Fantasy Eden

[amdreams]

Survive school, graduate, join the monotonous adult world until you eventually die. This was the plan for a group of friends living in Bellua City. A normal life. In a normal city. But going home late from school one night, they stumble across a murder. And the culprit. A vampire?

Fortunately, they’re saved. But they’re saved by other monsters. And after witnessing what they did, their “saviors” aren’t willing to let them go just like that. Now they have two choices. Die and take this secret to the grave. Or get dragged into the world of monsters, magic and mafiosos that secretly control their city.​

~~~~~
​

The story begins with a group of human teenagers who, going home late from school one night, come across a vampire killing someone. Seeing them, the vampire turns on the teens, chasing them down until it's stopped by a couple of other supernatural creatures. But since they've already witnessed the vampire, the ones who saved them can't just let them go. Instead, the teens are given a choice. To either die to preserve the secret or give up any hope of a normal life.

The humans are now at the mercy of these monsters, who end up pulling them into this supernatural world. They go on adventures, discover more about the secret side of their city and some of the darker parts as well.

~~~~~​

Setting: The roleplay takes place in Bellua City, a large city I imagine is similar to London (but not London so that I don’t have to worry about inaccuracies), set in England. On the surface, it’s your average city, but in reality, everything is controlled by 3 supernatural mafia families, the Walpurgis. Smaller gangs are numerous but the city is only really run by the big three that not only control a major aspect of the supernatural society but also human society, such as security, media, medicine, etc. Most smaller gangs pledge allegiance to one of the main 3.

Walpurgis: (if you want to make a mafia family that maybe serves under the Walpurgis then please pm me)

• Ashtrum - (demons) The Ashtrums, on the surface, run Polaris, an international security company that deals in everything from alarm and security systems to trained body guards. But in the underworld, they're a demonic family of assassins usually tasked with killing those who prove to be problems to the underworld to pretty much anyone if you can pay enough. They're most known for their brutality and lack of concern for the well being of anyone they deem weak.
• Draculesti - (vampires) To the outside world, the Draculesti run the largest hospital in Bellua City and a chain of pharmaceutical companies, researching medical innovations. After dark, it's not much different. The Draculesti continue to research, but rather than regular medicine, they look into drugs and innovations to help supernaturals blend into human society or things to help neutralize rogue threats. Such things include a specialized sunscreen for vampires or pills to help monsters swallow human food if need be. They also control the blood and human meat supply for monsters who require such diets. These usually come from the donors or recently deceased from their hospitals. Mess with them and you may find yourself a test subject for their experimentation.
• Kassem - (dragons) The Kassem family run the banks in Bellua City and are best known for bringing the city from crippling debt to a prosperous economy in the past, being the family with the most history here. In the underworld, they run the black market and auction house, selling things from antiques and magic artifacts to rare creatures and even humans and other supernaturals, to be either slaves or food. Those who've crossed the Kassems have often found themselves either on the auction stage or a ship to their new owners.

There are also numerous smaller gangs, but they don't have much power or freedom unless allied under one of the Walpurgis.

~~~~~
​

Character Roles:

• Humans (3-4 total) - A group of regular teenagers, friends, who stumble upon a supernatural scene and now can either get killed to protect this secret world or pretty much become slaves (not literal slaves) to this world and their “saviors”.They must be completely human with no supernatural blood, abilities or experiences. This can change with the rp but if you want your character to become something supernatural or gain abilities, then please discuss this with me first so we can work something out if it’s possible.
• Supernaturals (2-4 total) - Supernatural creatures that are tasked with keeping an eye on the humans to make sure they don’t reveal the supernatural world to the human one, and to kill them if they do. They can belong to one of the Walpurgis families but do not have to.

Character Sign Up and Rules: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/eden-character-sign-up-and-rules-currently-accepting.325350/
OOC: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/eden-chatter-and-rp-tracker.325348/

 

[amdreams]

Friday, April 14th

11:00 PM​

"Ahhwwwn . . . "

Sluggishly dragging his feet against the stone ground, Silver failed, yet again, to stifle a yawn. He took another swig of his coffee, wanting to wake himself up even a little bit. After all that time at the library, Silver thought that a cafe that was still open this late at night was a god send. But it didn't seem like it helped in the slightest. Was this coffee decaf? Or did he just form some sort of resistence to caffeine? Either way, he just wanted to get home. Wanted to sleep.

He took a quick glance at the rest of the group, trying to see if any of them were holding up better than he was. Sweet, almost innocent Elizabeth. She was always helpful, whether it be with their studies or baking advice. The kids back home did love her sweets. Standoffish and rather confusing Ralph. Silver could never really tell if he wanted to be around them or not with the way he acted. And with his earbuds usually in use, it was unclear if he even heard them most of the time. The misunderstood artist, Rüdiger. Silver assumed his paintings would be the type called "genius" or "expressive", but they always scared him. Probably because he didn't have "artist" eyes or whatever. And then there was rough and tough Fiora. She had a bit of an attitude with her perfume sounding name, but her heart was in the right place from what he could tell. They all seemed conscious enough to walk at least.

It was late. Enough so that there were few people out on the street. He remembered seeing a police officer a few blocks back. A couple of drunkards that decorated any street corner touching a pub. And the occasional taxi he couldn't afford. But other than that, there wasn't really anyone out here with them. Probably for the best. There had been a string of murders in the area lately. Cruel killings that left corpses with their throats ripped out. The police haven't found the criminal yet.

Maybe they should've skipped the cafe. He wasn't even sure who recommended it in the first place. Maybe they shouldn't have stayed so long studying. But A-levels were in less than 2 months and he doubted his family's financial situation could survive another year of his part time pay and what little they got from government aid. He needed to pass. They all did, though perhaps some more than others.

They were probably safer as a group, but he'd still prefer getting home sooner rather than later. Getting Elizabeth and Fiora home first was the plan, being girls and all. Then, he wasn't sure how the guys planned on moving. Rock-paper-scissors? Or maybe just splittin gup once the girls were home.

Just as Silver thought he would just drop and sleep right there, a loud shriek sent his heart pumping faster than the coffee could even hope to. It seemed to come from a few meters ahead. "Y-you guys heard that too, right?" He looked around. No police. No one in sight. How convenient. Silver swallowed, set his cup gently to the side, because he was not a litterbug, and ran in the direction of the screams.

He stopped where he thought he heard them, but didn't see anything suspicious, or anyone at all. Until the sounds of rather loud . . . chewing? came from the alley nearest to him. Once he turned, he fell back onto the ground, really regretting that extra large cup of coffee right now because it was taking nearly all of his energy to control his bladder. Face pale and eyes wide, all he could muster to do was point a shaking finger forward as the lump in his throat made it difficult to produce sound.

In the alley, mostly obscured by the shadows of the buildings around it, was a dark figure hunched over a limp one. Its head buried into the latter's neck as the red stains on the ground slowly grew. The chewing sounds seemed to be coming from it, the sounds matching the violent twitches of the one being eaten, a woman by the looks of it. Eyes teary, her eyes met Silver's as her arm tried to reach out to him and the others. Her mouth opened but all that could be heard were gasps soon replaced by gurgles.

 

[0stinato]

Rüdiger didn't understand it. He had gone through the process of A-Level Psychology twice now, yet everything remained mysteriously erased from his memory. Had he studied anorexia nervosa before, last year? Was Schizophrenia a subject this foreign to him? Why did he not remember a shred of the Relationships topic? All he could do was pout about it as he left the café. Silver seemed to be leading the way - God knew where they were even going - so Rüdiger thought it best to stick with the group, even if he was trailing behind at the back.

