Its overwhelming (Vic)

[Ali Ambrose]

Ali opened the door to their apartment, letting the door swing open. Its slammed against the wall and she couldnt bring herself to care. In fact, she couldnt bring herself to care about anything at the moment. All she kept seeing was that dark alley. Hearing the laughter, and her screams, and that she wasnt saved. That it had happened again. Why her? Why did trouble love to come knocking on her doorstep?

On her way home it had started to rain. Lightly at first with just barely a drizzle and then more and more until it was pouring down on everyone and soaking those that didnt have an umbrella. She had been one of those unfortunate ones. Her clothes were soaked through and her hair clung to her neck and shoulders as well as the fabric on her back. But walking into the apartment dripping wet, she didnt want to change. She didnt want to move. So she went over to the couch and plopped down on to her stomach, closing her eyes.

That was a big mistake though, closing her eyes made things worse. She could actually see the event now. Flashes here and there. And it just made her want to curl into a ball. So she opened her eyes and grasped her mothers locket for support as she sat up on the couch. All the lights were off and she was just sitting there in darkness. Either Vic was asleep or he was at work. Any way you looked at it, she was alone for the time being.

She looked at her left hand and her eyes clouded up with tears. How was she going to tell him? She couldnt tell her husband. This was something that she could barely admit to herself. And thats when you knew it was bad. She wanted to erase it from her mind, just let it drift away from her. Was it possible to surpress a memory? She had heard it was done before by some people. Maybe she could do it to. Grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch she curled up in it, tucking her legs under her and just stared straight ahead.

There was nothing that she was looking at in particular. Just the white of the wall. The memory kept replaying in her mind and each time she saw it she felt another part of her just slip away. Until finally, just an empty shell was sitting there. Quiet, not smiling, and distant. Her eyes that normally only varied between two colors, red and brown, now were gray. They had never been that color before. They looked lifeless and like she was dead. Actually dead and not the living dead. But what could she do? Thats right...nothing.

[Victor Ambrose]

It was pouring like cats and dogs out there. The bar usually was open to the end of the night, but he knew how some people really wanted to be home right now. The bar was practically empty and everyone was just sitting there. The rain just happened out of the blue, as if he was living in a movie where such a scene only occurs after a dramatic moment occurs in the main characters life. He sighed and went into his office. The power box was there, and he really didn’t want to be there either… so he flipped the switch turning everything off.

He walked out and told everyone a small lie. “Ladies and Gentlemen, don’t be alarmed. Everything is okay. It’s just a power outage. However, the bar will be closed for the night seeing as the power company called and said it won’t be on till tomorrow, so I bid you all adieu and thank you.”

The staff understood right away what he was doing. How could they not? They have been working for him for so long. He could hear some of the staff whisper and smile. It was something Victor loved to see every day. Once everyone was gone, Victor flipped all the light switches off, and turned the power back on. No one would know… except for him and the staff, but that was always between them.

Victor himself had to go home…
Home…
He smiled at that… and it grew even bigger when he looked at his hand…
He was going to go home to the woman he loved…
It was perfect… Maybe he would stop by and pick something up… Some Wild Flowers… Just like the way she smelled…
He smiled, but realized that he probably couldn’t do so since his bar was open after everyone else closed.
He sighed, but was still on the bright side of things…
He was going home early and was going to be with…

Wait… the door… It was broken on the side… And not fully closed… Something was wrong with this picture… and the foot prints… he knew those foot prints… He ran in completely ignoring the door, seeing Ali there on his couch… grey eyes, and her skin was cold even to him. This wasn’t right…
“Ali?” He shook her a bit, but there was nothing in that face of hers…. She was alive…. But she wasn’t there…
“Ali? Are you okay?”
He knew something was up… She was always so… so… not this…
She was beautiful, with a smile on her face and always active. She’d be dancing or swaying or humming or something. She would always be that graceful, happy, and active angel she always was… but today she wasn’t here…
She was replaced…
He knew those looks… Shock, trauma, fear, and confusion… but to the point past all the normal reactions… This was like confronting one’s own nightmares and coming back even more scarred and scared that when you went to face it…
“Ali… what happened to you?”
He pulled her into his arms, face nuzzled into her shoulder… and he felt a tear roll down his face…

[Ali Ambrose]

Everything just seemed, gray. Like all the color had been zapped out of the world. She knew how Vic felt now. But she didnt see any colors. Not even red or blue and green. She just saw gray, and everything was blurred. Her vision was there, but not there. She was blind and yet wasnt at the same time. She could hear things but they seemed distant and far away. Almost like in a dream where water was closing over your head and you were drowning. Was she drowning? Was that it?

But she declined this theory. She wouldnt have dared gotten near water. At least not close enough to actually be in it and start drowning. Not to mention, a vampire couldnt drown. There was nothing of them left that coudl be killed. They were the living dead. Just corpses as some werewolves loved to say. And some humans that didnt find the whole, leech thing appealing. But she was correcting herself, there was some things that could die on a vampire.

Sure they had no beating heart and no living body, but they were a person were they not? Their heart and character and very soul could be killed and shattered. Ali herself knew that very well. Every time she thought her life was coming around, trouble found her. She didnt go looking for it. But she swore that anything that could ruin her or ruin something she loved that was within a five mile radius of her, would find her. Every time. She would get better and then be destroyed. Her life was a work of tragedy. And patchwork.

She felt like she was destroyed right now. Like another part of her soul was ripped out and thrown away. How much of her was there left? Not much apparently if she could fall into this....nothingness. Was this how Rose felt? Why she gave into the anger and the monster inside? But she wasnt like that. She couldnt be a ruthless killer. Not even to the ones that hurt her. Not even to the ones that had started this nothingness this night.

All of a sudden she felt hands on her, shaking her, someone calling her name. She panicked for a minute, her body going stiff. Were they back? Had they followed her and were going to continue here? She felt somewhere inside that she should struggle, complain and yell if that were the case. But she just sat there, no will to fight left in her small, fragile body. Not even enough to make the red color come to her eyes. They remained that lifeless gray.

