Melody was hungry. No, she was starving. After the thing with Martinez, after Evora and her Yoda bullshit, after Thalia’s good-natured but incessant questions she was losing her cool. Thalia was beginning to look appetizing in more ways than one and the constant thump-thump of her heart rang like dinner bells in her mind. She tried to push her limit another day but… she couldn’t, she would not lose control around Thalia. 

“I’m going out.”

“Where to? I can keep you company.” Thalia bounced from her seat. 

“No, that’s alright. I’ll just be a bit.” 

“That’s okay. I don’t mind. I’m kind of curious, you know?”

Melody closed her eyes, took an internal deep breath, not wanting to feel the rasping from the last time she did that. This girl was nuts. Well she was always nuts, and Mel loved her for it but this… was something else entirely.

“No, Thalia. I’m going to find… something to eat.” 

Her eyes widened at that. Curiosity and perhaps just a bit of horror, but the kind of horror you can’t look away from, the kind you don’t want to look away from. 

“You owe me Mel, I deserve to know, to understand what exactly you are, what I encountered.” Her voice was firm. 

Mel couldn’t hide her grimace. It was beginning to feel as if others had power over her, and that didn’t sit well. It wasn’t right.

“No. Not this time.” She said, letting that thrum of power flow through her, and watched as her friend’s eyes grew hazy. “I don’t owe you this, in fact. Why should I owe you it? ”  

“Okay.” Thalia muttered. “Next – next time then.” She choked out looking away, sweat beading as she fought against the force Mel applied, “Maybe – you’re right. I feel the world. The world owes me. After that night.” 

Mel couldn’t help but blink in surprise. She hadn’t expected push back, but Thalia did. Somewhere under all that self-destruction of her friend, her best friend was something strong. She couldn’t deny it, but she was afraid of what it meant for the future. Her gut churned too, she didn’t like doing that to her, or how easy it was to have someone bow to her whim. She didn’t know what to feel about Thalia’s answer. 

“I don’t want you to… I don’t want to lose you, if you see what it is I do,” Mel whispered. “Or for you to get hurt.”  

Thalia’s eyes softened and she nodded once, before flopping back on the couch.

“Be safe. I… don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to pretend all of this isn’t real.”

At that Mel slipped from the apartment and shut the door behind her. She didn’t know what to think of that, of all of everything just yet. All she knew is that she wasn’t going to just starve and die, no matter who it upset. She looked over the railing across the pavement lot at her bike. She could take it, but she didn’t truly feel like it. She wanted to run, to be unrestrained and she didn’t quite understand what that meant.

She closed her eyes, let the haze settle, let it take the lead again, but this time she… let it go, but she watched and listened. With a curl of her lips she hopped the railing and landed in a crouch, before sprinting off. She jumped from wall to wall to get height before jumping between rooftops, and let herself enjoy it for what it was. She was owed that right? After all she paid with her life for this. 

It didn’t take long before she found herself on the northeastern side of town. It was a place hustling and bustling with wealth. Bigger gated homes, lavish bars, clubs, venues, big box stores and finance offices. Easy picking for high class blue blood treats. She hadn’t let herself have something truly refined, not yet. She was allowed, right? She had been so hungry over this week. 

She perched above a bar and waited. Bars had drama, drama meant fights, fights meant someone would isolate themselves. Eventually. It didn’t take long. A conspicuous couple left the front of the club arguing. Mel didn’t bother listening in, though she couldn’t ignore the comment “sleazy pig.” The man dressed in a blazer and slacks drug the woman, all leather and lace back into the alley. No one paid them any mind as their screams escalated to physical contact. She slapped him, he decked her and stormed off towards the street..

That one. 

She hopped down from the roof, loving she could do that and landed with grace between the two. The man storming a way had his back turned to her, but the woman saw. Before she could scream she turned to her.

“Silence.” she hummed and enjoyed the thrum of power being used. A small part of her lit up every time she did. She only felt guilty when she did that to Thalia, but anyone else? It just felt good.  

With a dash, all blurred colors she was at his back and wrenched him back to her before slamming him into the wall. She didn’t react to the sickening crack. Something broke, but she paid it no mind, as she eased her teeth into place and slowly, savoring the tension, bit down and her nails dug deep into his skin, slicing through the fabric of his bourgeoisie shirt.

Mmmm, they say the first hit is the best, but this… every time is the best time.

Men, she thought, tended to have a sharper bite to their blood, the fear they felt adding a savory delight to the back of her tongue. She could feel him flail at her uselessly, she could hear his heart beat like a war drum. Something savagely primal in her listened in anticipation of the slowing beats, like the trailing echoes of an orchestra – then silence. She dropped  the body, like the discarded refuse that it is to her, at least in that moment. 

Now she just had to deal with the girl. Just a simple push, she would be on her way. Even lost in the haze like this, she knew taking two would be more problems than it was worth. As she turned toward her, she realized she had a situation. Martinez stood wide eyed at the far end of the alley next to that Rowan woman. Turning to look behind her stood two more people, guns drawn. One man, one woman.

“Fantastic.” She said aloud, to no one in particular, “How did you even find me?”  

“Easy. Air tag, and new leeches tend to get lost in the blood,” Rowans replied, “See Jules. Exactly as I said. I know you are new to this, but they exist. They always have.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.” 

Rowan grinned, lopsided and cocky, “You were distracted. You wear that jacket like Armor. Jules said he never sees you without it.”

Mel’s gaze fell onto Martinez. He seemed as surprised as she felt. She watched as his eyes flickered to Rowan and back to her. He didn’t say anything but his frown deepened.

