so far gone

7/31/2019 So Far Gone

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So Far Gone

Chapter 1

Over the last few weeks, many

voices whispered into her mind.

They were the cries of scared and

dying vampires. Beware was oftenthe message theyd send. Starr, as

terrible at mind control as she was,

couldnt block out the messages.

Like Shane and Mica, the voices

nearly drove her to the brink of crazy

sometimes. Only when she wastraining for battle, was her mind so

focused that she couldnt hear them.

Even worse than the psychiccries were the vamps who showed

up on a daily basis. She wouldve

rather been on her own. Repeatedly,

she tried to chase them away. When

she found them spying on her from

another empty condo on the otherside of the building, she even tried


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to kill one of them. Just as she closed

her fingers on his back upper napeand made to squeeze him like a

bottle neck, her hand froze.

The ghost lady appeared and

insisted she let them alone. That was

the first night she showed herpower, and there was no fighting

her.

Even more annoying than all

the demons hanging about was how

much they knew about her. Sheknew that shed sent shockwaves

through communities across the

globe, what with her defeating Levi,

working with the Council, and killing

an infamous Primordial, but these

vamps knew everything: from the

names of her best friends, to her

usual coffee drink. A few had even

confessed to spying on her long

before the attempted apocalypse.

They were curious to know if all the


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things theyd heard, about her, were

true.

All she ever said to anyone,

over and over, was that she wanted

to be left alone; to have a normal

life. What a shock to know that she

was never really alone. She onlythought she was.

Word of her Primordial

initiation and the whispers of the

ghost lady, falsely convinced them

that Starr was some kind of hero.Vampires got some crazy idea that

she was the one who was strong

enough to help them defeat

Credenza. And, frequently, her name

was mentioned in the psychic cry

outs.

Now, she was sharing a vacant

condo with a dozen other vampires,

while dozens more were in an empty

house several blocks over, not to

mention the empty condo on the

other side of the property. Theyd


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spend their days fighting and

plotting, gathering weapons andammo.

Several of them tailed the

family at all times, whose names

were Barb and Michael Mitchell. The

babys name was Meghan, just likeher dead sister. Such a coincidence

was eerie for her to think about.

Starr didnt know who the

ghostly woman was, though shed

asked many times. But it wasobvious that she was an ancient one

gone into unconsciousness; a

Primordial, she surmised, though she

couldve been a witch, too.

Perhaps it was foolish to trustthe woman, but so far, shed been

good help. It was she who led her to

the baby that, now, had her soul.

And it was because of her that all

these vampires were there to help

her win the fight. And she wouldve

never stayed in Boston if not for the


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woman showing her that Shane and

the others were in fact alright. Theywere worried and scared, but were

living well, and without much

supervision, at the Councils castle.

The castle was the size of New

York City, and was nestled in a bowlshaped valley of the Carpathian

Mountains in Romania. Having spent

time there, herself, she knew theyd

be fine. Not only was the castle built

to house an entire city, but it had allthe modern amenities of one, too.

More importantly, Credenza

would never hurt them as long as

Starr had what she wanted: the baby

and, both theirs, soul.

As she walked the rainy

streets of Boston, the essence of the

ghost woman blanketed her again.

Who are you? she asked

aloud. Are you ever going to tellme?


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A strong wind blew around

her; the trees wavered violently. Thestreet lights cemented pole groaned

under the strength of the wind.

Is that a sign? she asked.

But instead of the usualwhispers that followed this

benevolent behavior, the sky simply

darkened several shades, rather

quickly, and then a bolt of lightning

shot down into someones back

yard, several hundred feet away.

She walked to the corner and

pressed the little button on the

crossing light. Cars sped past as shewaited.

Across the street was the caf

she frequented, lately. At one point,

she was visiting the caf three and

four times a day, simply needing toget some quiet time. Just like at the

clinic, she had a hard time being


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around so many people, and it was

worse when they were clamoringadults. All day it was shouting,

arguing and the chinking of swords

and shocking of arms.

Oh hell! she said under her

breath.

A dark haired man in a black

trench coat dropped down, in front

of the caf, from the gray cloud

above the street. He looked right

into her eyes as he waited for her tocross.

This was the fashion in which

people, to her grief, came. It was

partly her fault because she was

terrible at cloaking her thoughts.Mental discipline was always her one

weakness. Like a lighthouse, her

essence shined out through the fog

of all the people, making her easily

locatable.

The light changed.


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Extremely annoyed by the

mans presence, she walked fast andhard, giving him a death stare.

Go away, she said as she

stepped up onto the sidewalk.

Are you Starr?

No, she said louder than she

meant. Now beat it, or Ill beat

you.

You must be her, he said

unfazed. Your ferocity is

legendary.

She rolled her eyes as she

pulled back the glass door, and

walked into the coffee shop.