But a scent hit her then. A scent she knew very well. It was her husbands. Vic...He was here. That warm, apple cinnamon scent overwhelmed her and she lifted her head slightly, and looked him in the eyes. But she looked confused and far away. Lifeless. And she saw him...but didnt see him. When he asked her what was wrong, she opened her mouth and tried to respond, but no words came out. How could she tell him? How could she? She took in a breath and tried again.."I..." But no words came to her. How could you explain what had happened?

When she felt his face bury into her shoulder and smelt the tear drop, she didnt know what to do. She normally would have comforted him, but there was nothing left in her. She was used up, damaged beyond repair at the moment. She didnt even want to move. Her eyes clouded up again and she thought surely now she would pass out and the pain would go away, but instead hot, warm tears ran down her cheeks. Her body shook slightly as she started to sob. "Oh god.....Im sorry Vic...Im so sorry..." She wailed and lowered her head, snapping her eyes shut and sobbed harder.

She felt like she had failed him.

[Victor Ambrose]

He couldn’t take it… they way she was. It killed him… He wanted to do something… anything… but there was nothing he could do. She didn’t respond to anything… he felt useless, and right now, he felt like a liar and a betrayer…

Protect her… He was suppose to be there for her, and now she was here in his arms like nothing but a puppet without it’s strings… An empty shell… A doll…

Another tear rolled down his face…

His tears were for naught… they did nothing to help the situation or help them. They just were there… rolling down his face to just slide down, fall off his skin and onto a surface… falling and falling until it hits a surface…

He envied that drop… cause although a drop of rain or a tear falls and hits a surface… in the end, it’s still going to be water…

Ali fell and hit rock bottom, becoming absolutely nothing…

The fabric of reality right now must have been unraveling before her… she seemed so distant and so far gone… she probably didn’t even know he was here… her body, although tense, was nothing more than a reaction… Nothing but primal instinct… and even those seemed as if they were fading…

He lost her…
And he slowly starting to lose himself in the process of watching her drown…

Even her response to his question was nothing more than a mere monotonous and short response… she didn’t even try to hide the French in it…

She was nowhere to be found…

He had failed her… He had failed her and it cost her everything… and it cost him the one thing he could say he truly loved…

His heart dead now physically and emotionally, he just continued to hug her. It was something at least… something he could do to maybe show her he was there for her…

He picked her up, keeping the blanket on her, and her close by. He heard her voice slightly… small and fragile… almost inaudible even to the vampire ears. French… incomprehensible and practically useless sayings. She was lost… He body limp in his arms, and her mind shattered like glass… her mind just worked for the sake of working… French just came and went through her, and it was as if she was talking to the air… no… not even… she was talking to nothing…

Another tear fell…

It was random… the tears… he wasn’t crying… more like his emotions were bubbling randomly and escaped his cold broken face through his worried eyes… Not as bright as they normally are, the lost their luster of majestic Jade and perfect ocean blue…

All of a sudden, her arms shot around him, and her voice echoed through the room… sobs… it cut him like a knife… and the words just made the cuts deeper and longer… "Oh god.....Im sorry Vic...Im so sorry..."

She had no reason to be sorry… Why apologize? If anything… it was him that was sorry… for not being there… for not protecting her… for being so helpless and useless in this situation…

“It’s not your fault Ali. You have no reason to be sorry…” He repeated it once more… he continued to hold her in his arms, taking her towards the bed.

Her sobs continued to get harder, and the knife continued to cut in deeper… He wanted to make her happy again…

Pathetic, helpless, and useless, He sat on the bed, leaning his back against the backboard, and continued to hold her in his arms… It was all he could do…

And in the end… the fool truly lost all… himself and his heart…

All he had… were the tears… tears for the broken soul in his arms… fate was cruel today… and fate was mocking him… and fate was laughing in his face…

All alone...

[Ali Ambrose]

In a way, Ali had went past rock bottom. Far past rock bottom. When you hit rock bottom you normally had somewhere to go. No place but up right? But when you hit past that rock bottom point, what was left to pick up? Nothing but a few shattered pieces and she would be lucky if she even made it that much. It felt like she had hit, time had stood still, and then she shattered apart. Millions of little pieces that meant nothing anymore. That didnt resemble anything. And the pieces were her soul, leaving behind an empty shell of a person.

She could have almost laughed if she was coherent. After all this time, after everything she had been through..This would be the one thing to break her. The one thing to make her mind go crazy and make her loose herself. Make her loose everything she had fought for in herself. Not being the monster, being the girl. Happy, healthy and free. All of it was gone. Would she ever be happy again? Would she ever smile again? Not likely was her own answer to her own question. Her mind was going off in different directions, not really staying in one place or making much sense.

Suddenly she felt like she was floating. Maybe dying? Was she finally dying? What should have happened to her seven years ago when she was attacked in an alley way by Hyde? What had caused him to change her? He had claimed she was the perfect person to be an immortal. Was she? Was she really? She didnt think so. She was to kind, to gentle for this world. A world where you had to be cruel to get anywhere. And when she had tried to be cruel, she had hated life more then anything.

But no, she wasnt dying. She realized Vic was lifting her up and holding her in his arms. Trying to make her feel safe? That was the possible reason. But he was moving and she saw the walls of their home go by and other familiar things, but she didnt know what they were. Not really. She was so out of it and so far gone. She probably couldnt even tell you her real name if you asked her. And since she was a little French child, her natural instinct was to return to that. To try and protect herself. She couldnt even remember English...All she culd remember was French in fact.

Softly whispered words started to leave her and they made no sense what so ever. Just random words here and there. Like the word cat, and pretty, and mother and father and sister. And useless facts that meant nothing at all. Or strange sentences such as, 'A bunny is white and blood is red. Why is that bunny red?' When the floating feeling stopped she glanced up from her sobbing and muttering could tell Vic was crying. He was the only thing that was actually standing out. That had some color.

