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Chapter VI: Red eyes in the distance.

The misty shade of darkness stirred with the mask of night. The corner street lamp flickered it's orange neo light on the street. The fourth time it flickered on, a dark hooded figure was standing under its bright light. In the February night air, the cold air meeting the mysterious figure's body heat made a condensed steam rise up through the airy mist. The street light flickered back off. When it changed its mind and turned back on, the hooded figure was out of sight.

Across the street in the slumbering cemetry in the shrouded foggy mist, two human shaped forms stood out from the many knee high mounds of headstones. One form was tall with an hour glass shape. The second was half the size of its companion and seemed childish. The tall figure turned its dark head toward the street lamp, revealing two blood red, glowing eyes. The fog around them stirred and pulled away, just as the half moon uncovered from its cloudy night gown and turned its half grin down on the cemetery.

The hooded figure appeared once again in the moonlight, bowing before the tall dark figure. "Milady, you requested to see me?" the hooded figure asked. There came no answer from the second company. "You requested my assistance?" the hooded figure repeated impatiently.

"If we are trusting each other, then remove your hood." the darkness ordered in a womanish peeked voice.

There was a moment of distrusting thought until the hooded figure removed his hood revealing a charmingly handsome face of a young vampire. His eyes glew a light red in the moonlight, but clearly stayed an exotic yellow. He smiled revealing a pair of fangs, threateningly, and yet trustingly. The stranger stood up and then demanded, "Now remove your own masks and reveal yourselves."

The tall shadowed figure nodded its dark head in agreement then moved into the glow of the moon removing the hood of a dark blue cape. This tall shadowy stranger was a vampiress of a high degree of beauty. The moon behind her made her dark hair a brownish color. Her blood red eyes glew behind the conceal of a golden masquerade mask.

The youthe nodded his head, as if accepting his mysterious partner just by her gothic beauty. "Now for your commrade." he ordered looking down at the child sized shadow next to the vampiress.

"She stays annyonmous for now." She hissed drawing the small form closer like a mother protecting her off spring.

The youth thought for a moment, deciding weather to trust them or not. "Very well." he said at last, "You had asked for me?"

"Yes." The masked vampiress hissed, "You have an affair with someone o fth esame house that I wish to corrupt."

"Which house?" The youth smiled mischieviously.

"The Alexander Mansion."

The evil, playful grin on the youth's face suddenly melted away. "Why them?"

"We both have a grudge against someone of that house."

"Even your impish friend?" The youth glared down at the annyomous shadow.

"Yes."

"Why do you need me exactly?" He turned his eyes up at the vampiress.

"I need you to distract the master of the Alexander house hold for me."

"How?" The youth demanded, already plotting out diversions against his enemy.

"Fool around with his pet's heart of course."

"What would I get if I do this one task?" His interest on the matter was soaring now.

"You'll get your revenge, and the vampiress of your dreams."

The youth considered for a moment. "If my end of the bargin is so wonderful, what are you getting out of this?"

The vampiress's eyes flashed a deadly red with anger. "I, my dear friend, will get the Alexander fortune, Master Morgan and be rid of that half blooded tramp, Cecilia Hart!" The youth shifted his weight, uneasy at the suddenly sight of the vampiress's raw emotion.

"What about pip-squeak there?" He asked. The dwarfed shadow moved and looked up at him with demon red eyes, and it said in a dangerously sweet voice of a child, "I would have a second chance at life." A hint of amusement slipped into the child's voice as she spoke. The youth looked at them surprised at the find before him.

"Okay. So what shall I call you if I stumble onto a problem?" He asked the masked vampiress.

A twisted, evil smirk spread out under her golden mask, "I would suspect that you shouldn't have to worry about running into trouble. But just in case you do, call on Black Mist."

"Black Mist?" He wondered the name.

The vampiress pulled the child closer to her as she retreated into the darkness of the cemetery. "I expect you to drop a weekly report of your progress at the Mockingbird Bar." That was the vampiress's last comment before she left the youth to ponder on his own sceems and plans.

~ ~

The Mockingbird Bar was really a vampire code word for a secret meeting in an old, abandoned hotel building on the out skirts of town. All that a vampire was designed to do was to sneak up into the dark alley way and whisper the name of a certain club into the side door of the building. If there was a resident there of that specific code word, he would be permitted to enter, but if not...that pitiful soul would be feed on by hundreds of blood thursty demons.