Silver had probably said where they were going. They'd probably all agreed on something, but Rüdiger didn't remember what. Had he even listened? Probably not; there were things in his mind more important than listening to these people.

As for why he was sticking near to them, he knew about three of them would worry if he slunk off on his own. And them worrying didn't upset Rüdiger, not at all. It was more the avoidance of dealing with their worry that he didn't want to put himself through. If he was to split from them now - he probably could, being at the back - he'd get home and have text messages and missed calls, either from Elizabeth or Silver, most likely. Probably not Fiora though. As much as she was agreeable with Elizabeth, she was cold to Rüdiger. He doubted she'd check on him if he vanished.

He stared at her back, at Fiora's back while satisfying an itch that had developed on his jaw. Best to stay. Best to keep walking on behind the others. He could think about Other Things, even if the actual time was being wasted, what with Silver taking a rather roundabout route apparently.

The area wasn't as built up as other places in Bellua; the buildings didn't stand as tall, but the alleyways between said buildings were thinner because of this. Perhaps big enough for two people to walk down, shoulder-to-shoulder. Not the nicest area, but quiet. Hence why they'd chosen to come down here to 'study'. He couldn't speak for the others, but certainly he hadn't done much. It was a bad day for memorising Psychology studies, so Rüdiger decided to not bother. He had tomorrow to do it. He'd do it then.

With his eyes still on Fiora's back as his mind complained to itself about things he didn't want to know, he didn't quite notice where he was until a scream stopped the others in their tracks. As if it was a brick wall, they all came to a halt, forcing Rüdiger to stop walking too. His eyes naturally travelled to Silver as he spoke hurriedly, panic like bile in his voice.

Rüdiger was never one to call Silver impulsive - that title belonged to Ralph more than the other - but his expectations were dashed as Silver split from the group and ran towards the scream. And, equally as naturally, everyone else ran after Silver. Sprints borne of concern or a desire to stick with the group, the crowd mentality spurred Rüdiger to follow them too, though he said nothing.

What was he about to witness? A rape? A mugging? Could be anything. But, as his eyes fell on what was around in that alley, he wasn't sure he could believe them. Blood, more than looked possible, slopped to the ground every second. And Silver was on the ground at the front. If the culprit wanted no witnesses, they'd jump for Silver first.

Something heightened in Rüdiger's head, as if his mind was taking a breath in preparation for its own scream. But he wouldn't let it surface into reality. The figure on top of the woman who, from face to torso, was a sopping shade of red, had moved. Looking at them. Their face was impossible to figure out with the shadow of itself contorting the few visible features into an indistinguishable mess.

And that thought frustrated him. He had a knack for portraiture, and was naturally clued into the facial structure and build of everyone he'd encountered. Analysing the shape of a feature was as natural to him as reading. Suddenly becoming stumped because of shadows felt horrifyingly unnatural to him. He didn't want to look at it anymore.

He cursed to himself, stepping back and taking his eyes from the scene. The blood and the face of the woman were in his head well enough, but the culprit was not. The shadows in the alley were too thick, too lethargic for Rüdiger to see through. Someone was dying, and he couldn't see who was killing them.

amdreams Devious Dilbert Capricornus Shadowfall

 

[Shadowfall]

Ralph Grey
​

This was a first for him, being out late at night with a group of his friends. Usually, he would be at home, grinding on Overwatch for whatever new event skins if he didn't feel like opening 100+ Loot Boxes, That was what he did late nights when he wasn't hanging with these guys, which was almost all the time. From 9PM to 1AM. Sure, this ruined his entire sleep schedule completely, forcing him to rely on caffeine to get through the earlier part of the day, but well awake during the latter parts of the day, the parts where it really matters. Like now, when he's fully awake and aware, forcing himself to study up on Finals, or A-Levels as they are called here.

It was a long night for him however, one that was filled with studying with a group of people he had gotten to know somewhat well. At least well enough to guess what mannerisms his friends have somewhat accurately. Scratch that, very accurately. Well, accurately enough to get a gist of what he needs to know about them. What to do, what not to do, what might be moderately interesting to him, how to piss them off, the important stuff. Stuff that friends need to know about friends. Like that someone gets real pissy when they're called Boobs McKenzie, or someone gets the slightest tinge of purple envy when they see the ludicrous kitchen he has, or just his mansion even. Seriously, 12 burners on a stove is pretty ridiculous, his last house only had 8.

So, there they were. Walking back to whomever's house first, and knowing Silver, probably one of the ladies' houses out of courtesy. The boy has manners. Much like Don did. No, not now. His head had been steadily drooping while he mindlessly marched on. He imagined there was interesting conversation going on behind him, but his didn't care to pull out his earbuds, it was just easier to focus on following Silver. Or at least it was so until a scream froze him in place. He learned recently there has been a string of murders, the killer's calling card being a torn out throat. That scream was awfully close, and it certainly wasn't from 'Prayer of the Refugee' he was listening to. He turned down the music, this warranted his attention. Silver put his coffee down, which Ralph happily picked up and took a sip of. Bleh, weak stuff. Didn't make his eyes feel like they were going to burst out of his skull. He jogged after Silver, wondering if he was going to have to spill some coffee on a bitch.

It seemed so, as he followed Silver, there was something else in the air. The metallic tang of blood. Too many tastes, coffee, Red Bull, and blood do not mix, he needed a palate cleanser ASAP. His eyes followed the noise to a darkened alleyway, where he saw. . . What the fuck? One figure was crouched over the other, the victim's body was one of a woman, sprawled out on the ground at the mercy of the cannibalistic attacker. What fucking sicko does this shit? Ralph's fist clenched as he was locked in place by the grotesque scene, the woman's breaths becoming gurgles, her eyes pleading through tears, slowly becoming glassy. This guy needed to go down, and he was willing to put him down. Nobody deserves what he did to her.

Ripping the earbuds off his ears in a swift motion and flinging them to the ground, he glanced back to his friends. "Call the police!" He shouted with great urgence, his face growing hard and his brows becoming a downward arch. Maybe the others would be fast enough to get the police over in time to catch this damn fucker.

amdreams 0stinato Devious Dilbert Capricornus

 

[Capricornus]

Elizabeth covered her mouth as she yawned. This was already her fifth night in a row staying up late for the sole purpose of studying for her exams - not even the strongest coffee could keep her from feeling tired. Being the good student that she is, wanting to keep her grades high, sleep deprivation before and during her exams was to be expected. Did she exaggerate? Mayhaps. Would she nevertheless worry about not having studied enough and panic? Absolutely yes.

Yet, this evening had been slightly different. Because her friends group decided to study together, she spent most of the time explaining certain subjects, as if tutoring them, instead of studying herself. She knew that some of them, like Rüdiger, really wanted or needed to pass this year, and she was glad to help wherever help was needed.

Feeling the cold breeze of the night hitting her face and arms, she decided to put on the jacket she had carried along in her arms until just now. They had only left the library moments ago and were on the way home. They had planned to drop her and Fiora off first, because of more than obvious reasons. She looked around, making sure that no one, for whatever reason, had strayed away from the group. After all, it was late and dark, which is usually a perfect setup for a crime to happen, according to most detective novels Eliza had read. Leading the group was still Silver, followed by Ralph, and the last one was Rüdiger. Walking right next to her was Fiora, with whom she had talked about what they had just studied, to make sure she had no more questions left. Eliza was quite amazed by the fact that in, what to her seemed like a short period of time, they had become such a close-knit group.