It was like he was her beacon in the storm. Flashing, and pulsing for her to see. For her to try and swim towards. He was her anchor to reality. The only thing that might be able to pull her out of this. But why was he so sad? Why was he crying? Random images of their wedding appeared in her mind and she could see his smiling face, and his happy eyes. This was all wrong. He shouldnt be crying. What was wrong to make him cry? Her only goal in life was to make hims mile. Was it something she had done?

Weakly, she raised her hand from her stomach where it had been laying and brushed his cheek with her fingertips. "Ne pleure pas l'amour. S'il vous plaît, ne pleure pas. Ali va le rendre meilleur." She was still speaking in French. Not realizing he couldnt understand a word of it. The only ones that could possibly understand her now were her dead parents, her sister, and Rose. But none of them were there. "Je t'aime. Je t'aime si beaucoup."

Ali leaned up slightly and looked him in the eyes, her own showing how lifeless and gone she was. But she moved closer to him and then kissed him gently. At least it started gentle. She remembered their kisses. Those were one thing she could never forget. They were a part of her very being and in every fiber. Thats why she was hoping kissing him might bring her back to reality. Might let her tape those pieces back together. But she didnt want to hurt him, so she broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against his. "Je suis désolé."

[Victor Ambrose]

His mind was working against him right now… Memories of her and him together were flashing at him…
The day they met… the happiness they shared in the gym… the walk… the talk in the hotel room… the comfort he felt when the bad news hit him…
The day he first kissed her… the way she said she loved him… the way they made each other smile…
The day they got married… the walk down the aisle… the smile as they read their vows and said I do… the way they ran from the service to their limo to go to the party…
The day they live their honeymoon… they way they shared their love for one another… the way they danced till to the music of the night under the curtain of the stars… the way they merged together as husband and wife… they way they lived carefree and happy…
The day they went to the ball… the beauty of the lights on her skin… the gracefulness of the dancing and the smiles… the way it just seemed as if it was them and only them… no one else…

Why of all times did these images come now? Was he seeking safety? Was he seeking his anchor? Or was he losing his own grip on reality?

As much as he wanted to break from this cycle, his mind, for some reason or another, clung to it… but his heart clung to the reality that he had Ali in his arms… and she was broken…

The tears kept flowing, yet his face denied those tears…

Her sobs continued to pierce through him… it was just unbearable…

The images continued to flow through him while he listened to her sobs. It just seemed so contradictory… so saddening… so…

"Ne pleure pas l'amour. S'il vous plaît, ne pleure pas. Ali va le rendre meilleur. Je t'aime. Je t'aime si beaucoup."

It was all gibberish to him… nothing made any sense to him… He just… held her… What was he going to say? “I don’t understand?” No… he wasn’t… despite the not understanding, he just held her… hoping somehow things would just work out… that somehow he could just reach out to her and…

And then, he was out… Everything came to a halt in his world… All those memories… those sobs… the lights, sounds, images, feelings… Everything just stopped… except for her…

He lips were on him… and her hope for renewal spread through him…
He could feel the hope and the love in her kiss. And it was working for him…

"Je suis désolé."

Again, he didn’t understand, but somehow he felt like he understood what it meant…
“It’s not your fault…”
He kissed her softly, hoping that it would trigger something in her…
But instead, something within him triggered… and he just kept going with the kiss…
He broke the kiss to kiss down her neck… and that’s when it hit him…
The smell of her skin… the feeling of the blood underneath it… it hit him…
And he pierced her skin…

The blood coursed through him… and along with it… something else…

---

Time stood still for Victor…
He saw things that weren’t his own…
They were memories… but they weren’t his own…
Who was he… where was he going…
He? No… she?
She was looking for a Job… Assassin wasn’t really her prime choice for a job… but she was mainly looking for another job because she promised Victor that she would stop.
Walking down the streets at night with a newspaper in hand probably wasn’t the best thing to do…
And that’s when they showed up… Specters from the past… The faces of ghost that just weren’t suppose to show up again… but this was no hallucination… this was reality…
She remembered them all… Even after eight years… Their faces were sharp in her mind…
The five of them… all ugly savages with nothing in mind that the perversion and the lust in their eyes… And even that was the same…
She tried to run, but her body was paralyzed with fear… They had her surrounded, taking her into an Alleyway… She couldn’t fight back… the memory was just to strong and vivid in her mind… The gagged her, stripped her down… and did things… unimaginable… it was horrible, disgusting… and just… a nightmare… to live through it twice… it’s just hard to forget…

---

Victor broke the drain… but it wasn’t him that was there… it was his hate… his eyes redder than blood, filled with wrath… He wasn’t himself… and it was all black… Victor saw nothing until he woke up, pinned to a wall… Covered in blood…
The shock filled eyes scanned the area… limbs… heads… bodies torn and broken…

Was this him?

[Ali Ambrose]

What is it that makes one person feel something for another? Some say its chemistry, that we are all destined to love someone and just that someone. And some say its luck. Something that we find in the other being that we need to accomplish ourselves. While others dont believe it exists at all. But for Ali, she needed Vic like she needed blood. Like humans needed air. Like her life depended on it. It was him that her life was focused on. Him that she wanted by her side and forever and always. But it didnt matter if he was sad and broken like her.

She could tell he didnt understand a single word she said. At least, not the French words. He just looked at her and held her and she couldnt think of the English words that her French meant. Did she even know English? She was sure she did. She understood him perfectly clear. And so that meant she had to know English. At least some of it. And if she didnt know how to speak it then she understood it. But still she searched her mind for those damn words. Anything to make him happier.

But he was kissing her and she just stopped with her searching and let his lips graze hers and meld with hers. He was so sweet and all hers. How had she gotten so lucky? She remembered everything about him. That they had met in a gym, that they had remained friends for a while and how he hadnt liked Stephan. How she loved him since the moment they met. And how it took one simple kiss to bring it all pouring out. How does someone fall for another person?

