# The Wandering Shadow: Chapter Eleven

Author: LucarioZer0
Tags: Angst, Character Development, Clean, Human, Magic, Plot Development, Vampire, Wolf


11


"So, remind me
again what it is we're hunting down here...or rather, why don't you tell me
period?"


Will turned back
to look at David, who was trailing a few feet behind him. He could only just
make out the outline of the illusionist in the darkness of the ship's cargo
hold. After spending the past couple hours on a relatively thorough sweep of
the decks above they had moved below, deciding that the shadowy bowls of the
ship were the most likely place to find their quarry. Unfortunately for Will,
the cargo area was so stacked with boxes and crates that it bore an unsettling
resemblance to the warehouse where he had confronted Silas and his cult.


"Look, the less
you know, the better. This is a case were ignorance is bliss. It's also a case
where ignorance keeps me from revealing sensitive information."


David's voice
dripped with sarcasm when he replied. "You know what mate, you're right? It's
just a
lovely idea to wander around
in the dark, stumbling after a killer, all the while not having the faintest
idea of what the killer actually is. I just feel
so safe."


Jenna--who could
see a bit better in the dark than they could--looked back and forth between
them, then decided to sit, figuring this argument would probably take a few
minutes.


"I get that
you'd like to know more, but I've already told you about things I'm not
supposed to--"


"Exactly! So why
not just tell me? You've already broken what ever rules I.O.M.E. has about this
shit."


Will sighed in
exasperation. "Fine dammit. You wanna know? We're hunting a vampire."


A tense silence
fell as both David and Jenna tried to come to terms with that revelation. Jenna
could do nothing but wait for more to come, but David wasn't so passive about
it. "Are you barking? You can't be serious!"


Will gave a
hollow laugh in response. "Don't be naïve. You were willing to accept their
existence before. Why act shocked now?"


"Because it's
just...hard to swallow. So...what do we do then...stab it through the heart?"


Will shook his
head. "You don't get it, do you? These things aren't the way people think of
them. They aren't seductive or suave. They're vicious predators that feed on
humans. Smart as they are, they can't be reasoned with. One won't hesitate to
kill you if it gets a chance."


David nodded,
though Will couldn't see in the darkness. "Right...so then...what are we dealing
with? I mean, how much of the lore is accurate?"


Will motioned
for them to start moving, not wanting to stay in one place. He talked as the
other two followed after him. "Well, that depends. The more recent depictions
that started appearing in the early 1800's and popularized in Stoker's work
are...highly inaccurate. But if you go back far enough, to the old folk tales,
you'll find a decent amount of useful information.


As far as
weaknesses go, don't expect a cross or Holly Water to save you. You'll be dead
before you have a chance. Also, though a stake through the heart can weaken
them...don't expect it to kill. The only true way to kill them is to completely
destroy the brain."


"Why? Couldn't
you just decapitate them?"


"That would make
them...harmless, but the head would live on. See, they aren't actually alive, so
they don't need the same things we do to survive. We need air, food, sleep,
water, and blood pumping through our veins. They don't need any of that. They
live on energy that they 'suck' out of the living."


"Not blood?"


Will shook his
head. "No. Not blood. They do need access to bare skin, because they need to
puncture it. That tends to draw blood, hence the blood drinking myths. Instead
what they do is drain every ounce of every kind of energy from their victim's
body. Heat. Electrical. Cellular. We may not know much about the energies in
our bodies, but we're relatively certain that vampires feed on them all. It's
why that poor girl who died felt so cold to the touch when I examined her."


"Yeah...about
that. Are we going to have to deal with a second vampire because of her?"


Will rolled his
eyes, partly glad that the darkness was hiding his irritation from sight. "No.
If you fall prey to one, you're dead. No coming back."


"Then where do
they come from?"


Will hesitated
for a moment then said "Well, it's the result of someone tampering with death.
When someone with enough power tries--and succeeds--in reanimating a corpse, that
corpse becomes a vampire. And sometimes, if a vampire is strong enough, they
can create a new vampire themselves. Though they usually won't because they're
rather...territorial. They tend to stay in one area, and feed off the population
there. They won't move unless they have to. It's a bit odd that there's one on
a ship, just because of that."


"Alright...so what
about sunlight? Does that do anything to them?"


"Actually it
does, though not as much as you would hope. They tend to avoid sun, for two
reasons. One, their eyes are sensitive to light. The second is that--even though
it won't kill them--their flesh is severely burned by exposure to the sun. In spite
of the research we've done, I.O.M.E. doesn't know why sunlight affects them so.
We just know that it does. Speaking of light..."


