legend of the vampire (chapter 9: a wish to live)

8/6/2019 Legend Of The Vampire (Chapter 9: A Wish to Live)

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CHAPTER 9: A Wish to LiveThe underwater echoes rang a familiar tune to her ears, begging and luring her to dwell inits illusory stupor. After what felt like a thousand years had passed, Spencer at last brokefrom the numbness and opened her eyes. She found herself lying at the bottom of theflooded tunnel. The water was terribly cold, and only faint rays of light managed to shinedown through layers of wreckages that mounted up so high she couldn't see the surface ofthe water. She stayed put for a moment, glancing around in the dark, as she tried to recallwhat happened.

She remembered standing on the platform, whilst the First District was collapsing. Shestared down at the madly rippling water, mechanically holding her breath. For all thecourage in the world, she wouldn't have jumped in until the ground she stood upon couldno longer withstand the weight of the falling debris. She dove into the water and hid herselfat the bottom. She took cover under a large block of concrete to avert sunlight and moredeadly rubbles that were falling around her. She waited for the whole fiasco to end and,most importantly, for nightfall to come. Hours passed ever so slowly, and her concentrationgradually lost its focus to the numbness. She slipped into unconsciousness, and it feltstrangely serene under the water that her pain and hurtsher very existencewere veiledaway from the rest of the world. She would have been lost there for another century if not

for the scream that suddenly thundered in the back of her mind, disrupting her endlessdream.

Viola!

Spencer closed her eyes for a few moments, and then opened them again. Thankfully, thescream was now replaced by the dull, underwater echoes. She began to move her fingers,slowly at first, to feel her muscles. She had no idea how long she had been in trance, but itwas long enough to have stirred her hunger. Gently kicking her legs to push her body fromunder the concrete block, she swam out into the hollow space between the wreckages.Catching a glimpse of moonlight above, she ascended in a quiet, graceful swim of amermaid. Rising past the tower of debris, she eventually reached the surface.

Her head emerged from the water so quietly that the water hardly rippled. Once she hadclimbed over the edge, she slumped down on all fours, wheezing. Her body was shaken. Herheart beat so fast in anticipation at the first flow of air in her lungs. The air filled everyelement of her being with the earthly bliss. One would have given anything for her ability tobreathe underwater, but it felt like a curse to her. Her body had long evolved against herown wishes. She wasn't sure if heaven just would not take the likes of her, or it was simplyher wish to live.

Follow the light, and your life shall begin

The fortuneteller's words haunted her even in the abyss of darkness. But the life she hadled was far from what she ever imagined. To walk in sunlight again was one exception thatshe hadn't mastered. Light seemed to evade her every chance it get, leaving her graspempty and cold.

"Who's there! Freeze!"

On her knees, Spencer slowly raised both hands up. She took her time to register theposition of the attacker. He was approaching her from behind, holding a gun in both hands.The WOOHP uniform she was wearing didn't particularly put her in a friendly position sinceshe was certain that he was a werewolf. His roar was deep, and his footfalls were heavierthan humans. Only good ear of an immortal could differentiate the sounds. Surprised that


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the werewolves were still around, she took a quick look around, noting the ruined, desertedsite. It must have been quite some times since the fall of First District.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Turn around. Slowly." He ordered her,and then spoke into his walkie-talkie. "I've got a WOOHP here. Female. Copy."

'H

ah! After three weeks, we finally get lucky! I'll be right over. Copy.'

"Turn around. Now," the werewolf repeated.

Spencer turned to look over her shoulder, and she could see the stunned look in his darkeyes. She was absolutely not what he expected. From the way he froze, she could tell thathe was an inexperienced pack member. At the opportune moment, she charged at himbefore he could pull the trigger. She pinned him to the ground, burying her fangs deep intohis neck. His face paled by the seconds as he feebly gripped her shoulder and arm. His bodystarted to shake as he struggled in vain before falling flat on the muddy ground.