He broke the kiss though and told her it wasnt her fault after her apology. Somehow he was able to understand her. Understand that she wasnt able to tell him any other way. And sorry was a word that most people could understand even if it was in a different language. It was the way someone spoke and their tone that let you know. But she was lifeless...how had he been able to tell? Those were the thoughts going through her mind as he started to kiss down her neck.

His lips were like silk against her skin. Nothing in the world could ever feel better. And she wouldnt want anything else anyway. But then suddenly she felt a sharp pain that only lasted for a few seconds. Then pleasure danced through her system, making her feel high. But her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to tell him to stop, before he saw something she didnt want him to see. Saw what she couldnt explain. And sure enough, she felt the memory sliding into place and she was able to sit back and watch it all happen for the third time.

The memory would haunt her for a long time. It wasnt going away. She could still remember their faces. All of them. They hadnt changed much and she hadnt changed at all. So of course, they had remembered her. They had remembered her very quickly. And she was to gentle a person to fight them off. To fight them away without killing them. She could never hurt someone. Not even people that meant her ill will. So she laid there against his arms and watched in horror as what they did to her was played back for him and her both to see.

When he pulled away, her body gave a small shudder and she felt a tear slide down her cheek. But she glanced back up at him and she was stunned to see what she did. His eyes....they were glowing redder then she had ever seen before. These werent the red of lust or fright. These were anger. Anger and hate so strong you couldnt see anything but that one color. In a flash he was up and away from her, running through the house and out the door that was still open from before.

She blinked and it took her a moment to realize what was going on. "No...." She whispered. Her English was coming back to her and she moved slightly, falling to the floor with a thud and then crawled to the door of the room, looking down the hall towards the front door. He was long gone already. And she had a feeling she knew where he was going. She got to her feet even though she didnt want to and walked slowly to the front door and then outside, closing the door behind her. His scent was still fresh and was a straight line for her to follow. Taking in a breath, she shuddered once and then sprinted after him.

It was unclear to her if she could find him before he did anything. With the memory, he would know their scents and therefore be able to track them down and find them easily. Just like she could follow his scent and find him. He must have been running fast though because she was running at vampire speed and hadnt caught up to him yet. He did have longer legs and so a slight advantage. But all vampires could go around the same speed. She just needed to kick it up a notch. So thats what she did, she grit her teeth and then raced after him faster then before.

The scent of the five males from before grew stronger as they got closer to them. She knew for a fact that Vic had probably already found them. Now the scent of blood was in the air and that frightened her. Vic wasnt a killer. This was all her fault. She should have been able to pull it together. Put on a smile and welcome him home. He never would have known.

As she turned the corner of an alley, she stopped in her tracks and had to stare in wonder at first. There was blood everywhere. On the walls, on the floor, on him. Three of the men already were dead, ripped apart and beaten on the dirty floor. Vic was finishing off the fourth one as she watched. The poor man hadnt stood a chance. The fifth one had been smart, hiding, but then decided to take run for it. Nothing excited the hunter more then running prey and she watched as Vic went after him.

Thats when she snapped into action and ran over. "Vic! Stop! This isnt you!" But he must have been really far gone. She tried pulling him off and he snarled and threw her off, causing her to slam into the alley wall back first. She yelped in slight pain and slid to the bloody floor. She sat there for two seconds then got back up. This wasnt the time to be gentle. Her eyes glowed red and she grabbed Vic and pulled him off the other man, rather roughly and then pinned him to the wall. "Stop it!" She yelled at him.

The fifth man stayed on the floor, barely alive but would survive. She watched as Vic's eyes changed slightly. Like he was coming back to reality. Like the monster was going away. She remembered the first time this had happened to her. But she had killed many more people then four. She was covered in blood that didnt belong to her and he was soaked in it. Like he had been swimming in a pool of blood. But there was nothing she could do. Nothing but hold him back. She held him back because she loved him and didnt want him to hate himself. Not because of the five men.

What makes someone love another? No one will know for sure.

[Victor Ambrose]

It couldn’t have been… Could it?
The last thing he remembered was being with Ali in their apartment? What was he doing here?
This couldn’t be right…
This couldn’t be true…
This couldn’t be real…
He was dreaming…
This was just another nightmare…
This wasn’t real… It can’t be…

Nothing added up…
How did he get there?
When did he get there?
Who were these people?
Why was he here? Why were these people dead? And more importantly… Why was he covered in blood pinned to a wall?

He had to go…
He had to get out of here…
This wasn’t right…

God… what has happened…
He needed to move…

Already he was reacting as if he was human…
Vampires don’t need to breathe, and yet Victor felt like he was hyperventilating…
But the breathing didn’t help at all… not with the smell of fresh blood in the air around him…
He was panicking…
Thoughts swirling in his head that made no sense…
Images came and went that had no connection with one another…
Words popped in and out that had no meaning…

Was he insane? Was he really starting to lose his grip on reality?

He felt his legs cave in, and his hands went to his head…
“STOP! MAKE IT STOP!!!”
On his knees, begging for mercy… his hands trying to drown out the noise…
He needed the noise to stop…
It was unbearable…
Everything around him…
Just stop…
Stop…
Stop…

Why? Why won’t it stop?
He started to hear thoughts, voices, screams, laughs…
The violence and the macabre in his head just was unbearable…

The faces he saw. The pain he felt. The blood he tasted. It wasn’t him…
This wasn’t him…

---

This was his chance to shine… to show the boss that he was ready for the big times…
”EVERYBODY DOWN!”
He pulled the trigger, shooting the officer next to him in the knee…
”NOBODY MOVE!!! You! Behind the counter, get out of there!”
This was going to be quick…

---

“STOP! PLEASE STOP!”
It was no use… the beatings just kept coming and coming… All he could feel was the way the belt felt across his skin… All he could hear were his own sobs as the leather made that sound… and the insults kept coming…
”YOU’RE USELESS!!! PATHETIC!!! YOU ARE MY BIGGEST MISTAKE!!! YOU AND YOUR WHORE MOTHER!!!”
And that’s when the belt went around my neck… and when the pain really happened…