Will trailed
off, coming to a stop, which caused Jenna to bump into him, and David to nearly
trip over her. After regaining his balance David asked, "What is it? Why have
we stopped?"


"David, you're
illusions can be partly done with light energy, right?"


He nodded into
the darkness. "Yeah. Why?"


Will smiled, as
an idea formed that might give them at least a slight advantage. "Tell me, can
you do anything with it here? Something to give us some light?"


David blinked in
surprise. "Er...I can give it a go, but I don't usually work with light in that
sense. I just bend it around things."


"Just try."


All went quiet
as David focused his mind on bringing what little light was available under his
control. It started with a few small sparks trailing through the air, like
fireflies on a summer night. More points of light appeared every second, coming
from every direction to swarm around the trio. As they gathered they moved about
as if being pushed by a gentle breeze, ebbing back and forth at a peacefully
serene pace.


Will shook his
head, awed by the sight. "I had no idea you could do anything like this."


Jenna nodded in
agreement. Even if she could speak, she wouldn't dare disturb what she felt was
a beautiful moment.


The moment came
to an unceremonious end when all the floating points of light rushed into a
single point a few inches above David's outstretched palm, coalescing into an
orb several inches across, casting a circle of light around them. None of them
spoke for a moment then David cleared his throat. "We should get moving again,
yeah? We've got a vampire to hunt down, and I can only keep this thing going
for so long."


At that moment a
laugh emanated from the darkness. "Yes, your light, like your simple human
lives, is fleeting."


"I think that
hunt is coming to a close." Will unholstered his gun and handed it to David.
"Take that. You'll need something to defend yourself with if we have to fight."


David hesitated,
but took the weapon, knowing it was likely for the best. "What'll you do then?"


Will didn't
answer directly, simply drawing his sword instead. Calling out into the shadowy
recesses of the room he said, "Why don't you make this easier on all of us and
come out where we can see you?"


"Now why would I
do that? I see no purpose in it. I'm certainly not going to answer to the
command of a mere human...well, at least not a human as weak as you."


Not looking back
at the other two Will whispered, "I think this is a young vampire. He seems too
arrogant and sure of himself to be very experienced. Older ones tend to be more
subtle and secretive."


David brightened
a bit. "So he might not be too tough then?"


"I didn't say
that." Calling out into the darkness again Will said, "If you don't come out
we'll just come find you. Why not save us all some time?"


"And why so
intent on hunting me down?"


Will frowned.
"Because you killed someone, and I can't let that pass."


More laughter
was the response. When that faded the voice came again. "All I did was act as a
predator should when met with hunger and abundant prey. She was so vibrant and
full of life. Perfect for my first meal as a hunter of man."


Jenna growled
and David opened his mouth with a vindictive reply in mind, but Will held out a
hand, telling both of them to be quiet. "Don't react. It's what he wants. He's
trying to unbalance us. He wants us to act recklessly."


Returning his
attention to the expanses of the room Will said, "So then, are you going to
show yourself, or just keeping skulking in the shadows? I'd rather not keep
talking to empty air."


Silence
followed. They all tensed, waiting in their circle of light. The shadows seemed
deeper and darker. All three looked about, trying to detect the slightest hint
of movement. There was no sound but that of their breathing, and the occasional
whisper of air and fabric, betraying movement the eye could never see. A chill
crept into the air. Will felt a tingle run down his spine. He gripped the hilt
of his sword tighter. He could hear the other two shifting uneasily. He didn't
dare to look, unwilling to drop his guard for the briefest of instants.


As the seconds
ticked by they began to wonder if anything would ever come from the shadows.
Each minute passed like an hour, the tension skewing their sense of time.
Eventually the silence was broken by laughter. The sound came from everywhere
at once, as though the cargo hold itself were laughing. "As much as I like how
afraid you are, today is not the day for me to kill you, even if I were hungry.
Still, I think I'll leave you with a parting gift."


The only warning
they had was a whoosh and a whistle before a bolt of black energy shot out of
the shadows, striking the hull in the middle of the trio, sending out a
shockwave that knocked them all off their feet. They were plunged into
darkness, David having lost his hold on his ball of light.


Will felt sore
and bruised, but pushed himself up, standing quickly. "Is everyone alright?"


David groaned.
"I've been better...but I should be alright."


Jenna struggled
for a moment to think of what sound she could make that would be a positive
response, then settled for walking over to Will and bumping into his leg. Will
breathed a sigh of relief at the contact. For just a moment he had though...


He shook his
head, trying to chase those thoughts away. He cleared his throat and said,
"Alright then, we're getting out of here. David, can you give us our light
back?"