Putting her hands into her pockets she noticed that she had left her phone back at the library. "Oh no. I guess I could go back quickly to grab it, but wandering off alone at such a time wouldn't be that great of an idea... I guess I could pick it up tomorrow, but what if it i-" Her inner monologue was interrupted by a shrill, female scream, which seemed to come out of the nothing. What made her even more worried was that this scream didn't sound like someone was frightened, but more like they were in pain, a scream of agony. The first one to run into the direction the scream came from was Silver, again followed by Ralph, and so the whole group started moving.

Elizabeth's sleepiness didn't only affect her energy, but also her hearing and sight. From that moment on she couldn't hear anything but the flow of her blood. As the whole group stopped, the first thing she spotted was Silver, who seemed to have fallen down. Before she could even rush forward to help him up, her eyes wandered to the barely recognizable silhouettes in the dark alley in front of them. She rubbed her eyes, closing and opening them a few times in order to see what was going on. Bit by bit, the silhouettes seemed to become more and more defined until she could see that those were actually two seperate figures, one on top of the other. She was now aware of the fact that she was witnessing a cold hearted murder, and that this was most likely the killer she head read and heard about. A pool of blood started forming around the woman and soon the smell, with its metallic characteristic, filled the air.

With her eyes watery and widened, unable to look away, Elizabeth stood there, frozen, completely paralyzed, at first. Her first move after that was grabbing Fioras wrist with one hand, as if seeking some support to hold onto. With the other hand she covered her mouth as well as her nose, yet her gasp was still audible. This was followed by nothing but a few dry retches. No screaming, no crying, no nothing. Every last bit of color and emotion had disappeared from her face.

Ralph's shouting seemed to slightly wake her from her trance-like stance. With her shaky hand that she used to grip onto Fiora's wrist, she tried to grab her phone out of her pocket, without success, reminding her again of the fact, that she had forgotten it at the library. The tears in her eyes started to gather, before rolling down her face. She felt completely useless at that moment and in her head, her thoughts kept repeating the same six words: "We are going to die here."

0stinato Shadowfall Devious Dilbert amdreams

 

[Devious Dilbert]

Fiora Velaeris
Privately, the guys volunteering to walk the two girls home was something noble. She wouldn't say it aloud unless somebody asked, but Fiora was truly thankful. Not only did the string of murders that had been hogging the media absolutely terrify her, but walking around at night made her anxious beyond basic function. If she were alone in this situation, having to walk back home, she would have rather slept at the cafe. And she probably could have. She knew the owner, and she was somebody that a girl could rely on.

Beside her, Elizabeth looked like she was ready to lay down and call it quits.
Not Liza... She was the only one that Fiora absolutely knew that she could trust. Being around three men, and being the only conscious woman made her just a tad bit nervous. These guys still hadn't proven to her that they were worthy of her trust. And she considered herself valuable.
She took hold of her friend's hand and huddled close to her.

She jerked her hand away when something... strange echoed into the night that demanded Fiora's immediate attention. It sounded animalistic at first- some sort of agonizing cry that would only be a response to colossal pain. It was definitely something she'd heard before, which stopped her heart and pained her chest. She was still paralyzed in a process of comprehension when her friends took off running towards the noise. For her, she wasn't sure if she was mentally prepared to see what she was anticipating.

There was no thought in her mind at the time. She was acting on pure instinct, but she was being bold. And somebody very clearly was dying. So, she ran, tailing strategically behind the boys with Elizabeth, because it would be wise to believe that if something went awry, she would not be the one to take the brunt.

The momentum of her uncoordinated, messy and panicked sprint was the only thing keeping her running ahead of her fears. And when Silver, the self-appointed leader, had stopped in an ally, Fiora hit the brakes as lightning-quick as she was able to and stood as far as she could from the dark crevice. She was unable to proceed any deeper into the threat of the night.

Fiora could only catch a brief glimpse of what horrific act was happening in the darkness from her position behind the three guys, but she saw blood, a black humanoid shadow, and she heard the grinding of flesh. And that was enough.
"Liz-" She said, low and dominantly, raising her arm to protect Elizabeth. But she herself was terrified of what she was seeing, hearing, and even smelling. And the protective arm then pushed Liz back as Fiora followed with her own steps. She leaned into her side, pressing her bosom into Liz to almost give her a side hug. Both of her hands wrapped around her, bringing her even further back from the scene as she contemplated on whether to run or stay and possibly... die.

But if she ran- the guys...
She thought that somebody was inevitably going to get hurt. She didn't want to say killed, but she knew that this was likely the truth. If anybody, it would not be her or Liz. It made her feel guilty thinking that it was okay to sacrifice one of the guys, but this was survival, she thought. One of them would save both her and Liz.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

"Bye! Take care on the way home!" Pandora happily waved as Fiora and her friends left the cafe. She wasn't all to familiar with her friends, but Fiora was a regular to the cafe and a dear friend to her. She was a bit anxious with them going home this late, with a rumored murderer prowling te streets, but they're in a pretty large group so it should be fine, probably. She was just hoping that this killer is a different one from te one she has heard of, hopefully this one was human. Pandora has not actually heard of how the killer kills its victims, otherwise she would have been more cautious and would have insisted Fiora and her group stay here for the night.

As her staff said goodbye and left for home, Pandora was left to clean up. Her staff and some of her patrons thought that she lived in the cafe's second floor, and while it is true that the second floor is a living quarters, she rarely sleeps there at all. After all, no one could know about her other life. As she was cleaning up she saw a phone on the table where Fiora and her friends had been. "Oh no, I should probably return it." She said, thinking that the phone might be important to her. She knew that this was Fiora's friend's, Elizabeth was her name, phone as she saw it when they were ordering coffee. Most people would probably just return it to the police or just wait for the owner to return, mostly because they have no idea where the owner might be, but Pandora has few tricks up her sleeve.

She went up to the second floor and went out to the balcony. The balcony was placed so that no one could see her. Pandora, without thinking twice, jumped off the balcony. While one expects her to drop to te ground, a regal eagle took her place and flew towards the sky, a phone wrapped in napkin was gently clutched in her talons. With her sharp eagle eyes, she easily found Fiora's group and she flew towards them. She landed a few meters behind them, making sure no one could see her and turned back into a human.

After dusting off her pants. Pandora ran after them. As she spotted them, Pandora called out to them. "Hey! You forgot yo-" She was cut off by a piercing scream. "Oh no. Why now." She thought as she sprinted, seeing the group running. She could see the killer, his mouth bloody. "Fucking vampire, it really had to be the vampire." She muttered, her fears coming true. "FIORA RUN!" She shouted as she threw the phone, sorry Elizabeth, hard at the head of the vampire.

Devious Dilbert Shadowfall Capricornus 0stinato amdreams

 

[amdreams]

Lazuli
"Hm . . . Neck fetish? Check. 'Killer' technique? Check. Total disrespect of consent. Checkarooney. Pretty sure we have our guy. And it looks like we aren't the only ones." Lazuli watched, through a set of binoculars, the aftermath of the vampire's feeding and the humans that came running into it. Perched on the corner of a building across the street, she leaned dangerously over the edge, wanting to get a better look, bright smile on her face. "Oooh, they came into the wrong neighborhood," she said with a soft chuckle. "Everyone wants to be a hero, until they realize heroes ******* die."

After a string of not so subtle murders, Lazuli had been tasked with finding the culprit along with the dragon girl. Find the guy, bring him in, and maybe along the way, see if candy comes out if they beat him enough. But now there were humans involved and not the dead ones. To be able to take this one in quietly, they'd need no witnesses. So either wait for them to escape or die. But someone decided to make it even harder for the two.

The girl burst out into laughter as someone threw a phone at the vampire. "Pfft-really? You see a killer eating someone and you decide to attack him? They're all dead now. What idiot decided it was a good idea to- Hey, doesn't that lady work for your family? Oh, I've got to get this."

