Blood Battles Chapter# 1

Chapter #1:1

“Why are we doing this at night?” 2

Alex looked back at her and she stopped behind him and waited for an answer. He didn’t look to have one at first, but then he turned and continued on through the cave with a smile.3

“It’s less conspicuous at night.”4

River rolled her eyes at him. It was a stupid excuse, but valid enough for her. River found Alex to always be vague on everything. Three months of friendship didn’t open him up even a little. He kept to himself, even in front of his closer friends, like he was hiding something. 5

The farther down they went, the more on edge River seemed to get. She’d never been down a cave before and even though the walls were lined with brightly burning torches, it seemed to get darker the farther down they went. The cave was supposed to lead to an underground shelter where Alex said he did dealings with people and got money for it. He said he needed her help with a job and offered her part of the reward money, and after skipping past due rent’s on her apartment twice, she knew she needed it. He’d told her what he was doing was illegal, but she had told him it didn’t matter and that she wouldn’t tell. They were friends, right?6

The torches were starting to flicker away from a cold breeze that came from the bottom. At one point there were no more torches and the light ceased any further into the blankness.7

River stopped, but Alex didn’t.8

“Alex, wait! I can’t see anymore.” She called out after him, but got no reply. She tried again, but silence was once again her answer. She thought if maybe she just felt along the walls she could find her way until she found light again. Her descent was abruptly stopped when a gust of chilled air wafted up from farther down the cave before she continued.9

The walls felt damp and soft like moss or mold were growing on them. As much as it sickened her, she kept her hands on the wall, feeling out in front of her and to her other side as well. The wall had a sudden edge in it and it turned completely to the left, much like a corner in a house. Before she could think about her next move a hand fell on her back and push her forward.10

River tumble down the case of stone stairs that she hadn’t seen, her body getting beat-up all the way down. She grunted as the wind was knocked out of her. When finally reaching the bottom and taking a second to moan from the pain, she quickly reached up and grabbed her bruised head. Since when were their stairs in the bottom of a cave she wondered?11

The ground below was also something to marvel at. Cold stone, that stung her bleeding knee. She pushed herself up on all fours, before she froze in fear. Slow, steady footsteps were making their way down the steps she had just fallen down. She opened her eyes, but it was still pitch black...so how was this person seeing the steps?12

The footsteps stopped at the bottom and she turned to ask who it was, but never got the chance. A large boot slammed down between her shoulders blades and knocked her back on her stomach and held her down in place. She let out a whimper of pain before anger flared through her. She reached around to fling the person off her, but found it to be impossible. The person was incredibly strong and their ankle didn’t budge when she grabbed it. Unfortunately, her wrist did when ‘they’ grabbed it and twisted it around her back. She cried out in pain and heard the male voice laughing at her expense.13

“Your so easy.” He chuckled. River’s heart seemed to skip a beat when she heard Alexs’ voice. 14

“Alex? What are you doing?” Her voice cracked and it embarrassed her. 15

“I’m just helping out a friend.” He snickered.16

River wanted to ask what he was talking about, but the place was suddenly lit up by a light, making her look up. Two people stepped out of the darkness. One was male and holding a flashlight, and the other, a female and holding a bulging envelope. The female giggled when she saw River, but it wasn’t a cute giggle like most girls could feign, it was more like a ‘I know something you don’t know’ giggle.17

The flashlight the male was carrying shined at her and then at the floor. It slightly lit up the place and small holes could be seen adorning the wall opposite from where they were at. River gulped when she saw the dusting coffins laying far inside the holes and shivered at the first word that popped into her head. 18

“This is a tomb.” She said out loud, her eyes never leaving the wall.19

“That it is.” Isaac smiled before dropping the flashlight purposely. It rolled across the floor and stopped a few feet away from River. The light shined forward in between Isaacs’ legs and to the wall at the end. From what River could see, all the walls had been made of hard limestone. The one now lit up by the flashlight was far from being the same. What at first appeared to be a wall built of small stones was in fact a large and orderly pile of human bones.20

Tibias and femurs were stacked by the thousands farther into the quarries. Some were neat and arranged very artistically in a pattern while others were interspersed with rows of skulls. Most of the stacks of bones rose to a height of about five feet.21

River looked farther up and almost screamed when she saw a sign hanging from the ceiling that read: “Empire of Death” Besides being totally freaked out, she became even more scared and gasped when Alex leaned down and whispered something terrifying into her ear.22

“I live here.” His breath was cold against her neck and she shivered from the sensation.23

