The car swerved to the side of the road and hit a road sign. Evan tried to pull out of the sidewalk and back onto the lonely road.
“Drive!” Kenneth yelled at him from the back seat.
“I’m trying to!” Evan yelled back in reply, moving the slightly damaged car onto the road.
The werewolf that had caused Evan to swerve the car onto the sidewalk bounded towards the car.
It was 8 feet tall and it stood on it’s hind legs.
Before it had the time to jump on the car, Kenneth shot out of the car and lunged at the werewolf’s neck.
It howled in pain and clawed at the vampire that had his teeth dug in it’s neck.
Evan ran out and ran towards the werewolf.
It threw Kenneth against a streetlight just as Evan made for it’s wounded neck.
Kenneth got up and landed a punch on the werewolf’s leg.
Kenneth’s bones cracked.
“Way to go Kenneth!” Evan said sarcastically as he held on to the back of the werewolf’s neck.
Kenneth jumped on the werewolf and dug his claws into it’s chest. It screamed and tore Kenneth from it.
Kenneth found himself sailing through the air again and hitting the sidewalk.
Evan came sailing after him.
“Hold him down!” Nella yelled, cocking a gun.
She had been rummaging through her bag for her silver bullets.
The werewolf jumped on Evan and tried to bite his neck.
Kenneth lunged at it and pushed it off.
Both he and Evan ran towards it, pushed it to the ground and held it down.
Nella ran up to it and shot the silver bullets in the body of the werewolf.
It gave a feeble howl and went limp.
Kenneth and Evan staggered to their feet , exhausted.
“Next time,” said Kenneth panting, “endeavor to use your magic before we are killed of werewolf bite.”
“I still don’t know how Upir managed to trace the coven,” Nella replied, “I think it’s best if I don’t use my magic for now.”
As they drove away, Evan ran his hand over his neck gingerly.
“Did it bite you?” Kenneth asked. He was now the one doing the driving.
“No,” Evan replied, “but I wonder why it was hunting alone. Werewolves normally hunt in packs.”
“Think it has something to do with Upir?” Kenneth asked no one in particular.
Both Evan and Kenneth cast glances at Nella who was now sitting alone in the back seat.
She noticed it and threw her hands up in an expression of frustration.
“Look, Upir lived a really long time ago,” she said loudly, “not a lot is known about her. We are only sure of her reputation so I’m almost as lost as you guys.”
“Well you don’t have to yell.” Evan said.
“The girl just lost her mother Evan,” Kenneth whispered, “take it easy.”
“We’ve all lost someone.” Evan muttered and looked out the window sullenly.
Kenneth sighed, there he was in a car with three grief stricken vampires (himself inclusive) driving to nowhere in particular. He checked his fuel guage, they were running out of gas. If he didn’t find a place to stay for the night they might have to sleep in the car, stranded on the road.
He wondered if there was a gas station close by but considering the recent happenings, he didn’t think so.
He spotted a small motel by the side of the road.
Kenneth cast a glance at his now oddly quiet companions.
“We could stay here for the night.” He said.
They only nodded in response.
Kenneth eased the car into the parking lot.
They went to the reception and got their rooms, one for Kenneth and Evan, the other for Nella.
As they went to their rooms, Kenneth noticed Evan lick his lips hungrily and cast a glance at the man at the reception.
“This place feels weird,” Nella whispered, going to the door of her room, “creepy even.”
“Three vampires just checked in – were you expecting a tea party?” Kenneth asked.
He looked at Evan again and shook his head.
“No draining of bodies here Evan.” Kenneth said to Evan.
“But I’m hungry.” Evan said quickly.
“You don’t have to drain them.” Nella said as she entered her room.
She sounded like she was choking back tears.
Evan sighed and went to the room he and Kenneth were to share.
It was just opposite Nella’s room.
The room was clean but rather old. The bed which was just opposite a wardrobe with a broken door was too small for he and Kenneth to share but it was well made with it’s worn out sheets.
Kenneth sat on a small chair at the side of the bed, it gave a warning creak.
He stood up immediately.
“I’ve seen worse rooms.” Kenneth said.
“And I’ve seen better.”Evan snapped, standing with his hands on his waist.
Kenneth started pulling off his shoes calmly, aware of the sting in Evan’s voice. The young vampire was still greiving his friend, he would let him be.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Evan asked hurriedly, “I can barely stand my hunger.”
“The older you become, the more you learn to control your hunger.” Kenneth said, still pulling off his shoes.
“And Nella?” Evan asked.
“She’s a witch,” Kenneth replied, “she has her ways.”
“I can’t stand it,” Evan said, “I’m going hunting.”
And before Kenneth bothered to say anything, he was gone.
Evan walked down the hallway, listening closely to every sound.
He noticed that very few people were in the motel and those that were stayed put in their rooms.
It would make too much noise to break into a room.
Evan decided to try outside. He went to a window and raised it quietly.
“Going somewhere?” A voice said behind him.
Evan turned around, quite unruffled, to see the man who had been at the reception.
He looked in his eyes and talked to him calmly.
“I need to go outside,” he said, his eyes dilating.
“Hypnosis doesn’t work on me.” The man said, smirking.
Evan’s eyes widened in surprise. The man standing in front of him was definitely not a vampire so he wondered why hypnosis was not working on him.
“What are you?” Evan asked.
“Someone that can help you with Upir.” The man replied calmly.
Evan put up his guard the moment he heard Upir’s name.
“What do you know about her?” He asked cautiously.
“I know that she has come out of the abyss, and that you are running away from her. Although I cannot imagine why, she is not after you – yet.” The man replied, maintaining his calm demeanor.
“Who are you?” Evan asked again. From what the man had said it was obvious he did not know so much about them after all. He knew only what happened at the start of this madness and the point they were now in . He knew of nothing in between.
The man had not replied.
“I don’t like repeating myself.” Evan said menacingly.
“You don’t have to,” the man replied, “you can
call me The Guardian.”
Evan cocked an eyebrow.
“This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you my name.” The man said, noticing the change in Evan’s face.
“What do you guide?” Evan asked.
“The abyssal realm.” The man replied.
“Where Upir escaped from?” Evan asked.
The man nodded in affirmation.
“So if you’re the guardian why did you let Upir get out?” Evan asked.
“The abyssal realm is a place too deep for your understanding,” the man replied, “but the core of the matter is that I cannot stop who comes into or goes out of the abyssal realm.”
“Then why are you here?” Evan asked.
“Because the manner in which Upir escaped the abyss caused an imbalance in Nature,” the man said, “she sacrificed two souls, it is not supposed to be so.”
“Then how should it be?” Evan asked again.
“A soul for a soul,” the man replied, “if a soul is destroyed, another one is meant to replace it.”
“But Upir replaced Lucy with herself.” Evan said, wincing at the memory.
“And whose soul did she use to replace Agnes’ which she fed on?” The guardian asked.
Evan stood still, understanding.
“So she..” he started.
“Upir doesn’t just feed on other vampires, she feeds on souls too,” The guardian interrupted, “and for all you know she might be after your soul next.”