She grabbed her phone from her pocket and snapped a quick photo. "Man, she blinked. Let me try aga-Huh, where'd they go?"


Silver
"Fiora. Do you think you can get Elizabeth out of here." Silver wasn't exactly underestimating the girls, but he felt the guys would have a better chance of running from this sicko longer than Fiora and Elizabeth.

He did his best to pull himself back as quietly as he could. At worst, he thought they'd be dealing with a guy with a knife. But a cannibal? They couldn't deal with some crazy nutjob that actually eats people and wastes the rest of the corpse like that. But at least he seemed distracted, so if they were really quiet than maybe-

Silver could feel his heart sink and his blood pressure rise as Ralph shouted for someone to call the police.

The killer's head perked up at the sound of the boy's voice and Silver found himself staring at a pair of bloodshot eyes. But the figure remained unmoving, that is until someone else decided to yell and this time throw something straight at the killer. And with that, his last hope for survival died.

The figure stood up in short jerking motions and as it straightened up, it seemed to stretch, easily reaching maybe seven feet or higher. Its body became thinner, almost skeletal, as its arms deformed into spindly branches. The final addition was a set of thin projections forming the framework for translucent wings.

The whatever-it-was began breathing heavily. It took one step forward and another, before vanishing in a gray blur. It reappeared in the sky, wings spread against the moonlight in a way that allowed the veins within them to be seen. It's face was comparable to that of a bat. Large pointed ears, eyes with black sclera and a flattened snout with a set of sharp, yellowish teeth protruding from its mouth.

Silver didn't need much more to tell him to get away. "The hell is that?!" He scrambled onto his feet. "We gotta get out of here," he said, picking the pace himself. "Quick, into the park!" Most of the buildings around here would be locked this late at night, even if it was the safest option. But at least the park had trees, bushes, public restrooms and maybe even a bridge as places to hide. And better yet, it wasn't locked.

 

[0stinato]

I am walking. I am walking into the city, and I am using the way the Ashtrum family said to use. They always said it was safer because it is dangerous. Dangerous for people, and dangerous for not-people, but it is safe because it is dangerous. No one walks here at night because it is dangerous.

I could put my hood down and feel the moon on my forehead but I should not do so. I would not want to scare the imaginations of a child if they happen to be sitting in a window looking down at the street. I am going into the city, I will keep my hood up.

This way is making me scared though. My sense of smell is really good, and I can smell something I do not want to be smelling. It burns the back of my throat, and I have known that smell from other yesterdays I have gone through. A hungry hunter must kill. I am sorry to say I have been hungry in my past. But that smell on the wind is blood and it drifts around like an echo because of my hood. But I still do not put it down.

Even when I hear multiple voices and feel the adrenaline in the underbreath of the wind, I do not alter my pace. I want to turn, but I shouldn't. I have to get into the city and I would rather continue in now I have come so far. Each step is an ache in my ankles. Something is at large.

I raise my head when the smell of blood becomes too strong for me to bear without grimacing. What is being hurt here? What is making the noise, what is whimpering and what is yelling? The noise of the wind in a sudden gale above me scatter syllables like dust into the air and I raise my head further to see something thin fleeing into the night. Above me. Soaring clumsily and leaving nothing but bad thoughts in its wake.

 

[Trine]

Reina looked over the edge of the roof. The demon girl, Lazuli, was dangerously perched on the edge, looking at something down below with a pair of binoculars. "Hm . . . Neck fetish? Check. 'Killer' technique? Check. Total disrespect of consent. Checkarooney. Pretty sure we have our guy. And it looks like we aren't the only ones," said Lazuli. Reina squinted. They were pretty high up, but she could make out about four or five distinct shapes. Humans?! She shook her head and tried looking again. Sure enough, they were still there. Her eyes adjusted to the dim street lights. Four humans. That's unusual, for this time at night... "Oooh, they came into the wrong neighbourhood. Everyone wants to be a hero, until they realise heroes ******* die," chuckled Lazuli.

Reina narrowed her eyes. It's not like the humans chose to be there. But it's not like she chose to be partnered up with Lazuli either. If she were alone, she would have already rushed off the roof to take all of them down. Unfortunately, she had to work with a partner, since the killer was too dangerous for her to catch alone, apparently.

A fifth figure approached the group. Reina gawked. More people to kill? She had started this task fully expecting to get only one kill, but now it looks like the kill count might have to go up to six. Wait. The fifth looks oddly familiar. Reina leaned over the edge, running a list of all the people and creatures she knew. "Cafe shop lady... Pandora?!" she gasped, recognising the figure. She leaned closer over the edge for a better glimpse. Pandora chucked a small object at the vampire's head. Reina watched with horror and with admiration. That's got to be either the dumbest move I've ever seen, or the boldest distraction ever...

The vampire took off into the night sky, and the people started to run. "Damn..." muttered Reina, gazing at it. Lazuli was saying something, but Reina wasn't paying any attention. "Were you saying something?" asked Reina, turning towards her. Lazuli was busy looking at her phone. "Man, let me try aga- Huh, where'd they go?" Reina rolled her eyes. Why she was partnered up with that girl sometimes felt like a complete mystery. "That way," pointed Reina, standing up straight. She dusted off her clothes before continuing. "Our target's flying now. We'd better get going."

 

[0stinato]

Silver was acting hysterical. And yes, maybe that was allowed, the had just witnessed a potential killing after all. He was up on his feet in no time, and was once again leading the way, though his head was panicking with emotion. And there was someone across the street who'd shouted something Rüdiger hadn't listened to, but they weren't his problem at the moment. What was Silver doing, what was Ralph doing, what was Fiora doing and what was Elizabeth doing?

Rüdiger frowned, returning closer to the group at the edge of the alley. He raised a palm to Elizabeth's shoulder, nudging her from his path as he glanced at the practically motionless person on the ground... and no culprit. The alley looked like a dead end, and there was nothing climbing up the walls. Paranoid, he looked around feverishly, looking for any abnormality in the shadows, but it was far too dark by now to see much of anything. They'd left the streetlamps behind yards ago.

So where did the killer go? Rüdiger didn't notice anyone run past him and only looked up because of Silver's presence as he began yelling. But something in Silver's tone was just off.

He'd shouted, "The hell is that?!" had he not? That wasn't what Rüdiger would have shouted upon seeing a killer. Most likely he'd have shouted some type of curse or such. His eyes fell on Silver as the guy took the 'flee' option. He had to follow, he had to ask, he had to know what Silver meant.

So Rüdiger allowed himself into a sprint after his friend, past the dark figure of Someone Else across the street, somehow having the energy to do so. Perhaps his legs were more panicked than his mind, if such a thing was possible. As for where they were running to, he wasn't happy about it. Silver's go-to safe zone was a public park on the dark part of the city at night.

"Perfect choice for a hideaway if you want us all to get murdered and raped," he hissed at Silver. "Surely the better choice is the café with lights and locking doors?"

But even if he was contradicting Silver's plan, he was still running with him. As he did so, he glanced over his shoulder; he needed to know the others were behind them both. They'd exited the café as a group and he wanted them to stay as one.

amdreams Shadowfall CrimsonEclipse Devious Dilbert Capricornus

 

[Devious Dilbert]

Fiora Velaeris

The shouts of her friends sounded vague and muffled. Shadows only grew around her peripheral as the uncanny creature revealed itself as something far more sinister in appearance, a demonic entity, a synthesis of a human and a bat. She stood stiffly, like she was encased in stone as she held Liz, but she felt like she'd topple over at the appliance of even the slightest force.