"I er...shit I
think I'm bleeding. Just give me a moment here."


As they had
before, the motes of light came from all corners of the room, casting a gentle
glow before forming a brighter orb in David's hand. David was indeed bleeding,
a gash on his cheek showing how he had landed. Jenna was favoring one of her
forelegs, possibly sprained. Will seemed to have made out the best of them,
with only a few sore spots and bruises.


Will knelt down
beside Jenna, gently picking up her right for paw and feeling along her leg.
She let out a quiet whine when he pressed a spot about two thirds of the way up
her leg. He sighed. "It's probably sprained. I'm guessing you landed on that
one before the others?"


She nodded. It
didn't hurt terribly, but it was still painful, throbbing ever so slightly.


Will stood back
up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright love, it'll be best if you keep off
that leg for now. It's not too bad I think, but you shouldn't stress it too
much."


Jenna grumbled
and picked her paw up, holding it aloft.
Wonderful.
As if this body wasn't bad enough, now I have to walk around on three legs.



Will looked over
to David. "You on the other hand just need to have that cut cleaned and
bandaged."


David reached up
to the warm spot on his check, his fingers coming away slick with blood. "Easy
for you to say. If this leaves a scar I'll be pissed."


Will chuckled.
"We're all fine. Just be glad for that. Come on, let's move. I get the feeling
that trying to find him again wouldn't be a good idea, even if there was a
chance we could."


The two of them
followed behind Will as he led the way through the maze of containers and
crates. David, after a moment or two, said, "Alright, I'm sure I'm not the only
one bothered by this. You said that thing would kill us if given the chance. So
why didn't it?"


Will shook his
head. "I honestly don't know. I've been trying to piece it together but...I only
really have two theories. First, is that he was full of bravado and didn't want
to risk actually trying to fight us. That's the one I'm hoping for."


David gulped.
"And the other one is what then?"


Will stopped,
one foot on the stairway that would lead them up out of the hold. "He said
something about not taking orders from humans. Then he corrected himself,
saying that he wouldn't take orders from humans as weak as us. The only human a
vampire would see as their equal or superior would be the human that created
them, and even then that's not always the case. Which suggests to me that
maybe--and I can't stress how much I hope I'm wrong--the person who created this
one didn't die when he was created, and is pulling this vampire's strings,
possibly even commanding him not to kill us."


"But why? What
is there to gain by leaving us alive? Aren't we just witnesses at this point?"


"I really don't
know. That scares me too. I'm used to knowing more about the situation I have
to deal with." Will gave a hollow laugh. "It seems that's never the case
anymore."


Jenna felt a
pang of concern. She wasn't used to hearing Will sound so cynical. It wasn't
like him. True, she was generally the more optimistic of the two, but he wasn't
exactly they type to look at the negative.
It
seems we're both changing lately. Will we even be the same us when all of this
is over?



David
sighed. "Great. This is just a
lovely situation
we're in. So what now?"


"We
wait 'til morning. It's all we can do. Once we reach Alexandria, I'll file a
report with their I.O.M.E. office. After that, we continue on."


"That's
it?"


Will
nodded. "That's it. We're not equipped to handle this, and even if we were, we
have other things to deal with."


David
nodded. "Fair enough then. Didn't think you would be putting yourself first,
but if it keeps us out of that thing's way, I won't complain."


Will
shook his head and started walking up the stairs thinking,
I'm not putting myself first. I'm putting Jenna first.


Once
above deck the three of them headed aft to the Summer Wind's dinning hall,
where the crew and passengers had gathered. With their search amounting to
nothing but failure, Will convinced the captain that it would be best to keep
everyone there for the night, if only for safety. It was there that they spent
the night, crowded into the room, sleeping in shifts until the sun peaked over
the horizon.


Dawn
brought some relief, but Will knew better than anyone that as long as the
vampire was alive then there was a very real danger. So, true to his word, once
they arrived in Alexandria--and retrieved Vincent and their cart--he made for the
city's I.O.M.E. office.


He
went into the unobtrusive building without his cloak, not wanting to seem too
out of the ordinary. He also went in alone, figuring David and Jenna probably wouldn't
be the best people to bring in with him. Once inside it took a few minutes to
properly communicate who he was, and for the local officers to find someone who
could speak English.


So
it was that Will wound up seated across from one of the office's translators.
It was a requirement that--as I.O.M.E. was an international organization--every
office have at least three officers on hand who were multilingual. This
naturally made it easier for traveling officers or people from other countries
to communicate with any I.O.M.E. office they could find. Unfortunately for Will,
the ability to speak a language and the ability to speak it fluently were two
different things.