It had been a week after the events prevously recorded. The youth from before had slipped into the deserted alley and leaned up against the door. He had the collar of his black trench coat folded up to hide part of his face. Partly for the effect of a secret club member and partly because a drizzle rain was splattering down. The youth had been moving quickly and panted breathlessly into the door, "Black Mist."

Noiselessly, the rust old door slid open and the youth slipped in with an air of importance. The door shut behind him as the youth removed his trench coat and hat. The main room that he had entered was the lobby; a dim-lit dusty old room witha clerk's desk at the far end. Busily working, an old man (who resembled more of a dwarfed troll) sat and glared over his half rimmed moon glasses at the new comer. The troll like man didn't say anything as the youth approached the desk.

Up close, the clerk was twice as ugly. His skin was pale and rough as paper, wrinkled like a newspaper that was balled up, thrown away, unfolded and molded into a parcially human face. His thin lips stretched in a discusted frown revealing sharp, crooked teeth. "It's been a while since you've been here. Got another job, Draak?" the clerk snarled in a husky, raspy voice with a tinted amusement.

"I don't have time for your bull s**t, Ballard." The youth glared at the clerk.

"So then the rumors are true? You've taken up bounty hunting again?" The clerk sneered wearing down the youth's patience.

"Enough about those days. It's ancient history now!" The youth slammed his fist down on the desk, "Is the Black Mist here or not?"

"Her?!" The clerk's sneering grin was wiped clean from his face and was replaced with a cold hatred, "You best be careful near that woman. She'd eat you alive if you mess up!"

"You're always walking on egg shells in this trade, Ballard. Is she here or not?"

"Yeah, she's here. I can't seem to get rid of her." Ballard grumbled and began working again, "She's expecting you in the ball room."

Without saying a word to old clerk, Ballard, the youth headed on his way to the romm that he knew so well. "Becareful around her, Draak. I'd trust a poisionous python compared to that witch. I have a bad feeling about this one." Ballard warned as a last thought.

"I'll keep that in mind." the youth disappeared into the gloriously rich and fancy ball room.

Black Mist, as some called her The Vampiress of Mystery, was as strongly beautiful as she was dangerous. She seemed to be a newly reborn vampire for no one had ever seen her around these parts before, and her fame and reputation was spreading through the demon world like a toxic vapor. They believed her black heart was bent on revenger, and her mind was as dark as the pit to Hell. She was never found outside the company of a short impish figure dressed in a black suit that resembled a ninja costume. Rumor said that Black Mist's body guard was a shadow creature raised from the darkness of a mad man's soul, and simple called the clad figure, Sombra, meaning "shadow" in spanish.

As the youth entered the ball room, several heads turned and reconized him. Few shouted out praises, most turned their heads down in shame as he apssed their tables. The youth ignored all the rest of the guests as passed to a victorian red lounge chair in the far off corner of the room. Black Mist sat up from the lounge chair and greeted him with a sinister smile. Sombra drew in closer to her mistress as the youth neared them. "My dear Draak," Black Mist greeted in a suspicously cheerful voice, "I knew you'd be true to your word."

"Always am." Draak answered. Black Mist rose from her seat and untrustingly glanced around the room. "Let's speak somewhere more privet." Sombra lept forward and taken hold of Draak's hand and pulled him away to another smaller room futher down the hall as if Black Mist had issued a silent command. The vampiress followed them with a terrifying smile and closed the door behind her. The soft music of the self playing piano of the ball room was muffled as it penitrated the walls of this small, windowless room. In fact, every room of the Mockingbird Bar was blacked out, or not even there.

"Now then," Black Mist pressed herself against the closed door as Sombra foced Draak to take a seat on the only sofa in the room. "Don't tell me you ran into trouble. The game has just begun."

"Everything is in our favor."

"That's what I like to hear! What's the enemy's objective?"

Draak hesitated, surprised that Black Mist had used a military term. "Erm..." Sombra elbowed him sharply, a signal to answer immediatly when spoken to.

"Well?" Black Mist's voice was patiently calm but had the rough edge of impatience. Draak took in a steady breath before he began to explain.

"It seems Master Alexander understands the fact that I'm out for his fortune and possible his...pet, as you called her. His jealously towards me is blinding his fair judgement and he doesn't know our position, or our new alliance."

"That's what I wouldn've guessed, but I'm asking on my enemy's objective." Black Mist's words sounded irritated which wasn't a good thing in Draak's case.

"Do you want details or a general explaination?" He had a sinister grin set on his lips.
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