"You killed my brother," the female vampire snarled, her voice sharp and shaking with rage. "You'll pay for that."
"They killed my brother," the third vampire echoed, his tone darker, heavier. "Let's not spare any of them."
The three moved at once, a blur in the dark.
Tyler and Sophia met the first vampire head-on. Bella and Jasper went for the female, while James and Henry clashed with the third.
The first vampire's palm flared with black light an energy ball burst out, tearing through the air. Tyler and Sophia split apart, dodging clean, then cut in together, jaws clamping down on his left arm. The vampire didn't even flinch another black sphere exploded from his other hand, the blast knocking both wolves off their feet and slamming them into a jagged rock.
Bella lunged at the female vampire, Jasper close behind, but the vampire's hands pulsed with a cold blue glow. The first blast tore past them, but the second slammed into their sides with crushing force, sending them skidding across the dirt.
James darted in low, teeth sinking deep into the third vampire's leg. Henry sprang to join him, but the vampire's hand ripped open a swirling black hole Henry vanished into it and reappeared midair, crashing through a tree trunk with a sick crack. The vampire kicked James loose, then opened another portal right in front of the wolf's face James shot through it and hit the ground from a nasty height, his body slamming hard.
Sophia dodged another dark energy ball, then another each one breaking holes through the trees. Tyler was behind her, both leaping high to strike.
The vampire just smiled. A huge black sphere grew between his hands before smashing into them midair. They hit the ground with bone-deep thuds, groaning in pain.
"You killed my brother," the vampire said, his voice low now, almost shaking. "I'll make you regret it."
His eyes lost focus, like he was somewhere else.
He was human again back on a cold street, the night air stinging. Two other kids were with him, a girl and a boy. All three of them had run away from home.
"My name's Ansel," he'd told the boy. "What's yours?"
"Winter," the boy said, small voice trembling.
"You'll be fine with us," Ansel told him. "We won't beat you."
Winter smiled a little. "My uncle was beating me, he said I stole a lot."
"Did you steal?" Ansel asked.
Winter nodded.
"You were hungry?"
"Yes… my uncle never gave me food unless I worked. I had to steal to eat."
"Don't worry," Ansel said quietly. "You're fine here."
Back in the present, Tyler's body smashed against a tree, bark splintering under the impact.
"You have no idea," the vampire Ansel growled, his voice almost breaking, "how much pain I'm in now."
The fire blast ripped through the forest, heat and force shoving air like a wave. Bella and Jasper hit the ground hard, the earth scraping their sides.
For her to be this strong… she must've eaten a lot of humans, Bella thought in the mind channel, her tone edged with disgust and pain.
And yet they pretend to care about people, Jasper shot back, bitter.
They pushed themselves up fast, no time to breathe, diving right back into the fight.
What's with this guy? Henry's voice came through the mind channel as he tore forward, teeth bared, aiming for the vampire's throat.
I don't know, but we better finish this, James answered, leaping beside him.
Sophia! Tyler's voice rang out in the link as she crashed into a thick tree, bark exploding from the impact.
The vampire laughed deep, sharp lifting a swirling black energy ball high. "An eye for an eye."
Tyler growled, bolting forward, but the vampire hurled two black spheres at him. Tyler weaved past them, lunged, but caught a brutal kick to the chest before two more energy balls slammed him flat into the dirt.
And in the vampire's mind, another night returned.
A boy digging through a trash bin, pulling out a half-eaten piece of bread.
"What are you doing?" Ansel asked, Winter and Matilda standing behind him.
The boy glanced at them, still chewing. "I'm hungry, can't you see?"
"Stop, you'll get sick," Winter said.
"I'm used to it," the boy replied, not looking up.
Ansel stepped closer, grabbed his arm. "Join us. Stop doing this. What's your name?"
"Dink."
"Follow us, Dink. You'll never have to eat from the bin again."
The boy stood dropped the bread and followed.
Back in the present, Sophia and Ansel were locked her fangs straining against the push of his black energy ball. The pressure ripped branches from trees around them.
Bella and Jasper darted in on the female vampire. She twisted aside, throwing out huge blasts of blue fire energy. The two wolves were quick sidestepping, closing the gap. Jasper burst forward with a sudden burst of speed, claws flashing her right arm was gone in an instant.
She screamed, a raw, tearing sound, and sent a wild blast at Jasper.
Jasper! Bella's voice cracked through the mind link as she saw him hurled back.
Henry, look out! James shouted.
Henry spun aside just as a black portal tore open under his feet. James crouched low and drove his weight into the vampire's side, sending him smashing into a tree trunk.
Tyler slammed into Ansel, pounding him into the dirt, but the enemy sprang up instantly. Sophia was there then a pair of massive dark spheres bloomed in the vampire's hands. They erupted in a ear crunching burst, knocking Tyler flat. The vampire's fist met Sophia's chest and sent her flying into a thick bed of shrubs.
He dusted off his clothes, his eyes gone distant.
The rain was cold in that memory. He, Dink, and Winter had ran from the bread shop, the baker's shouts behind them. The man caught Winter, stick raised beating him. Ansel and Dink grabbed a rusted iron bar and swung hard, again and again, until the man collapsed. Blood mixed with rainwater in the gutter.
"Let's go," Dink's voice had cut through the storm, and they ran.