Men and women rushed to their homes, finishing any business they might have at this time of night. Children were ordered to go to their rooms, all windows sealed and every door locked. Humans knew better than to stay out so late. Vampires would be waking. Humans would be sleeping. And Hunters would be hunting. Hunters were rare these days - so rare, that they seemed to not even exist. However, there was one who could easily be mistaken as a vampire himself, for he never showed himself during the day. His entire sleeping schedule had switched; he slept during the day, but woke at night to hunt. He wore dark clothing that allowed him to blend with the shadows, easily fooling a vampire with the greatest sight because they were too busy picking on a human being. This hunter, was known for his choice of weapon. A stainless, silver gun - the veins of a rose embedded into the metal - the words
"Freedom Fighter" etched into the side. All vampires, who knew of this gun, feared both the weapon and its weilder.
Alfred F. Jones was merciless.
The town, although it had fallen quiet, was alive due to the sound of hooves clipping against the cobblestone street. A horse, black as pitch, raced down the road, whipping its head from side to side as the Hunter urged it to move faster. The Hunter rode through the night, sapphire eyes darting here and there in search of vampires. He had received a letter - a request that he intend a meeting held by the creatures of the night. He had scoffed at it, not wanting to have any part in this meeting. Why would vampires request that he attend this meeting? Of course, no one had sent it directly to him. No - - it had found him through another vampire sacrificed to the Hunter. They must have known he would come out of hiding knowing a vampire was purposely revealing themselves to get his attention. When he had killed the sacrificed vampire, he had found the letter attached to its body. Nevertheless, the Hunter had gotten invited. He did not want to attend, but he couldn't allow the vampires to cause mischief. What if it was all a bloody trick? The American Hunter gritted his teeth, flicking his heel against the horse's side. The horse instantly moved faster, throwing its head into the air.
The Hunter's coat bellowed behind him, making him appear quite ghostly as he rode through the night. He knew he was nearing the castle of the damned. He could only sense it for a few miles, but now he was beginning to catch sight of it from the distance. As he moved through a patch of woods, the castle disappeared behind trees. The only source of light was the moon. The Hunter reached for Freedom Fighter, eyes scanning the woods as his Mustang raced through the greenery. He was sure the vampires would be in the castle, but then again, one could never to be
too sure.
There was a snap and then a hissing sound coming from his right. His head snapped in the direction of the sound, having no time to react as a vampire lept from the darkness and crashed into him. He was knocked from his horse, hitting the ground roughly. All the air was knocked from him, but he was aware a vampire was on top of him. He, with instinct, kicked at the vampire's stomach. It flew back, hissing in anger. The Hunter got to his feet, aiming the gun in the vampire's direction. It snickered, flashing its pearl-white fangs and curling its fingers so that its sharpened nails appeared more deadly.
"How rude. I had only wanted to invite you to have a nice drink or two with me." It purred.
The Hunter said nothing, at first, but slowly narrowed his eyes at the vampire.
"Why aren't you at the meeting?""I had intended on showing up, but when I heard you had been invited, I couldn't resist myself. I had planned on killing you before you could arrive. After all, I would find myself high status if I took the town's greatest Hunter out." It laughed maniacally, red eyes flashing with hunger.
"Fool." The Hunter stated, bullet clicking into place.
The vampire lunged without another wasted second, judgement clouded by his need to rise in status. The Hunter fired two bullets, the rigged bullets hitting the vampire square in the chest. The vampire screeched, hitting the ground instantly and curling into a fetal position. The bullets were rigged with a poison only venomous to vampires. It spread through their system like rapid-fire, burning them from the inside out. It drained them of all their wickedness - of their very life. The Hunter watched as the vampire tried to fight it, but there was no fighting it. The venom would take the vampire's life almost instantly. It wasn't long before the vampire's movements still, veins turning a dark color through their pale skin. The Hunter touched his cheek, only just realizing he possessed a thin cut on his skin. He must have received it when he hit the ground. He ignored it for now, turning his head to find his Mustang had returned to him. It had been frightened away when the vampire spooked it, but he had thankfully returned to his owner.
"Come, Keiji..." The Hunter held his hand out, waiting for his Mustang to come closer. The dark Mustang came forth, movements slow and gentle. The horse lowered its head, allowing the Hunter's hand to move over the top of its head and down its neck.
The Hunter climbed back up and onto his horse, narrowing his eyes at the vampire who had knocked him from it in the first place. With a quick pat on his neck, the horse took off running again, once again heading to the castle. Now, the Hunter's blood was boiling. How dare that vampire attack him - how dare these damned creatures try to invite him to this meeting...did they think he was stupid? Perhaps, he was. For showing up in the first place, but he did not intend to enter the castle seen. No, the Hunter would sneak his way in and he would see what this meeting was about before making his presence known.