Letting go off the prey, the vampire wiped the blood from her lips and stood up. He was ameal she desperately needed after weeks in the water, and it feared her that he wasn't

enough to sustain her fierce appetite tonight. For what seemed like a lifetime ago, she wasonce forced into the water for days. Not knowing of her own strength, she miraculouslysurvived at the bottom of the dark, cold sea. Only she came back to the land and fed uponhundreds to appease her hunger. Or was it anger she regretted to this day?

Spencer tried to still her breathing. The thought of those days was most unwelcomed. Shetried to focus on the werewolf's warm blood in her veins, catching bits and pieces ofinformation concerning the lair. She couldn't help but sigh in relief that Ian had made it outsafely. It appeared that the werewolves still kept the site on watch in hope to ambushWOOHP agents for a possible lead to the headquarters. They believed that Sam andSamantha were held captives.

After so many years, they still don't know where WOOHP is

Hideaki Kruger escaped the prior WOOHP headquarters in Tomsk, causing havoc anddestroying it in the process. WOOHP then moved to a new location. Spencer was surprisedthat WOOHP was a loyal agent until the end, refusing to tell her husband where the newheadquarters was. But Spencer learned of the location from the time she drank from Ann'sblood. Apparently, she was a good secret keeper, and she was never interested in goingagainst WOOHP. The organization had no knowledge of her existence, and the last thing shewanted was to be on the same list with Hideaki.

Spencer carefully turned around and looked for a sign of another pack member. He shouldbe here soon, but she was too worried for Annie that she decided not to wait for her meal toshow up. She looked up to the dark sky and spread her regal, black wings. She watched thecountless stars above as she smelled the earth, cherishing the touch of cool wind againsther skin. Indeed, it felt good to be alive.

"They said it's a very dangerous thing to wish to die."In a white sweater and a pair of baggy black jeans, Ian looked up from his third cup ofcoffee for tonight. His raven, silky hair hang around his shoulders, framing his manlystature in the most bulky way. He mustered a smile for Sally, the woman behind thecounter. Considering the tension in the lair these days, Sally had become the only friend he


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felt at ease to be around. Cherishing the little privacy he had, he ordered his guards toposition just outside the twenty-four-hour diner.

"It's quite the opposite in my world, Sally. The longer you live, the more you'll lose," Iansaid, finishing his coffee in one big gulp. His black, leather backpack was laid to the side,leaning up against the wall. He had some books with his, but wasn't in the mood to 'read'tonight. In fact, he hadn't had the energy to research since he survived the First District.There were always distractions, and they all went by the same name: Spencer.

"You know, if you keep drinking my coffee at this rate, I'll be rich by morning."

Ian chortled at his friend's attempt to lighten him up. "I'll have another one. The fourth cupwould actually keep me awake."

Carrying the hot pot, Sally moved around the counter and came to sit down on the crimson,leather couch opposite to Ian. She poured some more coffee for her friend and grinned."Have I ever told you that you're my favorite customer?"

"Sally, I'm here because I have nowhere else to go. I'm miserable. You're happy that I feel

miserable? Two, please." Ian nodded in a grateful gesture when Sally plopped two whitecubes into her cup.

Ian sipped his drink, and kept his gaze down at the wooden table. He didn't have to look upto know that Sally was scrutinizing him behind that friendly smile. For thirty years, thewoman had become his only confidant on the outside world, a sister without bloodobligations, and his last resort for a quiet, little chat every human being was entitled to.

"You have to let it go. You said so yourself that no one could have survived the disaster."Sally leaned over the table a little closer to Ian. "Especially that she was a vampire. She hadno way of getting out of there at dawn. Please don't do this to yourself."

Ian involuntarily faked a puzzled look. "Do what? I'm not worried if she's dead or alive."

"You're blaming yourself over her death. That's what you're doing. Stop it," Sally hissed.

"Every vampire's death is a revenge for my kind."

"Are you kidding me? Your father shot her." Sally poured a cup of coffee for herself.

Ian looked away, grumbling to himself.

Sally smiled as she eyed her friend. "What's your plan now that you knew who really killedyour mother?"