But I need to talk to you, she

heard as she let the door swing

closed.

She walked up to the counter

and ordered her usual latte withcinnamon. Turning back, she saw the


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man watched her through the glass

door.

Spotting the Daily Times, she

picked it up and made her way to a

table at the back.

Lately, the news wasabounding in stories of murders and

missing persons. If he or she didnt

have his or her guts removed and

half eaten, he or she seemed to

disappear without a trace. There

were even a few stories of men andwomen whom the police, upon

investigation of their vacant homes,

were found to be as much as 500

years old, yet appeared not to have

aged a single day past

approximately thirty years.

No one believed these stories.

She knew this because shed heard

plenty of talk in the cities, and in the

psychic cries, but the upswing in

violence was a concern to many. She

didnt need to be a good telepath to


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see these worries, either. The fright

was painted on their faces, andinfused with the scents that humans

put off: scents of fear.

As she sipped her coffee, she

shifted her eyes to the windows.

Outside, the man still stood on thesidewalk, staring unblinkingly at her

through the glass.

She sighed long and loud.

Then she stood and threw the

newspaper down onto the table. Onher way out, she said to barrister,

Ill bring back the cup.

Outside, she said, Followme.

They walked several blocks

over to the condo she and the others

had been squatting in. Before

opening the door, she turned andsaid, Know that if youre working for

Credenza, Ill kill you.


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Once again, the man hardly

flinched. Shes already tried to killme, so you need not worry, dear

lady.

My names Starr. Try to be

contemporary. I cant stand all your

old world customs.

Miss, theres no need to be

bitter. Im not that old.

Ignoring him, she turned and

unlocked the door.

Inside, half a dozen men and

women were going over plans to rob

an army base, several states over, of

rocket launchers; something they

were sure would kill vampires the

likes of Credenza. They, mostly

being less than a few centuries old,

would need a leg up because the

older they got, the more difficultthey were to eradicate.


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Over the last few weeks, her

life had become just like a militarycamp, too. With vamps actually

training, learning how to fight, and

even with swords. This is where Starr

was actually grateful for the older

vamps because she knew thatCredenza would fight like a warrior,

and the younger ones needed to be

prepared for it.

Most of the younger vampires

thought Starr was being silly, butshe insisted they learn old world

styles of combat. Silly as it seemed,

barbarianism had a history of taking

out armies in the past. Just because

it was old, didnt mean it was

ineffective, she told them one night.

Younger ones? a man

named Aster asked sarcastically, on

the night she was asked to give her

opinion on how Credenzas army

would behave. Youre only justturned 18 years total. I like how you


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talk about us like were children to

you.

It was funny, yes, but they

didnt understand that Credenza and

Starr were one person divided by a

degree.

Wheres Aine? she asked a

man who was sharpening old

swords. Sometimes it was hard to

remember all their names.

Theyre out practicing. Got a

new one, there? he asked.

Yeah, can you take care of

him?

Sure, he said.

Aine was an old Irish vampire

shed visited some time ago. At first,

she and her companion, Ciaran,

were the only ones she trusted intheir army, and they were


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purportedly strong allies to have,

with reputations from centuries ago,of being vicious, tenacious, restless

warriors.

Rumor had it that they already

went up against the Council during

the Celtic Revival of the earlytwentieth century. The Council lost

that battle, and a number of men.

But they failed to takeout Credenza,

so when they heard whisper of

Starrs so called army, Aine,Ciaran, and a couple dozen of her

clan were more than eager to help.

However, Starr could tell by

the glisten in their eyes and the

vibrato in their voices that it was

more than Credenza that drove

them, but it was a thirst for a fight.

They were true warriors in the sense

that it was a matter of pride.

Credenza explained this ideology to

her once; it was something that shethought Starr would aspire to, but


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she was wrong. Nostalgia drove

these vampires to battle, and Starrwas a modern woman with modern

desires.

Aines people were strong.

Starr had already engaged them,

and learned a lot about swordfighting; things she couldnt pull

from Credenzas memory. For the

first time in years, they likened her

to pain. Something she hadnt felt

since the night shed been shot. Atthat moment when shed taken a

platinum bat to her kidney, she

understood why the old vampires

were excited to be there. The pain

from the fight made them feel alive,

like they were doing what theirdemons were meant to do. She, too,

loved it.

Even better than the pain was

their technique that was different

from the Romanians, who had amore conservative form of battling.


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With Aine and her men, Starr really

felt the passion in the fight, and herinner demon loved that, too. They

werent afraid to get in close or to

use their hands and legs as well as

their weapons, unlike the Romanians

or the Romans. Since she was amartial artist, the Celtic style fell

more in line with what she already

knew about fighting. And she was

able to teach them a modern thing

or two, too, which they loved.