A veil of utter dread fell over her. What would running even do for her now? She didn't believe anymore that she'd be able to escape this. When the figure was still mortal, she could run away and live somehow. Now, however, this was either a dream or it would soon be. ....Just how could she even win against this?

She didn't notice it, but her body was so tightly pressed into Liz that she was crushing her, and her arms were so strongly coiled around her friend that she was suffocating her.
Fiora didn't scream. She didn't gasp, she didn't wail. She learned how to be silent when she was in distress. Without any slip of a sound, her eyes gazed in horror, bewilderment, and trance at the ugly and deformed monster. Even her other friends left her side as she was unable to think or move. She stood with Liz, waiting for death.

But just as she was about to submit to whatever fate befell her, something belatedly broke through the barriers of her numbed mind- something that was yelled a few seconds before with high intensity. And it had only just now formed a complete and audible sound that rang throughout her ears and the rest of her body.
"FIORA RUN!"
And it worked. It was the slap that brought her back to her senses.
Fiora then bolted after snapping out of her daze, gripping Liz's hand in hers and dragging the girl along with her. Silver had made a break for the park followed by Rudiger. She didn't see Ralph. Her instincts told her not to follow the other two. She didn't just want to escape. She wanted to know that she was safe. Instead, she ran in the direction that Pandora stood and past her. Under the cover of the buildings that lined the sidewalks, she stuck to walls like glue.

Adrenaline replaced the blood that flowed through her. Fiora was fleeing in devastating fear of her life. But she remembered that she had a phone. And with trembling hands, she fumbled for it. As she felt for her pockets, she took a second to look back at Liz while she ran. To look at her face and see if Elizabeth was with her. And out of the corner of her eye, she saw a white rectangle covered in blurry pink roses fade into the rest of the night as her eyes widened in shock, reflecting what little hope she had left for the both of them.
No! Shit!
She put her focus back to the lonely street in front of her. Tears began to obstruct her vision. She needed to find them now. A police station, a police car, a policeman- she blindly hoped that she would find one. Or she at least hoped to find somebody willing to protect her.

A corner was coming up. She decided to turn. And then- smack. She was down on the ground with Liz. 0stinato



(LOL. I HOPE IT'S OKAY THAT I DRAGGED YOU ALONG WITH ME. Capricornus )

 

[Shadowfall]

Ralph Grey
​

Well, fuck. This wasn't going well at all. He kinda was planning to jump this guy so his friends had enough time to run, but now, now this changes everything, especially after having a phone thrown at it. The killer was clearly agitated and bored with his recent quarry, standing fully erect over his previous victim (heh), he took off. Where would be anybody's game, until Ralph followed Sliver's gaze to the sky. "Alright, fuck this." He's had his day plenty of times before, but today wasn't one of them.

Slowly, he backed away, "Yeah, this is fucking bogus." Adrenaline had already been pouring into his blood after he smelled the blood, but now was most certainly the right time to make use of it. He heard that plenty of stabbings happened in London, but he certainly haven't heard of any flying monster cannibals.

He spun on his heel, and saw that Silver had already started to run, so he began to book it the fuck outta there, where he joined up with Silver and Rüdiger without a second thought to the girls. He had heard a few muffles from his two companions, but all he could focus on was the burning image of leathery wings against the silver moonlight, the sound of his heart pounding and feet slamming against the pavement.

Where the fuck are they going? Why didn't they try and save that woman? She was still breathing, kinda. Something had to be done! He woke from his private world of footsteps and killers to pluck him from the ground to drag him away and end him slowly, painfully. No, he mashed his hand into his pocket and fumbled around, trying desperately to focus on the back of Rüdiger's head as he ran, nothing else.

Ralph honestly hated not being able to take this guy down, he hated having to run, he hated not being the protagonist of his own story. Video games does that to you. So he got pretty peeved. No, pissed would be the appropriate terminology. So pissed, his speech changed. He gripped his phone with the grip of one who was holding onto their lifeline.

With a shaking hand, he raised his hand to call 9-1-1. A short dial up, and he got a response. "I'M BEING CHASED BY A KILLER IN A-" He dodged a tree, he wasn't paying attention to Silver, who had gotten some ground on him as he was fiddling with his phone. "A FUCKING PARK PLEASE HELP" "Sir, this is an American emergency number, we're doing our best to dial you into your local police station, where do you live" He hung up. He'd be dead by then probably. He sprinted forwards at full speed to catch up with his friends. "WHAT THE FUCK IS OUR EMERGENCY NUMBER?!" He shouted into the ear of his two friends.

As they sprinted, he noticed a public restroom. "9 O'CLOCK BATHROOMS, LET'S GO!" He shouted. Any cover from the killer would be useful, and surely the stalls would be strong enough to withstand this guy? If they had stalls. He didn't want to die in some piss coated bathroom floor. Please let it not end this way, not this way.

amdreams 0stinato Devious Dilbert CrimsonEclipse

 

[Capricornus]

Elizabeth was breathing heavily. Was it due to her being in shock? Or was is because Fiora was holding her so tightly that she was almost crushing her? Maybe a mix of both, who knew? Yet, she couldn't push her away, for once because of the way, that she was wrapped around her. It was nearly impossible to. But also because it kind of gave her the feeling of being protected, as if Fiora was the bubble wrap that didn't let anything damage Eliza, and at a moment like this she needed it. She wanted to know, to be sure, that nothing would harm her. She wanted this all to be a dream, for it to not be real, to not be in danger.

She didn't see, nor did she hear anyone approach the group. It seemed like there was only them, the killer, and its victim, until suddenly, out of nowhere, she heard a shout. It was a female voice, that much Eliza could recognize. Someone was telling Fiora to run. If it was not for her pulling Eliza by her hand, she would have stayed on the same spot, like petrified. At first, her legs felt heavy, as if they had been asleep. Again, she would have probably been far behind Fiora, if she wouldn't drag her along. She kept running with her, blindly, but she was sure that whatever Fiora was doing was the right thing. It's been like this in the past as well, her gut feeling was almost always right.

As they kept running, Eliza looked around and noticed that they had run past Pandora, the owner of the café she worked at. It was probably her that had told Fiora to run. Another thing she had noticed, was that they had split from the others. Wherever they were running to, it was a completely different direction that Silver had run to. She wanted to notify Fiora about it, not sure if it was done intentionally or not, but nothing more than a few coughs came out. Would the others be alright? Would she and Fiora be alright? Would the killer follow someone? And if yes, who would those unlucky people be?

Her legs started to slowly but surely warm up, as she was finally able to keep up Fiora's pace, her breath getting faster as well. With her free hand she wiped away the tears that hindered her from seeing clearly. Her gaze was fixated on the ground to make sure that she wouldn't trip and fall, that would be the last thing needed at that time. Yet, she didn't think that that 'something' that would hinder them would come from up front. She didn't see exactly how it happened, but after a dull thud, she saw Fiora suddenly stumbled back before falling. Trying to comprehend what had happened, her reactions were slow and instead of catching her, Eliza fell as well. She groaned in pain while rubbing her back. She looked up, to see what they had run into, hoping it was a mere fire hydrant which she hadn't seen in the dark, or a lamp post. But it was none of that.

It was nothing she could have ever thought of. In front of them stood something, or would it be more adequate to say someone? She couldn't exactly figure out who it was, as it was dark and they were almost completely. She didn't know if it was due to the dim, almost non-existent light, or if those were simply hallucinations, but she thought that that 'human' was more creature-like, as she thought being able to see... something like a snout? That was when it hit her. Not too long ago she had seen something similar. Human body, snout-like facial features... The killer. After he had fled, she remembered being able to see his face, his with blood drenched snout. Maybe this was someone diff- of course not! How high were the chances that there were two of these hum- creatures. Eliza didn't dare to stand up, mostly out of fear. And even if she did, how much longer would she be able to run? She did the only thing she was able to do, something she couldn't earlier. She let out a scream, in hope that someone, anyone, would hear them. What followed that scream was silence. 'How stupid... So, so stupid... Why did I even THINK that this would work?' And so she waited. For what exactly? Maybe for someone to rush to help, or maybe even for death who, just like portrayed in most caricatures, would come dressed in a long, dark cloak.