Such
was the case with the short, dark skinned officer who sat before him. "You say
you are being Lieutenant at American I.O.M.E. office, this is right?"


Will
nodded. "Yes."


"It
was Keller, your name yes?"


Will
bit his tongue to hold back the acerbic remark that came to mind. These
questions had already been answered. The man was just wasting time.


"Good.
But not so good yes? You say Mr. Keller that you are wishing to tell us of
danger, yes?"


"That's
right."


Over
the next few minutes Will explained the events of the previous night aboard the
Summer Wind, the other officer taking notes all the while. He started with the
death of Violet Erics and his examination of her body then described his
encounter with the vampire in the cargo hold. He specifically left Jenna and
David out of the story, not wanting to have to answer any questions about them
if he didn't have to.


When
he finished he waited quietly while the Egyptian officer made a few last notes.
The man then shook his head and said, "This is sad thing, but not cause for
concern. Even if vampire comes here, we have much sun yes? Not good for him."


Will's
jaw dropped. "So you're just going to ignore the threat this represents?"


"Is
not a threat. He will not be living if he stays here long. He leaves, it
becomes other region's problem. We will file reports, and then nothing more is
to be done."


Will
sat quietly for a moment, clenching his fist. He then stood up without a word,
leaving the man's office, slamming the door behind him. He made his way out of
the building, making no effort to hide his irritation, drawing the stares of
some of the local officers.


Leaving
the building he stalked down the stone steps to the street, where the cart was
waiting, David standing beside it. As Will approached David looked him over and
said, "I'm going to guess it didn't go well then."


Will
shook his head, laughing in a slightly manic way. "No it didn't go well. Those
idiotic bastards are totally ignoring what I've told them!"


He
punctuated that thought by yelling in frustration and kicking one of the cart's
wheels before slumping over the side of the cart. While David tried to calm
down Vincent--who had been disturbed by the noise--Jenna popped up from inside
the cart, where she had been hiding under Will's cloak to escape the unforgiving
heat of the sun; her fur was not meant for this weather.


Like
the grey Shire colt she had been surprised by Will's yell, though mostly because
she had never heard Will so angry before. She whined and nuzzled him, wishing
she could offer more comfort than that.


Will
sighed and turned his head up to look at here.
How odd, he thought, that she
should be concerned about me with all that's going on.



Will
smiled in a reassuring manner, patting her on the head. "It's alright. I'm just
a bit frustrated."


She
tilted her head with a bemused sort of look on her face that seemed to ask, "Just
a bit?"


Will
laughed. "Alright, really frustrated. But I'll be fine."


David,
having calmed Vincent, said, "Lovely. So what now?"


Will
turned and leaned his back against the cart. "Well...I hate to leave without this
vampire issue being properly dealt with...but...I suppose they'll deal with it when
it becomes an issue for them. So where do we go from here to find Greyson?"


"Er...wait
a tic." David started digging through his pockets, pulling out Max's note after
a moment. He read through it twice then said, "Cairo. He's staying in Cairo
right now, working at the er...Museum of
Egyptian Antiquities."


"Good. Then we'll get some supplies and head out."


David quirked a brow. "Supplies? For what?"


Will climbed up into the cart, looking over his
shoulder as he said, "Can't speak for you, but I'd rather not cross the desert
without some things. Water, for example. But, if you want to die, that's up to
you."


"Don't have to be such an arse about it." David
grumbled as he stepped up to the driver's bench, taking the reigns and urging a
less than enthusiastic Vincent forward to find somewhere in the city that they
could find what they would need.


***


It was six in the morning, and the sun was rising. Quentin barely noticed
though as he sat hunched over his kitchen table. He had already been awake for
an hour or two. He hadn't really kept track. Not that it mattered. He barely slept
anymore, evidenced by the dark circles under his eyes.


His life was nothing but stress anymore. He dreaded each day, fearing the
worst. He worried about what would happen if I.O.M.E. discovered that he was
working under Carmina. He worried more about what she might do to him.


He reached up a hand to his chest, feeling a dull pain. That always
happened. It never failed that when he thought of Carmina, the five ragged
scars on his chest would ache, as though his flesh wanted to remind him of what
she was capable of doing.


That pain was even worse on the days like that one, where he had to go to
report to her. He had spent a good amount of time gathering information for
her. Like the information she wanted on the sewer systems, or how many officers
I.O.M.E. had in the area. Then there were other, odder bits of information she
wanted him to find.


For instance she wanted him to try to figure out how many people in the
city were living on the streets. It was no easy thing to accomplish, and when
he had asked why she wanted to know she had simply smiled cruelly and said, "You'll
know when the time comes."