---

It was wonderful… the way it felt… skin on skin contact… but it’s not the kind people seem to enjoy… oh… but I loved it… the way his eyes begged for mercy… the way he screamed for me to stop… but no… I wouldn’t stop… not yet…
My fists had a lot to stay… and they craved for his blood… He asked for this… and he got what he deserved…
I could feel the rush… the excitement… the bliss… the arousal… it was magnificent…

---

“YOU FUCKING WHORE! HOW COULD YOU?!”
He was tired of listening… tired of being stabbed in the back… it happened to him all the time… his life was a sad story gone wrong… and it was about to take a turn on horror lane…
“I LOVED YOU?! SEE THIS?! DO YOU FUCKING SEE IT?!”
He took off his ring… and then did something completely insane… he made her swallow it…
He grabbed her and started slapping her.
“WE MADE A PROMISE!! A PROMISE JANNET!”
The tears kept streaming down his face as he continued to hit her… it didn’t matter what she was going to say…
”HOW COULD YOU?! HOW COULD…you…”
She was limp in his arms…
How could he… he killed her…

---

He came out of nowhere… murder in his eyes… but they weren’t normal… his eyes were as red as the fires of hell…
The boss thought nothing of it…

”Kill him" he said…”

Joe took the first crack…
Yeah… he thought he was so cool cause he took that 7-11 down the street and didn’t get caught… ha… he was nothing but a poser… but what that man did to him was uncalled for…
Joe took a swing for his face… and the man dodged, only to grab Joes face, and force it into the side of the building… His head popped like a balloon… But the man wasn’t finished… He grabbed his body like it was nothing and ripped it in half… The man barely broke a sweat…

”WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR YOU IDIOTS?! AN INVITATION?! KILL HIM!!!”

James was up…
Poor kid didn’t know what hit him when his father raped him at the age of thirteen… and he didn’t know what hit him when the man just punched right through his chest and out his back… The horror of it all brought a chill to my eyes… He pulled out and pulled something I hoped to never see… part of James’ spine. I nearly gagged…

Ralph was up next…
The crazy fucker was the craziest one of us… he got turned on by blood and by pain… seeing the sight before him probably just called out to him… You could see it in his smile that he wanted to take the man on…
”I’m going to make you my little beating bit…”
And that’s when the man jumped in the air and kicked Ralph square in the jaw… and it flew off his own face… But what made that sight even more bizarre was the fact his head turned a hundred and eighty degrees… His body was facing the man… but his face was facing us… Ralph fell on his knees and his head to the ground… like a praying man…

”IMBECILES! I’ll take care of this fucker myself!!!”

I felt relieved that the boss didn’t call on me…


Chris took his turn…
The man did time for killing his wife… no one knows the truth of his story… but some say he killed his wife and smiled as he did it… I never believed it… but the others always called him the Widow Maker…
Unfortunately, Chris never had a chance to strike or even speak, unlike the others… The man walked towards him, hitting him in the Adams Apple… Chris was choking… but the man had other ways for him to die… He tripped Chris so that he was on his knee, and he was breaking Chris in so many ways… Twisting his body, I could hear his vertebrae snap and shatter… But that wasn’t the final blow… He threw Chris into the air slightly, bringing his hands on Chris’s chest, and forced him down as hard as he could to this knee… His rib cage popped out of his chest… and so did the lower half of his spine…

And then… he came after me…

---

“STOP IT!!!”
He needed it all to stop…
The images…
The words…
The pain…
The violence…

Why?
God Why?
MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!!!

He curled himself into a ball, crying and screaming…
He could feel himself loosing it…

This couldn’t be right…
This couldn’t be true…
This couldn’t be real…
He was dreaming…
This was just another nightmare…
This wasn’t real… It can’t be…

Nothing added up…
But at the same time… it all came together…

In the end… this was right
This was true
This was real

This was no dream
No nightmare
This was as real as it was getting

And he would suffer the horror of this night for the rest of his life…

[Ali Ambrose]

There wasnt anything she could do. She knew this..and yet, she wished there was. She hadnt been fast enough to stop him from killing. To stop him from this horror. To stop the pain he was obviously going through. To watch him fall to his knees and grasp his head was enough to make her fall down beside him. She watched him with worried eyes, the bright red fading to a dark brown like normal. But she was so worried for him. She didnt even care about herself. How could she help him?

He continued to scream out for it to stop and she knew what was going on. The memories from the humans...It was the worst part of being a vampire. If you bit an actual person, felt the warm blood course down your throat and you didnt know how to block the memories, you saw the strongest ones or their last one. Which normally included you killing them. She remembered the day she had snapped. Killing all those people. It had been a surprise she hadnt gone crazy.

Vic had only five peoples memories flowing through him. When she had snapped, she had killed near a thousand people. Thousands of memories had haunted her after she was done. Was she a monster or a saint? And what had she done by having Vic come into this life. This life of eternal darkness and pain and nothing happy or flashy. Everything was black. A vampires life was not a happy one. She was living proof of that. And she had condemned him to this. What had she done?

She felt the tears start to flow down her cheeks as she watched him. At this point in time she couldnt help him. He had to fight off the memories and she couldnt tell him to do so. There was no connecting to him right now. No link. He probably didnt even know she was there. So she just sat there on the cold floor and waited. She waited for him to stop being in pain. She waited for him to come back. She waited for him to tell her how horrible she was and that this was all her fault. Because truly...it was all her fault. If he hadnt seen the memory, he wouldnt have come after them and he wouldnt have killed.

Her promise to him had been that she would always be there. That she would not let him become a monster. She had failed him. This night would haunt him for the rest of eternity. Just like her own killing spree had done so to her. She had many sections in life that she was not proud of. But yet she was able to move on. Did that mean she was a monster? She didnt know but she was mad at herself for failing Vic. He didnt deserve this. He deserved better then her. Much better. She had brought nothing but pain into his life. How could he stand to be near her?