Devious Dilbert 0stinato

 

[amdreams]

Silver

"S-sh-shut up!" Silver's face began to flush as his eyes scanned desperately for a place to hide. "You mean the cafe that's closed now? How is scrambling along some walls going to make us any less of a target?" He was unsure of how Rüdiger came to the rape conclusion, but now he feared for his bum as much as his life. Would . . . would that thing really- Oh god! They had to find some place to hide. Fast!

Luckily, Ralph seemed to find some, pointing out the restrooms. Silver ducked into the small brick building just as the sound of flapping became audible to him. This seemed like a decent place. The door was just a large hole in the front, opening to the entrances of each respective bathroom on both sides of the opening. So they couldn't exactly block the bat-thing out but it looked like it'd be too big to get past the entrance to the men's room. This point was further proven by the way it flew into the doorway, spastically slapping its limbs and wings against the narrow opening.

Silver jumped back at this, stepping in puddle of something he really didn't want to think about. Even with the creature failing to understand the concept of folding its limbs and wings to allow it to fit, he didn't feel any safer. Or cleaner. At this distance, a few more features could be made out in the flickering florescent lighting. The gray color of its skin. The strands of hair, probably from the victim, that hung from its gaping maw. And a cross shaped scar just beneath its right clavicle, if anyone bothered to look.
A few more equally unsuccessful attempts and the thing seemed to give up, disappearing from view. Either trying to think of another way to get to them or running away of the rather strong scent of urine and god knows what else. Silver's breathing began to steady itself as the immediate danger was gone, only to speed up again when he looked around at the others. "Wait, where are the girls?"

Did they go into the girls' restroom instead? No, they would've probably called out to the guys or something. Did the creature get them? No, it followed too closely to the guys to allow it time to kill Fiora and Elizabeth. "God, they must be back there. We've got to make sure they're okay. Maybe the monster went back for them."

This claim though was disproved by the sound of thuds against the roof of the building. Well, at least the girls were safe, right?


Lazuli

Lazuli took one last look at Pandora, seeing the human girls run past her and away from the directiong that Reina was pointing in. The vampire had decided to transform, like a ******* idiot, and chase down the others. Because with a large group, there was absolutely no way they would split up and increase the chances of escaping. Though, in this form, at least this job would be more fun. Settling things quietly wasn't exactly an option now.

She hopped onto her feet, immediately heading down the fire escape and onto the street. "Okay, Sparkles. The target is chasing those guys down. It's fast. It's flying. And it can't take no for an answer. So head for the left of it. I'll go right and we'll wait for an opening."

"And try not to get in the way, okay?" she said before tossing what looked like an over-sized epipen at Reina. In it was the tranquilizer they were tasked to use on the target, strong enough to take down a bull of above average size or smaller. Wasn't Lazuli's favorite method of capture, but it should do the trick.

She separated from the dragon girl, running to the right once she entered the park gate. Sticking to the trees and shrubs as best she could, the trail led to the public restroom. Fitting. A piece of shit at a place of shit. She watched as the vampire tried to squeeze itself into the box of filth as if it was a pair of the skinny jeans she figured this "edgelord" most definitely owned, before flying off and slamming into the roof. Because everyone knows that if you believe enough, an anorexic looking science experiment could of course break through solid concrete. But it failed. Shocking. Maybe should've tried using the power of friendship instead.

It seemed alert now, crawling along the edges of the roof. Lazuli grabbed the walkie talkie she insisted on using even though both she and Reina had perfectly working phones. Because authenticity or whatever reason she decided to use. "I'm in position, Sparkles. But maybe we should wait a while. See if this genius just kills himself."

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Once the phone smashed into the vampire's head two things happened, one bad and the other, well not good, but less bad. First, the vampire decided to shed its disguise, going as far as to spread its wings. Okay, that was my fault. She thought to herself as she saw the vampire take to the skies. The second less bad result was that the Fiora and her friend Elizabeth ran towards her and the vampire instead chased after the guys instead. She felt a tiny bit sorry for the guys, but her priority was Fiora, and by extension, Elizabeth.

However, maybe due to her panicked state of mind, she ran past Pandora and turned a corner. Well, at least they were out of danger. Still, it wasn't safe to leave them here in the dark, especially since they were panicking. She had to get them to safety, maybe bring them back to the cafe, and somehow convince them that this was all a delusion caused by fear and panic, that it was just a normal murderer who was now arrested and in jail. And maybe she can even return here afterwards to try and save the guys, and if it is too late, then she could at least end that sonofabitch. She ran after the two, hoping that they were not too far, but what she saw proved that her day would just get worse from here. Oh gods, why did it have to be now of all times. She said when she saw that Fiora and Elizabeth bumped into. A humanlike body but with a face closer to that of a pig's. "Fiora, Elizabeth, get behind me and don't move." She said as she went in between the pigman and the girls. Of course she knew him, she remeber anyone she's ever met, seen, heard of, or read of, and this ks clearly the pig man hybrid Verros. But she can't exactly talk to him as if she knows him, especially in front of the girls. "Leave, or I'm not gonna hold back on you." She threatened him, hoping he'd leave.

0stinato Devious Dilbert Capricornus

 

[0stinato]

My body is hit, I feel something collide with my pecs before I even see it. And then the moonlight is in my eyes as my hood falls back. I retreat a few steps, staring as frightened eyes stare up at me from the ground. My body is still, my muscles are tensed under the material, my brain is not fast enough to work out what happened.

No one says a word, not even me. And then I see that the fear in the eyes is real, they have not a scratch or strange thing on their smooth skins, on their smooth pale skins. To them I must be horror. But I am as surprised as they are. I am nothing dangerous. I am simply existing as they are.

They are human, they must be. And they are ignorant to me and to the rest of us. It must be why their throats are straining to scream.

And then another female appears and I raise my hands to my face to cover it.

"Fiora, Elizabeth, get behind me and don't move."

She is not like the two on the floor, and I take my hands away to look at her myself again. But she doesn't have the fear in her eyes, not at all. She has determination. Or maybe it's protection. And I understand that last one.

"Leave, or I'm not gonna hold back on you," she tells me. And her voice is ice and steel. Perhaps she is different. I do not know how.

The smell of blood hangs low in the air, sinking. I take a half-step back again. I whip up my hood.

"Go home," I say. "Take them home," I say to the female in the darkness, protecting her friends with her body. "Take them home. There is blood here. Blood people like you shouldn't see. Don't walk down here again. It's not for people like you. It's not for you."

I back off slowly from them, my hands with palms turned towards them out in front of me. I am not dangerous. The human females must know this, I must not be hounded by their human police now. I have work to do and places to fit in without being seen. I must not let them get in my way. I must be careful and slow and unarmed. I can take care of them this way, and I can take care of myself.

CrimsonEclipse Capricornus Devious Dilbert

 

[0stinato]

Rüdiger didn't say a word as he followed Silver into the park. They'd been away from that late-night café for, what, ten minutes? Why would it close just after they leave? And besides, ten minutes to close a shop was record speed. He could only imagine. It took him half an hour to sort out his living space after a three-hour-long painting fest, or if he was attempting to cook, or if he was trying to find the right clothes to wear. Things took time.