"Reito Brown. He was also the one who attacked me in the woods. I can't believe it. I

was thatclose to him. From what I heard from Annie, Spencer and Reito were friends forcenturies."

Sally shuddered. "Wow. They must have a lot in common"

"Not so," Ian said, and then paused. His reply came sooner than he would have liked. "Imeant that Spencer was a rogue. She had nothing to do with Uriah. No, she wasn't likehim."


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For some strange reasons, Ian felt a hollow in his chest having to talk about Spencer as apast. It was inconceivable for him to befriend a vampire, and it felt even more absurd nowthat he couldn't stop thinking about Spencer. Ian knew that he was never the one to handleguilt well.

"Well, then. Are you going to tell your father about it?" Sally sipped her coffee.

"YeahI I don't know. He already has his hand full just to keep our lair safe. I just don'twant him to set off for another vengeance. I guess I'll handle it myself."

Sinking further into the couch, Ian pulled his legs up and hugged his knees. He rested hishead against the wooden panel behind him and peeked out the large window to the streetsoutside. Things seemed normal on this side of the world, where couples walked about,enjoying their nighttime activities. Back at the lair, things had gone depressing and awry.After the pack's merciful verdict, Jerry was sentenced to a hundred years in prison. Now thewerewolves knew how paranoid the vampires were when they were betrayed by their ownkind. Although Jerry's case was not completely the same as Mai's, the pack members wereon high alert even in their own lair. On good news, the First District was destroyed. But itonly meant that WOOHP had successfully introduced the immortals back to the huntinggame once again. Ian knew that he better be prepared for what was to come.

After a short walk through the thick woods, the sight of the monastery finally emerged ontop of the small hill just a few hundred meters ahead. The weight of the soaked uniform feltheavier by the minute, and the energy from the young werewolf's blood had faded fast.Fierce hunger was looming at the horizon like an inevitable wave of tsunami, but Spencerneeded to get back home before dawn. A good sleep on a dry bed would at least soothe herfrom the fatigue.She approached the front door and briefly looked over her shoulders before entering herhome. The house was awfully quiet that her good ears failed to grasp even a sound ofbreathing. Carefully, she walked up the wooden stairs and pushed open the door to Annie'sbedroom. It was dark. The bed was empty, and the sheet looked tidy without any sign of itbeing laid upon.

Spencer felt a crush in her chest. Her feet involuntarily took the steps forwards until shecame to stand next to the bed. She just stared down at the cold sheet, refusing to believewhat had happened in her absence. Three weeks proved to be too long for Annie to wait tosay goodbye. Even though the vampire had anticipated the inevitability for years now, shestill felt unready to face solitary again.

The morning light began to shine through the gap between the curtains, and the warmthonly made her body feel weaker. Spencer eventually lied down. The pillow was as soft asshe remembered, and the smell of the old woman's perfume still lingered. She squeezed hereyes shut and pulled the pillow closer. Her shoulders began to tremble, and tears werewelling up her eyes. However, just when she was about to fall into slumber, her groggy

mind suddenly detected a faint sound of footsteps coming from downstairs.

Six No, eight of them

Her home had been exposed, and the intruders downstairs only waited for the sun to comeup to attack. Spencer got up from the bed, though wobbly. Her gaze never left the slightlyopened door.


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"We know you're in there, so don't try to do anything stupid." A rough voice came from thehallway before the intruder's hand slipped in sight, pushing the door wide open with thegun in his hand.

A squad of werewolves entered the room, all equipped with weapons. The large, tall, gingerman led his men in, holding a handgun up to the side of his head. He sported a nasty scaron the left side of his thick neck, and had a two-week worth of beard, not to mention thathe smelled rather unpleasant. Chewing his gum, he paced around the room, his arrogantgaze inspecting Spencer.

He scoffed. "Huh. I knew it. What's with all the basement and shit. That old human ladywas fucking weird. By the way, you missed her funeral just a few days ago."