Glancing over to him she noticed his screaming had stopped. That he might finally be coming back. He was still covered from head to toe in blood. But she was right up there with him now. It would be unclear to someone who had been the killer in this little scene. She looked more like it then him. She had actually sat down in the blood, and had it on her hands and face. But his eyes were clearing, and he was returning. She gently touched his cheek with her fingertips and then sharply took it back as she noticed her fingers were bloodstained.

The smell of blood must have been killing him. But before she could speak up she looked towards the mouth of the alley and noticed two people coming their way. They had flashlights and it would only be a matter of a minute before they shone on her and Vic. "Shit." She muttered and then took his incoherentness into play. She grabbed him gently and then raced to the way back of the alley, far enough away where he wouldnt be found and placed him down gently, then ran back to the scene of the crime. She may not be able to help him, but she could take the blame for this.

She stood there slightly, her back facing the two approaching and by the smell of them she could tell they were cops. They had that sweat smell and the freshly pressed uniform. And sure enough she heard a gun click and then harsh words coming to her. 'Turn around! Hands in the air, no sudden movements!' She did as she was instructed and could have almost laughed at the quizzical looks on the two male faces. They surely were surprised that such a small girl could do this damage.

One kept the gun on her and she sighed as the other officer came forward and then pulled her hands behind her back and cuffed her. Great. Although this was not the first time she had been to jail. She had taken the blame for another killing once before. It was easy enough to get out of human jails and erase the files of her ever being there. The cop that had cuffed her pushed her forward and walked her out of the alley and away from the crime. They reached the squad car and he shoved her in the back seat.

The other cop had called an ambulance for the other man that was still alive. The blinking and flashing lights were giving her a headache, so she closed her eyes and in a matter of moments she was asleep. The next time she woke up, she was at the Vegas City Jail house and being led to her cell in the way back where they kept the murderers. She was alone in the back and she sighed softly, going over to the cot and looking outside through the window. This had turned out to be a lovely day. And when the morning came...she was screwed. She would be nothing left but ashes.

How ironic that today would be the day she died.

[Victor Ambrose]

Victor came to, and looked around him. He wasn’t against the wall anymore. Who moved him? All he remembered was snapping out of his blood lust, being held back by Ali away from the last perso…
ALI!
He got up off the ground and looked around for her, but all he found was the empty alleyway that he was standing in. He focused all his energy to try and comprehend what happened to her. He could hear very faint sirens in the back ground. Ali’s floral scent was in the air, along with the blood and… two other scents… almost identical…
He noticed the shoe prints on the floor that lead to the car. He could smell the rubber of the tires faintly due to the friction of the road. And he could hear the sirens wailing in the distance. All of it just seemed to fall into place what happened…
It could only mean one things… Cops…
The screams and the wails of the… he shivered at the thought of what happened… gang as he ripped them apart must have awoken a nearby sleeper, and that person called nine-one-one. He probably wasn’t in his right state of mind, and that’s when Ali did what she thought was best for him… take the blame…
They would take her to jail. All because of what he did…

’Oh god. Oh god, Oh god, Oh god… What have I done?!’
He was starting to panic. Ali was going to die the moment the sun peaked above the horizon.
’FUCK! This can’t be good. This can’t be good.’
He needed to calm down. He needed to relax and think of something to help Ali. His wife… his future… his life and soul and heart… his everything. He needed to get her out of there, even if it cost him his own life. But how…

The smell of blood wasn’t helping him at all, so he ran back to his place at the speed at which he left it, only to find the door open. Made it convenient as to not leave blood on the door from the outside.
First off needed the blood off of him. It wouldn’t help anyone if he was walking around with blood on his face and body.
Secondly, he needed to calm down… his stress wasn’t going to help neither him nor Ali at all.
And lastly… he needed a plan. There was only one way to get her out of there before the sun came up… Jail Break.

Once he got all cleaned up and everything, he ran as fast as he could to the police station where Ali’s sent seemed to be strongest.

’Think before you act Victor… Think before you… Hey… Now there is an idea.’
He saw a police car move towards the alley directly next to the station. It was probably heading toward the garage bellow the station. Two cops in the squad car, but nothing too complicated that he couldn’t handle.
He zipped down the alley, stopping right before the entrance of the garage. It was dark enough for them to have a hindered sight, but bright enough for Victor to surprise them when he made his move.
He heard the doors open. Last row, last column. He was sure of it by the way the sound bent around the corner of the garage. One male was heavier than his partner. The footsteps heavier and slower. The other one was a thin male, tall, but skinny. His footsteps were light and quick, although he kept them short to stay close to his partner. This was his chance. He ran in and found them in his line of sight. But he didn’t stop. He continued to run, reaching the big one first. He pressed the sleeper nerve found in the neck, and the man was out like a light. Before the other one could respond, he covered his mouth and pinned him to a nearby pillar.

“If you want to live, you will keep your voice down and answer my questions briefly and without too much confusing detail. Understand? Nod if you do.”
The officer scared nodded. Victor wasn’t hiding his vampire skills at all. He knew the man was scared, especially since he probably felt like the cold hand of death on his face.
“Good, now where is the cells you keep convicts who were just taken?”
Victor slowly uncovered the cop’s mouth. Fortunately, he responded without being a pain in his side.
”Second floor, near the south east corner of the building.”
South east. Damn, that was all the way on the other side of the building from where he was. Not to mention that he would have to climb up to stories to get there.
“What size clothing do you wear?”
”What?”
“YOU HEARD ME!” Victors hand put pressure around the man’s neck. He wasn’t in the mood.
”Umm… Um… Mediums! Mediums!”
It would be a tight squeeze for Victor, but it was better than nothing. He put the man to sleep, and undressed the man as well as himself quickly. He got into the clothing of the officer and shoved both men into the car’s front seats. He made his way quickly up the stairs and was on his way to the first floor when he heard someone call out, “ROOKIE!” Victor froze in his tracks. If he didn’t respond, they would suspect something.
“Yes Sir.”
”Were are those files? I asked for them an hour ago! I want the case files number 245 on my desk within the minute, or your ass is grass!”
“Yes sir!” He ran the way he was heading, only to be stopped again.
”Computers are back there rookie!”
He wasn’t going to go anywhere soon until that idiot had his case files. So he ran to the computer and hacked into the system, and found where the files were. He was about to log off when an idea hit him. He quickly took a quick detour in his plan to print out four sheets of papers that would probably save him some time later on. Once printed, he folded the paper softly, and stuck it in the pocket of the jacket. He ran, grabbed the file, and gave it the that dumb ass who delayed him major time.
”Good Work Rook… next time, don’t be late…”
He just nodded and ran for the stairs. Hopefully she was still there…