He could have just as easily run elsewhere, leaving Silver and Ralph to themselves. The girls had done it, why couldn't he? But something inside him wanted to follow Silver just to see if the boy was proven wrong by anything. Rüdiger still maintained that running to the park was a dreadful idea, but here he was entering it. And if they did get raped and killed then he'd know Silver's decision was wrong. Not much comfort if he was dead, but they'd escaped so far.

"What the fuck is our emergency number?!" Ralph yelled, breaking Rüdiger's train of thought. He gave the boy a disbelieving glance but, before he could attempt to answer and/or insult Ralph, he'd pointed out an apparent 'safe place' for them to hide.

Silver lead the way in and, although Rüdiger really hated the idea of going in there - everything is truly, truly stained in here, this must be hell on earth - he still wanted to see if his doubts would be proven. Higher chance of being raped in a public mens' toilets, on the bad side of town, at night.

He wouldn't allow himself to press his white clothes to the wall, so he stood a few inches from it while wondering why the hell his mind was suddenly obsessed with rape when--

Fear paralyzed his eyes on the open doorway and his teeth locked together in a defensive grimace. The shadowy face was back, and, with it, an entire body of impossible nature. Arms, powerful but also thin. Then the legs, struggling to carry their owner through the doorway because... because its wings were too big?

Rüdiger blinked. Now Silver's screeching earlier made sense: "What the hell is that?!"

It was a fair question now. And, while Rüdiger still couldn't see much - the shadows of the world were too heavy now - he could smell the thing. The lukewarm huff of blood and bile entered the air, a taste he very much recognised. And the hammering of what was before his eyes on his sanity was some feeling not too alien. If it stayed here much longer, Rüdiger felt like a part of him would drop dead.

But it vanished and Rüdiger heard Silver speak. He wanted to know where the girls were. And if the... monster, as Silver called it, had instead chosen them as targets. Perhaps their hiding technique was inferior. Perhaps it knew where they were, echolocation or some shit.

"Are you saying we should run to where the monster might be?" Rüdiger said. "Well, feel free but I--"

He was cut off by the whack of sound above him. Now he knew what was coming after the three of them, and now none of them could see it, the whole thing thickened the tension. It pummelled on the roof of the brick building again and Rüdiger allowed himself to swear.

"Schieße," he said quietly.

amdreams Shadowfall

 

[Trine]

Reina caught the tranquilizer and Lazuli ran away. Reina mused over her new nickname as she ran to the left. She decided that she liked it, and that she would definitely mail a glitter bomb to her partner as a thank you gift once the task was completed. She smiled quietly at herself.

She looked to the sky. Nothing there. Wonder where it is...

Her walkie talkie crackled. Stupid piece of old tech! It could have easily given away her position. Lazuli's voice drifted from the old thing. "I'm in position, Sparkles. But maybe we should wait a while. See if this genius just kills himself." Great. So Lazuli had already reached her destination, and the vampire was there. Did she just say that the vampire's going to kill himself? That's a sight that shouldn't be missed.

Reina ran faster in a sprint, crashing through bushes and branches. Her outfit was probably going to be covered in leaves and dirt by the end of it, but it didn't matter. She reached her destination, a tree garden, and she hid behind a tree. The entrance to the restrooms were facing her. She could almost catch whiffs of human waste combined with the stench of the vampire. Not a pleasant combination at all. I can't believe I agreed to this positioning strategy, thought Reina.

The vampire was crawling on the roof. There was little chance that it would be able to see her glow in the dark eyes, as it was not looking in her direction. Was it trying to get in? Maybe it just wants to take a dump. Reina smiled at the thought. Better get closer. She put on a pair of sunglasses to hide her glowing eyes. She crept closer, crouching behind the bushes that were planted around the trees. She noticed shadows of movement coming from inside of the restroom. She frowned. More people? The lighting makes it hard to tell the exact number of people, but the shadows are definitely humanoid.

Reina picked up her walkie talkie and spoke. "Don't know if you can see, but there are shadows that look vaguely human moving inside the restroom... I can't exactly tell what they are, but they're probably the people from before..."

 

[Devious Dilbert]

Fiora Velaeris
She couldn't believe her eyes. Yet again had something of the supernatural tier invaded her night. Things like monsters were supposed to be just fairy tales; they aren't legitimate in this world. They just aren't. So, by this fact, Fiora decided that the mysterious, docile man was just that. A man and not a monster, not something that creeps the streets at night. No urban legend or myth come to life. However, water still ran down her face as she stare in shock at the wondrous silhouette vanishing into black air.

"Don't move" was one thing that she followed on behalf of Pandora's orders for she was far too frightened to even do so, which meant that she hadn't gotten behind her. She was on the ground and frozen in fear alongside Liz even after the mysterious man had left. Her hands had disconnected from her friend. They were now in her lap as she lowered her gaze to the stone-cold ground. She carelessly let herself cry in front of Pandora and Liz as tears stained the asphalt beneath her. Monsters weren't real, she reminded herself. But despite this blatant fact, she still sat hunched over and with a frantic heart.

"Thank you, Pandora," She said, drying her eyes with her hands.
Pandora was so brave. It took guts to do something like that. Fiora appreciated her. She appreciated that she didn't have to be the brave one and that somebody else had the courage to risk their own safety for the both of them. She didn't want to admit it, but she was never as brave as she liked to think that she was.
"But we're in danger..." She continued. "Something's following us and we have to get somewhere safe! My friends- the guys that we were with- they ran off into the park and... "
Something in her throat prevented her from speaking. It was likely another round of waterworks coming.
"Oh god- if we haven't run into that thing... the guys..."
Her eyes met her interlacing fingers that she had brought in front of her.
"Wait- you were there!" She looked back to Pandora. "You saw it too- we have to call somebody!"
What if they're already...
She went silent.

Now, it wasn't as if she was particularly fond of them. In fact, maybe it was only Silver that had managed to win enough of her affection to be considered an actual friend. But the guilt would be too much to bear. She wasn't heartless and she knew this herself. Ralph and Rudiger- even though she had frequent clashes with Rudiger, she didn't exactly want to see his name on the news as another victim of the murders. He may be different from what she expects, but that doesn't mean that he should end in this way. And as for Ralph, she saw something in him. He wasn't bad. He was just... not getting what he needed. They both didn't deserve to die. They were Elizabeth's friends, and so they had to be good people. She was so sure that this would scar poor Liz. Poor Liz... this wasn't what she deserved either.


(Interactions: Capricornus , CrimsonEclipse , 0stinato )

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Thankfully, unlike her futile attempt to chase away the vampire, Pandora was successful in warding Verros off. Of course, this was also due to the fact that Verros was no bloodthirsty, murderous vampire. Still, Pandora owes him one for not making it hard on her and will surely pay him back. Though it is pretty suspicious for him to be here and exactly at the time these all happened.

When Pandora was sure that Verros would not come back, Pandora turned her attention towards the girls. Elizabeth was not doing anything, maybe she's a bit out it from the shock, but Fiora was starting to break down and cry. Pandora wasted no time in hugging the both of them, trying to calm them down. "It's fine, you're going to be all right. I'm here." She continued soothing them, trying to take their attention off what they just saw.

Her biggest problem is to convince them that what they saw wasn't real, but that's only a temporary solution. She knows that it was a vampire and that those boys are as good as dead unless someone intervenes. That someone could be Pandora but they're not her priority, these girls are. However, if the boys were found dead and horribly mutilated the next day, whatever lie she tells the girls would crumble and the result might be even more dangerous.

