she took the day in. She would have many more of these, and she was not one of the many who had to worry about the parking fee or rent that was due. But she also watched the couple that was on their first date, and also spotted the ones that had been together for years.

Yet, a bit of her old life crept over the back of her neck. That unsettling prickle alerted her that while she was watching the humans around her, someone had their eye upon her. It was a sense she had hoped to escape for a while. Lifting the coffee cup to her lips, she took a sip of the cooled drink. The temperature of the drink alerting her that she had sat at her chair for too long.

Sliding from her seat, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before she walked to the door of the coffee shop. Dropping the cup in the trash, she pushed the door open and stepped out onto the sidewalk. She wrinkled her nose. Blood. It was faint, but fresh. A sigh escaped her before she could contain it. This was not going to be an easy vacation. Maybe she was over thinking it. Just because she smelt blood didn't mean it was tied to her dark secrets. Perhaps there had just been an… unfortunately accident. That sure didn't make her feel any better.

That's when she saw him. The man who looked like he was just another person in the city - a little unkempt, maybe homeless. Yet the way he held himself. And the fact that she caught his gaze. She nodded her head towards him, acknowledging the eye contact. Before she turned to leave. Either the trouble was going to follow her, or it was all in her mind. Either way she wanted to continue to enjoy what peace from the coffee shop still lingered.

 

[Chris_Reaper]

Jeri watched on as he saw the Princess exit the coffee shop. His mind reeled as to just how to approach. He was a hunter, trained from birth to track down and destroy bloodsuckers. His family had been doing this for the better part of six hundred years and every one of them was taught that stealth and staying in the shadows was always their best asset. Being out in the open like this was not what the young slayer was used to. He needed info, since this girl was obviously on the Ereban's hit list and Jericho needed to know why. Before he could entertain anymore thoughts, a random passerby broke his concentration.

"Dude, that's a sick tattoo man, where'd you get it?"

Jeri looked on in confusion "What"?

"I bet that's got like some deep meaning to it, right. I mean hell it's gotta be important for you to get it right in the middle of your forehead." said the man.

The vampire hunter slightly smirked in annoyance "Woodstock..." he said as he walked away. However the man was right about one thing, Jeri just couldn't walk around with a ceremonial tribal tattoo in plain sight on his face, that would be inviting way to much unnecessary attention. He quickly retreived a small vile with a natural polymer based concealer, those in his profession used to hide their tattoos, thus not giving away their status as hunters to the general public at large. Jeri rubbed some of the substance on his Oath Of the Slaying Jinn marking and within seconds he was back to looking like anyone else on the streets...well any slightly looking homeless person, which is what he was operating undercover as. But the brief interation did give Jericho an idea. He upturned one corner of his mouth and runs up to Josephine.

"My God it's really you! Forgive me Miss, but you are Princess Josephine of Sorvania, right? I've been following you on Twitter for the longest, your one of my favorite celebrities. Could I trouble you for an autograph?" says Jeri, trying to sound like some hapless fan. In the commotion, he stealthily plants a small electronic tracker on her person.

 

[Jealous]

"Why thank you," Josephine stated as she tried to keep her distance of the fan who was much too willing to invade her personal space. She offered a smile although all she wanted to do was grind her teeth and knock the man into the nearest wall. This was what it meant to be a princess. Usually she had her escort with her, the personal guards whose duty it was to maintain the sense of security.

But she really hadn't expected to find anyone out here that knew her. She wasn't here on official business, and Sorvania was such a small country. And even as a royal she didn't believe her social media presence was wildly noticed outside of the country. Apparently her assumptions were wrong, and it was starting this vacation off on completely the wrong foot.

"I don't carry a pen on me. If you have one, I'd be glad to offer my autograph, or if that won't do a photo together then?" If this was a true fan he would post his encounter online, furthering the knowledge of where she was. But then again, how many people would believe that she was just out and about in America without any security. Perhaps people would believe the photo was of a look-a-like. Either way, she'd have to lay down her dreams of just being a normal person for a while. She was back to being a princess, so much for the vacation.

 

[Chris_Reaper]

Jeri gritted his teeth slightly for two reasons. The first was because, to his dismay, he realized that he didn't have a writing implement on him either, in addition to fact that he had nothing for her to sign in the first place. In his haste to plant a tracking beacon on the Princess, it was clear he hadn't totally thought this plan through...and the second reason was that this acting like a mentally challenged, hero worshiping part of the sheep, really grated on his nerves. But than, Josephine herself offered a way out when she said "or if that won't do a photo together then?"

The Hunter's mind was keen to seize on this opportunity for one distinct and strategic reason. If he posted this photo on social media, divulging the Princess' current whereabouts, it could lure several other Erebans out to try their own hands and ambushing the girl. Jericho could essentially use her as bait. So he grabbed his phone and aimed down in the proverbial selfie pose.