From what Spencer gathered, he must be the one on the walkie-talkie with the youngwerewolf she fed from hours ago. His voice was gruff and his tone evidently harboredanger. But she doubted that the werewolves were fast enough to track her down from thesite. They must have kept this house under surveillance for some times now, and it waspossible only if Ian lent them the information. Had the dark-haired werewolf sent a deathinvitation to her door?

Most likely.

Spencer wasn't sure how to feel about Ian's action, though it wasn't entirely unexpected.But she knew one thing for certain that it was going to get ugly.

"Pack her," he said, gesturing for his men to approach the vampire.

Spencer sat still like an obedient child. There wasn't much for her to do at the moment.These thugs could not be advised or bargained with. They only loved to end things inbloodshed, and she knew better that she was holding a losing card here. She let a werewolfpull her hands to her back and handcuffed her. Then another pack member took out a thick,black sack. They were fully prepared, and Spencer could only curse in her head for everbringing Ian here.

"You don't have to do this. I already know where your lair is," Spencer deadpanned.

At the vampire's bitter smirk, the squad leader snatched the sack from his subordinate'shand and strode towards Spencer. He punched her in the stomach, driving her to her kneesand then putting the sack over her head.

"Keep your mouth shut, or I'll work you up so badly you wish you'd never been born." Hethen dragged the vampire out of the room and threw her down the stairs. "Go! Go! Get thevan here now!"

Once Spencer was led into the open, the warmth from the sun felt like scorching fire on herskin. She began to resist, trying to lose the harsh grips. Each step forwards was agonizing.

Every second longer in the sun was unbearable. In panic, she found herself screaming,blindly thrashing to get back inside, or anywhere that would ease the pain. Ironically, shehad much to thank the squad leader for striking her head hard enough to knock her outcold. When darkness was all she saw and felt, sunlight seemed far from her worries.

Busy behind the counter, Ian spent the early morning hour helping Sally clean the bar area.The diner was one waitress short on last night's shift. Only Lord knew why Sally still hired


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Jim Mc Nair, a certain, young, red-haired, alcoholic waiter, who missed almost one third ofhis shifts.Sally came through the backdoor, having just taken out the trash, and smiled at the dark-haired woman. "Thank you so much, Ian. Like I said, you're my favorite customer," sheteased, earning a pout from the werewolf.

"Why are you still hiring that boy? He's so irresponsible. With how the economy is thesedays, I bet tons of boys out there are begging to work in your diner," Ian said, washing therag by the sink. He only looked up again at Sally's abrupt silence, and it struck him a littlestrange to see his friend's gaze drifting away.

Eventually noticing Ian's stare, Sally cleared her throat. "I think I owe him one."

"Uh-huh."

"Long story. I'll take it from here. Thank you." Sally quickly grabbed the rag from Ian'shand.

Ian let his friend take the rag, but continued to gawk at her. "He's an intern at the hospital,right? You met him there?"

"Long story."

"I saw his girlfriend come to pick him up every now and then. It must be hard for you"

Out of the blue, Sally burst into a nervous laugh. "Excuse me. What is this? I've known youfor thirty years, and you had to be the slowest person to pick up this kind of things. Nowyou're making an assumption on howIfeel?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that it's so obvious," Ian said, shrugging.

Sally turned to face Ian and put up a straight face. "What's obvious? Are you trying to getback at me?"

Ian's mouth popped into an O shape. "Getting backwhoa. Wait. What are you talkingabout?"

"You're trying to get back at me for implying that you had a feeling" Sally's words trailedoff when Ian's cell phone abruptly rang in his pocket.

Picking up the phone, Ian inwardly thanked for the interruption. Personally, he wasn't sureif he'd like what Sally might have implied. To his pleasant surprise, Alex was on the otherline. His former bodyguard was still on a break, and they hadn't had the chance to talkmuch since the First District episode.

"Morning, Alex. You're still an early bird," Ian said, grinning.

'Lord Ian, where are you?'

Ian frowned at the sense of urgency in Alex's voice. He straightened up from the counterand discreetly edged away from Sally. "What is it?"