"Fiora, look at me. I know that I can trust you, you know that right?" She asked her, holding her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. She has to make Fiora focus on her to help her calm down. "I need you to take Elizabeth with you to the cafe and lock the doors, okay? Whatever you do, don't call anybody. Please trust me, I'll habdle it. Elizabeth, I'm counting on you as well, okay?"

Capricornus Devious Dilbert 0stinato

 

[0stinato]

Her eyes were just like the reticule of a weapon. And aimed me. To look back, even if I could see them through this murk that is the night, I think would bring consequences to my hide. But what must I do instead, now I am fleeing to the safety of the people-less fields?

I pause and let my heart recover from the sudden surprise situation, and I turn around. At least I am far enough away now.

I cannot go back Into th city that way. I will have to go in another way. But first I think I will...

I will go to think hospital owned by the Draculestis. They seem to care most, most about people as a whole. I will go to them. I will ask... how to keep the humans from the world I live in.

 

[amdreams]

Silver

Silver bit back his tongue. Despite Rüdiger's way of saying it, he couldn't deny that he was right. Pretending to be heroes was going to get them killed by this thing.

What were they going to do? Going outside was suicide. Maybe they could wait it out? This thing was a vampire, right? Big bat thing eating necks? In the movies, vampires don't like sunlight, right? If they could wait until sunrise, then maybe- No. No. No. Are the movies even real? They're just movies. For all Silver knew, that thing wasn't a vampire. Just some other bat cannibal gray thing. For all they know, if they wait they'd only choke to death on the fumes in here.

Should they call the police? Ralph had tried to earlier. He didn't dial 999, judging by his earlier question. But they'd have guns and stuff, right? They could maybe kill it? But would they believe them? That some giant bat monster had them trapped in a public restroom? Would their guns work? For all he knew, this would only create more victims. Maybe they could escape in the confusion but would it be worth it?

He started biting at his thumb, pacing the length of the room. He kept his footsteps soft though. Didn't want to splash whatever was on this floor. What were they gonna do? What were they gonna-

An arm burst through the screen of the small window above the cubicles. Silver slammed his hands over his mouth, muffling his scream as it thrust about the room erratically. It banged against the cubicle walls and the tiles, grabbing at anything within its reach. He backed into the far corner by the door, but still kept an eye on the opening. He doubted its limbs were long enough to stretch across the roof and still be long enough to get to them, but still.

Silver'd chest tightened as he watched the claws inch closer and closer, until the arm vanished out the window, leaving behind a few scratches around the window and the sound of struggling outside.

"What the . . . " Was someone outside? Dealing with the creature? Should . . . Should they see what was going on? What if it was attacking someone else? He weighed his options and maybe it didn't make sense but the part of him that was raised to help others was overpowering the part of him that wanted to live. But not by that much. Maybe someone could look out the window to see what was going on? If it wasn't a trap that is.


Lazuli

Lazuli rolled her eyes. Wasn't Reina the one who saw these guys run into the park with a vampire on their tail?

"You mean the ones you watched the target chase here? What? No way. And here I thought it was some office ceo and his army of undercover hookers."

Lazuli kept to her spot, watching the vampire struggle to find the prize at the bottom of the restroom. Geez. How long did it take to kill a couple of stupid fleshbags?

Eventually, she gave up on this creature. If anything, she could just kill the humans later. But now? She was bored. So. *******. Bored. What did peeping toms find so fun about this?

Once the vampire's face was pressed up against the concrete outside the window, she made her move. She crept around, picking up a fairly large rock off the ground and making sure her knife was right where she put it. Once in range, it was only a matter of ready, aim . . .

"Rock Fight!" The rock bounced off the side of its head, prompting it to jerk toward Lazuli's direction.

"Wow. You are really bad at this," she said, shaking her head in disapproval. It came at her, jaws gaping. Lazuli fell onto her back to lessen the blow, knife against its teeth in an attempt to prevent them from reaching her. Gloves emitting a soft purple glow as she used one hand to grab onto its ear, she wrapped her legs around its scrawny waist. And with a twist of her hips, she flipped it onto its back. Her free hand now on its neck. She tried her best to keep it weighed down but it was fighting back. And with her constantly looking back to the restrooms to make sure the humans weren't escaping, it'd have a better chance of breaking free with her attention divided.

Now if Reina could tranq this thing before it knocked her off, they could lasso the muggles and get on with their night.

 

[Trine]

Reina watched a rock bounce against the vampire's head. It jerked its head towards Lazuli's position. Guess that was a signal to go...

Reina ran as fast as she could to Lazuli. The fresh air bought tears to Reina's eyes. She threw her sunglasses onto a bench and grabbed the tranquilliser from her pocket. She decided that she would go back for the sunglasses once the task was completed. But if she didn't make it... Whatever. They were only a few hundred dollars. Disposable stuff.

Reina threw a glance at the restroom roof. The vampire had left, but she could smell it. She kept running.

Reina found Lazuli pinning down the vampire, her hand on its neck. Reina smiled a little; it was a funny sight, with the vampire trying its best to throw Lazuli off. Reina slowed down, and prepared the tranquilliser. It worked like a huge needle. All she needed to do was stab it into it anywhere really, but a heart would probably be the most efficient. She approached the vampire and located its heart. She shoved the needle into the vampire with all the force she had. The vampire shrieked. Reina flinched but did not take her hands off the needle. That was loud. She watched the tranquilliser's medicine chamber until it was completely emptied. The vampire's movements became sluggish, until it stopped moving completely. Reina stood up and nudged it with her foot. It did not budge.

"Wow..." said Reina, looking at the empty tranquilliser needle sticking out of the vampire's chest, "That was surprisingly effective."

 

[Capricornus]

Standing back up from the ground, Elizabeth started patting the dirt off her clothes. Her eyes were fixated on the ground, unable to stand seeing Fiora cry. She wanted to console her, but didn't feel as if she could do anything.

She stood by them, Pandora telling them to head back to the café, without calling anyone. "Without calling anyone?.." This was the sentence she couldn't get out of her mind. She tried speaking up, but the lump in her throat just seemed to grow bigger. Not only the fact that Pandora didn't want them to call the police or the like, but also the tone in which she was speaking, her reaction to all that had just happened, this all made her think that she knew more. Something that she wasn't telling them. Either that, or she was getting paranoid.

After a few coughs and tries to clear her throat she tried raising her voice once more. "Without calling anyone?", she asked, frowning in confusion. "After witnessing a murder and being chased by the one who comitted it, you don't want us to call anyone?" Eliza wasn't one to be prone to outbursts, but at that moment she had reached her limits. She wasn't crying, yet, but her voice got louder and shakier with every word. "What is going on here? Who, or more like what, was that... that thing before? And just now? Why weren't you afraid... like all of us?" One question was followed by another, coming out like gunfire, and there were more, many more, that she'd ask if there wasn't another lump forming in her throat. Each question was accompanied by hectic arm and hand movements.

"But I guess I won't get any answer, is that right?" Eliza had returned to her calm self, that most people knew. It wasn't just a guess, she was quite sure that she wouldn't get any answer to any of her questions, but she just had to get all her thoughts out, or else she wouldn't have been able to think about anything else. Eliza felt somewhat lighter after releasing some of the emotions she had bottled up, a mixture of anger, angst and disgust. What else was there now left than getting to someplace safe? The café, like Pandora had just proposed, was one option, although she was unsure why she didn't just help them get home. Until now, Pandora had helped them in many sticky situations, so, even if she was hiding something, the probability that she had malicious intents was close to zero.

She took the first step into the direction of the café, before turning around one last time, her hand stretched out. "I guess we'll need the keys?"

Devious Dilbert CrimsonEclipse