And she was. He pulled out one of the paper from his pocket and talked to the person at the desk keeping an eye on things.
“Hey… The girl is free to go. Here is her release papers.”
”Let me see those. I don’t buy it for one… Well I be damned… Here’s the key. Who bailed her out?”
“I did.” He punched the officer, knocking him out.
He quickly ran for the cell, unlocking it. Regardless of what she would say or react, he grabbed her hand and cuffed her to him. This wasn’t time for questions or conversations. They could take care of it all once they were out. He walked back the way he came, grabbing the papers and closing the door to the cell. Little disturbances this time… except for that boss of his. Victor pulled out the wrong file, but luckily, the papers in his hand got him off the hook, and gave him a quick getaway plan to the garage.

Once down there, he stopped, and uncuffed them both… and then he took a good look at her hugging her as a tear escaped his eyes, completely showing the opposite of how he was a couple minutes ago.
“Are you okay?”

[Ali Ambrose]

Ali had moved away from the window about an hour back. Watching the moon had just done nothing but make her realize she was in so much trouble. There was no way of getting out. There was a guard watching the prisoners. Normally she would have slipped out already. But that was useless at the moment. Maybe they would switch guards and she could take her chance then? But it was unlikely and so she had just decided to sit on the cot in the little corner and think.

Sometimes, when she thought about things it wasnt exactly a good thing. But what came to mind actually, was a poem she had read in Language Arts back when she was in school. It had been written by Emily Dickinson. And the last two lines now stood out to her. 'Parting is all we know of Heaven and all we need of Hell.' Oh how true those words were. Just the thought alone of having to leave Vic was hell in itself. But she was protecting him and thats all that mattered.

Looking up, she noticed two different cops drag in another man, that was struggling between them. Not that it was doing much good. These cops were pretty damn strong. Against her, they wouldnt have stood a chance, but a human against a human was a fair battle. They shoved the new man into the cell next to her and told the guard to watch them both. She didnt really pay much attention to it and looked back at the wall. That is, until the man started to speak up.

He was up against the bars that split their cells and he had a grin on. "What ya in for baby?" She sneered at him and tried to ignore him, but her cot was close to the bars and he grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "Your cold sweet. Want me to warm that skin for you?" She jerked away from him and stood up and folded her arms. "Get off of me creep. Im married." She told him, glaring. And even if she hadnt been married or with someone she wouldnt have dared let him touch her. This guy was a creep.

The man just laughed and shrugged. "You'll be bugging me for it. You wait and see." He told her and thats what snapped her resolve. She went over to the bars and batted her eyes gently, and then pulled back, and curled her fingers into a fist, before the man could even blink, she had socked him in the face. Hard. He flew back and his nose was broken, bleeding horrible. "Dont EVER touch me or talk to me again." She snarled at him.

The guard the whole time had just been sitting there laughing his ass off. He didnt care if they messed each other up. They were on death row anyway. The man scooted back to as far away from her as he could get. She sighed and sat back down on the cot and closed her eyes, her head against the wall. She started to hum loudly, trying to distract herself. What would they think when they found her as nothing but a pile of ashes. And then she found herself cutting off the humming.

How would it feel to die. She knew how it felt for her body to die. For her body to no longer function and to turn into the living undead. But how would it feel to burn alive? A small shudder ran through her body and she pushed that thought away. She didnt want to think about that. When it came, she would deal with it then. So clearing her mind, she listened to the voices in the jail house. She thought she caught Vics voice somewhere in the place but that wasnt possible. Surely he wouldnt risk it with it being this close to sunrise. Would he?

Listening more intently now, she wanted to know if it was him. But the voice had cut off and she didnt hear it again. Damn. Well, maybe she had been hearing things. A few minutes later though she opened her eyes in shock.

“Hey… The girl is free to go. Here is her release papers.”
”Let me see those. I don’t buy it for one… Well I be damned… Here’s the key. Who bailed her out?”
“I did.”

She jumped to her feet when he punched the guard out cold. "Vic!" She said, her eyes still as wide as ever. She hadnt been expecting him to bust her out. That hadnt occurred to her. But she didnt have time to talk as he took her hand and then cuffed her to him. She was going to protest but then he pulled her out and along with him. The last words she heard was the man she had punched calling out to Vic. "That woman is a crazy bitch man!"

There was very little interruptions along the way and once they were safe and away from people he broke down in front of her. She wiped the tears away and smiled at him gently. "Im fine. Promise." She told him. She kissed him softly, and then cupped his face in her hands. "Vic...why did you do that. They will know it was you. I thought I heard you before. Someone saw you. We will have to move out of Vegas for them to not, one, find me, and two, not find you for helping a murderer." She told him and looked at him gently.

This was not what she had been planning. They would have to leave now, and it would be a few years before they could come back. She still had her place in London though. Maybe they could go there. Would Vic like London? She had to admit that she loved London. It was perfect for vampires and the werewolves who hated vampires were far and few between until you hit Paris. Plus, she could pull a few strings for a job for him there. She knew a bar tender there that could help him open a new one or just expand the one he had into a chain.