"Sure a photo would be great, thanks a bunch!" he said with nauseating enthusiasm as he snapped one pic of himself haphazardly posing with the Princess.

"Well thanks again Princess, I'm so sorry if I bothered you. I won't take anymore of your time. You be careful now!" said Jericho as he urgently and somewhat suspiciously, booked it out of the area and disappeared into a nearby alley.

Once he was out of sight, Jeri spit on the ground in disgust "I don't know how these brain dead fanboys do it. Celebrity worship is a worst affliction that vampirism!" he said as he posted the photo to Facebook under a fake account "That should do it. Now let's see if the rats come out of the wood work..."

 

[Jealous]

Josephine lifted her hand in a halfhearted wave. Glad to see the over zealous fan zoom off. It meant she was off the hook for having to find a way to leave him and go about the rest of her trip. She ran her fingers through her hair as she turned and continued in the direction she was going.

The rest of the day had been pretty uneventful. Even though she was not nearly as relaxed as when she had first walked into that coffee shop. By the end of the day she had settled down on one of the many benches of a park. Her gaze shifting between the sketchbook she had purchased and the setting sun before her. The lower the sun set the fewer people were around. The shadows spread as darkness settled upon the world, the few lanterns of the park providing some light upon the path.

That's when she felt it. The instinct that she was no longer alone. That she was a target, a prey for someone who underestimated her. A sigh escaped her lips as she lifted her gaze from her sketchpad, staring up into the darkness – her green eyes catching the glow of the faint light.

"How long are you going to cower in the darkness, rat?"

 

[Chris_Reaper]

Jeri had been shadowing the princess all day and to his surprise, he spotted no incoming threats. However he knew that the day was far from over and if indeed more assassins were to come out, they would probably wait for the cover of darkness. Early into the evening, Josephine seemed to settle in a large city park, secluded and seemingly peaceful. Jericho watched a fair distance away, his inconspicuous garb, aiding to mask him. The tracking beacon he had placed on the princess was equipped with GPS and audio transmitters. The Hunter listened intently through a small earpiece, when he heard it.

"How long are you going to cower in the darkness, rat?"

His eyes drifted in her direction and a pair of dark figures emerges from some nearby trees. One of them stands menacingly and raises a large pistol with a silencer attached and aims it at Josephine's head. "Your father's crimes against the Children Of Erebus are many dear Princess. We are here to rectify that. Long live the mighty Erebus!" says the assassin. As he tightens his finger on the trigger, a small projectile sails into view and bounces on the ground near the scene. A split second later it explodes in a brilliant flash of UV light. The two vampires are thrown back as their skin begins to burn violently from the flash.

Jericho swoops in and yanks Josephine to the ground in the confusion "Just do me a favor and keep your head down!" he yells before charging in towards the injured assassins.

Before the vampires have any time to recover, Jericho grabs one of them and brutally uppercuts him, nearly separating the creature's jaw from the rest of his skull. The second vampire attempts to shoot the Hunter, but before he can squeeze off a shot, he is quickly disarmed. Jericho rips the gun out of his attacker's hand, spins kicks the assassin in the face and jams the muzzle of the weapon directly into the midsection of the vampire. After a moment of struggle, Jericho empties the gun into the gut of the creature, shooting him nearly a dozen times at point blank range, the bullets tearing out gruesome exit wounds on the vampire's backside. The previous vampire screams in fury and tries to tackle Jericho, only to be met with a dagger to his throat by the young Hunter. As blood pours from the catastrophic wound, the vampire gurgles as it bares it's hideous fangs.

"This is getting to be old old hack, how many more of you assholes are there?"

The vampire just smirks as it falls to the ground. As Jericho wipes the blood from his dagger, the sound of a distant gunshot breaks the eerie silence and a separate bullet, rips through Jericho's shoulder, causing him to stammer back. Out of the darkness emerges several more figures, brandishing all manner weapons, from blades to automatic rifles.

"Ask and you shall receive punk! We thought it best to bring in a little backup on this one. You wanna fuck with the Erebans, you better come correct." says the lead vampire as the group begins to advance.

Jericho crawls back to where he left Josephine, a mix of humiliation and worry on his face. He hadn't accounted for this, his over confidence had caused him to become careless. His shoulder wound was serious as blood continued to seep from the shot, Jeri knew he needed help to get out of this one. He reaches into a back holster and tosses Josephine a high tech looking hand gun.

"Just aim for the head, the UV sensors will do the rest! Who knows, if we get out of this, maybe we can take another selfie." he says as he draws two more daggers from his belt in anticipation of the oncoming attack.