“Why would you live here?” Her voice cracked again, but at this point she didn’t care if it was embarrassing. Something was defiantly wrong and she felt she was the center of the predicament.24

“Because humans like you are too proud to accept someone different from yourself. Your what’s right for everybody judgment would send us to the gallows faster than the sun can rise. We’re forced to live down here.” Constance threw Alex the envelope and he caught it easily. His foot abandoned it’s spot atop River’s back and he stepped away from her. He opened the envelope and searched through it. River immediately sat up.25

“Humans like me? Oh god, your those monsters, the wolves!” River backed against a wall, bracing herself for the attack, but they only stood and stared down at her like she was garbage.26

Constance rolled her eyes and a ‘tch’ sound came from Isaac.27

“You surely haven’t been here long enough if you think the lycan’s are the only monsters here.” Isaac smirked down at her after saying this.28

Alex roared with laughter and Constance giggled along with him. Isaac took a step closer to River.29

“Your uneducated and have just made an insulting assumption.” He frowned down at her and she blinked with confusion. “We’re not lycan’s, but they’re not extinct by the way as I’m sure your also assuming.”30

“They’re not?” River didn’t want to believe him, but he didn’t look to have a reason to lie to her.31

“Nope, they’re just hiding and they only come out to get what they need.” Constance chimed in.32

River gulped. “Need?”33

“Meaning you.” Alex gave her an evil grin and Constance giggled again.34

“But if you’re not lycan’s, and you’re not human, then what are you?” River shivered as she almost regretted asking the question.35

“You should know!” Alex jumped down from the wall he had recently sat himself upon. He looked angry and grabbed River by the front of her shirt, lifting her off the ground and pinning her against a wall.36

“You blame us now for what they do!” he yelled and she flinched. Silence fell over them and River didn’t know how to respond to his accusation.37

“Calm down Claude, she’s going to get what’s coming to her. You said she moved here not long ago, so she doesn’t know anything. It’s nice to know the entire world doesn’t know about us.”38

“Yet.” They all shot glares at her when she forced out her whisper. Alex threw her to the ground and kicked her in her side, making her scream in pain. He spit on the ground where she sat before retreating back to Constance who hugged and kissed him.39

River pushed herself up on shaky arms. Only one question was ringing through her mind now.40

“Alex, why?”41

“You betrayed me, so it’s only fair I return the favor.” River looked at him, waiting for further explanation. She couldn’t remember ever betraying him for anything. “Your name isn’t River and mine isn’t Alex, so we’re even.” She stared at him in utter shock. The whole of her situation was getting harder to take in and she had the lingering feeling she wasn’t going to get away from this alive. 42

“Right, Shelby?” River’s eye’s widened and she stuttered out her next words.43

“You don’t understand. I only did that cause I wanted to start over. That’s why I moved here. I wanted to leave behind an old life, so I changed my name. I didn’t do it to hurt you. I’m not hiding anything.”44

“Liar. You just admitted to hiding something.” Isaac interrupted.45

“That old life? All those parties we went to and never once did you say anything about rape or murder.” Alex looked over his shoulder at her.46

River jumped to her feet now in a fit of rage. “That’s none of your fucking business. How did you know? Who told you?” she screamed.47

“No one, just a little research is all it takes. It was easier since you kept your last name.” Constance suddenly started laughing. 48

“You must be a true monster to have committed murder. I’ve yet to have the privilege of trying it.”49

“Shut up!” River took a threatening step toward the girl. “I did what I had to. You’re the monster for wanting to do it. I did it because I had to.”50

“Revenged is not a valid reason to kill someone,” River glared at Isaac. Even though it was true she hated him for saying it. He grinned again and continued. “...but a good one.”51

“Your sick!” She spat.52

“Too bad, you would have been a good alliance.” Alex was approaching her again. He grabbed her neck and once again pinned her against the wall. She struggled against him, but her attempts to get free were futile against his in-human strength.53

“You said we were even, but you’re still going to kill me?”54

“No, I got back at you because I’m always going to win. That doesn’t mean your off the hook. I don’t take kindly to liars.”55

“If I’m going to die, at least give me the knowledge of knowing what you are.” Constance and Isaac were both suddenly behind Alex. Their eyes had turned red and longer than normal fangs protruded from below their lips. Alex leaned in towards her and stopped to lick at a spot on her neck. River shiver, wishing she could tear his head off.56

“Our original name is Obyri, but your kind has come to know us as vampires.” On Claude’s last word, his mouth closed over the vein in her neck and Constance and Isaac both took her wrists into their mouth.57

The last thing River remembered was the feeling of blood leaving her body and a sickening scream that could only be coming from her lips.