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'I just saw them taking in a prisoner. I think it was that vampire we left in the tunnel. She'sgot the same uniform. It doesn't look good, Lord Ian. I heard that she killed one of us at thesite.'

Ian felt his head spinning. The light feeling in his chest to know that Spencer was still alivewas warring with the crushing feeling to know that his pack would kill the vampire. "Dowhatever you can to stop them until I get there." With that, he shut her cell and grabbedhis backpack from the table. "I gotta go!"

"Wha What's going on, Ian! Ian" Sally ran after the werewolf, but Ian was so fast thatthe black limo had already driven away by the time Sally came out into the street.

Spencer only regained her consciousness again when she was thrown onto a hard floor. Herhands were still tied to her back. She tried to remain calm and stayed low. The air was toohot her liking and her skin sizzled. She didn't particularly want to imagine where she was atthe moment.A rough hand came over her head and pulled the sack off, exposing her eyes to strong UV

light. She instantly squinted at the glowing blue bars that enveloped her like a birdcage.The cell was made especially for vampires, and it was large enough to containapproximately five to eight prisoners. Quickly, she flipped and lied face down to avoid thestrong light from all around her. Her skin greatly paled in such a short time, while herchestnut tresses bled into the color of platinum blonde. Her crimson eyes began to losetheir color to an almost transparent shade, and her sight started to blur to the point ofblindness. She was sweating like mad and her fragile skin would have taken more damageif it were not for the thick, long-sleeve uniform she was wearing.

"Face up, you scumbag." The squad leader walked in and kicked Spencer in the stomach.

At the force, the vampire rolled onto her back again, furiously coughing at the impact. Shekept her eyes closed and tried not to move.

"Sir." Another werewolf greeted to the sound of quiet footsteps that had just entered theroom.

"Sir."

"Good morning, sir!" the squad leader greeted. "Sir, we caught her at Lu's house. She"

"I've been reported. Thank you, Kenta. You must be tired from the long trip and themission. We wouldn't have succeeded without you. Now, you should get yourself somerest."

Recognizing the unruffled voice, Spencer opened her eyes, but saw nothing but white light

now. Frustrated, she felt her body begin to tremble uncontrollably. Fear crept in andthreatened to devour her whole. The memory of the old days still haunted her even in thisvaulted cell deep underground.

"Sir, but it is my responsibility. I came all the way from Detroit for this. I want to stay. Ican do so much more. I'll get her to tell where Sam"

"I know you're deeply worried for your brother. But I'll see to it myself."


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"But, sir"

"You're dismissed, solider."

After a short moment of silence, Spencer caught the furious footsteps heading off intodistance, leaving this room quiet once again. The cold air of menace then erupted amidst

the heat around her. Although she could not see, she could feel a long, hard stare upon her.Undoubtedly, Hideaki Kruger had recognized her now, and it was going to be as unpleasantas their last encounter.

Spencer squinted, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on around her. His darkshadow emerged from the blinding pool of light above. Hideaki had knelt down beside her,glowering down at her.

"After all these years, you're still alive" Hideaki's tone was calm, but one could notignore the rage lying within his voice. He looked left and right, examining his captive. Heheld no weapons, and he didn't need to. The UV light had significantly weakened thevampire. "Ah, you can't see in this light" he muttered almost in a satisfying surprise."Most vampires couldn't even hold themselves under this light. They literally went crazy,and then they burst into dust in a matter of days, or hours for some. You see now what you

truly are: dust. Nothing more."

Hideaki bent lower now to whisper into her ears, and he was close enough for Spencer tosee. Hatred filled his gaze. His breaths exuded a murderous air. Forty-seven years hadpassed, and Hideaki seemed to have shredded off the innocence he once possessedthepurity Spencer once saw in the lost and lonely man who risked everything to be with hiswife.

"I've fought so many battles, and I've lost so many I loved to hunt down your kind. I can'tbelieve this. For so many years, I tried to find you. But now you're right in front of me. Sopowerless. So helpless. God, I wish you could see your own demise with your own eyes. Iwouldn't miss it for the world."