[Victor Ambrose]

"I’m fine. Promise."[/color] She told him. She kissed him softly, and then cupped his face in her hands. "Vic... Why did you do that? They will know it was you. I thought I heard you before. Someone saw you. We will have to move out of Vegas for them to not, one, find me, and two, not find you for helping a murderer."[/color]

He didn’t know what say or do. He was so worried about Ali. Her hands around his face like that felt so good. But he had to know for sure she was okay. But first he had to calm down.
His emotions were running wild right now, and this wasn’t like him, nor did he like the feeling. He was so use to being logical and rational, letting his emotions only guide his reasoning minutely. This wasn’t like him at all… He hated it…
But right now he had more important things to worry about.
He looked back at Ali, making sure she was okay, trying to find any bruises, cuts, or anything that could indicate hurt. He knew Ali healed slower than most vampires, and that was one of the many reasons why he worried about her.

He then finally took the time to answer her worries. He knew that he was risking a lot by breaking her out, but he had to do it. Now it was his turn to relax her…

“I did it for the sole reason that I can’t live without you. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that you were going to turn to dust because of my actions. And I know that they will know who I am and that I broke you out, but it doesn’t matter… I already took care of everything… And before you start worrying about all the things I am going to leave behind, I took care of it all. But right now, we need to go. Someone is bound to realize that you are missing, and to hear that crazy cell mate of yours. So right now, we need to get home. Once there, I need you to pack your stuff so we can get ready to fly out of here. We are heading to London. I have everything set.”

He wasn’t kidding. He called up Rachel and told her that the bar was hers. She was flipping out and wanted to know why, but he didn’t answer. All he said was that he was going to open a new branch in London and that he needed her to take care of the branch there. After that, he hung up the phone telling her he needed to take care of something. He didn’t tell her that the something was breaking out his vampire wife from jail.

He packed up most of his stuff, and was ready with everything. Clothes, shoes, socks, books, guitar, hardware, software, folders upon folders of paperwork, everything. There was nothing in his house except the boxes that he was planning on getting shipped off in a couple of minutes, as well as the stuff Ali needed that he wasn’t sure what to pack.

He was ready with everything, and he wasn’t about to let some horrible haunting mistake ruin his life with her.

“Shall we go?”

He still had the worry in his eyes, but right now, he couldn’t afford to have that ruin anything. Once he was out of the country, he could manage to relieve some of his stress.

[Ali Ambrose]

It was a natural part of her nature to worry about things. To worry about her friends and family. She hardly ever worried about herself. And right now, she was worried about Vic. He seemed so confused and out of it. She knew that being a newborn was hard. That everything was so new and fresh that you couldnt take it all in. Vic was used to being rational but sometimes a newborn didnt think rationally. Sometimes, not even an experienced vampire thought rationally. It was a skill that took time to perfect. But she knew that Vic would be able to handle that within time.

For now however, she would watch him like a hawk and make sure he was all right. There was nothing more important then him. When he scanned her body for any signs of injury she was able to tell right away. He wasnt very subtle and she knew him better then she knew herself. He worried about her just as much as she worried about him. And seeing as she didnt heal as fast, he worried even more when she got hurt. It was a weird little thing she had noticed. What had Nix called her? Defective? Yes. Thats right. Nix had called her defective. She wasnt like the normal status quo.

At his explanation she touched his cheek gently. She would have done the same thing. It was just reality. They were two love struck fools and there wasnt anything they could do about that. So she nodded her head. "All right. Lets go." She told him and then took his hand and raced off to their house. With the vampire speed, it wouldnt take them long. When they reached the place she let go of his hand and then raced back to their room and grabbed the things she needed. Which wasnt much. She only grabbed a change of clothes for one day. She still had some clothes back in London.

It took her only a matter of moments before she was done, her hand around her mothers locket that was draped over her neck. Glancing up she nodded and then sighed. "Off we go."

-Skip to the arrival in London-

Ali had been able to get them some decent priced tickets and on the next available flight. It helped that she knew every single clerk that worked there. She had been in and out of airports for a good five years of her life and so she knew many people that could pull some strings. Just like this one. They had only payed for one ticket instead of two. Amber had been the lady helping them and she congratulated Ali on getting Married. About an hour later, they were on their way off to London.

On the plane ride there, she had ended up falling asleep, her head on Vic's shoulder and just stayed that way until the end of the trip. She heard the pilot announce they were arriving and she shook herself awake, rubbing her eyes to wake herself up more. Leaning over Vic who had gotten the window seat, she lifted up the little shade that covered the window and smiled. It was about twelve in the afternoon in London, but the sky was gray and gloomy and it was raining outside. "Good old London." It was one of the only places she knew of that vampires could actually come out during the day.

Unloading the plane didnt take long and when they entered the airport she waved to several people that she knew and then smiled at Vic. It felt like she was back at home. Her eyes were bright and she was in a cheerful mood. "My place isnt far from here. We can take a car...or...walk." She told him and shrugged. She herself didnt own a car because she didnt know how to drive for one thing and secondly..those things scared her.

[Victor Ambrose]

"My place isnt far from here. We can take a car...or...walk."[/i]
Victor was quiet through the entire ride there. He was just a little shook up because of the incidents that had occurred. He just killed five people, and his wife took the wrap for it, almost making her the disappearing magic trick of the year, where all she leaves behind is a pile of ashes and no ever sees her again.
He didn’t want to think of Ali being burned to a crisp…

It put his mind at ease on the plain when he saw Ali finally getting some sleep. It was probably the most relaxing thing he had seen all day…

Unfortunately, he couldn’t get any sleep.

Now he was he was here in London, probably the cloudiest and gloomiest city in the world, with Ali. This was all his fault.
Oh how he wish he could turn the hands of time only to undo the madness that he created.

What he wanted to know is why Ali felt sad…

There was sadness towards the fact they left Las Vegas, the fact he left his job, and he killed those men… but there was a hint of something else in there… something he couldn’t quite pinpoint… but it seems to have something to do with the killings… but not him… But he couldn’t put the pieces together…

He pulled himself from his thoughts, and looked at Ali, trying to make a smile…

“We could go for a walk. It looks nice enough to go for a small walk.”

Besides, he needed to scope the land, maybe look at the scenery, and probably find a way to get a new bar open… He always wanted to open a “Barns&Noble” sort of place… or maybe ask for a spot in one.

“Shall we go for that walk? I could use some fresh air.”