So went his encounters with her. He never got any information out of her,
and he was always afraid that his information for her wouldn't be enough.


He hated his own cowardice, but at the same time felt it was justified.
Who wouldn't be afraid of someone like her?


Quentin sighed. He couldn't understand how someone so vile could even exist.
He held no delusions about himself--he knew he was no saint. He had done some
things that would never appear on any official record--truly horrible things--all
in the name of research. But even then, he knew where to draw the line. He had never
brought harm to innocent people. He had never threatened the safety of
thousands of people.


Carmina didn't care about innocent people. If anything she reveled in the
chaos and pain she caused. It made him feel as though he would be sick just
thinking about it.


He tilted his head back, staring blankly at the ceiling. "How do I get
out of this?"


No answer came but the steady ticking of a nearby wall clock. Quentin
turned his head, looking at the clock. He needed to start getting ready for
work. He didn't want to, but he had to.


He forced himself to get out of his chair, staggering out of the kitchen
to his room, thinking to himself,
I hope
this all end soon.



***


As the sun set David pulled Vincent to a stop just off the side of the
main road, trying to avoid parking the cart on any loose sand that would make
it difficult for them to move when morning came. Will set to making a fire
while David fed Vincent, with Jenna watching all the while, unable to provide
any real help.


By the time it was fully dark and the land was cooling the three of them
sat around a cheery blaze that would keep them warm in the cold desert night.
As they lay in the sand, dyed orange by the fire, they all had their own
thoughts on what the next day would bring.


For David, the only thought in his mind was that of bringing an end to his
traveling with Will and Jenna. Though he had come to like them to a certain
degree, he also missed traveling alone. The ability to go where he wanted when
he wanted seemed like a distant memory after all he had seen. The world seemed
different now. Women could be changed into wolves. Vampires stalked humans from
the shadows. If nothing else he had learned how little he really knew about the
world, and that he should be more cautious than he had been in the past.


Still, he couldn't shake the feeling, somewhere in the back of his mind,
that he would miss Will and Jenna when they were gone. He would never admit
that aloud though. He shook his head and rolled over, closing his eyes, falling
to sleep but a few moments alter.


Jenna saw him move out of the corner of her eye, briefly taking her attention
away from the fire. Her eyes then flited back to the hot, orange entity. She
was no stranger to fire certainly, but somehow through lupine eyes it looked
different--more powerful perhaps. It was almost like an instinct to stay near
the fire, as though it represented some sort of protection, something from deep
within her ancestral memory.


But wait, that couldn't be right. She shook her head, trying to drive the
wolf instincts from her mind. She wasn't going to let that beast win. She wasn't
going to become some feral hunter if she could help it. She gritted her teeth,
praying that the next day would finally give them some results. She wiggled
back and forth a bit as the happy thought crossed her mind that at some point
in the very near future she could be back to her old self.


She sighed contentedly then turned away from the fire, crawling across
the sand to where Will was lying on his back, staring up at the sky. She nudged
his arm aside, snuggling in against him. He chuckled and looked down at her
with a playful smile. "Comfortable?"


She had an equally playful gleam in her eyes as she tilted her head, as
though considering it for a moment before nodding in a way that seemed to say, "Yes,
this will do."


He laughed again. "Well as long as you're happy."


She laid her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh, and--after giving
her a quick kiss on the nose--Will returned his attention to the sky above.


Will loved looking at the stars. He had ever since he was a child. Though
in the city he could ever see many, he had always looked forward to trips out
into the country. There stars filled every spare inch of sky, looking for all
the world like clouds of shining diamonds. In a way they made him feel small,
and made him feel as though the rest of the world were small too. Even as a
child, he looked up at those points of light and felt as though all the
problems in the world were suddenly insignificant.


But that wasn't the case anymore. Not when it came to the problem's he
and Jenna faced. Even as he looked up at the stars, those problems still
weighed heavily upon him. He was far from optimistic about what the next few
days might bring. He knew there was a slim chance of getting her back. But he
couldn't bring himself to be hopeful. Too many things had gone wrong for him to
be willing to hope anymore.


He was broken from his thoughts by a soft snore form Jenna. He bit back
the urge to laugh.
I'm wrong, he
thought,
I can't get her back, because I
haven't lost her. Not yet.



He kissed her again, this time on her forehead then he laid his head back
and closed his eyes. It didn't take him long to join his companions in sleep,
leaving the stars to sparkle unseen and the fire to burn unwatched through the
rest of the night.

Source: https://sofurry.com/view/818352