Spencer chuckled as she struggled to sit up. "How many did you kill? Will it ever satiateyour rage? It's no longer about her, isn't it? Admit it. You kill because you can. You're nobetter than us. You're animal"

With one strong hand, Hideaki gripped the vampire by the collar and pulled her off the floor.He swung her against the hot bars and roared in her face. "I'm going to kill you!"

Held a few feet above the floor, Spencer blindly kicked her feet, grasping for air. The burnson her back were killing her. Mustering all her remaining strength, she kicked back at thebars and pushed her body off, plunging Hideaki to the floor with her.

"Sir! Sir!" A few guards hurried into the cell and caught Spencer by her arms, dragging heroff their master.

Hideaki sprung up to his feet and promptly struck the vampire down. Groaning, Spencer liedflat on her stomach, her head pounding like mad.

"Quite extraordinary, really" Hideaki breathed. It must have caught him by surprise thatshe still had the strength to manage even a small resistance under the light. "You arestrong stronger than most vampires I've seen."

Spencer remained quiet, staring blankly into the whiteness around her.


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"You're still so calm. I see that you're one of a kind. Why did you betray Uriah, working forWOOHP now?"

"I don't work for anybody."

"Don't you bullshit me!" Hideaki knelt down and snatched Spencer's collar. "You're the

same wicked liar as you were decades ago! You can't lie to me now. Who do you work for?Why did you kill Ann! She did nothing to hurt you!"

Spencer snarled, her fangs protruding. "She had it coming, and you knew it. Yet, you let hergo on, chasing her foolish dreams. She died because of you."

"You bled her dry!"

"She was dying"

"Liar!" Hideaki growled, raising his claws.

"Dad! No!"

Hideaki paused and turned at the voice. "Ian, what are you doing here?" He stood up,worries residing in his voice.

Spencer narrowed her eyes at the hurried footsteps approaching. Ian had burst through thedoor, Alex closely behind. The dark-haired werewolf instantly came to her side, protectivelyputting his hands over her.

"Dad, don't do this. She's a friend," Ian said.

Spencer slightly looked down, struck by Ian's shaken voice. She couldn't fathom why thewerewolf even cared for her life. Ian was the reason she ended up in this prison in the firstplace.

"It's true, master. She helped Lord Ian and me out of First District," Alex added.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Hideaki paced around the cell. The heat was alreadygetting him, and he must have wondered how the vampire could withstand it still. "There'ssomething you don't know about her. She's the one who murdered your mother."

"Annie Lu told me everything, dad. Mom was already dying from the wounds from caraccident. There was no chance. And now I know who attacked her that night on the road."

"Annie" Hideaki stopped for a long moment before he strode out of the cell. "See me inmy office, Ian."

Spencer caught Ian's deep sigh as Hideaki left the room. When things seemed to calmdown, she began to feel uncomfortable at the scrutinizing stare from the man behind her.Hating to appear vulnerable, she tried to move away from the warm hands. She detestedthe way he must have looked now herself, the sickly appearance like the time when shewas a child.

But Ian readily pulled her back down, though gentler than she had anticipated. "II didn'tmean for this to happen. I didn't know they were watching Annie's house. I swear I didn'ttell anyone about you. I went there to take care of Annie during the past weeks. I had to


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see how she was doing," Ian explained. His voice was small, and his tone carried a pang ofguilt.

For some strange reasons, Spencer became inept to react to Ian's unexpected tenderness.Although she was not his mother's killer, she was still a vampire Ian had always loathed.

"Annie What happened to her?"

"She passed peacefully. She wasn't in any pain. The doctor made sure of that."

Spencer took in a deep breath and gulped back her tears. She could only nod in gratitude."Thank you"

Ian bent lower to whisper into her ear. "I'm going to get you out of here, so hang in there,all right?" Ian then got up and left the cell with Alex.

Breathing heavily, Spencer shut her eyes, trying to regain her composure. She needed tosave all the strength left within her to heal those back wounds. With her current condition,she could endure the artificial light for only a week at best.