Starr loved having the respect

of the old warriors. It was only when

she was with them she realized that,

despite her modern desires, she

really was a warrior at heart. She felt

at home with them, and loved diningside by side with them.

She went to her room and shut

the door.


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So not all of the vampires who

showed were terribly annoying toher; it was just the younger ones.

Many of them couldnt fight to save

their lives, and had not a clue about

warring; then had the nerve to get

pissy with her. Credenza wasruthless, and so were her men. Since

bullets only slowed them down, they

needed to be prepared to go mono a

mono.

The young ones didnt likethis, and some even had the nerve

to be resentful of Starrs authority.

When a man named Aster scorned

her one evening, and even drew his

sword, she almost retreated. Not out

of fear, but out of shear frustrationthat the men wouldnt listen to her.

That was when Ikael, Aines

longtime friend from a neighboring

tribe back in the old country,

taught her what it meant to be achieftain warrior. Now, he was a


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member of the Scamall family.

Thanks to him and his friend, Druce,Starr was thriving as a militia.

What are you doing, lass? he

asked, sounding sincerely disgusted.

Are you a warrior or not? Youre

stronger than they. Show themyoure the authority, he said, and

pushed her back toward Aster. She

looked at Aine and Ciaran, both who

nodded, agreeing that the young

fledgling needed to be taught alesson.

Aster was a dirty demon. He

didnt give her a chance for a fair

fight, but he drew his sword and

charged her while she still faced

Ikael. She whirled around and, with

just her bare hands, severed his

arms from his back, and threw them

through the glass window. It was

actually an accident, as she meant

to throw him out of the window. Asbefore, there were still times when


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her new strength still eluded her

knowledge.

Ikael and his buddies didnt

seem to mind the sight of liters of

blood issuing from Asters sockets.

They shouted their approval and

laughed hysterically. Given theirreputation, she shouldnt have been

surprised by their delight.

Make no mistake, young

fledglings, Ikael said with a wide

faced smile. Starr is in charge, andwere here to support her. You got a

problem with that, than get out.

Before she dismembers you,

said someone, and the Scamalls

laughed once more.

Its not funny, said one of

the young ones.

They looked extremely upset.

Actually, Ikael, said a man

named Druce. They should fight


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until death, dont you think?

Attacking while anothers back isturned? We would have never

allowed such a thing in our day,

either that or we should just kill

him.

No, please! begged Aster.Im sorry!

No, said Ikael. Things dont

work like that anymore. Besides,

thats Starrs decision. Talk to her.

Starr, allow me to advise you.

Ive had great battle experience, and

I know how to handle a dirty rat, he

said passionately. Why dont you

get your arms before someone calls

the police, you dirty rat.

Druce pushed him to the floor.

Death by beheading, said

someone from the back.

No, said Starr. Just get your

things and leave, Aster.


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From that day on, no one

questioned her. Aster, who beggedher to let him stay, had become

especially subservient.

Although things went well

after her showdown, she still felt

ashamed for a while after. Thatswhen Ikael came to her once more,

and said, Its better that you dont

have to worry about what these men

will do when youre back is turned.

Its better that you assert yourauthority now, rather than on the

battle field or on a mission. Dont be

ashamed, this is a natural part of

leadership. Someone will always

challenge you, and you must prove

your worthiness. Tonight you didwhat was expected of you; though

the younger ones dont understand

this, but we, the Scamall Clan,

respect you.

After that night, Starr foundshe liked Ikael and Druce even more.


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Without any real confirmation they,

alongside Aine and Ciaran, hadbecome her lieutenants.

The only thing that worried her

was Shane had promised to contact

her, telepathically, but there was still

no word. The ghost lady assured herthey were okay, and even sent her

images of them in the Councils

castle, playing games and being well

taken care of. They simply werent

allowed to leave. Not that it waspossible, as the castle was nestled in

a bowl shaped valley in the

Carpathian Mountains, which

bordered Romania and the Ukraine.

There was no place for them to go.

The main thing, the ghost lady

told her, was not to rush into fighting

because a lot was riding on her,

including her destiny. Whatever that

meant, Starr didnt care about

destiny, she just wanted to save herfriends and go home.


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Starr tried to get more

information, but the ghost ladywouldnt answer. This angered her,

and if it werent for the fact that the

lady led her to the baby to her

soul, she wouldnt have listened.

Plus, there was somethingfamiliar about the lady; almost like

shed met her before. Naturally,

Starr realized she couldve been

tapping into a memory from

Credenzas life. She shouldvewritten her off, immediately. But

something, somewhere inside her,

told her to stay put.

Taking down the last of her

latte, she sat back on her inflatable

bed and turned on her computer.

She should have been training with

the men. Most of which took place in

the house a few yards over, but she

just needed to get away. Ikael and

his men understood this about her


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and respected her needs. For that,

she was also grateful to them.

so far gone

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