“Tell me, vampire. Who made you? Tell me what you know and don’t fight. We can end this clean.” Rowan spoke.

Mel couldn’t help the low throaty laugh at the situation. Of course vampire hunters would be a thing. 

“How cliché. Do you really expect me to just lay down and die? I didn’t ask for this, but I won’t die for your convenience either. Nor would I expect others like me to do the same.” Melody mused. 

“You killed James!” The man from behind seethed. 

Melody didn’t turn to face him, just listened and felt the area around her, a kind of new proprioception she had. Though she hadn’t really thought all that much about how these senses worked, she was glad for them, at this moment, though the scent of fear in the blood of those behind her was distracting.  

“I did. After he killed me. Well, human me. Then again, I suppose police brutality is standard procedure, isn’t it.” She said simply. 

Martinez blanched and Rowan looked thoughtful, though she did not waver a second and stepped closer.

“I find that hard to believe, vampire. Not impossible, mind, but very hard to believe.” Rowan replied.

“Do you really? I think you heard me the other night. I will be the first to admit, I am very new at this. But you know what?” Melody gestured at the crumpled carcass of the man she killed, “For being a week back from the grave, I didn’t waste a single drop. Yet all these so-called ‘vampire’ attacks? Wasteful.”

“Be that as it is, vampire, that doesn’t prove James was your killer.” Rowan replied.

“No. I have no evidence that you would believe, I don’t think. However, I can say that if a vampire killed me, why was I covered in my own blood? Why were Keegan and whoever the one I let go hanging around, discussing how my death should look? Or is it just a police procedure to cave in someone’s skull and leave them for dead?”

Martinez’ eyes widened, shock evident, as well as confusion. Rowan stopped her approach, tilting her head in thought. Something ticked, a clicking noise. Something mechanical, then every instinct screamed to move. Gunfire erupted from behind her. The woman from the couple, the one bewitched silent, took a hit to her abdomen and crumpled. Shouts erupted and the smell of cordite filled the alley. Cordite and blood.

Melody wanted to live and she gladly handed the reins to instinct. She jumped quickly back and forth up the wall before launching at one of the shooters behind her and swiped at their throat, her nails now long and sharp, then pivoted a step behind the other shooter and sank her teeth deep into his throat taking greedy swallows until he stopped moving. She held his un-moving form as a shield and looked past and saw Martinez and the club girl down, Rowan nowhere in sight. 

Anger swirled in her gut, the blood in her belly roiling as she dashed to Martinez. She didn’t want him to know about her, but she didn’t want him dead. She was at his side in a blur of colors and she stared into his eyes. They were closed and she looked closely. He took a shot to the head, but not – not fatal. A graze along his skull. His eyes fluttered open. 

Alive.

Standing up and spinning on her heel she spotted Rowan in cover behind the club's dumpster, eyes wide in shock as she pulled her own gun from under her jacket. Mel ignored her and stepped towards the club girl. She was alive, but not in good shape and she still couldn’t speak. 

“Fuck. Ok. I know I can command people, maybe… maybe I can do more. Don’t fight me girl. This will hurt.” She said, the familiar thrum of power pulsing with her command.

Melody peered and could see the bullet in the wound. It made quite the impact and didn’t penetrate. Slowly and carefully she sliced the wound a bit wider and pulled the bullet from her, hissing at the burn of it and tossing it aside. She willed and concentrated and… nothing. Nothing happened. 

“Ok, so maybe --” 

“Use your blood fledgling, if you are keen on saving this human. It is the catalyst for larger things.” 

She heard Evora before she felt her drop into the alley and standing behind her. Blood, her blood, ok, she could do that, wait…

“It won’t change her, right?” 

“Not unless that is what you want to impose on the world.” She said, quietly. “It isn’t your blood, Melody that does anything, but your will. The blood is just a catalyst.”  

Mel had no hesitation, a part of her needing this to justify herself, her taking, and she sliced her palm and smeared her black inky blood over the wound and she felt a connection to her. The club girl, to – Beth. 

“Listen Beth, you will heal. You will be fine.” Melody knew it, for she commanded it and felt the hum in her veins listen and ignite. “Sleep.” 

The girl’s wounds did begin to knit, slowly but much faster than a human ever would unabated. Melody could feel both Evora and Rowan now standing behind her, watching. She stood up and turned to face them. Lost, drained, tired. 

“So. What now?” Melody asked. 

“Now, you must choose. The world will not sit idly by Melody.” Evora said, quietly, before in a blur was gone once more. 

Mel stood, in a kind of shell shocked silence. Everything she thought about the world was all turned upside down. Evora could have saved her before she was brained. If she was even there to do it. Regardless, she didn’t have to at all, and she did. Cops and these… vampire hunters were out committing murders, but it seemed like it was news to Rowan too. Not that she had any real history with this, but it wasn’t like any fiction she read before either.

“I don’t like you, vampire. I don’t. But I believe you. This should not have happened.” Rowan spoke, a hard edge to them. “Who was that?” 

“Someone who found me, who didn’t try to kill me.” Mel spat. 

Rowan pulled a faded business card from her pockets before handing it to Melody. Her stance was stiff, and muscles coiled to react in an instant.

“They deliberately aimed to kill not just you, but us as well.. You saved one yet you killed one not involved. It is clear to me that – something about our circumstances is not normal. I will,” she twisted her mouth into a grimace, “deal with this. If vampires are not the one’s doing this… then I will leave you be for now. Call in the next few days. You and I, it seems, have some information to share if we want to solve this puzzle.”

Melody didn’t argue, didn’t quip back, her thoughts too full of questions. She just zipped up the wall and over rooftops, looking to make it home and pretend life made sense again.