Hideaki stared at the door as Ian quietly entered. So many things were storming his mindthat he didn't quite know how to start. Annie Lu was an acquaintance of his wife manyyears ago, and he never heard of her again until recently. He ordered his men to watch forany activities going about Annie's home without Ian's knowledge, but in honesty he didn'texpect the old woman to know so much about his wife's past. Annie disappeared right afterAnn's death, presumably dead at the hand of Uriah vampires as well."Sit down," Hideaki said, gesturing for his son to take the leather chair on the other side ofthe large, oak desk. The room was dimmed, lit by only the table lamp. On the desk, a blacklaptop was put aside along with a stack of papers to make room for two cups of hot tea.Thick books filled the shelves on both sides of this stony, rectangular office.

Ian sat down and looked straight into his eyes. "I can explain"

"What has gotten into you? I have never seen you getting soft on any vampire before. Don'ttell me you believe everything Annie Lu told you. She could have been lying to you."

"I thought about it, too," Ian said, taking a cup of tea from his father. "But but Spencerhelped me and Alex. She could have let us die in there. We owe her."

Hideaki let out a sigh. He didn't like how his son was feeling indebted to a vampire. Hedidn't like it one bit.

"Not just once. She helped me from the ambush in the woods. Reito Brown tried to kidnapme, dad. He was also the one who killed mom."

At the information, Hideaki stared hard at his son. He couldn't believe that Ian had kept itsecret from him until now.

Ian quickly looked down, sipping from his cup. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before. I Ididn't want you to worry too much. And I didn't want everyone to know that a that avampire saved me"


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"Your ego problem aside, what did Brown want from you?" Hideaki leaned forward, tryingto detect if Ian was hiding anything else from him.

"Annie warned me that Uriah wants to get rid of anyone who tries to find the origin.Apparently, I've become a threat to them even though I still don't know what it is."

"The legend was what got your mother killed, Ian. Leave it alone. We don't need the originto fight them." Hideaki was exasperated, leaning back into the chair in frustration. Hewould do anything to protect his son, but he hadn't cooperated with him so far. And the fearof losing him was clouding Hideakis judgment, though he would never admit it.

"But they outnumbered us long agolong before we were born. Uriah had an army oftwenty thousand vampires centuries ago. UV bullets alone aren't going to stop them. We'dunderestimated Uriah all along. And Spencer is the only one who knows where the islandis."

Hideaki took in a few deep breaths at the revelation. His pack was vastly outnumbered, notto mention that WOOHP was now in the game again. "How did this vampire Spencerknowso much about Uriah if she wasn't one of them?"

The young werewolf looked down, having sensed the sarcasm in his voice. "She She wasraised on the island. But that's all Annie knew." He then looked up at his father withdetermined gaze. "I'm sure that she isn't a Uriah. She knows Brown, but she isn't one ofthem."

"A rogue vampire" Hideaki muttered to himself, and then smiled. "How intriguing."

Ian eagerly stood up, his face beaming. "Will you let her go?"

"That's out of question"

"She'll die if you keep her in that cell."

"I've had enough on my mind for today, Ian. You're free to go."

"But, dad"

"Dismissed, solider," Hideaki said with finality. And his son knew that there wasn't anygood in lingering on. With his head down, Ian quietly left the office. He'd come back andnag him again, but Hideaki just needed some alone times to reflect his next move. He hadto be extra careful to deal with the rogue vampire, especially when Ian was in the picture.

Sighing, he straightened up in his chair and took a sip from his cup. Grabbing the laptop, hespotted a black envelope underneath the stack of papers. The item must have been therefor some times now. He pulled the envelope out and studied it. The envelope was rather

heavy to hold only a paper, and there was no information on the sender or addressee box.It came from an insider.

With caution, he opened the envelope and found an old, metal pin inside. The emblem ofamber moon was emblazoned on the pin, and he knew just what it meant. Gasping, heliterally shot up to his feet, dropping the pin onto the desk. It seemed that he wasn't theonly one with a forgotten past, and now it had caught up to him.

legend of the vampire (chapter 9: a wish to live)

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